Broken Bond

Chapter 5

CALLUM

The Cedar Ridge ski resort is a winter tourist trap that sits just outside the edge of the six-pack’s territory, owned and operated by the six shifter packs that reside within.

Since we generally keep to ourselves, the ski resort was built as an income stream to keep our towns afloat, as well as the Cedar Ridge brewery just down the road.

The ski resort is shuttered in the summer months, but the brewery is open all year round so we have consistent revenue.

It’s a smart setup, but it also tempts us into wandering off-territory more than we probably should.

My boys and I spend a lot of time at the ski resort in the winter, though we generally stay away from the human tourists as best we can since one of the fundamental rules of shifter culture is to keep our existence a secret.

We’ve all been snowboarding for years, and we take full advantage of the fact that we've got a full-service ski resort right in our backyards.

The runs here are second to none, and while the guests staying at the resort pay hundreds of dollars a day for lift tickets and equipment rental, the six of us just show up whenever we want to board, free of charge.

It’s a pretty sweet setup, one that I never take for granted.

There’s a big lodge at the heart of the ski resort where the guests stay, complete with a restaurant and bar.

We’ve typically steered clear of the lodge in the past to avoid tangling with the human population, but ever since Chase discovered that Vienna works there, it has become a regular stop- off after we come down from the mountain.

I’ve been less against it since learning that Nessa works there, too, but I’ve yet to catch her on a shift.

Ever since the potential rogue sighting the other night, our packs have been on high alert.

Chase, ever the opportunist, somehow manipulated that into getting Vienna to give him a ride home at the end of her shift today under the guise of protection, so it’s just Levi and I in his truck as we depart the ski resort, Miles and Dare hopping in to ride with Alec like they usually do.

Right as we’re about to pull out of the parking lot, my phone vibrates with an incoming call, the name ‘Fuckface’ appearing on the screen.

He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.

I mash the red button to ignore the call, tossing my phone into the cupholder in the center console of Levi’s truck

"Troy again?" Levi asks, shooting me a side- eyed glance as he pulls out onto the forest road to head back to Norbury.

I grunt in confirmation and scrub a hand over my face.

I know I can’t avoid my stepdad forever- it’s only a matter of time before he gets sick of me dicking his calls and shows up at my door to ruin my fucking day in person- but for now, I don’t have the energy to listen to his bullshit.

It’s quiet in the cab of Levi’s truck, so I flick the button to turn on the radio, scrolling through the stations to find something worth listening to.

I finally land on one when my phone vibrates loudly against the cupholder and I bristle, glancing down at what’s visible of the screen.

It isn’t Fuckface calling twice in a row, though - it’s an incoming text.

I pick it up to get a better look, snorting when I read the message.

Vanessa: Would you rather be 11 feet tall or 9 inches tall?

Shaking my head with a chuckle, I open it up and start typing out a response.

Callum: Definitely 11 feet.

Chicks dig tall dudes.

You? Vanessa: Nine inches.

able to sneak into small spaces and listen in on everyone’s private conversations

me a suspicious glance, his eyes dropping to my phone screen to try to sneak

by shoving my phone

and off since the night of the bonfire, mostly silly would -you-rather hypotheticals that I can’t

I can

my skin prickle in irritation, effectively un-doing all the

it isn’t nearly enough to keep my particular demons

lined up for me yet?" I grind out, eyes still focused on the forest road

enough to take you

and I scrub my hand over

does, and I know that if I can’t find a way to let it out soon, it'll start to take

that seems to work

Vaughn understood that- he helped me harness my rage, channel it into something productive by

knowledge, though, so after he died, those

was on the verge of losing my shit, but then some drunken asshole challenged me to a fight one night, and I achieved that same catharsis from

the boys to watch, so they found me another opponent the next week and encouraged me to do it again,

until they couldn’t find any more takers.I guess

grumble,

joint.I dig into my pocket for one but come

off like it’s

"Yeah, yeah.I will."

the curves of the forest road.I

I’ve got a pretty good idea as

into

don’t have the patience for this kind of trivial shit right now, and for the life of me I still can’t

ridiculously hot, and beyond all logic, neither of them

swiping my hand over

clearly not

said anything to me? He knows I like her.""Do you

my gaze on

"What’s the difference?"

problem if he’s interested, too? Don’t act

his fist and swinging his arm sideways to deliver a

"Asshole," he mutters.

after a beat, "You think she’ll be at Serena’s birthday thing this weekend?" I shrug

with a few of

know?" Because I

fists around the steering wheel again, his jaw set in

gonna make my move.Maybe you can be my wingman, help me get Vienna and

head that I practically see my skull.As if I'd

that fight and

and he shoots me

if all else fails, you can always fight Miles

"Right," I snort.

who can actually throw a punch,

waving me

"I’m on it."

that I feel like I’m about to crawl out of my skin, and the last place I should probably

Tap is busier than I’ve ever seen it with the crowd that turned out for Serena’s birthday celebration, and if one more person

around and kill someone, and Alpha Vaughn isn’t

Chase is right there with me since Vienna showed up here tonight on the arm of some other dude, and his agitation is rubbing off on me, only further fueling my own.I shouldn’t stay here.I know it, but I can’t bring myself to leave, either, because I know Nessa plans