Page 6 of Sweet Giant

The beauty of this part of the country astounded me. I couldn’t get enough of the snowcapped mountains, the majestic red cedar trees as well as the perpetually green firs, and the clear lakes and streams. Gratitude swelled in my chest. I was thankful the general hadn’t put me up in a safe house in another crowded, war-torn city like Seattle.

Just as I pulled up to the cabin, the first snowflakes fluttered down from the gray sky. I parked under the carport and shut the engine off. But when I glanced in the rear-view mirror, the sight of a large figure bolting upright in the backseat made my blood run cold.

A scream caught in my throat as familiar blue eyes met mine in the mirror, and I caught the glint of a Vaxxlian blaster being raised.

“Hello, my darling wife.”

Chapter4

MASTORR

I stood back,surveying the twisted branch markers I’d just created along the most southern border of my people’s territory. I’d placed the markers closer together than usual, hoping the action would keep pullshannas—Montikaans from neighboring tribes—off the Starblessed land.

The previous winter had been a difficult one, and the warm season hadn’t lasted very long. And now, winter was about to start again. The air currently smelled of impending snow, and many of the elders from my tribe claimed this winter would be harder than the last.

Two harsh winters in a row meant resources would be more scarce than usual, which greatly increased the possibility of trespassers encroaching on my people’s lands.

It was well known that the Starblessed tribe was one of the most prosperous Montikaan tribes—our rivers and streams were teeming with trout, and pokklam berries grew in abundance in our tribe’s communal cavern—but it was also common knowledge among our enemies that our numbers were small.

Well-maintained borders would help deter trespassers, and it was the duty of every able-bodied male in our tribe to create fresh markers on a regular basis, which consisted of thick branches that we twisted in several places as a show of our physical strength. Once the markers were erected, we then urinated on them.

Satisfied with a job well done, I started heading north to the cavern, only to freeze in place when the scent of two humans reached my sensitive nose. For a moment, my heart brimmed with hope. I’d been actively searching for a human female to take as a mate for over a year. Perhaps one of the humans I detected nearby would suit my needs.

But my spirits sank after I took a few more inhales and realized one of the humans I smelled was a male. Yes, the other was indeed a female, but I knew there was a good chance she was the mate of the male in question.

While I longed for a female of my own, I would not steal one who was already taken. Such an action would be disgraceful.

Was I destined to remain forever alone? Nearly all the adult males in my tribe were mated, either to a Montikaan female or a human woman. As there were no unclaimed adult Montikaan females left in the Starblessed tribe, a human female was my only option.

Not for the first time, I wondered if there was something wrong with me. I was one of the strongest males in my tribe, yet I was still alone.The calling. I’d never looked at a female and experienced the calling to claim her. Yet I yearned for a mate, and sometimes the loneliness became so severe, I had difficulty breathing.

My brothers both had mates, and I was happy for them. Truly, I was. But I also found myself becoming increasingly jealous of their happiness. Because of this, I’d recently begun spending more time alone in the vast forests of the Starblessed lands, using the need to fortify our borders as an excuse to remain absent for days on end.

A high-pitched scream suddenly pierced the air. I tensed and looked in the direction of the humans. I couldn’t glimpse them through the trees, but I could still smell them.

“Help! Help!” It was a female voice. More screams followed her pleas.

What was wrong? And why wasn’t the human male helping her?

With the way the woman was screaming, it sounded as though she were being attacked by a beast, so great was her terror. But after taking another long inhale, I didn’t detect the scent of a bear, a wolf, or a wildcat on the breeze. How strange.

Her pleas for help alarmed me and filled me with fear, though I couldn’t understand why. I took off through the trees, following the screams and what also sounded like a scuffle.

When I finally emerged in a small clearing, the scene I came upon filled me with unbridled rage. The human male was attempting to drag the female into a cabin, pulling her by her hair. She was fighting him, flailing in his grip, trying desperately to escape, her green eyes huge with terror. The male’s expression was murderous, and my stomach tightened when I noticed a strange gun-like weapon in his other hand.

Moving on instinct, I growled as I rushed toward the humans. “Release the female!” I ordered.

The man and woman stilled and peered at me in shock. Both of their faces went pale, and the male’s grip on the female loosened enough that she was finally able to escape his grasp. She immediately started limping toward a vehicle, grimacing with every step. My rage increased. He’d hurt her. Her lip was bloodied, and tears coated her face.

The urge to protect her swept through me, as well as many other emotions. Tenderness. Possession. Longing.

It was the calling. I was certain of it.

My heart swelled with affection for this small auburn-haired female whose name I didn’t yet know. I regretted that I hadn’t approached her the instant I’d detected her scent. If I’d gotten here sooner, I could’ve stopped the male from hurting her.

Never again. I resolved that I would never allow any harm to come upon her again. From this moment forward, she was mine to protect and cherish.

A blast echoed in the clearing, and I groaned and touched the stinging wound on my arm. I returned my focus to the male and glanced at his weapon. He’d shot me, though I didn’t feel a bullet lodged in my flesh. I’d been shot before. This felt different. My entire arm started throbbing.

---