4. Chase

Chapter four

Chase

As Chase left the room, it pained him to his core, and he still tasted Remy on his tongue. Raspberry and vanilla was a delicious combination. It wasn’t like him to like those kinds of flavor together, but with her, it worked. She could be tart or sour, as she had demonstrated by resisting his charms and demanding that he give her time. She could also be sweet, like the way she looked at him when they were dancing. Her scent spoke volumes about her, though it did annoy him that everyone could smell her like he could.

I cannot wait until we are bonded, and she smells like me. Other males need to know she is mine.

To walk away from Remy after finally finding his true mate was devastating. It wasn’t typical for a mated pair to wait for things like spending time with each other and planning their bonding ceremony. When the bond formed, he felt something was off about this woman. There was hesitancy to come near him, almost a flicker of fear in her eyes at finding out she had found a true mate. Little did he know, she had actually found her second chance mate after the first one sent her to hell: the Rejected Island. Chase snarled at the thought of his mate being on that damned island.

The idiot who sent her there will regret that decision someday. She may not know it yet, but I will have a hand in his demise.

It brought joy to Chase that his mate was an Alpha, and she showed that off as quickly as she could. Alphas were made to protect their people and mates, but having a mate who could defend herself was a relief. It calmed his Lycan to know he wouldn’t have to fuss over her like he would have if she were a submissive or omega. Would he still protect her at all costs? Hell yes. It would just be less chaotic than having to watch out for her and the others.

On his way out, he noticed Lykos standing in the hallway, almost like he was waiting for someone. He had a long drive ahead of him, but he did need to speak with the Alpha. Lykos gazed at him, and a wave of his power swept through the hallway and smacked into him. Chase wobbled where he stood, not at Lykos’s power level. He may have thirty Lycans in his pack, but Lykos had fifty. Chase didn’t have many dominant Lycans under him either, whereas Lykos had his first ten being some of the most dominant outside of Fenry’s pack.

"I mean no harm to you or yours, Alpha. I saw you here and thought we could talk," Chase said, his hands up to his chest in surrender.

There was no chance of Chase baring his neck to the Alpha. He couldn’t bring himself to do it now that Remy was tied to him. Even if the bond were just starting to grow, he could feel her power through the link. With that power, he could keep himself from having to do that. Lykos would question him about it, but one of the rules Remy gave him was to keep their bond a secret. He would need to think of a half-truth to tell Lykos about how he refrained from showing him the sign of respect to a higher-powered Alpha.

"I just left to check on my patrol while my daughter enjoyed her night. I don’t have much time to deal with pack nonsense."

"That is fine, Alpha. I came here to discuss some things with you. I asked your permission to be here, so I am not breaking pack law, but I wasn’t aware you were throwing a party for your daughter when I left my territory."

Lykos scoffed and shook his head. "Damn it. Forgot about your letter. It was impromptu. She recently returned from the Island of the Rejected. I’d be more surprised if you were aware of her being there to begin with."

Chase lifted an eyebrow at him. "Meaning?"

Lykos seemed to have caught himself saying something he didn’t want to mention. Chase noticed how his shoulders stiffened at his question. He didn’t want to press the Alpha much about it. He was sure Remy would eventually tell him the whole story. Right now, he just wanted to talk to Lykos about wanting an alliance. If Remy were to be his Luna someday, establishing an alliance now would be good. He intended to do that first, but Remy made it more of an absolute.

"Not of your concern," Lykos growled. "What is it you want to talk about? Again, I do not have much time. I must find my mate and continue with my daughter’s party."

Chase nodded, cleared his throat, and tried to think of the best way to bring this up. "I’m sure you know the packs are not happy about the territory lines. We may not have a piece of prestige land like you, but we are one of the bigger packs. I can see my pack becoming a target. As an Alpha, I have to protect my pack and territory. I believe the best way I can do that right now is to discuss an alliance."

Lykos’s eyes widened at Chase’s words. It puzzled Chase that he seemed so surprised. Chase may have been a newer Alpha, but he wasn’t stupid. He understood pack law and dynamics. The last time things were a little hectic with the packs going crazy, the larger packs were attacked first.

"What is bringing this on?"

"You know why. You said you didn’t have the time to discuss it now."

Lykos shook his head. "No, I don’t. However, I was planning a little trip across some territories to discuss these things with certain Alphas. Since you came to me, I will come to yours. We will discuss it soon. I will send a letter on the dates I may arrive."

Chase nodded and then made his way out of the building. It was a good thing he had come all this way. He met his mate and was put on the list to talk about alliances with the second most powerful pack in the kingdom.

Good job, Chase. Two things crossed off your to-do list. You are really coming into your own as a new Alpha.

As he stepped through the door to leave, he walked into a large man with blonde hair. His eyes glowed blue with his Lycan, showing off his power. He could tell this man was around his dominance level and even power, so his pack must have been around the same size. It didn’t stop him from snarling at Chase and pushing his hands against his chest.

"Who are you, and how dare you! Watch where you are going!" the blonde snarled.

Chase gave him a nonchalant look and replied simply, "Alpha Chase Monroe. Who are you?"

"Alpha Myles."

"Nice to meet you, Alpha Myles. I was just leaving."

Chase stepped out, kept his hand on the door to hold it open, and left it open for Myles to walk in. He didn’t care much for the Alpha already, but he wasn’t going to give this guy more arsenal to be a dickhead. Chase had a lot more to celebrate than he thought he would today, and he wasn’t about to have some idiot spoil it for him.

"What are you doing here? I doubt Lykos sent for you to be here. Aren’t you the one that just killed his Alpha like six months ago?"

Chase turned so he could look at Myles. He did his best to remove all the emotion from his face as his anger rose. There was no reason for this guy to be this big of a dick. This wasn’t his territory, so it’s not like he stepped out of line without asking his permission to come here. Judging from the way he asked that question, he didn’t even know the whole story about Chase.

Of course not. No one seems to know the damn story.

"No, he did not. I did, however, follow protocol and request to be here."

Myles’s lip curled up. Chase had a feeling he was hoping he got Chase there by the balls. He must not have accounted for Chase knowing Pack Law. It was too common for people to think he was some dumb pup who got pissy about having to listen to his Alpha’s orders and decided to rise to the position. That’s not at all what happened, though no one ever seemed to want to ask how he became Alpha.

The previous asshole ran the pack into the ground. He was a paranoid one. The Alpha thought the more freedom he gave his members, the more they would stray. The city they lived near supplied a good amount of jobs for their pack, Chase included. He became the Security Manager and brought in enough money to add extra funds to the pack’s vault so other families didn’t have to go without. The Alpha hated how well Chase and the others were doing with those jobs and commanded them to quit their jobs and return to the pack. It killed Chase to see his people slowly wither away. Many fell into a depression since they were home all day every day or doing things the Alpha told them to do that were not pleasant. The Alpha forced all the males to run territory security. The shifts were long and frequent. It was as if he was preparing then for what was happening now in the kingdom, and people were trying to figure out how to leave; a few even tried to challenge the Alpha for the title before Chase, but they lost.

Chase had finally had enough and challenged the Alpha.

It was a grueling match. The Alpha was vicious, and his paranoia seeped into his Lycan. The damn thing was crazed and feral. It was difficult to figure out its thought process with fighting, and Chase couldn’t tell which way it would go or what it would do next. He remembered he was on the ground, bleeding from at least three near-fatal wounds, with the Alpha towering over him. Chase wouldn’t have gotten the upper hand if it hadn’t been for the crazed Lycan who thought he had already won without Chase actually being dead. The Alpha howled in victory as he thought Chase was bleeding out and couldn’t defend himself any longer. Chase seized the opportunity and jumped, still bleeding, toward the closest part of the Alpha’s body, which was his stomach. He gutted the Alpha with his teeth, ripping open the softest part of his body enough for his insides to no longer be protected. The Alpha fell back, and Chase jumped on top of him and then sliced open his neck with his claws.

It was annoying that no one knew his story, but he wouldn’t argue with anyone over it. If people weren’t going to learn who he was and what kind of Alpha he was to his pack, then it would be their fault if they underestimated him.

"I doubt Lykos would have any dealings with you. He is a better man than that."

"You can tell yourself that all you want, Alpha Myles. I had fun and talked with Lykos. He is down that hallway," Chase pointed from where he came, "but he was trying to hurry things along so he could return to his daughter."

Chase heard some cheering from the room where everyone was partying. If Remy had just returned from the island, then that must mean they were bringing her back into the pack. Considering the amount of power Remy had on her own, that just made Lykos an even more powerful Alpha. With Remy by his side, if Myles went in with the attitude he was giving Chase, Remy would chew him up and spit him out.

Ha. If only I could stay and watch that happen. That would be the second-best thing that happened tonight.

But alas, he needed to return home. He still had a lot of work to do with his pack to bring it back to its former glory. The pack was still getting to know him and even learning to trust him. After the last one, he couldn’t blame them. Some members were still afraid to leave their houses because the last Alpha would attack them if they did. Then, some were still looking for a job. Since they left their last ones without notice, it didn’t look good on their references to get new ones.

This shit is a nightmare to wade through. Maybe I should ask Lykos how to help my pack some more when he visits.

His thoughts immediately wandered to the idea of Lykos traveling to see his pack as he drove home. First and foremost, he would need to make sure the house was clean. Lykos wasn’t known to be one of the judgmental Alphas, but he would rather not risk it since he would be asking for a lot. An alliance was something sacred to Lycans. It meant the two packs would lean on each other for many things. It wasn’t just for protection anymore. As Lycans grew in this kingdom after the Old Ways died, it meant the packs could rely on one another for food, jobs, and even to send some pack members there to get away for a time. To go into an alliance with another pack was something to be honored. If an Alpha turned another down for an alliance, it meant they were not trustworthy. Just like women, Alphas talked. If one Alpha did not trust someone, it was usually a kingdom-wide thing.

I don’t need that right now. Not with how crazy things have become. I need to keep my pack safe.

Then, his mind thought of something else. Remy was a dominant female. Lykos seemed to be someone who did not care about gender when it came to power. If a female was dominant, she held the rank she was supposed to in his pack. That wasn’t bad; it wasn’t as common as it should have been. There weren’t many dominant females either. If there were, they tended to find their mates and become Luna’s of the pack. If Chase remembered correctly, Fenry’s mate was a dominant female. He found her relatively early in life as well. His pack was always quite strong because of their combined power.

Hmm, that is something I can look forward to. I wonder if Remy will join Lykos on his trip around the kingdom. She is dominant and would benefit from seeing how these deals are made. If she does come, I get to see her again.

Chase smiled at that thought. He already wanted to turn around and find his way to her bed. Having her in his arms, taking in her intoxicating scent, and falling asleep next to her would be the highlight of his life. If it weren’t for her imposing those rules on him, he would be doing just that.

Those rules...why would she give me those rules?

The one who rejected her left a wound deep enough that it had not healed yet. Chase found himself snarling at the thought. Why would someone reject a woman like Remy? Was there something he didn’t know about her? What would make a man reject the one person created just for him? That seemed preposterous. Who would do such a thing? He knew there was an island full of people who would do that, but it still felt ridiculous to him to even consider it as a possibility. The Moon Goddess made no mistakes from everything he was taught when he was a kid. If she didn’t make mistakes, how were these people feeling the need to reject their mate? With Remy, there was a lot sealed in her small frame. The attitude, the boldness to go toe-to-toe with an Alpha without blinking, and even to tell her mate that she would not take him until she was ready. Most females threw themselves into their mate’s arms and started to plan their ceremony. Most males would throw that female over their shoulder and find their Alpha to complete the bond. How could anyone fight that instinct and reject their mate? Yes, it’s just ridiculous.

But I am not to tell anyone, not even my pack. They would be able to sense something different about me. There is always a glow when someone finds their mate, bonded or not. How am I going to lie to them?

You can say you found your mate, but she is not ready to become Luna. You are taking your time to court her and allow her to get up to speed on becoming a Luna before bonding to her.

His Lycan made a good point. That was something he could say. A half-truth to satisfy the question if it was asked without breaking his mate’s rules.

Good idea. It may be the only way I can explain that one to them.

He didn’t want to lie to his pack. They had enough lies told to them from their previous leader, and he wanted to be a better Alpha than the last one.

Who knows. Maybe Remy will be ready when she comes to visit, and I can tell the pack then.

If she visits.

Chase didn’t understand why he knew, but the sense of knowing he was right about her coming to see him with her father was true. He was going to see his mate again.