Chapter 21

Chapter 22
LILA'S POV

Dread rushes through me on seeing Camille standing by the door.

This wasn't good.

With the way she was grinning, I felt it in my gut that she could tell the twins apart.

She knew this was Alec, and I shouldn't be in such a position with him.

She was going to use this against me somehow.

“What are you doing here?” Alec snaps at her, his voice heavy with authority.

She loses her smug look, head bowing on reflex to the power of his tone.

“I came to see how Lila is doing.” She replies with a slight tremble in her voice.

Alec takes his time letting me out of his arms, rising to walk closer to Camille.

Why didn't he seem to like her?

Usually, I was the only one who could sense her fake antics and ploys.

She was always excellent at camouflaging and her never-ending pretence, so why wasn't he falling for it?

“You claimed to have come here for the birthday, isn't that right?” He asks, and she nods, head still down.

“It's been days after the birthday already; I think it's time for you and that man you came with to leave. You're beginning to overstay your welcome.” He announces, and she gasps, looking up at me.

“Did I do anything wrong, please? I'm sorry if I overstepped or something; I didn't mean to come in. I swear I won't mention a word of it to the Alpha—” she begins to ramble.

Alec suddenly grabs her by the throat, cutting the rest of her babble off as he growls threateningly.

“You won't say a word of anything to Kael because you didn't see anything, did I make myself clear?” He barks at her, and she nods frantically.

I stand up from the bed, carefully advancing him.

From the way his grip was tightening on her neck and his face was gradually reddening, he would kill her if he held on longer.

'We have to stop him,' Neela whispers to me.

I stop behind Alec, placing a hand on his arm.

His tense muscles relax under my touch, the hold on Camille loosening as he pushes her away.

“Let this be the last time you show your face here unannounced; Kael may not say anything, but I won't pretend that your presence isn't unpleasant. I can't stand your pretence; get out.” He finishes.

Thankfully for her, Camille doesn't have to be told twice as she all but dashes out of the room.

“I'm sorry you have to see me treat your sister that way… You can't lie to me, Lila. I know about your life back at your pack with your family; I know the truth about how they treat you.” Alec says, turning to me.

How had he found out?

I hadn't spoken to anyone aside from Isabella about any of it.

Could it be that she had told him?

Isabella didn't seem like someone who would break my trust like that.

Maybe he had done some digging on his own.

“Kael is on his way now; I have to go. Have a good night.” He leans down, placing a kiss on my cheek before heading out.

As expected, Kael comes in a few minutes later.

He doesn't ask anything about his brother, making me believe that he wasn't aware of his earlier presence.

He doesn't share the details of his day with me either, and we are seated in awkward silence for a while.

Should I tell him about the attempted murder by the lady with the pillow?

If I did, the fact that Alec saved me would slip out along the line.

What if Camille spoke up and told him about how she had caught me and Alec kissing?

What if she started to use it as a blackmail medium?

The kiss with Alec kept replaying in my mind as well.

The way his hands had felt on me and how well our lips fit together.

Not knowing what to do and fighting with my thoughts was stressful.

“I can literally feel you overthinking; relax, Lila, I'm not going to bite you… unless you'd like me to.” He jokes, and I'm shocked at the smile that comes after.

This was one of his first attempts at cracking an innocent joke or trying to liven the air.

“When are we going to consummate our marriage?” I blurt out the thought unexpectedly and cover my face in embarrassment right after.

Neela had been giving me signs, and I could feel it coming fast also; I was approaching my heat period soon.

And unmarked and still virgin, the she-wolf suffered more during the heat period.

Stronger waves of passion and an intense, almost unbearable level of arousal with every minute.

If my husband didn't fully claim me by then, I would be in so much pain and discomfort.

“You're still in the hospital, and you're already thinking of getting me naked, Lila? And here I thought my wife was innocent.” He teases once more, laughing as I hide my face behind my book.

I hear him scooting closer, and the book is pulled away from my face as he leans in closer to me, brushing some hair away from my face.

“We're definitely going to consummate our marriage, my little wife, and when we do, we're going to make sure we do it right and fill you up with a pup.” He whispers, and I turn red.

The mental image of me and Kael being intimate flashes through my mind, and I feel even hotter as I find myself picturing Alec there too.

It made me feel tingly to think of carrying the alpha's baby one day.

“But first, we're going to have to hope you survive the marking phase first.” He states.

What did he mean by that?

Getting marked by your mate or husband was a normal, everyday occurrence in the werewolf world.

It wasn't meant to be a matter of life or death, so why was he saying it like I could lose my life to the mark?

Before I can ask any more questions, I begin to feel seriously sleepy.

All the drugs and injections must be taking a toll on me along with the tiredness, and so I give up on fighting it and fall into sleep.