The days turned into weeks, and Camden and Clayton found themselves falling into a comfortable rhythm with each passing moment. Together, they delved deeper into their connection, discovering new facets of each other and strengthening their bond. They revisited the magnificent waterfall a few more times, they finally completed the hike they had once abandoned, and they engaged in countless card games where Camden's poker skills shone. Amidst the idyllic days, Camden began to miss her sword fighting, but vowed to take it up again when the opportunity presented itself. She attempted to practice with a makeshift stick, but it paled in comparison to the exhilaration she felt with a real, albeit blunt, blade in her hand. Nonetheless, the days were filled with quiet evenings under the stars and passionate mornings entwined together in bed, a simple joy that made life feel complete.During this time, the memory of her encounter with the wolf slipped into the back of Camden's mind, faded by t
The upcoming trip to visit the Blood Moon Pack was just three days away, and Camden and Clayton had made all the necessary arrangements. Luckily, they were pretty self-sufficient at the cabin, so there wasn't much to prepare. Camden was excited about meeting Clayton's people, even though they weren't technically his people. Anyone who could take in an abandoned baby must have a good heart, and she couldn't wait to meet them.Throughout the day, Camden had been feeling a bit off, but she hoped that this would still be a memorable trip to the waterfall before they left. She packed some snacks and headed out to meet Clayton, who was shirtless and sweaty as he tried to fix a leak on the roof. "You want some water?" she offered, admiring his glistening body as he worked on the repairs. Clayton eagerly replied, "Oh yes, please." She quickly went back inside to get a cup but found herself rushing to the outhouse just seconds later. Her retching caught Clayton's attention. "Cam? Are you alrig
The sun continued to bathe the couple in its warm embrace as they enjoyed their playful day at the waterfall. Laughter filled the air as they took turns jumping from the top of the waterfall, trying to outdo one another with impressive tricks and daring stunts. Each leap was met with applause and playful banter as they competed for bragging rights.The day wore on, warming the water and rocks as Camden baked, her skin bronzing in its golden heat. Clayton suggested, "I think that's enough sun and fun for one day. I'm doing one more dive but I'm keen to take the fun back home," he said with a mischievous wink. Camden playfully goosed his butt, eliciting a playful yelp from him as he headed towards the path that led up to the top of the waterfall. "Okay, last dive, then we can go," she said with a giggle.Camden sighed, wishing they could stay longer, but they had had a wonderful day and she would leave with a sense of contentment. She began to clean up the area where she had spread out
Camden clung to Clayton, her body shaking with deep sobs. Her tears mingled with the water that still clung to her skin, creating a bittersweet mixture of relief and lingering fear. "It's okay. You're okay," she murmured, her voice laced with tenderness and a hint of lingering worry. "I thought I'd lost you," she confessed, her voice thick with tears that streamed down her face. She rubbed his shoulder reassuringly as he lay on his side, still sputtering and spitting up water. "I did lose you, but you came back. You came back to me."Camden continued to cry, her body trembling with the weight of her emotions. Clayton, still in a state of shock, lay on his side, heaving for breath as Camden gently adjusted him to rest his head on her lap. His eyes looked dazed and far off, as if he had been somewhere else and was now inexplicably here. As his eyes shifted in and out of focus, Camden whispered, "It's okay, baby," her voice filled with love and desperation. "You're okay now."Gradually,
With the arrival of the morning light, Camden slowly opened her eyes, grateful to witness the dawn of a new day. As she stirred, her fingers instinctively reached for the mark left on her neck, a physical reminder of the bond she now shared with Clayton. A soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips, the weight of the moment still fresh in her mind. She got up stealthily, not wanting to wake Clayton. Deciding it was the perfect day for some outdoor morning yoga, Camden headed outside.The crisp morning air invigorated her as she embarked on her yoga routine in the serene outdoors. Each stretch and pose brought a renewed sense of strength and tranquility, allowing her to center herself and find balance amidst the remnants of the previous day's ordeal. As she gracefully moved through the motions, her mind focused on how she was grateful that Clayton would live to see another day, and hopefully many more.Returning inside the cabin, Camden's gaze fell upon Clayton, still fast asleep. Sh
Camden felt sick. They were about to leave to go to the Blood Moon Pack, and she was nervous. Clayton was a rogue, after all, and rogues usually were not welcome. He said that that he had parted on good terms, so he didn't anticipate any trouble, but Camden was still worried that they would receive a less than warm welcome. "Are you OK?" Clayton asked, seeing the grimace on her face."I'm fine. I think it's just nerves," she said, trying to smile through it and put his mind at ease. "You have nothing to be nervous about, babe. They're obviously going to love you," Clayton said with a broad smile. Her stomach did a flip, and she had to focus really hard on not vomiting. The mixture of excitement and anxiety churned within her, threatening to overwhelm her senses. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that this journey was a new chapter in their lives, filled with possibilities.Camden finished packing the last of her belongings into her backpack and the pair headed outside. Camden
Camden settled in for the long drive, reclining leisurely in her seat, trusting Clayton to take care of them on the long drive. He drove fast but cautiously, wanting to make it to their destination as soon as possible. The drive stretched on for what felt like an eternity, the yellow Mustang cruising through winding roads and passing by picturesque landscapes. The hours ticked by, blending into one another as the scenery transformed from bustling cities to quaint towns to heavily wooded forests and on to dry deserts. They had been on the road for nearly nine hours, Camden's anxiety growing with each passing mile.As they neared their destination, fatigue tugged at their weary bodies, but the anticipation of their arrival kept them going. The headlights of the Mustang illuminated the road ahead, cutting through the darkness of the night. The moon, casting its ethereal glow over them, offered a sense of guidance and reassurance. Finally, they reached their destination. Clayton pulled th
As the water cooled to Luke warm, Camden and Clayton finally decided to get out of the bath. "You hungry?" Clayton asked, towel-drying his perfect body. "Starving," Camden replied with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Room service?" Clayton suggested, raising an eyebrow. Camden's face lit up as she asked, "Do you think they'll have chocolate brownies? I've been craving them like crazy lately." Clayton smiled and said, "I'm sure they do, but there's no harm in asking." While Clayton got dried off, he asked, "I'm getting some whiskey. Do you want something special to drink?" Camden made a face and said, "Bleh! Whiskey is far from my favorite drink." She wrapped her hair up in a towel to dry and continued, "I only drank that because it's all you had at the cabin." Clayton chuckled. "So what do you drink?" he asked with genuine intrigue. "Usually rum," Camden answered as she applied moistruiser to her face. Clayton looked surprised and asked, "Rum? Really?" Camden chuckled and replied, "Y
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