Page 38 of Corrupt Me

“You can’t keep her,” my father growls.

“No. I can’t. But she’s made it very clear where she wants to be and it isn’t here. Excuse me.”

He carts me out of the office and right out of the church, not stopping until I’m seated in the front seat again, Amiri hovering over me. “You were perfect in there, sweetheart. So strong and fierce. You didn’t back down and I’m proud of you for that.” His hands are gently cradling my face, his fingers playing with the hair that’s found its way over my shoulders.

“I couldn’t do it.”

“But you did. You told them that you weren’t going back. That you weren’t going to allow yourself to be disrespected by standing at his side. I’m proud of you for standing your ground.” He places a kiss on my forehead and then my nose before delivering one to my lips. I cling to his arms, dragging the kiss deeper until our tongues are dancing to a tune I’ve been dreaming of for years. “Such a good girl for telling me when it was too much, sweetheart.”

They are words that I need to hear—that not being able to withstand my father and Teo isn’t a disappointment. That I did exactly what I was supposed to. I feel better for it, both of them hearing that I’m not coming back to the church, to Teo, or the house. Ethan will be fucking ecstatic. God, I need to tell them everything.

They’ll want to meet my mates too. That’s going to be a hilarious disaster.

I sigh as Amiri pulls back, a weight off my shoulders. I’m free. Really free. “Can I have more kisses?” I whisper.

Amiri chuckles as he places another soft one on my lips. “As long as you share what was in that diary of yours. I want to know what your father thinks is sinful because while I’m sure he thinks anything other than missionary is downright evil, the way you’re blushing tells me it’s probably much, much more deviant.”

I just bite my bottom lip and turn in my seat to face the front. Amiri’s dark chuckles as he rounds the car have me shoving my hands between my thighs. Who knew the church girl would end up with mates like these? I told them before to corrupt me. I really hope they deliver on that promise.

Chapter twenty-three

CAMILA

A lunch date with my brother and his pack is the best thing I could have imagined, especially when the meeting place is Temple and my mates have joined. Bar food litters the table, half-finished beers and fruity cocktails for Sasha, Ethan, and I. I’m full and content, Kolsen patting my thigh under the table to gauge my comfort. I twist to look up at him, a smile playing on my lips that is truly genuine.

The thought that I would return home at some point was always lingering in the back of my mind or that Teo would somehow demand that I marry him. With those possibilities gone, I can relax and think of whatever future lies ahead of me.

Ethan is on my other side, guzzling fries like they’re going out of business as he glares at Amiri across the table. “They all look so… mean? I don’t know how to feel. You like them?” Reid is on the other side of him and whispers something into his ear. “Oh, they’re mean in the bedroom. Got it. I know you like that, sis.”

I help him shovel a few fries into his mouth, everyone at the table laughing at the way my cheeks redden. “They are all very nice to me, Ethan.”

“Good. Otherwise, I’d have to sic Zana on them.” My brother and his mates didn’t even blink when I explained the entire story, including the bits about Teo, Dad, and just who my mates were. There wasn’t even a discussion when I mentioned that I would be moving in with them because I couldn’t live with Dad anymore.

After Kolsen proposed inviting them to the club for a laidback lunch, I was more than happy to indulge. For the first time in a while, I was able to be myself and enjoy my family. The only ones missing were Violet and Sofie but a few texts told me that I owed them later with a high-end lunch on the Fox’s dime.

Zana returns with another beer, sliding in beside Amiri and Sasha. “Who am I being sic’d on?”

“Her mates. If they weren’t being nice.”

Ethan’s Alpha snorts and I realize there’s some kind of joke I’ve missed. Zana shares a look between Kolsen and Amiri before just shaking her head and taking a sip of her beer. “Ethan, I wouldn’t do anything to them anyway. They’re excellent clients.”

There’s no way. “Wait, Zana-”

“I work with a few big accounts, Mila. I don’t share that information because it’s no one’s business except mine and theirs but yes, your Alphas and I are pretty acquainted on the business side of things. They are respectable gentlemen. As your Alphas, however, as long as you’re happy, I have no problems.” Zana hides her smile behind another sip, everyone waiting for me to respond.

I don’t know what to say, though. I am happy. Really happy. I’m also a little terrified about what this new step holds. I’ve left everything I know behind for my mates and while there wasn’t much I was holding onto, saying goodbye to my childhood home is hard. I hope my mates will let me keep my mother’s stuff in the back of my closet until I’m ready to let go—whenever that may be.

My hand moves to that bracelet unconsciously, both Kolsen and Amiri leaning forward. Kolsen wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into his side, pressing a kiss to my temple. “One step at a time, love. You’ve taken a pretty big one today. No need to think about anything else other than being with us, in this moment. And then tomorrow? We’ll take another step.”

I nod and relax, shooting Amiri a smile to let him know that I’m okay. Reid breaks the silence with a question I haven’t thought about for a while. “Are you going to start painting again? You never had a studio and after school, your masterpieces have been sitting in the back of that gallery collecting dust.”

Sasha grins, talking around a burger he stuffed into his mouth. “Not anymore. They’re in our living room.”

“I’m not sure. Probably?” One of the main reasons I stopped was the lack of space. I still sketch now and then but that’s few and far between. The other reason I stopped was my father’s distaste for my craft. I went to school on my own dime, just as Ethan did. Our father had plans for our future but neither of us fell into that trap and now that he’s not looming over my head with his rules, I have the world at my feet.

Do I want to paint again?

“Yes, I think I might start again.”

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