Chapter 7: Chapter 7

7 VANESSA “I‘ll be out of your hair in a few days,” Vienna explains to my mom as she takes a dish of green beans from her hands.

“Oh, stop,” Mom scolds, swatting Vee on the butt with a kitchen towel. “You know you‘re welcome to stay as long as you like. We love having you here!” I pick up a basket of rolls, shooting my friend a wide grin.

“Yeah, just think of it as an extended sleepover!”

She smiles wryly, following me to the kitchen table to deposit the food. The whole house smells amazing– my mom always cooks hearty dinners, but she pulls out all the stops when we have company.

Although Vienna can hardly be considered‘ company‘– she‘s practically family. This isn‘t the first time Vee has crashed at my house, but it‘s the first time she‘s arrived with a duffel bag in tow and expressed her intention of staying for longer than a single night. I‘m glad she did. When she called me early this morning, I could tell by the tone of her voice that something was wrong, and when she showed up at my door, the look on her face confirmed it. I‘m pretty sure her mom‘s boyfriend has been hitting her.

It‘s little things I‘ve picked up on– fading bruises, the way Vee flinches when I mention him. I keep waiting for her to come clean and tell me what‘s going on, but so far, she hasn‘t. I‘d confront her if I thought she was in any real danger, but she‘s trained as a warrior for the security squad; she fought in the war against the shadow pack. The girl is a scrapper who can hold her own. I‘ll be here for her when she‘s ready to talk about it, but until then, I‘ll support her in any way I can, like giving her a place to crash.

Because that‘s what best friends do.

I duck out of the way as my dad sets a huge platter of roasted chicken in the center of the table. “I think you‘ve outdone yourself, babe,” he calls back to my mom, hitting her with a dazzling smile. “This looks incredible.”

Mom smiles back, a blush forming on her cheeks. Even after all these years, the man still makes her blush.

Damn, I want that. 1 “Ness, will you tell your brothers it‘s time to eat?” Mom asks, reaching behind her back to untie her apron.

I nod and make my way out of the kitchen and into the living room. Marco and Matias are sitting side by side on the couch, both zeroed in on some zombie video game they‘re playing as their fingers mash the buttons on the controllers. They‘re eleven–year–old twins, little carbon copies of one another in so many ways and completely inseparable. I march up to the couch, leaning over it to reach for the big gaming headphones on Marco‘s head and tugging them down. As soon as I do, he whips toward me with his mouth agape in protest, but I just hit him with a big grin. “Dinner time, zombie hunters.” I half expect the twins to put up more of a fight, but they both toss their controllers aside in near–perfect synchronicity, hopping up from the couch to comply. “Lucas and Raf?” I question, glancing around the living room in search of my other two little brothers. They‘re six and eight, and the two of them are always either raising hell or somehow hiding in plain sight. “Upstairs working on their pillow fort,” my teenage sister Elena provides as she strolls into the room from the foyer. “Mia, too.” “Wanna go grab them?” I ask. “Dinner‘s ready.”

She groans like a typical moody teenager, but she spins on a heel, trudging back toward the foyer to retrieve our siblings from upstairs.

I stroll back into the kitchen to find the others already taking their seats around the table, eager to dig into the feast my mom prepared. Dad takes the lead in passing around the food while Mom plates up dinner for the younger kids, and once the little kids come down and everyone settles in, Mom immediately starts in on teasing Vienna.

“Only one piece of chicken?” she tuts. “That‘s why you‘re so tiny! Here, take another.” Before Vienna can protest, Mom picks up the tongs and snatches another piece from the platter, dropping it unceremoniously onto Vienna‘s plate.

I chuckle, shaking my head as I cut into my own piece of chicken. “Leave her alone, Ma.” I shoot my friend an apologetic glance, but for the first time since she arrived, she has a genuine smile on her face, a laugh slipping from her throat. Maybe this is what she needed after what was clearly a rough night– a little slice of normalcy. My mom has been teasing Vee about her petite stature since we were children, offering her food like she‘s one good meal away from a growth spurt. It‘s her way of showing she cares.

“Has the lodge been busy this season?” Dad asks, making casual conversation as he cuts into a chicken breast.

“Definitely,” I reply as I start in on my own. I nod toward Vienna. “Vee has been picking up a bunch of extra shifts. Seems they‘re always short–staffed lately.” Elena has been focused on her dinner plate, but she suddenly perks up, our conversation catching her interest. “Is it true about the rogue?” she inquires, wide–eyed. “Some kids at school said they heard one was spotted up there.” “The squad‘s on it,” Vienna answers between bites of food. “Nothing to worry about.”

I catch my parents exchanging glances, but they don‘t say anything. If they‘re concerned, they‘ll bring it up later without the little kids around. Too bad the boys already heard the word ‘rogue‘, though, because their interest is officially piqued. “A real rogue?” Lucas asks, blinking. “Did you see him?” Raf demands.

“What did he look like?” Lucas cuts in again.

Vienna laughs, shaking her head as she stabs another piece of chicken with her fork. “Yes, I saw him,”

she says, popping the bite into her mouth and chewing. The boys stare at her in anticipation as she chews, practically vibrating with excitement.

“And?” Raf presses, unable to contain his curiosity for another second.

Vee shrugs. “He just looked like a man. Honestly, it wasn‘t a big deal.” My brothers scowl, clearly disappointed by her anticlimactic answer. “It‘s a big enough deal for Alpha Chase to be checking in on you,” I quip, shooting Vienna a wink. I jump as I get a kick to the shin under the table while she glares daggers back at me, but it‘s too late – my mom‘s now zeroed in on Vienna, her eyebrows raised so high that they practically reach her hairline. “An Alpha, huh?” Mom asks slyly, a smirk creasing her lips. “The young one from Norbury?” “That‘s the one!” I chirp, smiling brightly at Vienna while she continues to glare at me.

Mom chuckles, nudging Vienna with her elbow. “Good for you, Vee. All you girls do is work, it‘s about time you had some excitement in your lives.” “It‘s not... we‘re not...” she stammers, suddenly flustered.

Leave it to my mom to render Vienna Vega speechless. “They‘re still getting to know each other,” I supply, hitting Vee with a teasing smirk. She continues to glower at me. Mom can‘t wipe the smile off her face, unable to conceal her delight. Vienna‘s like another daughter to her, so the prospect of her dating an alpha is an exciting one that has her beaming with pride. She pops a forkful of green beans into her mouth, still grinning as she chews. 1 “What about you, Nessa?” Dad asks, arching a brow in my direction. “Any special guy in your life these days?”

I roll my eyes and reach for my water glass. They always ask this question, even though my answer is always the same. My parents know I don‘t date. Still, that doesn‘t stop them from not–so–subtly encouraging me. “Maybe the alpha has a friend for you,” Mom suggests teasingly. My stomach drops and my cheeks heat. She doesn‘t know how right she is. Now it‘s Vienna‘s turn to hit me with a smug smirk, sliding her gaze over to my parents as she swallows down a bite of food. She sets down her fork, folding her hands in front of her. “Actually, Nessa...” “Ow!” Elena screams out, wincing as she shoves back in her chair dramatically and leans down to rub her shin. Whoops– I must‘ve accidentally kicked my sister when I was aiming for Vienna.

“What happened?” Mom asks, her eyes rounded in concern.

“Nessa kicked me!” Elena whines.

Dad turns his surprised gaze on me. “Nessa!” I hold up my hands in surrender. “It was an accident!” 1 Lucky for me, the topic of conversation is lost in the commotion, Elena playing up her injury like a damn drama queen while my parents scold me for not being more careful. By the time the excitement dies down, the twins have wolfed down their food and are begging to return to their video game, while Mia is lobbying for us all to watch Beauty and the Beast after dinner.

TT “What happened to Frozen?” Vienna asks Mia.

“That was last week,” Mom and Dad reply in unison. Their eyes meet and they share a knowing smile.

They‘re so in sync that it‘s scary sometimes. After we‘ve all cleaned our plates and most of my siblings have disappeared from the table, I feel my phone vibrate in the back pocket of my jeans and resist the urge to grab for it. I‘ve been texting with Callum on and off today, but I‘ve had to be discreet about it with Vienna around. She asked me this morning why I didn‘t make it to Serena‘s party last night, and rather than spilling my guts to her like I usually do, I panicked and told her that I stayed in because I wasn‘t feeling well.

I‘m not sure why I lied.

I‘m not a liar by nature, and I don‘t lie to Vienna. At least I didn‘t, until now.

I guess I‘m still a little freaked out about last night, and I‘m trying to make sense of it all in my own head before I admit what happened out loud. The problem is, every time I let my mind wander, I‘m right back at that bonfire pit, kissing Callum.

Heat crawls up my neck just at the thought of it, my fingers itching to reach for my phone and check my messages. This is all uncharted territory for me: the texting, the giddiness, the kissing. The lying. I keep asking myself why now, why him? Yet somehow, it‘s like the kiss itself answered both of those questions.

It felt right. Magical. And... I definitely want to do it again. “Vee and I can clean up,” I offer, plucking my napkin off my lap and dropping it down onto the table.

“Can we watch the movie now?” Mia begs.

Mom laughs, nodding as she rises from her chair. “Let‘s go, chiquita.” My sister squeals with glee and my parents take her in the other room to get her movie set up, while Vienna and I immediately start clearing the table, depositing the plates and cutlery in the sink and packaging up the leftovers. The whole time, my phone feels like a lead weight in my back pocket.

Even though we have a big house, my family is bigger. I share a room with my sister Elena and now that Vee‘s staying here, she‘s bunking in with us. We‘ve got her set up on a futon mattress on the floor, and after we all settle in for the night, I lie awake for what feels like forever, listening for the two of them to fall asleep.

Tonight was definitely an exercise in restraint, because I’ve ignored my phone since dinner. I feel a little guilty for keeping Vee in the dark about what‘s going on with Callum, but until I figure out what it is the two of us are doing, I want to keep it just between us.

I have no idea what I’m doing.

As soon as I hear the sound of Vienna and Elena‘s breathing even out, I grab for my phone, throwing the covers over my head and pressing the home button to illuminate the screen. There‘s a new text message from Callum waiting, and my heart starts to pound as I open it up beneath my cocoon of blankets. Callum: Would you rather win $25,000 or have your best friend win $100,000? I can‘t keep the dopey grin from spreading across my face as I read it. I‘ve lost count of how many would–you–rather questions we‘ve volleyed back and forth at this point, but I‘ve been enjoying the game. You can learn a lot about a person based on their answers, and I‘m slowly but surely getting to know the mysterious Callum Conway through these silly hypotheticals.

Vanessa: Easy. 100k to my bestie. Callum: How‘d I know that would be your answer? I chuckle softly to myself, pulling the covers tighter around me to conceal the light from my phone.

Vanessa: Well to be fair, I bet she‘d share her winnings with me.

Vanessa: Which would you choose?

The little grey bubble pops up to indicate he‘s typing, and after a beat, my phone vibrates in my hands, his response coming through. Callum: I‘d take the 25,000 and run. My best friend doesn‘t need it, he‘s loaded.

Vanessa: And if he wasn‘t? Callum: That wasn‘t part of the question, was it? I drag my lower lip between my teeth, rolling my eyes. Vanessa: Okay, fine. Would you rather take that 25k in cash, or travel the world for free for a year?

His response is instant.

Callum: Travel.

I grin.

Vanessa: Me too.

Callum: Do you ever think about it?

I furrow my brow, not understanding his meaning. Vanessa: About what?

Callum: Leaving. I just stare at my phone screen for a moment, my eyes tracing over the letters of that word over and over. That‘s the problem with text messages, they‘re missing crucial parts of language, like the inflection in a voice and the expressions that accompany it. I can‘t tell if he‘s being sarcastic or serious, so I decide to go with a lighthearted response.

Vanessa: I‘d make a terrible rogue. Not nearly intimidating enough ;)

I watch the little bubble pop up that shows he‘s typing a response, but then it disappears. I continue to stare at my phone for a while longer, but it doesn‘t come back, and eventually my eyes start to get heavy.

I drift off to sleep with my head still under the covers and my phone resting on my chest, wondering what he truly meant by that question– and if it was the most telling one about him yet.