Filed to story: Claimed By My Fiance's Alpha Brother (Callie & Cameron) Book PDF Free
“How could you possibly -” Valerie’s voice cut off abruptly, and I could feel her predatory gaze focusing on me like a laser. “Oh, well well. What do we have here?”
Every muscle in my body tensed as she began circling me like a shark scenting blood in the water. I kept my face turned away, my heart hammering so hard I was sure everyone in the room could hear it.
“Let me guess,” she continued in that same mocking tone I remembered so well, deliberately bumping her shoulder into mine as she passed. “Another desperate little assistant trying to claw her way up the corporate ladder by batting her eyelashes at the big bad Alpha? How long do you think this one will last before she runs away crying? A week? Two days?”
The familiar cruelty in her voice made my wolf snarl with rage in my mind. Ayla was practically clawing at my consciousness, demanding I turn around and show this bitch exactly what five years of independence had taught me. But I forced myself to remain still, to keep breathing, to not give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
*Just like before,* I thought bitterly. *Still the same entitled princess who thinks she can destroy people for sport.*
“You know, Marco has been telling you for months that I’d make a perfect assistant,” Valerie continued, her voice dripping with false sweetness as she tried to cozy up to Cameron. “I’m family, after all, and I certainly wouldn’t spend my first day crawling around on the floor in inappropriate dresses, flashing my underwear at anyone who walks by.”
That did it. My hands clenched so tightly my nails bit into my palms, and I could feel heat rising in my cheeks -not from embarrassment this time, but from pure, unadulterated fury. How dare she? How dare she waltz in here and try to humiliate me the same way she had five years ago?
I was just gathering the courage to turn around and face her -consequences be damned -when Cameron’s voice exploded through the office like thunder.
“GET OUT!” The words carried such raw Alpha power that I actually staggered, my wolf immediately submitting to the overwhelming authority in his tone. “GET OUT OF MY OFFICE NOW, VALERIE!”
The force of his command was so intense that Lucas visibly flinched, and I could hear other employees in the hallway scrambling to get out of range. Even Valerie, for all her entitled arrogance, went pale under her carefully applied makeup.
“But Cameron -” she started to protest, her voice suddenly much smaller.
“NOW!” His roar made the windows rattle, and the sheer fury radiating from him was so palpable I could practically taste it in the air.
Valerie’s face cycled through shock, indignation, and finally wounded pride before she gathered what remained of her dignity. “Fine,” she sniffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a gesture I remembered all too well. “But don’t come crying to me when this little omega proves to be just as useless as all the others.”
She sashayed toward the door, making sure to swing her hips dramatically, and threw Cameron one last sultry look over her shoulder before finally disappearing down the hallway. The silence that followed her departure was deafening.
Lucas cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, that was… intense. I should probably go check on the territorial agreements we discussed earlier.” He shot me an apologetic look. “Rain check on that dinner, Callie?”
I barely managed a nod, still too shaken to form coherent words. After Lucas left, closing the door behind him with unusual gentleness, I finally found myself alone with Cameron.
He moved to his desk with predatory grace, settling into his leather chair and studying me with those devastating blue eyes. There was something different in his expression now -a knowing intensity that made my skin prickle with awareness.
“Mate, huh?” His voice was casual, almost conversational, but there was an undercurrent of something dangerous beneath the surface. “Interesting. From what I understand, you’re an omega.”
The casual way he mentioned my omega status made Ayla practically spit fire in my mind. Here I was, thinking he might actually be different after defending me from Valerie, only to have him drop that familiar alpha superiority right back into his tone. That subtle little inflection that said *omega* like it was something quaint and amusing.
I crossed my arms and tilted my head, giving him my sweetest smile. “Yes, absolutely fascinating. Though I have to say, I’m still weighing my options on whether to accept you. Call me picky, but I have standards.”
The look of pure shock that crossed his face was absolutely delicious. Clearly, Mr. High-and-Mighty Alpha wasn’t used to being treated like he was the one who needed to prove himself worthy.
Before he could recover enough to respond, I swept over to his desk with my most professional demeanor and began laying out documents like I was dealing cards. “Your dinner arrangements,” I announced cheerfully, placing the guest list down with a satisfying snap. “Complete with dietary restrictions, seating charts, and wine pairings that won’t poison anyone or start any pack wars.”
I added the quarterly reports with a flourish. “Pack assessments, territorial dispute documentation, and that lovely little crisis brewing on the northern border that apparently couldn’t wait until Monday.” Each file landed on his desk with increasing emphasis.
He leaned forward, studying each document with growing interest, and I caught something that looked suspiciously like impressed approval flickering in those devastating blue eyes.
“Impressive work,” he admitted, though he looked almost annoyed to be saying it. “Still, an omega refusing an alpha? That’s a new one, even for me. You might want to rethink that.” His mouth actually fell open slightly, and I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning at his expression.
“Well then,” I continued with exaggerated politeness, gathering my own files and heading back toward my desk, “if there’s nothing else requiring my *omega* attention, I should probably get back to work.”
I’d barely taken two steps when his hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist, his fingers warm and strong against my skin. The contact sent electricity shooting up my arm, and I had to bite back a gasp at the intensity of the sensation.
“Tonight’s dinner,” he said, his voice dropping to that low, commanding tone that made my knees weak. “You’ll attend as my date.”
Callie’s POV
My instinct was to refuse immediately. “I don’t have an appropriate dress for -“
“What you’re wearing now is perfect.” Cameron’s voice carried that infuriatingly confident tone that made my stomach do gymnastics routines I didn’t authorize. The way he said it -like he was commenting on the weather rather than completely upending my evening plans -made me want to simultaneously kiss him and throttle him.
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it, then opened it again like some kind of demented fish. “But I… Adrian needs… Ophelia will kill me if I…”
“Speechless omega?” One dark eyebrow arched in what I was beginning to recognize as his signature look of amused superiority. “That’s a first.”
The smugness in his voice snapped me back to coherent thought. “Fine,” I said, trying to inject some dignity into what was clearly a complete surrender. “But I’m not paying for dry cleaning if someone spills wine on this dress.'”
The corner of his mouth twitched -not quite a smile, but close enough to make my traitorous heart do a little tap dance. “Noted. I protect what’s mine,” he said simply, and the possessive note in his voice made my knees wobble like a newborn deer’s.
The casual threat, delivered in that low, dangerous voice, made heat pool in places that had no business responding during work hours
The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of focused intensity that felt like being caught in a very attractive, very expensive tornado. Despite the mate bond crackling between us like a live electrical wire, Cameron and I fell into a surprisingly natural rhythm. He was demanding but fair, brilliant but not condescending, and when I anticipated his needs -sliding the northern territory reports across his desk just as he reached for them -he looked at me like I’d just performed actual magic.
Meanwhile, Ayla had been a constant source of commentary all day, providing a running narration like the world’s most inappropriate sports announcer. *Ooh, look at those shoulders,* she’d purr when Cameron moved past my desk. *Did you see the way his muscles flexed when he reached for that file? And that smell -God, that SMELL. It’s like sandalwood and testosterone had a baby and named it Perfect Man.*
“Could you maybe tone down the lustful commentary?” I muttered under my breath during one particularly vivid description of what she’d like to do to our mate.
*I’m just saying, those hands look very capable. Very… thorough.*
“AYLA.”
By the time evening approached, I was wound tighter than a Swiss watch, every nerve ending hyperaware of Cameron’s presence. When he so much as shifted in his chair, I could feel it like a physical touch. When he spoke, his voice seemed to resonate in my bones.
This mate bond thing was going to be the death of me.
“Control yourself,” I muttered under my breath during one particularly intense wave of mate-hunger, pressing my thighs together as heat pooled low in my belly.
As evening approached, I excused myself to the ladies’ room to touch up my makeup and attempt to calm my racing pulse. The emerald dress still looked stunning, but now I could see the flush on my cheeks, the dilated pupils that betrayed exactly how affected I was by spending eight hours in close proximity to my mate.
When I emerged from the restroom, Cameron was waiting by the door like a predator who’d been stalking his prey. He looked devastatingly handsome in his perfectly tailored navy suit, the fabric molding to his broad shoulders and lean torso in ways that should be illegal. When he offered me his arm with old-fashioned gallantry, the simple gesture made my heart flutter like a teenager’s.
“Ready?” he asked, and there was something different in his voice -softer than his usual commanding tone, almost… tender?
I placed my hand on his offered arm, biting back a gasp as electricity shot through me at the contact. His muscles were like steel beneath the expensive fabric, and I had to resist the urge to run my fingers along the length of his arm just to feel more of that delicious warmth.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I managed, hoping my voice sounded steadier than I felt.
His car was a thing of beauty -sleek, black, and expensive enough to fund Adrian’s college education. As he held the passenger door open for me, I caught another intoxicating whiff of his scent and had to grip the door frame to keep from swaying. God, he smelled incredible -like sandalwood and something uniquely masculine that made my wolf whine with need.
“Careful,” he murmured, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back to steady me. The simple touch sent fire racing through my veins, and I had to bite my lip to keep from making an embarrassing sound.
“So,” Cameron said finally, his voice carrying a note of curiosity that hadn’t been there during our professional interactions, “tell me about your son.”
The question caught me completely off guard. My heart stuttered, then began racing for an entirely different reason. “What would you like to know?” I asked carefully, studying his profile in the dim light of the dashboard.
“Everything,” he said simply, and there was something in his tone -not judgment or calculation, but genuine interest. Maybe even warmth.
“His name is Adrian,” I began, unable to keep the fierce love from my voice, “and he’s four. He’s brilliant -scary brilliant sometimes.”
Cameron chuckled, a rich sound that made warmth spread through my chest. “Sounds like he keeps you on your toes. And his father? Are you two still in contact?”
The question hit me like a physical blow, all the warmth draining from my chest in an instant. I stared out the window, watching the city lights blur past as I tried to find words that wouldn’t make me sound like exactly what Valerie had always called me.
“I don’t know who his father is,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
Cameron’s knuckles went white. “You don’t know?”
I forced myself to keep talking even though every instinct screamed at me to change the subject. “Just one night, no real names exchanged.
The restaurant was exactly what I’d expected -elegant, expensive, and filled with the kind of understated luxury that screamed old money and older power. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light over pristine white tablecloths, and the soft murmur of conversation blended with the gentle clink of silverware that probably cost more than my monthly rent.
Cameron guided me through the crowd with a possessive hand on the small of my back, and I was acutely aware of the way other wolves tracked our movement. Several women shot me looks that ranged from curious to openly envious.
“Relax,” Cameron murmured near my ear, his breath making me shiver with awareness. “You’re the most beautiful woman in this room, and you have every right to be here.”
The confident certainty in his voice was exactly what I needed to hear. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin, channeling every ounce of dignity I’d spent five years building from scratch.
Throughout the dinner, I found myself hyperaware of every brush of contact, every shared glance, every moment when Cameron leaned close enough for me to breathe in his intoxicating scent. When he reached across me for the wine bottle, his arm brushing against my shoulder, I had to dig my nails into my palms to keep from leaning into the contact like a cat seeking warmth.
We’d been mingling for about an hour when I heard a commotion near the entrance -raised voices and the sharp click of heels moving too quickly across marble floors. I was turning toward the disturbance when liquid fire splashed across my chest and abdomen, soaking through the precious emerald fabric and making me gasp with shock.
“Oh Gosh! You bitch!” a shrill voice shrieked, dripping with the kind of entitlement that made my wolf snarl. “Don’t you have eyes? Couldn’t you see I was walking this way? Do you have any idea who I am, you pathetic little -“
The voice cut off so abruptly it was like someone had slammed a door. I looked up, wine dripping from my chin, to find myself staring into a face that had haunted my nightmares for five years.
Valerie stood before me, her mouth hanging open in shock, a now-empty wine glass clutched in her perfectly manicured fingers. Her bleached blonde hair was styled in artful waves.
“It’s you!” she gasped, her voice strangled with disbelief and something that looked dangerously like panic. “Callie!”
Callie’s POV
Valerie’s shriek cut through the elegant atmosphere of the restaurant like a knife through silk, causing every conversation to halt mid-sentence. I could feel dozens of pairs of eyes turning toward us, their curious gazes burning into my skin like hot coals. The humiliation was immediate and overwhelming -standing there with wine dripping from my hair and dress, facing the woman who had destroyed my world five years ago.
All I wanted was to disappear, to melt into the marble floor and never face another judgmental stare. I turned toward the nearest exit, desperate to escape this nightmare, but Valerie’s perfectly manicured nails dug into my wrist like talons.
“How did you get in here?!” she demanded, her voice pitched loud enough to ensure every wolf in the vicinity could hear every word. “Did you sneak in? What gives you the right to be here?!”
The familiar cruelty in her tone, the way she spoke to me like I was something disgusting she’d found on the bottom of her shoe, ignited a fire in my chest that I’d spent five years banking. This wasn’t the broken eighteen-year-old girl she’d tormented in Whispering Valley. I was stronger now, harder, and I’d be damned if I let her humiliate me again.
I yanked my wrist free from her grip with enough force to make her stumble backward, my eyes blazing with fury. “I have every right to be here,” I said, my voice carrying clearly across the suddenly silent restaurant. “In fact, I’m the one who organized this entire evening. And I don’t recall seeing your name on the guest list I personally curated.”
