Page 126 of Beg for It

Hands move along my body as something rubs against my skin. The sound of water running tells me we’re in the shower.

Blinking my eyes open, I look up through heavy lidded eyes at Brooks. “Hi.” my voice cracks as I force a smile.

His eyes snap down to me. “Camden,” he breathes.

“Why do you look so sad?” I mumble, eyes closing again.

“Sad?” River asks. “Baby, we’re fucking crushed. What they did to you. Fuck.” His voice cracks.

“I’m okay,” I murmur, snuggling into Brooks. “You saved me.”

“You shouldn’t have been put in that situation in the first place.” Brooks growls. “We should have been there to protect you.”

“You can’t be with me twenty-four seven.”

“The fuck we can’t. From now on, we’re glueing you to our side. We are not letting you out of our sight. You gotta take a piss, I’ll hold your dick for you,” Brooks says.

That makes me smile and I wince at the pain. Why does it hurt to smile?

“Fuck. Are you okay?” River asks.

“My face hurts.” I murmur, raising a hand up to touch it and hiss.

“If we didn’t already kill that mother fucker, I’d do it all over again!” River growls.

“So he’s really dead?” I ask.

“Yes, baby. He’s gone. For good. He won’t ever be able to hurt you again.” River says, brushing my hair out of my face.

“Good.” I let my eyes flutter closed again, too tired to stay awake. “Good.”

They talk in low murmurs as they finish washing me up. I could cry from their tenderness alone. This is what I’ve always wanted. A pack who loves me, cares for me.

When I’m with them, I feel full. Like what I’ve been missing my whole life is right here.

When I come to again, I’m being placed in a mountain of plush blankets bathed in familiar scents. I sigh happily and do my best to burrow into the blankets but whimper when everything starts to hurt.

“Cam, baby, take this.” Lee’s soft voice has me blinking my eyes open.

“Lee,” I smile sleepily. “My beta.”

He chuckles. “Yes. Your beta. Now be a good boy and take these pain meds okay? I can’t stand seeing you in pain. The guys are five seconds away from going on a rampage.”

“No,” I whine. “Don’t leave me.”

“We’re not going anywhere, baby,” River says. He and Brooks help me sit up enough to take the pill that Lee hands me. When I take a drink of the cold ice water, it feels good against my sore throat.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as they help me lay back down.

“What the hell do you have to be sorry for?” Brooks asks.

“My father. He killed your mothers. I know how much you’ve been dreaming of the day you got to kill him. And because of me, you had to cut it short.”

“Don’t.” River grips my chin lightly, making sure I’m looking at him. “Your safety is more important than our revenge. Did we wish we could have made him suffer more? Fuck yes. But what matters is that he’s dead. That he can’t hurt anyone else. He’s in Hell, rotting with the devil himself. And far the fuck away from you.”

“You mean the world to us, Cam. And we would burn it down if it meant keeping you safe and happy. We just can’t say how sorry we are for what he did to you.”

“Please don’t beat yourself up over it.”