Twice Tempted: Between Two Alphas (Mia and Cameron)
Chapter 91

Chapter Ninety-One

ASHLEY

I take a deep breath and grab the phone from Eric's hand.

"Cam, it's me."

This is the first time we've spoken since I came out of the coma. Well, that's not entirely true. There was that time in New Orleans, but I was busy killing my mum then.

My stomach pitches into my throat.

Vengeance is a bit like acid. It eats away at the container that holds it as fiercely as the object you pour it on.

There's a long, long pause.

A hundred words roll around on my tongue. Explanations, excuses. A whole long-winded replay of why I did what I did, but instead I say only the one thing that I need to: "Cam. I'm sorry." The silence drags longer.

I'm not so stupid to think that he will forgive me.

Hell, I don't think what I've done is actually forgivable.

Cam clears his throat. "Mia interrupted our mission. We were flushing out the master vampire that aligned with your brother."

Eric's eyes narrow.

"His name is Cassian."

I suck in a breath. Oh my gods. Not him.

Eric looks at me sharply.

From the moment I engaged the spell to become Cam's mate, my only focus has been infiltrating his pack, gaining access to his finances and positioning our loyal packmates within Eric's pack and Cameron's for our respective takeovers.

Philipe devised the strategy. I wasn't of the mindset back then to mastermind anything. I was too broken. My brother gave me purpose.

Revenge became all I lived for.

But I was married to Cam for close to five years.

During that time, I started to heal.

There were days... good ones. When Cam and I would swim in the lake or go for long runs. Moments when I would fall asleep beside him and forget all about the past. Waking up to his smile or befriending so many in his pack.

I force those memories away.

I don't deserve them.

And once Merilee was born-my chest aches. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Feeling her grow inside me. Holding her tiny hand and staring into her eyes. My daughter is my world, and if I think about how much my hatred has harmed her, how much my life choices have impacted her innocent life, I'll curl into a ball and die.

I'd accepted dying. In many ways, it would've been better if I had.

Merilee...changes things.

I swallow past the lump of regret in my throat.

"What does Cassian want?" I ask.

"Land. Apparently he was previously promised a portion of my northern territory."

I shift uncomfortably. I'm not sure what Philipe would've promised this vampire. I still hate that my brother sought to employ them in the first place.

Where we are from, in the far North... the vampires are savage. It's one of the reasons so many humans in Alaska go missing. Sure, a lot of it is the elements, but this is also a region of the world that for half the year is in continual darkness. Newly turned vamps love the Arctic.

My pack has hunted such vampires for centuries.

"Are these the same wraiths that attacked my pack?" Eric asks.

"They are," Cam says.

I'm human now. But Eric's wolf can hear clearly even though I hold the phone against my ear.

Eric crosses his arms.

He is not a peacemaker.

This wolf infinitely prefers war.

"They've broken the treaties," Eric says.

"Wolves broke those treaties," Cam corrects him. "By soliciting their help in the first place."

A fair point.

Eric bristles. He grabs my arm when I try to move to a different part of the plane.

"It's not like I can go far," I tell him, jerking away from him.

I'm restless. I can't sit still with this male boring holes into me with his hatred. And just hearing Cam's voice... it stirs so much pain and regret and tension. So much shame.

I don't have my wolf to bolster me. And without her, anxiety rushes through my body. I'm edgy and trapped and it feels like I'm on the verge of a panic attack.

I switch the phone to speaker and hold it out so Eric can see. Then I pace up and down the aisle of the plane.

This private jet isn't large. There isn't far to go.

I just need to move. To do something with all of this anxious energy lest it overwhelm me.

"Mute the phone," Eric says.

He stands and blocks my path.

I'm stuck in the aisle and he walks toward me.

I'm tall, but he towers over me. His wolf's presence is imposing, like a wall of power that slams into me from a dozen feet away. As a human, that impact is so much stronger. It makes me want to shrink back instead of holding my ground.

I lift my chin and force myself to meet his gaze.

When he's close enough for his scent to mingle with mine, he grabs my chin. Though strong, he doesn't hurt me.

His hand is firm on my face. "What aren't you telling me?"

My heart races.

His eyes narrow. He can hear my pulse. No doubt he can scent my fear. There's also an edge of awareness, a dangerous 'other' side to our mate bond that I can't let myself acknowledge. Because the spell I used on Cam...it only mimicked a mating bond.

It was effective.

But this true connection...it is undeniable.

All-consuming.

"You know this master vampire?" Now his fingers bite into my skin. Again, not in a brutal way, but enough to assert his dominance.

His dark eyes stare into mine, daring me to lie to him.

"Yes," I admit.

"Ashley, Eric? You still there."

I punch the mute button again. "We are."

"Will you strike a deal with him?" Eric asks carefully.

"Those aren't the only terms," Cam says.

Oh.

My stomach knots. "What else does he want?"

Again with the long, long pause... "You."

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