Page 9

CHAPTER EIGHT

HENLEY

O bsession and calculated desperation, that’s what I’m feeling. I only know for sure Camden is alive outside of the professor’s word because he called the club to apologize for not coming in to work. Meanwhile, all bets are off as far as privacy.

I no longer care, I need to know where he is and if he’s safe. I have this feral itch to know everything I can about the beta. The memories of the way he was slumped in Professor Kennedy’s arms are keeping me up at night.

His words haunt me, my bullshit meter silent because I know the teacher is telling the truth. He’s a good man, and not the pervert I believed. I really think he was helping him.

I just need to know why and what happened that night. Did someone hurt him? I don’t remember seeing any bruises, was he jumped possibly?

My thin control is on the verge of snapping. I want to see him before he goes into work his first shift, but I’m aware Camden may be working even harder to avoid my pack and me. It’s difficult to keep your secrets when you have people breathing down your neck, desperately wanting to rip them away.

There are now cameras in Camden’s room, the closet, and the dorm bathroom. If I end up seeing some beta ass for my troubles, then so be it. Every movement will be tracked until I can slide the tracker under the pink-haired beta’s skin.

No one else is allowed to touch him outside of my pack and I. Jamie is the only one who gets a pass due to circumstances outside of my control, but the smug glances he’s been throwing at me on campus are pushing me in a very dangerous direction. The alpha needs to watch his back.

Brooks and River are leaving it to me to bring Camden to heel. As unhinged and obsessive as I am, I also have ways of getting shit done without anyone ever knowing where I am or what I’m doing. My pack mates and best friends aren’t as discreet as I am, nor are they allowed into the beta dorms.

No, this job falls solely to me.

The hours drag on as I stare at the different camera angles on my phone, not a hint of Camden’s furtive glances anywhere.

“Any luck?” River asks me, sitting next to me on a bench outside of my next class.

A few of the clubs I’m in have expressed their concerns that they haven’t been able to find me, so here I am in plain sight. While I’m in the throes of being consumed with finding Camden, I still have to balance the house of cards I’m building at Crown Well Academy. Everyone wants my attention, yet no one but the lost beta has mine.

“None,” I grunt, putting my phone very slowly down on my thigh. River doesn’t deserve to experience my crabbiness.

“Take a break,” he says. “Come to the club. He’s supposed to begin bartending tonight. There will be no hiding from us there.”

“I’m going to want to follow him home,” I confess, rubbing my face. I have the beginnings of stubble I need to remove. I value my appearance, and I’ve been neglecting it.

“I would never expect anything less,” River reassures me. “Make it through the day, pretend to give a shit when the sycophants come to ask you about things that don’t matter, and I’ll make sure you’re well rewarded.”

I know they matter, but only in the small scope of their lives. Perception is how we keep ourselves at the top of the school.

River’s words are tested as Nancy huffs as she comes up to speak to me. My alpha glances at me with weight in his eyes before getting up to leave, ignoring the girl in front of me completely.

The message is loud and clear: I have to be nice to possibly get my dick sucked later, but he doesn’t. Wonderful.

“Hi, Lee,” Nancy says, preening. I’m openly gay, and yet there are still girls who flirt with me. “Right, so I’ve been looking for you.”

Please get to the point.

Standing, I force my face to resemble a smile. My teeth are clenched so hard I may break a tooth, but I’m managing to be pleasant. Maybe I won’t have to say a word to her and she’ll answer her own question.

“Will you be at the Presidents’ Club meeting? We wanted to plan something for the freshman to welcome them to the school,” she says.

There’s a club on campus for all of the presidents of the various clubs. It ensures we’re all in contact with each other and don’t schedule something that’ll conflict with another group. It’s also a really good way to meet everyone important at the school in one shot and stay abreast of the latest developments.

Usually, this would be a pain in the ass, but maybe we can plan something off campus where we can remind the little beta of who he belongs to. He’ll have to attend as a freshman, since it’s mandatory, and it’ll also ensure we can isolate him. Maybe we’ll pay off his group to ditch him, since these events usually offer team building opportunities.

“Yes, I’ll be there,” I agree. “It’s tomorrow, right?”

I sure hope it is, because I don’t have the time to wedge it into my schedule between stalking and attending classes today.

“Yeah, it’s in the Student Union at four in the afternoon,” she confirms.

Pulling out my phone, I add it to my calendar, nodding.

“I’ll be there. Thanks, Nancy. Gotta get to class now. See you,” I say, shoving my phone into my pocket and moving away.

“Okay, bye!” she says, as if we’re friends. I don’t have any of those outside of my pack.

My classes slog on at a snail’s pace, and I decide to swing by the class Camden takes with Professor Kennedy to see if he made it there or not. His class schedule hasn’t changed at all, he just hasn’t been home yet.

It’s pissing me off that I haven’t been able to get eyes on him.

Leaning against the wall facing the door that’ll show me who exits the class, I check my phone and rewind the cameras to see what I’ve missed. Camden’s furtive face is caught as he practically runs through the halls to his room. Once inside the walls of it, he burrows into his bed, hiding under the blankets.

So damn odd, Little Beta.

At least he’s back from wherever he was. I still plan to get some answers as soon as I can. The tracker is in my backpack, held close for the next possible opportunity that I’ll get to see him with his guard lowered.

You can run and hide, but I’ll find you. Even if it does feel like a million years since I saw him leave the bathroom leaning against the professor’s shoulder.

Forcing an annoyed breath through my lungs, I glance at the door as it opens. His lecture is over, and I’m on the hunt.

Camden walks out the door of the classroom, but my lip curls into a snarl when I see that Jamie has his arm around him. What the fuck. He keeps the beta’s attention as he talks, and Camden actually laughs for him.

I hate everything about this. He’s never laughed for me, not once. I don’t care that the reason is because we’ve been tormenting him. It’s all I want now, to have his blue eyes sparkle as he laughs at something I may have said.

I’m so fucked over this guy.

Jamie catches my eye as he sees me leaning against the wall, making a point of whispering in the beta’s ear to make him turn an adorable pink. Fuck this guy.

I’m so damn disappointed that I can’t kill him. Life is so unfair. All I can do is watch them disappear before I head home to get ready for the club.

My ire isn’t a smart choice for you.

* * *

“No one can say he’s not a good employee,” Brooks grumbles from where we’re tucked into a back booth at the club.

We’re watching Camden train on his first day, and he’s keeping up with the different orders as people step up to the bar.

It’s a busy night, despite it being a weekday, but there’s always a reason to come out and party in this town. We get the businessmen who are with clients who don’t know about the sex club attached to this building, as well as couples looking for an exciting date night. They’ll have a drink or two before moving on to the more risqué part of their night.

I live for being able to offer something exclusive and different, which is why I pitched this idea to the guys as a way to make money separately from our fathers’ crew. It gives us all independence.

Our fathers understand that and gave us their blessing. Regardless of how I feel about my own father and how I’m convinced he’s disappointed that I’m not an alpha like the rest of my pack, he is proud of us.

“He’s doing a good job,” I mumble, taking a sip of the drink Camden made. “He has no idea who his new bosses are.”

“I can’t wait to see his face,” River admits. “It needs to be carefully planned. I want him on his knees, panting and needy when he finally realizes that he’s walked into a trap.”

“You need his mouth around your dick,” Brooks says, lost in thought as he remembers his stalk and face fuck with the little beta. “His fear is delicious.”

“I think you get off on it,” I tease him, knowing my dick is just as hard as I move Camden expertly around the chess board of our agendas.

He thinks the decisions are his, but they are thoroughly steered by outside forces.

“Do you know where he’s been all this time?” Brooks asks.

“No,” I sigh. “I do know he won’t be able to take a piss without me watching anymore. I have cameras everywhere.”

“That’s what you get when you run,” Brooks says with a shrug. “Speaking of running, I am getting the itch to stretch my legs and chase someone.”

Smirking, I nod. “I’m working on that,” I murmur, taking a long sip of my whiskey. I wanted something that would burn tonight. “Remember the girl who came to speak to me, River?”

“The annoying one,” he sneers. “Oh yeah. Do you deserve your dick sucked?”

A large smile curls over my lips, a real one for the first time all day.

“I was a perfect gentleman, and was reminded by Nancy about the Presidents’ Club meeting to plan something special for the freshman to welcome them to Crown Well,” I tell him, feeling almost giddy. “I think we should do everything in our power to make him feel very welcome that night.”

“Don’t they usually plan some ridiculous activity in the woods—” Brooks cuts himself off as he thinks about all of the possibilities. “Fuck, that’ll be fun. We’ll cut him off from his group, and fucking chase him down. When is that going to be?”

“Two to three weeks,” I say with a low chuckle. “I’ll push for two so we can have our fun.”

“Perfect,” Brooks growls, the vibration moving up my body as I shiver.

I stay and hang out until Camden finishes his shift, and then follow him home at a distance. He’s very skittish, though he was comfortable at the club. Is it because he’s out in the open?

Looking around before he sneaks into the dorm where he belongs, he walks across the lobby and slides into an elevator that’s open. I’m more and more confused by his actions, and get into an elevator that I call down by pushing the button.

I’m impatient, so it feels as if it takes forever to get to his floor. I know it’s straight up here, no one is in my way, but knowing there’s both a tracker and a sedative in my pocket in case I need it is making me feel as if everything is taking forever.

When the door opens, I take a full breath, which explains why my vision was getting blurry. I was holding it. Shit.

Pulling out my phone, I stalk the little beta as he goes through his bedtime routine, and by the time I arrive at his door, he’s sleeping.

I guess his first shift at the bar wore him out.

My key fits perfectly in the lock, and I silently open it. No one will say a word about my presence outside his door, as I’ve been walking back and forth enough over the course of his absence.

People probably think I’m fucking his tight ass.

My cock twitches in complaint, and I remind it of our reward. River said he’d wait up for me to deliver it with his hot, wet mouth.

It’s child’s play to step inside and shut the door behind myself, and Camden doesn’t move a muscle. He’s piled the blankets over himself, his head barely sticking out on his pillow. Amused because I don’t know anyone who sleeps like this, I move closer to tug down the blankets. The whine he makes is one of annoyance and makes me smile.

His guard is down in his sleep. I want to strip away all of his defenses, find out where he’s been and why. The scent blockers throw up so many red flags along with the setup of his room, but I can’t accuse him of anything without proof. For now, I’m keeping the kernels of information that I do have to myself.

Removing the syringe from my pocket, I smirk as I think about how I bought this from a local pet supply store. He’ll only feel a small pinch when I inject it where his shoulder and neck meet, and I read it’s rare to feel any pain. If my little rabbit keeps running from me, I’ll have to treat him like a pet.

Uncapping the syringe is an easy task, and it slides smoothly under his skin as I push down the plunger. The little beta winces for a second before I remove it and put it back into my pocket. I’ll dispose of it back at my place, I don’t want to worry about it being found. Gently covering Camden backup with his many blankets, I turn to leave, knocking the table with my side.

Hissing because I’ll have a bruise there later, I check to make sure he’s still asleep, and then turn to look at the papers I knocked down. Leaning down, I pick them up, intrigued when I see the words: Hospital Discharge on them.

Is that where you were, little rabbit?

My eyes move over the paperwork, widening at the words: overdose, mental health stay, and depression. Fuck. There were so many pills spilled out the day I came looking for him, I should have imagined this was the reason why.

Camden simply doesn’t seem depressed…

The patient has severe anxiety, and says the feelings of self harm overwhelmed him until he couldn’t help himself, I read.

Ah, well that makes more sense. He doesn’t get to leave this world unless I say so, and I haven’t. Even with all of our suspicions of why he’s at Crown Well Academy, I don’t want him dead. Do I want to torture him, find out his truths, and make him mine?

Yeah, I do. My obsessions surround both my own distrust as well my own need to possess Camden. I know I don’t want anyone else to touch him, make him smile, or speak to him. I haven’t had that kind of possessive rage since I became a pack with the guys.

Fuck… I want to crawl inside of his skin, which is insane. Par for the course for me, but it also means this is more than a passing fuck and drop. I don’t think I’ll ever be over this beta, who may not be one.

Taking the paperwork with me so I can use the name of the hospital to hack into their system, I let myself out and lock the door.

Sleep well, Camden. The world isn’t done with you, and neither am I.