3

CHASE

I roll my eyes, chuckling as the little five-foot-nothing firecracker tears out of the packhouse like a goddamn tornado. Women are all the same; it’s just too fucking easy to get a rise out of them. They play cute, but crave torture- the meaner I am, the more desperate they become to jump on my dick. And make no mistake, that girl fucking wants it.

I saw the way she looked at me. She’d be fun to play with, but these days, I tend to break my toys. Misery loves company after all.

I step into the doorway of my dad’s old office, leaning against the frame. My throat tightens as I look inside at Gray seated behind the large black desk. I know it’s stupid, but some part of me still expects to see my dad sitting behind that desk every time I walk by this office. Every damn time.

Fallon’s lounging in a seat on the opposite side of the desk, sideways with her legs flung over one of the chair arms. “Hey, baby Alpha,” she smirks, twisting around to glance over at me.

I push the hood of my sweatshirt off my head and lazily rake a hand through my hair, smirking right back at her. “You know you’re the only one allowed to call me that, right?”

I like Fallon. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t put up with the nickname. Don’t get me wrong, I hated it the first few times she used it… as I got to know her, though, both she and the nickname grew on me. Fallon’s stubborn as hell, feisty as fuck- honestly, I don’t know how Gray puts up with her- but she also tells it like it is, which is fucking rare these days. The girl’s as real as they come, which I respect.

Fallon grins back at me smugly while Gray looks up from the paperwork in front of him. “You ready to sit down and go through some of this?” he asks, pushing back in his chair.

“Uh, actually, I was gonna go boarding with the guys,” I mumble, scratching the back of my head as my eyes remain downcast. “How about tomorrow?”

I dart Gray a quick glance, noting the hard set of his jaw and how his lips are pressed into a tight line. He’s not happy that I keep pushing this off, but hey, I didn’t ask him to come here and sort through my dad’s shitty bookkeeping. He took this upon himself.

“How about after?” From the tone in Gray’s voice, it’s more of a demand than a question. Dude has been in a position of authority for so long that he’s obviously not used to being met with resistance. Trouble is, we’re on level playing field now, so he can’t pull rank on me to force my cooperation.

I shrug, pushing off the doorframe. “Maybe. Probably won’t be back till at least three.”

“Try to make it two,” Gray mutters, looking back down at the paperwork spread out on the desk in front of him.

There’s no chance in hell, but there’s also no point in arguing. No matter what time he wanted to do this, I’d find some excuse to get out of it. I’ve had no lack of excuses over the past two months.

I was born to be Alpha of this pack. I always wanted to be Alpha, but not like this. Never like this.

~

There’s fresh powder on the mountain today. For the past few winters, my boys and I have made a habit of coming out here to shred several times a week. The six-pack owns and operates the Cedar Ridge ski resort, so we may as well take advantage of the fact that we’ve got constant access when it’s peak season, right? Nobody seems to care much as long as we steer clear of the human tourists, but not many of them venture as high up the mountain as we do. The more dangerous the run, the better.

Most shifters are athletic by nature. Snowboarding came as naturally to me as riding a bike, and once I started getting better at it, the adrenaline hooked me. Nowadays it’s like a drug to numb out everything else.

“One more, then we call it?” Miles asks, shoving his goggles up to rest on his forehead.

We just hopped off the lift at the top of a black diamond run- the same one that Miles snapped his femur on last week coming off of a jump. Cried like a fuckin’ baby. He’s been acting like it was no big deal since, but he’s also been riding timid. Rapid shifter healing means we do a lot of stupid, high risk shit up here without considering the consequences, though even with rapid healing, a broken bone still hurts like a bitch.

My buddy Levi slides his goggles up and looks to me, arching a dark brow. “Chase?”

The six of us guys have been tight since we were kids, but Levi is my closest friend of the bunch. Because I’m an alpha type, they all look to me as their leader, and Levi is like my right-hand man. If I chose a Beta, it would be him, hands down. Hell, if Rob keeps giving me enough shit, I might fuck around and replace him.

“Fine,” I bark, giving Levi a curt nod. I don’t look to the others for confirmation- they know what I say, goes.

Callum slides up beside Miles, clapping him on the shoulder. “Try not to bleed all over the snow again, huh?” he sneers as Miles pales.

There’s always been something a little dark about Cal; he just puts off a vibe that people tend to steer clear of. It has never bothered me because I’ve never questioned his loyalty- he’d spill blood in defense of any of us. What scares everyone else, though, is how much he’d clearly enjoy it.

“Aw c’mon, Cal, lay off him,” Alec chuckles, shaking his head. He and his twin brother Darius round out our group of friends. They’re fraternal twins, but you wouldn’t immediately guess they were related by looking at them. Darius- or Dare, as we call him- is tall and lean, while Alec is stocky and built like a brick shithouse. Dare has dark features, Alec light. For being wombmates, they couldn’t look more different, though their personalities echo one another’s. They’re also super in sync with each other and do cliché twin things like finish one another’s sentences. It gets annoying fast.

“Let’s just do this, I need a drink,” I growl, yanking my goggles down over my eyes. If the guys say anything else, I don’t hear it- instead I push off, the wind hitting my face as I sail down the side of the mountain on my board, rapidly picking up speed.

I veer to the left to hit a jump, tucking in as I catch air, heart pounding as my board slaps back down onto the snow. I live for the rush- the speed of my run teetering right on the edge of being controlled. My wolf roars to the surface, lapping up the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I shred my way down the side of the mountain, ramping off of drifts to catch air whenever I can.

I always go faster than most would dare to. Part of the thrill. I almost lose my balance at one point- the downside to my towering height- but I regain it just in time to hit another jump, doing an ollie off it. My heart thunders against my ribs as I trick my way down the rest of the black diamond run, catching my breath once I reach the bottom and drop down into the snow to wait for the rest of my friends. I know they’re getting tired, but I could go again and again. Being on the mountain helps keep my demons at bay.

I zone out while I wait for the others to finish their run and join me at the bottom, then the six of us unclip from our boards and start toward the parking lot to change out of our gear. We typically steer clear of the ski lodge since it’s always crawling with humans, but as we pass the large windows of the lodge restaurant that boasts views of the mountain, something inside catches my eye. Someone, rather. Wavy black hair, round ass, and petite frame. She balances a tray in one hand, emptying drinks from it onto a table of four seated in front of one of the windows.

What are the odds we’d cross paths twice in one day?

“Aye, let’s drop this shit and head in for a drink,” I grumble once we reach the parking lot, swinging my gaze back to the guys.

Levi raises a skeptical brow as he yanks off his balaclava and rakes a hand through his black hair, glistening with sweat. “Here?”

“Sure, why not?” I shrug.

There’s a glaring reason why not, but none of my friends bring up the fact that it’s technically against the rules for us to drink here. We can bend the rules in our own pack’s territory when it comes to the legal drinking age, but the businesses on the outskirts cater to human tourists, so they operate by their laws. A bunch of teenagers bellying up to the bar might throw up a red flag or two, hence the rules put into place by the six-pack council. I’m Alpha now, though, and technically part of the council… so the way I see it, those rules no longer apply to me.

“Yeah, fuck it,” Cal breathes as he throws his board in the back of my white Ford Raptor. “I could go for one.” His lips twitch into a devious grin.

The twins exchange glances as they deposit their boards in the back of Miles’ F-150, but neither speaks up in opposition. Their old man has rank in our pack as an enforcer, so they tend to toe the line more than the rest of us. Probably because their dad’s a dick and has been known to lay hands on them when they fuck up.

Levi grabs both of our bags out of my truck, leaving Cal to fetch his own, and we start to strip out of our gear while the other guys follow suit. Ten minutes later, the six of us are walking up into the lodge like we own the place.

The lodge at Cedar Ridge is exactly what you’d expect from a ski resort- a huge log-cabin style building with stone fireplaces, cozy furnishings, and large wooden beams stretching across the vaulted ceiling. The event spaces in the back half of the building are more sleek and elegant, but everything up front is rustic, giving off comfy cabin in the mountain vibes. The restaurant and bar are situated through a large doorway to the left of the main space, and I lead the way inside, heading straight for the U-shaped bar positioned in the center of the restaurant.

A waitress is standing behind it, filling a pint glass from the tap. Her shiny black hair is falling forward, obstructing my view of her face, but it’s definitely her- the girl from this morning. If there was any doubt, I know it as soon as her scent hits my nose, my wolf perking up in recognition and practically salivating. She smells fucking great.

She’s changed into her uniform- black pants and a white polo with the Cedar Ridge Ski Resort logo embroidered above her left breast- and damn she wears it well. Without the baggy sweatshirt from before, I get a better look at her body. Her boobs aren’t huge by any means, but they’re proportionally big on her small frame, the fabric of her shirt screaming against them. Her white shirt contrasts with the golden tan of her skin tone, and black ink decorates one of her arms, tattoos peeking out from under her shirt sleeve and winding all the way down to her wrist. She’s got this rock and roll edge to her look that gets my dick a little hard wondering how wild she’d ride it.

That headache this morning must’ve affected my memory because I can’t remember her name for the life of me- just that it was something exotic to match her look. As me and my boys draw closer, she tucks her long hair behind her ear nonchalantly and glances our way, nearly dropping the beer glass she’s filling when our eyes meet.

My lips curl into a smirk and I tuck my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie, keeping my eyes locked on hers as I approach the bar. “Sup, smalls?”

“Ugh, not you again,” she groans under her breath, looking away quickly. Bronze- that’s the color of her wolf swirling metallic in her irises. She pushes back the tap and sets the full glass of beer on the counter, heaving an irritated sigh.

I slide onto a barstool in front of her, Levi and Cal taking seats on either side of me and the others filling in beside them.

“You two know each other?” Levi asks, his curious gaze sliding between her and I.

She looks back up at me as we respond with a “no” in unison.  

Levi’s eyes narrow on me for a moment, then he turns to the girl and flashes her a wide smile as he extends a hand. “Hi. I’m Levi.”

I’ve seen that slick smile of his work on lots of women. Levi’s a good looking guy- tall, built, tousled black hair and striking green eyes- but above all, he knows how to turn on the charm. Dude pulls almost as much tail as I do.

She hesitates, then extends a cautious hand to Levi. “Vienna.”

“Pretty,” Levi replies smoothly, shaking her hand. “Is that a family name?”

Her demeanor relaxes, her shoulders loosening up as the corners of her mouth tip up into a sly little smile. “Only if you consider Billy Joel family.”

Levi arches a brow in question and Vienna rolls her eyes. “My parents named me after a Billy Joel song,” she explains with the wave of a hand.

“Never heard it,” I snap, suddenly irritated by this exchange.

Vienna frowns, glancing back over at me. She folds her arms over her chest, her boobs squeezing together beneath her shirt. My eyes go straight to them.

“What do you want, Chase?” she asks, her tone laced with irritation.

My gaze slowly travels back up to her face, eyes locking in on hers. Vienna may be playing hard to get right now, but her eyes betray her. If I wanted her, it’d only be a matter of time before she was screaming beneath me. A smirk creeps across my lips at the thought of that. “Can we get some shots or what?”