The broken Alpha - Healed by innocence

Learning more

*Callista*

After tethering Precious to a nearby bush, I watch with growing trepidation as the men approach. Each quickly washes at the water pump before slipping back into his shirt. For that small act, I am extremely grateful. I don't think I could eat if Chase's chest had remained bare.

I have laid three quilts around a wooden box. Briony sets platters of beefsteak strips and potatoes on the box, plates and utensils on the quilts.

Briony sits on one quilt. Wade drops beside her, Maggie nestled in his arms. “Looks good,” he says.

I know it's pointless to hope that Blaise would sit on the quilt beside me, but I find myself wishing anyway. He gives me a smile before taking his place on the opposite quilt.

On the small quilt, Chase seems incredibly large as he sits beside me.

“This isn’t one of my cows, is it?” Chase asks.

Wade smiles. “Probably. He wandered onto my land. What was I supposed to do?”

“Send him home.” Chase says.

“Not on your life.”

Blaise holds out his arm. “Will you lookee here? I’m the only one without a pretty she-wolf to share my quilt. Maggie May, come sit with me.”

Her face bright with excitement, Maggie jumps up, crosses the small area, and rams into Blaise. Hissing sharply, Blaise moves her aside with his good arm.

Wade snatches his daughter back into his arms. “You all right?” he asks Blaise.

Blaise has paled considerably, but he nods. “I’m fine.”

“Sorry,” Maggie says, her bottom lip trembling.

He smiles. “It’s all right, sweetie. I’m still a little sore.” He pats his thigh. “Just come sit beside me, not on me, all right?”

Ever so carefully and slowly, she crawls over the quilt and sits beside him.

“What happened to your arm?” I ask.

A hush falls over the gathering as everyone looks at me. The heat rushes to my face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think to ask before.”

Blaise appears uncomfortable as he answers, “I got shot.”

“Dear Goddess. Outlaws?” I ask, horrified at the thought.

“Cattle rustlers,” Chase says as he slaps potatoes onto his plate. “But they won’t be bothering us anymore.”

“I’m grateful to hear that,” I say. I cut my meat into tiny pieces, eating sparingly.

“You don’t eat enough to keep a bird alive,” Chase says.

I glance up to find him glaring at my plate, his brow deeply furrowed. I couldn’t very well tell him that whenever he is around my stomach knots up so tightly that I can barely swallow.

“I have never been a big eater,” I say quietly and drop my gaze to my plate.

“Guess I’m just used to watching men eat,” Chase says gruffly.

“I never ate as much as my brothers,” I say.

A desperate silence surrounds us. I wish I could think of something, anything, to say.

“When do you think the railroad will get here?” Briony asks.

Chase reaches for more potatoes. “Sometime next year.”

“Things should change then,” Briony says quietly.

“Reckon they will. With any luck, Our little town will start growing as fast as Abilene. I want to build a school. Do you want to be in charge of finding a good teacher?” Chase asks her.

Briony smiles. “I would love to. Besides, I have experience at placing advertisements, and we will definitely want someone from the East.”

“Give me a list of everything you will need so I can tally up the costs before I go talk to Mr. Henderson at the bank.” He says.

Briony leans forward and takes my hand. “Callie, would you like to help me?”

I glance at Chase. He is studying me as though waiting for my answer. Surely if he had wanted me to help, he would have suggested it.

“I don’t know anything about schools. I had a tutor.” I admit.

“Then we will learn together,” Briony says.

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think I can.”

“Our son will do his learning at this school,” Chase says. “You ought to have a say in it.”

I nod quickly. “All right, then, I will.”

“Good,” Chase says brusquely.

Briony squeezes my hand. “It will be fun.”

Yes, I imagine it will be, and it will give me something to do besides wash dishes and clothes. Chase and Blaise are seldom inside the house and maintaining it requires so little of my time that I think I could quite possibly go insane.

The conversation turns to other aspects of the town, but it makes little sense to me. I have not visited the town since the day the land was set aside. I have asked several times for someone to take me, but none of my brothers have ever had time. I have always thought it would be exciting to watch something grow from nothing... like watching a child grow into an adult.

My husband planted the seeds for the town the day he set aside the land. I remember that Rowan called him a greedy bastard that day... one of the nicer names he had for Chase. I know little about business, but I don’t see how a school or the church he had offered to build for Reverend Tucker would bring him much money.

As a matter of fact, in the short time I have been his Luna, I have seen no evidence of his greed except for the morning he had refused to pull his fence back if I left him. But even then, he had gained nothing but a reluctant mate while my family gained access to the river. Eventually, he will gain a son while my family will gain land.

I am beginning to think that Chase hides his greedy nature well... so well that I wonder how Rowan had ever discovered it to begin with, if it is even there.