.9. Cruel bastard.

Camilla grabbed her suitcase, pulling the clothes out of the closet and piling them on the floor. She had enough clothing for the next couple of years- her mother made sure she would have more than enough. Looking at the enormous pile, Camilla thought of how her parents probably felt the end nearing. There wasn't any other explanation as to why they bought so much. Their family didn't have much; the money was always an issue.

*"Get yourself together, Camilla!"* she hissed under her breath, closing her eyes and taking a few, deep breaths.

The young woman already warned her grandmother about her plans, even offering the older woman to join her. Grandmother wasn't so fond of the idea; she decided to move in with some far family members. They promised to take care of the woman, and as soon as Camilla would fin a job- she could help with money.

Even standing in her room hurt- she had done everything to avoid spending too much time home, which became a challenge after losing a job in the Alpha's family mansion. For a while, she just observed the walls- covered in photos of her and her parents. No matter how hard life seemed, no matter how difficult it was- they always smiled. Positivity was a must in their household.
Her eyes stopped on one particular photo. It was the photo from her parent's wedding day- framed in a beautiful, golden frame.
Both were so young, yet extremely happy. Camilla often dreamed of the day when she would find her mate, but the day also terrified her to the core. The young woman dreaded fate- she was too scared to be rejected or make her children suffer the same as she was. Destiny is an unpredictable thing- you never know what might happen tomorrow, which was the main reason why Camilla did her best to avoid getting close to anyone. Well, almost anyone- Blake had been next to her since early childhood, he had seen Camilla's ups and downs.

Camilla got startled by the knock on her door- speaking of the devil. Blake briefly opened the door, poking his head inside, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"May I come in?" He smiled at Camilla, for once trying to act like a person with any manners.

"Didn't you already invite yourself in? Okay, you knocked, which is good, but you forgot to wait till I say it's safe to open the door. Technically, a part of your body is already inside, now, get the rest of that fat on my bed." Camilla laughed, looking at her bed.

Blake didn't need his best friend to repeat herself- he bolted into her bedroom and jumped on the bed. That was the spot that he didn't leave whenever he visited. Even when her parents were alive and invited Blake to dinner- he demanded to sit in her bed while he ate.
Camilla knew that Blake was a little weird, but at least he was her special weirdo. The only weirdo she had.

"So you're really leaving, huh?" Blake sounded a bit hurt, but instead of a frown, he smiled at Camilla sadly. If she left- he would become the schools and pack's loner. They always did things together, no matter what it was- Blake and Camilla were a team.

"Yeah, I might come back one day, or you might move closer to my place. I know this sucks, but I feel that moving, even if for a short period of time- will be for the best. I need some time away from all of," Camilla threw her hands up.
"All of this."

"I understand, don't worry. It's hard to lose a friend, but I won't stay in your way. Especially if this is what you need and want. You know, I feel like I lost a part of you after.. you know. You weren't the same anymore, and back then, I knew that something like this might happen. I guess I wasn't ready for the day to come so fast," Blake shrugged his shoulders, averting a gaze from Camilla. Man or not- he felt like crying, the realization about her leaving finally started sinking in. Blake was too used to her overly positive nature, and never, he had seen her break as bad as she did when Camilla lost her parents.

"Thank you, Blake. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. I'm one lucky fish to have someone as you in my life," Camilla moved closer to the bed and slowly sat next to him. She reached for his hand, but instead, Blake wrapped his arms around her and pulled Camilla against his chest. He hugged her tighter than ever before.

"I assume you meant that you're a lucky wolf, couldn't call you a fish or mermaid," Blake laughed, letting a quiet sob escape his parted lips. He leaned to Camilla's neck and broke down. The tears flooded down his cheeks, cries becoming louder. Blake had no intention of showing off any weakness, but he couldn't deny being weak when it came to losing his best friend.

Another knock sounded from the door, but it wasn't one in her bedroom. Someone stood in front of her house, Camilla had to pry herself away from Blake to open the door.
When she did- she was met with a smiling Beta, greeting her politely.

"Good day, Camilla. I hope I am not disturbing you, and I'm sorry if my sudden visit seems rather unexpected. The Alpha asked me to come in person, a phone call or mind-link wasn't left as an option," Beta smiled awkwardly. Everyone in the pack knew that Beta wasn't a man of many words- he was a rather closed person.

"Oh, don't worry. Would you like to come in? A tea or coffee, perhaps?" the young woman smiled, inviting the Alpha's right hand in her humble home.

"I would love a cup of coffee, if that's possible," the huge man followed Camilla to the kitchen. He sat across the counter, and Camilla prepared a cup of black coffee for Beta. As she did- both of them seemed to be lost in thoughts, enjoying the comforting silence surrounding them.

"So, what brings you to my humble home?" Camilla finally questioned Beta as she put a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of him.

"Thank you," Beta placed both palms on the cup and sighed.
"As mentioned- the Alpha sent me. Some rumors about you, leaving the pack, are being spread. Is that true, Camilla?" he continued.

"Those are not rumors; I'm really getting ready to leave. I was starting to pack my bags as you arrived. My best friend is helping me with that. I'm sure you're concerned about my grandmother, but I can assure you that she will be alright. Gran will stay with far relatives, and I will help with money after finding a job. I did some research and managed to deal with all formalities before deciding to leave. Is there any issue, Beta?" Camilla was one of the kindest, most polite, and most straightforward people in the whole pack. She knew how to address higher rank wolves or any issues. Despite being Omega, her father had a diplomatic background- Camilla learned a lot from watching him as a child.

"Unfortunately, yes. Alpha has denied any request to leave the pack. His son's birthday is in a week, and the Alpha family wants to make sure that all females are within the territory. Any woman who is a possible mate- has to stay in the pack. However, after Zane's birthday party, you will have to say three to four more days to prove that you're not his mate. After that- you are free to leave," Beta let out a deep breath, watching how a frown on Camilla's face grew. Of course, he knew that she wouldn't be happy about the sudden news. Who would if the person already planned their leave? Even more- Camilla wasn't very fond of the Alpha-to-be, and she never hid the fact.

"Do I really have to? Let's be real- what's the possibility of an Alpha having an Omega mate? And even more- the possibility of rejection when such things happen is crazy. I don't want to stay," Camilla whined, nearly close to tears.

"I understand, but we can't go against Alpha's orders. His word is the law, and he will always stand by his son," Beta chugged down the boiling hot coffee with ease. The large man stood up, threw Camilla an apologetic look, and headed for the door.

Camilla watched how he left the house and collapsed on the kitchen floor. She brought her knees to her chest and cried her heart out. She was strong, everyone knew that, but even the strongest ones break. The only difference was that the strongest wolves break harder than those who do that often.
For a while, she was alone, fighting the tears and awful thoughts attacking her mind. Blake rushed in the kitchen soon after Camilla managed to calm down. He ran to her and kneeled in front of Camilla, trying to help her get back on her feet.

"What happened?" His voice was frantic, full of fear.

"I can't leave the pack for almost two more weeks," as the words left her parted lips, Camilla broke down sobbing again.
She didn't want to stay- her biggest dream for a while was to leave this damned place, mainly because of the Alpha-to-be.

"But that's great, I'll have my best friend for a bit longer," Blake cheered. He didn't want to be the self-centered person, but he wasn't ready to let go of Camilla yet.

"You don't understand; you just don't. The only reason why I'm forced to stay is that jerks' birthday. Alpha will host a party, and females can't leave because one of the pack members might be his damn mate. I don't want to stay just because little Mister perfect needs his mate. If I fall in injustice and be the one, I will kill myself. I rather join my parents in the afterlife than suffer till the end of my days!" Camilla wanted to add some more facts, but the phone, ringing in Blake's pocket, startled her. She eyed him rather angrily, encouraging her friend to pick up the phone.

"I'm sorry, just give me a second," Blake apologized and rushed to the living room.

Camilla decided to stay quiet and listen. He never acted so suspiciously when someone called him. The young woman had a reason to think that Blake was hiding something from her.

"Hello? Who is this? Kaiden, why are you calling me? Yeah, and why so? No, I don't feel good, I'd rather stay home. What Zane has to do with this anyway? Listen, I'm at Camilla's house, helping her to pack, I can't exactly leave her now," for a while there was complete silence. Then, Blake loudly groaned and spoke again.

"Alright, pick me up then."

"Blake, are you leaving?" Camilla called out. She thought that her best friend would explain what was happening, but instead, he started screaming at her.
He was angered because Camilla had heard his conversation. For the first time- he told the young woman that she was the worst friend ever, grabbed his coat, and left her home, slamming the door as he left.

This time she didn't let herself cry, but the realization of unfortunate things in her life started sinking in. First, Zane took away her freedom now- he was taking away her only friend. Isn’t it weird how Blake didn’t want to let go of her, but now left because some popular wolves told him to? How stupid male wolves can be? Camilla doubted that there was anyone worse than Zane. She caught herself starting to feel hatred towards him. Everything he touched was breaking apart, and he did it all on purpose. Cruel bastard.