TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULTCamden's heart skipped a beat at the unexpected appearance of Jake in the room with her. He quickly turned and closed the door, locking it behind him with the key. Jamie must have left it in the lock in his urgency to investigate what had the men in a frenzy. Panic cut through Camden like a knife. "What are you doing in here, Jake?" she asked, trying to convey a tone that was more confident than she felt. "I'm here for you," Jake said, his eyes raking over her hungrily. "You know I'm Jamie's mate," Camden said, trying to brush him off casually as she continued to deal cards, but inside she was terrified. "I don't believe that," Jake said. "I think you're full of shit," he added. "Well, it doesn't really matter what you think at the end of the day, but I think you should leave. Jamie will be furious if he finds you in here," she threatened.Jake laughed at her, and her heart sank. "You're going to do what I say," he said, his voice low and menacing, "or
Matt didn't sleep well. The storm raged on relentlessly through the night and he couldn't tear his thoughts from Camden and whether she was okay. He woke up early to get a headstart, hoping to catch up with her, but he still wasn't picking up her scent. He paced up and down the area, still in his wolf form, desperately sniffing at the air, trying to pick something up. A short distance away from the path he'd been following, he found a muddy footprint, but there was no guarantee it was hers. As a result, he decided it would be best not to follow it.He paced up and down, desperate to get going, but it was as if nature were conspiring against him. He returned to the spot he had fallen asleep last night, where he had lost her scent, and waited, hopefully. Hours later, he finally got a break as the wind changed direction and he caught her scent once again. He quickly grabbed his backpack in his jaws and followed her trail.He reached a number of points on the trail where he lost her scent
Clayton headed towards the pack house, but his mind was a tumultuous mess. The more he thought about Camden, the more he felt like he had made a terrible mistake. Luna Grace was right. Even if the child wasn't his, she didn't deserve to be out in this raging storm on her own. Then his thoughts wandered to Matt... Matt who just HAD TO play the hero. Had to make Clayton look even worse than he already did.He thought about his own actions and tried to make sense of them. Why had he immediately jumped to the conclusion that she must have been cheating on him? What kind of mental gymnastics was that? She had never given him any reason to doubt her loyalty. She honestly treated him like he was the most important person in her life, but he had been so quick to write her off, as if she meant nothing to him. He hadn't even been willing to consider that her version of the story was true. It was as if he was adamant that he was right, which only left her the option of being wrong. His heart ach
Camden stumbled through the forest, her broken heart racing. The images of the man she had witnessed die and the man she had killed replayed in her mind, tormenting her. She had never seen someone die before, let alone kill someone in cold blood. The guilt gnawed at her soul. She desperately tried to shift into her wolf form, but it remained dormant, leaving her vulnerable and afraid. Panic gripped her as she heard voices drawing closer behind her. In her desperate attempt to flee, a massive dark brown wolf with piercing amber eyes materialized out of nowhere, charging directly towards her. Camden sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her, but she stood no chance against the enormous and powerful werewolf. The pursuing wolf closed the distance effortlessly, and with that, Camden gave up. Her resolve failing her completely as she collapsed to the forest floor, resigning herself to the fact that this was likely how she would meet her end. She let out a small, dejected sob as she look
Matt gently set Camden down and positioned himself in front of her, preparing to shift into his wolf form. But before he could complete the transformation, Camden's voice pierced through the tension. "Wait! I think it's Clayton," she shouted, trying to confirm her suspicions in the darkness. The wolf was fast approaching, showing no sign of slowing down. Camden began to suspect that she may be wrong, she must have made a mistake. If it were Clayton, surely he would stop to speak to them or something? Camden's heart skipped a beat as she considered the possibility of Clayton attacking Matt. Would he be so petty at a time like this? The Clayton she had come to know of recent might be, she thought sadly. "Camden, is it him?!" Matt asked frantically. "I... I don't know!" Camden cried, doubt and uncertainty clear in her voice. Matt couldn't wait any longer, he shifted, ready to protect Camden from whoever this wolf was.Now in his wolf form, Matt positioned himself as a shield between Camd
Matt pressed on, his body pushed to its limits, the exhaustion taking a toll on him. Despite the physical strain, he knew they couldn't afford to slow down. The stakes were too high, and they still had to keep moving. Clayton's surprise appearance was not unwelcome, but Matt hated to admit it. He was annoyed though. Clayton had abandoned Camden when she needed him most. Now he was here to play White Knight at the eleventh hour.As the night wore on, Matt's nerves frayed, his senses attuned to every sound in the darkness. He could hear the thumping of his own heartbeat and the rhythmic pounding of his feet against the ground. In a soft voice, Camden spoke up, her concern evident. "Can't we stop for a bit? You need to rest," she suggested. Matt's determination remained unyielding as he replied, "We can't stop. What if they overpower Clayton and carry on chasing us?" Camden's expression fell with a sigh. "I'm sorry," she frowned, regret tinged in her voice. Matt's response was curt, "Now
Camden slowly opened her bleary eyes, wincing at the bright light that greeted her. Her head throbbed, and a dry sensation clung to her mouth. Confusion clouded her mind as she struggled to remember where she was. Gradually, her vision cleared, and she managed to make out a dark-haired figure slouched on a chair beside her. "Matt?" she croaked, her voice weak and hoarse. Instantly, he stirred from his slumber, gripping the bed and searching for her hand. "Camden! Finally!" he exclaimed breathlessly. Clayton rushed into her line of vision from the other side of the room, gripping her other hand tightly. "Clayton," she rasped, a small smile tugging at her lips."How are you feeling?" Clayton asked, his voice deep and soothing, tenderly kissing her fingers. Camden managed to utter a single word, "Water." Matt swiftly stood up, pouring some water from the jug next to her bed. He held the cup to her lips, gently helping her sit up to drink. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice sounding a l
Camden's heart tightened in her chest as Matt gently asked her about the harrowing encounter with the pack of rogues. Her mind immediately drifted to Jake, the terrible sound he had made when she had impaled him with the metal rod. Then her thoughts turned to Jamie, his beautiful, vibrant gray eyes, as she watched the life in them ebbing away. The memory of his death stabbed at her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes."Matt, I did some terrible things. I'm so ashamed," Camden confessed, her voice filled with remorse, as another tear escaped and trailed down her cheek. Matt placed his hand tenderly on her stomach over the hospital gown. It was the first time someone had touched her belly besides herself, and though it felt strange, she found comfort in his warm, gentle touch. "Cam, you were trying to stay alive. You were trying to protect your baby," Matt reassured her, his voice filled with understanding and compassion. "I was, but maybe I didn't have to go as hard as I did. I feel
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