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C.J. PrimerI realize that this chapter was short, but because I have some shorter chapters in the mix, I've decided to update every day this week. Tomorrow's chapter will be short as well, but you can expect new chapters every day until Friday. :)
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Alpha Chase 28
CHASE “I’m coming!” I groan, dragging my feet as I shuffle to the front door of the packhouse. The person on the other side is pounding on it incessantly, and I’m tempted to pound my own fists into whoever it is once I get the damn thing open. I had a rough fucking day yesterday followed by barely any sleep last night, and if this relentless knocking is anything to go by, today is already shaping up to be just as shitty. I wrap my hand around the knob, turning it and yanking the door open with more force than necessary, a frustrated sigh escaping my lips. “What do you want?” I growl out, my body going rigid when my eyes drop to the small girl on the other side. Soft dark hair, big brown eyes, and a deep scowl twisting those pouty lips. My little devil in the flesh. She cocks out a hip and throws a hand on it, extending the other toward me, palm-up. “My phone.” I’m frozen in place, my brain struggling to process the fact that Vienna’s really standing here in front of me right now.
Alpha Chase 29
CHASE“What happened to your face, bro?” Alec snickers as he climbs out of his truck, taking in the state of my still-reddened mug. The blisters have already healed, but some evidence of the coffee assault remains, my shifter healing working overtime to repair the damage.“Don’t go there,” Cal chuckles, shooting me a smug smirk as he slides out of the back seat of my Ford Raptor, parked alongside Alec and Dare’s truck at the lodge. He reaches back in to grab our bags of snowboard gear, hauling them out. “He got into it with his girl this morning and he’s still salty as fuck.”“Am not,” I snap, snatching my bag from Cal and leveling him with a glare.“Vienna?” Miles probes, popping up from around the other side of the neighboring truck. His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “You two official now?”Cal claps me on the shoulder, flashing a toothy grin. “Our boy got himself a girlfriend.”I shrug his hand off my shoulder and shoot him a scowl. “Knock it off, Cal,” I grumble, striding aro
Alpha Chase 30
VIENNA The harsh fluorescent lighting assaults my eyes as I work to blink them open, prying my sticky eyelashes apart. The pain registers immediately. It’s a deep ache that’s spread all over, taking root in my muscles and bones, consuming the entirety of my body in a dull throb. I’m in the infirmary at the squad complex. I vaguely remember being brought here, but all I have are scattered flashes of memory. The panic as I pressed the brake pedal to the floor and was met with no resistance. The curve that I took too fast because I couldn’t slow down. The thick trees rushing at me and the deafening crunch of metal and glass as my car made impact. I remember seeing Casey and Davis, two squad fighters that I became friendly with when I was at summer training camp. I’m not sure how much time passed between the accident and their arrival, just that I tried and failed to get the door open and required their help to get out. They must’ve just happened upon the accident, and good thing they d
Alpha Chase 31
VIENNA“What else do you need?” Chase asks, setting a Gatorade and a bottle of water on the nightstand beside his bed. “You hungry at all? The fridge was just stocked, or I could run out and grab something.”I feel like I’m in the fucking twilight zone right now; like some alien body-snatched Chase Walker and is living in his skin. Nessa wasn’t thrilled with my decision to go home with Chase, but when faced with the choice of crashing on that futon mattress on her bedroom floor or Chase’s plush, king-sized bed, my aching body implored me to choose comfort. That, and this sweet, caring version of Chase is one I could get used to. Maybe he’s just taking advantage of my vulnerability, but I don’t have it in me to fight him right now.“You know what I’d really like?” I murmur, glancing at my reflection in the mirror above his dresser. I raise a hand to my temple, scraping dried blood from my skin with my fingernails. I feel gross, I look gross, and I’ve eyed that giant porcelain soaker tu
Alpha Chase 32
CHASEThe scent of stale beer and cleaning solution hangs heavy in the air as I stride into the dimly lit bar on the edge of Goldenleaf’s territory. The squad frequents this place due to its proximity to the complex, and as soon as I walk in, I spot several squad fighters loitering around the bar, sipping cocktails and swigging from beer bottles. A few of them glance my way when I enter, but I don’t pay them much mind as I stride toward the table in the back corner. I’ve only been here a handful of times, but I know where Gray and the other alphas typically sit- it’s like their table has an unspoken permanent reservation for only them. A table that usually has five stools around it, but tonight, there’s a sixth.“Hey, you made it!” Gray calls, waving me over. Theo and Jax are already occupying their usual seats at the table, while the other three remain vacant. Gray slaps the seat of the empty stool beside him as I approach and flashes me a grin. “It’s about time we had a sixth stool
Alpha Chase 33
VIENNA The highs and lows of this week have given me some serious whiplash. Just days ago, I hit rock bottom, and now? I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy. A lot of that has to do with Chase, and while it scares the shit out of me to let my walls down for him, I’m just going with it. I’m sick of holding myself back from the things I really want for fear that they won’t last. I keep silencing my anxiety, telling myself that good things really can happen if I just let go and let them. And after the hell I went through earlier this week, I deserve a little happy, damnit. I suppose that being swept away to Chase’s packhouse after the accident garnered a lot of attention, because when Nessa showed up to check on me the following day, all five Lunas stormed the packhouse with her. I’d already healed up except for a few minor aches and pains, but they fussed over me nonetheless- and going from feeling completely alone before the accident to being surrounded by so much support had me shame
Alpha Chase 34
VIENNA I’m having serious déjà vu looking at Chase right now, relaxed back in the center of the leather sofa with a bottle of whiskey dangling from his fingers. The only departure from the past version of him is his expression- gone is that sullen, broody boy, replaced by the one sitting in front of me with a cocky smile and a glimmer of ‘try me’ in his eyes. Too bad I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. “Forget to mention you were having a party tonight?” I ask, my arms still folded tightly across my chest as I level him with a tight-lipped stare. He shrugs a shoulder, dimples sinking into his cheeks with his smirk. Throwing up a hand, he gestures nonchalantly to his cronies seated around him. “The boys wanted to have one.” “Uh huh.” I roll my eyes, tossing my long wavy hair back behind my shoulders. “You’re just full of surprises today.” My gaze slides to Chase’s friends surrounding him on the sofa, all on the edges of their seats as their eyes ping between the tw
Alpha Chase 35
VIENNAI have no idea what Chase has up his sleeve, but I can’t deny the little spark of excitement that comes with not knowing. As we roll out of Norbury and head toward Summervale, he starts fiddling with the stereo, muttering something about the specs of the sound system in the Jeep as he works to connect his Bluetooth to play music from his phone. We should talk, but I’ve got a feeling that our conversation will be a lot more productive after he’s cooled down and some of the alcohol works its way out of his system. Shifters can drink a hell of a lot more than humans without feeling the effects, but nobody’s sober after slamming a half a bottle of whiskey.He selects a song and presses play, the opening bars of Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘bloody valentine’ overtaking the silence in the cab of the Jeep. It’s not the upbeat, peppy version of the song- it’s the acoustic version with Travis Barker on drums. MGK’s gritty, melancholic voice comes out crisply through the speakers, the low hum of
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