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We’re sitting at a table in the back of the library. There are large shelves full of books all around us and I’m feeling a bit trapped. No one can see us, and if he wanted to hurt me, there is no way I or anyone else could stop him. When he stands, my heart starts to race. He steps closer to me, and I take a step back. His leather scent is suffocating me, taking my breath away as he stalks closer to me. I don’t recognize the boy in front of me. His normally sweet face is twisted with an emotion I don’t understand, but makes me feel really uncomfortable. All day long, I've felt like something is moving under my skin and my emotions have been more volatile than ever. Standing here now, my back against a bookshelf and a dangerous looking beta boxing me in, I feel like I really should have stayed home this morning.
“Come on Rebecca. We both know you don’t need to talk to your professor about an assignment you’ve already done. I watched you finish that paper yesterday.”
His smirk reminds me of the Grinch when he decides to steal Christmas. My stomach is rolling and I look around the area, trying to find a way to get out of here. My phone is on the table in my bag and there isn’t anyone else in the library today. Even the Librarian stepped out a few minutes ago. I’m on my own with a boy who clearly has his own ideas about what is going to happen here. I don’t get the feeling that I’m going to get a say in the plans either.
“You’ve been teasing me all week. Wearing these tight little outfits and fluttering your lashes at me. Well I’m tired of playing the nice guy. Obviously you’re waiting for me to take what we both want.”
“Camden.” I try in desperation to side step him and create some space between us, but he slams his hand into the shelf over my shoulder and traps me against the books with his chest. “I really don’t want this. I just want to leave okay? Just let me go.”
He cocks his head to the side, as if considering my words. Then an awful smile spreads across his face. “Yeah,” his hand reaches up and strokes down my hair, making me flinch away. “That isn’t going to happen, Pretty Girl. You owe me, and I’m cashing in now.”
His hand that was just on my hair skims down my body, caressing my breasts as it travels lower. I whimper and try to pull away, but his other hand comes down on my shoulder. He squeezes hard enough to bruise if I were human. Crying out, I try to shove his chest to make him get away from me, but he laughs at me, shoving me harder into the shelf. My mind goes blank and my body is limp. I can’t fight him off, this is going to happen and I can’t stop it. A single tear rolls down my cheek as I accept the inevitable. I tell myself that when this is over, I’ll call August and Charles and they will come help me. I try my hardest to trick my mind, to convince myself that this won't be as bad as I think it will. He will see that I’m not interested and leave me alone, but even in my own mind I can tell that it’s a lie. Camden isn’t taking no for an answer. He thinks my attempts to fight back are funny, and the confidence he holds while touching my unwilling body just further proves that I’m not the first person he’s done it to.
When Camden unbuttons my jeans, a sob leaves my chest. I know what is about to happen so I think of anything else other than what is happening right now. I close my eyes as tears roll down my face. I picture myself sitting on the shore behind Abby’s house, sketch pad in my hand as I draw baby whales playing in the moonlit waves in the distance. The image in my mind shifts and I’m on the couch at the Lycans house watching Disney movies with Mandy. She is cuddling into Charles' chest and August is sitting beside me with his arm thrown over the back of the couch. James is laying on the floor in front of us and every now and then he tosses a piece of popcorn back, trying to land it in my mouth. As the image blurs and changes again, Camden’s hand moves into the opening of my pants, his fingers brushing against the top of my panties.
A deep thundering growl pulls my mind back to the library as sobs burst from my chest. I didn’t even realize I was begging him to stop until the deep icy voice speaks to Camden. “I believe the lady has repeatedly asked you to stop touching her. I advise that happens in the next second or I can’t be held liable for what my Pack mate will do.”
My eyes fly open and I’m shaking in fearful relief at the sight before me. CJ and Hutch are holding Erik back by his shoulders, the strain in their arms are proof of how hard he is fighting them. Skylar’s eyes are locked on Camden’s hand that is still inside my pants and his green eyes look like they would slice his hand from his wrist if it isn’t taken off of me. Erik is unrecognizable in his rage. His face is deep red and his whole frame is shaking. Hutch doesn’t look much better, the red of his flushed cheeks prominent under his umber tone. CJ is frighteningly calm in appearance. His usually bright blue eyes, so much like Charles’s, are void of any emotion. It’s like he has completely shut down and the implications of that is terrifying in the best way. The four men before me look like they are ready to kill someone and all of them are focused on the boy forcing himself on me.
Camden turns, his hands leaving my body as he faces the threat behind him. I shuffle away, moving as fast as I can to put some much needed distance between me and my assailant. My feet get tangled around each other and I go tumbling to the floor. On my hands and knees, I crawl until I’m under the table. I grab the strap of my bag and pull it down, holding it in my lap. I try to open it and get my phone so I can call Mandy, but my hands are shaking too bad. I can hear the bass rumbling of the guys talking above me, but the sound of my heart pounding in my ears is too loud to make out the words they are saying. I sit under the table, hugging my bag to my chest and rocking back and forth, for what feels like eternity. The tears never stop flowing down my face, but my sobs have turned into hiccups and my hands are more steady.
As I pull my phone out of my bag, I see a shadow move in front of me, blocking out the light. I jump and scream, begging Camden to leave me alone before I can even really see who it is. My phone is in my hand and I hold it in front of me as if it will do me any good if Camden wants to finish what he started. My hands are shaking again and I tense my body, ready to fight with everything inside me to keep him from getting what he wants.
“Hey there, Red.” CJ’s frame takes up the space in front of me.
My whole body deflates as I take in the fact that it’s CJ leaning down to talk to me, not Camden. His voice is soft and soothing and I find myself drawn to him. His apple scent swirls in the air and makes my head feel floaty. I want nothing more than to cuddle into that smell and lose myself in his embrace for the rest of the day. I don’t even know what his arms would feel like around me, but my mind is conjuring an image that has heat bubbling low in my belly. My mouth is even watering, I keep seeing myself taking a huge bite of an apple while fluttering my eyes up at CJ. Blinking, I try my hardest to push those thoughts from my mind. I don’t want him. Idon'twant him.
“You’re safe. He’s gone now and we won’t hurt you, I promise.” he is looking at me like he is worried I may break.
I don’t blame him for his concern. I’m sure I look like a complete mess and I just tried to fight him with my cell phone. Regardless, I don’t want him, them, thinking I’m weak. Nodding in acknowledgement of his words, I move to my knees and start crawling out from under the table. He backs up but stays squatted down. I’m a bit impressed with his agility and amused that he looks like a duck as he backs up to let me out.
Standing, I glance around the little outcove where Camden and I have been eating lunch all week. The other three Alphas are standing behind CJ, watching me, but no one else is here. I sigh out in relief and collapse into a chair by the table. I’ve had a lot of bad things happen to me in my life, but I think this was the worst one. For a second, I truly did think I was going to have to live with the fact that I couldn’t defend myself. My thoughts are spiraling, coming up with all the ways I could have done something different. No matter what I say to myself, it doesn’t help. I’m still shaking like a leaf. I just want to go home and cuddle in my secret room, but I have another class to get through today, then a party with the Lycans.
Chapter Fourteen
Girl Talk
“HeyRed.Youdoingalright? I promise he won’t bother you again, and we won’t touch you.”
CJ’s words have me focusing on the guys in front of me again. All four of them are surrounding me, watching me with clenched fists and worried eyes. Someone, I think it’s Erik, is growling deep in his chest. Having them around me does a ton more to ease me than trying to calm my thoughts did. I take a deep breath, hoping to get more of CJ’s apple scent. Instead, I get a symphony of scents. Each smell is sweeter than the last and a humming purr rumbles my chest. My face turns beet red, and my eyes snap down to my legs as I pray to every god in existence that they didn’t just hear that. I’ve never made a sound like that before, and I’m not sure what it means. I decide that I need to say something to distract them from that embarrassing noise.
“Yeah.” My voice comes out in a barely audible whisper. It’s floaty and choppy, so I clear my throat and try again. “Yes, I'm fine. I really just want to go home and relax for a few hours, but I have… well,wehave class in a few minutes so…”
“Actually,” Skylar's deep voice is like honey in my ears. Each syllable is spoken soft and slow, like he is using his words to caress my body without ever touching me. The way just the sound of him speaking sends heat rushing to my core, I’d almost believe heisdoing exactly that. “Professor Serena canceled her last class. She has a pup going through his first change and she wanted to be home early to get everything set up.”
Shit. His words remind me that tonight is my first shift as well as my birthday. I’m torn about what to think about it. I’m really excited to meet my wolf and Manifest, but I’m also scared that it’s going to hurt. I won’t be alone and Charles and Mandy both made sure to tell me that I can ask as many questions as I want before shifting tonight, but I don’t know what to ask. James told me this morning not to worry about tonight. He said that the shift doesn’t hurt and I’ll feel a lot better after ‘getting out of my human skin’. I’m not sure I believe him though.
“We can take you home, Red. If you want, we can all just hang out until the party tonight.”
CJ makes that sound so tempting. Hanging out with these guys is exactly what I want. But that is also exactly why I shouldn’t do it. I’m already too attached. I want them too much and I’ve been spending the last week completely avoiding them. What will happen if I spend the afternoon with them? Smelling their fruit salad concoction of scents and getting used to their domineering auras? I’ll get my heart broken, that's what. I can’t be their friend until after I manifest. I’ve told myself this over and over again. Yet each time they try to talk to me or show me even the slightest attention, my heart and body cling to it like it’s the air I need to survive.
“That’s really nice of you to offer, but I don’t think I’m feeling up to it today. Maybe tomorrow okay? I’m just going to call Mandy and see if she can come get me. No need for you guys to go out of your way.”
The guys share a look between them. Erik grumbled in his chest, Hutch shook his head no, and CJ and Skylar held the others' gaze for a solid thirty seconds. It looks like they’re having a conversation, but none of them open their mouths. I wonder, are they talking through their minds? Is that something wolves can do? I know that in the books I’ve read, sometimes shifters have that ability. But Abby and the Lycans never mentioned anything like that. The implications of what wolves could do with an ability to speak to each other's minds is so crazy, my mind is spinning.
“Don’t worry Red. We were going back to CJ’s house anyway. We don’t want to miss your birthday party.” Erik smiled and his whole face lit up. He is a beautiful man naturally, but when he smiles, that beauty changes into something heavenly. He’s an angel sent from the gods, his smile confirms it.
Hutch comes around CJ and throws his arm around my shoulders. Erik takes my hand and the two of them steer me out of the library. I’m looking around as we walk down the hall, hoping I don’t see Camden or Conner. I know that after the library, I won’t be able to handle it. Erik squeezes my hand and Hutch hugs me gently as we make our way to the parking lot. Hutch guides me to the large, lifted, solid black SUV. There’s not a spot of color and the rims are just as black as the paint. Not my usual style, but I can see the guys in it, cruising around the Reservation where no one can see them.
