Chapter 9: Nine

CHASE POV

Ashley was still lying against me when I woke up again. She had nothing on. A habit she picked up for my pleasure. Her hair was spread across her chest.

She breathed softly in her sleep. She looked peaceful, like she was right where she belonged, and nothing else mattered.

It's one of the reasons I chose her. Ashley has always worshipped the ground I walked on. She did everything I told her and wasn't slow like Karina. She knew what to do to make me happy and keep me on her mind.

I lay on the bed for a moment, without moving. I stared at the ceiling. The dream that woke me up was still fresh on my mind.

Ever since the elders declared her dead, she's been on my mind, like a recurring headache.

Karina, I muttered silently. Her name sounded colder on my lips.

I didn't recognize Karina in my dream. She wasn't the one I had chased away. This one was not weak. She was not afraid.

This Karina stood in front of me, her bloodshot eyes. Burning with rage. I could tell she was hungry for revenge. For blood.

Karina wanted my blood. And she looked like she could get it without hesitation. Nothing was going to stop her.

I had never seen her like this before. A shiver ran down my spine as her words replayed in my mind.

“You left me to die,” she said in the dream.

Her voice wasn’t loud; when she spoke, that was the worst part.

It was calm.

Certain.

Like she already knew what she was going to do to me.

“I survived anyway,” she added, stepping closer.

It was then I noticed she wasn't alone; wolves surrounded her.

My wolves.

Except they weren’t mine anymore.

They were hers. I tried to run, but my feet remained rooted to the ground.

Then she smiled. It wasn't the shy smile she used to give me. When she was looking for reassurance for me, that smile was gone.

“I came back for you,” she whispered.

That was when I woke up.

My chest still felt tight as I replayed the dream. I took a deep breath and ran my hand down my face.

This was ridiculous. It was just a dream.

Karina was gone. Her body was probably rotten by now.

She's dead; the elders had to be right.

But if she wasn't… a voice whispered in my ear. No, she's definitely dead. There's nowhere she could survive outside by herself; she's too weak.

Weak things didn’t survive out there.

I felt guilt wash all over me at my thoughts. But pushed it away. That wasn’t my fault. That was nature.

And it was bound to happen. She was too weak. She should have stood her ground more.

I shaked my head in a bid to get Karina out of my mind. Just then, Ashley's eyes fluttered open.

“Chase, why are you awake?” she asked, her voice still drunk with sleep.

I turned to her. And smiled. She smiled at me. Ashley always looked at me like she thought she could erase everything just by looking at me.

“Bad dream?” she asked, her fingers tracing my stomach. I shivered from her touch.

“Yeah. But I’m fine,” I replied coldly. I didn't need her questioning me further.

I knew that would only push Ashley further.

Which it did. She frowned slightly, studying me.

“You’ve been weird lately,” she said, like she was choosing her words slowly.

' I’m fine.”

Thankfully, she didn’t push further. She never really did when she didn’t need to.

Instead, she moved closer again, pressing her body into mine like she was reminding me where I was supposed to be.

With her. Not thinking about Karina, who added nothing to my life. She's a ghost.

Ashley is right here with me. She is not a ghost.

"I'm fine, I promise." I said.

Her hand slid slowly lower, her voice dropping to a tone I recognized instantly.

“Then prove it,” she whispered.

I hesitated. Why had Ashley always had to be this way? I love it, but can't she see that these past few days have been too much for me?

I shifted a little, trying to mask my lack of enthusiasm.

But my mind betrayed me again.

Karina’s face flashed behind my eyes. The Blood on her arms. My fear was turning into something sharp. Something dangerous. Something alive. I needed to do something to get it out of my mind.

I pulled Ashley closer before I could think any further.

“Chase…” she sighed softly.

Her mouth moved effortlessly, finding my dick instantly. I closed my eyes, allowing Ashley to pull me away from everything else.

From the way my chest had tightened at the thought of Karina standing there alive.

I moaned loudly. Ashley knew exactly what she was doing. She always did.

“Focus on me,” she said, her voice low and teasing.

I closed my eyes again. This was real. This was mine. Ashley.

I needed something to drown out the noise in my head. And Ashley was doing just that.

For a while, it worked. It blurred everything else. But only for a while.

Because even as I held her, even as she whispered my name

There was still that lingering feeling. No matter how much I wanted there not to be.

It was sharp and unsettling, like something I had buried that would come to bite one day again.

And no matter how tightly I held onto Ashley. It didn’t completely disappear.

Later, I sat at the edge of the bed while Ashley slept again.

Her breathing was steady.

Peaceful.

I should feel the same way. But I didn’t. Instead, I felt… irritated. Restless.

Like something inside my chest refused to settle, no matter how hard I tried to crush it down.

I stood up and got dressed without looking back at her.

This is what I wanted. This is what I chose.

Karina was weak. She was simply a mistake I corrected.

At least that’s what I told myself as I walked out of the room. I was going to repeat that to myself again and again until I believed it.

\---

I walked slowly to my other room across the hallway. I needed space from Ashley for now. And I wasn't going to get it by staying in the same room as her.

I opened the door slowly and walked in. I needed to take a cold shower before I went for a morning run. Today was going to be a long day.

I walked to the shower and turned it on. For a few minutes, I stood under it, letting the cold water wash away the tension that felt trapped in my joints. I closed my eyes, and I was met with darkness, not Karina's face.

That was good. I needed to move forward from this.

After showering, I put on my clothes for running and walked out to the courtyard to start.

I jogged slowly at first. Ignoring the guard's greetings. Then increased my pace until I was running.

My lungs felt like they were burning with every step I took.

This was exactly what was needed. Something to get my blood pumping. I finished jogging and took a quick shower, this time with warm water, to ease my muscles. Then changed quickly.

I got into the car and drove to the training ground where my warriors were waiting for me.

“Alpha.”

One of the warriors stepped forward, bowing his head slightly.

“We’re preparing for border patrol. There's news that there have been movements near the eastern territory,” he said.

I finally signed. Something useful was happening.

“Double the patrol,” I said, my voice loud and commanding.

“I want no gaps. If anything crosses into our land, I hear about it immediately.”

“Yes, Alpha.”He turned and rushed off.

I exhaled, running a hand through my damp hair.

I took a deep breath. This was what mattered. My pack. My territory. This was my future.

Ashley, too, was my future; she was going to give me something Karina fell at.

An heir to my throne. A child, finally, after all these years of trying to be patient with Karina. Ashley came and immediately gave me what I wanted. What Karina could not.

That alone. Placed Ashley above her. And I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that she enjoyed all the privileges of being my Luna.

Karina wasn't here to fight the position with her anymore. Ashley was now my one and only Luna. And the mother of my child. The child who was going to be the heir to my throne. The next leader of my pack.

I stayed for an hour to coordinate and plan with my warriors before leaving.

"Good morning, Alpha. The pack elders are waiting for you to address them." A text from my secretary read on my phone.