Chapter 21: Chapter 21

VANESSA I 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 up and filled me in, I started frantically blowing up Vee’s phone.

I was completely panicked, about to hop in my car and drive over to the Norbury packhouse when Chase finally answered my call. He said Vienna was resting and assured me that she’ll be fine, but I still spent the better part of my day worrying about my friend, waiting for her to wake up and call me back. The universe must really be against me because Cal isn’t returning my calls either. I’m sure he’s busy helping Chase deal with the fallout from the rogue situation, but the lack of communication today has made me a damn mess.

When Vee finally does call, I’m quick to jump in my car and head to Chase’s packhouse to see her.

Although she keeps telling me she’s okay, I won’t feel better until I lay eyes on her myself and see that she’s in one piece. I swear all of that girl’s recent drama is gonna give me a dang heart attack.

I park out front, sprinting across the lawn for the front door of the packhouse. I’m so worked up that all manners go out the window and I let myself in without even thinking about it, breathless as I step inside. Vienna’s in the kitchen, and as soon as we lock eyes, she’s rushing to meet me, crashing into me. I wrap my arms around my friend, holding on tight as tears spring to my eyes.

“I was so worried!” I choke, burying my face in her hair and refusing to let go.

“I know, I’m sorry,” she sniffles, clutching onto me just as tightly.

I just hold her for a solid minute or two, then finally let her go and take a step back, giving her a once-

over to assess the damage for myself. Thanks to shifter healing, there are no outward signs of injury other than some faded bruising on her torso made visible by her crop top. From what I heard, she’s lucky to be alive- though Vee would never admit that. She’s tough as nails and despises being perceived as weak.

A stray tear slips down her cheek and she’s quick to wipe it away, putting on the brave face that she always does.

“I’m gonna head upstairs,” Chase mumbles, and my eyes lift over Vienna’s shoulder to see him loitering a few feet away, leaning idly against the kitchen counter. I hadn’t even noticed his presence; I had complete tunnel vision when I ran inside, focused only on my friend.

Vienna glances his way, her eyes full of adoration. I’ve never seen her look at someone the way she’s looking at Chase right now. My girl’s got it bad for the alpha.

He strides over to her, cupping her cheek and leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. “Let me know if you need anything?” he murmurs, sweeping the pad of his thumb over her lower lip.

She nods, grabbing his hand before he can retract it and pressing a kiss to his palm. Then he steps back, and the way he looks at her before he turns away gives me pause. It’s the way every girl wants to be looked at by a man.

That’s love if I’ve ever seen it.

Vee watches after Chase as he retreats, then turns back to me, a faint blush forming on her cheeks.

“Looks like you’ve got a lot to catch me up on,” I smirk.

She laughs, grabbing onto my arm and pulling me toward the living room. We get situated on the big leather sectional, and before I can even start in with a barrage of questions, Vienna launches into a confession that I could see coming a mile away after her display in the kitchen.

“So we’re officially together,” she blurts, tucking her hair behind her ears and smiling bashfully.

I grin back at her. “So I gathered.”

Vienna sinks her teeth into her lower lip, her eyes rounding in sincerity. “He saved me last night, Ness.

You should’ve seen him, he was amazing. And after going through something like that, not knowing if we’d make it out alive… well, our real feelings came out. It made us realize what really matters, y’know? And that we shouldn’t keep torturing each other with trivial games or bullshit. So, now he’s…” she trails off, starry-eyed.

“Your boyfriend?” I ask, finishing her sentence and cocking a brow.

A furious blush paints her cheeks. “Well yeah, he’s more than that, actually.” She leans in closer, taking my hands in hers and dropping her voice low. “He asked me to be his Luna.”

My eyes practically bug out of my head. “He what?!” I screech.

She nods, and I scream again in excitement, throwing my arms around her and practically tackling her with a hug.

“Is everything okay down there?” Chase’s voice drifts from upstairs in response to my outburst.

“Yes, babe,” Vee calls back, and we both lose ourselves in fits of giggles, clutching onto one another’s hands giddily.

“Okay, wait, back up,” I wheeze when I finally regain my composure. “I need to hear everything.”

She nods, swallowing hard, the smile fading from her face. “Well, you saw what happened yesterday at my house.”

“Uh huh. And I got that text from Char saying that I wasn’t needed at work, but I thought you were going in?”

Vienna blows out a breath, her gaze fluttering down. “Yeah.” When she looks. back up at me, her eyes are shining with the hint of fresh tears. “Did you hear about Char?”

I can tell by the inflection in her voice that it isn’t good. I shake my head.

“The rogue killed her,” she whispers, wincing like it hurts to speak the words out loud. “He ambushed me at the lodge, and when I woke up, I was in one of the rental cabins, bleeding out.”

“Jesus,” I mutter, shaking my head. My heart constricts painfully as she continues on to recount the whole harrowing tale of her kidnapping and rescue, and I listen with rapt attention, drinking in every detail and thanking fate that my best friend made it out alive.

“When it seemed completely hopeless, he looked at me and basically declared his love,” Vee discloses, a fond smile tilting her lips. “Well actually, he said he hated me, but that means he loves me,” she adds.

I snort, wrinkling my nose. “You two are demented.”

Her eyes glint with mischief. “Maybe. Probably.” She waves a hand, laughing. “ Whatever, it may be weird, but it works!”

Our laughter is interrupted by the sound of the packhouse door opening, and I lift my gaze to see Callum walk in, looking rougher than I’ve ever seen him with dark circles etched beneath his eyes and his disheveled. hair sticking out in all directions. My breath catches in my throat and I nearly choke.

He doesn’t look up until he kicks the door closed behind him, but when he does, our eyes lock instantly and he freezes like a deer caught in the headlights. He definitely wasn’t expecting to see me here. I’m almost as surprised to see him, considering he still hasn’t returned my calls or messages.

“Chase is upstairs,” Vee informs him nonchalantly.

The two of us remain locked in a staring contest for a long moment, and Vienna picks up on it, her gaze sliding between us suspiciously.

There’s something off in his gaze. He’s not looking at me like he normally does- there’s no warmth behind his eyes; just cold, distant detachment. A sick feeling twists in my gut, signaling to me that something’s wrong.

I’m expecting him to come over and greet me in his usual way, with a cheeky smile or a filthy kiss. To pull me aside and tell me what’s wrong, so I can help him work through it. What I don’t expect is the aloof way he lifts his chin to me in acknowledgement before making a beeline for the staircase. I don’t expect for him to grip the banister and charge up the stairs two at a time, disappearing without a word.

My face burns, a stab of agony radiating from my chest as tears prick behind my eyes.

Vienna’s hand lands on my arm, my eyes fluttering up to meet hers. “What’s…” she starts to ask as the first hot tear slides down my cheek.

I wipe it away with a wrist, shaking my head. My throat’s tight, but somehow, I force out a choked admission. “We’ve been seeing each other. For a while now, actually. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just didn’t know what was going on between us and I wanted to figure it out for myself first, considering I had zero experience with dating.” I swallow hard, biting down hard on the inside of my cheek and forcing the tears back.

She furrows her brows, a little crease forming between them. “What happened?”

I blow out a frustrated breath and scrub a hand over my face. “I have no idea, Vee! We went to dinner at his parents’ house last night- they’re awful people, by the way- and something happened when I wasn’t in the room that made him just… shut down.”

Her frown deepens, and when her lips part to respond, I head her off.

“Look, I know you don’t like him,” I say.

“I ”

But you don’t know him like I do. He’s creative and smart and thoughtful… and he really sees me, ya know? It’s not just about the way I look on his arm. He sees me for me.” I lean forward, burying my face in my hands. “I know what you’re going to say,” I groan.

I feel Vienna’s hand on my back, stroking in soothing circles. “Ness…” She trails off and heaves a sigh.

“I may not be a fan of him, but I love you. So if he’s the one you want to be with and he makes you happy, I’ll learn to love him, too. It sounds like you two just need to talk and get to the bottom of whatever’s got him acting this way.”

I pick my head up, narrowing my eyes on her. “Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Vienna Vega?”

She snorts a laugh, shaking her head. “Girl, I’ve got a new lease on life after almost dying last night. If I learned anything, it’s that life’s too short, and that love… it’s all that matters.” She gets a faraway look in her eyes, the ghost of a smile creasing her lips.

“Love,” I sigh, sinking back into the leather cushion of the couch. “I’m not sure if that’s what this is, but it feels like it.” I swivel my head to face her and stare into her eyes earnestly. “It really feels like it, Vee.”

“Holy shit,” she whispers, her eyes rounding.

I swallow past the lump in my throat, glancing wistfully toward the staircase. “I kinda thought he’d ask me to run with him for the full moon tomorrow, but now everything’s all screwed up.”

Vienna reaches out to cup my cheek, forcing my eyes to hers. “Talk to him, Ness.”

I suck in a breath and nod. “I will.”

My heart clenches, simultaneously hopeful and terrified. Whatever happened at dinner last night, I’m sure we can talk through it. Callum and I are good together. I’m almost certain that whatever’s going on has more to do with his family than with me, so if I can just get him to open up, maybe we can get back on track. Maybe fate will conspire to give us the fairytale ending I’ve always dreamed of.

“And hey, I’d love it if you came here for the run tomorrow,” Vee adds, winking. “Chase is introducing me to his pack as his luna, so I need all the moral support I can get.”

“We’ll see,” I smile, allowing hope to take root inside me, filling the desolate spaces left by last night’s endless worrying.

My mom has always said that good things happen to good people. Fingers crossed that she’s right.