Carramel's POV
"Well that's just because you have a big head." Enza says with finality. I giggle at Taylor's fake hurt expression and all Enza does her flip her hair and turn to wink at me.
"Well you're just a bully. And if that's how you feel, don't wake me up at four in the morning because you think I'm laying on your lipgloss." Taylor shoots back pouting, lip quivering and all.
Enza just nods her head nonchalantly as she take a sip of her smoothie. "Oh that's fine, babe. I'll just sleep at my apartment tonight." She says as if suddenly understanding. The straight panic and fear that flashes across Taylor's face at Enza's threat has me trying my hardest not to choke in my hot chocolate.
She waves her hands in front of him in surrender. "You know what? I was just overreacting. Of course you can wake me up. In fact I'll take you to get some more lipgloss after this!" He says pleading with his eyes for Enza to sleep with her tonight. I hear a ding that lets someone know a new customer has arrived but I keep my eyes on the amusing couple in front of my, hands flying about as my giggles erupt loudly.
But before Enza can give in to her pouting Mate, my name is called out by a familiar voice and I turn my head to see and stressed out Alex coming my way with quick strides.
"Carramel thank Goddess you're still here." He says brows creased in worry as he reaches my table and stands beside my chair. I look up in confusion and growing panic as I take in his face.
"What's wrong, Alex?"
"It's James, Carramel. He needs you." He tells me and in an instant I'm on my feet fear spreading through me. He begins to walk towards the door and I go to follow before pausing in trepidation, turning back to my friends who're still seated at the table. I feel tears prick my heads and my hands flutter in an anxious panic. Before I can open my mouth to apologize, Taylor shakes his head, face determined and apathetic.
"We understand, Carramel, now go. Make sure James is okay." He says, sending me a reassuring smile that Enza copies. I quickly turn and follow Alex out the door and to the car that's parked crookedly in front of the cafe.
I jump into the passenger seat and buckle up just in time before Alex pulls out the parking lot and is speeding down the road, I'm assuming towards our pack.
"Alex what happened?" I ask him turning in my seat to watch him. His face is pale and distraught as he gnaws on his lip in contemplation. "I can't help if I don't know what's going on!" I tell him my voice raising in panic and annoyance.
I can tell my harsh tone has taken Alex by surprise but instead of getting upset he sighs in resignation. "James' dad is back in town. And I guessing you've seen how tense he is around people. I guess it had to come from somewhere, but I had to figure it out on my own. The bastard never told me." He explains evasively hands gripping the wheel tightly.
"Oh." I say dumbly, trying to get my brain working, but once it does, I wish I could shove Alex's words back in his mouth and lock them away. The tension. The fear. The constant looking over the shower. The way he's scared to be touched. "Oh." I repeat voice low and sad.
"He told me to tell you he couldn't see you today, I told him to fuck off. He needs you, right now." I try to wrap my head around the idea of my former Alpha being the cause of all of James' pain and internal suffering and at first it's hard to believe, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. James wasn't allowed to play with the other pups when we were little. He wasn't allowed to talk to us, barely had any friends and even with his dad gone, he was always so stiff, like he was always waiting for the other foot to fall. And he never, ever talks about his parents.
"Oh, Goddess, Alex." Looking out the window I see that we're almost to the pack house and my chest tightens, scared of what I might find when we get there.
"Listen, Carramel, I know this will be hard to hear, but James' dad is super harsh and picky. And I know you're birthday is like in two days and we don't know how long he's staying." My heart sinks at what he's implying. James is going to be in danger if his dad finds out about us. About me. He's expecting a Jessica not a Carramel, and if word spreads, he's not going to come out of it okay. Being with James will have to wait.
I nod my head in understanding but lose interest in the conversation when I see the pack house come into view. As soon as the car rolls to a stop, I'm out the door, slamming it behind me as I make my way into the house. I try to keep my steps normal but determined, eyes raised high as I walk towards the stairs and begin to climb them.
I'm slightly out of breath when I reach James' room but I don't let it deter me as I approach it. As I raise my hand to knock, I hear a loud sound of skin meeting skin and I feel my eyes flash for the first time in years my walls breaking down as Jessie finally breaks free.
'No one touches our fucking Mate.' She growls and though I feel off kilter having her back in my mind, I don't hesitate to knock on the door in front of me hard and loud. There's a pause on the other side of the door before heavy foot steps are heard coming towards it. The door is thrown open and I'm met with the usually open face of my former Alpha Richard.
"An omega." He says keeping his body between the gap in he door once it's open. "Carramel, right? How can I help you?" He asks, eyes colder than what I remember, harsher and I want to crawl under a bed and stay there, but it's Jessie that gives me a nudge to stand strong.
"Hello, Mr. Richard." I greet purposefully leaving off the Alpha title. "Alpha James is supposed to be training me today to master my wolf." I lie straight through my teeth.
"He's training Omegas?" He asks disbelief clear in his voice.
"Yes, sir. He says that in order to be a strong pack even the weakest of us has to get better." I tell him, willing my cheeks to blush so make my story believable as I glance down shyly. He chuckles before sticking his head back through the door.
"You have a visitor James." He says, his voice noticeably darker as he addresses his son. He steps back through the door and closes it behind him. "He'll be right out, Carramel. Enjoy you're training session." He says patting my shoulder before he heads down the hall. I shudder in disgust at his touch and wait until he's turned the corner to open James's door and slip inside.
I look around the room for my lover and I stop short with a gasp when I see him curled up in a ball on his bed, shaking like a leaf. "James?" I ask, voice shaking in fear. I don't know how to console people. James is the strong one not me, and he already said he didn't want to see me. I start to panic, stuck standing in the middle of the room, staring at my sweet mate.
'Just go to him.' Jessie says softly.
'Fuck off, Jessie. I didn't even mean to let you out.' I growl at her and she immediately silences herself. I take her advice however and begin to inch towards James slowly. I round his bed so that he's facing my direction and what I see has my falling to my knees in front of him. His face is stone cold, stoic and hard all except the bruise that's forming along his jaw and the right side of his face. His eyes are staring off into space to the point where I'm not sure he sees me.
"James it's me. You're bean. Are you okay?" I ask him, tears threatening my eyes before they spill down my cheeks in distress. I still get no response, so I shuffle forward on my knees and wrap my arms around his slowly.
Still, all he does is lay there, the only assurance I get that he knows I'm here is the way his body stiffens at the contact. I begin to sob into his shoulder as I hold him. "James please talk to me." I beg him between choked out cries and still nothing. I lean forward peppering kisses on his nose, forehead, lips, and his jaw, pleading with him to answer in between.
Suddenly the door is thrown open and I jump, looking up startled to see Mr. Richards standing there with wild creepy eyes as he takes in James' and I position.
"So the rumors are true. My son loving bitch." He sneers and his eyes land on me before he takes long strides towards me and snatching me up in his grasp. I look towards as James but he's still laying there staring blankly at the wall as I cry out in surprise and fear. "He can't help you. He's weak. But I will fix that. James will have a shot at getting a real Mate if I get rid of you, isn't that right, Carramel?"