Page 3 of Corrupt Me

Short and cordial. That was nice enough, right?

The way a vein in Teo’s forehead seems to pop out tells me differently. He’s never enjoyed my sharp tongue but I’m not changing for him. He wraps an arm around Penelope’s shoulder and tucks her in against his waist. “I wanted to talk to you about something, Camila.” I stare up at him, searching his expression. That little show of PDA tells me that Penelope means more to him than just a passing thought.

And the way her scent sweetens a little? Yeah, they’ve known each other for a while. The fact that our fathers are all friends tells me that in some part, they knew about this relationship and I was still being pushed to be Teo’s.

I tilt my head to the side, running my tongue along my top teeth before speaking. “Does this ‘talking’ have anything to do with apologizing for last week?”

Teo bursts out laughing. “There’s nothing to apologize for. Those were good points. I wanted to know if you had changed your mind about being my pack Beta. No, don’t look at me like that. It’s what I’ll need. It’s what Penny and I’ll need.” He looks down at Penelope with a soft smile, the Omega curling tighter into his side. I can’t even tell if it's for show or if Teo actually likes her.

A few months ago, I might have wailed and raged against Teo, pleading for him to explain why I wasn’t good enough. That version of Camila doesn’t exist anymore. I might still be working on my confidence but there is one thing I have figured out—that my worth isn’t dependent on an Alpha and that I’m worth way more than just a pack Beta.

Teo’s disrespect still stings but I no longer have a problem dismissing his less than chivalrous advances.

“Thank you for clarifying what you’re looking for, Teo.” I grant him my customer service smile, the one I don at the art gallery with difficult patrons who don’t understand the rules. “But I am not the right Beta for that, nor will I ever be. You want submission and servitude? Find someone else.” My words come off clipped but this is the third conversation we’ve had in the last couple of days and I’m over trying to explain to this man that what he wants from me is impossible.

My father has always wanted me to follow a certain set of rules so that I would become the perfect housewife—just like my mother. She enjoyed it most days but she was also an Omega. Her nature was to nurture and support. She found solace in keeping our house and I loved watching her hum and dance through the kitchen and halls as she cleaned.

Ethan retained some of that joyous spirit when it came to cleaning but Reid and Zana end up doing most of it. It works for them. I find no joy in playing the servant to a pack that wants nothing more than my service. A lifelong relationship with Teo would come with a bond and more rules. I have no desire to attach myself to his hip and bend over when he says to.

Not anymore.

“Your father-” Teo blurts out but I hold up a hand to stop him.

“Stop threatening me with my father. It’s losing its charm real quick, Teo.” The Camila from a few months ago would have cowered and apologized profusely before finding a way to rectify the situation. Today? I’m just pissed that Teo thought I would crumble so easily. I am more than my biology.

Stomping away, my gaze snags on one of the more scandalous booths of the fair. What better way to prove to Teo that I’m more than just a Beta than approaching the kissing booth with a random Alpha? There’s four Alphas to choose from, each one inside their own little wooden booth. I’m sure I can find one that’s kissable enough. A glance back at Teo has his face hardening which just spurs me on to stand in line, my nerves getting the best of me.

This is so fucking stupid.

I’ll be thirty in a few weeks and I’m here, going to kiss a man out of spite to prove something to an Alpha I don’t even want. It made sense in my head seconds ago but now that I’m nearing the beginning of the line, there’s no going back. Especially when I recognize the Alpha on the far right sitting forward in his chair, thin rectangle glasses sitting at the edge of his nose.

Long, dark, curly hair curves around his face, piercing gray eyes locking with mine. He’s smaller than Teo but his aura is fiercer, scarier even. Something about him has my heart in my throat as I approach, my body trembling beneath the force of his gaze. It takes a few minutes before I remember where I’ve seen him.

He’s the Alpha I catch sitting at the café when I pick up coffee before work. Always behind a newspaper or furiously working through something on his laptop. We steal glances at each other across the shop but haven’t said a word to each other.

And now he’s here.

Waiting for my kiss.

I wring my hands together in front of me, swallowing nervously as the scent of coffee and bourbon overwhelms my senses. My cheeks heat as my body reacts to this Alpha. I suck in my bottom lip, unsure of what to do next.

The Alpha sits forward, those gray eyes almost innocent in the way they brighten behind his glasses. “Five dollars. It goes to the shelter up the street to buy items for the kids.” He runs a shaky hand through his hair before looking behind him into the darkness of his small booth. “And then you kiss me.”

Some of my anxiety melts when I realize that as terrifyingly gorgeous as this Alpha is, he’s kind of… awkward. He moves to resituate his glasses, waiting for my response but I can’t tear my eyes away from him. Maybe I shouldn’t be so intrigued by a stranger I’ve just shared passing glances at the cafe with. Why couldn’t these kinds of sparks happen with Teo? It would have made things so much easier.

I step up closer, a dark shadow at the back of the small booth becoming clear. Another Alpha pushes forward, his aura much darker than the first. He steps forward, a wild grin on his lips as if his presence is supposed to terrify me. It does but it also sends shivers down my spine as I clamp my thighs together. This Alpha is just as beautiful as the first but where the first one seems awkward and a little tortured, the second Alpha has seen his fair share of death and destruction.

A path across his left side pays homage to the horrors he has experienced, half of his face disfigured with the nightmares of a fire. His left eye is covered but even with the scars, the second Alpha is gorgeous. Salt and pepper hair that trails down his jaw, a full beard and mustache with patches along the left side where the scars spilled down his cheek to his jaw. I imagine those hairs scratching along my neck and down my stomach before he-

His grin is lopsided, the other half of his face unmoving. It’s as if he can tell what I’m thinking, his good eye–a pale blue–piercing right through me. “You going to help the children?” I don’t expect to hear the honey dripping from his words, the smoothness heightening a growing need in the pit of my belly. When a cackle slips from his lips at my overwhelmed expression, the dark aura around him shatters. He crowds the opening to the booth, parking his ass on the small lip holding the money jar. “What’s it going to be, sweetness?”

I suspect this is some kind of partnered act to keep people from choosing their booth but every moment standing here, the only thing I want is them. Everything else fades into the background.

“Is… is it five for both of you?” My eyes move from the first Alpha’s lips to the second’s, my heart beating a little faster. Teo was my last kiss but even before that, the few I’ve entertained after a night at the club haven’t been anything memorable.

The second Alpha’s lip turns up, a clipped edge to his voice. “It’s just for Amiri, here.” My brows furrow as I digest that, wondering why the second Alpha isn’t part of the show if he’s here. Is it just protection? His scent boldens, making me realize that the smell of bourbon is his, not Amiri’s. I can’t control the heat building in my lower belly, every whiff of their scent making me want to lean forward. This hasn’t happened before with anyone else, definitely not Teo. He smells like Febreze, calm but not inviting. Definitely not enticing.

“Then how much for you?” I feel like an idiot for asking but I can’t stop thinking about the second Alpha’s lips. I want to know if they feel as soft as they look, in stark contrast with the hardened personality he’s currently displaying.

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