Clayton awoke to the feel of gentle fingers caressing his cheek and stroking his beard, a comforting sensation that drew a small smile to his lips before he opened his heavy eyes. "Hey," he rasped, his voice still thick with the remnants of sleep. "Hey," she replied, her voice crystal clear in the quiet of the morning. As Clayton blinked away the sleep, the morning light streaming through a crack in the curtains gently illuminated the room. He looked at Camden, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, evidence of a sleepless night. "You didn't sleep?" he asked, concern weaving through his tone as he tenderly cupped her cheek, gently running his thumb over her soft skin. "Not much," she downplayed it, her voice carrying a hint of forced cheerfulness. In truth, she hadn't slept at all. Not since he had woken up from his bad dream. She had spent the night awake, haunted by worries and what-ifs. "Shit, Cam. We've got such a big day ahead of us. You should have rested," he chided her gent
"Uh..." Clayton looked at Matt with confusion, uncertain as to why Camden had stalked off. "It's my fault... Let me go talk to her," Matt revealed with an exasperated sigh as he stood and headed after her. "Cam?" he called out, following her back toward her room, leaving Clayton alone in the kitchen.Matt reached her bedroom door, but it was closed. "Cam? I'm sorry..." he apologized through the closed door, but there was no answer. "Cam?" he called again, but once more, was met with silence. Her lack of response was beginning to concern him, so he opened the door a crack, peeking inside, just to confirm that she was indeed in there and to make sure she was okay if she was. "Just get out, Matt!" Camden sobbed as soon as the door opened, hurling a pillow towards the door before burrowing herself back under the safety of her bed sheets. "Come on, Cam, I said I was sorry..." Matt repeated, opening the door wider and taking a tentative step inside. "You're always sorry!" she yelled, her wo
"I have to go," Camden whispered, the silence around them stretching like a tangible thing, heavy and laden with unspoken words. She gently broke away from their embrace, her eyes lingering on Matt's face, searching for some sign of understanding. Matt nodded slowly, his grip loosening reluctantly. "I promise everything is going to be okay. I promise," she assured him, her voice quivering with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. Camden tried to sound confident, but inside, she was a whirlwind of doubts and fears. "Things are going to be so much better than this," she continued, her hand reaching up to brush his hair back gently, a familiar gesture that felt both comforting and heart-wrenching. He looked so morose, so lost, and it pained her to see him like this. "And I'll be in your life as long as you want me in it, okay? I'll always be here for you," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.Matt's eyes met hers, filled with a blend of sadness and resignation. He nodded, unable to
The trio made their way to the grocery store in Stornoway, the familiar building bringing back memories of their arrival just days before. “I’ll run in quick,” Clayton offered, recalling the store’s layout and confident he could grab what they needed in less than five minutes. Despite his apparent calm, he felt a twinge of unease about leaving Matt and Camden alone. He trusted Camden’s ability to set boundaries and Matt’s respect for them, but he couldn’t help feeling apprehensive as the ritual loomed closer and he hoped that Camden wouldn't falter now, so close to the end.She watched Clayton stride towards the store, then turned her attention to Matt in the passenger seat. “You seem in a better mood than earlier?” she ventured, noting the subtle shift in his demeanor. “I’m good at hiding my pain and misery,” Matt replied with a shrug, his voice betraying a hint of resignation. Camden groaned softly, turning in her seat to face him more directly. “I hate that you have to...” Her voic
Chapter 221: The Echoes of the PastCamden reluctantly released Clayton from her embrace, the thought of Matt seeing them fueling her decision. While they waited for him to emerge from the gift shop, Camden admired her ring and smoothed down the orange fur of Dora, the cow plushie.When Matt appeared, he was holding two brown paper bags. He handed one to Camden with a shy smile. "What's this?" she asked curiously, unfolding the top of the sealed bag. "I just thought you'd appreciate it," he murmured, looking away as she pulled out a children's book entitled, 'My First Highland Cow'. "Is it for the baby?" Camden asked, eagerly paging through the colorful pages. "That was the intention, but I'm not sure how good your reading is, so you're welcome to use it too," Matt explained with mock seriousness. Camden chuckled and gave him a playful shove in the chest before she turned to show Clayton. He looked at the pages Camden showed him with enthusiasm and excitement.With a beaming smile fil
"Cam?! CAM!" Clayton was calling her name as he held her by the shoulders, but she wasn't responding. Instead, she was looking down at her hands, turning them over again and again. She stared at them, sobbing to the point that she was almost hysterical.The episode was starting to catch the attention of concerned bystanders who looked on with curiosity. Matt saw a few cellphones emerging from pockets and purses, hoping to catch the next viral video. Without any further hesitation, he scooped her up, his protective instincts kicking in. He held her in his arms just the way he had in the woods as he raced to find an exit, hopeful that some fresh air might help. Clayton was right behind them, hoping whatever Matt had in mind would work.The three of them piled out of the building and into the daylight. Matt found a grassy spot nearby and tried to put her down, but she clutched at him desperately, her nails leaving scratches around his neck as she struggled. "NO! NO!" She begged frantical
"Talk to me, baby," Clayton urged, tucking a wild strand of hair behind her ear. She looked at him for a moment, considering whether she should pour her heart out to him. But fear and doubt gripped her, so she simply shook her head, squirming away from his watchful gaze and cowering against his chest. "Cam..." he whispered, kissing the top of her head gently as he wrapped his arms around her. "I wish you'd talk to me. I wish you'd let me help you," he murmured, a plea he knew she would never take him up on.Matt stepped closer, resting his hand on Clayton's shoulder as he said softly, "I think we should get out of here. We've drawn a crowd and Cam is totally out of it. It's not like we're going to be able to pick up where we left off on the exhibit." Clayton nodded in agreement. He was about to start leading Camden back to the car when the security guard appeared, blocking their path."Hold on there," he said in a Scottish brogue, his arm outstretched with his hand raised, "I'd like t
Camden wiped her eyes and grit her teeth. Her jaw was clenched firmly and she sat in silence for the rest of the drive. Whether it was in defiance or contemplation, neither Clayton nor Matt could tell. Matt continued to watch her as she wiped tears from her eyes, hopeful that she would open her mouth and say something, but she never did. Clayton stole glances of her in the rearview mirror, but she only glared out the window with anger in her eyes, not looking at either him or Matt.When Clayton pulled into the driveway of the Airbnb, he had all but given up on Camden opening up to them, her silence had stretched on too long and the moment had passed. He was worried that they had pushed it too far this time and was concerned as to what the consequences of that might be. Arriving home, she snatched up the cow plushie and the book from Matt, storming towards the front door, desperate to get away from the two men.Matt raced out of the car to follow her, worried that she would take the op
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