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CHAPTER TEN

HENLEY

I can’t get my heart to stop pounding. The blood is roaring in my ears, my eyes trying to convince me of what I’m seeing. Camden looks so broken, terrified, and full of despair.

I wasn’t supposed to be here tonight because I had other things to attend to, but I couldn’t help myself when I finished early. I wanted to catch a glimpse of my little beta, see how he was doing tonight. I worry that he’s pushing himself too hard after being in the hospital, but the last thing I want is for him to crash out in his bedroom.

If he’s going to school or working, it’ll help distract him from the thoughts that must lie to him. There’s no other reason that he would try to overdose on those pills, taking his light from the world if something wasn’t wrong.

Happy people don’t do this, and I don’t think it’s my pack and I who are solely responsible for how broken he is. I want his broken pieces to reflect ours, but I can see I’ll also need to protect those pieces before they can be smashed to dust.

Brooks is going to handle the piece of shit alpha who put his hands on our little beta, but as I sling my arm around Camden, I inhale the most delicious scent. It shouldn’t be possible, yet all signs have been pointing to Cam being more than he appears.

We’ve been assuming he’s hiding something different, and that’s our fault.

My eyes stay on Brooks as he punches the alpha once more, his gaze murderous before I’m passing him to get to the car. He told me to leave, and it’s what’s best for everyone.

While Camden’s legs are moving, I’m more dragging him along as we finally arrive at my vehicle. It’s when I ask him if he’s alright that he faints in my arms.

“Fuck,” I rasp, catching him and lifting him into the car. “You’re going to be okay.”

I say it more for myself than for him, because I need to remind myself that we can fix anything that comes our way. That’s what my pack does, even when it’s super fucked up.

Ensuring he’s as comfortable as I can make him, I close the door silently as I head to the driver's seat. Once I’m in the confines of the car, there’s no way to escape his cotton candy scent. It’s the first time I’ve smelled it, and I shake my head as I push the start button to get going.

“So many secrets, Cam. Why are you hiding?” I mutter.

Careful not to wake him, I drive home, not even considering taking him to the dorms. Someone else touched what I consider mine, scared him, and attempted to take away his voice with an alpha bark. That’s the worst thing I can imagine, and I’ll always remember the glazed look of fear and resignation.

He’s clearly susceptible to an alpha’s bark, which makes it dangerous for him to be alone, and a liability at the bar. Fuck. I’m not ready to reveal this secret, my alphas aren’t ready for it. I don’t believe they’d understand how to feel, and the last thing Cam needs is to be scared again.

I can see why his anxiety is always causing him to jump, but what I don’t understand is why he’s keeping his designation a secret. I’ve been picking up the breadcrumbs of information and holding them until I had some proof to go on. I may be an asshole and a control freak, however, I’d never out Camden.

Pulling into the garage of the house, I sigh as I glance in the back seat where he fucking whimpers. Dammit, Little Rabbit. More fuel to the fire of both my obsession and my questions.

Getting out of the vehicle, I open the rear door to where he is , dazed and confused. My hand falls heavily on his ankle, rubbing the exposed skin gently.

“Hey, you’re safe, Cam,” I say softly. “Can you get up so we can go inside? I’ll carry you if you can’t.”

“Carry?” he asks groggily, shoving himself up to a sitting position. I’m bent over him, watching him wearily. There’s no telling when he’ll realize that I know. I want him inside the house, unable to leave once that happens.

I’m not altruistic, I want what I want. I’m willing to reign myself in to a point, though. That’s more than most people get from me.

“I’m fine. Wha…I don’t understand. Why am I in your car?” he asks. Camden is really out of it, his heavy lids slowly blinking as he looks around.

“Something happened at the bar, and I need to talk to you about it. Come on out of the car, and I’ll get you some water and maybe something sweet to eat,” I say.

He’s trembling underneath my touch, gazing at me as he slowly shakes his head. He doesn’t know the bar belongs to my pack, nor that Brooks was watching him obsessively all night while he worked. Cam isn’t ready for that information yet, and I don’t feel bad for lying to him.

He enjoys the job, his fellow bartenders say he’s a good worker, and he needs it. I’m not taking away things that he enjoys when I’m about to rip away a secret that he’s been holding so closely to himself.

“Why?” he whispers.

“Because you need me,” I say simply, reaching out for his hand, feeling even more possessive when he takes it.

Helping the little rabbit out, I catch him when his knees buckle. He can say he’s fine all he wants, but he’s approaching shock. The alpha who touched him will be lucky if Brooks leaves him with any of his fucking fingers.

Leading him away from the car, I shove the door closed as we walk. I can tell there’s a lot of racing thoughts in his head, and he keeps glancing at me from underneath his long eyelashes. Camden is gorgeous, delicate, and also breakable. I don’t want anyone else to break him but me, and I want to save him from everyone else.

It’s complicated, and my thoughts would make him turn and run screaming away from me. So instead, I stay quiet, helping him inside my home with my alphas and to the kitchen.

“I’ve been here,” he murmurs softly, remembering the party.

“It’s my house,” I tell him, gently pushing him to a chair as I bustle around the room.

I can’t remember if he knew or not, or how much Jamie may have told him about us. I doubt that Camden knows that I don’t take care of people outside of my pack, yet here I am.

“Why… I don’t understand, Lee,” he says tiredly.

Putting down a cold glass of water and a cookie in front of him, I lean my forearms on the island to speak to him.

“Take a sip of water for me, and I’ll tell you,” I say. I want to tell him to be a “good boy” for me, but I don’t know exactly what happened in the hallway. I need to move slower than I want to.

Lifting the glass as if it’s going to bite him, he takes a tiny sip, making my lips twitch despite my worry for him and the conversation we’re about to have. The little rabbit is a brat who smells like cotton candy. This wasn’t how I saw today going.

“I went to The Frenzy to grab a drink with Brooks. We don’t go there often, but it’s nice to escape somewhere that doesn’t see a lot of college traffic,” I lie. It’s true we see a more upscale clientele, but the rest is bullshit.

“What did you see?” he asks, his voice cracking.

Why are you so ashamed? Fuck, I want to join Brooks right now in beating the fuck out of that guy, but my place is here. I’m going to need to continue to remind myself of this.

“As we were coming in, I saw that you were pushed against the wall by an alpha that’s a lot bigger than you. He was in your personal space… and his hand was shoved down your pants. It was clear you couldn’t move to defend yourself,” I say.

At the thought of that slimy fuckers hands on him like that, it makes me want to get in my car and drive back to help Brooks with whatever he has planned for this piece of shit. There’s no way Brooks can let him live after he assaulted Cam. Touch what's ours and you don’t get to live another day.

My eyes gaze meaningfully at him as he drops the cup on the counter and covers his face.

“Don’t hide from me,” I say. “Camden, your secrets aren’t keeping you safe. They’re fucking dangerous.”

His eyes widen, pure fear flashing back in his baby blues. He says nothing, his chest heaving as his hands drop to his lap in fists. “W-what else did you see?” he asks, his voice a whisper. “Please, I need to know.”

“Camden,” I murmur, almost in a prayer. “You are shaking .” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “He was all over you, like he couldn’t control himself… almost as if you were an omega…”

His whole body goes stiff. His mouth opens and shuts a few times, trying to come up with a lie that so easily falls from his lips. “Lee,” he whimpers, his pupils blown wide with fear. “I’m not, I swear it!”

“I can’t help if you keep lying to me,” I say resignedly. “I need you to take a breath for me before you pass out. Come on, you can do it.”

Camden forces his lungs to expand, and I can see the exertion it takes. When you’re spiraling out, everything is much more difficult.

He looks so defeated as his shoulders slump. “Lying keeps me alive,” he says. “You don’t get?—”

“You keep telling me that, but I should be the one who can say whether or not I understand things,” I say firmly. “What did I not see with that guy?”

“He was a customer,” he mumbles, eyes still down, not meeting my eyes. “He kept trying to get my attention, and it was uncomfortable. I did my best to serve him his drinks. I escaped to the bathroom to take my break and get away from him for a second. When I was walking back out, he started telling me that I was flirting with him, giving him mixed messages.”

I really doubt Camden was doing that.

“Go on,” I encourage instead.

“He… told me to be a good little boy and stay still. I needed to take his knot, and—” Camden shudders, looking like he’s about to be sick at the memory, and I’m there in an instant, rubbing his back.

“Okay,” I whisper in his ear. “You’re safe. That’s enough. Cam, don’t freak out. I need to tell you some things. First, you smell like cotton candy, did you know that?”

“The suppressants,” he moans, almost not seeing me as if he’s not in control of his own thoughts right now. “They’re not supposed to let that happen.”

“Are you taking different suppressants than normal?” I ask, digging carefully. I don’t want him to realize how bad my obsession is. He needs to stay close to me.

“Y…yes,” he finally says, realizing he can’t lie anymore to me, not about this. “I’ve been worried they weren’t strong enough, and I’m not allowed to take more than one. How do I keep people from smelling me? This can’t be happening!” He lifts his hands, scrubbing at his face. “They can’t know. I can’t let them smell me. They can’t know.” He says frantically.

His breaths are choppy again, his eyes starting to roll. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Think, Lee!

“I can keep people from smelling your scent if you need that,” I say, sounding calm to my ears. Instead, that’s the farthest away from the truth.

My alphas will be coming home at some point, and I selfishly don’t want them to know our little beta is actually a sweet little omega. I don’t keep secrets from my pack unless it’s for a damn good reason.

“Really?” Camden asks, the words sounding hitched, a little too hopeful but the look he’s giving me says he’s suspicious.

Smart little omega, but I’m not playing a game or an angle right now outside of gathering more information.

“Yes. I need you to take care of yourself, drink your water and breathe. In order to understand why you’re hiding or why it’s important, you need to explain it to me,” I say. “Drink first.”

Camden makes a face but takes another sip, the color slowly coming back to his deathly pale features.

“My secrets are life or death, Henley,” he says seriously. I hate that he’s calling me that. Ugh.

“Tell me why, after you take a bite of that cookie,” I say, my gaze heavy as I watch him obey me. His fingers are twitchy from the adrenaline dump and fear, and I need someone to send my dick a memo about how inappropriate it is to get hard right now.

I can’t help it, I know my zipper is indenting into my cock, his addictive scent making things so much worse. Yet, I can’t control myself. He’ll never know my internal struggle because I force myself to show none of it.

“My father hates two things more than anything,” Camden says, his words tripping over themselves to get out. I can tell he’s struggling, trying to stay with me instead of having a panic attack. He’s right on the edge. “Homosexuals and male omegas are weak and disgusting to him.”

Blinking, I keep my sentiment to myself. It took a long time for me to ignore gay slurs that would crop up around my pack and I.

“Even you?” I ask instead.

“He doesn’t know,” he moans weekly, gasping for air. “Henley, he can’t know. Please, you have to promise. I know you hate me, but?—”

“Remember, you promised me something, baby. Breathe, okay?” I murmur. I don’t think he caught the pet name as he sucks in a breath. “Are these suppressants how you’ve been hiding your designation?”

“Street drugs,” he admits brokenly. “I couldn’t get anything prescribed without him knowing. I’m constantly paranoid that they’re not working well, and now… I hate being right. I can only take one a day of these.”

Not all suppressants work the same way, and most legal ones don’t suppress anything other than an omega’s heat. This explains his overdose at the hospital as well. I’m not ready to ask about that yet. It’ll only push him away from me.

“You’re going to be fine. I can fix your scent,” I promise again. “Keep talking, please. Do you really believe your father would kill you if he knew you were gay and an omega?”

I know he’s both, I don’t need to ask. The way he flirts with other guys, his cheeks heating when he’s turned on.

“In a heart beat,” he says sullenly. “Dad would find someone to take my place as his successor. I don’t want his club, businesses, or anything to do with that life. I want to be able to be me. I came to Crown Well to get some space and time away from my father. I don’t want to die.” His voice cracks as he says the last part, making my cold, black heart ache.

God, he’s fucking breaking my heart. Before I know it, I’m squeezing his shoulder and kissing his temple. It’s a sweet kiss, one I didn’t know I could give. Everything about me is softer around Camden right now, yet there are still edges of possessiveness.

“No one’s going to die, baby. I have some descenting spray for you. You’re just going to spritz it all over your body, and that’ll take care of your scent,” I reassure him. “It’s safer than overdoing it on your pills.”

His flinch and wide eyes tell me everything I need to know. However, I pass it off as an innocent comment. I can also tell I shouldn’t push anymore.

“I want you to stay here tonight,” I add. “It’s late, and you shouldn’t be alone after what you went through. Finish your cookie.”

“Can I come with you?” he asks. I can tell he doesn’t want to be left alone, and I’m not going anywhere he can’t follow.

At my nod as I step away, he pops the last bite of his cookie in his mouth and stands up. I’m enjoying touching him too much. I want to kiss him, but again, that’s going to need to wait.

I need him to feel comfortable before my pack gets here. As Cam and I walk together, my phone buzzes, and I quickly step into the hall bathroom to grab the descenting spray. My alphas use this when they go hunting for their fathers. It’s better to walk in silence and that means hiding your scent as well.

“Turn as I spray,” I tell him, glancing toward the front of the house as I begin to spray him down. “Good, let me check.”

Crowding his space, I drag my nose up his neck as I inhale deeply. I’m disappointed to find his scent is nowhere to be found, but it’s for the best. This is what he needs.

“No scent at all,” I murmur, my face moving until my lips are against his. His whine makes my resolve crack, and I slant my lips over his, kissing him firmly until he fucking perfumes. “Get it out of your system, Camden. You can only whine for me.”

I’m still kissing him when the front door opens, and I’m breathing hard. Quickly, I spray the descenter over the crotch of his pants while his cheeks burn with embarrassment. Throwing the spray under the bathroom sink, I wrap my arm around his shoulders.

“You got this, Cam. Let’s go see who just got home.”

I’m so fucked.

brOOKS

Pure unfiltered rage courses through my veins as my fist continuously smashes into this slimy fucker’s face.

“How fucking dare you!” I roar, practically foaming at the mouth. “How fucking dare you touch what’s mine!”

He doesn’t respond. He can’t. He’s out cold, face a bloody pulp.

“Brooks.” River’s voice sounds over the flesh pounding against flesh. I ignore him, the only thing going through my mind is making sure he never breathes another breath again. “Brooks!”

River’s alpha bark has me jolting to a stop. “What?!” I swing my wild eyes his way, chest heaving.

“Fuck sakes.” he curses, getting a look of me and the bloody fucker on the floor. “I leave you alone for one night, and you're beating someone to death.” He groans, running a hand through his inky black hair.

“He fucking deserves it.” I snarl then spit in the fucker’s face, adding my saliva to the mess.

“You do know who that is, don’t you?” he sighs heavily.

No. Not really. I didn't take the time to get a good look at the man’s face before I felt like turning it into minced meat. It felt more like a hit now, ask questions later kind of situation.

“No.” I grunt, squinting my eyes, cocking my head to the side, trying to see if I recognize the man. Basically, doing everything possible to jog my memory. “Yeah, I got nothing.” Shrugging, I look back up at River.

“That’s Bradley Richerson,” he waves towards the unconscious man.

“Huh.” I nod. “Well it’s a bad day to be Bradley Richerson,” I snarl. Bradley is a very wealthy man. He holds a lot of power in our world. Not as much as my father, but it’s pretty up there.

Yet, at this moment, despite how much trouble I might end up getting in by the end of tonight, I don’t give a single flying fuck.

“And why is that?”

My eyes grow dark as I stare at my mate. “Because I found him with Camden.”

River’s back straightens, a low rumbling growl vibrating in his chest. “What?” he asks slowly and dangerously. Good. Looks like River might be up for a little game of beat the creep. And no, not like that you disgusting fuckers. Although, there won’t be anything for him to beat by the time I’m done with him.

“He had our little beta pinned against the wall. Not only that, he had his fucking hand down his pants, touching him River. His fucking hand was around Cam’s cock.”

River’s eyes snap down to Bradley, jaw clenched, nostrils flaring. Yup, he’s a dead man for sure.

“Stop hitting him,” River grinds out. “You need your fucking hand for ball. Come on, help me get this sack of shit into one of the rooms.”

A slow, menacing grin takes over.

Ignoring the throbbing in my knuckles, I take River’s hand, letting him help me up.

We each take an arm and pick him up.

“This fucker is heavy,” River grunts. “Also, I’m surprised no one found you beating on him and called the cops. You got lucky, Brooks.”

“I know, okay?” I grunt as we carry him towards the back of the club and to the door that leads to Slick, through the employees only door. “I wasn’t thinking straight. He was hurting him. Fuck.” I have the urge to throw this asshole to the ground and beat him some more, but I have much more fun things planned for him. “There’s only been one other time I’ve felt rage like that, River,” I look at him over Bradley’s shoulder. He gives me a pained look of understanding.

The only time I’ve ever wanted to watch the world burn and everyone in it was the night we found our mothers’ dead bodies after Camden’s father destroyed everything.

Who knew the second time I’d feel this way, would be because the son of that very man was attacked.

Even if I hate Cam, there’s no way I could sit by and watch someone get sexually assaulted. I’m a monster, but I’m not the devil. That label is meant for someone much worse than me.

“He’s not going to get away with this,” River says as we bring Bradley to one of our play rooms. “He touched what's ours. Now he’s going to pay.”

Music to my fucking ears.

I’m not sure when my obsession for Camden became something more than hate, but the idea of anyone touching him, hurting him, fucking breathing on him makes me want to put a bullet in their eye.

When we first met Camden, all we wanted was revenge. But something tells me the little beta isn’t as bad as we might have thought.

And maybe we like him. A little more than I’d like to admit.

It’s not that I don’t want to see him cry or cause him pain, but I’d rather it be by our hands. No one else's.

Preferably with my cock shoved down his throat as he struggles to breathe.

I’ve gone from wanting him off my campus to wanting him inside a cage, tied up with a pretty little bow for our pleasure. My emotions are very conflicted when it comes to the little beta.

After we get Bradley strapped to the chair, I go over and grab the smelling salts.

“Wakey wakey, fucker,” I growl, bringing the salts to his nose.

He grunts, gasping for air, eyes flying open.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” I say, squatting.

“Let me go,” he croaks out. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

I chuckle. “Big words from the man who’s currently at our mercy,” I say, cocking my head to the side.

River gabs a handful of his hair, yanking his head back. Bradley screams in pain. “Heard you felt the need to put your hands on something that doesn’t belong to you,” he asks, cocking his head to the side. On the outside, he looks calm. But on the inside I know it’s taking everything in him not to just slit his throat here and now.

“You mean the little twink?” he grunts. “I didn’t know he was yours.”

“Well, now you do,” I give him a sinister grin. “No one touches what’s ours and lives to see another day. You know that well, don’t you, Bradley?”

“Brooks,” he says in a warning tone and River shoves Bradley’s head forward.

“Don’t you fucking dare take that tone with us. You are not in charge here. Do you understand you won’t be leaving here tonight?”

Bradley laughs. “And you know that if anything happens to me, your whole family is dead.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I answer. “Wanna know why?”

“Why,” Bradley grinds out, humoring me.

“Because we have a lot of dirt on you,” I chuckle. “We’ve just been waiting to use it. You’ve been a naughty boy, Bradley. Have any skeletons of your own?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he spits.

“When hookers go missing, no one really seems to care, right? Well, when five of them go missing within the span of a few months, people talk.”

His face goes pale.

“Oh yeah,” I chuckle. “Your backyard? Really? How fucking stupid can you be? My guess? Panic kills, right? Get off on giving a little asphyxiation do we? Snuff films aren’t good enough, so you need the real thing, huh? Does it make your cock hard to squeeze to the point that you end up killing them? Did you stop fucking them when they died? Or did you finish inside them?”

“You’re sick.”

“Me,” I point to myself. “I’m a lot of things, and maybe in some cases I am sick, maybe a little depraved, but we’re not on the same level, Bradley. So, any last words before we get this show on the road?”

He starts to scream profanities and I’m over it real fast. River gags him and I grab the tools we’re going to need.

“What do you want to do? Take his dick, or his hands?”

River takes a moment to think, staring at the man whose screams are muffled against the gag. “I take the left, you take the right and we just shoot him in the dick? Because if I’m being honest, I don’t wanna touch it, even with gloves,” he shudders then looks at Bradley. “As much as I like cock, I’d rather shove rusty forks in my knot and ball sack than even get a glimpse of yours. Sorry, rapists aren't my type.”

Bradley screams again, fighting against his restraints.

“Sounds like fun to me.”

Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I hook it up to the bluetooth speaker and press play.

“Bodies” by Drowning Pool starts blaring through the sound system. The room is soundproof, so no one is going to hear him screaming either way. While I normally enjoy hearing my enemies sob like a little bitch, I’m more interested in getting this done, and still making him suffer so I can go home and check on our little beta.

River and I each take a side and a hand. One by one, we chop off each of his fingers, letting them drop to the floor.

Blood spurts free, pretty red liquid forming a pool on the ground.

Before long, both hands look deformed. It’s fucking weird looking.

Because that didn’t take nearly as long as we’d like and this fucker deserves more pain, I go over and grab an electric hand saw.

Somehow, Bradley is still awake even though he’s lost a lot of blood. Resilient bastard, I’ll give him that.

Just to fuck with him, I bring the saw up to his face and turn it on. He screams, and that’s when the smell hits me. Fucker pissed and shit himself.

“Fucking nasty fucker!” I scream in his face over the music.

Now that he’s ruined all of the fun, I step behind him and bring the saw to his wrists. It takes some effort but I bring it down, taking both hands off. Watching the hunks of flesh drop to the ground, I make my way around to stand next to River.

This man is a hot fucking mess.

Somehow he still has strength and manages to pull his arms free. He lunges, shooting his bloody stubs forward. If he wasn’t trying to launch himself at us, it would have been a hilarious sight.

River is fast, pulling his gun out and aiming it at his dick. He pulls the trigger and it hits him square in the junk. Bradley goes down, hard, his bloody stumps moving to his now mangled dick. That is, if there's anything left of it.

He screams and screams, but they get lost in the song as “Down With The Sickness” by Disturbed plays next.

We stand, side by side and watch as his screams begin to die as his lungs and heart slow.

River raises his gun and puts a few bullets through his skull, ending him.

Just as he lowers his gun, the song ends and I pause the playlist.

“Make the call Brooks,” River turns to me. “You started this. This is your mess to clean up.”

“Way to throw me under the fucking bus,” I mutter, grabbing my phone.

He steps forward, grabbing a fist full of my hair with his clean hand and crashes his lips to mine.

His kisses are dirty and down right sinful, making a mess of my pants with pre-cum as my aching cock strains against my jeans. Pulling back, we’re both taking ragged breaths. His eyes blaze with need, mirroring mine. “Do as you're told,” he growls, trapping my lip between his teeth and biting down hard enough to draw blood. My cock twitches and a moan leaves my throat.

“Yes, sir,” I rasp, grabbing at my erection as he steps back.

“I’ll meet you at the car. I need to wash up and take care of a few things.”

He leaves me alone with the bloody corpse. I look down at Bradley. Well, what's left of him and curl my lip. So damn gross.

Dialing my father’s number, I bring the phone to my ear.

“What have you done now, Brooks?” he says with a tired sigh.

“I’m not sure you're ready to hear it,” I admit.

“Fucking hell boy.”

“Sooo, I killed a guy…”

* * *

Once the clean up crew get to the club, I wash my hands the best I can before meeting River in the car.

The drive home is silent, only the radio playing as background noise.

So many things run through my mind as we head towards our home. None of them are regretful. If I could kill that asshole again, I’d try a few other methods on him.

What I’m worried about is Cam.

You might think what I did to him was the same thing that Bradley did. But you’re wrong, so fucking wrong.

Because when I had Camden pinned against the wall, my hand down his pants, all I saw was pure raw desire. Even if he fucking hated himself for it, he melted in my arms. He wanted me badly.

If at any point I saw true fear, that he didn’t want what I was doing to him, I'd have stopped. I’d have walked away. Because I don’t force myself onto people.

I push them to their limits, toe the line of morality, but I’d never cross it if it isn’t something the other person wanted.

What I saw in Camden’s eyes when Bradley had him pinned against the wall, his hand down his pants, was pure terror. I’ve never seen fear in anyone's eyes like I did his.

Now all I want to do is make sure he’s okay.

Lee sent a text saying he was okay, but I won’t believe it until I see it for myself.

Once we’re home, I quickly get out of the car, River on my heels as I rush into the house.

At first, I don’t see anyone.

I’m just about to call out to Lee when I see him round the corner.

Just behind him is our little pink-haired beta.

As soon as I lay eyes on him, I take a step forward, something inside screaming at me to go over to him, demanding to make sure he’s okay. To take care of him. To let him know I'd kill anyone who dares to think they can lay a hand on him.

“Hey boys,” Lee says, his eyes roaming over the bloody mess of our clothes. “Fun night?”

“It was down right riveting,” I mutter, my eyes not leaving Camden.

He’s glued to Lee’s back, this skittish look on his face.

He’s afraid of us, but I don’t blame him. I’m just glad he feels safe enough with Lee.

“W-why are you bloody?” Cam asks, brows furrowing as he takes us in also. “Did you kill him?” His question is almost a whisper as he brings his gaze back up to meet mine.

“With the help of this guy,” I pat River on the back. He grunts, shooting me a death glare before making his way over to the fridge where he grabs a bottle of water and chugs it.

“Why would you do that?” Cam asks, sounding genuinely curious.

“Because he hurt you,” I growl and Cam’s eyes widen. “And no one touches what’s mine.”

“Ours,” River grumbles.

“I’m not yours. I’m not anyone’s.”

I snort. “Yeah, okay. We will circle back around to that one.”

Cam frowns harder and Lee sighs. “How about I get you set up in the guest room? You could use some rest.”

“Okay,” he nods his head. “A-are you gonna stay with me?”

Something like pride flashes over Lee’s face, while what I think is jealousy burns through me.

But I swallow that shit down because I’m not going to get jealous over Lee. Cam is just as much his as he’s mine and River’s.

If the little beta wants Lee, I’d call that a win. Wonder if he knows just how fucked up his new little hero is?

And now I’m jealous he sees Lee as his saviour and not me.

“I just need to talk to the guys and I’ll come back.”

Lee takes Cam down the hall and I head into the kitchen, needing a drink myself.

“So what do we do now?” River asks, pulling his bloody clothes off and tossing them in the trash, leaving him only standing in his boxers.

I take a second to eye fuck him before answering. “No idea.”

“He’s dead, huh? How did your dad take that one?” Lee asks, giving me a knowing look.

“You know who he was?” River asks.

“Saw his face before Brooks bashed it in. Bradley Richerson,” he whistles. “That's a big fucker to fry, baby.”

“Well he’s already cooked and gone,” I mutter, leaning against the kitchen island.

“To answer your question on what we do now, we move forward with our plans, with a few tweaks.”

“And those would be?” River asks.

“We don’t touch Cam to be cruel. We do it for fun, push his limits, see what he likes, but he’s no longer our enemy.”

“And you’ve come to this decision how?” I ask.

“One, you killed a man over hurting him,” Lee smirks. “And two, I got the little beta to talk.”

“What did he say?” River asks.

“We were wrong about him,” Lee sighs. “He’s not evil like his dad. If anything, he’s the complete opposite of him. He’s here at Crown Well because he wants to get an education so he can get out from under his dad’s ruling. If his dad finds out he’s gay, he’s going to kill him. He wants nothing to do with his father. He’s only trying to survive him.”

“Fuck,” I hiss, running a hand through my hair and cringing when I feel the dried blood. I almost feel bad for fucking with him.

Almost because I sure did enjoy the reaction I got from him. He wants us, even though he hates himself for it.

“So what does this mean?” River asks.

“It means our pack just grew by one,” I turn to look at him. “We might have wanted an omega to play with, but it looks like we’re getting ourselves a beta.”

And I for one am fucking stoked.