Chapter 7

As the silence yawned between Alise and Chief, she clipped out, “It’s fine.  You don’t have to answer to me.” 

Whatever reaction she was expecting, it wasn’t the explosive sigh that left Chief or the softly muttered curse.  He didn’t address her fear though just started walking again, and as he closed the space to his cabin without saying a word, her anxiety mounted.  Quietly, he let them back in, and she thought he’d deposit her on the couch like he’d done earlier, but that didn’t happen.  Instead, he carried her up the narrow stairs that led up to a loft bedroom.  The room was warm because heat from the fire he’d started had risen up into the rafters.  A shiver coursed through her with how nice it felt.

Chief carried her to the bed, and she thought he’d just deposit her there and give her space, but he didn’t.  He sat on the mattress with her on his lap, and the bed springs creaked loudly under their combined weight.

Instantly, Alise made to scramble off his lap, but his firm hand on her hip halted her.

“I wanted a she-wolf because I know how strong they are.”

His admission had her glancing up at him.

“I’m not disgusted, or offended, or deflated because you’re human, Alise.  I’m worried.  There are things about humans.  You’re soft.  All women are.”  Lifting a strong hand, he cupped her cheek and brushed a thumb beneath her eye.  “But you, you’re like tissue paper to a beast like me and just the thought of tearing you, of ruining you,” he swallowed thickly.  “It fucking guts me.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.  “And I know you don’t think you’re as fragile as all that.”  Lowering his hand from her face, he settled it on her thigh where he curled it into a tight fist and stared at it.  “But in these hands, even iron feels like butter.  I’m a lone wolf, Alise because I’ve got a beast inside of me, and you’re right.  He’s one I can’t control.  I can’t be anyone’s Beta, there isn’t a submissive bone in my body.  And I can’t hold Alpha because my wolf’s too uncontrollable to lead.  I hurt everything.  I ruin everything.”

“You said you can’t be in a pack, but you’re here.  You’re living with the Skin Walkers.  That…that counts for something right?”

Letting his head fall back, Chief closed his eyes as he spoke.  “I’m here because I lost a bet.”

“A bet?”

Lowering his head, he chuffed a humorless sound.  “A battle actually.  I was in Glacier fighting in the pack battles for a female.  One of Monroe’s Skin Walkers showed up and wanted to claim the prize.  Hell, he already had.  Baymac was afflicted, but Monroe still gave Clay and me a shot at Grace.  The deal was that Baymac would fight us both.  Whoever won got Grace.  Whoever lost came to StoneCrow for a year to work.  Cocky fucks that we are, all three of us thought we’d win.”

Alise sounded shocked when she asked, “But you lost?”

“Yeah,” Chief muttered, lifting a hand and scratching the back of his head.  “For the first time in my life, I lost a battle.  The fight was fierce, but my heart wasn’t really in it.  I mean, yeah, I wanted a female.  Like I said, I thought a she-wolf could fix mine, but that wasn’t what we ended up fighting for.  I found out after the first four rounds that Grace was all human.  But, I’d already made it to the victory rounds, and my wolf wouldn’t let me back out.  We couldn’t.  Our reputation was on the line.  Then Baymac showed up, and he was afflicted, which was an out.  My wolf ended up fighting an enraged African lion who was there to claim his mate.”  He shook his head and smirked, his voice held humor when he said, “I didn’t stand a chance.”  He looked at her.  “It’d be comparable to someone coming in here right now and trying to take you from me.”  Snorting, his lip curled up.  “I’d end a motherfucker.”

“So you went to battle for a mate and lost and because you lost you had to come here for a year to work?”

“Yeah.”

“And then you met me and were stricken?”

He just looked at her.

“When you were on the phone with Monroe you said it was too convenient.  You accused him of forcing me on you so that he could study you being stricken.  Could he do that?  Could he force you into being stricken?  Does he have that kind of power or ability?”

Chief shrugged.  “Dunno.  What I do know is that rumors are swirling around this place about how he meddles in the love lives of his Walkers.  Some say he has a list.  A list of every Walker here and that Walker’s mate.  Some believe that he intentionally interferes and throws two individuals together to force the affliction.  Granted, it would happen in its own time, but some say he wants the pairings now.”

“Why?”

“Who the fuck knows.  I’m new here, and not only do I not know much about Walker ways, I honestly don’t give a fuck.”

Alise blinked at him.

“Well, until now,” he sighed.  “When someone starts fucking with me, I fuck back, but you…”  Brows spearing down, his eyes flashed that molten gold she was growing so familiar with.  “I can’t tolerate anyone messing with you, sweetheart.  I just…I can’t.”

“So you think it’s a game.  Monroe is messing with us somehow.”

He shrugged again.  “Like I said, it seems awfully convenient.”

“Forced stricken.”  She looked down as she twisted her fingers together, her mind whirling.  “Your wolf thinks it’s true and is acting accordingly, and I’m…”  She glanced up at him.  “I can’t be too far from you, so there’s that.”

Lifting a hand, he brushed the long sweep of her ponytail off her shoulder and dropped his hand to the exposed skin of her shoulder where he traced her blackbird tattoo.  “Don’t worry.  I’m sticking close.”

Alise fought to ignore the heat that pooled low in her belly at his touch even as goosebumps rose on her skin beneath his fingers.  “S-so now what?”

“I call, Dell.”  He grinned at her tattoo.  “Dell BlackBird.”

When Chief grinned, butterflies started a brawl right in Alise’s middle.  Good Lord, the man was beautiful! 

“Dell?” she asked, trying to concentrate on what Chief was saying instead of how he looked and how his hands on her were making her feel.  “Who’s he?”

“The Alpha of the BlackBird pack.”

“But not your Alpha?”

“No.”  Lowering his hand, he settled it on her hip.  “But a smart Alpha.  He rules the wolves of Montana, and he knows Monroe.  He’ll know if a forced stricken is even possible.”

“Wait!  So, this might be real?”

Chief shrugged, and Alise decided she hated the gesture.  He kept doing it when he didn’t want to answer, and it was frustrating.

“But it doesn’t matter,” she clipped out and shoved his hand off her hip and stood, pacing to the window and looking out.  “Because you don’t want a human.  I’m too weak, and you’re afraid you’ll break me.”

Behind her, Chief gave another vague answer that had her curling her hands into tight little fists.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, sweetheart.  One battle at a time.”