Chapter 9 The Morning After
Chase's POV
Dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting shifting patterns across my face as consciousness slowly returned.
For one blissful moment, I forgot everything.
Then reality crashed in, and I jerked awake to find the space beside me empty, still bearing the impression of her body in the crushed grass.
Wynter was gone.
Through the Bond—that damned, irrevocable Bond—I sensed her back in her dormitory, her emotions a churning mass of anguish and shame with no trace of joy.
My wolf whined in confusion, unable to comprehend why marking our Mate had left her feeling anything but complete, while my human side knew exactly why and hated myself for it.
Because my family would never accept a Beta from the Pack they'd supposedly murdered her father in, because every political alliance I'd been raised to honor stood between us, because last night had changed nothing except making everything infinitely worse.
Mate ours. Why run? My wolf's distress bled into my own as I lay there in the forest where we'd destroyed each other, feeling the weight of the Mark burning on her neck through our connection, permanent and undeniable whether either of us wanted it or not.
---
By late afternoon, I couldn't take it anymore. I'd spent the day attending classes in a haze, constantly reaching for Wynter through the Bond and being met with that same churning pain that made my chest ache. I grabbed Ethan and Damien, needing to burn off the restless energy before I did something stupid like storm into her dormitory.
We'd barely started the game when I felt her—that pull through the Bond that made my head snap around mid-dribble. Wynter was crossing the far edge of the court, head down, clearly trying to slip past unnoticed. The sight of her, small and hunched and radiating misery, made something in my chest constrict painfully.
"Sterling, heads up!" Ethan's warning came too late. He'd noticed where my attention had gone and, in a deliberate provocation, grabbed the ball and fired it directly at her.
The world slowed. I saw Wynter's head snap up, saw her throw herself sideways with sharp reflexes. The ball sailed past, missing by inches, and she stumbled before her gaze locked on mine across the court.
For one suspended moment, we stared at each other, the Bond flaring between us like a livewire. I felt her sharp spike of pain and longing before she crushed it down, and then she was turning away, clearly intending to flee.
"Wynter, wait." The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and I was moving, crossing the court in long strides.
She froze, her shoulders tensing, and through the Bond, I felt her warring impulses—the desire to run battling against a flicker of hope before she strangled it. When she turned to face me, her expression was blank, but I saw the exhaustion in the shadows under her eyes.
"Why did you leave?" The question came out rougher than intended, edged with frustration and hurt I'd suppressed all day.
Her eyes widened, a flash of panic crossing her features before she locked it down. "I don't know what you're—"
"Don't." I moved closer, catching her scent—wildflowers and something uniquely her that made my wolf surge with desperate need. "Don't pretend last night didn't happen. Don't pretend you don't feel this." I gestured between us, at the invisible thread binding us.
"It doesn't matter what I feel." Her voice was barely a whisper, but the pain in it cut through me like a blade. "You know it doesn't. Your family, my Pack, everything between us—" She broke off, her hands clenching into fists. "I shouldn't have let it happen."
"Sterling." Ethan's voice interrupted, and I turned to find him behind my shoulder, his expression neutral but edged with something that made my wolf's hackles rise. "Didn't realize you knew Emerald Valley's bad luck charm. Should keep your distance, man. Don't want that misfortune rubbing off, especially with Anne asking about you all day."
The casual cruelty made my hands curl into fists, but before I could retort, Wynter's expression shifted, something dangerous flickering behind her mask.
"Don't worry," she said, her voice flat but laced with contempt. "I was just leaving. Wouldn't want to contaminate the future Alpha with my curse." She tried to pull away, but my hand shot out, catching her wrist in a desperate grip.
"Wynter—"
"Let her go, Chase." Ethan's hand landed on my shoulder, his voice a murmur of advice. "Remember who you are. Anne's been looking for you, and you know how she gets when jealous."
Through the Bond, I felt Wynter bracing for rejection, preparing for her worst fears to be confirmed, and it killed me. But before I could act, footsteps approached, and Jax's voice cut through the tension.
"Sis." His tone was calm, but I saw the violence barely contained as he closed the distance, eyes flickering gold-red. "Everything okay here?"
Wynter pulled free of my grip, and I let her go, watching as she moved to stand between me and the Rogue, her stance protective in a way that made my wolf snarl with jealousy. "I'm fine, Jax."
Rosalie appeared beside him, taking Wynter's arm with a firm grip. "Come on, Wyn. Let's go."
Then, as if to provoke me, Jax slid his arm around Wynter's waist, his hand settling possessively on her hip as he guided her away. The gesture made my vision tinge red, my wolf surging with violence that took every ounce of control to contain. That was my Mate, my Mark on her neck, and he was touching her like he had the right.
I took a step forward, Alpha dominance rolling off me, but Wynter didn't look back. She just kept walking, kept letting him touch her, kept choosing him over me.
"Well," Ethan said after a moment. "That was interesting."
I didn't respond, my eyes tracking Wynter's retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner, feeling her relief at escaping through the Bond and hating every second of it.
---
"Chase." Anne's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, and I turned to find her approaching, her expression pleasant but her eyes sharp as they tracked where I'd been staring. "There you are. I've been looking for you."
She moved to my side with easy confidence. "You're different today, Chase," she said softly, almost curious. "Restless. Like a wolf who's just marked his territory and can't stop checking it's still there."
The observation was too accurate, and my wolf bristled beneath my skin. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't you?" Her hand landed on my chest, over my heart, and I forced myself not to flinch.
"I hope you remember that secrets come to light," Anne continued, her fingers tracing patterns against me. "Especially here, where everyone watches. Every glance, every moment alone with the wrong person gets noticed."
The emphasis on "wrong person" made my hands curl into fists, but Anne just smiled, as if my reaction confirmed something she'd been testing.
She leaned closer, her breath warm against my ear, her voice a whisper. "And when they do... I'll be there to help manage the fallout. That's what future Lunas do, isn't it? Protect our Alphas from their mistakes. Ensure the right alliances are maintained, the right distractions removed."
Her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'd hate to see you throw away everything your family built over something as fleeting as guilt. Or pity. Or whatever you think you feel for that cursed little Beta."
The way she said "cursed" made it sound like a disease, and the cruelty made my vision tinge red.
"Anne—"
"Think about it, Chase." She stepped back, her expression pleasant again. "Think about what matters. Your family. Your future. Your responsibilities as the next Alpha Prime." She paused, letting the weight sink in. "Some things are worth protecting. Others... aren't."