Page 1 of Alpha Chase

CHAPTER ONE

Chase

Two Months Ago

Isawaghosttoday.

The ghost of someone who was supposed to be dead but was suddenly very much alive, standing across from me on the battlefield. Even after so many years, I’d recognize her anywhere. She was my mother, after all.

I watched as her eyes flashed in recognition, the realization of who I was coming to her. Then those same eyes went cold, because even though she knew, she evidently didn’t care. We were on opposing sides of a war and in that moment, I wasn’t her son. I was merely another enemy to eliminate.

She tried to kill me. My own mother.

He gave his life to stop her. My father.

Now they’re both dead and I’m left with nothing.

No parents. No family. Just a gaping fucking wound in my chest where my heart used to be.

I sat at the complex for hours afterwards, struggling to make sense of everything. I heard that we won the war by taking out the shadow pack’s leader, but I felt nothing. No sense of relief or joy. Just complete numbness.

When I could no longer take the overwhelming emptiness consuming my soul, I shifted into my wolf and took to the forest instead. I was out there all night, wandering around aimlessly, still trying to make it make sense. When I couldn’t, I came back to the packhouse in Norbury- the home that I shared with my dad. I stumbled inside in the early morning, heading straight for Rob’s office.

Rob is my dad’s Beta.Was. My dad was our pack’s Alpha, a title that transferred to me upon his death. So I guess Rob’smyBeta, now; my second in command. He also lives at the packhouse, and if anyone can shed some light on how the hell my mother somehow came back to life and joined the shadow pack, it’s him. Dad and Rob were so close that they were practically brothers. If Dad had secrets, Rob’s bound to know them.

The first pale rays of light filter in through the windows, casting an eerie light over the minimal furnishings in Rob’s office. As expected, he’s sitting in the sleek leather chair behind his cold metal desk. He’s always been an early riser and starts every day in this office. His hands are folded atop his desk, his head bowed, back hunched. I step into the doorway and lean a shoulder against the frame, shoving my hands into my hoodie pocket and glaring at Rob from underneath my hood. “Did you know?”

He lifts his head, bloodshot eyes meeting mine. Then his dry lips part, his voice coming out as a hoarse whisper. “Chase, I…”

I cut him off with a growl. “Did you know?” I repeat, louder this time, venom dripping from my tone. My hands curl into fists inside my pocket, body trembling with confused emotion.

Rob heaves a sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He gestures to the chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.”

Present Day

“Wake up…” a sing-songy voice calls, curling its way inside my dreams and gently pulling me out of a deep sleep.

I blink against the harsh light streaming in through the window of my bedroom, throwing an arm over my eyes to block it out.

“Chase…” the voice calls again, sugary sweet in its inflection. I feel weight shift on the bed beside me before fingertips land on my bare stomach, tracing the hard lines of my abs. Then there’s movement on the opposite side of the bed, another soft hand cruising across my chest.

My senses start to come back to me as I wake. The first thing I notice is how fucking bad my head hurts right now- I outdrank my shifter healing last night and I’m paying for it this morning with a wicked hangover. The second is the foul smell trapped in this room; it reeks of stale alcohol, sex, and regret. And the third…

I lower my arm from my face, eyes fighting the light again as I clock the two naked girls in bed with me, one on either side. A petite little blonde and a leggy brunette. Total opposites, because drunk me has a healthy appetite for pussy and doesn’t have a type.

Sober me, on the other hand…

I sit up abruptly, fighting a headrush as I brush the girls’ hands off of me in disgust and scooch down to the foot of the bed, swinging my legs off the end. My head starts throbbing harder in response to my sudden movements and I drop it into my hands, squeezing my eyes shut, willing the pain to abide.

A soft hand slides onto my shoulder from behind and I flinch at the contact, shrugging it off instantly. “Get the fuck out.”

Neither girl moves- hell, it seems like they don’t even breathe, but every second they remain in my space is a second too long.

I push off the bed and rise to my feet, turning over my shoulder to see the little blonde on her knees in the center, staring up at me with wide-eyed innocence. Given her cherubic features, I’d almost buy the whole sweet and innocent act if she didn’t just wake up in the wolf’s den.

“Now,” I snarl at her, teeth bared.

The blonde is a member of my pack, but I’m drawing a blank when it comes to her name. Not that it matters. She startles at my tone and scampers to the edge of the bed, while the brunette, on the other hand, seems only more emboldened by this exchange. Her name’s Stasia, and no matter how many times I throw her out of here, she keeps coming back. Girl’s a glutton for punishment.

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