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.
Camden couldn't believe the depth of pain she felt. The person she had trusted and loved had hurt her in a way that no one else ever could. Rejection and betrayal engulfed her, but she refused to succumb to despair. There was an innocent life growing inside her, a life that didn't ask for any of this. A life that deserved love and happiness. Determined to provide her baby with the best life she could, she raced through the woods, driven by the agony that propelled her to run harder and faster than ever before, as if she could outrun her own heartache. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know where she was going, she just knew that she had to get away from the source of her misery, and right now, that was Clayton.As day turned to night, Camden's relentless sprint persisted as she breathed hard, exhaustion threatening to overtake her. She heard thunder rumbling in the distance, disappointment flooding her as she realised she was in for a cold, rainy night. Raindrops began to fall
Matt ventured into the dense forest, driven by the urgency to locate Camden before the storm unleashed its full fury. Stepping into the sheltering canopy of trees, he swiftly discarded his clothes and shifted into his wolf form. His senses heightened, he inhaled deeply, hoping to catch a trace of Camden's scent lingering in the air. A faint whiff reached his nostrils, igniting a glimmer of hope within him. Determined, he embarked on a relentless pursuit, racing through the wilderness with a single-minded purpose.As Matt ventured deeper, the distant rumble of thunder resonated through the forest, underscoring the urgency of his mission. The scent of Camden grew stronger, guiding him through the labyrinth of towering pine trees. He followed her winding path, navigating with unwavering focus, refusing to let the storm impede his progress.An hour passed, and the wind began to pick up, teasingly scattering Camden's scent and making it increasingly challenging to track her. The rain, at f
Clayton was in a rage. Matt had no idea what he was talking about. He would regret what he'd said. If it was his baby, there was no way Matt was going anywhere near it. The surging adrenaline coursing through his veins seemed to diminish the soothing effect of the alcohol. He went back around the bar to get himself a beer. He'd just popped the cap off when Chase burst into the bar looking for him. "Clay, you'd better come, my mom is looking for you." Clayton let out a deep sigh, figuring he wasn't going to get a chance to enjoy his beer after all. "I'm going to guess it's about Camden," he muttered bitterly. "I don't know dude, my mom just told me get you at the pack house and bring you back, like now," Chase said urgently. "What's going on?" he asked. "Camden left," Clayton responded plainly. "What? Why? Where did she go?" Chase asked, puzzled. "We had a fight," Clayton answered. Chase looked even more puzzled, "But you guys were fine last night?" he pointed out, struggling to compre
Clayton hurried back to the pack house from the Alpha and Luna's home. It was well into the night when he left and the darkness was thick without any moonlight or stars, thanks to the heavy cloud cover. He felt the wind pick up, icy and frigid, as a pang of guilt shot through him. He thought of Camden out there in the same freezing wind without so much as a raincoat or an umbrella to protect her from the looming storm. Just then, the rain began to fall. A fine but persistent mist that gently pattered down on the land, dampening all that it came into contact with within moments. As Clayton arrived under the shelter of the pack house porch, the rain began to fall in earnest. Fat, heavy drops began to pummel down as he sought refuge inside.He headed up the stairs to his room in a daze. So much had happened over the last 48 hours, he was struggling to come to terms with it. First the appearance of Matt - the surprise second mate, and then the announcement of a baby. It was all too much i
Clayton woke up early, his body weary from a night plagued by restless thoughts and dreams. He wasn't even sure when he had fallen asleep, he'd tossed and turned for hours and hours, contemplating all the possible outcomes of his situation. None of which brought him any hope. The life he had once envisioned with Camden seemed like a fading dream, slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.Despite the weariness that clung to his bones, Clayton forced himself to get up and get dressed in preparation for the day ahead. For his impending doctor's visit. He headed downstairs to the kitchen, noting that his appetite was non-existant, and he couldn't bring himself to eat anything substantial. He settled for a cup of coffee, hoping the caffeine would give him some energy and much needed motivation. With a heavy heart, he made his way to the pack's medical centre, keeping the promise he had made to Alpha Thomas.Nervousness tinged his every step as he entered the medical centre, his min
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