VANESSA
Here’s the thing- I don’t give out my phone number to guys.
Ever.So imagine my surprise when I was stocking the coolers at work this morning and my phone
vibrated against the bar top with an incoming text message from Callum Conway.
His number wasn’t saved in my phone, but I immediately knew the message was from him, and it didn’t
take long for me to figure out how he got ahold of my digits.
The sneaky devil must’ve sent himself a text from my phone when he was checking out my music last
night.
If it were anybody else, I’d probably be annoyed with the underhanded way he went about getting my
number, but instead I found myself smiling down at my phone, heart pounding as I considered how to
respond.
Exchanging messages is harmless, right? At least that’s what I kept telling myself as we texted back
and forth all morning while I smiled down at my phone like a fool.
I might’ve gotten away with it, too, if I wasn’t working the same shift as my best friend.
Vienna knows I don’t give my number out, so she was baffled by the fact that I was so caught up in
texting with Callum, and honestly, same.
All of this is so foreign to me, but there’s just something about Cal.
He’s bold without being sleazy.
Clever without being cliché.
And for the first time, I'm...curious.
A lot of girls my age date around, Vienna included, but I never have.
She thinks I’m crazy, and she’s said as much when I’ve turned down dates or refuted advances from
good-looking, smooth -talking guys that other girls would jump at the chance to go out with.
Call me a hopeless romantic, but I’ve never seen the point of dating or getting close to someone when I
have a fated mate out there somewhere waiting for me.
Humans talk about soulmates, but in shifter culture, finding that person is a very real possibility.
Once we turn eighteen, every full moon presents a chance for us to find them.
Our packs shift and run together under the light of the moon, and if you’re lucky enough to be in the
proximity of your fated mate on one of those nights, you’ll feel it- the pull.
My parents say it’s like an irresistible force that draws you to your mate, and once you lay eyes on one
another, BAM! The bond snaps into place.
Even though all of us have a fated mate out there, not everyone is lucky enough to find theirs.
Statistically, less than half of us will actually find them and get to experience that magical fated mate
bond, but I’m an optimist.
My parents are fated mates, and I’ve seen how deep that connection goes.
They really are two halves of a whole.
I want that for myself, and I’ll hold out as long as I have to in order to find my other half.
Which is why it’s so out of character for me to be acting the way I am right now, carefully applying my
makeup and straightening my hair, changing my clothes five times before settling on an outfit that
screams casual, yet sexy.
I’m nervous.I don’t get nervous around guys.
What the hell has gotten into me?
"It’s not too late to back out, you know,"
Vienna sighs from the doorway of my bedroom, and I’m not sure if it’s due to her own apprehension or
if she’s sensing mine.
I know she’s just as anxious about seeing Chase tonight, but she’s gone the opposite way of me,
putting minimal effort into her hair, makeup, and attire.
She's trying to send the message that she doesn’t care enough to dress up for him, but I think she
looks even more beautiful when she goes casual and lets her natural beauty shine through.
If the Alpha has designs on playing it aloof with her again tonight, he doesn’t stand a chance.I shake
my head as I cross the room to Vienna.
"Nice try,"
I laugh, snatching her by the arm and threading mine through the crook of her elbow.
"We’re doing this."
"But it's like ten degrees outside," she grumbles as I pull her toward the staircase.
"Let it go, Vee.The cold never bothered me anyway."
She stops in her tracks, hitting me with a dubious stare and raising a brow at my Disney reference.
"Frozen? Really, Ness?" I giggle, starting down the stairs and yanking her with me.
"It’s Mia’s favorite right now."
Her lips pull into a smile at the mention of my four-year-old sister.
Vee’s an only child, while I’m the oldest of seven.She’s over here often enough that she’s basically a
member of the family, and my littlest sister Mia has Vee wrapped around her finger.
"What happened to her Little Mermaid obsession?" she queries as she follows me down the staircase.
"That was last week," I say with the wave of a hand, glancing back at her over my shoulder.
"Next week it’ll be something else.You know how she is." I bound down the rest of the stairs, stepping
over to the front door and calling out to my mom as I slide my feet into my boots.
"I’m heading out!"
"Have fun!" my mom calls back instantly, her voice carrying from the back of the house.
She’s pretty laid-back as far as parenting goes- I’ve never given her a reason not to trust me, so she
doesn’t give me the third degree or question where I’m going.She knows I'll be responsible and come
home at a decent hour, because that’s what I’ve always done.Plus, I’m nineteen, so I’m technically an
adult now.I just haven’t moved out because I like living here with my big, crazy family.
"You sure you don’t want to head to the bar or something instead?"
Vienna asks as we make our way toward her car at the curb, snow crunching underneath our boots.
"Positive," I laugh, giving her a playful shove.
"Stop trying to get out of this!"
The passenger door creaks on its hinges as I pull it open and drop into the seat, rattling with a hollow,
tinny sound as I close it behind me.
Vienna’s car is a hunk of junk, but I'l] never say that out loud because I know how proud she is of it.
She worked her butt off to buy it with her own money, so even if it feels like a rolling death trap, I’ll act
like we’re riding in luxury every time.
The engine starts with a groan and we pull away from the curb, heading out of town and toward
Norbury’s territory.
It’s right next to our own territory of Riverton, so the drive isn’t a long one.
Still, it’s enough time for Vienna to give me the third degree about Callum once again when my phone
lights up with an incoming text message that I can’t help but smile at.
Callum: You still coming?
"I just don’t get it,"
Vienna grumbles, shaking her head in disapproval.
"I mean, Cal? Out of all people?"
"I don’t know why you’re reading into it so much," I reply with a casual shrug of my shoulders.I resist
the urge to pick up my phone and text him back, knowing that Vee will see it as me being too eager.
"I don’t even know the guy."
"Exactly! So why are you suddenly texting him like it’s a thing?" Troll my eyes.
"It’s not a thing.You’re the only one making it into a thing."
My phone is practically burning a hole in the thigh of my black jeans, my fingers itching to reach for
it.Vienna shoots me a dubious side-eyed glance.
"So you're not dragging me out here tonight so you can see him?"
"A bonfire sounded fun," I say nonchalantly.
"It was either this or watching Frozen with Mia for the hundredth time."She’s quiet for a moment, but I
can practically hear the gears turning in her head before she finally mumbles, "he just gives me the
creeps."
I bark out a laugh, swatting at Vee’s arm with the back of a hand.
"You're ridiculous! You don’t know him either, Vee.You can’t judge a book by its cover."
"Maybe you should, if the cover gives you the heebie jeebies."
I shake my head, finally giving into the urge to pick up my phone and reply to Callum’s message.
Vanessa: On our way! Vienna is suspiciously quiet for the rest of the drive, but I think part of that is her
own anxiety about tonight.
Even if she won’t admit it, there's a palpable tension between her and Chase, and I think she’s nervous
about seeing him again after the way last night ended.
He went upstairs with some girl, and Vee practically dragged me out of the packhouse like it was on fire
immediately after, like she couldn’t bear to be under the same roof while he was hooking up with
someone else.
If that’s not jealousy, I don’t know what is.
We park among a bunch of other cars at the side of a forest road deep in Norbury’s territory, climbing
out and trudging through the trees while allowing the sound of music and carrying voices to lead us to
our destination.
The orange glow of the fire comes into view up ahead, and I can feel the tension rolling off Vienna in
waves, making me second guess whether it was the right decision to drag her here with me tonight.
I told myself this was for her, to bust her out of the funk she’s been in lately, but were my reasons more
Callum, smiling shyly when our eyes meet.
He’s reclined back ina big wooden chair, his long legs spread and his dark hoodie slung up over his
head.
His handsome features are partially shadowed by his hood, giving his grin this eerie, ominous quality
as it forms on his lips.
Even though the fire is hot at my back, a shiver races down my spine.
"Ladies,"
Levi drawls, shaking me out of my temporary trance when he reappears with a bottle of beer in each
hand, offering them to Vee and me.
I smile appreciatively as I take it, curling my fingers around the cold neck of the bottle.
A whistle brings my attention back to Cal, and I snap my gaze back to him as he nods to the empty
bench beside his chair, beckoning me.
I'm not a huge fan of being whistled at, but I find myself blindly following his command, reaching for
Vee’s hand to drag her with me over to the bench.I sink down onto it, Vienna taking the spot next to
me.
For a long moment, he doesn't say anything, the tension of his silence causing a knot of anxiety to form
in my gut.It’s silly that I’m nervous- he invited me tonight, after all.He clearly wanted me to come, but
it’s the question of why that has me holding my breath in anticipation.
"You made it,"
Callum finally utters, the deep timbre of his voice seeping inside me and unraveling the tightness in the
pit of my stomach.
I turn to look at him and his eyes are already on me, focused and unblinking.
They look darker tonight, his pupils blown out so wide behind the shadow of his hood that only a sliver
of his blue-green irises are visible.I part my lips to respond, but my breath gets caught somewhere in
my throat when he suddenly reaches out to take the bottle of beer from my hand, his fingers brushing
mine and sending a zip of electricity running through my body.I barely conceal my flinch, watching as
he brings the beer bottle to his mouth, pops the cap off with his teeth, and hands it back to me.
"Thanks," I breathe, taking a slow sip from the bottle.I’m not much of a beer drinker, but right now, I’d
benefit from loosening up a little bit.
"Where’s yours?" I ask once I swallow it down and notice that he’s empty handed.
Callum shrugs.
"I’m not a big drinker." I narrow my eyes on him skeptically.
"Coulda fooled me last night. Straight vodka, was it?"
"That was an anomaly," he murmurs, his gaze sliding from me and lingering on the fire, the reflection of
the flames dancing in his dark eyes.
"Something set me off and I needed it.Most of the time, I like to keep a clear head."
Funnily enough, right as he says that Chase passes him a joint.He takes it between his fingers, raising
it to his lips.
"What was that you were saying about keeping a clear head?" I tease, eyeing the joint and watching
the cherry glowing red with his inhale.
Cal chuckles slowly as he coughs out the smoke.
"This just takes the edge off," he explains, holding it out to me in offering.
"You want?" I sink my teeth into the cushion of my lower lip, giving a little shake of my head.
His eyes dip to my mouth, then travel back up to Meet my own, narrowing.
"You're a good girl, aren’t you?" he asks in that deep, rumbling voice of his, and my heart beats a little
faster, my thighs squeezing together tighter.
I keep my eyes trained on his, arching a brow.
"So what if I am?"
He laughs softly to himself and takes another hit of the joint before passing it back to Chase.
"Nothing wrong with that.Just trying to get a read on you." He exhales the smoke toward the fire,
sinking back farther in his chair.
My lips twitch into a smirk as I watch him, the picture of a teenage heartbreaker.
"And let me guess, you’re a bad boy type, huh?"
Callum’s gaze flickers back to meet mine and he grins menacingly, running his tongue over his straight
white teeth.
"The worst, babe."
Babe.I’m not one for pet names, but surprisingly, I don’t hate the way it sounds rolling off his lips.
He’s still pinning me with his stare, like he’s daring me to be the first to look away.
"Is this the part where you warn me to stay away from you?" I ask, tilting my head as I hold his gaze.
Cal leans in a little closer.
"If it was, would you listen?" He wins.
My cheeks heat in a blush and I turn away to conceal it, taking a swig of beer from the bottle and
staring absently into the fire.
"Maybe.Though I prefer to make my own judgments about people."
"Hm." I swing my head back around to face Callum, arching a brow.
"What?"
"Nothing," he grunts, swiping a hand over his chin.
"You're just...different." I narrow my eyes on him.
"Good different or bad different?"
The corner of his mouth turns up slightly.
"Undecided."
I roll my eyes, wrapping my lips around the rim of the beer bottle and taking another swig.I don’t miss
how his eyes track the movement - it’s like he’s always watching, always quietly observing.
A lot of people would probably find that unnerving, but I find it slightly fascinating, like I’m beginning to
unravel what makes this mystery man tick.
Levi delivers fresh beers to Vee and me, kicking some poor schmuck out of the seat next to Vienna so
he can take it and try to flirt with her.
She barely engages him, but I’ve gotta give the guy credit for his persistence.
He almost starts to make some headway with her, too, until she gets up and announces that she has to
pee, leaving the fireside to trudge off into the forest.
She isn’t gone for two full seconds before Miles is sliding onto the bench beside me to take her spot,
his thigh brushing mine as he scooches closer.
"Hey, Nessa," he coos, hitting me with a bright smile.
"Glad you came out tonight, I was hoping I’d see you again."
Cal throws Miles an annoyed glare, and I can’t help but laugh to myself as I turn my attention to Miles,
smiling politely.
"You guys have a cool setup here," I say, gesturing around with my beer bottle.
"Yeah, this is kinda our spot," Miles brags, his hand landing on my thigh.
"Need another beer or anything?"
"No thanks," I murmur, slyly brushing his hand away as I lift my leg to cross it over the other.
"Cool.Just let me know if you do."
I nod, taking another sip of the beer in my hand and staring into the blaze of the fire.I feel Miles move
closer, leaning in beside my ear.
"I 'know, I was a little bummed that you left last night before I could get your number..."I fight back an
eye roll.
Miles is clearly interested in me- it was obvious from the first moment he sat down and introduced
himself at the party with that eager look in his eyes- but he’s trying way too hard.
Guys often confuse my friendliness for flirtation, and it seems that Miles is no exception.
"It was getting late and Vee wanted to get going," I explain, brushing past his thinly veiled request for
my phone number and hoping he’ll take the hint.
"So can I get your number now, then?"
Or not.I force a smile to my lips.
"I don’t make a habit of giving out my number to guys I don’t know." Miles isn’t deterred by my brush-
off.
"Guess we’ll have to get to know each other better, then," he replies, waggling his eyebrows.
Yeah, this dude isn’t great at picking up subtext.
"Maybe," I say, swinging my gaze back around to Callum.
Our eyes connect immediately and his lips curl into a grin.
The guy looks smug as hell, but to be fair, I didn’t give my number to him, either.He stole it.
Something tells me he has a habit of bending the rules to suit him.I hear the pounding of footsteps in
the distance, looking up right as Vienna emerges from the treeline at a full sprint.I know something's
wrong right away, and that’s when I notice that Chase’s chair is also vacant- did he follow her out there
or something? I sit up straighter as Vee makes a beeline straight for me, her eyes wide and wild.
"We’ve gotta go," she says breathlessly, reaching for my arm.
At the same time, Levi's phone rings and he answers it, responding to whoever’s on the other line in a
clipped tone.
"What's going on?" I ask Vee as I allow her to pull me to my feet, but before she can answer, Levi’s
tucking his phone away and rising from his chair, cupping his hands around his mouth to call out to
everyone around the bonfire pit.
"Party’s over, guys! There’s a possible rogue nearby and the squad's on their way!"
"What?!" I squeak, grabbing onto Vienna’s arm and squeezing as fear prickles up my spine.
Rogues are packless wolf shifters that have gone feral, and they’re both dangerous and unpredictable.
If there’s one close by, then we need to get the hell out of here.She nods in confirmation, taking my
hand and pulling me away from the fire.
"Like I said, girl, we’ve gotta go." She doesn’t need to tell me twice.
People are already jogging away from the bonfire pit, heading back toward the road where we parked
Vee's car, and the two of us fall in with the mass exodus.
It isn’t until we’ve made it back to the car that I realize I never said goodbye.
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