VIENNA
I ball my fists at my sides while fighting the urge to slap that cocky smirk right off of Chase’s stupidly handsome face. How can I be so frustratingly attracted to him, yet want to kill him at the same time? It’s confusing and I don’t have the emotional bandwith to try to make sense of it right now.
He raises a brow, awaiting my response to his request for shots.
“You know I can’t serve you here,” I sigh, leaning my forearms on the bar top and meeting his stare, leveling him with one of my own. “How about waters all around?” I cock a brow right back at him, watching his smug smile falter.
“Aw, c’mon…” he presses, leaning in closer. Notes of fresh pine, clean soap, and clove tickle my nose. Damn he smells good. “Be a good little barmaid and fetch us some whiskey.”
I clench my teeth, his condescension grating on my nerves. “You know the rules,” I grit out.
“Well break them, then.”
I chuckle wryly and shake my head. “Can’t do that.”
Golden flecks ignite in Chase’s dark irises, his jaw ticking. “Why not?”
Rolling my eyes, I gesture around the restaurant to indicate the obvious presence of humans scattered at the tables. He knows damn well why I can’t serve him, he’s just trying to push me. I’ve known Chase for all of five minutes and I can already tell he gets off on pushing people’s buttons.
He looks damn good doing it, though.
Ugh, why do those thoughts keep surfacing? I mentally scold myself for allowing my mind to go there yet again.
“C’mon…” Chase coaxes, his voice smooth as silk. The sound of it tickles something deep inside of me, stroking it to life. “Just one shot.”
I can see how this guy has she-wolves eating out of the palm of his hand. He’s a slick fucker, I’ll give him that. The smirk reappears, and- ugh! There are those dimples again, one sinking into each cheek. Those hornets buzz around in my belly once more, stinging my insides.
I straighten, shoring up my resolve and standing my ground. “No.”
Chase’s smile drops, his eyes darkening. “Well you don’t have to be a bitch about it,” he mutters.
Oh hell no.
My wolf surges forward protectively and I suck in a breath, forcing her back as I narrow my eyes on Chase. “Believe it or not, I need this job,” I say, throwing my hands on my hips. “I know it’s a foreign concept to you, but some people actually need to work to get by. Not all of us have everything handed to them.”
He shakes his head, chuckling lowly. “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”
Chase’s icy tone sends a shiver up my spine. His gaze flickers back up to collide with mine and it’s so intense that I stop breathing. For a second, I almost feel bad about making assumptions. He’s got this whole tortured James Dean renegade thing going on, so hauntingly beautiful in his brokenness. His dark eyes threaten to drag me to hell, yet for some reason, I don’t dare look away…
An arm darts out, snatching the pint glass of beer I just filled from the bar and snapping me out of the trance that Chase has me under.
“What the…” I whip my head around to see the guy beside Chase bringing it to his lips with a smug grin. Not Levi- the guy on the other side. “Hey!” I protest, reaching out in a feeble attempt to snatch it back.
“C’mon, Cal…” Levi chuckles, looking over at his friend.
The jerk who grabbed the beer- Cal, apparently- just leans away and starts chugging it down while the rest of them snicker. I make another useless attempt to reach for it, but I’m too short and the bar between us is too wide. It doesn’t matter, anyways, because he takes the beer down in a whole four seconds.
Chase doesn’t intervene. His eyes remain on me the whole time, that stupid smirk on his lips.
Cal slams the empty pint glass back on the bar top and I level him with a glare, folding my arms across my chest indignantly.
“Sorry sweetheart,” Cal growls, wiping his mouth with a sleeve and flashing me a creepy smile that makes my skin crawl. “I was thirsty.”
The others snicker in response and my wolf pushes forward again in agitation. I’ve been harassed more than enough for one day and she’s had it.
“You guys are assholes,” I mutter, turning on a heel and walking away. I need some space to breathe- to think- and I’ve been neglecting my tables while dealing with Chase and his henchmen.
I step out from behind the bar, ignoring the prickly feeling of being watched by them as I head toward the tables by the windows to make my rounds. Thankfully the restaurant is pretty empty at this time of day, so I only have a few to tend to. One customer still wants the beer he ordered that Cal so rudely drank, and another wants a cup of coffee. A young girl at a table with her parents asks for a hot chocolate. I keep a mental tally in my head of the orders, dreading returning to the bar to fill them. I know Chase and his friends are still there because the weight of Chase’s stare still hasn’t left- I’m practically squirming under it.
I’m collecting a couple of empty glasses from a table of two when out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure seated at another in the corner. I must not have noticed him come in. “I’ll be right with you!” I call out, quickly glancing up in his direction- and when I do, my breath catches in my throat.
It’s a man I’ve never seen before, but that doesn’t come as a surprise; tourists are in and out of here all the time. What does give me pause, though, is the way he’s glaring in my direction. I can’t make out his features very well because the hood of his black jacket is slung up over his head and obscuring part of his face, but the sinister look in his eyes sets my teeth on edge. I immediately know something isn’t right about this guy- and then I smell him. He’s a shifter, but he smells… wrong. Dirty. Foul.
Alarm bells go off in my head as the realization of what he is dawns on me- a rogue. A packless wolf shifter trespassing in our territory, and from the way he’s glaring, he’s here looking for trouble. A rogue sighting is never a good thing, especially on the heels of what we just went through with the shadow pack. My brain short-circuits and I almost drop the empty glasses from my hands, panic leeching into my bones.
Breathe, Vienna.
I take a deep breath, quickly regaining my composure. I don’t want to tip this guy off that I know what he is before I can alert Chase to his presence. We’ve had rogues trespass here before- the alphas usually detain and question them to determine whether they’re a true threat, then run them off. Clutching the glasses in my hands, I turn and start toward the bar, suddenly glad Chase decided to visit the lodge today.
Rather than heading behind the bar, I make a beeline for where the guys are seated, aiming straight for Chase. They’re all talking and chuckling amongst themselves, but when Chase looks over his shoulder and sees me coming, his smile falters. The fact that something’s amiss must be written all over my face.
His brows draw up in confusion as I march right up to him, invading his space and leaning in close. “There’s a rogue in here,” I whisper through clenched teeth.
Chase shoots to his feet, nearly knocking me over. “Where?” he demands, the tendons in his neck straining as he sweeps his gaze around the restaurant.
Dude’s a little scary when he springs into action. It suddenly feels like he’s even taller, bigger, more intimidating.
“Right over…” I snap my head around to look toward the table in the corner again, but it’s vacant. My voice trails off as I blink, questioning my own sanity. “He was right there,” I choke, throat tightening around my words as I point to indicate the table. “I swear, he…”
Chase takes off in that direction and Levi pops up to follow. I look around frantically for any sign of the creepy guy who stared me down from the corner, but he’s nowhere to be found. He’s just… gone.
I watch as Chase and Levi go to the table in the corner, then stalk the perimeter of the restaurant, exiting through the back door. I’m still on edge, mind racing, so I return to my post behind the bar to keep myself busy until they return, dunking the dirty glasses in the cleaning solution and preparing the drink orders I just took from the customers.
Five of the longest minutes of my life pass before Chase and Levi walk back in. I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, wiping my hands off on a bar towel and stepping back over to where the other guys are seated.
Cal leans over the bar toward me. “You sure it was a rogue?” he asks, eyeing me dubiously as Chase and Levi draw closer.
I resist the urge to throat punch him.
“I know what I saw,” I grind out, gaze locking with Chase’s as he approaches.
“She’s right, I could smell him,” Chase grumbles, eyes dark and brow furrowed.
At least his confirmation reassures me that I’m not going crazy.
“Whoever he was, he’s gone now,” Levi supplies. He runs a hand through his inky black hair, looking around at the others. “We tracked him to the parking lot, but his trail stopped there. Must’ve gotten in a car and taken off.”
I wish I could say I was relieved, and part of me is that the rogue is gone- but another part remains on edge, nervous that he’s still lurking out there somewhere.
I wring my hands in front of me, gnawing on my lower lip. “What if he comes back?” I ask, still tense from the shock of the encounter.
“Nah, don’t worry, babe,” Levi replies smoothly, flashing me a smile. Something about that charming smile of his helps to put me at ease. “We’ll report it, and I’m sure the squad will throw a security detail up here or something so it doesn’t happen again.” He tosses me a wink and I feel my cheeks heat in a blush.
Chase just stands there quietly, hands shoved in the front pocket of his hoodie, jaw ticking. I look to him and his eyes are cold and impassive, like a switch has flipped.
I open my mouth to speak, but before any sound comes out, he darts his gaze away.
“Let’s go,” he barks out, turning his back to me as the other guys jump up to follow.
Levi hits me with another smile. “See you around, Vienna.”
Before I can reply, all six of them are trudging toward the door, their abrupt exit rendering me speechless. My eyes burn a hole in the back of Chase’s head, but he doesn’t turn around.
The update schedule for this book will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with bonus a chapter most weekends on the day of my choice.
CHASESweet smoke fills my lungs as I take a long drag from a joint, eyes sliding closed and my head falling back against the headrest. I dropped Cal and Levi off twenty minutes ago and I’ve been sitting in my truck in the driveway of the packhouse since, struggling to find the motivation to get out and go inside.I don’t want to go in there. Never do.This packhouse used to be home, but now it’s just a reminder of what my life used to be. Everything about it makes me think of him- and I don’t know if I’m sad or angry or if I should even give a fuck, considering he lied to me about my mother for half my life. I spend most of my time nowadays just trying not to think about it, but every time I walk inside that place, I’m smacked in the face with his memory.I’ve spent two months running from his ghost, and I haven’t gotten anywhere.Everything in there just feels empty. My life feels empty. So I fill it with drugs and booze, tits and ass. I fill the packhouse with people, each party wi
VIENNA“Hey girl!” I call to my friend Nessa as she walks in the restaurant at the lodge, pulling her long dark hair into a ponytail as she walks.“Hey!” she calls back, flashing me a bright smile. Nessa has so many beautiful features- full lips, high cheekbones, almond shaped eyes- but her smile is by far her best. You know that cliché phrase about how someone’s smile can light up a room? Nessa’s the kind of girl that phrase was coined for. I had a shitty morning, but her smile improves my mood in an instant.“I didn’t know you were working today,” she comments as she rounds the bar, shrugging off her jacket and stuffing it in a cubby underneath.I glance over at her as I finish stacking a row of pint glasses. “I picked up an extra shift, remember?”Nessa cocks out a hip, resting her hand upon it and giving me a stern look. “Girl, that’s the third time this week. You’re gonna work yourself to death.”“Hardly,” I laugh. “My car needs new brakes.”“Your car needs new everything,” she t
VIENNAI don’t know how I let Nessa talk me into going to this party. I tried to get out of it no fewer than ten times, piling on excuse after excuse, but the girl wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m buzzing with nervous energy as the two of us approach the Norbury packhouse, the low bass beat of the music inside thumping as we make our way up the front walk.“There’s still time to turn back,” I murmur as we ascend the steps of the porch, wiping my clammy palms on the sides of my dress.Nessa stops at the top of the steps, turning to me with an exaggerated gasp. “And waste these outfits?” She gestures between us, narrowing her eyes in determination. “No chance.”Despite my reluctance to actually attend the party, I spared no effort in getting all glammed up for it. My long wavy hair is slicked back in a tight ponytail, my eyes are accented with smoky eyeshadow and dark liner, and my lips are painted bright red to match the tight bodycon dress I’m wearing. I topped off the look with a
CHASEI could kill Levi for not telling me he invited her here tonight. All I wanted to do was drink, smoke, and zone the fuck out. That’s exactly what I was doing, until I looked up and saw her.A little devil in a red dress, dripping in sin. I couldn’t help but stare, because fuck me, she’s got curves I want to sink my teeth into, that clinging fabric flaunting the cinch of her waist, the swell of her hips. Her tits are pushed up, perfectly perky and round, and a strip of her tan thighs is on display between the hem of her dress and the top of her come-fuck-me boots. A delicate outline of flowers climbs up one of them, tattooed in black ink, mirroring the design on her arm that’s now hidden underneath the sleeve of her leather jacket. Between her clothes and her slicked back ponytail, she looks like she just stepped out of a rocker chick fantasy.And she came her for fucking Levi. The bastard has been sliding me smug grins all night as he sits there with his arm thrown around Vienna
VIENNA“I feel like I was hit by a bus,” I groan, squeezing my eyes shut and dropping my head into my hands.Nessa walks out of the storage room carrying a case of beer, shooting me a sympathetic look as she drops it on top of the bar. It lands with a thud, bottles clanking together, and the sound shoots a fresh wave of pain through my head like a bullet.I wince, pressing my fingers to my temples. “What the hell was in that jungle juice?”“Whatever it was, it was delicious,” Nessa quips as she rips the top of the case open, reaching inside to pull out bottles of beer. She looks up at me, slumped in a pitiful heap on a stool on the other side of the bar with my head still in my hands. “Though judging by how you look today, Levi wasn’t lying about it being strong. I’m glad I stopped at one.”I groan, wincing again as she starts to load the beers into the cooler below the bar, every clank and clatter of the bottles making me flinch. She lifts the empty cardboard box when she’s finished,
CHASEThere’s something about fire. The way it ignites from the smallest spark, bursting into creation. The way it destroys. The way it can be contained one minute and uncontrollable the next, raging and spreading as it scorches the earth. Sometimes that’s how I feel, on the verge of cascading over a barrier into something I can’t come back from. Raging and burning until there’s nothing left but ash. The boys and I dug this firepit years ago, seeking a place to hang out away from the ever-watchful eyes of our parents. We thought it was some clever fucking secret, but after coming home reeking of bonfire smoke, my dad figured out pretty quickly what we’d done. He didn’t take it away from us, though. Instead, he came out and helped us dig it deeper, drilling the rules of fire safety into our heads until he was satisfied we weren’t going to burn the damn forest down. From then on, it became our spot; our own little dominion right near the edge of our pack’s territory.At first, we were
CHASE “How the fuck did he get away again?” Theo spits, face screwed up in an angry scowl. He and the other alphas of the six-pack alliance- Gray, Jax, Brock, and Reid- rushed out here to meet me shortly after receiving my text, bringing along the two best trackers on the security squad, Leo and Adrian. We’d all hoped the incident at the lodge was a fluke, but now that the same rogue is skulking around our border days later, that doesn’t seem likely. He must be hanging around for a reason, and none of us want to waste any time in finding out what that is. “The border sensors never alerted?” Jax asks, still catching his breath. We are circled up in the woods in all our naked glory after shifting back from our wolf forms- a sight that would be odd for humans to stumble upon, but for us, public nudity like this is a regular occurrence. Our clothes are left behind when we shift, and the others were able to get here so quickly because they came as their wolves. “No, I checked them twice
VIENNAFrom the way that Chase storms off, it’s clear that something I said must’ve struck a nerve. Not that he’d admit it. The more I get to know him, the more curious I am about what he’s really hiding beneath all that false bravado- though it’s hard for me to have sympathy for someone who devotes so much energy into being a complete and total prick.I get that he has trauma, but these days, who doesn’t? I’ve got my own share of problems, but at least I’m trying to do something about it. Chase just wants to sit around and wallow in his own self-pity at the expense of everyone else. As someone actively trying to better their situation, I don’t have the patience for his brand of bullshit. I’m not going to walk on eggshells or tiptoe around him like everyone else.I climb out of my car, giving it a wistful glance as I look to Chase’s monstrosity of a truck parked beside it. Of course someone like Chase would talk shit about my car, given how shiny and new his own vehicle is. I saved up