Chapter 32


    32


    VANESSA


    “You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” Iugh as Vienna pulls me by the hand down a


    well-worn forest trail. Half an hour ago, she busted into my room and told me to put on a bikini, all cloak


    and dagger about giving me any details as to where she was taking me. All she said was that it’d been


    too long since I’d had any real fun, and since I couldn’t disagree with that, I humored her.


    I put on my favorite white crochet bikini and my second favorite pair of cutoff jean shorts – since my


    favorites were a casualty of my hasty shift to run away from Callumst week- and hopped into Vee’s


    Jeep with her. I thought it was safe to assume we were going swimming, so imagine my surprise when


    she pulled into the parking lot of the squadplex in Goldenleaf. Then my confusion only multiplied


    after we got out of the car and she bypassed the entry gate for theplex to head for this trail


    instead.


    “You’ll see,” Vee answers conspiratorially, shooting me a devious smirk over her shoulder.


    My arm jerks in her grasp as she continues tugging me along, my flip flops pping against my heels


    with every step. If I knew we were going for a hike, I would’ve chosen morefortable footwear- but


    given the fact that Vienna also wore sandals, I can’t imagine that wherever we’re going is a far jaunt.


    Though we’re putting more distance between ourselves and theplex, I swear the dull hum of music


    is getting louder. I start to hear voices too, clueing me in that we won’t be alone once we reach our


    destination. What’s this girl up to?


    “C’mon,” Vienna urges, veering sharply off the trail onto a narrower path and nearly pulling my shoulder


    out of its socket in the process.


    I stumble to follow her, a rogue branch catching in my hair. “Slow down!” Iugh as I pull it free,


    wrenching my arm out of her


    grasp. We’re headed down a gradual incline, I realize, and the music and chatter in the distance are


    now unmistakable. It sounds like there’s a full-blown party happening in the woods and we’re headed


    right for it.


    My suspicions are confirmed when we hit the end of the path, a break in the trees revealing our


    destination: a swimming hole. I skid to a stop, my jaw going ck as I take in the scene before me.


    For starters, the swimming hole itself is beautiful. It’s bordered on one side by a tall rock face, a thin


    waterfall cascading down over the stone into therge pool below. The side we’re on boasts a wide, t


    bank, and both the bank and the swimming hole itself are packed with bodies; guys in board shorts


    unting their bare, muscr chests and scantily d girls in skimpy bikinis.


    “What is all this?” I ask incredulously, lifting my aviator sunsses to rest atop my head as my eyes


    ping from the throng of people to the beer kegs floating in tubs of ice, to the big speaker ying music.


    Vee grins proudly, linking her arm with mine. “Party for the squad. They randomly throw these when it’s


    too hot to train outside and we all need a break. Boosts morale.” She tosses me a wink, taking a step


    forward and urging me along with her.


    Now that I’m here, I vaguely remember Vienna telling me about a party like this once before. Hearing


    about it and seeing it with my own eyes are two different things, though- the scene before me is straight


    out of a movie, hands clutching red stic cups, couples canoodling, and groups of friends sshing


    around in the water. I can’t help but grin as we wander down the bank; this is definitely the pick-me-up


    I’ve been needingtely.


    “Hey, you made it!” Levi greets, approaching us with his signature charismatic grin. He’s carrying a


    stic cup in each hand, foamy beer sloshing out of the tops with each step.


    “Where’s…?” Vee starts to ask, but her voice trails off into a scream when a thick set of arms wrap


    around her torso from behind, lifting her off the ground. She giggles and kicks as Chase hauls her up to


    nuzzle into her neck, nipping her skin yfully.


    Iugh at their disy while Levi rolls his eyes, thrusting one of the cups of beer in my direction. “You’ll


    probably need this,” he warns, his gaze flickering past me in warning.


    I turn over a shoulder to follow his line of sight, spotting a familiar shock of blonde hair and a pair of


    wide, apologetic hazel eyes. I whip my head back around with a barely disguised wince, taking the cup


    from Levi gratefully and raising it to my lips. He gives me a little nod, backing off as Mileses up


    behind me, his hand brushing my arm.


    “Hey, can we talk?” he asks, my muscles tensing reflexively at his slight contact.


    I swallow down a big gulp of beer, my lips lingering on the rim of the cup as I slowly turn to face him.


    I haven’t seen Miles since the day Cal punched him at the packhouse, though I know a conversation


    between us is long overdue. At first, I was avoiding him because I was still fuming over the stupid bet,


    but after that kiss with Callum yesterday, now I’m the one feeling guilty.


    I nod, taking another long sip from the cup before lowering it.


    Miles blows out a breath, hanging his head sheepishly. “I know I fucked up with that bet,” he grumbles.


    “I’m really sorry.”


    “I know,” I reply quickly. “Honestly, I don’t want to rehash that whole thing. I just…” my voice trails off as


    I get a prickly feeling like I’m being watched, and immediately, I know who it is. Just as before, I feel


    Callum’s presence before I even see him. I turn to seek him out, my eyes drawn to his like a ma.


    My breath catches in my throat when our gazes lock.


    He’s standing beside the beer keg, puffing on a joint while Logan fills his cup. The two of them are like


    bad boy eye candy with their chiseled, tattooed bodies, and I can’t help the way my own body reacts to


    the sight of Callum. Heat crawls up my neck, my cheeks flushing. I look away, back toward Miles, but


    suddenly I’m tongue tied, my mind going nk.


    What were we talking about, again?


    Miles isn’t the most clever guy I’ve met, but he’d have to be blind not to pick up on the reason for my


    distraction. His gaze bounces from Callum to me, his throat bobbing with a hard swallow. The look on


    his face betrays his emotions, and damnit if I don’t feel even more guilty when I see the defeated look


    in his eyes.


    I down the rest of my beer.


    “This isn’t going to work out, is it?” Miles asks, his voice soft. “You and me.”


    I open my mouth to respond, but no soundes out. The people pleaser in me wants to say


    something to soften the blow and spare his feelings, but I know giving him false hope won’t do either of


    us any favors. I tried with Miles, I really did, but I just never felt that spark. I didn’t even realize how


    much I needed to feel that until Callum came back, and one look from those blue-green eyes set me


    aze.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Miles is a good person. Sure, everybody has their faults, but he’s kind, loyal, and decidedly


    uplicated. He always offered a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear when I needed it. I doubt


    anyone else would’ve been as patient with me as he’s been. He would be the sensible choice, but deep


    down, I know something would always be missing.


    I grind my mrs, searching for the right words to say. “Miles, you’re a great guy, but I’m not him,” he


    finishes.


    Exactly.


    I blow out a breath, eyes pricking with unshed tears. “I’m sorry.”


    Miles heaves a sigh, hanging his head and kicking at the sandy bank dejectedly. I half expect him to


    get defensive or angry, but when he looks up at me again, his gaze is resigned. “Hey, no hard feelings,”


    he offers. “I kinda saw iting. I want you to be happy, you deserve that. But I deserve it, too.” His


    eyes slide between Callum and I once more. “I hope I’ll find someone someday who looks at me like


    that.”


    He’s taking this way better than expected, which only makes me feel like more of a jerk. I don’t know


    what to say to that, but thankfully, he doesn’t stick around for a response. The blow to his ego is


    probably too much. Miles just offers me a weak smile and shuffles away without another word, only to


    be reced by Vienna secondster.


    “How’d that go?” she asks, wide-eyed in curiosity.


    I grimace, shrugging a shoulder. “Better than expected. Guess I’m officially single.”


    Vee shoots a nce toward Cal, snorting. ” Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” She smirks knowingly,


    reaching forward to pluck my empty cup from my hand “Need a refill?”


    “Sure,” I breathe. I don’t have to look to know that Callum is still posted up by the keg; I’ve felt his eyes


    burning into the side of my face ever since I looked his way. I’m not quite ready to go over there and


    talk to him yet. I wrap an arm around my waist, fingertips brushing the little cherry tattoo on my ribcage.


    “Remember to make him work for it,”


    Vienna clucks, tossing me a wink as she heads over to the keg to pour us fresh beers.


    I nce out toward the water, watching the hard-bodied squad fighters swimming and sshing


    around. The longer I stand out here under the scorching heat of the sun with beads of sweat rolling


    down my spine, the more inviting the water looks.


    “You did the right thing,” Chase murmurs, approaching me with a rueful grin. I’m not surprised that


    Miles already filled him in on our little chat. He takes a sip of his beer, licking the foam from his top lip.


    “I know Cal has his demons, but he’s trying to work past them.”


    “I don’t think he did it, Chase,” I say decisively, shaking my head. I probably sound like a crazy girl in


    denial right now, but I’ve been thinking about it since Cal admitted the truth, and something just doesn’t


    add up in my brain. “There had to be some sort of mistake. I know him, and it doesn’t make sense.”


    Chase takes me by the elbow, tugging me closer to the treeline so we’re out of earshot of the other


    people roaming the bank of the swimming hole. “You didn’t know him back then,” he reasons, his voice


    low. “People make mistakes. It doesn’t define them or mean they can’t get past them.”


    I shake my head adamantly. “No, you don’t understand. Cal’s the most observant person I’ve ever met.


    You really think he wouldn’t realize that he was…” I drop my voice to a whisper, leaning in. “Killing


    someone?”


    “I think it happened quicker than that,” he mutters. “I went through my dad’s old files, and when they


    went to investigate, her neck was broken. That’s how she died, not suffocation. So it would’ve been


    quick.”


    That little detail has my mind reeling, but I continue shaking my head in denial. “It just doesn’t make


    sense, he would’ve felt that. And what was Troy doing there?” I hiss, whisper-shouting. “That guy has it


    out for Callum, don’t you think it was a little convenient that he was right outside?”


    Chase sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face.


    “I thought that, too, but just because we don’t want it to be true doesn’t mean it isn’t.”


    I scowl, not liking his implication. I swear I’m not crazy. I can’t be the only person who thinks that


    something just feels off about this whole thing.


    “I’m going to ask Rob about it as soon as he’s back,” he adds. “Maybe he can shed some light on the


    specifics.”


    “Will you let me know what he says?” I ask eagerly.


    He hesitates for a moment, and I realize this is probably overstepping. I’m not part of his pack. I have


    no right to be poking around in official pack business. I’m surprised when he nods, though, and replies,


    “Yeah.”


    I smile in gratitude, and before I can get another conspiratorial whisper in, Vienna reappears with fresh


    beers in her hands. What’d I miss?” she chirps, passing a cup to me and lifting the other to her own


    mouth.


    Chase gives a little shake of his head. “We were discussing that thing I told you aboutst night. I’ll fill


    you inter.”


    “Ahh,” Vee nods, eyes rounded in understanding as her gaze shifts between me and her mate. I


    suppose it makes sense that Chase would’ve brought Vienna up to speed. Not only is she his partner,


    but she’s the pack’s Luna. It makes sense that she’d be kept in the loop.


    “Drink up,” she says, tapping her cup to mine and hitting me with a stern look. “No more serious talk,


    today’s about having fun.”


    I roll my eyes, cracking a smile as I raise my beer. “Yes, Mama Vee.”