Camden followed Heather out into the pouring rain and back to the cabin she'd been in earlier, where she had spoken to Alpha Adrian. The clouds hung low and oppressive in the sky as the rain continued to fall relentlessly. There was no storm. No thunder or lightning, just unending rain, which Camden found to be unusual, but she suspected this was simply Scottish weather for you.
Heather jogged up the stairs with Camden on her heels, pulling the hood of her rain jacket off and giving herself a good shake beneath the awning before knocking on the door. "Come in!" she heard Alpha Adrian's voice from inside. Heather opened the door and stood in the doorway, holding it open and gesturing for Camden to come inside. As Camden entered she saw two men seated on the leather couches she had been admiring earlier. It was Alpha Adrian and what she assumed was his father. The man had the same dark hair, albeit greying at the temples with a few white hairs sprinkled throughout
Camden felt a deep disappointment descend upon her. She had obviously known that the ritual was not going to be sunshine and roses, but seeing Duncan's cool and serious demeanor regarding the situation filled her with fear and trepidation. "Why dinnae ye explain the situation for me, lass. Then I'll let ye know what I know. Hopefully, it helps ye" Duncan suggested, noticing the shift in Camden's expression to one of hopelessness. "Give me as much detail as ye can think tae. Even the slightest detail could be important," he explained, a stark contrast to his son's approach on the topic.Camden took a deep breath, gathering her strength before she began. "Well, I met my mate, Clayton, first. We were together for a while before there was... an incident. He drowned and, essentially, he must have been dead for at least some period of time before I managed to resuscitate him. Not long after that, I ran into Matt, and it turned out that he was my mate too. So, I'm assu
As the men sat, patiently waiting for Camden to begin her explanation, she took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She unzipped her rain jacket, wanting to be rid of its wet, restrictive presence. Clayton helped her peel it off as Matt looked on, desperate for her to start talking. Clayton took the jacket and hung it on a coatrack near the door, then returned to Camden's side, taking her hand once more. She took yet another deep breath, drawing in strength before she began."Well, first of all, I think it's important to let you know that, based on previous success, our odds are low," her voice was cold and matter-of-fact. "Low? How low?" Matt pressed. "Duncan, the previous Alpha here, says that during his time as Alpha, the ritual was carried out four times and it only worked once," she explained, trying to steel her emotions and just provide them with the facts. Something in Matt's demeanour changed, but Clayton urged her to press on. "What else did he say?" he asked,
Liam nodded, "I am a doctor, aye," he confirmed, uncertain what she was getting at. "Why do they just call you 'Liam', then?" Camden pressed, looking for clarity and trying to eliminate any loopholes. "What's yer surname?" he asked, surprising her with the odd question that seemed totally unrelated to the discussion at hand. "Woods," she replied, looking at him quizzically. "Do yer brothers and sisters call ye, Ms Woods then?" he asked. "No?" she replied with a look of confusion. He watched her, waiting expectantly for the realisation to hit her. "Oh..." she mused, the realisation finally beginning to dawn on her, then, "Oh!" she exclaimed. "So... Alpha Adrian is your brother?" she asked tentatively. Liam nodded in ascent. "Then Duncan is your father?" she went on, seeking his confirmation. "Correct. And Heather is my sister," he explained, putting the final piece into the puzzle.Finally, it all started to make sense now that the family dynamic was unveiled. Sh
Matt sat with his head in his hands, trying to come to terms with the possibility that Camden might be considering changing her mind about the ritual. He understood why, but that didn't make it any easier. He glanced over towards the bathroom and saw Clayton holding Camden in his arms, rocking her gently from side to side in a soothing way. She looked miserable, probably because she'd just puked her guts out, but she also looked content. There was no place for him here. He knew that and he desperately wanted out, but he couldn't hurt her either.Camden and Clayton shuffled over quietly and sat on the bed once more. Camden grunted and hunched forward as Clayton rested a reassuring hand on her back, drawing circles on the fabric of her shirt. "Cam?" Matt piped up. "Yeah?" she replied weakly. "Maybe we should just reject one another," he suggested tentatively. An icy silence filled the air as she looked up and glared at him, her eyes piercing him like a harpoon to the chest. "No," she st
"I'm so ready," Matt replied, also wanting to head back to their accommodation. "These people seem nice enough, but I'm just not in the right frame of mind to socialise. We have a lot to think about and a lot to talk about too, once Camden is feeling better," he finished, looking at Camden as she winced beside him on the bed.Clayton grabbed Camden's rain jacket and pulled her up to a sitting position before helping her to slip her arms into the sleeves and zip it up. Both the guys pulled their jackets on too and Matt grabbed their backpack so that Clayton had both hands free to help Camden. "I can walk," she stated weakly as Clayton bent to pick her up. "You sure?" he asked with uncertainty. She looked terrible, so he was surprised when she seemed so adamant. "Yeah, I can walk," she affirmed, finding her feet with his aid.They set off into the rainy evening, the last of the gray daylight creeping fast below the horizon. "You said you'd be
"I guess it's safe to assume you've decided to go ahead with it then," Clayton murmured, uncertain whether he should be pleased or disappointed. "Cam, what do you think is going to happen?" he continued, curious to know what was going through her mind. "I don't know. I hope everything goes according to plan, but I can't pretend there's no possibility for things to go wrong. I just want to be prepared for the worst," she murmured, looking up at Clayton with sad eyes. "Cam..." he whispered, uncertain how to continue his sentence. He'd had similar thoughts himself, but he'd been trying to suppress them, to remain positive. They stared at one another, the weight of their reality settling heavily on them before Camden rested her head on his shoulder once more, holding his hand in her lap and tracing patterns over his palm. He pulled his hand away gently before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer, breathing her in as he held her against him. "I love you," he whispered into her
After drying themselves off, Clayton made his way back to his own room to get clean clothes before returning to Camden's room. When he did, she was dressed and sitting on the bed, squeezing the water out of her hair with a towel. "What?" she asked, feeling his eyes on her. "Flashback," he murmured in response as he watched her with a small smile. "This whole scene reminds me of the cabin, when we had that raging storm," he explained. She smiled, thinking back on the memory fondly before another yawn escaped her lips.Clayton slipped into the bed behind her as she braided her hair, not wanting to bother with the hairdryer when she was so exhausted. She turned off the bedside lamp before lying down and settling in, ready for sleep. Clayton wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body against his. The room was silent for a long while before Camden broke it, whispering, "Clayton?" Clayton responded with a sleepy groan. "Do you still have that weird feeling?" she asked curiously. "Yeah, a
As they sped down the road to the hospital, anxiety hung heavy in the car. Camden sat in the passenger seat, her fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the belt of her gown. Her mind was a whirlwind of worry, and tears spilled down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly.Clayton split his focus between the road, determined to get them to the hospital quickly but safely, and Camden, as he cast concerned glances at her. He knew her anxiety all too well. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We're almost there, Cam," he said, his voice laced with encouragement. "It's going to be okay."Camden nodded, her voice trembling as she replied, "But what if it's not?" opening the flood gate to a new wave of sobs. Clayton saw the hopelessness on her face and felt his own emotions rising to the surface, tears threatening to spill out of his own eyes as he considered the implication. He had to suppress it though. He needed to keep it together for Camden. Th
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