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CHAPTER FOUR

CAMDEN

H ave you ever felt you were trapped under water, and all the sounds around you were muffled while a ringing in your ear comes clear as day?

That’s me right now.

My hands claw at my chest as I struggle to breathe. Stumbling back, I connect with something hard and lean back against it, eyes widening as I stare into the darkness of the closet, struggling to breathe.

This can’t be happening. No. Please, god no. Anyone but him. But them.

Closing my eyes, I whimper, tucking my knees up to my chest as I wrap my arms around them. Resting my forehead against my knees, I try to focus on catching my breath.

Breathe Camden, breathe.

In and out. In and out.

With each inhale, I manage to get enough air to stop my head from spinning.

When River pulled me into the closet, at first I was confused, frightened, but the moment that wore off, I smelled it. Him. The scent of the richest, sweetest coffee I’ve ever smelled.

Inside me, something clicked and I just knew. I knew that this asshole of an alpha, who’s made it his life’s mission to fuck with me for no good reason, was my scent match. My fucking scent match.

What have I done that was bad enough to warrant the universe sitting back and laughing at me like I was the butt of some joke?

The shitty suppressants I’m on have dulled my sense of smell, one of the many side effects. That's why I haven’t smelled him before. He’s never been close enough for me to be able to.

But I smelled him just now. Boy did I fucking ever. And now I wish more than anything I didn’t.

Shame crawls along my skin at how my cock was so hard for him. I was on the verge of leaking slick for that bastard.

The fact that I had to struggle to keep myself in check, to hide any indication of what was going on, that my world was being shaken and turned upside down and was seconds away from whining, begging, pleading him to fuck me then and there, makes me want to fucking puke.

I had to clench my ass so hard to keep the slick from dripping free.

I’ve never been so turned on in my life.

A sob rips free as I take a shuttering breath.

All I wanted to do was to come to school and get an education, so I can better my life and be free from the monsters who try to hold me down.

Only to be tossed into a school with three different monsters. I’m on their radar. They know something's up. And it fucking kills them that they don’t know what it is.

They have to suspect something, but what? Do they know who I really am? Not that I’m his scent match, I could see it on River’s face. Outside the demented pleasure in his expression, he had no idea.

But the threat they might think I pose on their crew, who my dad is, their enemy.

No. If they did, they wouldn’t be letting me walk around here freely, they would drag me away and take care of business like they’re known for.

The thing is, I’m not free, am I? Not truly.

They’ve been following me, making sure I know it too. Always lurking when I’m at school.

What about outside school hours, off campus? Not that I leave campus much as it is.

Surely they have better things to do with their lives than to spend all of their time watching me.

They just want me to know they have power over me. To keep me on my toes, scared and panicked.

And they’re doing a fucking good job of it.

They can’t know what I am, who I am, and they sure as hell can’t find out I’m scent matched to River.

Just thinking about what that could mean for me has me scrambling to grab the bottle of pills from my pocket.

It’s not time to take my next dose, but as my hand shakes, dropping a few pills onto my sweaty palm, I toss them back and whimper as I swallow them dry.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I give myself another few moments before I force myself onto unsteady legs.

“Get a hold of yourself.” I scold. “Stop being so weak.”

Scrubbing my face with my hands, I shake my limbs out trying to loosen them up.

My eyes fall to my dick that’s still rock fucking hard. Another wave of shame hits me. I wish I was different than I am. I hate how much I want River and my biological need for alphas.

Taking my keys out of my pocket, I take the tip of one and press it into the palm of my hand and focus on the pain until my erection dissipates.

Now is not the time to break down. When I get home, I’ll figure out a new game plan. One that is mainly focused on doing my damn best to stay away from River and his pack and keeping them from finding out yet another truth of mine.

Something tells me it’s not going to be that easy.

* * *

It was hard, but I managed to make it through the rest of the day's classes. I’ve been on edge ever since. Practically on the edge of my seat, ready to run if I spotted one of them. The middle of a lecture be damned.

It was all a waste of time, I should have just gone home because I wasn’t able to concentrate at all. Now I’ll have to spend the rest of the night watching the class lectures online in the student portal to catch up so I’m not falling behind.

Now that I have the chance to think, I’m reminded that I still haven’t been able to find a job.

I’ve called a lot of places, applied online, yet nothing has changed regarding my unemployed status. Positions around here must get filled fast. I’m sure I’m not the only struggling college student on campus.

As I’m heading out the door after my last class, an arm wraps around me. My heart leaps into my stomach, thinking it’s River or one of his pack, but when I look up to see Jamie’s playful grin gleaming down at me, I relax, letting out a breath.

“Hey Cam. What’s up man?” he asks, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

“Hey Jamie. You scared the shit out of me.”

He laughs, letting go and taking a step back. Honestly, I’m glad for the space. Jamie is a good guy, but he’s an alpha. An alpha who’s not mine. Being touched by him feels wrong, even if it’s only meant to be friendly.

“Sorry about that. Saw you and wanted to come say hi. Haven’t heard from you in a few days. How have you been? Still hung over?”

“Haha.” I drawl.

He just grins wider before his face changes into something softer. “You doing okay?”

I shift uncomfortably. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?” his brows furrow. “The other day…”

“It’s fine. Really, I’m okay. Just having some trouble adjusting. This life is a lot different than I’m used to.”

“I bet.” he nods his head. “And what exactly were you used to?” he asks, raising a brow.

“Nice try.” I laugh.

“Hey, had to try.” he chuckles.

Jamie has been trying to get to know me better, but I haven’t been making it easy for him. Because in order to know about my past, he would need to know who my father is. The most I’ve told him was that I didn’t have the best home life and now I’m on my own, starting over.

I’ve only known Jamie for a week now, but he’s quickly becoming a good friend. That’s not something I’m used to. I’ve had a few people I’d talk to back at the compound, but ever since I presented, I made sure to keep my distance from everyone as much as I could, not wanting to risk people finding out.

So to have someone who knows nothing about me, able to start over with a clean slate, and have a friend, it’s nice.

“What are you doing this weekend?” Jamie asks as we start walking.

“Nothing. I was just staying in my dorm, maybe doing some studying. Why?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him in suspicion. “If you’re about to ask me to go to another party, the answer is going to be hell no.”

He bursts into laughter. “Relax Cam, no party. At least not this weekend. Don’t think you're off the hook for that one by the way. I need a party buddy. It’s not my pack’s scene so I need someone to keep me company.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to meet an Omega if you didn’t have someone tagging along?” I ask. “Isn’t that what most college students want to do.’

“Do you?” he asks me, raising a brow.

“No.” I say a little too quickly

“Just because I’m an alpha and a football player doesn’t mean I only want to party and fuck.” he chuckles. “Although I already have the fucking part down pat.” he winks. “As for the Omega part.” he shrugs. “College parties aren't where I’m gonna find mine.”

He’s not looking at me, but I see the sly smile on his lips. Does that mean he already found his omega? I want to ask, but it’s really none of my business. We’re not that close yet. We just met. I don’t even know who the rest of his pack is.

“We’re getting off track. No parties. It’s the first football game of the year. If you don’t have plans, you should come.”

“Oh.” I blink a few times, looking out at the path as we slow to a stop by the fountain. “Football. Huh.”

“What? You don’t like football.” he says, mock hurt. “My poor jock heart.”

“It’s not that. I just haven't been to a game before. Don’t know much about the sport.”

“Well, it’s time to pop your cherry then, isn’t it?” he grins wickedly. My damn cheeks heat. God, I’m giving off virgin vibes in waves right now.

“I’ll think about it. What time?”

“Seven on Friday night. I better see you there.” he warns as he backs away. “I gotta get going to practice. Text you later.”

I wave goodbye to him and watch him leave.

Even just spending a few minutes with Jamie, something inside me settles. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s an alpha, and I’m craving that connection from someone, anyone. Or if it’s just his vibe. He’s fun to be around.

That is until I get the feeling someone is watching me.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I rub my hands up and down to warm myself up from the sudden chill as I look around. I search for them, but nothing pops out at me, just students mulling around the courtyard.

Shaking myself out of my own head, I walk towards the Student Union building.

Maybe once I get a job and have a steady income, I’ll have one less thing to stress about and hopefully make things a bit better.

As soon as I step into the building, I check my surroundings.

Just what I need, to always be on guard. It’s bad enough I’m worried all hours of the day that someone is going to find out what I really am, now I can’t even go out in public without worrying about running into one of them.

Thankfully with a quick glance around, I don’t spot any of them.

Turning my attention to the direction of the board, I nervously wring my fingers in anticipation. If there’s nothing new up there then I’m screwed because I’ve already applied to the ones posted before.

It’s only been a day since I’ve last checked, so I shouldn’t get downhearted if there isn't. But it doesn’t hurt to try.

My brows furrow when I see the board empty except for a singular red paper. That's odd.

Leaning in to get a better look, I lift my hand and brush my fingers over it as I read the words.

Huh. It’s a job offer for a position as bartender at a club called The Frenzy. Never heard of it. And when I put the address in my GPS, I see it’s not on campus. But at this point, I’ll take what I can get. I have experience tending the bar at the clubhouse. And I have a car. I just don’t use it because I don’t have money to put gas in my tank. If I get this job, that would change.

Grabbing the paper, I rip it off the board and step back. I could have just taken a photo of the number and moved on so someone else could have a look. But I don’t want to risk someone else getting the position.

With the paper to my chest, I look around to make sure no one’s paying attention to me before quickly rushing out of the building.

When I’m home, I pull the flyer from my backpack where I stuffed it. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I grab my cell phone and dial the number on the paper.

Nerves flutter in my stomach as I listen to it start to ring. One, two, three rings before someone picks up.

“Hello, welcome to The Frenzy. My name is Jason. How can I help you?”

“Hi. Jason.” I clear my throat. “My name is Camden. I saw a flyer posted about a position as a bartender at the club. I was calling to see if I could set up an interview. There’s no email listed to send my resume.”

“Of course. Do you have any experience bartending?”

Licking my lips, I answer. “Yes, a few years.”

“Awesome. I have an opening tomorrow at six pm. Does that work for you?”

A smile takes over my lips as the nerves shift to something more hopeful. This is the first place I’ve been able to even get an interview. That's got to mean something, right?

“Yes, six works perfectly. See you then.”

Hanging up the phone, I lay back on my bed and let out a sigh of relief.

Now I just have to get through the next twenty four hours.