"Yes, Chief," she replied immediately.
I frowned. I had realized how she had shifted in the way she addressed me during our conversation. Once, she had always called me young totem, a name that carried a strange mix of respect and familiarity.
Now she used chief instead, and somehow I disliked it.
From her, it felt wrong.
She was clearly older, far older, and having her strip away that former address only reminded me of the gap of my inexperience, of how new I still was to this role.
Young totem might have sounded odd coming from anyone else, but from her, it carried something almost maternal, a grounding I hadn't realized I valued until it was gone.
"Call me young totem from now on," I said quietly but firmly.
"Yes, young totem."
I raised a brow, watching her closely. She switched so quickly, no hesitation, no argument.
Calling me chief must have been uncomfortable for her, I realized.
