Chapter 2 | Need A Buzz

Alpha Chase Croft

I huff as I flag a bartender down so that I can get another shot of whiskey.

I despise coming to galas like this, but the pack I was visiting requested my presence and I couldn’t deny them, not whenever I was trying to arrange a better alliance with them.

The only hope I had in coming here was that I might meet my mate. I’ve searched for her ever since I gained my wolf five years ago, but I’ve had no luck.

In some ways, I guess it’s a good thing. It’s caused me to put all of my focus on my pack which is why we’re one of the best packs in North America. Only three other packs were in the same tier I was in and one of them was the Royal Pack that housed the Alpha King and Luna Queen.

My hand wraps around the glass as I down another shot and wave my hand up again. We’re at a human gala and it takes a lot of regular alcohol to make werewolves even get buzzed and I was desperate to get a buzz tonight, especially because my wolf won’t stop pacing.

His pacing and constant whimpering caused me to feel on edge. Add in the overwhelming scents of expensive perfumes and colognes, I’m getting a huge migraine.

There’s a pat on my shoulder and I look over to see my Gamma, Arie, as he sits beside me and asks the bartender for a glass of rum and coke.

Arie asks quietly, “How are you doing, Alpha?”

He looks at me full of concern, it’s rare for me to try to get drunk and I know my behavior is throwing him off.

Normally, I’d get onto him for calling me ‘Alpha’ in this setting, but instead I grumble, “How much longer?”

Arie chuckles deeply and turns looking at the busy floor. I watch him as his eyes search for his mate and relief crosses his face as soon as he locates his mate, Lauren. She’s walking around greeting others with a friendly smile on her face.

Arie and Lauren have been marked and mated for about three years, but they still act like honeymooners.

Right now I’m just grateful that the two of them are here so I don’t have to do all of the socializing on my own. All of these ritzy rich people are hard to be around after a while.

Arie grabs his glass and as he brings the cup towards his lips he says, “You know, Elijah is going to be pissed that he missed this party.”

I chuckle in response, Arie’s right. Parties like this is what my Beta, Elijah, lives for. Elijah loves to party and to find an attractive guy or girl to hook up with. But someone had to stay behind to run the pack and Arie specifically asked to come to visit this pack because it’s where one of Lauren’s siblings lived.

Suddenly, the whole gala got extremely quiet. I look around expecting someone to speak up, but instead I notice lots of people are whispering and they’re all focused on one thing.

Both Arie and I straighten as we pay attention and try to figure out what everyone is so bothered by.

Lauren walks near them and I notice that the tension in Arie’s shoulders immediately relax as he sees that she’s safe from whatever is happening.

My wolf feels more on edge and is begging to come to the surface making me feel more annoyed. He knows now is not the time for him to be in charge.

Lauren stands next to her mate and that’s when I notice she smells different… and my wolf howls happily in my mind as it screams, “MATE!”

I look at Lauren curiously and I walk closer to her and begin to sniff her. She smells like maple, and she’s never smelled like that before.  Arie’s eyes darken as he sees me sniffing his mate. But I ask her, “Who were you around? I smell my mate’s scent on you.”

Lauren’s eyes widen in realization, and she smiles as she looks around to point people out. She sees one girl and says, “Most recently, um her!”

Lauren points towards a very pregnant young woman who is speaking with an older man before he and an older woman lead her away from the gala and out the doors.

I knew the moment that I saw her that she’s my mate. She was stunning. She wore a black dress that fit her perfectly, her black hair was pulled up into a fancy bun, and her caramel skin looked absolutely delicious.

I can’t help the hurt feeling in my heart as I saw that she’s having someone else’s child, but I can’t resist the pull I have to follow her. I rush towards the exit with Lauren and Arie right behind me.

I watch as she gets into a car and I could smell her intoxicating scent of maple and cedarwood, but I can also clearly smell the metallic scent of blood.

My blood runs cold as I know she must be bleeding a lot. I rush to our car and notice other cars are following her as well. I speed to keep up and we pull up to the ER entrance of the hospital people jumped out of their vehicles snapping pictures as my mate cries out in pain.

I want to rush and comfort her, but I couldn’t make it through the crowd unless I did something to scare them.

I’m a little grateful for the paparazzi because it helped me blend in and not seem like a stalker. But they were all so focused on just taking her pictures instead of actually helping. I start yelling, “Someone get a doctor!”

She stumbles to the ground, and I rush inside yelling for someone to come help and quickly some paramedics ran out with a stretcher.

Arie, Lauren, and I sit inside the hospital, and I keep my distance from her parents, but I keep my eyes on them.

Arie and Lauren tried to speak to me but for the most part I ignore them. I can’t focus on anything other than her. The only thing I say is, “Lauren, you saw her at the party, right?”

She nods as she responds, “Yes, Chase.”

“Do you know her name?”

“Yeah, everyone knows her. She’s Marinette Sinclair, America’s sweetheart.”

I mumble her name softly, “Marinette.”

Her name sent butterflies through my stomach and made my heartbeat faster. I knew it didn’t matter that she was having someone else’s baby. I am 100% devoted to her and falling in love with her just from her looks, scent, and name.

I listen as Lauren looks her up online and begins to tell him random facts. She’s an only child to Walter Sinclair and has a stepmom named Lilith. Her father was an actor and she’s been dabbling in the acting scene as well, she goes to a lot of charity organizations, but seems to have a really big soft spot for autism awareness. There’s a lot of articles of the media speculating on who the father of her child could be, but no one seemed to know for certain.

Everything I’ve learned about her makes me fall harder, but I wish that I could learn these things from her lips.

Arie and Lauren doze in the waiting room, but I will myself to stay awake and I watch as a nurse rushes out and I hear her talking to Marinette’s parents. Marinette needs blood.

I nudge Lauren and Arie and say, “Marinette needs blood. Let’s see if one of us is a match.”

I hear Arie mumble something and remember his fear of needles, but I also know that Arie isn’t going to refuse a chance to potentially save his future Luna. We rush to get tested and when we come back to the waiting room, I notice that her parents are gone.

I cross my arms as I lean back in my seat and watch the door. Surely, at some point one of her parents will show up.