Page 62 of Alpha Chase

“Would Monday be too soon?” Gray questions. “It’d have to be on a trial basis since I don’t know much about what you can do, but if you can keep up, we’ll make it permanent.”

Jase’s smile falters, his eyes shifting to his father beside him. “Monday. Sure, uh… I can do that.”

I can feel the animosity rolling off of Daryl, my wolf clawing at my chest in warning. I slide Gray a glance, unsure if we’re on the same page until he gives me a subtle nod, a silent go-ahead.

“Would you be able to pack a bag now?” I ask, turning my attention back to Jase. “It’d probably be best for you to go up there and get settled in so you can start first thing on Monday.”

“Really?” Jase asks eagerly, the smile returning to his face. “Yeah, if you give me like ten minutes, I can get my stuff together…”

Daryl grunts, turning and stomping away, realizing that this is happening whether he likes it or not. As scrappy as he may be, he’d be a fool to go up against two alphas- and he knows it.

Jase mumbles that he’ll be right back, darting inside and leaving Gray and me to freeze our balls off on the front porch while he gets his shit together.

“You got someone who can give him a ride?” Gray mumbles, slipping his phone out of his pocket. “If not, I can line something up…”

“Yeah, I’ve got it.” I whip out my phone and fire off a text to Levi and Cal, knowing they’ll get here quickly and won’t ask any questions. Ten minutes later, Jase is hopping in the backseat of Levi’s truck with a backpack and a duffel bag, looking like he just won the fucking lottery, while Gray and I return to the Jeep to head back to the packhouse.

Gray backs the Jeep out of the driveway, glancing over at me as he shifts gears to pull away from the little blue house. “How’d you know?” he asks, and it dawns on me that I wasn’t alone in my realization back there. If I picked up on the fact that Daryl was kicking the crap out of his son, there’s no doubt that Gray did, too. The guy is nothing if not observant.

I shrug a shoulder, my head falling back against the headrest. “Just a hunch.”

Gray puts the car in drive, hitting the gas. We’re both quiet for a few moments as Gray navigates through the town of Norbury like he’s lived here all his life. I suppose hehasspent quite a bit of time here over the past couple months. He slows at a stop sign, turning to look my way again. “You did a good thing back there. You’ve got great instincts.”

“Thanks,” I murmur, eyes focused on the road ahead.

I know Gray means well, but I don’t feel like a hero. Far from it. All I did was put a band-aid on the problem, not find a way to actually bring about any real resolution. Daryl Miller is just going to take his aggression out on someone else now, and without his mate to bring him back from the brink, it’ll just be a nonstop cycle. I suppose the only hope is that he’ll find someone his own size to pick on next time.

“I know this side of Alpha responsibilities isn’t glamorous,” Gray murmurs. “It’s a thankless job, but someone has to do it. You handled it well. I’m proud of you, Chase.”

I grit my teeth and swing my head sideways, eyes meeting Gray’s. There’s so much sincerity in them that the biting response I was about to utter dies on my tongue, my words turning to ash in my mouth.

The corners of his mouth tip up into a rare smile as he turns away to look out the windshield at the road, hitting the gas. “I realized something else back there,” Gray muses, fingers flexing on the steering wheel.

I arch a brow, waiting for him to go on, and his next words hit me like a ton of bricks.

“You’re more like your father than you think.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Vienna

Thelodgebarisa madhouse on Saturday nights- between the guests that are here for a weekend stay and the week-long guests that are enjoying their last night before checking out tomorrow, everyone seems to have a reason to celebrate while I barely get a moment to breathe. My feet are aching, my work shoes are rubbing against my heels uncomfortably, and I didn’t get near enough sleep last night prior to pulling a double shift. After Chase’s drunken declaration, my mind just wouldn’t shut off… and damnit, I found myself feeling way too comfortable in his bed, in his arms, which only led to more intrusive thoughts.

I should’ve known Chase’s inebriated confessions wouldn’t see the light of day, but his snub this morning hurt just the same. I wish it didn’t. I wish Chase’s stupidly sexy, dimpled smile didn’t take my knees out from under me every time he turned it my way. I wish his touch didn’t set my body ablaze, and I wish I didn’t crave it like I do. I wish he’d man up and admit that he actually cares, because then maybe I’d be willing to let my guard down enough to admit that I’m starting to care, too.

Fuck.

I didn’t want to, but I am. Beneath that tough, cocky exterior of his is a guy that could be worth knowing, if he’d give anyone the chance to get close enough. Despite how hard I’ve pushed him away, my traitorous heart and bodywanthim. And against all my self-preservation instincts, my head’s starting to join the party.

Maybe I should be committed to the nuthouse.

My phone vibrates in my back pocket as I round the bar, setting down a tray overflowing with empty glasses. It’s a miracle they didn’t come crashing down on my way back over here, considering the haphazard way they’re piled on. I eye the tray warily, wondering how the hell I’m gonna unload this thing without all the glassware tumbling down onto me like a house of cards, then decide it can wait and reach into my back pocket to retrieve my phone instead.

My heart skips a beat when I see the notification on the screen, my breath caught somewhere in my throat as I stare down at it, blinking. It’s a text message from Chase with one simple word:

Chase:hey

“Char, is it cool if I take ten?” I call out to the other waitress on duty with me tonight, glancing over at her as she fills a couple of beers from the tap.

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