Page 46 of Alpha Chase

The drive to the complex is short and I spend most of it hyping myself up into a ‘give-no-fucks’ attitude, fighting off that jittery, nervous energy that I can’t seem to shake. It works, too- I’m as cool as a cucumber as I walk into the indoor arena, even as my eyes immediately start scanning the bodies, subconsciously seeking him out.

“Well hey there, gorgeous,” a male voice drawls as I toss my duffel down onto the bleachers. I turn to look over my shoulder, eyes landing on Levi, his charming smile in full force and his deviant blue eyes twinkling.

“Hey,” I breathe, an easy smile slipping into place. “How’s it going?”

“Better now that you’re here,” he replies with a wink. Always as smooth as silk.

Levi’s flanked by Alec and Dare, Miles and Callum loitering nearby. Looks like all the boys are here, while their leader is conspicuously absent. My gaze drifts around again as I smooth my long ponytail over a shoulder, but my heart stutters in my chest when my eyes land on Chase.

He’s standing near the rear doors of the arena, leaning a shoulder against the wall while his other hand rests on his hip. It may be the dead of winter, but he’s dressed in a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, the sides sliced open all the way down to his hip to reveal a taunting glimpse of the lean muscle covering his ribcage. His bicep flexes as he reaches up to lazily rake a hand through his hair, always messy and unkempt but somehow also devastatingly sexy- but not as sexy as that damn dimple that sinks into his cheek as he smiles… at the cute blonde girl standing across from him.

“Who’s that?” I mutter, eyeing the tall blonde as she throws her head back on a laugh, reaching out to brush Chase’s arm with her fingertips.

“Who?” Levi turns, following my gaze. “Oh, that’s Juliet Anderson. Jax’s sister.”

I don’t expect the sick twist of jealousy that churns in my gut as I watch the two of them chatting it up. A few days ago, Chase was looking at me like I was the only girl in the world, and now he’s over there flirting with someone else. Can’t say I didn’t expect it, but it stings just the same. He must feel my eyes shooting daggers into the side of his skull, because his head turns slightly, his eyes lifting to meet mine for the briefest moment- and then Juliet brushes his arm again and they’re right back on her.

“Hey,” I blurt, whipping around so fast that my ponytail smacks me in the face. “Wanna partner up today?”

Levi’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Yeah! For sure.”

I nod curtly, folding my arms over my chest. “Cool.”

I jog off to do a few warm-up laps, avoiding looking in Chase’s direction again at all costs. Even when the squad leaders round us all up to go over what we’ll be working on during today’s training session, I don’t spare him a glance, even though I feel his eyes burning into me. This is exactly why I didn’t want anything to do with Chase in the first place- because I didn’t want to feel like I do right now. All it took was one glance at Chase with Juliet for me to see how she’s everything I’m not.Tall. Blonde. The daughter of an alpha.They look good together. That’s exactly the type of girl that Chase Walker belongs with. That glance was all it took for the heavy feeling of regret to finally sink in.

Everybody pairs off to spar and Levi can’t wipe the grin off his face, clearly eager to get his hands on me. If it was another day, I might have fun flirting with and teasing him, but today I’m just anxious for this training session to end so I can get the hell out of here. The good mood I’ve been in for the past few days is officially gone, replaced with this ugly, spiteful feeling that I can’t quite get a handle on.

Levi takes his position across from me, a few yards of space between us, but we’re interrupted before we can even begin.

“You two paired up?” I hear Chase ask, the little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I feel him prowl up behind me.

I roll my eyes, whipping myself in the face with my ponytail again as I spin to face him. “Yeah, is that a problem?” His dark eyes lock on mine, my breath catching in my throat, and my stomach twists as the hornets take flight inside.

Chase wets his lips with his tongue, nostrils flaring as he slowly rakes his gaze down my body. “The size difference between you gives Levi an unfair advantage, don’t you think?”

“I’ve taken on guys twice my size,” I scoff, folding my arms tightly over my chest. His eyes go straight to my boobs. I jut out my chin confidently, holding my head high. “And I’ve come out on top.”

The corner of Chase’s mouth ticks up in response to my innuendo. “Yeah? If you’re so tough, why don’t you partner with me, then?”

“What the hell, bro?” Levi grunts in protest before I can respond, and I spin back around to see him glaring at Chase with his hands in the air.

Chase’s low chuckle from behind me sends a chill skittering up my spine. “It’s her choice if she wants to take on a real man.”

“No thanks,” I grind out, eyes still focused forward on Levi.

I feel Chase move closer, gritting my teeth as he leans in. His lips hover beside my ear as I feel his warm breath fan my neck. “You know playing hard to get doesn’t work if I’ve already gotten it, right?” he asks, his voice so low that only I can hear him.

My wolf claws forward, blood boiling in my veins as I whip back around. “Fuck you,” I spit, shoving at his chest. His feet are firmly planted and despite the force behind my shove, it doesn’t move him an inch, which only pisses me off more.

“Is there a problem over here?” Fallon asks, approaching with a look of amusement on her face as her signature ponytail swishes behind her.

Chase’s eyes flicker to her and a smug smile creases his lips. “Not at all,” he says innocently, shrugging. “I was just pointing out that shortcake here might want to pair up with someone closer to her own size, so she has a chance.”

Fallon arches a brow, her steely blue-eyed gaze swinging between Chase and me.

Fallon and I were in the same class of recruits last summer when I tried out for the squad. She knows how out of my league I was back then- I got cut in the second round because I couldn’t measure up to the other recruits.

Fallon also knows that I worked my butt off when I came back for the reserve squad, bent on proving myself. I put in extra hours, added some endurance and strength training, and sparred with the Barbie Beast herself. I’m faster now, stronger and more agile.Better.

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