Chapter 5 Alive

Ice cold water hits my body like a ton of bricks. “Ah!” I shriek awake, darting my eyes from side to side.

As I sit up, there stands the bitch from hell with a bucket and a pleased smirk on her face. Slapping that look off her face would really make me happy right now, but I refrain.

I send her an icy glare, wrapping my arms around my shoulders as I shiver. “You could have just said wake up,” I mumble between chattering teeth.

Sia smiles wider. “Now, what’s the fun in that?” She laughs as she leaves the room, and her annoying cackle echoes down the hall.

So, what the hell did she even wake me up for if she was just going to leave? What a bitch!

In walks Alpha Cree and narrows his eyes, confused. “Why are you wet?” He asks, looking around for where the water came from.

Irritated, I give him a deadpan look. “Ask your lover,” I reply, ringing my dirty drench sweater out.

Instantly, his eyes burn red. Cree is furious, which confuses the hell out of me. I’m a measly human. Why does he care if some cranky wolf bitch threw some damn water on me?

“SIA!” Cree shouts, his voice deep with anger.

“It’s fine. I am tortured daily in my normal life. Why would it be different in a zombie apocalypse?” I laugh as I slip my wet house shoes off. The rumble in his chest startles me. “You okay there, tiger king?” And yet, his anger didn’t faze me. I still make jokes at his expense.

I’m clearly asking for death.

“No one will treat guests like that!” Cree sneers.

Sia walks in with a bounce in her step, excited that Cree is paying attention to her, but soon her joyfulness will turn into disappointment. “Yes, Alpha?”

He snatches her up effortlessly with one hand. I jolt back towards the wall and swallow hard in fear. Sia’s feet dangle a few feet from the floor, and she gasps for air as he squeezes her windpipe. “If you ever do anything to her again, I will rip your fucking head off and feed it to those fucking leeches! You got it?” Cree warns Sia, but she can’t answer, only nods frantically as her air is running out.

Cree drops her to the floor, and she takes large gulps of air. She looks between us, then hurries to her feet and runs out of the room, holding her throat without saying a word.

When he faces me, all I can do is stare at him, stunned, with my knees against my chest, and hug the wall with my back. Jay always stood up for me, but never like that. It’s scary, but I admit fucking sexy as hell.

Oh geez, here I go again with these stupid teenage hormones.

“Sia won’t bother you again,” Cree promises.

“It was just water. I would have survived, but thank you,” I say, giving Cree a grateful smile.

“It may have been water, but no one plays with my toys but me,” Cree says, and my eyes grow wide.

“Um… Excuse me… Toy?” I ask, annoyed. “I am not a fucking toy!” I hiss, giving him a death stare.

What the fuck kind of toy am I for an Alpha? The standard chew toy? The slave toy where you feed him grapes or some shit? Or the sexual kind?

“Yes, my toy for whatever I want,” he tells me as he walks over, and I try to move backward, but I’m already against the wall. Cree leans down, untying my rope. “I have food,” He claims, pulling me to my feet. “Let’s get you some dry clothes.”

I know I’m having sexual fantasies about Cree. But they are just fantasies. Never did I think they could surface, and I am definitely not ready to have a sex life. I’m only eighteen, well, nineteen in a few days, but that’s not the point. He’s a grown man and what I got a glimpse of in the field yesterday terrifies me. Cree is huge. His massive manhood will split me in two.

Can humans and wolves even have sex? Is this a thing? I’ve heard of all the paranormal books, but werewolf in real life is taking it to a whole other level.

So many questions are unanswered.

“Earth to Sakari,” Cree says, grabbing my attention.

Shaking the thoughts away from sex, and I focus on Cree. “Huh?”

“You native girls are weird. You’re like in your own little world all the time,” He states, then gestures for me to follow him as he starts for the door. Hesitantly, I stand there for a moment before I follow. I solely do because I’m starving and want to change.

Cree walks me through the house, which is now well lit and full of wolves. I get the same stares as I walk down the hall to class. They probably think she can’t be from the Shoshone tribe. She looks like a white girl. That’s all I’ve heard since the first day of school in Pre-k.

I’m so sick of being the damn outsider for everything. When is it going to be someone else’s turn?

“In here.” He opens the door, and we walk into a bedroom. It displays candles on every surface. Burgundy curtains in satin hang over large windows overlooking the forest. A four-post bed perfectly made with red pillows and a black comforter. It literally makes me want to jump on it. So fluffy and soft-looking.

Is this Cree’s room?

Cree crosses the room, pulls out some clothes from a vintage dresser, and tosses them onto the fluffy comforter. “Change,” He orders.

Grabbing them, I glance around for a place to change. Nothing had a door on it. Do wolves not believe in privacy? They sure did in the dungeon slash closet they put me in. I guess prisoners need doors.

“Um, where can I change?” I ask.

“Here,” Cree says, pointing at the room.

I glance around. “There is no cover,” I respond.

He lifts a brow. “You don’t need it,” Cree declares, giving my curvy figure a once over.

I lift my brows this time. “I am not changing in front of you. Turn around,” I demand, and Cree gives me a stern look. “Please?” I add sweetly.

“Fine,” He huffs.” You know I see naked bodies on a daily. I doubt yours is any different,” Cree states over his shoulder.

“No peeking,” I tell him as I lift my sweater over my head and hurry to take off my leggings. Cree looks over his shoulder. “Hey!” I squeal. “I said don’t look,” I try to cover myself quickly, but the clothes fumble in my hands and fall to the floor and I wrap my arms around my torso, but it does no good. I’m out in the open in my undies.

He turns around, and his eyes linger over every inch of my light honey skin. I feel vulnerable to his gaze, almost as if he’s reaching into my soul with his sultrily dark orbs and fucks my spirit.

Shy, I try to avoid his gaze by looking at the floor, but he crosses the room and looks down into my eyes. Cree’s eyes burn with desire, and his biceps tense as if he was fighting with himself to not devour every part of me.

When his hand reaches up towards me, I back away. “Cree… Don’t,” I whisper shyly, moving my stare to the floor with my arms still around me.

As if he’s shot out of his trance, he is back to his usual self. He shakes his head back and forth. “Get dressed. I’ll be back for you,” he says and leaves quickly, as if the room is on fire.

He is so weird.

After the door closes, I hurry with the button-up blue plaid shirt, then quickly pull on the black leggings that I’m guessing is a female from the packs.

After I am dressed, I investigate Cree’s room and on a shelf hung on the wall is a picture of him and Sia. They look cozy. They must have been romantically involved at one point.

How the fuck do they get pictures? The photo is quite old. Maybe it was before the curse.

“What are you doing?” Cree startles me. He’s annoyed that I’m being nosey.

I place the picture behind my back and face him. “Nothing,” I lie innocently, hiding the photo.

His eyes bore into me suspiciously. “What do you have behind your back?” Cree queries as he stalks over, peering around me.

I huff. Clearly, I am caught, so I bring out the photo in front of me. “Fine,” I sigh in defeat and hand him the frame.

“Are you jealous?” Cree smirks. He’s satisfied that I’m snooping because he thinks it makes me jealous.

“How could I be jealous? I don’t even know you,” I answer.

Cree bites at his lower lip, and I watch in awe as his tongue slowly slips across it. My heart pounds against my chest. His presence makes me nervous, and I’m not shy around boys. But I’ve also never found one attractive before either.

I mean, Jay is a looker, but it feels icky because he’s like my brother. He’s only seen me as a friend, even when we were little. He never tried to even kiss me until that stupid dare. Even after that, he didn’t even help me prepare for my first kiss like a guy best friend does, or was that just in movies?

“Come on, I have something you might like to see,” Cree says, guiding me out of his room and back towards the living room.

We turn the corner, and Cree grips my arm. I’m confused as I look up at him, but he isn’t staring at me. I follow his gaze. “JAY!” I cry, trying to break free and run to him, but Cree holds me in place.

I tug at his arm. “Let me go!” I hiss, struggling against him.

“This is him?” Cree asks in a devilish tone.

“Cree, don’t hurt him, please,” I beg. He won’t even look at me. “CREE?” I cry. Finally, his gaze slowly turns from Jay to me. “Did you do that to him?” I ask. A hint of resentment plays on my tongue.

“He crossed on our land. The treaty is straight forward. He must be put to death,” Cree tells me smugly.

My heart falls to the pit of my stomach, and I instantly feel nauseous. Is Cree going to kill my best friend in front of me? Is he that cruel? How can I think he cares about me when I knew all along, he’s a savage wolf?

I’m ready to die with him then. I raise my hand and slap Cree across his chiseled cheek with all my might. “You bastard!” I snap. “If you kill him, you better kill me too,” I proclaim, standing tall with my chest puffed at him. I’m not afraid to die. I never have been. I always knew one day it’ll happen. Why not for the one person who cares about me? And who loves me as me?

Cree’s jaw tightens. With one swift motion, he pins me once again to the wall. “You will watch him die, and then I will take what I’ve been itching for since I saw you,” He snaps while eyeing my frame with lustful eyes.

Shit, I just signed Jay’s death certificate and my vCard. Fuck!

I must fix this. I don’t care what he does to me, but poor Jay will lose his life because I can’t keep my mouth shut.

Cree lets me go and starts towards Jay. “Cree, let him go, please. You can have whatever you want. Just leave him alone,” I plead as I latch onto his forearm and hold on for dear life, planting my feet on the floor, but it’s no use. I can’t stop him.

He stops, looking down at my petite frame attached to his large bicep. “Anything I want?” Cree asks, thinking it over.

“NO!” Jay calls out in a raspy voice.