Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

35

VANESSA

I glance over at Callum as he drives, the shadows dancing ominously across his profile.

He really is beautiful. His face is seared into my memory, but I still get caught up in looking at him sometimes, admiring his sharp jawline and impeccable bone structure. The symmetry of his features is almost too perfect to be real- like he was cut from stone, some sculptor’s fantasy brought to life.

It’s not his face that gets me, though. Or even his body, stacked with mouth- watering lean muscle that ripples with every movement. It’s the way he sets me ablaze with a single glance. The way he puts on a hard front with other people but softens all of his sharp edges for me. The way he lets me see the real him, and the way he really sees me.

It’s the sweet words and the gentle touches and the all-consuming intensity of his presence. Every time I’m with him, I’m reminded why I fell for him in the first place- and why even after everything he put me through, I’m still hopelessly, crazily, irrevocably in love with Callum Conway. 2

We spent hours up on that mountain overlook today. We kissed and cuddled and spilled our secrets, then watched the sun set over the horizon. I didn’t want to leave, afraid that the spell would wear off the moment we did. It hasn’t yet, and now I’m watching him from the

passenger seat, contemplating what life could look like if I opened myself up to trusting him again.

The truth is, I want to forgive him. I want to move forward. It’s not pride or

stubbornness that’s holding me back, it’s the crippling fear that he’ll abandon me again and I won’t be able to survive it a second time. Loving and being loved by Callum isn’t safe or sensible, but it sets my soul on fire. It makes me feel truly awake and alive, and now that I’ve been without that fire and had it reignited, I know there’s no going back. This is it.

He’s it.

The way he opened up to me today revealed that there’s a way forward for us, but it’s still scary and uncertain. It doesn’t come with any guarantees. I just have to decide if I’m willing to take the leap of faith; if I’m willing to trust him to be there to catch me if I do.

I’m so tangled up in my own thoughts that I don’t even realize we’ve made it back to the packhouse until Cal cuts the engine of the Corvette, unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the car to walk me to the door. As we start up the front walk, I contemplate asking him to come inside, not ready to leave this little bubble of contentment we’ve been in all day. The invitation is on the tip of my tongue when the door swings open before we can even reach it, Vienna peering out at the two of us anxiously.

“Good, you’re back,” she breathes, ushering me inside. I hesitate, but then she looks pointedly toward Cal, beckoning him with a lift of her chin. ” You too, Romeo. Come on in.”

My brow furrows in confusion, but Vee doesn’t clue me in as to what’s going on. My puzzlement is short lived, though- understanding quickly dawns on me when I cross the threshold and spot Rob and Chase standing together in the kitchen waiting for us.

up my spine. Chase said he was going to ask Rob about Cal’s incident last year when he returned

a low murmur. “Not trying to ambush you with this, but after you told me about what happened last year,

settle on me. When I see his shuttered gaze, I suddenly feel guilty for asking Chase to do this, forcing Cal to dredge up his past yet again. My intentions are good, though. What if this could help him

aren’t really what

Chase, giving him a jerky nod in agreement. I release a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. This is it the moment of truth. Maybe whatever

seats around the big leather sectional and settling in. I plop down right beside Cal, setting a hand on his thigh and giving him a pointed look.” You’ve got this’, I communicate silently, and he covers my hand with one of his own, his thumb idly gliding

starters, you’re right that Vaughn had doubts about what happened

lock of his salt and pepper hair flopping down over his brow. “That’s why he wanted to investigate it himself rather than just sending our pack’s

together in front of him, his expression stern. He can really turn on the whole serious Alpha thing like a

Troy hauled Cal in here that night, demanding exile. It’s not

Cal mutters, his body tensing beside mine. I give his

sincerity. “He thought about what he would’ve done if it were you that night. He’d have asked for leniency, not exile. Maybe even taken the blame himself. He would’ve tried to protect

weight in his seat. “Slight problem with that comparison,” he grits out. “Troy isn’t half the man Alpha Vaughn

Cal again. “Maybe not, but it still didn’t sit right with him

how shaken up you were that night, so he knew it wasn’t an act

Chase murmurs, staring down at his interlaced

Young. Stupid.”

“Exactly,” Rob sighs.

silence falls over the room, and I can’t help but feel a little bit deflated. I was hoping that Rob would be able to provide something we were missing. The fact that Troy’s a jerk who doesn’t give a shit about Cal isn’t

questions, shifting eagerly on the edge of her seat. She’s been really into true crime documentaries lately, so

a call girl,” he says. “Apparently she was staying at the lodge with some rich guy all week. He left the night before and paid up the

asked me for money,” Callum

was taking a night off,” Rob suggests. “Or maybe she’d already had a paying customer earlier, because she had a bunch of cash in her purse. Vaughn was more caught up on Troy’s reaction to the whole thing, though. Given how pushy he was about you being punished, Vaughn thought that Troy being the one there who just happened to

up. “He thought it was a

frowning. “He couldn’t

vindicated, my heart soaring. I knew there was something off about this story, and based upon what Rob just told us, I’m not the only one. Alpha Vaughn suspected something fishy, too. Armed with that knowledge, maybe now we can finally do what he couldn’t- get to the bottom of what really happened last year. If my hunch is right, then maybe we can finally put Troy in his place. Maybe Cal can finally come