Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

Chapter 8

8

CALLUM 

The sound of a fist rapping loudly against my apartment door rouses me from a dead sleep. I‘m a little disoriented as I lift my head from the pillow, swiping drool from the corner of my mouth with a forearm while using my other elbow to push myself up against the scratchy cotton sheets. What time is it? 

The knocking continues. 

Whoever‘s there isn‘t giving up, so I pry myself from bed with a groan, the rusty old springs of my mattress answering with a groan of their own. Finding my feet and blinking against the harsh sunlight streaming in through the blinds in my bedroom, I swipe a pair of sweatpants off the floor and stumble into them as the pounding on my front door continues. 

“I‘m coming!” I growl out, not even attempting to mask my annoyance. A quick glance at the clock on my nightstand tells me it‘s 10:30 a.m., which is about typical for my fucked–up sleep pattern. Still, with how deeply I was sleeping, I could‘ve gotten another hour in if this prick wasn‘t pounding on my door. Whoever it is isn‘t going to get a warm reception, that‘s for sure. 

The banging is getting even more insistent, only stoking my irritation. 

“I said I‘m coming!” I bark loudly, stabbing my fingers through my hair to tame my bed head and dragging my feet against the vinyl plank flooring as I make my way down the short hall from the bedroom to the front door. It‘s practically rattling on its hinges while the person on the other side continues to beat on it. 

I flip the deadbolt and turn the knob, yanking the door open with my teeth bared and a growl rumbling in my chest. “The fuck do you want?!” 

My stomach drops when I see who‘s on the other side, his fist still raised mid knock. I groan loudly and go to shove the door shut, but my stepdad sticks his foot over the threshold and it bounces off his boot, swinging back. 

“You haven‘t been answering my phone calls,” Troy says as he shoulders his way inside. I step away, giving into the inevitability that he‘s not leaving until he fulfills whatever agenda he has. “Please, come in,” I grumble sarcastically, rolling my eyes and turning away to step into the small galley kitchen just off the front entrance of the apartment. I hate having my back to him– the feeling of his eyes boring into me makes my fucking skin crawl as I step over to the cabinet beside the sink. I open it to retrieve a glass from inside, turning on the faucet below and sticking the glass 

underneath. 

snick of the latch as it closes. I bristle,

ignoring my calls?” Troy asks, the sound of his familiar monotone grating on my nerves. Water spills over the top of the glass and

glass to my lips as water beads from my hand and runs down my bare chest. I take a big gulp of the water,

jaw ticks as he stares at me from just outside the doorway to the kitchen.

bothering to dignify his question with a response.

smirk. Then he

him in here. It‘s my sanctuary; my fortress of solitude. And now Fuckface is here, tainting it with his presence. I grit my

beat–up blue couch and plopping his ass down onto it. He spreads his arms across the deflated cushions behind

like how comfortable he‘s making himself in

to the old leather recliner at the far corner of the living room, putting as much space between the two of us as possible while still remaining in the same room. “And?” I question, settling the glass of water on the side table with a clink and grabbing a maroon zip–up hoodie off of the back of

gaze is still zeroed in on me. “And making him leave a party is a bit unnecessary, don’t you think?” He arches a brow. I reach for the water glass. “How so?”

my evasive responses are getting under his skin – Troy never outwardly shows emotion. “Well, it was a party at the

quiet in here. I can hear the tick of the clock on the wall, the heavy breaths that Troy is drawing. I grind my molars, my pulse quickening. “Ah, yes,” Troy nods. “And your friend is going to be taking his place soon as Alpha

I 

I snort, shaking my head. There‘s the agenda. “Why is that my problem?”. He sighs, uncrossing his legs and sitting up straighter. “Because like it or not, you‘re still part of this family, Callum. What‘s good for one of us is good for all of us. Spencer has what it takes to pull rank in this pack someday, and the first step to doing that is for him to become friendly with our Alpha.” He leans forward resting his elbows on his knees. “And rather than allow him the opportunity to do that,

rolling my eyes and grabbing for the water glass again. “Do you even know what goes on at those parties?” I scoff. “Trust me, that isn‘t something you want your golden boy to get mixed up in anyways.” I take a slow sip from the glass,

I won‘t have you embarrassing this family by chasing your own brother away from somewhere that he has every right to be. Do we understand one another?” I glare at him, my fists clenching on the arms of the recliner. Troy‘s eyes flicker down

have a problem

to lunge at him and haul my fists into his face, see the red of his blood paint the beige rug at his feet. Instead, I take slow, deep breaths, keeping the monster inside of me tightly caged. That‘s what he wants, after all for me to freak out and give him a reason to try to get me tossed from the pack again. I won‘t give him

pieces of mismatched furniture, a worn –out

latest sketches taped up. Bile crawls up my throat. Those are personal, and if I had it my way, I‘d gouge his eyes out for even looking at them. “The Alpha was far too soft on you after what you did,” he murmurs, his eyes still combing over the designs. “If that were me...” “Well good thing it wasn‘t then,” I bite back, shooting to my feet and sidestepping to position myself between the sketches and his judgmental stare. I‘m so close to the edge that my body is practically vibrating with dark energy. It‘s one thing for Troy to barge

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