Page 25 of Alpha Chase

She smiles back warmly, brown eyes twinkling. “Hey, Lee.”

Jesus, these two have pet names for each other now? Fucking gag me.

“I’m keeping an eye on the rogue situation,” I say flatly in response to her prior question.

Vienna turns her attention back to me, cocking a brow. “Oh really?” she asks dubiously, flipping her long wavy hair over her shoulders again and leaning forward on her arms over the bar top. Fuck she smells good. My eyes trace the delicate lines of swirling black ink up her arm before landing on those pouty pink lips as she speaks. “Seems like grunt work for an alpha. Surely a squad warrior could look after the lodge so you can focus on all of yourimportantalpha duties, like snowboarding and throwing parties.”

Guess she’s still pissed about last night.Still, I don’t miss a beat, leveling her with a glare as my lip curls back from my teeth. “Trust me, it wasn’t my choice to sit here and watch you fulfill all of yourimportantwaitress duties, like slinging drinks and mopping the floors.”

Vienna frowns, sliding her arms from the counter and taking a step back. “Well unfortunately for you, my shift just ended, so I guess you’ll have to torment the next lowly waitress instead. I’ve got more important things to do than sit here and be harassed.”

I narrow my eyes, studying her as a smirk comes to my lips. “Oh yeah, like what?”

“None of your damn business.” She folds her arms over her chest, pushing those glorious tits together beneath her snug-fitting white polo shirt. Then a devious smile comes to her lips, that mischievous fire alight in her eyes. “I’m meeting up with a friend. Someone who’s a lot better company thanyou. Better looking, too.”

I feel my smirk falter as a frisson of irritation pricks up my spine. My wolf sends an unwelcome wave of possessive energy through me, right as Vienna’s cell phone buzzes on the bar top, an incoming message flashing across the screen. My eyes flicker to her phone, and before she can reach for it, I snatch it up.

“Hey!” she objects, lunging forward frantically, grabbing for her phone. Too bad she’s five-foot-nothing and there’s a wide bar positioned between us.

“Who’s been texting you?” I tease, holding her phone just out of her reach as she continues to jump and struggle to grab it. I look up at the screen, and though the large crack in it partially obstructs the words of the message, I’m able to see who the sender is. I can’t keep the grin from spreading across my face. “So that’s who’s better looking than me, eh? Fallon?”

An angry red flush creeps up Vienna’s neck, staining her cheeks. “Give it back.”

I lower her phone, squinting to read the text. “She wants you to meet her at my packhouse,” I say, tossing the phone back at her.

Vienna scrambles to catch it, the phone nearly slipping from her hands. Her face scrunches up in a scowl and she shoots daggers at me through her eyes.

“That works for me,” I shrug. “I rode with Levi today, so I’ll just catch a ride with you.”

Her brows lift in surprise, eyes widening. “What? No. Absolutely not.”

“Why not? It’ll saveLeea trip.” I emphasize her stupid nickname for him in a sneer, eyes flickering over to my friend.

“No,” she says flatly.

I grin back at her. “Sorry, small fry. You don’t have much of a choice. Part of keeping an eye on the rogue situation is keeping an eye onyou, since you were around both times he showed up. Gray thinks you could be a target, so he’s forcing me to babysit.”

Vienna stares at me for a moment, considering, before mumbling “great.” She turns on a heel and walks away, my eyes glued to her fucking perfect ass as she walks over to the computer to punch something in. She must be clocking out, because she bends down to retrieve her jacket from a cubby underneath the bar next, stuffing her arms into the sleeves in a huff and stepping out from behind the bar. “Well c’mon, I’m not going to wait around for you,” she mutters as she struts over, passing me and continuing toward the exit.

I shoot up from my stool, turning to lean in between Cal and Levi, setting a hand on each of their shoulders. “See ya, boys,” I drawl with a shit-eating grin on my face, clapping them on their backs as I turn to follow Vienna.

Even though she’s already halfway to the door, I catch up with her in a few long strides. She gives me a heavy dose of the silent treatment as we walk side-by-side out of the lodge and through the parking lot. It feels like I’m walking at a fucking snail’s pace to match the stride of her short legs. I don’t know what kind of car I pictured Vienna driving, but I’m caught off guard when she walks up to the oldest, shittiest little Honda in the lot, sticking her key in the door to unlock it.

“Jesus, is this your car?” I ask, lip curling in disgust as I take in the lump of corroded metal that can barely pass as a ‘car’. The cherry red paint is faded and chipped and there’s a big dent in the hood.

She turns to shoot me a glare. “Yeah, what about it?” she grinds out, pulling the door open as the hinges creak in protest.

I kick at the rusty bumper as I stroll around to the passenger side. “It’s a piece of crap.”

For a moment, that unreadable mask of hers slips, a flash of hurt in her eyes. She quickly covers it up, though, dropping into the drivers’ seat with a heavy sigh and leaning over the center console to unlock the passenger door. “Yeah, well not all of us grew up with a silver spoon in our mouths,” she mutters as I wrench the door open, metal hinges grinding and setting my teeth on edge.

I struggle to climb into the passenger seat, tucking my knees until they’re practically in my chest. Not only is this car a piece of shit, but it’s entirely too small for someone of my stature. “You don’t know anything about how I grew up,” I grumble as I yank the door closed and she turns the key in the ignition, the tired engine groaning as it turns over.

“No?” she asks, looking over as she shifts the gear into reverse. “Enlighten me, then.”

I pause, considering. Her foot’s still on the brake, eyes trained on mine, coaxing me to spill my secrets. For a second, I’m even tempted. A lifetime of concealing my inner demons has me shaking my head though, jaw locked tightly. “Nah.”

After her attempt to pry into my background falls flat, Vienna continues giving me the silent treatment for most of the ride to Norbury. My knees fucking ache from the way they’re wrenched to my chest with the hard plastic of the dashboard digging into them, but I just grit my teeth and bear it. The ride’s not all bad- Vienna’s potent scent is trapped in the enclosed space of the car, swirling around me until I’m practically salivating.

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