Chapter 14

Cammy POV

"Hello."

Kai reached over to the bedside table and answered the phone—while he was still inside me. My entire body stiffened. Not sure how I felt about that!

"No problem, Alpha Gerald. Cammy and I were just waking up."

My breath hitched. My grandfather. Kai was talking to my grandfather while still buried inside me. I went completely still, afraid that any movement might betray what we had been doing. My walls tightened involuntarily around Kai, and I could feel the way his body reacted to it. But he didn’t move.

He just smirked down at me, his dark eyes filled with amusement, completely unfazed by the situation.

"Sure. Thank you for the invitation. Cammy and I will meet you there in an hour."

The moment he hung up, he kissed me—loud and purposefully obnoxious—before finally pulling out of me and standing up. I was still too stunned to say anything.

Reaching down, he offered me his hand. "Come on, let’s go shower before we meet everyone for breakfast."

I hesitated before taking his hand, still trying to process what had just happened. He turned on the shower, stepping in, his body completely at ease, while my mind was still spiraling.

"Spit it out, baby," he said over the sound of running water.

"You were on the phone…with my Grandpa."

"Yeah. So?"

"You were... we were…" I trailed off, my face burning.

Kai chuckled, pulling me into the warm spray. "Baby girl, don’t be embarrassed about sex. What we shared is beautiful." He kissed my cheek, his touch as casual as if we had been discussing the weather. "Besides, even your Grandpa fucks."

"Kai!" I gasped, mortified, smacking his arm.

He just smirked, clearly entertained by my horror.

Despite my embarrassment, I couldn’t deny how much I enjoyed showering with Kai. He took his time washing me, his large hands firm yet reverent as they moved over my body. There was something intimate in the way he handled me, as if he was memorizing every inch of my skin, whispering his thanks against my shoulder.

Thanks—for what? I wasn’t sure. Maybe for me. For us. For this bond between us that neither of us could fight, even if we tried.

The mating bond was unlike anything I had ever imagined. It was overwhelming, all-consuming, like being wrapped in a heady mix of euphoria and addiction. And yet, even in the raw intensity of it, I found something else—comfort. A deep, unshakable sense of belonging.

Still, a sliver of doubt crept into my mind. He never seemed to pick up on the subtle differences in me. The ones that whispered the truth I had yet to say out loud.

That I wasn’t a full-blooded wolf.

And one day, he’d have to know.

................

By the time we reached the hotel restaurant, Gran and Grandpa were already seated at a table. As we made our way over, I couldn’t help but notice the way the entire room seemed to shift its attention toward us. Eyes followed our every move—some familiar, some not. Meeting the gazes of my packmates and a few guests, I managed a shy smile. Kai, on the other hand, didn’t acknowledge them at all.

We greeted my grandparents before taking our seats, ordering coffee while we waited for Justine and Nathan to join us.

I was doing my best to act normal. And, honestly, it was easier than I expected to settle into a mated relationship. But the weight of what had happened last night lingered in my mind. I had just lost my virginity, and everyone at this table—maybe even everyone in this room—knew it. No one was saying anything, which I was grateful for, but the unspoken truth hung thick in the air. It was surreal.

Then, suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.

The air crackled with energy—Sangreal. A buzzing sensation, like static electricity, filled the room. Gran and Grandpa stood, and as I looked around, I realized everyone had risen as well, their focus drawn to a single point. I turned to see Justine and Nathan standing near the entrance, the center of attention. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and I caught people glancing between Justine and me.

Grandpa took Gran’s hand and led her forward. Then, to my shock, they bowed low before Justine and Nathan. A ripple effect followed, the entire room lowering in reverence.

My breath caught. Nathan was Grandpa’s successor. The Moon Goddess had chosen. Justine was Luna.

Not me.

I watched in stunned silence as the power they radiated compelled the room into submission. I felt it too—an overwhelming force pressing down on me—but unlike the others, my wolf didn’t submit. I was still sitting.

I quickly moved to correct myself, to bow like the rest, but before I could, Kai’s hand clamped around my arm, stopping me.

“They are below you. You will not bow,” he murmured, his voice firm yet quiet enough for only me to hear.

I hesitated. “But they’re Alpha and Luna,” I whispered back urgently, trying once more to lower myself.

Again, Kai held me in place. “Of the Silver Moons, yes. But you are Blue Shadow now. You outrank them. You will not bow.”

I blinked in surprise. He was right. Mating with Kai—who was next in line to the throne—had placed me next in line to be Luna Queen. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. I was leaving the Silver Moons.

A weight settled in my stomach. Until this very moment, I hadn’t fully grasped what it meant. That I would truly be leaving my home. My family. My dad.

As Grandpa rose, he took Justine’s hand and kissed it before shaking Nathan’s. Gran kissed them both on the cheek.

“Come,” Kai said, guiding me forward with a gentle touch to my back. It was time to congratulate the new leaders.

Throughout breakfast, I barely touched my food, too lost in thought to do more than absently pick at a bread roll, tearing it to shreds over my untouched plate. My life was changing too fast. I had always imagined staying here, growing old among my pack. I had never once considered leaving.

“So soon?” Gran’s disappointed voice pulled me back to reality.

“Yes,” Kai responded. “Unfortunately, I have urgent business back home. Cameron and I will be leaving as soon as she’s packed.”

No.

“I can’t leave so soon!” The words burst from me before I could stop them.

Kai’s dark eyes snapped to mine, his irritation flaring like a pulse through our bond. He was strong enough that the weight of his power made me want to shrink back, but I refused. I was his equal. His mate. I was powerful, too.

“Cameron, I need to get on the road as soon as possible. I can’t stay longer than today.”

“Can’t I meet you in Idaho in a few days?” I pleaded. “I need time—to pack, to say my goodbyes.”

“You saw everyone last night. They understood then that you’d be leaving.” His voice was firm, brooking no argument. He reached for my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles as though that settled it. As though this wasn’t my entire life shifting overnight.

It was infuriating.

“I don’t want to leave yet. It’s too abrupt.”

“Cammy,” Gran spoke up gently, “your place is with Kai now.”

I looked around the table. Everyone was watching me as if I were a child throwing a tantrum, not a grown woman about to uproot her entire existence.

Justine reached for my hand, squeezing it in comfort.

“I know,” I admitted, unable to hide my frustration. “But there’s one more person I need to say goodbye to.” I turned to Kai.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Someone who wasn’t there last night?”

“Yes. He couldn’t make it.”

Kai’s expression darkened. “He?” His voice was low, edged with a quiet growl.

“Yes. He is an old family friend. He couldn’t come because…” I hesitated. “Because he’s very, very old.”

Grandpa stepped in smoothly. “I’m sure Nathan and I can keep Kai occupied while Cameron says her goodbyes.”

“And I’ll pack your things,” Gran added, though her tone suggested this was more about backing Grandpa’s decision than supporting mine. She had never been fond of the man I was going to see—the man who had stolen my mother’s chance at a mate bond.

Kai exhaled sharply, clearly irritated. “I guess it’s settled then.” He dropped his napkin onto the table and sucked his teeth, making no effort to hide his frustration.

How dare he?

I was the one uprooting my life. Moving 600 miles away from everything I’ve ever known. The least he could do was be a little considerate.