I couldn’t look away now, desperate to see if I was crazy or not.
It switched away from Taryn, and there he was. I hadn’t made it up after all.
Cameron was there.
He wasn’t the one kissing, but he was sitting right next to them, his face staring at the screen. Those all-too familiar dark eyes were as dead and dangerous as they always were. There was a small smile on his face like he had won something.
Fucking psycho.
I never realized how terrifying he was until he already had me locked in. He put his best show on, pretended like he was a caring, doting alpha. He used his charms like he did with the rest of the world until I was too far in to claw my way out.
Then his true nature surfaced.
I didn’t realize I was trembling until Apollo pulled me into his lap, unable to take it anymore. Phoenix didn’t even bother to protest like she usually would. She seemed to know that I needed this.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Dani asked, both she and Taryn leaning in close now.
I tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out, my eyes still glued to the screen even though it had shifted to new topics.
“She freaked out when the kiss cam switched away from you,” Ezra explained. “Honeybee, what did you see?”
“Cameron.” The single word was all I could manage to choke out.
All the joking fell away from Taryn as she looked at me, finally registering what I was saying.
“He was there?”
I nodded, feeling oddly numb and cold.
“He was sitting next to the people that it switched to after you. He was there, Taryn. He was right there.” My voice grew more frantic with every word.
“Is he the reason you ran from us?” Corvin asked gently. It wasn’t judgmental, just curious. As if he needed to know the cause of this so it wouldn’t happen again.
I loved that they were like this, willing to listen and hear me out and not just freak out and lash out. They were so easy to be around.
This pack made me feel safe, somethinghenever made me feel.
My hands shifted to my scars, feeling the ridges under my shirt. A move that didn’t go unnoticed. Ezra’s eyes narrowed, but I shook my head quickly as the others looked at the screen, trying to see who I was talking about.
Only the devil himself. The man who stole my peace, sleep, and wedged himself into my future relationships.
Fuck, I’d come so far and I could already feel myself spiraling.
I wasn’t naive enough to think this was some sort of coincidence.
There were never accidents with Cameron. He was the type to think ahead, to plan out every single move. Every action was controlled to the point of insanity.
No, I didn’t take this for anything less than the threat it was.
My best friends read that room perfectly. Dani cleared her throat after having a silent conversation with her pack.
“We were planning on going to the farmers market in the morning. I know you had some inventory you wanted to get done at the shop, Bea. So, Phoenix, do you want to hang with us tonight? I promise, no babysitting. We can have a movie night or something and then go to the farmers market in the morning?”
“I would love that,” Phoenix said, before turning back to me. “Can I go, Aunt Bea?”
My smile was back on my face, and I nodded quickly. “Of course. I hope you guys have fun.”
“We’ve got enough room in the truck, you can just come home with us after dinner,” Dani said, her voice as light as ever, defusing the situation like a pro.
