Camden excused herself, heading for the toilets to try and escape the awkwardness and embarrassment she was feeling. Once in the bathroom, she tried to reason it out. Matt was a joker, she knew that. He'd conveyed it as a joke, and Clayton had even piggybacked it with a joke of his own. It was a joke. It had to be, right? But for some reason, she was still struggling to take it as that. She reminded herself that he had also been drinking. So, obviously she shouldn't take everything he said so seriously. She just needed to push this to the back of her mind now, and try to enjoy the evening. It could be her last, after all.
With a refocused mindset, she headed back out, determined to brush it off and enjoy the rest of their time at the pub. Matt and Clayton were laughing about something when she returned to her seat and she noted a fresh cocktail settled in front of her. "What the hell is this thing?" she asked, eyeballing the purple and green liquid swirling insi
Camden drove without any issues or difficulties while Matt and Clayton took verbal jabs at one another in the backseat, laughing all the while. Camden noted how they seemed to be deteriorating as time passed, and the longer they sat in the car, the more drunk they seemed to be getting as the not-so-funny jokes appeared to get more and more humorous for them. Soon enough, they were back safely at their Airbnb. "See? And no one was driven off a cliff," Camden smiled, referring to the uneventful drive home. "I know, I'm sorry," Clayton conceded, climbing out the back seat. "You did hit a pothole though..." he mumbled under his breath. "But did you die!?" Camden yelled at him, her voice ringing with annoyance. "It's dark, there are no streetlamps and it was a dirt road, Clayton! I swear, I could ki..." she was busy threatening him when he leaned down and kissed her, the words swallowed and forgotten as his hand cupped her cheek. When she broke the kiss she saw tha
Matt loosened his grip on her and whispered into her ear, "If I don't let you go now I'm going to get you in trouble." Camden sighed and reluctantly released her grip on his shirt, allowing her hands to drop slowly until they were resting loosely at her sides, but her forehead still lingered against his chest. "I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you. I never meant to let you get too close. I knew it would just end up hurting more, and I was right," she said in a hushed voice, her words slightly muffled as she spoke into his chest. "I know. I don't blame you," he murmured as he lovingly brushed his fingers through her hair. "I wish it didn't have to be so hard," she added, finally looking up at him now as she wiped a glistening tear from her eye before it could fall. "Me too. But it is. And I guess there isn't much we can do about it," Matt finished with a resigned shrug. The unspoken tension enveloped them, a silent acknowledgment of what could never be.
Camden disappeared into the kitchen while Clayton reclined on the couch with his eyes closed, awaiting her return. Soon enough, she emerged with two steaming mugs which she placed on the coffee table in front of them. She settled back into position beside Clayton a little nervously before asking, "How drunk are you?" Her tone was serious but not accusing. "I wouldn't say I'm drunk... Maybe tipsy. Or... Maybe just a little more than tipsy..." he admitted with a guilty look before he went on, "I'm sorry... I probably should have reigned it in sooner," he apologized. She gave him a small smile before blowing on her tea and taking a sip. "You can still hold a reasonable conversation, so I don't mind. I know we're all under a lot of pressure, so I figured you could use a drink or two. The Stroh Rum might have been overkill though," she finished, giving him a playful reprimanding look. "Yeah, I'll admit that was a mistake," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.A
They held one another for what felt like an age, their hearts heavy with the pain of a loss they had yet to experience. In a soft whisper, Clayton asked, "Can we forget about this for now? I know what you need me to do, and I promise I'll do it, but for now, can we pretend it's just a regular Friday night? Can we pretend everything is okay and everything is normal?" Camden gave him a brokenhearted smile as she nodded, wiping unshed tears from her eyes once more as she hoped she would be able to push this from her mind like he had requested. "Good. Then come with me," Clayton insisted, giving her a gentle push as he tried to urge her off of his lap so that he could stand. With a disappointed sigh she stood, stretching and yawning as the day caught up with her. With gentle fingers, Clayton grasped her hand and led her to her bedroom, directing her to the bathroom where he turned on the water in the shower. While he waited for the water to warm, he began the deli
Clayton held her a little tighter after hearing those words. He desperately hoped that she wouldn't be afraid if she did meet her end. The thought tore at his soul, but then, unexpectedly, he felt Camden's lips as they captured his in a gentle kiss once again. His fingers trailed down her back and he felt goosebumps spread across her skin beneath his touch. The kiss broke as she smiled and a shiver ran up her spine. Clayton continued to run his fingers over her back as she leaned her body against his, giggling and squirming each time he reached a particularly sensitive spot. "Best we do what we actually came here to do," Clayton eventually said, causing Camden to groan loudly with disappointment. "I'll carry on when we're out of here, I promise," he assured her, also sad to have had to stop. With that, he grabbed the loofah and proceeded to soap it up before he began to rub it over her skin in gentle circular motions. Once he had washed every inch of her, she
The room was bathed in a soft, golden glow as the bedside lamp cast its warm light over them. Clayton's lips continued their exploration of Camden's back, tracing the curve of her left shoulder blade now. She giggled as his hair tickled her, but then released a small moan as his lips found a particularly sensitive spot near the base of her neck. "Cam?" Clayton's voice sounded uncertain. "Hmmm?" she mumbled, her eyes still closed, though she wore a contented grin on her face. "I..." Clayton hesitated, "I... I love you," he finally managed to say. Those weren't the words he had been looking for, but he had no choice but to settle on them, otherwise he'd be sitting here stuttering and stammering incoherently all night. Camden opened an eye and looked up at him curiously before smiling and rolling over to face him. "I love you too, baby," she whispered, propping herself up on an elbow as she watched him curiously. "Is everything okay?" she asked, concern beginning to take the shape of a
Clayton was still slumped over on Camden's chest as she cradled him, her fingers raking through his hair with tender affection. "I love you," she whispered as she nuzzled against him, wanting to be as close to him as humanly possible. "I... I..." he hesitated before looking up at her. Once again, she felt that sinking feeling in her stomach. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with worry as she began to sit up. What was the issue here? This was the second time he seemed to be struggling now to say the words 'I love you' to her this evening. Her heart cramped and she was certain that she was on the verge of suffering some life-altering reaction to this realization. If he didn't say something soon, she felt like she was probably going to have some kind of cardiac episode. Both of them had now shifted into a sitting position, unwittingly sensing the seriousness of the unfolding conversation."I'm not good with... feelings..." he finally began, giving Camden some momentary re
Camden tried to remind herself that this was a good thing. She didn't want to get married, so it was good that he hadn't proposed and put her on the spot like that. The whole institution of marriage was stupid and pointless, at least from what she could gauge. What was the value of a ring or a piece of paper when people could still cheat and fall out of love and take one another for granted anyway? She'd witnessed all of those things firsthand with her own parents' marriage, so she knew that rings and paper and the 'sanctity of marriage' was not some kind of iron armor against infidelity or any of the other challenges that life can throw at a relationship. Clayton was her mate and that was good enough. That was all the commitment she needed, she reminded herself. But then why did she feel so utterly disappointed now when she had thought he was going to propose but then didn't?She tried to push it out of her mind, instead focusing on what Clayton had said rather than what he hadn't. H
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