15. Bea
My heart stopped, I swear it did. How did he find me? I had to get out of here. I went to stand up but my legs failed me and I couldn’t force myself to move, only making a noise of distress.
My name was called but I couldn’t make out what else they were saying.
Was I having a stroke? What was wrong with me?
“Bea,” Ezra’s sharp voice echoed out. It jolted me out of the panic enough for my senses to come back.
“Are you okay?” Corvin asked.
“No,” I squeaked. I was just starting to heal from everything that asshole put me through, finally moving on and now he was here.
He came back for me.
“What can we do? Is it the baby? How can we help?” Apollo asked, voice serious now as they crowded around me.
I looked through the crowd around us, but he was nowhere in sight. It was on camera and I couldn't pinpoint the exact location.
Did I imagine it? Maybe my fucked-up brain was playing tricks on me now that I was happy.
Yes, that had to be it.
“No, no, I thought I saw someone from the past, but I didn’t. Sorry to scare you. I’m fine,” I promised. Even I didn’t believe my shaky voice.
I wasn’t fine and I was definitely planning on watching the game again to see if I was going crazy or not.
“Are you sure? You’re pale and your heart is racing,” Corvin said quietly, his fingers on my wrist now.
“Promise,” I said, giving him a little smile that they saw right through.
“I don’t believe you,” Ezra said. “But we can talk about this later.”
Thankfully, Phoenix and Dani had been cheering Cy on and hadn’t noticed the shift in my mood. I just hoped it stayed that way.
The rest of the game was a blur. I was too terrified to keep my attention on the game. Instead, I kept looking around at the crowd, expecting to spot Cameron among the fans.
Corvin held me close, his hand adding constant pressure to the back of my neck, not letting my panic take over completely.
It wasn’t until we were in the car afterwards that Phoenix finally called me out.
“What’s going on? Why are you being so weird?”
“I’m not.” I tried to play it off, but she narrowed her eyes.
“We don’t lie to each other.” It was definitely an accusation. All I could do was sigh in defeat, because she was absolutely right.
“I just thought I saw someone from my past, and it freaked me out,” I admitted. She seemed to realize that it wasn’t the kind of conversation I wanted to have right now and let it drop. “It’s not your mom, that much I can tell you.”
Phoenix let out a breath at that. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting it drop.
Corvin drove us across the city to the place we were having dinner with my friends.
Even though I wanted nothing more than to go home, I couldn’t turn down the plans now.
They chose a local Knuckleball Knockouts-themed sports bar close to the stadium. It was thankfully family friendly. They all found babysitters for the younger kids, but I didn’t want to bring Phoenix somewhere that she didn’t belong.
The moment the waiter saw that a few of the Knockouts players were with us, she moved us to a VIP room in the back. It meant that no one could walk in and see us. That was the only reason I could relax enough to settle into my chair.
A giant screen on the wall was recapping the game. It was a win so they were already hyped. After the announcers finished talking, they flipped over to the kiss cam again.
“Oh look! I’m famous,” Taryn grinned. My heart slammed in my chest as I watched them replay the kiss cam, announcers laughing about the over the top packs.
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, something he never 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.
Phoenix was here for the conversation. There was no avoiding it, and I was acting far too crazy. We’d have to talk about it eventually. I just couldn’t tonight.
I wanted to make sure that she was safe, and honestly, being with my best friend meant she would be safer than she would be with me right now. Something that made me want to throw up.
There was no reason for her not to be safe with me. I was her guardian.
I wouldn’t let him take this from me, too.
Dinner ended quickly after that. They tried to keep the conversation light, but I couldn’t join in.
It didn’t go unnoticed that Corvin boxed up my food and even ordered one of every dessert available on the menu for later. It was such a simple gesture, but it was the fact that he was trying to make me feel better that had me blinking back tears.
The guys quickly got me into the car after I said goodbye to Phoenix. Dani planned for them to stop by our place on the way back so she could grab her things before heading back to their packhouse. I loved them for stepping up like this. It meant a lot to me.
Instead of buckling me into my own seat, Ezra climbed into the back first and then pulled me into his lap, holding me the entire way back to Willow Lake.
I was thankful for the fact that they didn’t try to talk to me yet.
They gave me time to process the fact that my past had literally come back to haunt me.
I was carrying another pack’s baby, and if there was anyone that could take this from me, it would be Cameron.
He wasn’t the sharing type. He was the jealous type, the type that would make sure that I paid for everything he thought I did to spite him.
A small sob burst out of me before Corvin pulled to the side of the road. We were in the middle of nowhere, just the country roads that led us back to Willow Lake.
He was out in a second, he and Apollo climbing into the backseat with us. The moment I was surrounded by all three of my mates, I couldn’t contain it. The sobs came faster now, the fear so strong I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Talk to us.” It was a heartbroken plea and I could barely decipher who said it through my sobs.
The last thing I wanted to do was relive everything that Cameron did to me, but I had promised this pack that I wouldn’t push them away again.
I had to trust that they’d be here to protect our baby and Phoenix above all else.
So, I did the only thing I could do. I opened my mouth and gave them every horrible detail of my past: the fire, how I barely made it out alive, the recovery, his bullshit trial, every gory detail.
“He was at the game tonight?” Corvin asked carefully.
“Yes,” I whispered, fresh tears falling down my cheeks. “He found me, and he’ll hurt me if he gets a chance. He won’t like that I have a pack, or that I’m pregnant. He’ll kill me.”
Corvin let loose a low growl. “He won’t ever get close to you,” he promised.
“Let us move in,” Ezra pleaded. “Let us protect our pack. You, Phoenix, and our baby will be safe. Give us a chance to show you we can protect you.”
“We can even have one of the rookies rotate shifts around so one of us is with you at all times,” Apollo suggested.
“No, you can’t rearrange your life for me,” I argued, but it was weak. Hope was blooming in my chest, chasing away some of the fear.
“We want to be here with you, and I’m so proud of you for telling us this time and not shutting us out,” Corvin said, a purr filling the car.
“I’m so scared.” The purr amped up as they whispered reassurances at me.
“We’ve got some contacts in the police department. I need you to point him out so that I can take a picture and take it in,” Corvin urged as gently as possible. He knew it wasn’t an easy request.
“He shouldn’t be here,” I said, hand shaking as I pulled up the feed, freezing the screen at the moment that he stared right at the camera as if he knew I’d see him.
“Let us help,” Ezra urged, squeezing me tight.
“Okay,” I finally relented.
What choice did I really have?