VANESSA“Just like that,” Callum murmurs, running his tongue over his teeth.“Like this?” I breathe.“Yeah.” His gaze is so intense that it feels like it’s searing my skin.My heart pounds.The corner of his mouth ticks up. “Fucking gorgeous.”My cheeks burn as Cal’s eyes drop back down to the page of his sketchbook, his pencil scratching against the page. A crease forms between his brows as he works, his gaze constantly flickering between me and the page in front of him.I can’t complain about the view. He’s seated in a chair at the end of the bed, clad only in his boxers with all that mouthwatering lean muscle on display. I drink him in, mapping out the tattoos on his thighs and forearms, wondering if I’ll inspire the next work of art he inks on his skin.“So am I your muse now?” I joke, still diligently holding my pose.His lips draw into another smile, his eyes returning to mine. “What makes you think you haven’t been for weeks?”My heart stutters in my chest, skipping a beat.He
CALLUMMiles wasn’t kidding about holding up his end of our bargain. Even though I repeatedly told him the stupid bet over Nessa was off, I get an unexpected call from the garage in Goldenleaf on Monday morning. The owner, Brady, has been kind enough to allow me to store my Corvette there for the past several months in exchange for helping him out with simple mechanic jobs when I’ve got time. He doesn’t hold me to a schedule or anything, so when I see the incoming call from him on my screen, it catches me off guard- even more so when he tells me to come down because my car’s ready to be picked up.I catch a ride to the garage with Alec, not disclosing why I’m going. He doesn’t ask, either, because it’s not unusual for me to get a ride to the garage to work for an afternoon, either on my own car or on something for Brady. He pulls up to the garage, idling as I hop out of his truck and toss him a wave over my shoulder. Gravel crunches underneath his tires as he drives away, and I shove
VANESSA“Where do you think you’re going?” Cal growls, rolling to his side and reaching out to grab for me.His fingertips brush my waist as I dart away, giggling as I scramble off his bed. I can feel his heavy stare burning into me as I search for my underwear on the floor, stepping into them once I find them and pulling them up my thighs. “I’m thirsty,” I explain, reaching down to scoop up his discarded t-shirt and pulling it on over my head. “Gonna grab a glass of water.”His shirt smells like him. I inhale deeply, breathing in the subtle notes of juniper, leather, smoke, and spice before tugging my long hair out of the collar, darting him a glance over my shoulder. “Think you’ll survive without me for two minutes?” I tease.Callum smirks, his eyes dropping to my bare legs and raking up my form slowly before meeting mine again. “I’ll try,” he rasps, running his tongue over his teeth with a devious grin.Christ, the man’s insatiable. He just had me naked and screaming beneath him, b
CALLUM“Remind me how we let Chase talk us into this?” Miles grumbles as we slide boxes full of Vienna’s belongings into the bed of Chase’s truck.“Because he’s our alpha,” I say, turning around and leaning back against the tailgate. I retrieve a joint and lighter out of my hoodie pocket, sparking it up.Miles heaves a sigh and hops up to sit on the tailgate. “Technically, he’s not yet.”I blow out a plume of smoke, rolling my eyes and passing him the joint. “Okay, because he’s our friend, then.” I side-eye Miles as he takes a puff. “Honestly, I’m more pissed that we’re stuck on moving duty while Chase gets to have all the fun beating the fuck out of that dude.”Miles coughs out the smoke, chuckling as he hands the J back to me. “You’re sick, you know that?”I smirk, shrugging, and raise the joint to my lips again.Chase called us all together this morning to help him out with an issue concerning his girl. He just found out that she’s been avoiding her house because her mom’s loser bo
CALLUMMy throat tightens as I step over the threshold into the house. I can’t stand this place, the people that live here, or the memories it harbors. I hate that I’m dragging Nessa into this mess, but I wasn’t about to fuck up everything I’ve built with her by shutting her out. She’d assume that I didn’t find her important enough to introduce to my family, while the truth is the complete opposite; she’s too important. I’d rather shield her from these people because she’s sweet and pure and good, and they’re fucking poison.“Perfect timing, Abby’s just getting dinner on the table,” Troy drawls as we shrug out of our jackets. I take Nessa’s from her and hang them both on the coat tree beside the door, keeping close to her because my protective instincts are on overdrive in my stepdad’s presence.“Thanks for having us,” Nessa says politely, slipping her hand into mine again.Fuckface’s eyes dart down to our intertwined hands, then snap back up to meet mine. “So glad you both could make
VANESSAI spent all night tossing and turning, obsessing over how cold and dismissive Callum was on the way home last night. Something happened when I left the room with his mother; something that made him shut down completely. He didn’t tell me what it was, so my mind was clouded with speculation over what occurred. I’m sure I would’ve continued to obsess over it all day, too, if it wasn’t for the news I woke up to.If I thought I had a rough night, it was nothing compared to the hellish ordeal my best friend endured yesterday at the hands of the rogue who has been haunting the six-pack territory for the past few weeks. He shot her with silver bullets, kidnapped her, and held her hostage- all part of some twisted revenge plot to take out Chase. I didn’t get all the details, but it was something to do with Chase’s estranged mom and the shadow pack war. Given how close Vienna is with my family, Alpha Brock called my dad this morning to tell him what happened, and as soon as he woke me
CALLUMThere’s an infectious energy coursing through the pack tonight, the air crackling like a livewire as the light of the full moon bathes the yard of the packhouse in a silvery glow. We look forward to every full moon run, but this one is special. We’ve been without a leader since Alpha Vaughn passed three months ago, and tonight, Chase is finally assuming his rightful position as his heir, stepping up to be officially inducted as Alpha.Everyone looks on in eager anticipation as Chase takes his vows, spilling drops of blood from a cut in his palm to seal his oath to the pack. Then Beta Rob raises Chase’s bloodied hand into the air, announcing him as our new alpha, and the entire crowd ignites in frenzied celebration. I should be elated. I should be celebrating with everyone else. Instead, I’m… empty.I don’t even have the energy to fake it tonight. I’ve been drifting around soullessly for the past two days, haunted by the memories of my past and the shadow they cast on my future.
VANESSA** Four Months Later **“Let’s go, Ness!” Vienna calls out, her voice echoing down the hallway of the guest wing of the packhouse.“Just a minute!” I yell back. I’ve been searching for my little gold clutch for the past ten minutes in vain; it’s like it somehow grew legs and walked away. I’m almost certain that I packed it when I moved into the Norbury packhouse a few months ago at Vienna’s invitation, but for some reason, it’s not where it should be among my other purses in the closet.I blow out a frustrated breath, spinning around and strutting over to the dresser to pull open the top drawer. I rummage through the random assortment of things I’ve shoved in there in search of the clutch, hoping I might’ve tossed it in here after the bar one night or something. As I push through the mess of hair accessories and odds and ends, a piece of paper falls out, fluttering to the floor and landing at my feet. I bend to pick it up with an annoyed groan, straightening with the paper clu