Chief (Skin Walkers Book 19)

by Susan Bliler

  Stopping, he turned and watched as she approached. She wore only his oversized t-shirt that hung to just above her knees and those sexy high heels from the reception. She had to be cold. Head down, arms wrapped around her middle, she looked…defeated. It was a blow to his ego because he knew that her being tied to him was the source.

  Ffffuck!

  Lifting a hand, he used a thumbnail to scratch at his beard before he angled his head and stared off into to woods. “I’ll fix this.”

  Alise jerked to a stop, her head snapping up. She’d been so deep in thought she hadn’t even noticed he’d stopped.

  “I’m gonna fix this.” Feeling uncomfortable, he cracked the knuckles of one hand and then did the other before lowering his arms. For the first time since he was a kid, he felt awkward. “Whatever this is, whoever forced it, I’m gonna fix it. No matter what it takes.”

  He’d expected Alise’s eyes to fill with relief. He’d expected gratitude. But when she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and turned her head to the side, he swore his words had wounded her somehow. But why? Isn’t this what she wants? Wasn’t he supposed to find a way out of this for her?

  “Alise?”

  Facing him, her expression was one of anger. This time she was the one to walk right past him, but she made sure there was no brush of arms, no touching at all. Instead, she muttered a word that only confused him more.

  “Fine!”

  Chapter 10

  Chief was in absolute fucking awe of Alise. He could barely tear his eyes from her for even a moment when he was in her presence, which sucked because he knew he was scaring her. He had to be. Who wouldn’t be terrified after being physically affected by a total stranger only to find out that said stranger was a wolf shifter and was destined to be your mate. Christ! He wanted to walk away. He wanted to leave the cabin and give Alise the time she needed to adjust to the idea. He wanted to come back and court her, but that shit wasn’t happening. Nope, his inner wolf was a beast and a territorial one at that, which meant there was no fucking way he was letting Chief walk out and leave their mate unprotected. Skin Walker compound or not, Chief only trusted himself to look after something so damn precious.

  In the bedroom of the cabin, he was rifling through his drawers trying to find something suitable for her to wear. A pair of his black sweat pants were knotted at Alise’s hip and rolled up a half dozen times until her tiny feet—shoved into a pair of his oversized thermal socks—poked out the bottom.

  Nostrils flaring, Chief drank in Alise’s scent, and his lip kicked up in a snarl. Alise saw it and the way she paled slightly and recoiled a nearly imperceptible fraction told him two things. One, his mate was afraid of him, and two, she was tough as nails to pretend she wasn’t.

  The scent of her soothed his inner animal and had the growl, that had been rattling his chest ever since he’d gotten back to the cabin, tapering off into a low sound deep in his throat. She smelled so fucking good. It wasn’t like anything else he’d scented either. Most women at StoneCrow smelled like Montana or flowers, but not Alise. No, she smelled exotic like coconut and lime mixed with sugar. He’d be able to pinpoint her scent anywhere.

  Handing Alise a long-sleeved t-shirt, he watched her shove her arms into it, not even bothering to remove the long t-shirt beneath.

  “Before we head to the infirmary, we need to go over a few things.”

  Alise blinked up at him with her big hazel eyes.

  “No one touches you. No one!”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.

  “Anyone’s touch beside mine will hurt you. And if anyone hurts you, I promise my wolf will rip out of me and go to war. No touching.”

  “No touching,” Alise repeated with a look of concern.

  “And no males.”

  Her dainty brows speared down, so Chief explained. “So far as Beast is concerned, you’re ours. But we haven’t claimed you. Any male who even approaches will be considered a challenger. It’s one of those things about Beast I can’t control. Don’t test it. I promise it won’t be pretty.”

  “Okay,” she breathed. “No touching, no men. Is that it?”

  “Stay close,” he growled. “I won’t let them separate us. If it’s one of Monroe’s schemes to study the stricken, they’ll try.”

  When worry filled her eyes, he crossed to her and cupped her face. “No one’s separating us, Alise. I won’t allow it. We’ll keep you safe. You have our word.”

  Drawing in her bottom lip, she nodded, but he could tell she was still unconvinced. If he was honest, he was worried too. Inside, Beast was thrashing around demanding he keep Alise here locked up tight in the cabin and safe with them. At the main house, anything could happen. And if this was all a game, then taking Alise to the source wasn’t wise. But she was determined to know the truth and so was he.

  A knock at the front door had both he and Alise jerking.

  “Who’s that?” she asked and headed for the stairs.

  He caught her wrist and pulled her behind him. “Wait here.”

  He made his way down the stairs and opened the door to find that dick from yesterday standing there.

  “Chief,” Gauge greeted.

  Chief simply jerked his chin by way of greeting.

  Gauge’s eyes slid over Chief’s shoulder. “Mr. StoneCrow says he’s been calling.”

  “Phone’s broke.”

  Gauge looked at Chief and then up the stairs to where Alise stood. “Everything alright?”

  But Gauge wasn’t asking Chief.

  Glancing over his shoulder, Chief watched as Alise nodded. “We’d…we’d like to see Jenny.”

  Gauge smirked. “We figured. I have a car out front.”

  “I…” Alise’s gaze slid from Gauge to Chief then back. “I’m sorry, but I can’t ride with you.”

  A knowing grin wrecked Gauge’s face as he pinned Chief with dead eyes. “You’re issue, I assume.”

  “Trying not to make it yours,” Chief answered.

  With a snort, Gauge tossed the keys to Chief.

  Chapter 11

  Alise sat shotgun in the Hummer as Chief drove them toward the main estate house. A few flakes had just started falling from the snow bloated clouds, and it felt ominous.

  The instant Chief pulled the car up at the main estate house, Alise noticed he was acting differently. His eyes darted everywhere, and the greatest distance he put between them was to circle the vehicle to let her out. She’d tried to walk, but Chief hauled her up into his arms and carried her inside. There were Walkers everywhere. Children, teenagers, and adults milled about, and Alise could tell it was stressing Chief out.

  In the lobby, he cut a sharp right and carried her quickly toward a door. The door led to a long sterile looking corridor. The place smelled like a doctor’s office and without ever having visited it before, Alise knew it was the infirmary.

  At the end of the hall, Jenny stepped out of a room and waited for them with her hands stuffed into the pockets of a white lab-coat.

  “Chief,” she greeted with a look of concern before letting her eyes rove up and down Alise’s frame. “Alise, you okay?”

  “Hell if I know.”

  Jenny smiled, and it felt good to evoke that reaction from the typically stoic Chief of Surgery. It took some of the seriousness out of the situation.

  Extending an arm, Jenny said, “In here, please.”

  Chief carried Alise into the exam room, and once the three of them were alone inside, he set Alise on her feet in the corner and placed his big body in front of hers.

  “I’m gonna tell you how this is gonna go,” he growled at Jenny. “You can’t touch her. No one can. She’s…”

  “Been stricken,” Jenny supplied. “And because you haven’t yet mated her, the touch of any other person is extremely painful for her. I know.”

  “There’ll be no tests,” Chief continued. “No fucking games, Jenny. We’re here for answers only. And if for one second I feel like you
or anyone else here is being dishonest, I’m taking Alise back to the packs, where I’ll explain how this conveniently happened while I was in forced servitude to Monroe.”

  Rolling her eyes, Jenny pulled her hands out of her pockets, “Forced servitude? Don’t be so dramatic!”

  “And don’t threaten me with a shifter war.” Monroe’s voice carried through the room on the Amazon Show sitting on a desk near the wall.

  Chief faced the intercom with e-screen and glared at Monroe. “Did you do this?”

  Hands steepled over his desk and pressed into his lips, Monroe simply stared at Chief a moment before pulling back. “It’s extremely rare to be given credit I don’t deserve.”

  “And is that case?” Alise asked, stepping around Chief. “Are you saying you didn’t have a hand in this?”

  “How could I?” Monroe asked. “Neither of you have visited my infirmary until now. Rather difficult to set things in motion with no specimens.”

  With a snarl, Chief asked, “Are you admitting that you can make it happen?”

  “I neither admit nor deny any allegations.”

  “You know if the packs find out about this…”

  “Then what?” Monroe asked. “They end our alliance? It’ll never happen. Our alliance is just as much—if not more—beneficial to your kind. Your people need this more than my people do. I assure you of that.”

  “This feels anti-climactic,” Alise cut in.

  “Excuse me?”

  Chief turned to face her.

  “I mean,” she looked from Chief to Jenny, then Monroe. “I thought we’d get answers, but you’re spinning us in circles.”

  Monroe clucked his tongue, “Tsk. On the contrary Ms. Crane. I’ve given you the most significant of answers. I’m telling you this isn’t me. Your stricken is real. You and Chief are mates. Congratulations to you both. If there’s anything I or Dr. Arkinson can do to assist in the completion of your claiming, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Chief demanded, “We need to leave StoneCrow.”

  On the screen, Monroe shook his head. “Denied.”

  “We need a fucking minute to sort this out,” Chief snarled.

  “You’ve got a cabin here. I’ll cordon off that section of the estate to ensure you ample privacy for the remainder of your week.”

  “Remainder of our week?” Alise’s asked in confusion. “What does that mean?”

  Monroe hesitated to answer, and Alise could tell by the way that Chief’s jaw was ticking that he knew exactly what Monroe meant.

  “I’ve already ensured Chief that this was a legitimate stricken, Ms. Crane. He’s been given a week to fully claim you.” Monroe slid his steely blue eyes to Chief. “He’s wasting time.”

  “What…what happens after a week?” Alise whispered almost afraid to know the answer.

  Monroe grinned, and Chief snarled, “Don’t!”

  “If he doesn’t want to claim you, I know someone who will.”

  “What?” Alise gasped. She backed up until her body pressed into Chief’s, his arm wrapping possessively around her shoulders. “I’m not…I’m not a piece of meat. I’m not up for dibs!”

  “True. But I can’t have a stricken female running unclaimed on my estate.” Monroe’s eyes never left Chief’s. “Chief knows what I mean. Don’t you?”

  “You’re scaring my mate,” Chief growled.

  “Ah,” Monroe’s brows shot up. “So she is yours. Makes things easier. Happy claiming. Now get to it.” He pushed back from the camera, but Alise lurched forward, breaking Chief’s hold on her. “Wait!”

  Monroe stalled with his hand halfway to the device.

  “I need… I need to go home. I have a house and a job and…”

  “Denied,” Monroe drawled again.

  “But! You can’t keep me here!”

  “You signed non-disclosure paperwork, Ms. Crane. The last paragraph on the last page referenced the affliction.”

  “But I’m not afflicted!”

  “The section was recently amended to include being stricken.” He smirked at Chief. “I’ve got two wolves here now, so…”

  “Stop being a fucking dick,” Chief raged. “She needs clothes and some of her belongings!”

  With a bored look, Monroe glanced at his watch. “Take the Hummer. You’ve got the day. If you both aren’t back by sundown, I’m sending out a team.” His eyes narrowed on Chief. “Don’t make me come looking for you, wolf.”

  Alise started to protest, but Chief pulled her into him. He knew a day away from StoneCrow was the best they’d get.

  “Again,” Monroe smiled. “Congratulations.” He slid his eyes to Alise. “And welcome to StoneCrow.”

  The screen went black, and Alise felt defeated as she faced Chief and cried, “He didn’t help with anything. Nothing at all!”

  Chief pulled her into a hug, and she let him.

  “Sorry about that,” Jenny offered. “He’s been on one lately. There’s been a lot going on, and his patience is veil thin right now.” To herself, she mumbled, “Was shit to start with.”

  Alise turned her head to stare at Jenny. “Would he really send men after us?”

  “Yeah,” Jenny’s lips pressed into a line of disapproval. “He would. Don’t push him. Not right now. Just go to the city, collect your things and come right back. It’ll be best.”

  Chief took Alise’s hand and led her out of the infirmary to the waiting vehicle out front.

  Chapter 12

  In the Hummer, Chief kept glancing at Alise as they made their way into the small town of Great Falls. Alise had been silent the entire ride, and her emotions were so tumultuous that scenting her did little to help him ascertain how she was feeling.

  “Alessandra?”

  Blinking herself out of her thoughts, she turned and looked at him. “He said it’s real.”

  Swallowing hard, Chief looked forward then at his side mirror. He half-expected someone to be following them, but so far as he could tell no one was. “I know.”

  “So now what? I just get my things and move to StoneCrow.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that, my life is over?”

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “According to Monroe, it does. All because I…I signed some stupid paperwork referencing a phenomena that I never in a million years expected to affect me.”

  Crinkling one eye, Chief shot her a look. “You really signed paperwork?”

  With a sigh, she nodded.

  “What did it say?”

  Looking down, she picked at her nails. “It said that if I was afflicted that I’d agree to stay at StoneCrow until it could be resolved. It mentioned the word stricken, but I didn’t understand what it meant. I thought it was a typo.”

  “And you signed?”

  “Of course, I signed. My best friend was getting married. You think I’d miss it over some stupid formality?”

  He wanted to laugh, but the plan he was formulating had his mind too preoccupied.

  In town, Chief fell silent as he listened to the directions Alise gave him. Finding her place was easy, but once they were there, rushing her inside and making her pack her things quickly was hard to do. She kept trying to stall with complaints of plants needing watering and mail needing to be checked. They were on a super tight schedule, but she didn’t need to know that until it was absolutely necessary, so he clenched his jaw and tried to be as patient as possible.

  With her chores finally complete and with her changed into a pair of jeans, tall boots, and a loose, steely-gray sweater, Alise let him usher her back to the Hummer. Once she was secure in the passenger seat, and her suitcases were stowed in the back, Chief climbed into the vehicle and set off.

  It only took two blocks before Alise frowned at him. “Um, you missed the turn.”

  She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, but he ignored her.

  “Chief? You missed our turn.”

  Glancing in the rearview mirror, he said in a voice that was deathly calm, “We�
��re not going back.”

  Beside him, Alise breathed, “What? What do you mean we’re not going back? Monroe said we had to. He said he’d send a team.”

  “His team won’t be a problem if we make it to pack territory in time.”

  Blowing through town, Chief hit the interstate and gunned the motor.

  “Pack? What pack? You said you didn’t have a pack!”

  “I don’t,” he bit out. “But like I said, the BlackBird pack runs this state. Their compound is in Glacier. We can get there before sundown.”

  “Should we do that? I mean…” Alise turned in her seat and glanced behind them. “We could have someone following us. What if we try it and don’t make it. I’ve been on Monroe’s bad side. It’s not someplace I ever wanna be again.”

  “Don’t you worry about him.”

  But she was worrying about a lot of things. Namely, she was afraid of what Monroe would do when he caught them, and she had zero doubts that he would. She also feared being a human and going into wolf-shifter territory. Did they all feel the same way about humans as Chief did? She’d find out soon.

  ***

  Chief’s eyes spent nearly as much time on the rearview and side mirrors as they did on the road in front of him. Running with Alise was dangerous, and he knew it. But staying at StoneCrow with her was impossible because Monroe StoneCrow was up to something. He felt it all the way down to his marrow, which meant that getting Alise to pack territory was paramount.

  His anxiety must have been catching because beside him Alise fell silent but sat rod straight. She kept glancing at the side mirror too, but to her credit, she didn’t push Chief to take her back to StoneCrow. He was a little surprised by that. It made sense though. She’d wanted answers from Jenny back at StoneCrow and apparently hadn’t gotten any that satisfied her. So far as Alise had been told, their stricken was true. She was probably hopeful that Chief could get her answers at the BlackBird compound that were more suitable to her wishes. It fucking stung.

  Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Chief concentrated on the current task at hand. Getting his mat…Alise to the BlackBird compound.