Seven

Confusion. So much confusion. Why was she letting him live after what he did to them? Chase was having a hard time figuring out his mate. She wasn't as easy to read as he initially thought. But he had to admit, he admired her spirit. Watching her almost rip this bastards throat out made him proud and hot for her. But the confusion stood.

"Why's Tali letting him go," Jax was apparently as confused as I was, but he didn't dare go against what she'd told him. He didn't lay a finger on Todd the entire walk. But his eyes glowed a bright golden topaz that told Chase, his friend was ready to attack as soon as there was need. He smirked to himself, proud that his mate could hold command so well with a rogue.

"Her brother. Only thing I can think of. But I guarantee she held back. She was so pissed at this fucker," he shoved forward with more force than necessary, "for betraying them. Well," he chuckled darkly. "You saw how pissed she was."

Remembering how she took down a large moose by herself made the guys laugh whole heartedly. Todd's scent grew darker, spicier, as they continued praising Tali.

"Like she could actually do something. I could have snapped her neck had you not jumped on me, ya fuckin' barbarians," he growled out his frustration which made them laugh even harder.

"That's where you and I differ, Stanley," Chase playfully punched Jax on the shoulder. "No one gets to hurt any female or pup when I'm around. I don't care who it is. But I can promise you, Tali didn't need my protection. Not even a little bit."

Todd struggled against Jax's hold. "My name isn't Stanley! I'm Todd, alpha of-" Before he could finish, Jax had his face smashed against a tree.

"No, sonny. Your name is whatever my friend says it is. AND, alpha or not, that female you were insisting on insulting a moment before is my alpha female. If she hadn't ordered you be delivered to the boarder without coming to harm, I personally would have ripped your eyes out, shoved them down your throat so you could watch me tear you to shreds. Sad, really. Your intestines would have tasted so good in my stew tonight. Hmm," Jax was seething with hatred at this point. But his show of disappointment made Chase chuckle a little.

Chase nodded his head in approval as Jax spoke highly of his cherished mate. The male was quickly becoming one of the only males he trusted. He doubted his own beta was this trustworthy anymore. Beta. Jax had reached that level of trust already. He patted the male on his shoulder before continuing their walk.

"Tali is no alpha. She's not even dominant. She's just a little slut who opened her legs to the first alpha to walk by. Heed my warning, your alpha will dispose of her when her worth has been used. Just as my pack did. To the woods with the little bitc-"

Chase's fist met his jaw before he could finish what he was saying. "Don't you EVER speak of Tali like that. She's not scraps from last weeks pack meal. She's a strong female who measures up to the title 'alpha', unlike you." Todd's face was scrunched up in pain and Chase looked closer. Jax had the fuckers arm twisted back and almost reaching his neck. He laughed and met Jax's gaze. "Break it. He needs to learn a lesson."

With a dark glimmer to his eyes, Jax smiled evilly and yanked Todd's arm straight back, causing his arm to dislocate at the shoulder and elbow with a loud, yet very satisfying, pop. Todd's howl of pain echoed through the trees and bounced off the mountains.

"Mmmm. How satisfying. I've been wanting to cause this bastard pain since I saw him," Jax growled in his ear as his cries died down. Pushing him forward, he kicked the back of Todd's knee, making him fall forward with extra force.

"Now stay out," they both growled at the same time, laughing as Todd struggled to his feet and ran away, his arm wiggling like a limp noodle as he tucked tail.

"You'll regret this," he called over his shoulder which made them laugh even harder.

Suddenly, Chase felt weak. His knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the dried leaves. "Tali. Something's wrong. Our bond is weakening." Jax's eyes darkened before he quickly shifted and they raced to their alpha female.

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"-stronger than that," a males voice choked. Tali was having a hard time commanding her eyes to open. A soft sob floated to her. Where was she? Her lips were so dry, she stuck her tongue out to moisten them only to find, her tongue was just as, if not dryer, than her now cracking lips.

"W-water," she managed to croak in a weak voice she barely heard. A strong sturdy hand lifted her head up and a cool plastic met her lips. The liquid rushed between her lips, instantly relieving the uncomfortable scratch of her throat and moistening her cottony tongue in the process.

Tali smiled softly as a kiss was placed on her forehead before she was laid back again. "Chase," she knew it was her mate even with her eyes still too heavy to open. Her amazingly sweet mate. "What's going on," she asked in a still weak voice.

He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze as he explained how she was wounded and fainted from blood loss. He rushed her to the pack hospital. She was at the pack house? Was Todd here? Why would he allow her to be healed? He wanted her dead.

Her eyes shot open remembering how he tried to kill her. "Todd," she growled as she shot up, instantly regretting the sudden movement when she felt the stitches pull tight. Chase was in front of her, pushing her back into a laying position as gently as he could.

"He's not here. He can't reach you. Maggie bandaged you up and I sent Jax and Jonah to get Mei and the pups. You guys can't stay out there unprotected any longer," Chase lifted her hand to his face and placed a gentle kiss to the back of it. "I admire your dedication and stubbornness, but I refuse to allow my mate and her small pack to freeze and suffer during the winter. Hate me if you have too, but you're staying in my territory as guests at least until it gets warmer out. If you feel you need to leave after that, by all means. But I encourage you all to stay with us. Where you can be safe."

Tali searched his eyes. Chase was serious. He wants to take them in. At least for a small amount of time. "What can I do to help the pack in return?" When he shook his head, her brows furrowed.

"There's nothing you need to do, love. Just allow me to take care of you. Of all of you. You're my mate. It's the least I can do. I know how much the pups and Mei mean to you and I can't allow them to stay out there. Even with Jax to protect them, that is nowhere near enough. Let me do this for you, my strong, beautiful, fierce mate," he smiled adoringly at her which made her heart flutter within her obviously bruised chest.

She shifted uncomfortably and winced in pain. "How bad was I hurt? I didn't even realize Todd got me. Adrenaline was coursing through me and then I don't know what happened," she looked down at their entwined hands and smiled as he squeezed her hand again to draw her attention back to his face.

With a deep breath, Chase began explaining, "You needed immediate surgery. Stitches across your stomach and you lost quite a bit of blood. Maggie said you also broke 2 ribs and have severe bruising along your back and torso. She's been taking very good care of you."

At that, there was a soft knock at the closed door before it slowly opened and a petite, and very gorgeous, brunette walked in. Her light blue eyes sparkled as her gaze landed on Tali. "Ah, you're awake! Good! I couldn't wait to officially meet you. I'm Maggie, the nurse that patched you up. I just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything?"

She tilted her head to the side, her wavy hair looking like it weighed a ton. "I'm okay right now. Thank you. For everything," Tali offered a friendly smile at the beautiful woman. As she looked closer, she noticed the piercing by her bottom lip, which was full and a beautiful shade of dark red.

Maggie smiled and bowed slightly. "If you need anything, Chase has my number," she looked over at Chase and winked before turning back to the door. "Oh," she said over her shoulder, "Welcome to the pack, Luna."

Tali watched in shock as the door closed. "Luna? What? When did that happen? Chase, I don't know if I'm capable of such a position," her heart was pounding in her chest and not in a good way. This was a full on anxiety attack, which she hadn't experienced in years. "What if I mess up? What if they don't like m-," before she could finish that thought, Chase's mouth was on hers.

"Hush, love. We don't need to worry about that right now. I just want you to focus on getting better. Understand? We can discuss this later," he rubbed his nose against hers and encouraged her to get more sleep.

"Will you lay with me," she asked in a soft voice. Chase smiled and picked her up carefully before moving her over and climbing in the bed next to her. She nestled against him, breathing in his mouthwatering scent and fell asleep.