12. CAMILA

Chapter twelve

CAMILA

I pat my flushed cheeks several times, hoping that they aren't as noticeable as they feel when I peel out of the Uber that Kolsen ordered. He's so gentle with me in a way that I didn't expect and his lopsided smile as that pale blue eye stares at me makes me feel seen. Important. Wanted. If this is just a night with them, I can't imagine a forever. A tendril of excitement runs through me at the coffee date I set up for tomorrow morning before work and I have to swallow a squeal as I thank the driver.

He nods and speeds off as I hop up the steps, hoping and praying that my father will have gone to bed already. It's just past 10:30 which means he'll probably be up and waiting at the table to ridicule me about any number of things, more than likely for my attitude before I left. I might be a grown woman but I'm unmated and have no current prospects that he'll approve of.

Just do it, Camila .

The light clicks on like a horror movie when I step inside, my father leaning against the entrance to the foyer. He leans forward and sniffs the air, a frown spreading across his face as his brows deepen. "Were you drinking?"

"I'm not in high school. I can have a few drinks."

"At the club? You know, I got a call from Teo who mentioned-"

I hold up my hand, not wanting to deal with this bullshit again as I shuck off my flats . "I know that you think Teo is a respectable Alpha, that he's the perfect gentleman looking for the right pack but that's far from the truth. You would know that if you had been paying attention when he broke my heart. Or when I tried to tell you that he only wanted me to be his pack Beta. Or when I tried to tell you earlier that he assaulted me. I don't care what you think about him. I know that I cannot live with a man who will manhandle me for his own desire. He stumbled into a back hallway and cornered me, pleading for us to get back together and once again, didn't take my no."

"So you punched him? An Alpha?"

My eyes narrow at my father. "Yes and the fact that you have a problem with me punching an Alpha but not the fact that an Alpha tried to assault your daughter tells me where your priorities are. Mom would be ashamed of you and I know why Ethan refuses to talk to you." Too far? Maybe. But he needs to hear it. I can't even blame the alcohol. My father has lost sight of whatever truth he's been preaching for years. I tune out his Sunday messages because they don't mean anything to me—not with the way he treats me at home.

"You're acting out. Why? What's going on? Camila, explain to me why you can't just obey the simple rules I've given you?"

I should march up to my room and call it a night. I should leave this conversation until tomorrow morning when we are both levelheaded and not amped up on the evening's events. I have no idea what version of events my father was told but they can't be good if I'm the one in trouble. "Why do you think that I am the problem? You always told me to keep my head down. To obey. To be good for the Alpha that chooses me. What kind of existence is that? I already know that you would be proud if I was someone's pack Beta but fuck, that is no life to live. Not for me."

My father growls at me, his arm swinging high over his head and I brace myself for impact. It doesn't come though. I peek and my father is standing there, his arms hanging at his sides as if he hadn't been about to hit me. "You have become so unruly without your mother here. I have done everything required of me as your father to make sure that you ended up with a mate."

Tears gather in my eyes as I wrap my arms tightly around my chest, my purse gripped tightly in my hands. "Required of you? I wanted your love. Your time. Your attention. All you could ever give me was rules and when I didn't follow them, you gave me discipline or ridicule. I am your disappointment because you let me be but I have done nothing wrong. Nothing. "

My father steps closer, glaring down at me, reminding me that not all Alphas are as caring as Amiri and Kolsen. "Nothing? Then what are all those scents you're drenched in? You go to a club, reject the one Alpha who gave you the time of day, and come back smelling like an entire pack. Is this what you call doing nothing wrong?" He laughs, shaking his head. "I won't have that in my house, Camila. Tomorrow, things will change."

Which means more rules and restrictions.

"No."

"No?" One of his brows raises, challenging my statement.

"No. Who I choose to spend my time with is my choice. I did nothing wrong." Imagining my new pack standing around me gives me a little boost of confidence. They made me feel beautiful and wanted like no one else has. I want what they're offering.

"Then you don't have a place in this house. Go share that place with your brother. You'll realize soon enough that you've made a mistake and come crawling back here. When none of those awful Alphas you've spent the night with take you in, when your brother decides you're not worth the trouble, you'll be back on my doorstep asking me to let you in." My father is completely serious, his anger palpable. He's never thrown me out before. We've had our share of arguments and shouting matches which results in me locking myself in my room.

But he's never thrown me out.

"You're kicking me out?" I ask to clarify.

"You couldn't be satisfied with being a pack Beta, Camila. The path you're going down is a dangerous one. Just accept Teo's offer."

I want to keep fighting but then we'll have this argument next week or next month. So, I bite back the tears threatening to surface and make my decision. I have enough money to spring for the motel across the street from the art gallery and then I'll figure out what to do from there. I should have moved out a long time ago but I fell for the comfort that this house provided—the lingering feeling of my mother still present. I can't stay here, though, not at the expense of my sanity.

Especially knowing that I have three men ready to love me out there.

Add in the fact that my father almost hit me and I can't stay here. I won't. I deserve so much more.

Throwing my shoulders back and angling my chin up, I face my father. "Teo will not be my Alpha. I've made my choice. This is goodbye." Then I march up the stairs and grab a suitcase to stuff my favorite clothes in. There isn't much I keep around because my most precious items are my paintings, ones I keep stashed at the art gallery. The owner allows us to use the backroom occasionally so I keep the canvases and sketches there to protect from my father's ridicule.

He hates my degree, says it's useless and he's told me more than once that my drawings won't amount to anything. So, now, I don't even bring them home.

When I'm satisfied that I have enough to last me a week or two, I swipe my toiletry bag from the bathroom and then return down the stairs.

"Where are you going at this hour, Camila?"

"You said that you won't have me under your roof acting out. You told me to choose Teo. I'm not acting out and I'm not choosing an Alpha that tried to assault me twice so this is me leaving." I hold up my bags and shake them to show him that I'm not bluffing. My father's mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water but I don't stay lest I lose my nerve. This is the dumbest idea, leaving so late but I want to make a statement.

I want him to understand that he can't control me. Just like he couldn't control Ethan.

I say a silent goodbye to my mother, to her ashes sitting in a petite urn just above the mantle. Maybe one day I'll be able to take her with me and free her from the confines of this place.

It isn't until I've stuffed everything in my little car and am halfway down the road that I realize I'm barefoot. The range of emotions swirling in my chest explodes against my wishes. Excitement. Fear. Anxiety. Fear. Terror. The tears I've been holding back break free, the sorrow of leaving a chapter behind weighing on my soul. My father has never been so mean, never been so hateful toward me. He wouldn't even listen when I brought up Teo. It'll take a miracle for him to believe that Teo is an awful Alpha but for tonight, I'm not under my father's roof.

The silence starts to drag as I speed down the road, turning on the radio to cover it up. An angelic voice with a thick beat accompanying it fills my car, the heartiness of her words hitting me hard. Somebody to Someone plays, her words remnant of what I want. I just wanna fall in love. The tears flow down my cheeks as I sing along, my heart cracking a little. I want to believe that I can just fall into Amiri, Sasha, and Kolsen's arms but is it truly that easy?

The song pauses when my phone rings. I press the green button on the center console, Violet yelling into the earpiece. "Where are you, bitch? Did you know that Teo got fucking kicked out? Like banned . The big guy—oh wait, isn't he your Alpha? He had him dragged out and told him not to come back in. God, that man is sexy. Your Alpha, not Teo. The afterparty moved to Teo's place."

"Yeah, I know. Teo said a few choice words and I throat-punched him before leaving. Don't be mad," I laugh bitterly. That isn't even half of the truth but I can't go into a deep explanation right now.

"Not mad. Proud of you for clocking him. He deserved it. He was handsy all night and not with just Penelope, the bastard. Did you at least meet your mates?"

"I did and everything was really great. I just… need to decompress." My voice drops down to a whisper and I pray that Violet catches on to my need for a little silence.

"No worries, babe. I've got to go grab Sofie before she climbs onto the stage and starts dancing. You know how she gets when she's had too much. Sofie! Fuck. I'll catch you at work tomorrow and get all the dirty details. Hopefully, your father wasn't too angry when you got back. Love you." The phone goes dead but I'm not surprised. Sofie is a handful sober but I wouldn't have her any other way.

The dreary road stretches on, the song coming back on just as a text scrolls across the screen .

Goodnight, buttercup. Dream of us.

The thought of telling them about my predicament is gone as fast as it comes. We're not there yet. As much as I want to curl up with them and let the world fall away, there's no way I could ask that of them. Kolsen already had Teo thrown out of Temple , something I'm sure that I'll hear about tomorrow when Teo is sober enough to remember it.

The next call I make is a little harder to follow through with, which is why I call Reid instead of Ethan or Zana. "Hey sis, was wondering if you were ever going to come up for air. Having fun?"

"I'm… I went home."

"Everything okay? Why does it sound like you're driving? Mila, talk to me."

"I don't want you to do anything about it which is why I called you and not the others. You can tell them but please just don't do anything. A lot of things have happened today, too much to tell you over the phone but I'm okay. I'm safe and I just needed to decompress a little."

Reid snorts. "None of that is reassuring."

"Just this once, Reid. I'll call you in the morning, okay?" I wait several seconds for his muttered yes before I tell him I love him and hang up. I don't feel better for having made that phone call because, despite my best intentions, Reid will 100% worry and both his mates will pick up on it.

A pop sounds and then my car slows, a little growl tearing from my lips. I pull off to the side and drop my head to the steering wheel when my car sputters and dies. Perfect. Just perfect. It's dark, late at night, and I'm not even halfway to my destination. If I had the money for a tow, I'd call them in a heartbeat but they wouldn't be here till tomorrow morning anyway. Calling my father is out of the question because I refuse to return home .

"Just fucking great," I mutter to myself, digging into my bag to retrieve my phone. I'm not surprised to find it on 1%, the call I made to Reid killing that last bit of juice. I can't keep my phone charged to save my life and the one night that I actually need it, I've set myself up for failure. There isn't much on this road and I don't feel safe waltzing down the pavement in the dark. A new set of tears make their way down my cheeks as I try to figure a way out of this mess but everything I can think of will only work with a charged phone.

Begrudgingly, I reach into my bag for the charger and stick it into the center console, hoping the last bit of power in my car will give my phone a bit of juice. I plug in my phone and then turn the key in the ignition, the car sputtering and then shutting off.

I try a few more times before I give up and lean my chair back to rest until my phone turns on. Apparently, my version of living on the edge is not charging my phone. I'm sure the Fox pack would laugh their asses off if they knew this was one of the craziest things I had ever done.