Chapter 13 :
An hour later Camila was in a battle against her tears. They threatened to flood the pack house. Everyone she loved was seeing them off, the fact that they were all standing there, for her, made her want to burst right there and then. She started from one end of people, overwhelmed by the attention.
Aunty Jae was first, she gave Camila a peck on the cheek and handed her five containers full of her favourite foods. She didn't know when her Aunt had the time to make a mountain of meals, but she sure as hell wasn't complaining. The containers were handed to Taine to be put in the car, but not before Aunty Jae, uncaring and unafraid, pulled him to the side and gave him a serious talking to. Laughing at the sight, Camila planned to ask him about this later.
A few of her friends had also come to farewell her. They hugged her and a few of them (few, being the females) tried to hug Taine but he made them very uncomfortable by responding to their open arms with an outstretched hand, not caring about how awkward it looked.
Libby had been crying since yesterday. Sammy wasn't sure how to deal with his crying mother so he did his best buy poking her cheek repeatedly. That made Camila laugh amidst the now free falling tears. She spread her arms across the three of them and squeezed. She didn't want to let go.
"Be a good boy for me, okay baby?"
"Okay, but Aunty Mila I want to come visit your house."
Taine ruined the moment by telling her the time."It's 9:15."
Libby and Mila shared a few more sweet words before she said bye to them one last time. Libby made Sam hand her a present, she looked touched.
After Jake did a special handshake with Camila, he hurridly fled the emotional scene. Taine could see he was obviously upset but too afraid to show his emotions. He knew what that was like. The Alpha pair engulfed Camila in a minute long hug and despite rejecting others, Luna Lizzie refused to give Taine anything less than a bone-crushing squeeze. She smiled at them both warmly.
Camila tried to memorise their faces as they were now. Smiling so wide and their faces were wrinkled with laughter. Happiness shone from their eyes. She this probably reminded them of their own beginnings as Alpha's. Despite feeling so much love, Camila knew something was missing.
Much to Taine's irritation, a jogging Mason entered the scene.
He looked like he had just tumbled out of bed. "Thank God, I didn't miss you."
He didn't even glance at or greet anyone else, he simply threw his arms around a fridged Camila and stayed there. For too long. He held Camila tightly despite her reluctance to return the embrace. Everyone was watching.
Taine noted that the clock was approaching 9:30. They should have left by now.
Luna Lizzie shared a worried look with Libby and then glanced apprehensively at Taine. She nudged her confused husband and nodded towards Mason, who was still too close for comfort. Alpha Hart cleared his throat.
"Okay Mason, let Mila get some air, her and Taine gotta get going."
Mason broke the half-embrace and stepped back to stand with Alpha Hart, not taking his eyes of Camila.
"Alpha Alverio, I don't think you have met my son, Mason."
Mason finally broke his stare to finally acknowledge the presence of the other Alpha in the room. He looked him up and down, in a non-threatening way, before squaring up his stance and extending his hand.
"Alpha Alverio, it's nice to meet you, I am the soon to be the next Alpha Hart."
Taine was surprised but did not show it. Nobody had mentioned an older son, let alone the fact that he was to be the next Alpha. He had just assumed Jake was next but it seemed he had been wrong about a lot of things so far. Taine forced a smile and shook Mason's hand firmly. His mood was now on the sour side and he wanted to leave.
Masons attention flitted back to Camila and he stepped forward, seeming to want to go in for another hug. Camila told him no with her eyes, but he still took his thumb and wiped away a stray tear on her cheek. Okay. Enough was enough.
Taine said loudly and clearly. "We're leaving now. I'm waiting in the car." With that he turned and left, knowing Camila could sense his anger rolling off him like waves. As he walked into the car he heard Libby shout.
"Mase doesn't deserve the last hug, I call dibs!" Libby immediately broke the tension with her shouts.
--
A few minutes later Camila hopped in the car, crying. She continuously waved out the window until everyone was absolutely out of sight. He could see her face going puffy and her lip trembling. Knowing that his irritation wasn't going to help the situation, he simply placed his larger hand over her clenched fist that rested in the middle seat of the car.
He saw her body slightly jump at the contact, but she did not turn around or move her hand away. She instead rested her face on the glass of the window. He could see in the reflection that she was quietly letting the tears fall. He made Alfredo turn on the radio, making the sounds of her sadness more bearable for both of them. After thirty minutes of driving Camila finally spoke, her voice sounded strained and stuffy.
"Does anyone have a tissue I could please use?" Her eyelashes were thick and wet with tears and her nose was red.
Alfredo searched without taking his eyes off the road. And so did Taine, but there was none. Taine, trying to do something to make her feel better, opened his duffel bag and handed her the cotton shirt he had slept in the previous night.
Camila looked at the shirt in his hand and then at the unexpected sincerity in his eyes.
"Are you being serious right now?"
"Yes, take it."
"But...you love that shirt."
Taine frowned, "how do you know."
"You wear it like every day. It has holes in the side and irremovable stains."
"I didn't know you paid that much attention to my outfit choices."
Camila, embarrassed turned away to look out the window.
"Just take it, I'll wash it."
"Without looking back at him, she grabbed the shirt and emptied her sorrows into it. She rolled the fabric up into a ball and looked at Taine with a grossed out look on her face. An impish grin spread on her face as she held it up in the air, "Catch Taine."
A look (and a noise) of horror passed over him. he thanked his quick reflexes, he had just managed to catch the shirt before it unravelled. He looked at it in disgust. Camila was now doubled over in laughter.
"That was hilarious, I don't think I'll ever forget your face."
A few minutes later the atmosphere had lightened. Camila took this as an opportunity to ask, "by the way, what did my Aunty Jae say to you? She seemed pretty serious."
Taine actually felt the heat rise to his face. He cleared his throat. "I'd rather not say."
Camila laughed, like a bell. She could see the blush on his usually stony face.
" Sam said something to me. At the diner."
Instantly her eyes lit up, "omg, what did he say? Isn't he just the cutest thing? "
"He told me- I know you like my Aunty Mimi and you can kiss her if you want, but only if you smile at her and don't act grumpy."
Camila's hands flew to cover her mouth. "He said that! I'm going to cry all over again."
"No, no, no please don't, I'm running out of shirts. All I got is dirty socks. "
She was surprised. This was the first time Taine had made any attempt at humour. Camila rolled her eyes. "I'll contain myself just for the sake of your wardrobe."
Taine smiled a secret smile. He liked her like this. She wasn't biting him or throwing things at him, or being closed off.
As if hearing his thoughts Camila spoke, while looking at the car window. He wasn't sure if the words were for him or for her. " I think...I think I'm happier than last time I left my pack, I have closure know. And I mean considering the fact that I was concussed last time it's not that hard to believe."
Taine scoffed.
There was a long but comfortable silence that settled in the car. "Taine?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry about Mason...He and I are just very close." She looked at him with apologetic eyes.
She was sorry for what he had seen, but the question that he needed answered was, was she sorry for what she didn't know he had seen? And what had actually transpired between them that lead to midnight rendezvous in the woods. The anger had come back to him. His jaw was clenched but he tried to speak in a controlled voice.
"Was there something going on between you too?"
It didn't work.
Camila looked away, sensing his anger. "We all have a past. I'm sure you do too."
Taine sensed her avoiding his questions, shifting the blame. Before his mind tortured him with images of Camila and Mason, she spoke again.
She tried to explain, not wanting him to over-interpret her vague answer. She also felt the need to give him reassurance...reassurance she didn't know if he deserved. "He's going to be a good Alpha one day, he just spends a lot of time away from home. Today was the first time I have seen him in months. We've just been friends for a very long time." She needed to tell him neutral half-truths that wouldn't make him angry. It would make things easier in the future.
"I didn't like the way he looked at you."
"I know you didn't."
" I am serious. Other people were watching. It was disrespectful." He could feel his voice raising on its own accord."
Her head snapped to his. He saw the fire in her eyes and knew he said something wrong. "Oh, I'm sorry I embarrassed you Alpha." She spat the word out like it was a curse.
Taine glared back.
"One, you aren't my father, technically you aren't even my Alpha. Two, you don't own me, you can't impose restrictions on me. Three, you saw the way he tackled me. That wasn't my fault. I don't think you even care about me, just your Alpha image, you didn't even do anything you just left, which embarrassed me. It was like you didn't even care to stay and support me when I needed it. Alpha and Luna Hart had more things to say to us."
All the anger and frustration she had bottled up was being unleashed in one big fury. A twinge of guilt twisted in her gut at her harsh words. But feeling like she was hurting him in this small way, felt like a recompense.
"Camila, you have to admit, you haven't made it easy for me." He said through gritted teeth.
"Oh well, I'm sorry I'm not going to just fall into your arms and beg to have your babies. I'm terribly sorry that you feel like this relationship is actual work."
"You were the one that eliminated all trust between us."
She wanted to scream at him, she wanted to tell him why her heart was broken and why he couldn't help her fix it. But she couldn't bear it.
Silence again. Taine wasn't going to apologize and neither was Camila. That is until he saw her tears.
He sighed. "Stop. You're going to water-damage the car."
"Shut up. I'm crying because I like this song."
Camila knew her comments were harsh and she was being defensive, but she was already in such a vulnerable state, I mean she was crying again! She had blown her nose into Taines shirt, he should have at least tried not to put his foot in his mouth, at least not until she had her emotions under control.
Yes she did break her promises and yes she did break his TV and yes she had tried to escape once or twice before, but living with him had been just as difficult. She recalled the silent dinners and awkward interactions that marked her first few weeks of living with him. She had tried. And it was clear that he didn't seem to care about her. He just wanted her there so he could look at her and keep tabs on her.
Sometimes she hated him. Wished he wouldn't come home some nights. This wasn't all her fault. She crossed her arms and refused to talk to anyone but Alfredo for the rest of the trip.