Pack Beta (Were Chronicles Book 11) Read online

  How had the good news of the Church for Humanity being closed down come to all of this?

  The Pack should be celebrating. They were safe once again. Sure, they still had to watch out for one another, as the world wasn’t as accepting of the shifters as they first thought others would be, but his family was supposed to be okay.

  “Chase?”

  He jerked at the sharpness in Alex’s tone.

  “Are you okay? You didn’t get hit, did you?”

  Pulling himself from his thoughts, he peered over at the other man. “Nah, I’m fine. It’s just a lot to take in.”

  “I bet. Now tell me what happened.”

  He started from the beginning. First, what Kurt and Clint had told him up to the point he’d driven up into the emergency lot.

  “How’s Marcus now?” Alex asked when Chase had finished.

  “Okay. The doctor said he would recover fine. I called Marcus’ daughter and she’s on her way up. I haven’t heard from Max yet.”

  “He’s still looking. They did find where the gunman had been when he’d shot at you guys. So they have his scent. That’s good news.”

  “I just don’t understand what this is all about. Why Marcus? What is going on?”

  “I don’t know. But we will find out. We’ll protect our people.”

  Chase wanted to believe him. “I felt so helpless,” he admitted. “I didn’t know what to do. I should have shifted or something. Gone after the guy myself?”

  “And get yourself killed?”

  Shrugging, Chase lifted his head. “At least I wouldn’t have run away.”

  The shame of his actions was still eating at him. If it hadn’t been for Marcus, he might have been shot himself since he’d frozen. It had taken too long for him to realize what was happening.

  “You didn’t run. You rescued Marcus and got him the medical attention he needed.”

  “If Max had been there, we probably wouldn’t still be searching for this man. Max would have ripped him apart before he saved Marcus.”

  “Hey.” Alex lowered his voice and leaned close. “Where is this coming from? You did the right thing.”

  Closing his eyes, Chase didn’t want the reassurances Alex was offering. He knew he’d fucked up.

  For his entire life, all he’d wanted to do was take care of the Pack. He’d pushed to better himself so that when Shawn took over as Alpha, he could apply for the Beta position.

  As one of the youngest Beta’s in any Pack, Chase was proud of what he’d accomplished. But now he wasn’t sure what he’d done was really best for the Pack.

  So many Packs now had their Beta and their head Enforcer also. Since Chase had never been too keen on the discipline of the job duty of Enforcer, he’d never trained for that station. That might have been a major mistake.

  “Listen, I don’t know what is going on in that head of yours, although from the look on your face, it isn’t good. I want you to hear me now, though,” Alex said gruffly as he slid off his seat and kneeled in front of Chase. “If it wasn’t for you, Marcus might not have made it. We’ll catch whoever is responsible for this. You’re job now is make sure that Marcus’ daughter gets here and he stays safe.”

  “I will,” he promised. He might have failed earlier, but he would insure that Marcus was kept under guard and no one hurt him again. Also, since he still wasn’t one hundred percent certain Kayla Webb wasn’t in danger too, he would have to work something out for her.

  “Good.”

  “Gentlemen.” The doctor cleared his throat as he entered. “We’ve moved Marcus from ICU and have placed him in a private room. I can take you up to him if you’d like.”

  Chase rose and smiled at the older man. “We would appreciate it.”

  As they followed behind the physician, Chase tried to remember whom the man was mated with. Since the doctor wasn’t a shifter himself, Chase didn’t know him as well as others in his Pack. Most of the residents in Canyon who were not shifters were either mated with or related in some way to one another. A few were aware of their kind and stayed, knowing they would always be protected.

  Having a doctor as part of the family was a real benefit to everyone. In fact, just having an entire hospital of their own was rare and a true treasure. Their injured and sick didn’t have to be treated off site. The Pack could go into the privately funded hospital.

  Of course, it was the Pack that funded the medical facility—Mindy Bright! That is whom the doctor had mated.

  “How is Mindy doing? I haven’t seen her in a few months,” Chase asked, as the three of them stepped into the elevator.

  The man’s smile lit up his entire face. “She’s wonderful. Really enjoying retirement, although she does miss the little ones.”

  “I bet. The kids always loved it whenever they had her class,” Chase replied truthfully.

  They made small talk as the elevator took them to the sixth level. Once the ding sounded and they’d exited, Chase looked around the quiet floor, trying to work out what needed to be done.

  “I’ll be assigning a guard until Marcus is out of here. Also, his daughter should be arriving shortly,” Chase informed the doctor.

  “Anything you need. You just let me know. The head nurse is Barbra Knight. You know her well, I believe.”

  Chase chuckled. “Yes, I am familiar with her. The woman has been my mom’s best friend for my entire life.”

  “She’ll page me if Marcus needs anything, but I really believe he’ll be okay. He’s over here.”

  There weren’t many people around but the two women who Chase passed waved at him. Knowing family was caring for Marcus helped relax Chase.

  He would still demand that there be security, but he knew Marcus was going to be safe.

  The door to the room stood open. Chase knocked on the heavy wood as he entered.

  “He still hasn’t woken but it should be soon,” Barbra told him, as she looked up from a clipboard in her hand.

  Nodding, Chase moved to her side. “Glad to hear it.”

  Running his gaze over the older man in the bed, Chase’s heart contracted painfully, as he viewed his friend.

  Marcus had always been intimating. Pale and bruised under the harsh lights, he looked years older than his actual age. Tears burned behind Chase’s eyes but he wouldn’t let them fall. He had to be strong.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Barbra said quietly.

  “Yeah,” he replied but didn’t look away from his friend. “He’s going to be just fine. I’m going to make sure of it.”

  Chapter Four

  Kayla didn’t remember the entire drive from Lubbock to Canyon. All she knew was it took much too long. When Justin finally did pull up to the small building that served at the Canyon Medical Center, she jumped out of the vehicle.

  “Kayla, wait!” Justin called after her.

  Ignoring him, she rushed through the automatic doors, bypassing other people, and running straight to the nurses’ station. “I’m looking for my father, Marcus Webb. He was shot.”

  The young woman looked up startled then smiled kindly. “Yes ma’am, we’ve been expecting you. If you’ll take the elevator to the sixth floor, we’ll call up for Chase to meet you.”

  “Sixth floor?”

  “Yes, Ms. Webb. Your father has been moved to a private room. You’ll be taken directly to him.”

  Sagging against the counter, Kayla wiped at her eyes. She hadn’t realized she’d been crying. “So…he’s okay?”

  “I am so sorry!” the young lady stood as she reached over and grasped her hand. “I thought you had been in contact with the Beta—uh, Chase. Your dad came through surgery fine and is resting comfortably. He woke about half an hour ago.”

  “Thank you,” Kayla managed. She sensed a presence behind her and turned to see Justin and Randy hovering close by. “He’s okay,” she told them.

  “Of course,” Randy replied as he embraced her. “Let’s get up there and see him now.”

  Twisting back arou
nd to the nurse, Kayla held out her hand. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. I’ll call up to his floor now so they will be expecting you.”

  Randy kept his arm around Kayla’s shoulders, for which she was grateful. Still a little bit shaky, she needed the support.

  They didn’t speak again until the elevator doors opened.

  “Here we go,” Randy said gently.

  Stepping out, she immediately recognized Chase Lawson. The Beta of the Pack was leaning against the wall with his hands clasped together. Kayla had met the man a couple of times but it had been a while.

  Since she’d left home right after she graduated at eighteen, the few times she’d been in Chase’s presence she’d been underage and more worried about small teenager needs than the Pack.

  During her visits home, she’d stayed around the house with her dad. A loner and a bit of a recluse, her father didn’t like to leave their place. She knew Chase visited him often and the two men had become close friends.

  Now that she was face-to-face with the high-positioned shifter, Kayla wished she’d paid closer attention to what her father had said about him.

  Maybe then she wouldn’t have been so shocked by the man’s good looks.

  Tall, dark, nicely built, and mouth-wateringly handsome, Chase Lawson appeared to be in his early thirties

  A few strands of gray at the sides of his black, short hair gave him a distinguished edge. His deep chocolate eyes met hers as he smiled with perfect white teeth.

  In other circumstances, she wouldn’t have thought twice about seducing him.

  Chase pushed off the wall, standing tall, then moved his slim, sleek body closer.

  Kayla had to curl her hands into fists to keep from reaching for him. His gaze, full of compassion and caring, met hers. Randy tightened his arm around her shoulders, yanking her attention away from the hot shifter and back to the present.

  What in the hell am I thinking? Checking out the Pack Beta while her dad lay in a hospital bed? She needed to get a hold of herself.

  “Ms. Webb, I’m relieved to see you made it safely,” Chase said as he held out a hand.

  Stepping away from Randy, she placed her palm against Chase’s. The jolt that flowed between them almost had her jumping. Instead, she smiled. “Call me Kayla, please. Thanks for meeting us.”

  “Of course.” He dropped her hand and looked at her two friends.

  “This is Randy O’Hare and Justin Salvatore, friends of mine.”

  Chase shook hands with both men. When he faced her again, any signs of the attraction that had sparked between them had vanished. “I’m sure you’d like to see Marcus. He woke a little while ago but, because of the pain meds, he almost instantly went back to sleep. The nurse did say that his reaction is normal and he will be in and out for a while.”

  “Makes sense,” she murmured, trying to figure out why he’d change in his demeanor. In seconds, he’d gone from kind to businesslike.

  “He’s just over here.” Chase waved for them to follow.

  In front of the door stood a well-muscled man. Taking a discreet sniff, she recognized him as a shifter. As they approached, she tensed at his stance and cold gaze.

  “Since we still don’t know who is responsible, I have assigned a guard to Marcus until further notice.”

  “Thank you.” Having her father protected was a huge relief—one less worry. She stayed close to Chase as they entered the small room. “Oh, Dad.” Rushing to his bedside, she peered down at her father.

  He looked both better and worse than she expected. With the sheet folded down, revealing a white bandage on his shoulder, Kayla got her first look at his injury. Placing her hand on his upper body, she thanked God that his chest moved under her palm.

  While his face remained drawn and thin, he still seemed as strong as ever.

  “I’ll inform the doctor that you’re here. He will want to speak with you,” Chase said behind her.

  She watched as he hurriedly left.

  “Interesting,” Justin murmured, stepping up beside her.

  “Hmm?” she asked, distracted. The man’s ass was just as fine as the rest of him.

  “Earth to Kayla!”

  Jerking her head back, she smacked Justin’s hand away from in front of her face. “Stop it.”

  Chuckling, he elbowed her. “Nice guy.”

  Knowing she had been obvious in her interest and not really caring about being teased, she ignored him.

  “Kind of hot,” Randy added. “I wonder if he’s single.”

  Kayla was so not going there. Instead, she returned her attention to her dad.

  He’d never been hurt in all the time she could remember. Traveling so much when she was young, Kayla had lived half the year with her grandparents until her dad would come home. While her childhood might not have been normal, it had been happy.

  She’d loved her grandma and papa. After they’d been killed in a car accident when she was only ten, her father had retired from his government work and they’d moved to Canyon to settle down.

  Still uncomfortable around other people, her father hadn’t been involved deeply with the Pack. Kayla had gotten to know the members better since she did attend school and made friends.

  In all those memories, she could never remember her dad even coming down sick.

  Now that he’s been injured, she needed to stay home with him. He’d bitch and complain but she was certain remaining home with him would be for the best.

  While he never pressured her to come back to Canyon, he did love it when she came to visit. Kayla could never see herself living in a small town for the rest of her life.

  Or away from other people, like her dad.

  Kayla loved being around others. As an administrative assistant, she made schedules and phone calls all day. Organizing her boss’s business meetings and keeping up with notes made her feel important.

  Although it wouldn’t be easy, she knew her boss would be able to deal without her if she took a couple of weeks off. She’d have to call and tell him her father had an accident and she was needed at home. He’d want to know why her father had been shot and Kayla hated to lie to her boss but it wasn’t as if she could tell him the truth. She didn’t have those answers. There shouldn’t be a problem with the request. Rarely did she use all of her vacation time anyway.

  Aware that Justin and Randy had moved into a corner to speak quietly, Kayla sat on the side of the bed, still keeping her hand on her dad’s chest.

  She’d get him healthy again. Make sure their Alpha found out who was responsible, instead of worrying about what had happened the previous night.

  Being in Canyon would keep her away from whoever had been hunting her.

  Returning home might just be the best plan.

  Justin’s cell rang. Glancing up at him, she saw him wince.

  “It’s my sister,” he told them.

  Justin had left a message for Angel about what had happened. She’d send Randy back with Justin and let the two men work on what was really going on in Lubbock.

  Once she knew everything was okay here with her father, maybe she could talk to Chase about her own mystery.

  First and most importantly, she had to get her dad out of the hospital and on his path to healing.

  * * * *

  Chase cursed himself as he stalked down the hall looking for the doctor. Talk about unprofessional.

  He’d practically been drooling over Kayla Webb.

  As Beta and the man who was with her father when he’d been shot, the last thing the girl needed was him staring at her like a piece of Grade A beef.

  The minute he had seen her, Chase’s mouth had gone dry as his heartbeat increased and desire roared straight to his cock.

  If Chase had written a list for his perfect mate’s traits, Kayla would have been the woman.

  Her shiny brown hair was pulled back away from her face, revealing her soft dark eyes and pert nose. She wasn’t short, so for a man just at six feet
tall, he could easily look into her eyes.

  There was more muscle and sculpture to her body than he was used to from the women around Canyon. The spark that had sizzled through him at the very first touch had instantly hardened his cock.

  He hadn’t even seen the two men accompanying her until the man with his arm around her moved. That had quickly drawn his attention and highlighted how he was supposed to behave.

  “Hey, Barbra, can you tell the doctor that Marcus’ daughter has arrived?” he asked upon reaching the nurse’s station.

  “Sure thing, Chase.” Barbra picked up the phone.

  He strolled away.

  Now that Kayla was there and the guards had been arranged, there really was no reason for him to continue to hang around. Marcus might not even want to see him now.

  Kayla probably wouldn’t want to set eyes on him, either, once her father informed her how Chase had frozen when the incident had happened.

  Yeah, it would be a lot better for everyone if Chase just took off. So why wasn’t he? Finding himself a couple of doors down from Marcus’ room, Chase stopped.

  He could hang around Barbra or go back to the waiting room. That way, he would still be close if something happened but he wouldn’t be in the way.

  Staying close and discreetly hidden was even better.

  Mind made up, Chase started for the other end of the floor when the elevator opened and his Alpha and brother stepped out.

  “Hey, bro.” Max strode over and gripped his shoulder. “You hanging in there okay?”

  Rolling his shoulder to dislodge his brother’s hand, he nodded. “Of course.”

  “Why aren’t you with Marcus?” Shawn questioned, glancing between him and the room.

  “His daughter and friends arrived. I just had Barbra page the doctor so he could speak with her.”

  “Great, I have a few questions of my own,” Shawn said, strolling forward.

  Hanging back, Chase waited for the other men to enter.

  “What are you doing?” Max asked, after realizing Chase was with him.

  “They don’t need me in there. I should take off.” He waved his hand in the opposite direction.