Silence settled over them as Camden felt for the chocolate bar in her pocket, crinkling the wrapper. It was empty. She must have finished it and not realized it, she thought with disappointment. "What was that?" Clayton asked, the noise sounding out of place. "Chocolate wrapper," she declared, not feeling it necessary to show him the evidence. He scoffed, "Of course it is," he whispered as she wrapped her arm around him once more.They both stared out over the loch. It was peaceful and tranquil and the calm began to seep into them quietly. The awkward discomfort Clayton had been feeling due to Camden's close proximity began to dissolve, and her presence started to bring him peace rather than turmoil. He felt her relax slightly on his lap and realized she must have been feeling exactly the same way. He had begrudgingly rested one hand on her back when they had sat down, preferring to limit the physical contact between them after their altercation, but as time passed he was starting to
Camden collapsed against Clayton's chest in defeat and let out a groan of frustration. His reasoning had been sound, and though it disappointed her, she figured it was probably wise to heed his advice. "Okay, okay... let's go then," she relented, giving him one final peck on the lips.With record speed, she sprang to her feet and started a brisk walk back to the house, the sleeves of her oversized hoodie flapping at her sides as she tucked her fingers in for warmth. Clayton, quick to follow, called out after her, "Hey! Slow down! Don't you want the blanket?" He began jogging to catch up. "I'm good!" Camden replied, her eagerness to get back to the house evident in her quick strides.Clayton wrapped the blanket around himself as he tried to catch up with her, his eyes never leaving her as she walked ahead. He admired her long, slender legs and he couldn't help but notice how her butt jiggled a little with every step she took. The lacy panties she was wearing had started to migrate betw
With a playful grin, Camden gracefully pulled herself to her feet, her yoga training making the movements seem fluid and effortless. She regarded him for a moment and her confidence began to waver as he sat there, looking at her expectantly. With a deep, steadying breath, she managed to maintain her composure, not allowing her smile to falter.She took two steps forward, stopping just in front of Clayton, who was staring up at her with a mixture of awe, excitement, and lust playing across his features. "Think you could help me one last time?" she asked with an innocent tone. Clayton shuffled forward slightly, resting on his knees. He reached up, but Camden stopped him, taking a small step back. "Uh-uh-uh. No hands," she whispered softly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.His smile only widened as he sat back for a moment, considering his options before sitting up on his knees again. Clayton reached out for her ankle and began tracing his fingers up her leg. He was pleased when he felt
With closed eyes, she sought out one of his hands, unwrapping it from her waist and placing it in her lap where she held it, gently stroking every inch of it as if she were trying to commit each and every freckle and curve to memory. "You aren't going to fall asleep, are you?" he asked, digging his fingers into her side to tickle her awake, just in case that was her plan. Camden giggled and shoved his hand away. "I'm awake! I'm awake! I just needed a minute. I might even need another one still. That was... a lot," she said with a shy smile, a deep blush rising on her already flushed cheeks. "I hope I didn't hurt you," she murmured, sounding a little embarrassed as she thought about how she had clutched onto his hair, hoping she hadn't been too rough. "I'm not hurt," Clayton reassured her, tracing her cheek with a finger. "I kinda liked it," he finished with a small smile. "Me too," Camden whispered, pressing her lips into his.He trailed a hand over her small breast, circling the nipp
Camden gave a soft moan in response and he felt her eyelashes flutter against his chest as she blinked a few times, as if suddenly regaining consciousness. He wanted to address his concerns but he knew he needed to be careful not to overanalyze things or appear critical. Something just didn't feel right and he felt like he needed to bring it up. Choosing his words thoughtfully, Clayton asked, "Did you enjoy that?" Camden pressed her lips to his chest, nodding her agreement. His fingers gently raked through her hair, and then he ventured further, "Are you sure?"Her demeanor shifted from dozy, calm contentment to flustered panic in an instant. "Was it bad? Did I do it wrong?" she questioned, revealing her nervousness and self-consciousness as she sat up, searching for reassurance. The way she answered the question made him realise that they were both on the same page, even without him specifying that he was referring to the confusing blowjob she had administered, which seemed to be bot
*** TRIGGER WARNING - SEXUAL ASSAULT***He waited expectantly, but Camden stalled, "Um... I'm cold. Is there a blanket?" she asked, looking around the room. "I dropped one at the front door earlier," Clayton said with a mischievous smile, reminiscing at the memory, "let me go get it quick. You want anything else while I'm up?" he offered. "Maybe a glass of water if you don't mind?" she asked tentatively. "No problem," he said, kissing her forehead before she climbed off of his lap and settled in her own spot on the couch.Clayton sauntered toward the kitchen, finding his boxers on the floor on his way and pulling them on. The light in the kitchen was bright compared to the lounge, which was only lit by the light of the fire. He winced as his eyes adjusted to the brightness and picked the blanket up off the floor before pouring a glass of water for Camden and grabbing himself a soda from the fridge. He came back into the lounge and shoved the coffee table back into position with his fo
Clayton had always thought there was no way he could possibly hate Brett Jordan more than he did. But now he knew he'd been a fool to think that. Camden's story had been heart wrenching and he knew deep down that if he ever crossed paths with Brett, he would exact his own form of justice on him. Camden had objected last time he'd threatened it, but the commitment was firm in his mind. Family or no, Brett was going to pay for what he had done to his mate."Are you going to say something?" Camden asked softly, her voice filled with trepidation and uncertainty. Her words pulled him back to reality and he stared at her. Camden was caring and kind and sweet. She always did her best to be fair and to stand up for what she believed was right. She was brave and friendly and just a good person in her heart. The fact that she was also physically attractive only enhanced all her qualities, making her even more beautiful and endearing to him. He couldn't fathom how someone could treat her with su
Camden leaned against Clayton, wondering where she would be now if she hadn't met him in the woods that day. Her life had been chaos since she'd met him. That was no lie. But in spite of that, it felt rich and full. Even now, after an argument about Matt and another painful revelation about Brett, she felt loved and supported. She sighed and snuggled closer to him until he wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you," she murmured softly, "You're always so supportive and logical. I appreciate you so much." "I appreciate you too, babe," he replied, sounding almost robotic, his emotions in turmoil just beneath the surface.What she had told him had been jarring and, once again, he was overcome by his rage and hatred towards this faceless man, Brett Jordan. She seemed to be in a better space, having spoken her truth, but Clayton felt worse. "I know you're mad," she whispered softly, tenderly caressing his clenched fist. "I know you're going to tell me not to be," he replied shortly. "I would
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