"Yeah, yeah, fine. I just want my back rub," Clayton stated, standing up and stretching too. "Well, come on then," he said, heading to the room he shared with Matt. "We aren't doing it here?" Camden asked, looking confused and a little hesitant. "Why, so Matt can perv the whole time?" Clayton replied with a chuckle. "No, so I could be by the fire," she groaned. "Hey, it's my room too, I can perv in there if I want to," Matt commented from the sidelines. "Besides, if he's asking for a backrub rather than sex it must be a pretty good backrub. I want to see what I'm missing," Matt added with a smirk, but he remained in place, resuming his channel surfing. "The bed will obviously be more comfortable. What? Do you expect me to just lie here on the floor, Cam? Would you want to lie on the floor?" Clayton asked, waiting for her to try and argue his point. She looked back at him guiltily, "No..." she grumbled before following him to the room.Clayton continued to his room with a smug expressi
Camden was uncertain as to whether she'd been asleep for 10 minutes or 10 hours when she felt a warm body climb into her bed and press against her. She gasped in shock and fear when she heard a familiar voice, "Chill, it's just me." It was Clayton. "What are you doing here?!" she whisper-shouted, her annoyance apparent. "I had a bad dream," Clayton whispered back. "So go cuddle up with Matt," she replied dismissively, rolling over to face away from him, annoyed by the sudden intrusion. "Come on, Cam," he whispered, pleading into her ear, as he placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. He traced his fingers down her body lightly, sending shivers down her spine before he settled with his hand over her stomach. "Clayton..." she groaned, her voice laced with annoyance after all that had happened before they'd gone to bed, but he interrupted her saying, "Please don't tell me to go. We don't have to do anything. I just want to be near you. You let me stay last night..." "Last night was diffe
Camden headed to the kitchen, followed by Clayton, who grabbed the blanket off his bed and wrapped it around himself. They headed into the kitchen and Camden turned on the light, causing Clayton to wince as he was blinded by its sudden glare. She switched it off again immediately. "Sorry, I'll leave it off," she apologized meekly. She made her way to the kettle by the moonlight shining through the window and turned it on. As she was waiting for it to boil she prepared their cups. "So what's up, Cam?" Clayton asked with a yawn. "I wanted to apologize," she replied softly, turning to face him. "I put you in a weird and uncomfortable position and I'm sorry. I was trying to spare Matt's feelings, but in doing so, I didn't consider yours. I'm sorry," she apologised, her voice laced with regret. "Yeah, that was definitely a low point for me," he groaned with a frown as he rubbed the back of his neck. "With a bit of luck he'll think it was a weird dream. Or maybe he'll think I was testing hi
Grey daylight streamed into the room as Camden finally managed to open her eyes. Searching the room, she tried to figure out where she was. The memory of the night before made its way through the fuzzy morning haze of her mind, reminding her of the weird situation she had caused with Clayton. Then she realised that she was on the couch and relief flooded her as she recalled that they had worked it out. But where was Clayton? She knew he'd been here when she had fallen asleep, but now he was gone. She sat up with a yawn, rubbing her eyes as if by doing so it would miraculously allow him to appear. This obviously did not work and he was still absent in spite of her best efforts to clear the morning sleep from her eyes. She noted that the fire had burned down to embers and she was still covered in the blanket he had brought from his room last night. Wrapping the blanket around her tightly to ward off the morning chill, she stood up and stretched her limbs before heading to his room to se
The three of them finished packing their bags and tidying the house before heading out into another grey day. The clouds hung low and ominous, but there was mercifully no rain. At least not yet. Clayton plastered a big, fake smile on his face, trying to hide the lingering effects of his hangover as he trudged over to the main house to drop the keys back off with the home owner before meeting up with Camden and Matt as they waited for him in the driveway. He made his way over to them lethargically, the after effects of the evening with Angus and Callum persisting still. "Okay, all done. Shall we go?" he asked as he slipped Camden's pack off her shoulder to carry it for her.The distance from their accommodation to the ferry was not too far, so after much convincing from Camden, the men finally relented to Camden's request to walk rather than calling a taxi or an Uber. She was insistent on enjoying the "fresh country air" and "seeing the countryside". Neither Matt nor Clayton were parti
They sat on the deck, as per Camden's request, but after about 30 minutes, Camden had a change of heart. The sights had disappeared, the wind was freezing, the ferry was rocking and Camden's morning sickness was stirring. "Do you guys want to head below deck?" Camden suggested, feeling nauseous and a little embarassed that she hadn't even lasted an hour after being so adamant about remaining on deck. "Nothing could make me happier," Matt replied, his teeth chattering.As they headed downstairs, Camden felt instant relief from the bite of the wind and was glad she had made the decision to move. The trio decided to go to the onboard restaurant, the guys feeling that more food would be the answer to their lingering hangovers. The restaurant was quite busy, which wasn't too surprising, seeing as it was freezing on deck. They were lucky enough to find a table near a window, so they were able to enjoy the view while they enjoyed a meal. The guys both ordered chili hot dogs while Camden opte
The ferry finally docked in Stornoway, but the trio were still at loggerheads and no one had said anything since the awkward interaction between Matt and Camden earlier. Clayton grabbed his and Camden's bags and they headed out of the ferry terminal into the cold, grey day. He was about to call an Uber when he made a snap decision to rather hire a car. They would be there for 5 days and would likely be doing at least some travel and exploration during that time, so having their own transport definitely made more sense than trying to call a ride every time they wanted to do something. Fortunately, their accommodation was close to the Standing Stones, but everything else was a bit of a distance away. Clayton also didn't want to have to walk everywhere at Camden's behest in hopes of an encounter with a Highland Cow, so that was also a secret motivator for his decision.They found the car rental depot nearby and Clayton made his way into their reception area to take care of the necessary
Once the guys had finished bringing the groceries in, Clayton went to help Camden unpack the last of them while Matt took everyone's bags through to their respective rooms. Once the task of the groceries was finally complete, Camden and Clayton also went to explore the barn house. Matt was already settled on one of the couches in front of the TV in the lounge, which lead on from the kitchen. The TV was situated above a grand, stone fireplace and the couches were a plush brown suede. Camden couldn't wait to sink into its soft folds later as she watched a movie. "The bedrooms are through there," Matt stated pointing through an stone archway to his right. "We each get our own room this time," he added with a satisfied smile as he channel surfed.Clayton led the way with Camden following behind him. They peeked into the room on the left, Matt's room clearly as his bag and jacket were placed neatly at the foot of the double bed. Opposite Matt's room was Clayton's. The set up was identical,
Matt let out a sigh, wanting to be done with the conversation now. "Just make sure you keep your end of the deal. I'm doing this for Cam... and for what we used to have," he said, his gaze drifting off momentarily as if lost in memories. "You know, I considered going with you, but I know how threatened you feel by me," Matt teased, trying to keep a straight face but unable to do so. Clayton scoffed and chuckled. "I might actually miss you, Matt. Not the part where you trailed after Cam like a lost puppy, or the way you'd watch her move, or the way your hands lingered on her a little too long..." Clayton went on, leaving Matt with a sheepish expression on his face. "But I'll miss you.""God, Clayton, I'm not going to die! Well, actually, I might if they ever find out that I knew about this and never said anything... But let's hope that doesn't happen. Just figure this shit out, okay? If I can help the two of you in any way, let me know, but something tells me this journey doesn't involv
Instead of leading him to the lounge, as Clayton had anticipated, he led him back to the kitchen. The change in setting made the conversation seem more serious. More threatening.Matt took a seat, followed shortly by Clayton, who sat directly opposite him. Matt didn't beat around the bush. "You know I know," he stated. It wasn't a question. Clayton shrugged, seemingly unfazed. Matt sighed before continuing, "Where are you guys going?" he asked, his tone firm and serious. "We don't know yet. We still need to decide. I only just found out about all of this," Clayton replied, feeling a bit annoyed. It was pretty unreasonable of Matt to expect them to already have a plan when he had literally only found out all this life-changing stuff a few minutes ago. He felt like he needed a minute to reflect and to think it all through."Clayton, I'm not fucking around when I say this... If you hurt her, I will fucking end you. We might not be mates anymore, but I still feel responsible for her and p
Camden couldn't help the tiny sob that escaped her lips. To think that Clayton had wondered his whole life whether his parents had loved him broke her heart. Her pregnancy hormones were kicking into overdrive and she could feel that she would start to spiral soon if she didn't regain her focus, so she pressed on, hoping to lighten the situation with a little levity. "Also," she went on, wiping a tear from her eye, "I figured while I was getting the inside scoop on your family history, I'd ask about your real name," she explained. Clayton perked up, very interested to hear what she was about to reveal. "Well, I didn't ask about your first name. I don't know... I felt weird about it. I felt like too much would change if I had to start calling you something else now on top of all this other stuff and I know you as Clayton and it—" she was rambling on when Clayton cut her off. "What is it?" he asked, unable to disguise his curiosity. "Wolfe," she revealed with the tiniest hint of a smile.
Clayton couldn't help the smile that spread across his features. Despite everything Camden was telling him, he couldn't help but feel joy in this one, singular moment.Camden was also wearing a small smile, happy to see his happiness, but simultaneously worried about what the future held for them all."I knew it was a boy," Clayton whispered softly, gazing into Camden's eyes which looked back at him with uncertainty. She nodded. "She said we'll have a girl too. But the girl won't have this... gene, or whatever you call it," Camden replied, sounding a little relieved. Clayton's smile grew even wider and Camden's heart all but burst as she saw his eyes twinkle with excitement at the prospect. "How lucky are we?" he asked, his voice low but filled with anticipation and love. "Well, that has yet to be determined because there are so many things we need to take into consideration here, Clayton," Camden replied, grounding Clayton back in reality. "Like what?" he asked, the momentary high be
Camden followed, trailing behind him as he settled back down at the kitchen table once more. His anger and frustration were all but palpable and Camden felt guilty for having brushed him off and ignored him just now. "How much did you hear?" she asked as she settled back down in her seat. "It doesn't matter. Start from the beginning," he instructed, taking a deep breath as he tried to relax. Camden figured there was no point in trying to sugarcoat things or beat around the bush. It was his truth and he deserved to know. "I told you, I had an... experience. I don't know if it was a vision, or if it was a dream, or if it was something that really happened, just on a different plane of existence. To be honest, I don't want to get too philosophical about it, because it makes me uncomfortable. But I know it happened, and I know it was real because Matt just proved it," Camden explained, fiddling with the sleeve of her wet hoodie. Clayton said nothing, only watching her, waiting for her t
"Sorry... I'm sorry," Clayton immediately apologized, seeing how his reaction had startled Camden. He quickly got up and went to the sink, grabbing a cloth to stop the beer from dripping down onto her lap. "I'm so sorry, babe," he continued to apologize as he soaked up the spilled beer from the table, "I was frustrated. You guys aren't telling me what's going on," he tried to explain, but he knew it was a poor excuse."I need to make a call," Matt announced as he headed out of the kitchen. Light lightening, Camden was up, chasing after him desperately while she left Clayton to mop up his spilled beer and mope as he continued to be ignored."Stop!" she cried, tugging at Matt's arm as she caught up with him in the lounge. "Camden, please... this is hard enough as it is..." he said in a small voice. It was then that she noticed that his eyes were glistening as if he were on the verge of tears. Her anger and panic began to dissipate as he stood in front of her, unmoving."Please..." Camde
"So, when are we leaving?" Matt asked as he stripped off his soaked sweater and pulled a beer out of the fridge. "Want one?" he offered Clayton. "It's not even 6am!" Clayton exclaimed in disbelief. "It's been a rough night," Matt replied with a shrug as he snapped the can open. Clayton regarded him for a moment then relented. "Okay, fine," he agreed, gesturing for a beer from the fridge. Matt smiled and handed him one before taking a long drink of his own.All the while, Camden sat at the kitchen table, fiddling with a pamphlet about the Standing Stones. "You alright?" Clayton asked, resting his hand on her shoulder as he stood behind her. "I dunno..." she admitted, continuing to toy with the pamphlet. "You're soaked, why don't you go take a shower or at least get changed into some dry clothes?" Clayton suggested, brushing a drenched lock of hair behind her ear.She sighed, but made no effort to move, still pressing and folding the paper in front of her. "Baby?" Clayton murmured, brus
"Matt?" Camden whispered, shaking him lightly. He groaned and furrowed his brow, as if annoyed by the intrusion. "Matt?" she whispered again, but suddenly she heard Clayton's voice ringing through the air. "Camden?"She looked up, searching the perimeter of the circle for Clayton. Spotting him, her heart skipped a beat. He stood beside the circle, torn between rushing in and waiting for some kind of confirmation that the ritual was over.Camden wasted no time; she rushed to him as fast as her legs could carry her. Leaping over the salt circle, she jumped into his arms. He caught her eagerly, but his face suddenly fell as he exclaimed, "Babe! The circle!" worry etching his features. "It's fine," she said. "She broke it. There," Camden pointed behind them to a clear break in the salt before smothering him in kisses."I was so worried about you," Clayton murmured, holding her cheeks and looking into her eyes before pulling her to him in a fierce hug. "I'm here. I'm fine," she assured him
Camden sat quietly, contemplating everything she had just learned about her mate and what the implications were for her. She drained her glass of wine with a series of long, deep gulps, only to find that it had been refilled as soon as she moved her hand away from her lips. She let out a small incredulous laugh. "Okay, so quick recap here. Clayton is from a bloodline that dates back to the beginning days of werewolves, he can shift into a werewolf, in the traditional half-man, half-wolf sense, my son will also have this ability, and the whole world will want to kill them for this? Did I miss anything?" she asked, pursing her lips as she waited for Selene's response."Yes. The bloodline cannot die. The end of the Lupi Noctis bloodline will be the beginning of the end for all werewolves," Selene added gravely, her gaze piercing through the dim light of the stone circle. "Their existence is intricately tied to the balance of the natural and supernatural world. Without them, the balance w