Betrothed To The Alpha

CHAPTER 57

The days blurred together after my dinner with Collins. It went well, lifting my spirits in a way that hasn't gone unnoticed by Lorenzo and Cameron during their visits. But their reactions couldn't be more different.

Lorenzo seems thrilled by my newfound levity. Each time he's over, and I don't badger him about Alex or getting him back for me, he leaves with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face, his mood brighter than when he arrived.

Cameron, on the other hand, watches me with a wary distrust. I catch him studying me when he thinks I'm not looking, his brow furrowed as if trying to solve a complex riddle. It's unnerving, making the fine hairs at the nape of my neck prickle with unease, but I try my best to mask my discomfort under a veneer of nonchalance.

We're in my room watching TV when my phone begins to ring, the shrill tone shattering the comfortable silence. I check the caller ID, my eyes widening in horror at the name flashing across the screen. Quickly rejecting the call, I pray they take the hint, but the phone keeps vibrating insistently. Excusing myself, I slip out to answer it.

"Hello, can I call you back? Now isn't the best time," I whisper urgently into the phone, glancing over my shoulder.

"Why?" the person on the line demands, their voice tinny but insistent.

"Because it's not a good time. I'll call you later. Bye." I hang up abruptly, not waiting for a response.

Spinning around to head back, a yelp escapes my lips as I nearly collide with Cameron's solid chest. My heart leaps into my throat, pulse racing at his sudden appearance.

"Fuck, you scared me!" I gasp, pressing a hand to my chest in a vain attempt to calm my galloping heartbeat.

"Who was that?" he demands, eyes narrowed to icy blue slits, arms crossed over his chest in an unyielding stance.

I slide the phone into my pocket, giving him a nonchalant shrug that belies the nerves jangling beneath my skin. "No one important."

"You've been taking a lot of calls away from Lorenzo and me lately, Alice," he presses, taking a step closer, crowding into my personal space. The heat of his body envelops me, his masculine scent invading my senses. "What are you always talking about that you can't discuss in front of us?"

Shock widens my eyes at his bold question, but I quickly shutter my expression, determined to turn the tables. I can't let him see how much he's rattled me.

"Don't I have a right to privacy? Must I suddenly take all my calls in front of you?" I challenge, jutting my chin defiantly.

"No, that's not what I meant..." he says, clearly caught off guard by my accusation, his confident facade slipping for a moment.

"Then what *did* you mean?" A sly smile threatens to curve my lips, but I tamp it down. I can hardly believe how easily I've shifted the tables.

"I just noticed it happening more often, that's all." He lifts his hands in surrender, but suspicion still glints in his eyes.

"If you must know, I've been taking calls from my best friend. She wants to discuss personal matters, and she'd be mortified if she knew I took them in front of you guys."

"Is that so?" His gaze narrows, assessing.

"Yes." I hold his stare, unflinching.

"Hmm. Alright then."

"Honestly, Cam, you're overthinking things. As usual." I brush past him, the brief contact sending sparks skittering across my skin. I can't give him a chance to press further or ask something I can't answer.