Chapter Eighteen - Chase

Alpha Gerald scooped a spoonful of pot roast onto his plate and smiled. There was an ease around him that I hadn’t known before. When I met him at the alpha meeting, he seemed tense, but now, he seemed lighter. Willow’s leg tapped under the table, and I softly reached over and squeezed her knee. She tossed me a quick side eye and reached over to grab her food. “How is the Alpha life?” he asked over a mouthful. “Are you enjoying it?” I nodded. “I am enjoying it. It’s taking some time to get into the groove of things, but ultimately, I think it’s going well.” “Keith mentioned that he thinks you’re doing great. You’re organized and on top of everything.” His dark gaze lifted to mine. “I heard about Regis and Tiffany. I’m taking that you took care of that?” “I did,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “And Willow?” he asked. Willow looked up from her food and glared at her dad. “Seriously? Like I’m not in the room? I have kitchen duty,” she said, stabbing a piece of carrot. “For showing up to train because I was led to believe I could become a warrior.” Alpha Gerald’s gaze shifted toward his glass of wine. “That was my mistake for allowing you to believe it. I was too heartbroken to tell you that you couldn’t.” She stared at him for several seconds before looking back at her plate. There was something riding on her tongue. She wanted to call him out about the boots, but she didn’t. I was proud of her for it. “I haven’t seen you around the pack house lately,” I said casually. “I don’t want you to think that you’re not invited.” “I’ve just been enjoying life without the responsibilities,” he said. Willow stabbed her food again and took an angry bite. “How is Keith treating you?” he asked. “Keith is a great Beta. And a new granddad. He brought the baby by to see Willow and me. Have you seen her yet?” Alpha Gerald shook his head. “I haven’t. I’ll have to make a point to go see her soon.” Silence settled over the room, there was only the sound of our forks rattling against the plates. “You know, Dad. Speaking of the fishing hole. I haven’t been in ages. Maybe me and you could go soon?” Willow asked. “Uh, yeah,” Alpha Gerald mumbled. “But I’m sure that Chase has things for you to help with now that your mate bond is out.” He looked up and pointed toward his neck. “Why haven’t you two marked each other?” Willow began to play with her food. “Because I just met him, Dad. Plus, my priorities aren’t mating and popping out puppies, but finding Mom’s killer.” Alpha Gerald slammed his fist against the table and rattled our dishes. “Willow, can’t you just leave it up to Chase to find something? Why do you always have to be in charge? You need to move on with your life.” “The way that you have?” she barked. “Slowly closing in and becoming a shell of yourself?” “Willow, dammit—” “I think we all need to talk about something else,” I said. “This should be a peaceful dinner. Willow and I are exploring our relationship because we didn’t start out on the right foot. I’m not the kind of mate to push her.” “You’re a patient man,” Alpha Gerald said. “God knew what he was doing when he picked you for Willow.” Anger began to roll over Willow in waves. I slid my palm against her thigh to soothe her, but I wasn’t sure it was working. She began to shovel food into her mouth until her plate was completely empty, and she sat back in her chair. Alpha Gerald didn’t notice, or ignored it. I wasn’t sure. Once I finished my plate, I pushed it back and looked down at Willow. She had a distant look on her face. “Do you need help cleaning up?” I asked. Alpha Gerald sat back and rubbed his stomach. “No, Sir. I called you over to see if I could give you two some time together. I’m glad Willow is coming around, though she sulked the entire time.” “We thank you for the invitation, Sir. I think we’ll head back to the pack house now. I have some things to look over in my office.” Willow stood up abruptly. “Nice to see you, Dad.” She left before he could answer, which only made him roll his eyes. “I’m glad you can handle her, because I’ve had my fill.” I shook his hand and followed Willow’s path out of the pack house. She stood at the end of his walkway with her arms crossed while looking out into the distance. “You need to work on your temper,” I whispered into her ear. She huffed. “He’s lying. That fishing hole dried up ages ago. Where is he going?” I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me. “Maybe he is just clearing his mind around the pack lands, Willow.” She pulled away and looked up at me. “I think he’s leaving the pack lands.” I lifted both brows at her accusation. “Why would you say that? The guard wolves would see him leaving, and wolves are supposed to ask permission before they do that.” “Do you think a guard wolf would chastise their previous alpha for leaving the pack grounds?” She has a point, my wolf said. I shifted and shoved my hands into my pockets. “I’ll ask the guard detail tomorrow. Will that make you happy?” “Yes. I want to know why he’s leaving and hiding it.” I was curious about it too. “I’ll take care of it.” I offered her my hand, and she reached out to take it. I tugged her toward the pack house. The moon was lifting above the trees when we made it over. The sound of wolves socializing in the lobby and clearing the dining hall made the place feel homey. We stepped in, and I felt the hostility from the group of warriors standing by the plasma in the common area. Willow avoided their hot gaze, but I couldn’t. Regis stood in the middle of them, staring at our intertwined fingers. It was confirmation for him that the rumors were true. “Hey, Alpha Chase,” Derrick said. “I’m not sure if Keith mentioned about our training in the morning. Will you be there?” “Of course. He wrote it on my schedule,” I answered. Regis stared daggers at us while I ushered Willow toward our bedroom. She chuckled when we hit the dark hallway. “God, he’s such a tool.” “Did you two date or something?” She stopped abruptly and scoffed. “I’d rather give my wolf away than let Regis touch me. He thinks he’s better than she-wolves. He probably is one.” I laughed as we closed in on our bedrooms. The unspoken question lingered between us. Did she want me to stay over? Or come into my bedroom? She stopped in between our rooms and looked up at me. My wolf was pacing, anticipating the next few moments. I wanted to keep him there. Keep him from taking over and doing things we shouldn’t. I was a patient man like Alpha Gerald said, but I wasn’t a saint. Willow let out a deep breath. “This is awkward.” I held in my laugh. “Yeah? Are you lonely tonight? Or do you want to sleep alone? Has your heat bothered you today?” Willow stepped back toward her bedroom door and leaned against it. “I don’t think this is just about my heat anymore, is it?” My fingers twitched in anticipation. “It’s never been about your heat for me.” Willow smiled. “I’m in way deeper than I wanted to go with you. I wanted to stand my ground, keep my head up, and force my way into the warriors. Now, I’m admitting you’re my mate to she-wolves and ready to bite someone’s head off if they get too close. What a tangled web I’ve weaved. I don’t know what to do anything. If I give in to you, I’m setting myself up to become just another she-wolf. That’s not me, Chase.” Hearing her admit her problems to me softened my heart. “You’re not just another she-wolf, Willow. You’re my future Luna. You’ll help me run this pack. We’ll find your mother’s killer together—,” “I want to kill the man that killed her,” she said bluntly. “I’m not going to stop training in my room. I’m going to find him and kill him.” Let her have it, my wolf said. I stepped closer to her and wrapped my fingers around the back of her throat. “I will bring him to you, Willow. And you’ll give him the final blow. I promise.” Willow nodded, and closed her eyes slowly. “I like your bed better.”