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“Shake it off, Camden, before you end up in the cooler,” a deep voice says.
I try to clear the alpha haze. I crack my neck and squeeze my fists. My breath saws out of me, my blood pounding. The need to defend Cammie as my mate, to ensure my claim and protection are honored, is instinctual and won’t be quieted.
A small group of alphas from KPFD have formed a wall, keeping out curious onlookers. Mason, Cliff’s Prime, steps through the gathered group.
“Camden? At Porch Fest?” He tsks, though he seems more entertained than concerned. “This must be good.” He smirks.
The alpha is tall and slick as oil. He’s the kind of snake that dresses so fine and looks so pretty that people never see his bite until it’s too late. He’s been that way since he was a teen. He’s the mayor’s son and a fucking prick, just like his packmate. He whistles at the scene, not overly concerned with his moaning cousin on the floor.
I spit blood, hands on my hips. “Cliff seemed confused about what he could say to my mate and tried to offer her a date. I figured I’d clear up the confusion.” Let Mason play stupid. I’m itching for another round.
The other alphas in the group rumble in agreement with me.
“Camden’s within his rights. Pack law first,” one of the guys from the station calls.
Mason leans over his packmate, offering his arm to help him up. “You got the itch for Camden’s girl, Cliff? Did you know she was theirs?” His tone is entirely too gleeful for the situation.
“Didn’t see a bite on her neck. I was making her a better offer. That isn’t against pack law.” Cliff brushes off his packmate’s help in anger, rolling to his side and covering his nose.
“She’s as good as and under our protection until the bond. Don’t fucking talk to her, don’t look at her, don’t breathe her or our kids’ names.” I look around the group. “Spread the word that Cammie Cooper is Pack Camden, and so are her kids.”
A couple of guys give me nods, and I know that word will travel around town. I hate that it happened with Cammie and the kids here, but I’m glad it’s done. Whatever thoughts people have about betas from Crawley, they’re gonna learn to keep their ignorant fucking mouths shut and their hands off.
Mason stands, brushing imaginary dirt off his hands. “Cliff won’t be a problem again. Right, Cliffy-Boy?”
Mason walks through the gathered crowd, calling for his packmate like a dog. The fact that Cliff can get up and follow him pisses me off all over again.
Cliff turns with a sneer on his fucked-up face. “Better make it official. Pack law only holds with a bond and a bite.”
“Press me and find out,” I growl.
Mason turns around at my words, looping back and throwing his arm around Cliff. The smirk is wiped from his slick face, and I see the moment he realizes that nobody is gonna fuck with my mate and get away with it. They’re not gonna pressure Cammie into a bond before she’s ready. Still, they’re gonna recognize my claim as valid anyway and leave her the fuck alone.
“Consider us warned,” Mason says with a nod.
The two packmates disappear in the crowd.
I turn back to the group of guys with a nod of my head. “Thanks, fellas.”
“You got it. Cliff is a dick anyway. About time someone laid his ass out.” Billy nods. He’s with KPFD, but we don’t work together often. Doesn’t stop him from clapping my back though. “I see him start shit, I’ll let you know. We’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Good man,” I say, turning to grab our abandoned gear.
I gather our stuff and head toward the house with a heavy heart. I may have stopped the problem from happening again, but it didn’t keep Cammie from hearing that vitriol out of Cliff’s mouth or from my mates and kids having to flee. The fact that the idiot put a cloud over our first pack outing makes me want to turn back around and hunt Cliff down again. I don’t though, eager to get back to them.
Benjamin rushes to my side, throwing himself at me.
My hands go to his hair. “Whoa, bud. What are you doing here? Where are the others?”
He wipes his nose, his brown eyes pooled with tears. “I came back. I wanted to protect my mom. You… you defended us.” He sounds surprised, even now. This freaking kid breaks my heart.
“I will always protect our family.” I bend down to Ben’s level and pull him into a hug. “That was very brave, and I’m proud of you for wanting to help. I know you love your family and want to keep them safe. But it’s my responsibility to protect our family as Prime Alpha.” I pull back to see him, my hands on his shoulders. “Did your mom or Finn let you come?”
He looks down, refusing to meet my eyes. We both know that was a rhetorical question, which means my mates are probably frantic. Finn’s bond has been overflowing with too many emotions to even register since he saw Cliff put his hands on our mate.
I send reassurance through the bond, trying to regulate myself so I can get us all calmed back down. Not for the first time, I wish I also had a bond connection with Cammie.I know why we’re waiting to bond. She deserves to be courted, and she deserves to have time to build trust. Right now though, I wish I could feel that connection.
“Then how did you get here?” I ask Ben.
