ALPHA'S ETERNAL OBSESSION

Lunatics

Chapter 11: Lunatics

Malakai's POV

Camilla froze after I told her she smelled exactly like the flowers around us. But her heartbeat did the opposite—raced like a wild stallion.

She blinked up at me, then did something I didn’t expect. Sitting, she hugged herself tightly, like she wanted to take a moment just to appreciate the lovely thing she was.

"I really do smell so lovely then," she whispered, her voice dreamy.

She smelled more than lovely. Divine.

Her reaction was childish, but it made me smile. I found it too endearing not to.

It hurt hearing all she’d been through. And I knew for sure she hadn’t told me everything.

I wanted to hear the rest. All of it. That was why I brought her here; I imagined a place like this would put her at ease. I think it worked.

She finally let go of herself and laid back on the grass. This time, I joined her, using my hands as pillow.

"Do you come here often?" She asked.

"Not since my mom passed... four years ago," I replied, the memories flickering in my mind.

She had loved this place—found it during a rough time in her marriage to my father. Back then, she’d drag me here all the time. Even after he died and I became Alpha, she never stopped coming.

Camilla's eyes widened before softening. Her eyeballs were really small, even when she tried to open them wide, making her look like a really cute quokka. I couldn't love anything more.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stir memories."

"It's okay."

Silence settled between us, but I didn’t mind. It gave me another moment to listen to her heartbeat.

She suddenly turned to her side, and when our eyes met, I winked.

She quickly turned away again, lying flat on her back with the shyiest, most adorable smile. The part of her face that always looked like it was blushing turned even pinker.

I chuckled, amused.

"Are you going to tell me what you are now?" she asked suddenly. "You've learned a few things about me already."

Smart.

"Not enough," I said, loving how eager she'd been since that deal in our room.

"But the deal was: I tell you something about myself, and you tell me what you are," she argued.

Our eyes locked again. This time, she didn’t look away. It was ridiculous how easily she made my heart skid.

"I didn’t say how many things you had to tell... and you didn’t ask."

I glanced at her lips. It was glossy, like she’d put something on. But I knew she hadn’t. The goddess just created her too perfectly. The urge to taste became a little too unbearable.

I quickly looked elsewhere, focusing on other parts of her face. Her eyes now glared at me like I’d just stolen something from her.

"I want to know all about you, Lovely. Especially why you’re wearing that bracelet. You know it’s bad for you, right?" I treaded cautiously. She had been avoiding talks about it since I mentioned it two days ago.

Her glare shifted into panic, and she hid the hand away.

"Camilla..."

She looked up at me, face blank. "Breathe. Slowly."

She obeyed. And gradually, her heartbeat which happened to have started racing too fast, steadied.

"You don’t have to tell me everything at once if you’re not ready. Just go at your pace. I’ve got all the time in the world... for you."

A lone tear slid across her nose. I reached toward her face, and she looked at me like I was holding a dagger.

"I won’t hurt you, okay? I just want to wipe off the tears. I promise I’ll be gentle."

She didn’t move, only tensed slightly as I touched her.

"Did it hurt?"

She shook her head.

"That’s because I’m never going to hurt you. Not in this life, or any other."

And I’ll be a nightmare to anyone who tried, I almost added.

She broke into a full, shaking, broken sob. Every sound pierced straight through my chest.

After I managed to calm her, she told me stories that felt like someone had ripped my heart out while I was wide awake, watching.

How her own family treated her. How Arthur abused her.

My blood boiled, rage rushing through my veins like molten fire.

And the suppressant? She had worn it for years because they believed she was an omen child.

Omen children were known to possess dangerous powers if not properly managed, but still... she didn’t choose her fate. She didn’t deserve any of it.

The urge to hunt every one of those monsters down and rip them apart in the slowest, most painful ways imaginable gripped me.

"Have you ever tried to remove the suppressant? What happened?"

That was when my phone rang.

Of course the world had to intrude.

I groaned internally.

I wanted to ignore it, but Logan wouldn’t call unless it was important.

When I answered, he told me there was another mail from Moonlight Pack. I had purposely been ignoring most of Arthur's mails to irk him. It was what he deserved, but now I felt it was finally time to throw him a little attention.

We left the garden and returned to the pack house.

I took Camilla back to the room to rest, then headed to my office where Logan was already waiting—with Ezra, my Gamma.

"What did the email say this time?" I asked as I took my seat.

"Arthur wants his woman returned in forty-eight hours," Logan explained.

His woman.

How much I hated the phrase.

"Or what?" I asked, pouring myself a glass of scotch. He’d have to go through me before he ever get much as a glimpse.

"He still hasn’t said." Logan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. He had been troubled since after learning Camilla was also Arthur's mate.

I downed the wine in one go. "I’ll know when he’s finally serious."

Ezra chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"I’ve always known you were no good, but visiting a man and stealing his woman..." He laughed again. "That’s low. But I’m here for the drama."

"Camilla’s my mate. The only one who gets to call her his woman... is me. And I didn’t steal her—she came willingly."

"It’s not like I doubt you," Logan stated, "but how can she be mated to both you and Arthur?"

"I don’t know. Ask the goddess when you meet her." I refilled my empty glass.

"Truth is, this isn’t good," he went on. "It could affect the alliance. And if that shithead’s feeling petty, it could start a war."

Ezra grinned like he was enjoying his favorite soap opera. "As I said, I’m all ready for the drama," he cut in.

"Moonlight needs the alliance more than we do," I pointed out the obvious.

Since I became Alpha eight years ago, I’d built businesses—some even in the human world—all without relying on other packs.

"And as for war..." I twirled the amber liquid in my glass.

Ezra leaned in, watching my mouth like he wanted to pull the words out of me.

I’ve always put the well-being of my pack first. Risking their lives is the last thing I’d ever do.

But this was different.

This was my mate. And she had already suffered far too much.

But would I go to war for her?

I paused for another moment to think of the answer to that question.

"Arthur can bring his worst," I said at last.

Ezra let out a belly laugh, smacking Logan on the back, who glared at him like he wanted him dead.

"I’m sorry, man. But I live for love stories like this," Ezra said between laughs. "If anyone touched Elani, I’d burn the world too. You wouldn’t understand, though. You're still pathetically mateless."

Logan rolled his eyes. "I pity Elani for being stuck with a fool like you. And goddess forbid I ever fall so deep I start thinking like the two of you. Like lunatics."

"You’ll be worse than us when you find the one," Ezra countered.

I stood and left them to their endless banter, to return to my mate.

There was still so much we still needed to talk about, especially the suppressant.

If she really had powers, powers they feared so much they locked her in chains, then we needed to learn how to control them.

Not hide them.

And definitely not rely on that dangerous device wrapped around her wrist.

I wanted it gone. Far away from her. Forever.