Page 116 of Alpha Chase

“I don’t care about River fucking Jacobsen,” Seb growls, snatching his duffel bag off the seat beside him and flinging open the back door of the truck, jumping out.

Chase and I exchange a glance and he steps out before Seb has a chance to make a break for it, moving to stand in his path. From inside the truck, I can’t hear the words Chase is saying, just the low hum of his voice. Hopefully he’s imparting some wisdom on our son to help him through these next six weeks of training camp, though I can never be sure with those two. They butt heads all the time- they’re way too alike, though Chase never wants to admit it.

I unfasten my seatbelt and climb out of the truck, closing the door with my hip and leaning against it to eavesdrop until the boys are finished with their father/son chat. Seb is often tough to get through to, but Chase is handling him remarkably well, despite his own fragile temper. Thankfully, our daughter, Valentine, is much more easygoing. I’d like to think she gets that from me, though if I’m being honest, it’s more likely her Auntie Nessa’s influence.

Chase claps a hand on our son’s back in a gesture of encouragement and I watch as Seb gives him a nod and rounds the truck. He approaches me with his shoulders slumped, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “I love you, Mom. Sorry for being a dick,” he grinds out.

My lips stretch into a grin. “Love you too, Sebby,” I breathe, stepping closer and lifting on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. His rugged good looks and teenage bad attitude aren’t the only things he inherited from his dad- the kid overtook me in height by the time he was twelve.

Seb turns on a heel, hopping onto the sidewalk and hustling down it as I shake my head, my gaze returning to Chase. Even though we’re older now, the man is still sexy as hell, the broad muscles of his chest stretching the tight black t-shirt he’s wearing. Colorful ink crawls down his arms, because just like me, he’s addicted to the bite of the tattoo needle. The Tinkerbell tat is now buried among the other artwork on his forearm, but upon closer inspection of his ink, it’d be easy to see how many of them he got in honor of me.Sentimental bastard.

I’ve added a few more to the canvas of my skin in honor of him, too. We returned to Benji’s tattoo shop shortly after we sealed our mate bond, and I let Chase surprise me with a tattoo of his choice, since he let me choose his first one. I should’ve known he’d get his name tattooed on my ass cheek.

I kinda love it, though.

Hornets take flight in my belly as Chase hits me with a dimpled smirk, flicking his head to beckon me as he starts down the sidewalk after our son. I join him, my hand quickly finding his and his fingers weaving through mine. Seb’s duffel bounces on his shoulder as he charges down the path ahead of us, because in typical teenage boy fashion, he’d rather be caught dead than seen arriving here with his parents. Not that the other kids won’t figure out exactly who he is soon enough; that Alpha energy is hard to miss. I should know- it’s part of the reason I became so ensnared by his father from the get-go.

By the time we reach the gate to the practice field, Seb has already lost himself in the crowd of kids spilling out from the buses, a sight that’s all too familiar to my eyes. Sometimes, it feels like it was just yesterday that I stepped off one of those buses myself. Who would’ve thought that the girl who couldn’t hack it at summer training camp would go on to become the squad’s top tracker and the Luna of the Norbury pack? Some days, I still feel like I need to pinch myself.

“Fancy seeing you two here,” Astrid chirps, waving us over to join her, Brock, and the other Alphas and Lunas of the six-pack. Though the current Alphas have all stepped back from their roles as squad leaders in favor of passing it off to their adult children, they still quietly oversee things at the complex. Unsurprisingly, Gray’s son, Maddox, assumed his father’s role at the head of squad leadership.

“Big year for Seb and Riv, eh?” Jax comments, nodding his head toward the swarm of kids gathering on the practice field.

Theo scowls, grumbling something unintelligible, and Brooke swats his chest with the back of her hand, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “Daddy Theo isn’t ready to let his baby girl go,” she explains.

“I just know what happens in those squad dorms,” he growls, frowning and staring daggers at the young boys on the practice field, as if they’re here with sole purpose to rob his daughter’s innocence. “I don’t like this one bit.”

“Madd and Avery will look out for her,” Gray states matter-of-factly, clapping Theo on the shoulder.

“Seb too,” Chase adds.

Theo glances toward Sebastian warily, shaking his head. “Yeah, as well as Jax looked out for Quinn?”

Quinn snorts, her eyes glittering with amusement. “Chill out, big bro. Nobody will be able to get past all of River’s cousins. You worry too much.”

She’s right- between Gray’s and Jax’s children, River has no shortage of cousins on the squad. I’m sure she’ll be well looked after.

I follow Theo’s gaze, watching my son as he jokes around with his friends, exuding that all too familiar cocky swagger. “He’s totally you when you were that age,” I murmur, elbowing Chase in the ribs.

He rolls his eyes, leaning down to wind his arms around my shoulders and press a kiss to my hair. “This’ll be good for him, then. Teach him some discipline.” He releases me and straightens, shrugging as I spin to face him. “And if not, then maybe he’ll find a wild thing like you to tame him,” Chase winks.

“Nah, I never tamed you,” I smirk. “We just ran wild together.”

The crowd of kids on the practice field starts to quiet, and I look over to see that the squad leaders have formed a line in front of them. They’re all poised in domineering stances with hard looks on their faces, giving me major flashbacks to my first day at summer training camp, when I stood there with my palms sweating and first laid eyes on Gray, Theo, Jax, Brock, and Reid. I turn my head to gaze toward the five of them now standing at my back, Chase fitting in so seamlessly among the other Alphas and filling the role he was always destined to.

It's funny to think of how scared I was of those guys when I first arrived here so many years ago, and how differently I view them now. Gray, while seemingly stoic and indomitable, is such a thoughtful and loyal friend, a born leader. Theo’s still crass and unpredictable, but he’s one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met, second only to Jax, the sweet, lovable family man. For all of Brock’s sharp edges, he’s a big teddy bear when it comes to the people he truly cares about, and Reid has a heart of gold, always trying to do the right thing.

Their mates have all brought out the best in them. My gaze slides between the six-pack Lunas, the women who have all become like sisters to me. Fallon and Brooke are still as gorgeous as ever; our real-life barbie dolls, one beast and one brainiac. Quinn cracks me up on a daily basis, and Astrid is possibly the kindest human being I’ve ever met. Serena’s still a firecracker, and she’s remained close friends with Chase throughout the years, so we probably see her the most of all the girls. Then there’s me- and I don’t have to wonder if I’ve brought out the best in Chase. We saved each other.

I look back toward the new squad leaders as Maddox takes a step forward, folding his thick arms across his chest and holding his chin high. Not gonna lie, the kid looks intimidating as hell. He surveys the crowd before him and within a few seconds, he’s captured their attention without uttering a word, his mere presence commanding authority.

He claps his hands together, silencing the last murmurs of idle chatter among the horde of trainees. Then he clears his throat to speak, and when he does, his voice is low and authoritative, eerily reminiscent of his father, and his words give me déjà vu.

He cups his hands around his mouth, calling out to the anxious crowd of bright-eyed kids spread before him on the practice field. “Listen up, recruits!”

THE END

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