Chapter 19: Chapter 19

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 boyfriend has tried to put his hands on her, so he’s taking it upon himself to dole out a little justice. While the rest of us pack up and load Vienna’s shit, he’s teaching the dickhead a lesson for what he’s done.

“Hey, save some of that for us!” Dare calls as he approaches with a large box clutched in his hands, Alec right on his heels with another. They slide their boxes into the bed of the truck, and I take one last drag of the joint before passing it off to Dare.

“Chase must be getting really serious about this girl, huh?” Alec comments, snatching the joint from his brother’s fingers, mid-inhale.

“Seems that way,” I murmur. “Though either way, someone had to get involved.”

“Could’ve left it for Alpha Brock to handle, though, since this is his territory,” Dare shrugs. “The fact that he’s doing all this himself must mean he’s got it bad.”

Alec passes the joint back to his brother.”

At least he went to Alpha Brock first and looped him in. Can you imagine the mess this would’ve turned into if Chase just charged in there half cocked?”

“Why would it matter if it was the same result?” Miles groans, leaning back on his elbows.

Dare finishes the joint, tossing it onto the ground and stubbing it out with the sole of his shoe. “Politics, man. The alphas don’t step on each other’s toes, that’s why the alliance works so well.”

“Shows that Chase is finally thinking like an alpha,” I muse. “That’s at least a step in the right direction.”

A silver sedan speeds up to the curb, tires squealing, diverting all of our attention. I immediately recognize the car, a chuckle rumbling in my chest when Vienna leaps out of the passenger side and starts charging for the house, a panic-stricken look on her face.

“Oh shit,” I mutter.

“What are the chances that Chase told Vienna that he was doing this today?” Dare asks tentatively.

I scrub a hand over my face. “Judging by her reaction I’d say he forgot to mention it.”

Nessa steps out from the drivers’ side of the silver car, running a hand through her long hair and watching after her friend with concern. Once Vienna disappears into the house, her gaze slides toward us instead, her eyes immediately finding mine. I toss up a wave and she shakes her head with a scowl, starting in our direction.

I push off from the tailgate, striding down the driveway to meet her halfway.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nessa scolds, her brow furrowed in frustration.

I shrug a shoulder. “Wasn’t my thing to tell.”

Nessa’s gaze drifts past me, and I follow it to see Levi emerging from the house carrying a box.

“This is the last one,” he grunts as he lifts it into the back of the truck. He brushes off his hands on the legs of his jeans, glancing suspiciously at Miles, Alec, and Dare. “Did you guys blaze up without me?”

“Sorry, man,” Alec chuckles.

I tune them out, returning my focus to the beauty in front of me. “You headed to work?” I ask, eyeing her white uniform polo with the ski resort logo, visible beneath her open jacket.

She nods.

“When do you get off? Troy called this morning, he wants me to come for that dinner tonight.”

The corner of her mouth ticks up into a little smug little smile. “Is this your way of inviting me to come?”

she asks. 1 I shove my hands into my pockets and shrug; the picture of nonchalance. “Only if you still want to.”

Her smile widens. “Of course I do. I get off at three. What time do you wanna pick me up?”

“Five?”

“Sure,” she nods. “Come to the door this time instead of texting me from the curb. My parents want to meet you.”

My brows shoot up and my stomach plummets. “Your parents?”

“Well yeah. No pressure, they just want to meet the guy I’ve been spending all my time with lately.” She smiles demurely, batting her lashes while I internally panic.

“Uh, yeah,” I mumble, raking a hand through my hair and staring down at the pavement. “If that’s what you want.”

Nessa’s hand lands on my jaw, cupping it and drawing my eyes back to hers. “Hey… it’s no big deal,”

she coos. “They just want to say hello. Five minutes, tops.”

I usually pride myself on how well I can conceal my emotions, but it seems this girl is beginning to see right through my carefully constructed mask. And for some reason, I don’t mind letting her.

Her hand suddenly slips from my face, eyes widening, and I turn to look over my shoulder as Chase and Vienna emerge from the house looking like Bonnie and Clyde, crimson blood spattering their faces and clothes. Looks like Vienna got her pound of flesh from the man who wronged her, too, and I can’t help but grin widely as they make their way toward us.

I have to admit, Vienna’s growing on me- even more in this moment, as she’s stained in blood yet eerily calm. I recognize that look all too well. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as punishing the deserving with violence.1 Chase and Vienna pause, whispering to one another, then Vee looks toward Nessa, breaking away from Chase and making a beeline for her.

“See you tonight,” I murmur, grabbing Nessa’s hand and giving it a little squeeze before backing away to give her space to talk to her friend.

I shuffle back over to the truck, eager to hear the play-by-play of what went down inside from Chase.

Judging by the amount of blood on him, I can tell it’s a story I don’t want to miss.

I feel like an imposter as I trudge up the front walk of Nessa’s family home, my hands stuffed deep into the pockets of my leather jacket. I’ve never dated before, so I’ve never done the whole ‘meet the parents’ thing, but I’m pretty sure I already know how this is going to go. I see the way people look at me. I’m sure Nessa’s parents will immediately judge me as a menace; not near good enough for their sweet, beautiful daughter.

Still, I couldn’t deny Nessa’s request. When she looks up at me with those wide, hopeful eyes, it’s hard to say no to her. So here I am, knowing this’ll end in disaster and walking into it head-on nonetheless.

The front door swings open as I approach, the sight of Nessa’s smiling face stealing my breath. She’s fucking gorgeous as always, the picture of doe- eyed innocence in a soft white sweater dress and brown suede boots. Her hair is styled in loose curls, her skin flawless and her makeup perfectly understated. In contrast to me, she looks like the type of girl any parent would adore.

“Come on in!” she chirps eagerly, stepping back and gesturing for me to follow her inside.

As I step over the threshold, an older looking version of Nessa rushes into the foyer, grinning twice as brightly as her daughter.

“You must be the infamous Callum,” she gushes, sticking a hand out in my direction. “We’ve heard so much about you.”

I take her hand, shaking it firmly. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Diaz,” I reply politely.

“Elena was right,” she murmurs, elbowing Nessa with a smirk. “He does look like a bad boy.”

“Mom!” Nessa protests, a furious blush spreading across her cheeks.

“What?!” Mrs. Diaz laughs, shaking her head. “You know how curious she was the last time he pulled up in that muscle car. She waggles her eyebrows, tossing me a wink. “Nice car, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I breathe, a little thrown off by her mom’s warm and welcoming demeanor.

“Did you restore it yourself?” Nessa’s dad asks as he makes his way from the living room into the foyer, glancing out the window at my car parked on the curb.

I suck in a breath, nodding. “I did most of the work myself, yeah. Took almost a year, but it was worth it.”

Mr. Diaz smiles, taking my hand gingerly when I reach it out toward him. “I was somewhat of a gearhead myself when I was younger,” he comments, shaking my hand in a firm grip. “Always wanted to restore an old car, but priorities shifted when I met this one.” He nods to his wife with a loving gaze.

I shift my weight uncomfortably, nodding. I have no idea what to say to these people. They’re so nice, and I can’t tell whether it’s disingenuous or the real deal. Then again, if they’re the ones who raised Nessa, I should give them the benefit of the doubt. Her kind and gentle nature had to come from somewhere.

“Well, we’re gonna go,” Nessa says, sliding next to me and slipping her hand into mine, almost as if she senses my profound discomfort.

Her dad tosses an arm over his wife’s shoulders. “Have fun,” he offers, both of them beaming at us. “It was nice meeting you, Callum. You’ll have to have dinner here with us sometime, meet the whole family.” 2 “Sure,” I nod. “Nice meeting you both as well.”

Nessa tugs me toward the door and I toss her parents an awkward wave over my shoulder, following her out into the brisk winter chill. I drag a deep breath of cold hair into my lungs, my tight muscles straining with every step.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Nessa murmurs, nudging me as we walk to my car.

“No,” I agree. “Your parents are great.”

Which is exactly why I don’t fit in with them. Meeting them only served as a stark reminder of why Nessa and I shouldn’t fit together.

She grins proudly, dropping my hand as we split up to head to opposite sides of the Corvette and climb in.

I was anxious about meeting her parents, but it’s nothing compared to how nervous I am to bring Nessa into my shitshow of a home life. Troy and Abigail White are not nice people. I’m sure they’ll put on a good show like they always do, smiling and acting like we’re the perfect family, but it’s nauseatingly fake. Everything about them is fake. 1 They act like they’re model parents, but that’s a far cry from the truth. No decent mother would turn a blind eye to their spouse’s abuse of their child, rationalizing that it’s just ‘tough love’. My mom didn’t count anything Troy did to me as abuse because he never laid a hand on me. Instead, he dug his claws into my mind, twisting my psyche until I nearly broke. He created the dark, unpredictable monster that lurks inside Only a monster can create another monster. 3 As Troy’s biological child, Spencer was spared the abuse, but the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

He’s just as toxic as Troy and my mom are, raised in their image to be a conniving egomaniac. We were pitted against one another from the beginning, so there’s no love between us. No sense of brotherhood or familial bond. The only thing we have in common is blood.

My shoulders are so tense when we pull up to the little yellow house on Aspen Avenue that I jerk the wheel when I try to steer into the driveway. I slide the gear into park, cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders, drawing deep breaths as I stare up at the house where my family resides.

From the outside, you wouldn’t be able to tell what horrors lie within. It’s clean and well-kept, warm light spilling from the large windows. Deceptively inviting.

“Are you okay?” Nessa asks, resting her hand on top of mine.

She’s perceptive, but it’s not exactly like I’m doing a good job of masking my anxiety right now. I nod solemnly, cutting the engine and slipping the keys into my jacket pocket. “Fine,” I grit out. Let’s just get this over with.”

She flinches at my tone, hurt flashing in her eyes, and I immediately realize how that must’ve sounded.

She’s not to blame for my foul mood- if anything, she’s the only thing holding me together right now. I quickly backpedal, taking her hand, lacing my fingers with hers, and giving it a little squeeze. “I’m glad you’re here,” I say sincerely, leaning closer to plant a kiss on her lips. “Thanks for doing this with me.” 1 The smile that my words earn from her warms me from the inside out, shoring up my confidence to face what’s ahead.

We both climb out of the car and head for the front walk. Nessa slips her hand in mine as we near the front door of the house, lending me her strength and reminding me she’s right beside me.

Most people would probably just walk right into their parents’ house, but this place has never felt like home to me. I raise a fist to knock, my hear thumping in my chest as I wait for someone to answer.

Heavy footsteps echo from inside before Fuckface pulls the door open, his mouth spreading into a slippery grin that makes my skin crawl. 1 “You made it,” he comments, his gaze quickly sliding from me to Nessa. I grit my teeth as he gives her an appreciative once-over, his grin widening as he steps aside, gesturing. “Come on in.”