Page 70 of Alpha Chase

I lift my head, drawing a ragged breath as I swipe the tears from my cheeks with my palms. I’m scheduled for a shift today, so I guess I’ll just go in early. It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else to go.

As I start my car and pull away from the curb in front of Nessa’s house, bound for the lodge, an empty, desolate feeling settles over me. My life hasn’t always been easy, but good things have always been peppered in there. For the first time, though, I’m struggling to find any bright spots. Everything just feels so hopeless. I’ve never felt so alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Chase

“I’mcoming!”Igroan,dragging my feet as I shuffle to the front door of the packhouse. The person on the other side is pounding on it incessantly, and I’m tempted to pound my own fists into whoever it is once I get the damn thing open. I had a rough fucking day yesterday followed by barely any sleep last night, and if this relentless knocking is anything to go by, today is already shaping up to be just as shitty.

I wrap my hand around the knob, turning it and yanking the door open with more force than necessary, a frustrated sigh escaping my lips. “What do you want?” I growl out, my body going rigid when my eyes drop to the small girl on the other side.

Soft dark hair, big brown eyes, and a deep scowl twisting those pouty lips.

My little devil in the flesh.

She cocks out a hip and throws a hand on it, extending the other toward me, palm-up. “My phone.”

I’m frozen in place, my brain struggling to process the fact that Vienna’s really standing here in front of me right now. Over the past twenty-four hours, I’ve thought of a million different things to say to her to try to smooth things over, figuring I’d have to track her down at her job to take a stab at it. Now she’s here, though, standing right the fuck in front of me, and I’m so thrown off by her sudden appearance that I can’t seem to conjure up a single coherent thought.

“Chase,” she grunts, her tone dripping with impatience.

“Uh, yeah, c’mon in,” I mumble, my feet heavy as I step aside to allow her entry.

Vienna shoulder-checks me on her way over the threshold, her raspberry and rosewater scent immediately assaulting my senses.Why does she always have to smell so fucking good?It throws me off my game even more, my head a jumbled mess and my stomach twisting itself into knots.

She struts inside, my eyes trailing up her form as her hips sway with every sassy step until she grinds to an abrupt halt, folding her arms over her chest and spinning to face me. That scowl is still on her lips, her eyes blazing, and an excited torrent of energy ripples through me as I take her in, pushing the front door closed.

It’d help if I didn’t like her when she’s mad. That fierce look in her eyes ignites something in my bones every time I see it, pumping life into my veins and kickstarting the cold, dead thing in my chest. I take a step toward her, but am immediately met with her raised hand, imploring me not to come any closer.

Fuck.She isn’t going to make this easy.

I halt my advance and blow out a breath, burying a hand in my hair. “About yesterday…”

Vienna shakes her head, tendrils of dark hair swishing in front of her face. My fingers twitch at my sides, itching to run through the soft-as-fuck strands.

“Just don’t, Chase. Don’t waste your breath.”

My shoulders slump. “You’re still pissed,” I grit out, assessing her.

The fire in her eyes flares, mayhem igniting in those warm brown irises. “Yup,” she replies flatly, popping the P.

Physically incapable of keeping my distance for another second, I resume striding toward her. “Well can we talk about it?”

She shakes her head again adamantly. “I don’t have anything to say. And I think you’ve already said enough.”

I stop in front of Vienna, getting right up in her space and hovering over her, pinning her under my heated gaze. “Then do you wannanottalk about it?” I murmur, reaching out to coast my fingertips along her jawline, tipping her chin up.

She flinches away from my touch and steps back, my hackles raising as the sting of rejection burns through my bloodstream.

“I just want my phone,” she grumbles, wrapping her arms around herself protectively, eyes dropping to the floor and refusing to meet my own.

“Why are you being like this?” I blurt, skin prickling from the surge of anger that roars through me in response to her dismissal. “I didn’t do that shit yesterday on purpose, you know. And even if I did, why the fuck would you be so offended? You’d be lucky to bear an Alpha’s mark.”

“Lucky?” she screeches, eyes wide in disbelief as she takes a step forward and shoves at my chest. “Yeah, I’d be real fuckin’ lucky to be claimed by someone who doesn’t even…” her voice trails off and she shakes her head, throat working hard with a swallow as she squeezes her eyes shut and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Just give me my phone.”

The burn of her rejection is all-consuming, my blood boiling in my veins as I stride over to the kitchen table and swipe her phone up, holding it out. She walks over to collect it, extending a hand, and I slap the phone down onto her waiting palm, her empty eyes meeting mine as something in my chest shatters.

The soft ends of her hair whip against my arm as she spins around to head for the door, feet stomping against the hardwood.

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