The days blurred together after my dinner with Collins. It went well, lifting my spirits in a way that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lorenzo and Cameron during their visits. But their reactions couldn’t be more different.
Lorenzo seems thrilled by my newfound levity. Each time he’s over, and I don’t badger him about Alex or getting him back for me, he leaves with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face, his mood brighter than when he arrived.
Cameron, on the other hand, watches me with a wary distrust. I catch him studying me when he thinks I’m not looking, his brow furrowed as if trying to solve a complex riddle. It’s unnerving, making the fine hairs at the nape of my neck prickle with unease, but I try my best to mask my discomfort under a veneer of nonchalance.
We’re in my room watching TV when my phone begins to ring, the shrill tone shattering the comfortable silence. I check the caller ID, my eyes widening in horror at the name flashing across the screen. Quickly rejecting the call, I pray they take the hint, but the phone keeps vibrating insistently. Excusing myself, I slip out to answer it.
“Hello, can I call you back? Now isn’t the best time,” I whisper urgently into the phone, glancing over my shoulder.
“Why?” the person on the line demands, their voice tinny but insistent.
“Because it’s not a good time. I’ll call you later. Bye.” I hang up abruptly, not waiting for a response.
Spinning around to head back, a yelp escapes my lips as I nearly collide with Cameron’s solid chest. My heart leaps into my throat, pulse racing at his sudden appearance.
“Fuck, you scared me!” I gasp, pressing a hand to my chest in a vain attempt to calm my galloping heartbeat.
“Who was that?” he demands, eyes narrowed to icy blue slits, arms crossed over his chest in an unyielding stance.
I slide the phone into my pocket, giving him a nonchalant shrug that belies the nerves jangling beneath my skin. “No one important.”
“You’ve been taking a lot of calls away from Lorenzo and me lately, Alice,” he presses, taking a step closer, crowding into my personal space. The heat of his body envelops me, his masculine scent invading my senses. “What are you always talking about that you can’t discuss in front of us?”
Shock widens my eyes at his bold question, but I quickly shutter my expression, determined to turn the tables. I can’t let him see how much he’s rattled me.
“Don’t I have a right to privacy? Must I suddenly take all my calls in front of you?” I challenge, jutting my chin defiantly.
“No, that’s not what I meant…” he says, clearly caught off guard by my accusation, his confident facade slipping for a moment.
“Then what *did* you mean?” A sly smile threatens to curve my lips, but I tamp it down. I can hardly believe how easily I’ve shifted the tables.
“I just noticed it happening more often, that’s all.” He lifts his hands in surrender, but suspicion still glints in his eyes.
“If you must know, I’ve been taking calls from my best friend. She wants to discuss personal matters, and she’d be mortified if she knew I took them in front of you guys.”
“Is that so?” His gaze narrows, assessing.
“Yes.” I hold his stare, unflinching.
“Hmm. Alright then.”
“Honestly, Cam, you’re overthinking things. As usual.” I brush past him, the brief contact sending sparks skittering across my skin. I can’t give him a chance to press further or ask something I can’t answer.
But as I step back into the room, I feel the weight of his gaze boring into my back, heavy with suspicion. He’s not going to let this go, I realize with a sinking feeling. Cameron’s doubts are growing by the day, his distrust a tangible thing.
I’ll have to be more careful going forward. I can’t let him unravel everything I’ve worked so hard for, not when I’m so close to getting what I want.
***
The next day, I head over to the Sky pack, intending to sneak a glimpse of Alex while pretending to visit my mates. As I near their rooms, the sight of Cameron talking with that vile Mila makes my blood boil. I rush over, covering his eyes with my hands. “Guess who?” I purr seductively.
“My mate,” he breathes, spinning around and pulling me flush against his body. His arms wrap around my waist as he buries his nose into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. “You smell different but incredible.”
“Thank you,” I smile, moving my eyes to meet Mila’s glare I could feel. She rolls her eyes at us in disgust and turns to walk away, but I halt her.
“What do you want?” she snaps, whirling around with a scowl etched across her features.
Cameron continues nuzzling against me shamelessly, his desire palpable. “God, you smell amazing,” he murmurs, his voice thick and heady.
The smile on my face widens despite Cameron’s expected reaction. I can’t recall the last time he was this affectionate, and I must admit I missed it.
Trailing a finger along his chiseled jaw, I smile coyly. “Cameron, darling, would you do something for me?”
He gazes at me with intense yearning. “Anything for you, my mate.”
I glance over at Mila, who is watching the exchange with a mix of revulsion and confusion, twisting her delicate features. “Do you remember how rude Mila was to me that last time?” I ask, letting tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I pout up at Cameron imploringly.
A feral growl rumbles from the depths of his chest as his grip tightens around my waist, the steel bands of his arms constricting possessively. “Yes, I do,” he snarls, jaw clenched.
“Do you also remember you didn’t punish her for it?” I continue, letting the tears spill over, trailing down my cheeks as I gaze beseechingly into his blazing eyes.
Cameron gives a sharp nod, his eyes darkening with righteous indignation as a wicked smile curves my lips in response. “Yes, I didn’t, and I think I should.”
Mila’s eyes widen in shock at his words. “What?” she gasps, clearly stunned, but I ignore her outburst.
Placing my hands on Cameron’s chiseled cheeks, I stare deeply into his eyes, my expression one of utmost vulnerability. “Yes, baby. Please take revenge for me,” I implore, giving him my most pitiful, pleading look.
Cameron’s eyes blaze molten gold as he turns on Mila with a menacing growl rumbling from the depths of his chest. “On your knees!” he snarls, the alpha command lacing his words.
Mila’s eyes widen in shock, stumbling back a few paces as if his words physically shoved her. “C-Cameron?” she stammers, disbelief and a flicker of fear flickering across her delicate features. “You can’t be serious!”
Because of the beta blood that courses through her veins, Mila’s body is able to fight against defying his order but trembling with the strain of resistance. Her breath catches in her throat as Cameron closes the distance between them in two long strides.
He wrenches her head back by her hair, fingers tangled in the silken strands as he leans in close, his lips a hair’s breadth from her ear. “Kneel and apologize for your insolence,” he growls, voice low and dangerous, “you disrespectful little bitch!”
He shoves her to the ground. Tears spring unbidden to Mila’s eyes as she crumples to the floor, glaring up at Cameron with utter betrayal etched across her delicate features. I’ve never seen someone look at another with such profound disappointment and hurt etched so clearly across their features – in the downturn of her mouth, the furrow of her brows.
A crowd gathers in the hallway, gawking at the spectacle unfolding before them, but no one dares intervene. Hushed whispers and shocked gasps ripple through the onlookers like a wave.
I laugh inwardly, reveling in Mila’s humiliation as I rush to Cameron’s side, whispering urgently in his ear. “Baby, people are watching. I think you should let her go.” I let the implication that I’m advocating for mercy take root in the minds of our captive audience.
His gaze sweeps over the gathered crowd before he murmurs back, the words brushing against the shell of my ear with the heat of his breath. “Are you sure? I don’t mind them watching while I punish her further.”
“Yes, I am, baby,” I croon, running my palm slowly, approvingly along the taut cords of Cameron’s bicep. “She’s suffered enough.”
My gaze drifts pointedly towards the gathered crowd. Their numbers have swelled, a sea of shocked faces shaking their heads in disdainful judgment at the crumpled form of Mila. The fact that Cameron, the most level-headed of the triplets, has so publicly debased her only reinforces the perception of her grave transgression. Perfect.
“Alright, as you wish,” he relents with a disdainful shove, releasing his grip on Mila’s hair. She slumps forward, strands spilling across her blotchy, tear-stained cheeks as a ragged sob escapes her lips. “You may stand after I leave.”
Raising up on my tiptoes, I lay a soft peck on Cameron’s cheek. “Thank you.” He beams down at me, eyes alight with adoration at my small show of affection. A wicked smile curves my lips in response, anticipation unfurling low in my belly.
With one last contemptuous look at Mila, who can’t even meet my gaze through the veil of humiliated tears streaking her face, I take Cameron’s hand and lead him away. But Mila’s broken voice pierces the heavy silence before we disappear into his room.
“I’ll never forgive you for this, Cameron. Never.” The words are laced with a depth of emotion that should give any decent person pause. Her voice quavers, thick with the anguish of utter betrayal.
But as I expected, her plea has no effect on Cameron this time. He doesn’t even dignify it with a response, acting as if she never spoke at all. With an indifferent shrug, he simply pushes open the door to his room and ushers me inside.
The hard line of his jaw, the impassive mask shielding his eyes from any inkling of remorse – it’s enough to send a shiver of dark satisfaction coursing through me. He’s well on his way, and I can hardly wait to see how this delicious game will further unfold.