Chapter Five- Willow

The office door was locked. Dad never locked his office door. What was he hiding in there? He just moved in today. Bending down on my knees, I pulled a small bobby pin from my back pocket and began to pick the lock. Seeing that the entire pack was welcoming our new alpha, I didn’t have to worry about someone creeping up on me. When Dad told me he hadn’t looked for Mother’s killer in over two years, I was floored. Almost as much as him telling me, I couldn’t train to become a warrior. It hurt to know he was moving on without closure. Without justice. The lock clicked and the office door swung inward. His scent still lingered in the air. My wolf wanted to roll around on the floor and put our scent over everything, but I didn’t dare. I needed one thing, and then I was out of there. I walked toward the filing cabinet and opened the top drawer. The file wasn’t in its usual place. Had Dad moved it? I walked toward his desk and rifled through it until I found the file titled Rogue. Chase’s scent was all over it. Had Dad shown it to him? Did Chase go snooping on his first day on the job? Either way, I shut the drawer and started toward the door. I shrieked when I noticed Chase standing in the doorway, wearing a suit that had my stomach in knots and a face that screamed you’ve been caught. “What?” I asked into the silence, placing the folder behind my back. “Aren’t you accepting an alpha position right about now?” Chase shut the office door with the heel of his shoe. “I am, but I looked out and noticed one person missing in the pack. I figured you were either sulking or doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing, like breaking into my office.” Embarrassment crawled up my cheeks and heated my skin. “Sue me. I didn’t realize my dad had moved out so quickly.” Chase stopped in front of me. I couldn’t help but notice how big his shoulders looked in that suit. The navy color suited him. “You didn’t, huh? What were you looking for?” “Something personal.” Chase reached around swiftly and caught my wrist holding the folder. He brought it around, and again, I felt his pity for me. “Stop that,” I hissed. “Stop feeling sorry for me.” “Why do you want this?” he asked, letting my wrist go. I pressed my mouth into a thin line, refusing to tell him anything I didn’t want to tell him. “I’m your alpha now, Willow. You have to answer me. You think I won’t punish you for disobeying me just because you’re my mate? Think again, Bunny.” I hissed under my breath and rubbed my forehead with my fingertips. “It’s the file that holds what we know about the rogues that killed my mother.” “I know what it is, Willow. Why do you need it?” Stupid tears built in the corners of my eyes. I hated myself for wanting to cry, but I couldn’t stop it. “Because I’m going to find them. My father gave up, Chase. Is that what you want to hear? I am going to find them, and kill them all.” Chase stared blankly at me for far too long. I felt myself wanting to lean into his touch and feel the comfort I knew a mate could give me. “You, alone, were going to track down these rogues and kill them? Willow, I know you’re hurting. You’re reminded of your mother all the time. It’s hard to move past something if you don’t talk about it. Have you ever talked to someone about it?” “I’m talking about it now.” “That’s not what I mean. Like a therapist?” I scoffed and folded my arms over my chest. “I don’t need a therapist. It was fifteen years ago.” “And you’re still hurting. Let me help you,” he whispered, reaching forward to touch my cheek. It was a lapse of judgment. I let his fingertips touch my bottom lip and electricity soared through me. I stumbled backward, and hit the desk, knocking off the pen holders and stapler. “Don’t, do that,” I whispered. Chase placed his palms into his pockets. It almost looked like it was an attempt to keep from touching me. “I plan to look for the rogues that killed your mother, Willow.” I stared at him for several seconds, unable to read if he was lying or not. “Why would you do that? You just got here. You have other duties.” Chased cursed under his breath and stepped closer to me. “Because you’re my mate, and you’re hurting. I’ll search for them, but you can’t join the warriors, Willow. I’ll find them and avenge your mother myself.” The tears I’d been holding back race down my face. This time, he wiped them off and I let myself enjoy the feeling of his hands. “I want to fight,” I said through gritted teeth. “I can do it. Please,” I said helplessly. Something broke across his face. I couldn’t read it. He stepped away and turned his face away from mine. “I promised your dad. I’m a new alpha, I can’t go against the regulations like this, Willow. The warriors we have will fight any rogues we find—,” “They didn’t hear it,” I whispered. “They didn’t hear my mother dying. She tried, but she had no skill. They took her down so easily.” He didn’t turn around. His back stiffened and I listened to his heavy heartbeat through the silence of the room. Suddenly, he turned and stepped closer to me. The hazel color of his eyes swirled a honey color that my wolf cried out to. “I’m sorry for your pain, Willow. I will do what I can to find the bastards that killed your mother. If you’d like to help me, that would be okay.” He left me standing in his office breathing heavily against his desk. I wanted to run after him, claw at him, and demand he let me fight. Instead, I sat on top of his desk, noticing a schedule to the right. They had a warrior’s meeting the next morning. It was my chance to prove to him that I could fight. That I was good enough to fight with the warriors. I slid from his desk and walked toward my bedroom. His scent went down the hallway, most likely back to the ceremony, but I couldn’t force myself to go and pretend everything was okay. The walk toward my bedroom felt like the longest walk of my life. His scent was so heavy between our doors that I thought I would choke on it. Stepping into my room, I stopped when I saw Derrick waiting on me by the window. I wiped my silent tears away and laughed. “Why are you here? They’ll know you left.” “I had to check on you. What did our new alpha have to say? When he left, I figured he was looking for you.” I flopped onto my bed and stared at the high-vaulted ceiling. “He caught me looking for the rogue file. He said I could help him track the rogues.” Derrick lifted both of his brows toward his hairline. “He did. He doesn’t sound like a monster to me, Willow.” “I never said he was a monster,” I mumbled. “I just wish he believed in me like you do. I’m going to show up tomorrow and show him what I’m made of. I need your help.” He growled. “You’re just killing for me to get kicked off the warriors, aren’t you?” I rolled my eyes. “You’re too good to get kicked off. Plus, you have a dick and I don’t. Apparently, that means you’re better at everything.” “I can’t make a baby,” he said, stepping around me. “I’d strangle you if I had the strength.” He fell back beside me. “Good thing you don’t.” His fingers searched mine, and he squeezed my hand in his. “Everything will work okay, Ace. Don’t give up.” “Will you help me, or not?” He sighed. “I’ll help you show the new alpha you can kick butt. But if he tells us to stop, you know I have to.” “I know. Thank you, Derrick.” “You’re welcome.” He stood up and looked down at me. “I left you a plate of food on your desk. You haven’t eaten today. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow. Practice starts at 9 AM. Don’t be late.” “Have I ever been?” “There was that one time—, I grabbed my pillow from the bed and tossed it across the room as he shut the door. I listened to his laughter as I closed my eyes. I had a big day tomorrow if I wanted to prove I could fight with the boys. I just prayed Alpha Chase wasn’t as hard as I thought him to be.