James swallowed, the reassurance that they were on the same page only calming his instincts a little. She needed to be protected, hidden away from anyone who might hurt her.
She wastheirs, damn it.
Chapter two
Camelia
Camelia only listened with half an ear as Aria babbled, picking at her pasta.
The first night with the boys had been...fuck, it had been harder than she thought it was going to be. Not because either of them had been dickish or aggressive towards her, no. The exact opposite. After most of her things were unpacked, Evan had come out of the house and dismissed the movers that Camelia's dad had hired, and helped her haul in the last few things to her room himself.
Camelia told herself that shehadn'tspent the majority of the time that he'd been helping her looking at the way his shoulders and chest stretched under his black shirt, straining the fabric in a way that was simply indecent. Nope, she had managed to keep her eyes firmly in her own head and her thoughts completely appropriate.
Evan had been helpful, and sweet, and hadn't touched her more than necessary. Camelia was telling herself that she wasn't disappointed by that fact, too.
Then, when she had dismissed the moving truck, she had retreated to her room to start unpacking, and after an hour or so, James had come knocking on her door.
"We're going to order pizza for dinner," he said quietly. His gaze was intense, just as intense as it ever was when he looked at her, and Camelia had to stop in her tracks so that she didn't launch herself right into his arms. "What kind do you like?"
Camelia pressed her lips together, ignoring how his eyes flicked down to her mouth before returning to her eyes, then smiled. "Mushroom and olive. Please."
He nodded once, his gaze lingering on her for another moment before he turned and walked away. He didn't enter her space, didn't crowd her, didn't do anything that, to the layperson, might make her uncomfortable.
Her instincts, those feelings that she couldn't turn off and ignore no matter how irrational they were, fuckinghatedit.
She was with her Alphas now. She needed to bewiththem. In every sense of the word.
"Lia, you're not listening to a single word that I'm saying, are you?" Aria's voice was deeply amused as she spoke, interrupting Camelia's musings, and Camelia's face heated a little in embarrassment at having been caught.
She cleared her throat, offering an apologetic smile. "Ah, no. Sorry. God, I've been a shit friend lately, haven't I?"
Aria shook her head, her black curls bouncing wildly as she took a sip from her smoothie. "What were you thinking about? Is everything okay?"
Camelia opened her mouth to offer the same canned response that she had formed in her mind last night when she couldn't sleep, but the words wouldn't come. Aria was looking at her withsuch sincerity, such genuine concern for her, that the idea of lying to her tasted sour.
She chewed the inside of her cheek, then set her fork down with a sigh. "No. Everything isn't okay."
Succinctly and in a low voice, Camelia explained everything that had been going on the last few weeks, looking around every now and then to make sure that nobody was eavesdropping. The student center was fairly empty, meaning that her concern was likely unfounded, but she still couldn't help the prickle that raised the hairs on the back of her neck and begged her to becareful.
Aria's eyes grew wider with each word that Camelia spoke, filling her face until she almost looked like a cartoon character, her attention rapt as Camelia finished.
"So now...I'm living with them, and..." Camelia trailed off, unable to express the frustration and longing that filled her chest in any words.
Aria hummed, setting her fork down. "Wow. That's...that was not what I was expecting you to say." She pressed her lips together, sympathy washing over her face. "How are you doing? With the new legislation on suppressants, I mean."
For a moment, Camelia was flabbergasted. She had just revealed one of her most closely held secrets to her friend, and she hadn't even batted an eye. Merely accepted Camelia without the judgement that she had gotten so used to when her status was made public.
Camelia reached out and grasped Aria's hand tightly, gratitude filling her chest. "You're a good friend," she said, her voice suddenly thick. She had to clear her throat twice before she could speak again, her voice steadier. "And, um. No. I'm not doing well."
Aria returned the grasp, nodding sympathetically and lowering her voice when she responded. "I...I can't say that Iunderstand what you're going through. But I'm here if you ever need anything."
Camelia nodded, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes that she blinked rapidly away. "I don't know if I'll take you up on that, if I'm being honest. Not because I don't appreciate it," she hurried to say, despite Aria's expression showing nothing but understanding. "Just...the walls have ears, you know? And the fewer people who know..."
Aria cut her off. "I get it. Really. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I promise. I'll be your friend for whatever you need me for." She paused, and then leaned forward, lowering her voice even further as she whispered conspiratorially. "So...you're living with Evan and James. And they helped you through your last heat. And you have another one coming up."
Camelia furrowed her brow, unsure where her friend was going with this. Terrified that she knew the question that she was going to ask.
"Are you going to..." Aria's eyes shone with interest as she leaned even closer. "Are you going to continue...you know. With them?"
