Page 88 of Alpha Chase

Is that why she’s spent so many nights at my packhouse, because she has nowhere else to go? I know her mom’s still around- why would she be staying here instead of with her?

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I rise to my feet and reach out to grab one of the red-labeled kegs from the bottom shelf, hauling it up and skirting around the cot to return to the aisle. My mind’s still racing as I start back for the bar, my chaotic thoughts interrupted by the slam of a door.

“Chase!”

Vienna’s voice sounds so panicked that I drop the keg onto the tile floor with a metallic clang, sprinting toward the sound of her voice. Heart pounding, I push the door to the locker room open and nearly collide with Vienna, her small hands clutching onto the fabric of my hoodie as she stares up at me with her eyes blown wide with fear.

“What’s wrong?” I demand, curling an arm around her protectively and looking past her to the exit door.

“He’s back,” she chokes. “The rogue, I could smell him…”

I release Vienna from my hold and sprint to the exit door, throwing it open and looking around wildly. It’s dark on this side of the lodge, the dumpster casting a large shadow over the pavement, but I don’t see any signs of movement around the building. Everything is eerily quiet and still, the breeze carrying the faintest scent of rot. It’s so faint that I honestly can’t tell if it’s just the trash in the dumpster giving off the stench.

Vienna bursts through the door behind me, her hands clutching at my arm. “Do you see him anywhere?”

“No,” I mutter, eyes still combing the shadows for any sign of movement. I breathe in deeply, my mind struggling to try to connect the faint scent to the memory of that night in the woods at the pit.

Her hands clutch my arm tightly as she shifts closer. “You can’t smell that?”

I shake my head slowly. “I’m not sure… it’s too faint to tell.”

I glance down at Vienna and the flicker of self-doubt in her eyes hits me like a punch in the gut. I may not be able to smell it, but I can still lend my support.

“Here,” I say, sliding my phone out of my back pocket and handing it to her. “Go in and call Gray, see if he can get the trackers from the squad out here.”

She scrunches her nose in confusion, taking the phone hesitantly as I peel my hoodie off over my head. “What are you doing?”

I drop it onto the ground, unfastening the button of my jeans as I kick off my boots. “I’m gonna shift and do a perimeter check. I’ll be able to scent him better in my wolf form.”

“I’ll come with you,” Vienna rushes out, and fear spikes inside me. If the rogue is truly back again, he obviously wants something- and I’m starting to wonder if it’sher.

“No!” I shout, snapping my head in her direction and leveling her with a glare.

She glares right back at me, that fiery spark of defiance in her eyes, and though I know she’ll punish me for it later, I do the only thing that I can think of to keep her safe. I infuse Alpha command in my voice so that she’s forced to keep herself out of harm’s way.

“Go inside. Call Gray. Stay there until I come back.”

Vienna flinches as the Alpha command washes over her, her beautiful features twisting into a deep scowl.

“How dare you,” she grits out, shoving at my chest. Her eyes gleam with the bronze of her wolf as she tries to fight it, her body trembling.

“Go,” I repeat, my voice echoing off the stone building behind her.

She whips around, her ponytail slapping my chest as she yanks the door open and darts inside. I feel like a complete asshole for doing that to her, but if it keeps her safe, it’s worth it. At least that’s what I tell myself as I finish stripping out of my clothes, calling my wolf forward and shifting.

I complete three full perimeter checks by the time Gray and Brock arrive at the lodge with the two best trackers on the squad, Leo and Adrian. I throw my head back and howl when I see them coming to call them to the employee entrance behind the lodge, then swiftly shift back to my human form and get dressed, opening the door and poking my head into the locker room. Vienna’s sitting on a bench right inside with her arms folded tightly over her chest, looking salty as hell with a deep scowl still etched on her pretty face.

“They’re here,” I say, beckoning her with a flick of my head, and she shoots daggers at me through her eyes as she rises to her feet and stomps over to the door to join me outside. I try to slip an arm over her shoulders, but she immediately shrugs it off, side-stepping away from me.

Yep, she’s pissed.

“Where?” Gray asks simply as he approaches with the others, cutting straight to the chase.

I shake my head, sighing in resignation. “I don’t know. I did three perimeter checks, but I couldn’t catch a strong enough scent.”

Adrian inhales deeply through his nose, nudging Leo beside him. “You get that?”

Leo nods. “It’s faint, but enough to try to follow.”

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