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Neither of us speak while I slowly clean the mud from her face, but the longer I’m close to her, the shorter her breaths become. She’s just as affected as I am by our nearness. Our bodies call out to each other. The sweet scent of wildflowers rises to my nose, like I’m standing in the middle of a sun-drenched meadow. I’ve never smelled anything so goddamn beautiful.
Which is a big fucking problem.
She’s dripping slick between her legs. I know that means her heat is coming, and it’s coming on fast. From what my sisters have told me, it could even be a matter of hours.
I have no idea how I’m going to resist her. Because even after just a few minutes with her, I know that I’m attached. She’s been lost and alone, and she needed someone to take care of her and bring her home. Maybe it means I’ve got a hero complex, but I know that person is me. She’s not someone to give her trust lightly, and somehow, I’ve managed to earn some of it.
It’s a treasure she willingly handed to me. And now, all I know is that I have to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
Even if it’s from myself.
SEVEN
—
B R O O K L Y N
Camden carefully drags his towel over my face and neck. Every few minutes, he uses his water bottle to rinse off the mud before he starts again. I can’t remember the last time anyone touched me so gently. Like I’m something fragile that he wants to keep safe.
It’s been more than a year since anyone has been this close to me. It’s strange, but honestly, not as strange as it should be. I’m basically letting a complete stranger give me a sponge bath, letting my head loll back so my neck is exposed to his touch.
There’s something about Camden that puts me at ease. He’s so gentle, so precise, so meticulous. Unlike the others, he’s willing to give me some space. He hasn’t pressured me to talk to him or explain myself. For an Alpha, he’s surprisingly willing to let me take the lead. I’ve never met an Alpha so ready to hand over control. Normally, they expect to be the one in charge by default, barking out orders and making executive decisions. Even Daddy tended to be a little bossy at times, though he always backed off when Mom gave him one of her looks.
Not Camden. He’s relaxed and easygoing and seems more than willing to let me set the pace in our interactions. If his insane height and his fresh, sea-salt and stone scent didn’t give him away, I might even think he was a Beta.
Then again, the ones he called Denver and Memphis backed off from me when he told them to. I didn’t get the feeling he was the leader of the group, but they still listened to him. I guess there’s more personality types to Alphas than I thought.
Camden brushes my loose hair behind my shoulders, then pushes at the edge of Denver’s jacket. I’m assuming he just wants to take it off me so he can clean the rest of me, but for some reason, I actually snarl at him. The jacket might smell like Denver, but it’s mine now, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anyone take it from me.
When I tense up, Camden drops his hands immediately. “It’s okay,” he says in a low, calm voice. “You don’t have to take it off if you don’t want to. I just thought you might be uncomfortable with all that mud on you. If you take the jacket off, I promise I won’t take it. You can have it back once you’re cleaned off. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Whatever you want is fine by me, Brooklyn.”
His expression is so earnest that it almost hurts. It’s like even the idea of hurting me is too horrifying for him to endure.
So I slide the jacket off my shoulders, folding it carefully and setting it on the ground beside me. Camden watches my every movement. His eyes are deep set and a rich, vibrant blue. The color of the salty Mediterranean sea that matches his scent.
I reach my hand out to him, and he takes it. Slowly, he cleans the mud from my hand and wrist. His eyes move between his work and my face, checking in with me.
“Have you been out here the whole time?” he asks. His voice is so quiet, I have to lean close to make out the words. “How did you manage to make it this long?”
I don’t answer him. I can’t, really. Even though Camden won’t hurt me right now, he still works for Roger Castle. The only reason I’m still free is that my stepfather has no idea how capable I am. There’s no way I can tell Camden about my shelter, about how well I know these trails and the way I’ve perfected sneaking into campsites to get what I need. Once I’ve escaped these Alphas, that information will go right back to my father.
Because I’m definitely escaping. Not now, when they’re all watching me so closely. I’ll have to wait until they drop their guard, maybe after they go to sleep. I might have to wait until tomorrow, but I hope I can get away even sooner. These Alphas smell too damn good, and my slick has already started seeping through my panties.
My heat is coming. Which means the sooner I can run home, the better. I’ll have to ride it out in my shelter.
Alone. The way it has to be.
“You’re shy, huh?” Camden says, smiling again. His smile is crooked, and I’m close enough to see the little gap in his front teeth. It’s adorable.
When I don’t answer again, Camden just keeps talking. His voice soothes me. It’s so rich and smooth, like melted butter.
“I used to think all Omegas were shy,” he tells me. “That’s when I was a kid. Then my oldest sister presented, and I didn’t know what to think. Because you could call Ariel a lot of things. Argumentative, know-it-all, sarcastic, and a pain-in-the-ass. But she’s definitely not shy.”
He stops to dampen the towel, then starts cleaning again, focusing on my hands. He’s careful with my fingers, cleaning around the nails and in between the cracks. It’s relaxing, like getting a hand massage during a manicure. Back when I used to get manicures, anyway.
“Ariel presented first, and let me tell you, that was tough enough. Suddenly, we had to worry about chaperones and picking up scent-blockers and figuring out how to pay to send her to an Academy. It drove my Dads up the wall because Ariel was always ditching her chaperones, sneaking out by herself. Mom was sure she was gonna get arrested or jumped by some rogue Alpha. I don’t know if Ariel was smart or just lucky, but she never got caught.”
Camden’s eyes look fond and wistful when he talks about Ariel. I could tell that he admired her rebelliousness. Once my left arm is clean, he switches to working on my right one. His touch feels good. Really good. He probably thinks I’m shivering from the cold, but I’m actually uncomfortably warm. Really, I’m just melting under his hands. I want to lean into him and sit with my back against his sturdy chest, letting his heat seep into me and his delicious saltwater scent surround me.
