Chapter Eight - Chase

“Is she your mate?” Rex asked once my office door shut. It was obvious to anyone who looked hard enough. Rex was trained to see and notice everything around him. Not that it was impossible to see to the average wolf. I sighed heavily and walked toward my desk, sitting down in my high-back chair and looking up at him. “Yeah, she is.” Rex chuckled and sat down in front of me. “You don’t sound as excited as I thought you would. Aren’t mates supposed to make you happy?” I laughed loudly, thinking about the stubbornness Willow had inside of her. “She isn’t that excited.” Rex lifted both brows and folded his arms across his chest. “She isn’t excited to be mated to an alpha? Does she have a boyfriend or something?" I leaned forward, staring at the closed Rogue file on my desk. “Alpha Gerald, Willow’s father, promised her she could become a warrior. After he stepped down, he told her it was against the rules, and he didn’t have the strength to tell her when she was young. She was there when her mother was killed by the rogues, and she is adamant on avenging her.” Rex cringed. “That’s rough, Chase. Is she any good?” I chuckled and slid my palm over my face. “She’s great. A wolf has been training with her in secret since she was young. She’s swift, agile, and frankly, better than many of the wolves on our warrior’s team.” Rex shrugged. “Would it hurt to let her train in secret?” I blinked at him. Was he serious? He was part of the Werewolf Military and he wanted me to break the rules? “You’re serious?” I asked. “I was just appointed alpha. I’ll be dragged to the region quicker than I can blink for disobeying the rules, you know that.” He shrugged. “Maybe. If you get caught.” “You don’t understand,” I said. “Willow wants to be on the team. She wants to be accepted, and go kill these rogues with her teeth.” “Can you blame her?” Rex asked. “She watched her mother die, Chase. She’s hurting. She just wants to show that she is as good as the boys.” “I promised Alpha Gerald that I would keep her safe. He’s afraid for her to join for more reasons than it being against the rules. Plus, her heat is coming …” Rex’s smile widened across his jaw. “I’m sure your wolf is on edge waiting for that.” I scoffed. “If only she’d let me touch her.” “It’ll get easier, Buddy. She can’t deny her mate forever. When her heat comes, she’ll need you. She won't be able to resist." It was the only thing keeping me going at the moment. I was supposed to be an alpha, and I wanted to get on my knees and beg my mate for attention. I wanted to take her somewhere. A date. A day to ourselves. I could if only she’d loosen the guard around her a little. The door to my office opened, and Willow walked inside. She was wearing clothes that were too big for her from when she changed in the courtyard. The girl looked good in anything. Seeing her naked in the forest, lying next to the stream while enjoying the sun had me on edge. My wolf wanted to mount her, mark her, and keep her forever. The human part of me just wanted to touch the smooth path from her jaw to her collarbone and kiss her sun-kissed skin. “Willow,” I said, pointing to the seat next to Rex. “Have a seat.” She walked over and took a seat next to Rex. “Have you been briefed?” she asked, turning her attention to him. The side of his mouth twitched and he nodded. “Chase told me all about it before I came. I’m looking for a tattoo,” he said, showing Willow the picture on his phone. “Did you see anyone that night?” She shook her head. “My mom …” she cleared her throat. “She hid me in the kitchen pantry. I only heard it.” The way she attempted to hide her pain pinched my chest. Rex slipped his phone back into his pocket. “I know tons of tattoo parlors in the area. I plan to start there and ask around. Is there anything else I need to look for while I'm out?” “Maybe ask if the artists have tattooed many rogues? Do they know of any rogue packs?” She shrugged. “It’s been a long while, but it’s worth a shot.” “Will do.” Rex glanced over at me and winked. “I’ll call when I find something.” “Thank you for doing this for me,” I said, standing with him. “I appreciate you taking the time out to do it.” Rex offered Willow a handshake and she took it. “Nice to meet you, Willow. And you know I love a challenge. We’ll talk soon.” Rex left the room with heavy footsteps and shut the door behind him. Willow was bent over my desk when I turned, grabbing the Rogue file and opening it. Lust shot up my spine at her position. I felt like a teenager again, unable to control my hormones around her. I sat down beside her, watching her eyes as she scanned the information. “I don’t know why my father couldn't find anything more about them.” “I’m sure he tried. Maybe heartache kept him from it?” She shut the file quickly and stood up. “Are you ready to go speak with the she-wolf that saw them?” I stood up with her but didn’t budge. “I noticed Regis glaring at you during lunch.” She brushed her hair from her shoulder. “I’m not worried about Regis. He’s been mean to me for years.” “Yeah, but taunting him isn’t smart, Willow. What if he snaps and hurts you? What will you do then? I’m sure he has friends. What if they jump you?” She lifted her chin in the air. “I’m not afraid of him.” “You’re tough, Willow, but that doesn’t mean you can take on multiple wolves. I’ll always protect you, and stand up for you, but I can’t promise to be there every moment.” Willow’s gaze dropped to the tips of her tennis shoes. “Can we go now?” I grabbed the Rogue file and walked toward the door to open it. “I’m following you.” Willow led me toward the community of families across from the pack house. Several she-wolves called my name from the distant field, and I waved at them. Willow followed my gaze and scoffed. “What?” I asked. “I’m the alpha. I’m supposed to ignore the she-wolves in our pack?” “I don’t care what you do,” she mumbled. “That’s Tiffany. She’s been with every wolf in our pack. Be warned.” There was jealousy written all over her body language. She turned a sharp left, leading me to a small one-story house with a wraparound porch. She grabbed the door handle, but I pressed my palm above her head and shut the door. She angled her head upward and looked back at me. “You should know that I would never mistreat my mate, or disrespect her with another she-wolf. Keep that in mind.” Willow let out a shaky breath and allowed me to open the door and knock. It took several minutes, but an older she-wolf opened the door. “Mrs. Mabel?” Willow asked. “How are you?” She chuckled and opened the screen door. “I didn’t know who that was knocking on my door like the police,” she chuckled. “Who is this handsome fellow?” “I’m the new alpha, Mrs. Mabel. I didn’t see you at the ceremony.” She waved me off and gestured for us to come inside. “I don’t get out much.” She walked us into her living room and sat down in an old recliner. “How can I help you two today?” I opened the folder and glanced over her statement again. “Mrs. Mable, we’re looking into the death of Willow’s mother. You stated seeing the rogue man before he shifted into his wolf form?" She pursed her lips and stroked her chin. “That was a long time ago,” she whispered, her old gaze moved to Willow. “I’m so sorry about that, Honey. I know you’ve struggled with it.” Willow didn’t respond, she interlaced her fingers around her knee and bounced her leg. “Have you remembered anything new?” Willow asked. Mrs. Mable closed her eyes for a few seconds. “I remember the man was younger. Had a shaved head, and that ungodly tattoo. He walked right past me like he was looking for someone.” “Are you saying that you think it wasn’t a pack attack, but he was there to kill someone?” She shrugged. “His little thug friends attacked us, but he seemed determined. He headed toward the houses, and … no one else was killed in the houses other than your mother, Shannon.” Willow’s eyes filled with tears, and I watched her bottom lip begin to tremble. Why hadn’t Alpha Gerald mentioned that in the file? I sat forward, opening my mouth to speak when Willow stood up. “I’m sorry, I thought I could do this, but I can’t.” She raced from the room and stood swiftly. “Go find her, Honey. The poor thing.”