Chapter Seventy-Eight - Chase

I pressed the gas pedal to the floor of my Jeep.

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach and it hadn’t left since the staircase. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel the further we raced down the highway.

I could hear Willow’s heartbeat in my chest.

It was pumping wildly.

Rex cleared his throat. “We won’t make it if you crash us, Chase—“

“I can feel her heartbeat, Rex. She’s running. Something isn’t right.”

“You think she’s running from her punishment? Or …”

I shook my head. I knew Willow well enough to know that she wouldn’t run from authority. This was something bad. Maybe’s Ian reason for hating the Alpha King stemmed from something other than authority.

“Hello?” Rex said.

“I have a gut feeling that Patch isn’t who we think he is.”

Rex chuckled. “Seriously, Chase? Are you assuming Patch is bad? You’re going to go against the Alpha King of your region? You’ve already been in trouble with him. You have a mark, two if you count this incident and I don’t think running up to the courts with your guns blazing is a good idea. You’re already waving a petition in their face.”

“What you’re saying is right but I can’t shake it.”

Rex mumbled under his breath, but I didn’t listen. Willow’s heartbeat continued to hammer in my chest.

I’m coming, Bunny.

The roads grew curvy and I felt we were getting close. I saw the driveway to the courts and I smelled Willow’s scent in the air.

Was she outside? Why was it so strong?

I turned toward the fountain and noticed several people standing around. Patch was in the middle of them, one hand in his hair and the other on his hip.

When he saw me, his shoulders tensed and he grew anxious.

Rex looked over at me. “This doesn’t look normal.”

“Because it’s not,” I said, parking my Jeep. The guards surrounding the courts were all outside. Some of them were holding guns in their hands. Was Willow this much of a threat?

“Chase,” Patch said walking over. “What brings you—“

“Where is Willow?” I asked my petition tight in my grip.

Patch looked worriedly at me and then over at Rex. “She escaped.”

My heart stilled in my chest. I watched Patch’s face for some sort of reaction and then looked over at the guards who watched the tree line.

So they let her go? Why weren’t they following her scent? This wasn’t right. I felt it deep in my bones. I knew Willow well enough to know that she wouldn’t run. “Yeah?” I asked. “Why would she do that?”

Patch shrugged. “She became very irate when we were eating and then bolted. Trip the guard on the way out and ran into the forest.”

I shoved my free hand into my pocket. “I’ve been feeling her this morning and she’s afraid. Why would she be afraid?”

Patch's features turned irritated. “I’m not sure what you’re insinuating right now. I can tell you’re hostile. You shouldn't even be here. Would you like me to bring your sins to the courts, as well? They'll be here within a couple of hours."

“Perhaps we should,” I said, stepping closer to Patch.

Rex grabbed my forearm and pulled me back. “Calm down,” he whispered.

Patch sighed. “She asked about the potential punishments and she became scared. So, she ran—“

“I’ll help you find her,” I said, tucking the paper into my pocket. “Which way did she run?”

A few of the guards looked at one another while Patch chuckled humorlessly. “That’s not your job. In fact, I think you both should leave. I don’t trust you not to help her escape.”

I narrowed my gaze at him. There were so many red flags that I couldn’t think straight. “So, I should leave my Luna to the hands of you? Why aren’t you chasing her? All of your guards are here. What are you waiting on?”

My fingers clenched into tight fists. I felt Willow’s heartbeat pick up and I sensed it from the forest.

“I don’t need to explain my methods to you,” Patch said. “You have one second to leave before I make you.”

Rex pulled me back toward the Jeep when I heard the roar. It was loud and it shook me to my core. It sounded like a feral animal, one that didn’t mimic an average wolf.

No, it sounded beastly.

Willow’s distant scream followed it and my wolf broke free in the same instant. I couldn’t tell what was what at the moment. I shifted and ran toward the tree line. I felt Rex behind me as the guards began to shoot at us. One nipped the back of my wolf’s thigh but I didn’t stop.

They weren’t following us because they were afraid of this beast.

What the hell was that? Rex asked through our mind link.

I don’t know. I answered.

Are you alright? The bullet got you.

I’m fine.

The rush of adrenaline from shifting, and hoping to save my mate, had my body in overtime. I could feel the blood soaking my fur but I couldn’t feel the pain.

I followed Willow’s scent over a small hill and through dense brush.

How far had she gotten?

What was chasing my Luna?

I dug deeper into the forest and my wolf stopped cold. The scent of this beast smelled like death. It hung heavily in the air and it clung to me like an airborne virus.

They’re up there.

I looked up at the giant oak tree and saw the beast scurrying up the trunk. It was upright like a man, with giant talons but with wolfish features.

Willow moved out onto a thick limb when I saw her.

I howled loudly, causing both of them to look at me.

Willow sighed heavily from the limb but the beast only tilted his head and jumped from the top. He landed on his hind legs in front of me, breathing like he’d run a marathon and watching me with more intelligence than I would have pegged him for.

What is it? Rex asked.

I don’t know. A science experiment gone wrong, I mumbled.

He took a step toward me and his talons glistened in the sunlight hitting us from the breaks in the canopy above.

He growled at me and my wolf crouched in preparation for a fight.

This beast had a leg up on us while standing on two legs.

The limb Willow stood on whined under her weight as she shifted and jumped toward the forest floor.

The beast looked over at her, giving me a chance to attack. I leaped forward and grabbed his shoulder in my mouth.

He howled in pain but swung me off with ease. Rex lunged next and grabbed his thigh, ripping the flesh and drenching his mouth in blood.

Willow moved around bushes to get to me and nuzzled her head against mine. I could feel the relief she felt from us showing up when we did.

I had so many questions but now wasn’t the time for them.

The beast slashed Rex across the face and Rex shook his head back and forth.

Willow turned her attention to the beast and leaped onto its back. The beast roared, slung Willow from off, and jumped on top of her. I was sure they gave him her scent, so he was prewired to kill her.

It sent chills down my wolf’s back.

What had Willow running from the courts, and why did they need to kill her because of it?

I jumped forward and snapped at the back of his leg, making him cry out in pain. Rex did the same on the other side until he stumbled backward and growled in frustration. Willow got up and looked at me.

Patch was sent to the rogue pack to lure Ian out. He gave you their address to provoke a fight so he could get one of the wolves in Ian’s bloodline. They are doing experiments on them, Willow said.

I blinked, trying to understand what that meant when the beast jumped at me and slashed me across the face.

My body was numb. I couldn’t feel the pain, not even when I jumped forward and grabbed his throat in my teeth.

They were trying to gain their power.

Patch had never been a true rogue.

The lies and deceit crawled up my spine as this monster’s blood pooled into my mouth.

They were going to pay for all of this.