Clayton's voice suddenly rang out over the bar, breaking through the chatter. "Camden!" he exclaimed, excitement evident in his tone. He quickly stood up, leaving his friends momentarily, and rushed over to her. With a whiskey glass still in hand, he wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her into a tender kiss. The taste of his affection made Camden's worries melt away. "I missed you," he whispered, his voice filled with genuine longing. A soft chuckle escaped Camden's lips as she leaned back slightly, looking into his eyes. "God, you look beautiful. I like your hair like this," he remarked, his gaze filled with adoration as he gently ran his fingers through her wavy blowout. She couldn't help but blush, feeling a surge of warmth spread through her. "Well, don't get used to it. It took like an hour to get it like this," she replied with a playful grin. "And I missed you too. I looked for you upstairs, but when I couldn't find you, I came down," she explained, her fingers ligh
Camden's breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the stranger who had lifted her up and was staring at her with adoration. 'Mate'. The undeniable pull between them hung heavy in the air, and it was evident that he felt it too. Just as the intensity of the moment threatened to consume them, the door swung open, revealing Clayton. As he walked in and saw Camden in the arms of this strange man, a look of shock and anger suddenly clouded his features. "Cam, what's going on?" He asked, his tone measured as he tried to keep his anger in check. Stuttering, Camden attempted to form a coherent response, but the words failed to escape her lips. Sensing the tension, the stranger gently placed her back on the ground, his hands lingering on her waist, as his unwavering gaze remained locked with Camden's. "Back up, boyfriend. This is my mate," the stranger declared, a radiant smile gracing his face as he looked at Camden. Clayton scoffed, his anger mounting. "I'm not her boyfriend," he re
"Camden!" both men shouted after her, their voices filled with urgency and concern as she bolted down the hallway. Realizing she wasn't showing any sign of slowing down, they both took off after her. Much to her dismay, they were both faster than her and caught up with her as soon as she got down the stairs of the pack house. "Camden, stop! Where are you going?" Clayton shouted as he caught up with her, grabbing her by the elbow to stop her in her tracks. "We're supposed to be keeping a low profile, remember?" Tears streamed down Camden's face as she laughed manically. "You think my mate will just hand me over?" she said, her voice laced with bitterness as she glanced at Matt questioningly. She ripped her elbow out of Clayton's grasp and continued to walk on. "I'm going to Alpha Thomas," she declared, wiping tears from her cheeks as she stalked barefoot down the street. Clayton, figuring that might not be the worst idea, reached out and gently took her hand. "Okay, then let's go toget
"Matt, you haven't said much. What's going on in your mind?" Camden asked, her concern evident in her voice. She turned to him, hoping to understand his thoughts and emotions. Matt sighed, his expression tinged with disappointment. "If I'm being honest, I'm disappointed," he admitted, his voice laced with sadness. "I just wanted a mate. No drama. No undead first mate to try and compete with..." "There's no competition," Clayton said under his breath as he rolled his eyes. Camden shot him a stern look before Matt continued. "The problem is that I obviously have feelings for you. There's a mate bond, whether I want to feel some kind of way about you or not," he said. Out of the corner of her eye Camden saw Clayton bristle at Matt's words. "But I don't want to make trouble in your life, Camden. I think we could have been good together, but it seems like fate may have made a mistake," he concluded, his words laced with sadness. Camden's heart ached at Matt's words. She reached out to him,
Camden had endured a restless and troubling night, her thoughts and the weight of the previous day's events preventing her from finding any solace in sleep. As she woke up, she discovered that Clayton was already in the shower. The strain in their relationship weighed heavily on her. She curled up into a ball wishing she would never wake up and wouldn't have to deal with this. Eventually, Clayton emerged from the shower, a towel loosely wrapped around his hips as he rummaged through the cupboard for clothes. "Morning," Camden greeted him, hopeful that things would be better for them this morning. "Morning," he replied with indifference, his tone devoid of warmth. Camden's heart sank further, feeling the growing distance between them. She didn't know what to do to fix this. She would break her bond with Matt only to free herself for a mate who no longer seemed to want her. Her heart ached."Why are you mad at me?" she asked softly, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes, the
Clayton's initial shock morphed quickly into a blazing fury. "What the fuck are you saying, Cam? How can you be pregnant?" he bellowed, consumed by rage. "Whose baby is it?" In response, Camden laughed, trying to diffuse the tension. "It's yours, obviously," she said with a quizzical look on her face. Clayton's face contorted with anger as he lunged toward her, his eyes seething with fury. "Liar!" he spat, his voice full of venom. Camden was taken aback by his explosive reaction and found herself frozen in place, uncertain of what to do.As Clayton paced back and forth in the room, his anger palpable, Camden's face fell, tears welling up in her eyes. This wasn't the response she had anticipated at all. "How could you do this to me?" he demanded, his voice filled with both anguish and betrayal. "I love you, Cam. How could you betray me like this?" Camden was bewildered by his accusation. "What are you talking about?" she pleaded. "I never betrayed you." "Fucking bullshit!" Clayton rage
Camden's heart shattered as she ran out of the pack house, her emotions in turmoil. The pain felt unbearable, and she believed her heart would never be whole again. She needed to get away. Away from the pain, away from Clayton. She fled to the woods, her tears running down her cheeks relentlessly, blurring her vision as she sprinted from the packhouse to the forest. As she reached the treeline she shifted, not even bothering to change first. Taking off once more with the intention of never looking back.Meanwhile, Clayton collapsed on the bed in their room, his head buried in his hands as he shed his own tears. His heart ached, the pain of betrayal by the person he loved most was too much to bear. He knew he had hurt her, which had only added to his own hurt. He couldn't understand how she could do something like this to him. How she could betray him and then lie about it so obviously? His despair turned quickly to anger as he thought it over. First Matt, now this... Where would it en
Matt stormed back to the Alpha's house, his anger still smoldering within him. He couldn't comprehend Clayton's actions and denial. The man was a fool and he obviously didn't deserve Camden. The thought of her heartbreak tore at Matt's own heart. She deserved so much better, and he was determined to be that for her. He meant every word he had said earlier. If Camden chose him over Clayton, he would care for her and the child as if they were his own. Above all else, he wanted her happiness, and he believed he could provide it.As he burst into the house, his frustration evident, Alpha Blaine followed closely behind him, seeking an explanation. "And?" he asked, "Where are they?" "She's gone," Matt stated firmly, making his way swiftly upstairs to pack his belongings. Alpha Blaine, perplexed, followed him into his room. "Whose gone? Camden?" he inquired, hoping for clarification. "Yes," Matt huffed, his voice filled with exasperation. "That idiot, Clayton, let her go. I need to find her.
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