Chapter Thirteen - Willow

Lunch cleaning duty sucked. But I kept my head up high while doing the dishes. Wolves needed to be scheduled dishes at least once a month. Never twice a day for a week. “It could be worse,” I mumbled to myself. Yeah, your mate could have kissed you, my wolf hissed. You're so dumb. “Don’t start,” I hissed, scrubbing the plate extra hard with my scrubber. The other two wolves on duty were waiting until all the wolves were finished to start. I wanted to avoid most of the pack since I knew Regis would be in soon. They had training that morning and I’d watch from a distance like a sad pup. After I left Chase’s bed that morning, I dressed and trained in my room. I shoved my hope chest from the foot of my bed and gave myself more space to train. It wasn’t the same as training with Derrick. I missed his banter, and ability to make me fight harder. I was just swinging at the air in my room, pretending it was Regis’ big head. A few she-wolves filed into line behind me, grabbing salads and fruits, and I couldn’t stop from overhearing their conversation. “… I spent the morning with Alpha Chase.” My spine stiffened at the sound of Tiffany’s voice. I angled my ear toward her while scrubbing another plate. “I showed him around the maternity unit, and he even saw me help deliver a pup today. I think he was so impressed. You should have seen his face.” I closed my eyes, knowing Tiffany was exaggerating. I’d spent the entire night in his arms, which was something I didn’t need to think about right now. Not that my wolf hadn’t pushed memories and images of the two of us throughout the morning. My heat had hit me so hard that I could barely breathe. I couldn’t think of anything else to do. “I invited him to come with me to the summer party next week. We were interrupted, but I’m going to remind him again in a few days.” She chuckled. “I don’t want to be pushy.” Closing my eyes, I let my head hang between my shoulders as I got myself together. I’d been summoned by Chase through Keith while I was eating breakfast. Once I was finished with my Cinderella duties, I’d do just that. I snatched the rubber gloves from my hands and tossed them into the trashcan. Several warriors still sat at their table as I left. I ignored Regis’ smug grin and left their plates for the remaining wolves on duty. Chase’s office door was cracked when I knocked. It swung inward and I peeked my head through the crack. Chase gestured me in with his hand, and I shut the door behind me. “Keith mentioned you needed me.” “Yeah,” Chase said, sliding his documents together. “I wanted to speak with you about what Rex found.” Adrenaline coursed through me. I took a seat across from him, watching his hazel eyes scan what looked like an updated Rogue file. “He found someone that knows about the tattoo.” I leaned forward. “Yeah? Do we know where he is?” Chase frowned. “No. It’s an entire rogue pack that has this tattoo. We don’t know the particular person we’re looking for, but they are part of a rogue pack known for chaos in the southern regions.” I sighed heavily. “Can we go search for them?” I asked. “Maybe Rex needs backup.” Chase looked over at me. “You don’t need to do anything right now. Your heat is coming. Plus, your graduation is next week, and the summer party. Rex is professionally trained. He can handle this.” I sunk back into my seat. Chase scribbled something into the folder and looked over at me. “How are you feeling today?” I shifted in my chair. “I’m fine.” The embarrassment of needing him the night before hung between us. I swallowed my shame and cleared my throat. “I wouldn’t have knocked if I wasn’t in pain.” “As I said last night,” he said. “Never apologize for needing me.” I hated that I needed him. His scent was still lingering against my skin. Everything about the man had made my body melt the night before. The rough feeling of his fingertips, and the deep pressure of his arms around me. He made me purr like a cat well into the night. “How are you this morning?” I asked suddenly, attempting to draw my attention away from the black hole of lust my wolf was tossing at me. “I overheard that you went on a tour with Tiffany.” Chase’s hazel eyes lifted to mine. “Things get around fast around here, don’t they?” he mumbled. “She showed me around the maternity ward.” Unable to stop the jealous green monster on my shoulder, I laughed. “And you were impressed by her helping to deliver a pup?” Chase leaned back and interlaced his fingers across his stomach. “You seem very interested in my morning, Willow. Why is that?” “And you’ve been invited to the summer party by Tiffany.” Chase leaned forward and braced his elbows against the desk. “She did attempt to invite me to go, but thankfully, Keith got me out of there. Are you worried I might find someone else of interest in the pack?” I crossed my legs and tapped my fingertips against my thigh. “Tiffany wouldn’t keep your interest,” I said. Chase inclined his head. “That’s not what I asked, is it? Why don’t you give it to me straight? You can’t stand the thought of another she-wolf being near me, can you?” I couldn’t stand it. I hated it. My wolf loathed the idea of Tiffany being around him. “You know how to stop it?” he asked, his gaze dropped to my neck. “You know exactly how to stop it. Let me mark that pretty neck, and all your worries will go out the window.” Do it, my wolf begged. I shifted in my seat, my fingers tightening around the arms of my chair. Shifting my gaze toward the Rogue file, I pointed at it. “What have you been writing in there?” The corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. “Just some notes about it not being a random attack. Have you spoken to your father recently?” “Only when he invited us to dinner on Friday.” “How did he seem to you?” I thought about it. “Relaxed. Maybe a little distant. I’m not sure. Why?” Chase shrugged. “Keith mentioned that he seemed a bit distracted lately. I wanted to check and see your thoughts about it.” “You think he’s worried about my mother’s case?” “Maybe. I’m not sure. I think we can ask some questions on Friday if you’re still interested in going with me.” “I think I can make it.” “Good,” Chase said, pulling out a thick folder from his desk. “This is a folder full of every wolf, she-wolf, and birth for the last twenty years. I want to see if any wolves moved away for reasons other than finding their mates. It’ll give me an idea if any came and went for other reasons.” “You think they could be linked to the rogues?” “Could be. There may have been a mole?” he shrugged. He took the stack and handed me the top half. “In your free time, you can look through them. See if anything rings a bell to you. Ask around. Unfortunately, it’s our only record. Compare those to these,” he said, handing me another stack. “Of wolves finding their mates. I’ll work on the other half of the stack.” I grabbed the stack and stood. “Thank you for including me.” “You don’t have to leave,” he said suddenly, his eyes shifted toward the couch in the corner. “You could do it in here if you like.” “It may be easier to spread things out in there,” I mumbled. Chase nodded. “There are yogurts and drinks in that mini-fridge if you want one. Help yourself.” I walked over to the couch, sat down my folders on the table, and opened them. I felt Chase’s gaze on me before I finally looked up at him. He looked good in that T-shirt. It fit him like a glove. Memories of him holding me raced through my body. “I would never accept a she-wolves invite to the summer party unless it was from you.” He went back to work, while I watched the way he vigorously wrote something down. His dominance was evident, but there was something so soft about him that warmed me. “I have to get a list to Keith for the summer party,” he said, looking up. “You don’t have to leave. I’ll be back.” He walked out and I let out a heavy breath. My body rolled with warmth and lust. The mere thought of walking to his bed that night made me gasp for breath. I wanted him in every possible way. My pride was wavering. He was trying to give me peace and closure from my mother’s death. He was doing what he could, and keeping his hands to himself. I closed my eyes, and let my hands slide over my thighs. Imagining it was him. Imagining things were different. A silent tear of frustration fell from my eyes. Maybe a kiss wouldn’t kill me. Maybe my pride could take the backseat for once.