Page 28 of Corrupt Me

“Teo caught me in the hallway by the bathrooms and then I was whisked up to their apartment. It feels like it’s moving too fast and yet I feel like I’ve known them forever. It feels weird.” I rub a hand at my chest, trying not to think too hard about how perfect it feels being in their condo or Sasha’s nest.

“Embrace it,” Violet says. “That’s a precious feeling and you deserve it. You deserve every last bit of attention that those three give you and I hope Teo sees and feels inadequate.”

That brings a smile to my face just as my phone vibrates. I finally turned it on a few minutes ago and it was flooded with messages. Most of them were from Violet and a few from Zana and Reid. But the messages lighting up my phone now are from someone else entirely. Someone I no longer want to have anything to do with.

Teo

Bitch, you got me banned from Temple.

I want to text him something snarky, like ‘Did you just wake up?’ but I’m not ready for the fallout of that question. I don’t need to say anything though because message after message shows up, telling me just how pissed off Teo is.

I could lay you out for that.

It was my engagement party and you just had to ruin it.

I offered you a place in my pack, at my side but you declined.

Are you jealous of Penelope?

You can’t be. You aren’t an Omega.

Camila, when I see you next, you will apologize and explain that last night was your fault.

You aren’t important enough to get me banned.

A few months ago, I might have burst into tears from Teo’s harsh words but it’s so easy to see them for what they are now. He’s jaded that I rejected him and he’s masterfully cut out the bits of last night where he was pleading for me to come back to him. Violet even mentioned that he was hanging off other women, drunk as a skunk. I feel a little bad for Penelope at this point but neither of them are my problem.

I shove my phone at Violet to read the messages and she starts cackling before I push to my feet to start my shift. “I’m not important enough to get him banned?” A chuckle falls from my lips. “Well, I am now.” Mated to the owners, I probably have a lot more power than I’ll ever be comfortable wielding. Sasha already wants me to help at the club, not that I have any idea what I would be good at doing.

Back in the stockroom, I start unpacking the new canvases, admiring the abstract spring colors splashed across each surface. It’s some artist from out of town, one I’ve never heard of before but I hope he gets the recognition he deserves because his pieces are beautiful. My gaze drifts off to the few canvases in the corner, personal pieces that the boss has let me store here in the interim. They don’t compare to this new artist but I dream one day of having my items hung on the walls, people offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to hang one in their home.

One day, Camila.

I haven’t truly painted for nearly a year, not the way I used to. With my father’s rude remarks weighing on my soul, I slowly turned that artistic part of myself off and focused on finding an Alpha my father would be proud of. Unfortunately, many of the men in the church are too weak to date the preacher’s daughter or they have the same thoughts that Teo does. They want me as their pack Beta but not their Beta.

A heavy sigh falls from my lips as I wander over to the corner, running my fingers over the rough red and black lines, colors that somehow match my mates’ entire aesthetic. I always painted my feelings, expressed my emotions and thoughts and everything that was muddled up in my head. Maybe my mind has always known where I fit and was just waiting for my body to catch up. One can hope that biology is that precise.

My phone buzzes again and I turn up my nose when I see Teo is calling. He knows I’m at work but apparently that doesn’t matter. “What?” I hiss. There’s no one here other than Violet and me. Our boss usually comes in closer to lunch to check on our work or heads straight to the office. After all, this is just a gallery and until the actual showings on the weekend, we’re just glorified secretaries for the most part.

Granted, I am the one tasked with explaining the meaning behind the paintings, memorizing everything about the artist, and guiding patrons to finding a painting they like enough to buy.

“You ruined a good thing, Camila. A good, good thing.” His voice deepens with more hatred than I’ve ever heard from him. I want to push him, to tell him once again that we’re over, that his repeated attempts to contact me are doing nothing. Doing so will only make him angrier and I just really need him to go away. “Penelope isn’t talking to me. Said that I needed to fix this. So this is me fixing it.”

I frown and pull the phone away from my ear, a little confused about what the fuck he’s talking about. The call ends and I stand there, still trying to understand when Violet scurries into the back room and locks it behind her. She blows out a breath before turning to face me with a tight smile. “Hey, so, don’t be alarmed but Teo is in the lobby. He yelled for you and then smashed one of the glass displays.”

“What the fuck? Teo has never been violent like that before.” I don’t understand this drastic change in an Alpha I used to date. Before yesterday, Teo was a little forceful but never violent and never hurtful.

“He’s never been denied something he wants. Camila, you’re the perfect kind of Beta. You’re smart and nice and so sweet it hurts. You have a little bit of a kinky side to you and who wouldn’t want that? Teo wanted to own you, to command you and you told him no. He’s not dealing with it well.”

I snort. “No, I would say he’s doing it rather poorly. Violet, you locked us back here. There’s no escape.”

She holds up the phone from the desk. “I’m not stupid. I called the police and our boss. I want to make sure she knows that I didn’t trip and fall into the display and knock it over. I could have run out the back door but your phone never stays charged so I didn’t know if you’d make it out. So, tadaa! We’re here together until someone physically removes Teo.”

“Did they give you an ETA?”

“It’s Ansdale. It could be a half hour.”

The officers here aren’t amazing. A few of them are but a domestic call at an art gallery doesn’t sound all that urgent. I hope Violet made it seem that way. Realizing that we’ll be here for a little bit, I plop to the ground, Violet cozying up at my side. I should be out of my mind with fear, terrified at what Teo is going to do but there’s a calm current running through me.

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