Chapter 158: Rival In Paradise

Calix Pov

I stared at the white scar on Maddie’s right arm and then I looked at Kai. My jaw was so tight my teeth ached. He stood there in his long grey coat and he looked completely relaxed while my entire pack watched him.

"He stays for two days," I said and I stepped right between Kai and my mate. "He sleeps in the small barn with the guards. If he takes one step toward her tent, I will kill him myself."

Kai did not argue. He just gave a small bow with his head and turned around to follow Marcus toward the lower ridge.

Three days passed after that night. The wild wolves did not come down from the high peaks and the valley stayed very quiet. The morning sun was warm and it dried the mud around the river camp. Our wolves started clearing the black charcoal from the old house site. They carried the heavy logs away and piled up straight pine branches to build new cabins.

I walked down to the water with two fresh fish I had caught in the creek. Maddie was sitting on a flat rock by the edge of the river and she was washing her face. Her blue eyes looked clear and the tired grey color was completely gone from her skin.

"You look better," I said and I sat down on the rock next to her.

"I feel strong again," Maddie said and she reached out to touch the side of my neck.

Her fingers were cool and wet from the river water. I dropped the fish onto the grass and I pulled her waist close to my chest. I buried my face in her hair and I smelled the fresh cedar and the clean wind on her skin. The mate bond felt warm and steady between our hearts like a thick rope. The black anger from the curse was totally gone and I just wanted to hold her still.

"Kai has been talking to Elder Thomas by the barn," Maddie said.

I stiffened up instantly and my hands went flat against her back.

"What is he saying?" I asked.

"He is just telling him about the trails in the north," she said and she looked up at my eyes. "He has not come near me, Calix."

"I do not trust him," I said.

"I know," she said.

"He looks at you like he owns you," I said and I spit into the water. "He knows things about your house that I do not know. It makes me feel sick in my stomach."

Maddie reached up and she kissed the corner of my mouth. Then she pressed her lips against mine and she held my jaw with both of her hands. Her mouth was soft and she kissed me for a long time until my shoulders relaxed and I forgot about the silver-haired man.

"I am right here," Maddie whispered against my cheek. "Nobody is taking me anywhere."

"I will keep you," I said and I gripped her wrists gently.

We stayed by the water until the sun went down behind the mountain. We ate the fish together and we did not talk about promises or old scars. It felt like we were just two regular wolves who had a piece of land and a quiet river.

When the darkness came, the pack gathered around the central fire again. Elder Thomas had found three old blankets in the root cellar and he gave them to Maddie. The wolves were laughing more now. One of the young omegas was telling a story about a fat rabbit he had chased into a hollow log and Marcus was smiling while he cleaned his knife.

"We start the frame for the main cabin tomorrow," Marcus said and he looked across the fire at me. "The wood is dry enough."

"We use the big pine from the east ridge," I said and I gave him a short nod. "It lasts longer against the winter snow."

Maddie stood up from the log and she rubbed her arms against the night chill.

"I am going to get more water from the bucket," Maddie said.

"I will come with you," I said and I started to stand up.

"Stay and talk to Marcus," she said and she put her hand on my shoulder to push me back down. "The bucket is just ten feet away behind the tent."

I watched her walk into the shadows behind the canvas wall. I stayed on the log and I listened to Marcus talk about the foundation stones but my ears were listening for her footsteps in the grass.

Maddie reached the water barrel under the big oak tree. She dipped the wooden cup into the water but a shadow moved out from the side of the trunk before she could lift it to her mouth.

It was Kai. He had his hands in his pockets and his silver hair looked white under the starlight.

"You should be in the barn," Maddie said and she dropped the cup back into the barrel.

"I am leaving at dawn, Maddie," Kai said and his voice was very low so the wolves by the fire could not hear him. "But I had to tell you the rest of the story before I go into the peaks."

"I don't need to hear it," Maddie said and she turned her body to walk back to the light.

"Your mother never trusted Alpha Hawthorne," Kai said.

Maddie stopped her feet in the dirt. She did not look back at him but her shoulders went tight under her shirt.

"What did you say?" Maddie asked.

"She knew what Hawthorne was doing with the purple stones," Kai said and he took one step closer to her back. "She knew he was using the black fog to control his own pack. She tried to take you away when you were three years old because she did not want you near that house."

"My parents were killed by a rogue pack on the southern trail," Maddie said and she turned around to face him. "Everyone knows that story. My father died trying to protect her."

Kai let out a short, dry laugh and he shook his head slowly.

"There was no rogue pack on the southern trail, Little Moon," Kai whispered and he leaned his tall frame down until his eyes were level with hers. "Alpha Hawthorne killed them himself."

Maddie’s mouth went open but no sound came out of her throat.