Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

28

VANESSA

I’m a summer girl. While I appreciate tha we get the full range of seasons here in Colorado, summer is my absolute favorite; long days filled with soaking up the heat of the sun, deepening my tan, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Not even my favorite season can lift me out of this funk, though. Summer is at its peak, and I haven’t set foot outside of the packhouse in days. I’ve been avoiding the outside world, drowning myself in my own sorrow and Vienna’s experimental cocktails, always delivered with a kind word and a smile.

You’d think she’d be a decent mixologist since she worked at the lodge bar for months. She’s not. She dumps grenadine into everything she makes for me since she knows I like cherries, but completely fails to consider how the flavor will blend with the other ingredients. Gin and grenadine?

Absolutely foul. Tequila and grenadine?

Even worse. I don’t have the heart to tell her though, so I’ve either choked them down of secretly dumped them out in the bathroom sink. I know she’s trying to be there for me, trying to distract me from my heartache, and I appreciate her efforts, however misguided.

I know I can’t hole up in here forever. At the very least, I should go for a walk or something. It’s a beautiful day, and spending time outside in the fresh air is bound to lift my spirits. With that in mind, I force myself to shower and get dressed, throwing on a white cotton sundress that may just be the most comfortable thing I own. It’s t-shirt material, so damn soft that

I want to live in it. I don’t bother with makeup or doing my hair. It can air-dry in the sun. All I grab on my way out of my room is a pair of sandals, slipping them on my feet before stepping into the hallway.

I can hear Chase and Vee chatting in low voices somewhere past the end of the hall, and I strain my ears to try to discern whether anyone else is with them. The last thing I want to do is walk out there just to run into one of the guys I’m currently avoiding- though Vee has been pretty strict on enforcing my request for space, turning away any unwelcome visitors. She’s just as pissed about the bet as I am, if not more.

I emerge from the hallway to see Chase and Vienna lounging on the sectional, him sitting upright and her lying sideways with her legs thrown over his lap. They’re embroiled in their own hushed conversation, so they don’t notice me right away; not until I step further into the living room and clear my throat.

“I’m going for a walk,” I announce.

Vee’s brows lift in surprise. She props herself up on an elbow, giving me a concerned once-over. “Want me to come with you?”

I shake my head. I appreciate the offer, but I need to be alone right now, and I know I’m not good company.

“You sure?” Vee challenges.

“I’m good,” I say, forcing a reassuring smile. “I just need to get out of here for a bit, clear my head. Get some fresh air.”

She nods, seemingly satisfied, and flops back down, her hair fanning the couch. cushion. Chase gives me a nod as well, offering his silent support. He’s caught in a tough place right now, considering I’m his mate’s best friend and the two guys responsible for my current state are his own best friends, but he hasn’t picked sides or made me feel awkward about it. There was a time when I wasn’t his biggest fan, but he’s been there for me over the past few months in his own way. Plus, he treats my bestie like a queen, so the guy’s solid in my book.

I exit the packhouse through the sliding glass door in the back, heading straight for the treeline at the rear of the property. The forest is a lush green, brimming with life, and I set out on a familiar path with no real destination in mind. It feels good just to be out here. The change in scenery improves my mood almost instantly, and the peaceful tranquility of the forest is like a balm to my battered heart. The deeper I wander, the more relaxed and serene I feel. It almost makes me forget my burdens.

Almost. I may be able to push it aside for a few minutes, but the gut-wrenching reality of the truth is always simmering just beneath the surface, waiting to rear its ugly head and remind me why my heart is in tatters. I honestly thought I was numb to pain at this point after going through so much after Cal left, but when that bet came to light, something in me just snapped. What was left of my misplaced hope was shattered.

comes into view. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, but I guess it figures that I’d wind up here. I came here a lot after the night of the

show up; that he’d somehow return from the mission just in time to explain his absence, seal the bond, and make everything right again. That hope

to find some sort of answer within these walls. This is the place where I experienced the best

bond snapping into place, of me running into Callum’s arms. Him kissing me and carrying me inside. I swear I can still smell him- leather and smoke, juniper and spice. Heady and masculine and completely intoxicating. This is where he told me he loved me for the first time. The

to

the chair at the small table, hunched over with his pencil scratching against a page. It’s a familiar position, one that I’ve seen him in dozens of times, but never here. His

move, don’t breathe. I just watch him, rooted to the spot I’m standing in, watching the man who ran away with my heart. The one who broke

his rounding in surprise. A bright mix of blue and green, like the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean sea, pulling me in and threatening to drown me.

timbre of it scratching open a wound deep inside

move. I’m frozen in my indecision,

toward me, and suddenly my feet become unglued. I back away, nearly tripping over the threshold of the doorway. He immediately halts his advance. His jaw clenches, his nostrils

“Don’t go.”

times if I’d been given the chance. Instead, he snuck away like a thief in the night, leaving me

he leave

an agonized

painfully in my chest. He seems so sincere, but I can’t trust it. I thought I knew him, but the Cal I knew wouldn’t have abandoned me. He wouldn’t have left me to

even. “I wanted to talk to you after that night. You didn’t give

bobs with a hard swallow, his shoulders sagging dejectedly. “I fucked up,” he rasps. “I thought I was doing

him for a moment, unable to tear my eyes from his. Fighting to find the words to respond. My hands tremble, my voice wavering. “Was any of it real?” I ask, forcing back the tears stinging behind my eyes as I raise my voice louder.

his fingers through his disheveled hair. Then he returns his gaze to mine, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he brings his hands together in front of him and his thumb glides over his inner wrist. The one I tattooed. “What you and

battle in holding my tears back. I feel one slip from my eye, sliding down my cheek. Then another. Then why’d you run away, Callum?”

face in his hands. I don’t step back or brush them off. Instead, I melt into his touch, allowing him to thumb

voice trails off and his throat works with a hard swallow. “I honestly

heat, hear the rapid pounding of his pulse. I haven’t allowed anyone this close since he left. Haven’t let anyone touch me like this. Every touch felt wrong, but despite our history, despite what he’s

up to take his wrists and lift his hands off my face. I can’t think straight

mumbles. “I thought you’d moved on. That you were

scoff, unable to keep the

reaches out for me again,

me why,

his head, his gaze shuttering. “I… can’t.”

there it is. The nail in the coffin that was

Didn’t give me a choice,” I spit. “And now you can’t even give me a real explanation.” My eyes blur with tears, obscuring my