Chapter Six - Chase

Her scream woke me. It was still dark when I swung my feet from my bed, and let my eyes adjust. My alarm clock read around midnight. But despite the groggy feeling of sleep in my body, I knew who the scream belonged to. I could hear her rapid heartbeat through the distance between our bedrooms. My fingers clutched the sheets beneath me as I attempted to calm my wolf. He became unhinged at the sound of her thrashing around in her bed. Was someone attempting to hurt her? Or was she experiencing one of her nightmares? I blinked the sleep from my eyes and stood. There was such a tightrope between us that I wasn't sure if I should walk over to her or not. At this point, I wasn't sure she'd come to the door. After seeing the pleading in her eyes in my office, it took me hours to fall asleep. She was desperate for justice for her mother. She was hanging onto things that happened so long ago. If I did anything for Willow, I wanted to give her peace. Another cry broke into the silence, and I couldn't stop myself from checking on her. I knocked on her door, but her mumbling didn’t stop. Was she still dreaming? I twisted the knob until it broke into pieces in my hand and the door swung inward. Her scent flooded into the hallway with me, and a stream of moonlight brightened her room. Willow sat on her bed, her sheets twisted around her waist and sweat dripping down her body. She blinked at me, her eyes adjusting and her reality settling in. I shut the door behind me, listening to her heartbeat regulating, and watched her wipe the sweat from the back of her neck. She kept her gaze on me, her body heaving and her breath still shaky. The heaviness in the room weighed on my chest. "Are you okay?" I asked softly. She nodded, though I wasn't sure if she'd tell me if she wasn't. I eyed her bathroom door across the room and walked over. Her scent was so strong that it nearly knocked me on my ass. Grabbing a washcloth, I damped it and walked it back over to her. She was sitting on the side of the bed, her fingers gripping the sheets beneath her. I placed the damp cloth on the back of her neck and watched her relax from the cool cloth. “Are you really okay?” Willow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m fine. It’s nothing I’m not used to.” Clearing my throat, I shifted in front of her. Willow's gaze dragged up my shirtless body and to my eyes. Her wolf whined at my presence. She wanted me to touch her. Soothe her. But Willow showed no sign of it. “It doesn’t have to be. You could talk to someone about it. Maybe get some professional help." “I’m fine. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She placed her legs underneath the sheet and turned to face the opposite wall. My wolf sensed her heat was nearing. By the shutter down her spine, I knew she was hurting. If she'd let me touch her, hold her, I wouldn't get carried away unless she wanted it. Bravely, I reached forward and touched her spine softly, making her stiffen. “Feel that?” I asked. “I’ll help you, just tell me when." I left her alone when she didn't respond. It was my only option. Willow wasn’t welcoming me into her room, and I refused to become that alpha. The one that took what he wanted just because he could. My parents taught me better. My morals were intact and I planned to keep them there. The next morning when I woke she wasn’t in her room. I didn’t hear her after her nightmare, but I didn’t hear her leave either. I’d been exhausted from my first official day as alpha. Now, I had to grab some coffee, my breakfast, and head toward the warrior’s cabins. A part of me imagined Willow showing up to train. Nothing would surprise me anymore. The cafeteria was mostly empty when I grabbed a to-go coffee and a few muffins. Keith had mentioned meeting me at the warrior’s cabin to go over the training before we began. According to Keith, Derrick was thrilled to show me how they train. Since the new warriors would be picked soon, they needed all the training they could get. My wolf was on high alert the entire walk over. I expected to turn and see Willow waltzing toward the cabins ready to join the wolves. Instead, the place was vacant of her scent. Derrick was stretching outside of the cabin when I arrived but kept his gaze away from me. It was odd how much he attempted not to look at me. Keith greeted me and took the muffin I offered him. “Derrick is captain of the warriors,” Keith said. “He’s going to instruct the wolves on their morning routine, and then have them use the obstacle course." I took a bite of my muffin. “Sounds good. I'm not sure if you need to tell the guards this, but I have a friend coming over today. If a stranger shows up, don’t hurt ‘em.” Keith pulled out his phone and made himself a note. “Got it. If you don’t need anything right now, I would like to head over to my daughter’s house. She’s expecting a pup today.” “Congratulations,” I said. “Your first grand-pup?” He beamed. “A little girl. I’ll bring her by when everything is settled with my daughter.” “Sounds great. Go, enjoy her.” Keith jogged off leaving me with Derrick. “Derrick,” I said, drawing his attention. “Sir,” he said. I eyed the cabin, hearing the warriors getting ready to come outside. “Is she coming?” Derrick’s brows pulled down in confusion. “Is who coming, Alpha?” Giving him a bored look, I took the last bite of my muffin. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. Is Willow planning on showing up today?” His face turned an ashen color that told me everything I needed to know. Derrick knew better than to lie to me, so not answering was a better option. The doors to the warrior’s cabin opened, and the wolves filed out. They seemed in good spirits about the training. Derrick cleared his throat and pointed out a few wolves that were new to me. The others were part of the warriors and trained regularly to keep in shape. I sat on a tree stump next to the cabin and sipped my coffee while they stretched. I watched the tree line anticipating her showing up to practice. She’s not coming, my wolf said. I didn’t believe that for a damn minute. It was her life’s wish to join the warriors and to show up these wolves. Not to mention finding her mother’s killer. “Alpha, we’re ready to move to the obstacle course,” Derrick said. I followed them around the back of the cabin. There was a field separating the cabin and the woods. In the midst of it, was a giant obstacle course with giant overturned trees and mountains of rock. The process of training was different in wolf form than in human form. I’d been trained in both by my pack and been in many wars. It was a torturous journey to become a warrior, and being thrust into a pack war was hell. It was one of the reasons I hated the thought of Willow fighting. The wolves, especially rogues, were ruthless. I clutched my fingers around my coffee, listening to Derrick yell for the wolves to start. I watched the wolves jump over over-turned trees, dodge Derrick’s attempts at jumping them, and soar over the rocky terrain. Excitement pierced through my wolf. It’d been a while since I let loose and let my wolf run. I planned to let myself explore the pack lands soon, maybe take a few warriors with me. I watched in excitement as they made their way over the obstacles and toward Derrick. They squared off with him one by one. A vibration of excitement ran through the pack. The wind picked up and amid the fighting, I smelled her. My gaze moved along the tree line, hoping to see her before she jumped into the middle of the obstacle course. I stood and took a sip of my coffee, still looking, sensing her getting closer but I couldn’t see her anywhere. My wolf paced and his anticipation of seeing her in wolf form burned through me. Where is she, my wolf asked. Where is she hiding? Seconds thumped by like minutes until a shadow loomed over me. I watched in sheer amazement as she jumped from the roof of the warrior’s cabins and ran toward the obstacle course. Her white fur shimmered in the sunlight of the morning sun. She was quicker than I anticipated, and I spilled my half-cup of coffee onto the ground by my shoes. Willow dashed over grown wolves, underneath the overturned trees and up the rocky terrain. Derrick seemed ready for her as if they practiced this, and I should have been angrier about it. She leaped over Regis’ wolf, her paws touching his head and shoving him into the Earth before squaring off with Derrick. Her moves were precise and clean. Everything about it turned my wolf into goo. But I was her alpha. She was going against my demands. Willow snapped at Derrick, jumped, and rolled around until he was underneath her. Before Regis, Derrick, or myself had a chance to move, Willow rushed from the obstacle course and disappeared into the tree line. A ghost of a smile haunted my lips. It was against the rules, but I couldn’t be more proud than I was at that moment.