Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

For the next week, Cal messaged me every day.

He said something along the lines of "Good morning, beautiful," and would tell me about his plans for the day without me having to ask.

If I mentioned I had extra breaks or time during the day, which didn"t happen much, he"d pop by my work to force-feed me lunch and chai lattes.

He made sure to do this after he realized Rita wouldn't be around ever since she left for her conference.

He told me about his work and other things about himself, making it clear that though it wasn't just me and him he worried about it on a daily basis. His pack mates were constantly in the back and front of his mind, it was just me and him when we were together.

And he made sure to reiterate to an almost painful degree about how he wasn't going to lie to me anymore.

"Not even by omission," he vowed the next time he saw me, putting his right hand to his heart.

After the third day of his attention and sitting with me at work, working through his documents about the non-profits he mentioned looking into about omega funds, I did start to feel a little bad. Not only mentally, but physically.

My skin felt itchy and tight.

Maybe Cal had lied about one thing. Omitted.

Me on the other hand?

I was a great big liar.

I knew I wasn't being fair at this point as Cal continued to make it up to me. I kind of figured that after he saw me a few more times I would end it with him or he would just slowly stop being interested in me anyway. Only, that clearly wasn't happening.

I needed to end things with Cal just because I couldn't stand it anymore. Every other word that came out of my mouth was a lie.

Why hadn't I dated much before?Certainly not because I was a closeted omega hiding her very existence.

Do I have any family?No. I shook my head. They died in an accident.

Kind of true.

Why do you work so hard?

Some things just didn't need answers, and most of the time, Cal didn't seem disconcerted with my shrugs.

I was supposed to go out on a date. One.

Now I didn't want to ever face the last one.

In only about a week I was getting oddly comfortable with him and our routine. I was also getting very used to his hands casually rubbing the back of my shoulders as my eyes lulled and my head ached from digitizing all these documents all day long.

I was going to be done with this project soon though, thank goodness. Just in time for the deadline, Mr. Wolfern set.

I could do this.

I sorted through another few documents while Cal wandered through the stacks. I worked in a constant stream of typing and staring at my screen. More random articles were stuffed in there in between the list I was compiling.

Finishing an entire section. I closed my eyes to rest them.

On my other browser, I also pulled up all the files I could find recently on omega funds in the area and the surrounding cities, as per Cal's request the other night. He knew I said I would look into some things for him, but late at night when I couldn't sleep—and lately I felt like I could never sleep even once I got off work—I started to compile things together.

Starting a new project, especially one I wasn't heavily supposed to be invested in, was sort of fun. Like a scavenger hunt. Especially since it turned out there was a small section of Prestford alumni who had overlapping interests which made my job even more easy.

And thrilling.

It felt like little pieces of a puzzle were snapping together every time I noticed it.

Opening my eyes back up, I clicked through my tabs.

I blinked.

My eyes caught on one of the names.

Davinson.

My heart stopped in my chest.

My ribs ached from the heavy hit that came before it stopped beating and I started at the name, unable to look at the page any further before my mind started to race instead. I was back there in the basement all over again.

I was back in the two big living rooms where alphas stared at me and laughed.

I was back there. I would always be right back there?—

"Els, are you okay?" Cal must've asked more than once, because he came to stand behind me, in eyeshot of my screen.

I carefully clicked out of the document before opening my data sheet back up he must've been used to seeing it by now.

"Yeah. Yes." I corrected myself to sound sure of myself. "I'm fine. Sorry. I thought I saw something that… shouldn't have been in my files."

Though I wasn't sure if that was true.

I glanced towards where I minimized the page again, wanting to open it up and make sure that what I saw— well, it was just a coincidence. My brain was working overtime.

Yet unease swirled deep in my stomach.

I headed the side of my face against my hand. "My eyes are just tired."

"You need rest."

"Hm." I sighed as he put his hands gently on my shoulders. "That would be nice."

He chuckled, massaging my shoulders for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"I'd like to tell you more about my pack," said Cal, softly. He paused rubbing my shoulders as if I could cut him off before he started. "If you're ready to hear more about them."

He'd been so good not talking about them over the past few days. He mentioned them off hand when he told stories about something or if something was going on in his life, but otherwise, it was as if he just had roommates instead of a four-person, likely romantic, if I was understanding him correctly, pack.

I nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. If it was bad, this could be it. It could be a sign to tell him to stop and cut everything off.

The idea made my chest hurt. My stupid omega rose to the surface, wanting to whine more than it ever had in the past since I started spending time with Cal and also catching whiffs of other scents on him, I knew had to be from the alphas he surrounded himself with.

"Okay. Go ahead."

"Yeah?" He grinned, leaning over my shoulder to see my face.

"Tell me about them," I encouraged.

"Awesome. Okay. So our head of household in a sense is Demetri."

"He's like the head alpha."

"Our leader, yeah. All of them are alphas except for me."

"Do you ever mind that?"

"Being a beta?"

I dipped my chin.

Cal paused before he shrugged. "I used to. Not anymore. I used to wish I was an alpha. It would've been easy I used to think if I grew up strong and loud that way. Then I would've had something to blame it on. But my back doesn't treat me based on my designation. In the end, I'm just Cal."

Just Cal.Just like I was just Ella to him.

"Cal," he mused. "Their annoying hyperactive beta."

I snorted a laugh. "Go on. Tell me more."

"Demetri... well, I guess I should've probably started with this."

"What?"

"So Demetri, his name is Demetri Prestford."

My eyes slowly widened as the name settled in. "Prestford. Like Prestford University and Prestford-everything around this town?"

Cal nodded. "That'd be him. Us, I guess. We're Prestford pack."

"So you're Cal Prestford, not Lesenfield."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "That's right. That was my last name before though. That wasn't a lie."

"Wow." At first, I thought it was odd that Cal's pack would let him see me let alone kiss me and spend so much time with me. Now that he was in the Prestford pack, a big-name pack, it made even less sense.

"Don't worry, he doesn't have too big of a head. He only just started to get into the family business if you know what I mean since his dad has been hinting at wanting to retire soon. So the legacy goes onwards," explained Cal. "That's what we've been dealing with the past few months. Dem's been taking it in his work-a-holic stride though."

"Who else is there?"

"There's Liam. I'm honestly surprised you haven't run into him."

I cocked my head. "What do you mean?"

"He works at the university as well. He stayed here in town while the rest of us dealt with Demitri's work and family stuff."

"Where does he work?"

"He's a professor," explained Cal. "In history and linguistics. Something like that. Or maybe it's languages?"

The humanities buildings were nearly on the other side of campus, so it made sense.

"Liam's a bit of a cold asshole before you get to know him, but he's really the reason I was able to get into the pack. We met at college after I got in on a scholarship for students with ‘troubled backgrounds.' He took me out to eat one night at a bar and I met his pack. My last packmate, Marko, punched me in the face."

"He didn't like you?"

"No." Cal laughed hard. "It was an accident. He was trying to punch the guy behind me. I don't really remember why. Probably the head injury."

I found myself laughing with him.

"Marko is rough around the edges, but he's good. He was in the military for a long time and loved what he did."

"What did he do in the military?"

"Special ops."

"Woah."

Cal took a deep breath and nodded with his lips pressed together. "You got that right. He left a few years ago after a, uh, not-so-great deployment mission. It was rough on us all. He works in security mainly now. All of us somehow work together. We keep each other in line. Most of the time anyway."

"You really love each other." It wasn't as if it just dawned on me, but I could see it now in the way Cal talked about his pack mates.

"Fuck yeah, we do."

I smiled watching him smile back at me.

His pack sounded oddly perfect. I was happy for Cal now that I've gotten to know him more. It was good that had them, a family he didn't get to have years ago.

Maybe they helped make this perfect guy.

"They'd love you too," Cal said.

"What?" I wanted to force myself to laugh at the direct statement.

"They would," Cal repeated, insisting. "It's not like it's that hard. You're easy to fall for, Ella Jones."

Leaning in, over the past week since the last time we kissed in the car, Cal had been nothing but a respectful gentleman. He touched me and held my hand. That was it though. There was no more kissing or any of the heavy petting that made me want to fully crawl into his lap and never leave until my own hands touched every part of him— even the part that marked him as someone else's too.

Now, Cal leaned forward until our lips were only a breath apart. "Is this okay?"

Inhaling, I let myself dip my chin in a nod. No one was around us. No one ever came down to the basement of the library really unless they had to. Not for the first time, I was thankful, but for an entirely different reason. "Yes."

"I can kiss you again, beautiful?"

His lips tilted with his head to the right, just there. I could feel the way his mouth slanted over mine, just touching.

I wanted him to scream. Kiss me already!

My hand looped up without me pausing to reconsider until my fingers threaded themselves through his loose dark curls at the nape of his neck and pulled him in the rest of the way?—

"So, this is where you've been."

Both of us quickly broke apart at the voice striking between us. Turning towards the stairs that I could see from the edge of where my desk was set up, a tall alpha stood, watching us.

"Liam," Cal grinned, breathless as if he was surprised by the interruption.

It was him. The sweet yet slightly spicy chai. The hint of caramel. I wanted to breathe it in and never let it go. I looked away from the way he stared down at me like I was some kind of bug to him.

He was also the man that I had run into the one time in the science building when I went to see Rita.

It was really him.

Liam was the perfect picture of a professor in academia. He was tall and fit and utterly completely stunning from the way his plush lips pressed together to the way his jawline truly looked like it was in the running to cut glass.

Was that a stupid thing to think? Yes.

Did it show on my face? I desperately hoped not.

He kept his hands in his loose trouser pockets as he looked between us with bored interest until his gaze settled on me. His tawny eyebrows raised while his eyes remained unaffected as he took me in.

What did he see there when he looked at me? Did he see the female who was trying to take away Cal and was taking up all his time away from the pack? Did he see a potential friend, like Cal said?

Could it be so easy for him to… fall for me?

My heart hammered in my chest in front of the alpha.

Yet only a whisper resounded deep inside of me, quieter than most warnings had in the past.

Danger.

"Huh," Liam intoned from where he stood by the bottom floor entrance.

He made no move to step any closer to us.

"You need anything, Liam?" Cal asked after another minute. He held my hand, pulling it towards his chest. His thumb gently ran back and forth along my knuckles in a way that made me feel much calmer than a minute ago. "This is Ella if you'd like to meet?—"

He was cut off before he could even begin to make introductions.

"You still want a ride, beta?" The alpha asked.

Cal looked between us. He shook his head. "I drove.

"Got it," he said. "Guess I'll see you back home then."

"See you in a bit," Cal agreed.

Both of us watched as Liam swiftly turned back around and headed up the stairs. We remained in silence for at least a minute.

And then, another, until Cal reached to turn my face back towards his. He raised an eyebrow at me, a hint of amusement on his face at whatever was in my expression.

"You okay?"

I nodded.

"Sorry about him. He was kind of an asshole. He's already living up to what I told you about him so far though, right?"

I shook my head, then nodded again.

"He's not always like that."

"It's ok," I said, though I felt as if my entire body had been rocked. My nervous system after the past week was clearly shot.

Cal grit his teeth. "It's really not."

"That was Liam…" I whispered as if I couldn't quite believe it yet.

The man whose scent I couldn't get out of my head was attached to the man I was slowly, easily, all too quickly feeling myself falling for who was still looking at me with something of nervousness towards my response.

"Uh-huh." Reaching out, Cal brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "He only came down here because he wanted to check you out, you know."

That had to be a lie.

"He knew that I drove here earlier even if I did mention seeing if Demetri could drop me off."

"Oh."

"Liam might seem aloof most of the time and cold, but at his heart, he's just a nosey bastard," Cal chuckled. Though I couldn't with him. I still felt uneasy. Worse than that? I felt like I was about to cry as I looked back towards the door Cal's cold alpha disappeared back up the stairs away from us. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. ‘Course I am."

"You don't look too good, beautiful." He cocked his head. "You still have that headache you mentioned earlier?"

Shutting my eyes, I could hear the buzzing ache of my head pulsing behind my skull. "A bit."

"Well, that's that. Maybe you caught a bug going around, working yourself to the bone like this."

He might've had a point.

"Let's go pick up food." He pulled me into his arms, putting a hand to my head. Surely, he felt that it was warm. He hummed in disapproval. "Let's get you home and comfortable."