Page 46 of Beg for It

I can’t remember if he knew or not, or how much Jamie may have told him about us. I doubt that Camden knows that I don’t take care of people outside of my pack, yet here I am.

“Why… I don’t understand, Lee,” he says tiredly.

Putting down a cold glass of water and a cookie in front of him, I lean my forearms on the island to speak to him.

“Take a sip of water for me, and I’ll tell you,” I say. I want to tell him to be a “good boy” for me, but I don’t know exactly what happened in the hallway. I need to move slower than I want to.

Lifting the glass as if it’s going to bite him, he takes a tiny sip, making my lips twitch despite my worry for him and the conversation we’re about to have. The little rabbit is a brat who smells like cotton candy. This wasn’t how I saw today going.

“I went to The Frenzy to grab a drink with Brooks. We don’t go there often, but it’s nice to escape somewhere that doesn’t see a lot of college traffic,” I lie. It’s true we see a more upscale clientele, but the rest is bullshit.

“What did you see?” he asks, his voice cracking.

Why are you so ashamed?Fuck, I want to join Brooks right now in beating the fuck out of that guy, but my place is here. I’m going to need to continue to remind myself of this.

“As we were coming in, I saw that you were pushed against the wall by an alpha that’s a lot bigger than you. He was in your personal space… and his hand was shoved down your pants. It was clear you couldn’t move to defend yourself,” I say.

At the thought of that slimy fuckers hands on him like that, it makes me want to get in my car and drive back to help Brooks with whatever he has planned for this piece of shit. There’s no way Brooks can let him live after he assaulted Cam. Touch what's ours and you don’t get to live another day.

My eyes gaze meaningfully at him as he drops the cup on the counter and covers his face.

“Don’t hide from me,” I say. “Camden, your secrets aren’t keeping you safe. They’re fucking dangerous.”

His eyes widen, pure fear flashing back in his baby blues. He says nothing, his chest heaving as his hands drop to his lap in fists. “W-what else did you see?” he asks, his voice a whisper. “Please, I need to know.”

“Camden,” I murmur, almost in a prayer. “You areshaking.” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “He was all over you, like he couldn’t control himself… almost as if you were an omega…”

His whole body goes stiff. His mouth opens and shuts a few times, trying to come up with a lie that so easily falls from his lips. “Lee,” he whimpers, his pupils blown wide with fear. “I’m not, I swear it!”

“I can’t help if you keep lying to me,” I say resignedly. “I need you to take a breath for me before you pass out. Come on, you can do it.”

Camden forces his lungs to expand, and I can see the exertion it takes. When you’re spiraling out, everything is much more difficult.

He looks so defeated as his shoulders slump. “Lying keeps me alive,” he says. “You don’t get?—”

“You keep telling me that, but I should be the one who can say whether or not I understand things,” I say firmly. “What did I not see with that guy?”

“He was a customer,” he mumbles, eyes still down, not meeting my eyes. “He kept trying to get my attention, and it was uncomfortable. I did my best to serve him his drinks. I escaped to the bathroom to take my break and get away from him for a second. When I was walking back out, he started telling me that I was flirting with him, giving him mixed messages.”

I really doubt Camden was doing that.

“Go on,” I encourage instead.

“He… told me to be a good little boy and stay still. I needed to take his knot, and—” Camden shudders, looking like he’s about to be sick at the memory, and I’m there in an instant, rubbing his back.

“Okay,” I whisper in his ear. “You’re safe. That’s enough. Cam, don’t freak out. I need to tell you some things. First, you smell like cotton candy, did you know that?”

“The suppressants,” he moans, almost not seeing me as if he’s not in control of his own thoughts right now. “They’re not supposed to let that happen.”

“Are you taking different suppressants than normal?” I ask, digging carefully. I don’t want him to realize how bad my obsession is. He needs to stay close to me.

“Y…yes,” he finally says, realizing he can’t lie anymore to me, not about this. “I’ve been worried they weren’t strong enough, and I’m not allowed to take more than one. How do I keep people from smelling me? This can’t be happening!” He lifts his hands, scrubbing at his face. “They can’t know. I can’t let them smell me. They can’t know.” He says frantically.

His breaths are choppy again, his eyes starting to roll. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Think, Lee!

“I can keep people from smelling your scent if you need that,” I say, sounding calm to my ears. Instead, that’s the farthest away from the truth.

My alphas will be coming home at some point, and I selfishly don’t want them to know our little beta is actually a sweet little omega. I don’t keep secrets from my pack unless it’s for a damn good reason.

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