As Clayton waited for the flowers to be delivered to the medical center, he found solace in tidying up his and Camden's room. As he put things back in their places, he was struck by just how empty it felt without Camden. Her things were all around him, but she wasn't and the place felt hollow and empty. He could only imagine how empty and hollow the rest of his life would feel without her.As he worked, he also tried to get his own mind straight. He needed to consider the true depth of his situation with Camden. He wanted to be sure that he could handle anything she threw at him, any situation or proposition, he wanted to have a game plan. He wanted her to know that he was taking this seriously and really had considered everything thoughtfully and carefully.Suddenly, a knock on the door startled Clayton, pulling him from his thoughts. Curious, he opened the door slightly and was met by Chase, the Alpha and Luna's son, standing on the other side. "Chase, what are you doing here?" Clay
There was a sharp knock on the door and an orderly suddenly appeared with the most obscenely huge flower arrangement Camden had ever seen. Surprise filled her voice as she asked, "Who is that for?" The orderly paused, trying to peer around the fronds and flowers to check the name on the card. "The card says "Camden". That's you, right?" he inquired. Camden nodded, her mind filled with bewilderment. Curiosity piqued, she asked, "Would you mind bringing me the card?" Placing the flower arrangement on a table near the windows, the orderly walked over and handed Camden the envelope that had her name on it. "Thank you," she murmured as he left the room.Camden glanced at the envelope, tracing its edges between her fingers. The handwriting was familiar—Clayton's, she was certain. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to read it now. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to read it ever. As she sat there, spinning the letter in her hands, contemplating her next move, she suddenly heard the doorkno
"Do you feel any better?" Matt asked, his voice laced with genuine care. Camden sighed, her gaze fixed on the floor. "Not really," she admitted, her voice tinged with resignation. The bath had failed to provide the mental reset she had desperately hoped for. The shocking sight of her face in the mirror still lingered, reminding her of the ordeal she had endured only days before. To add to her misery her hair was full of tangles and knots and she was just feeling so down. Matt approached her, his hand reaching out to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's okay, Cam," he reassured her, his words carrying a steadfast support. "This is only temporary. You're strong, and you'll get through this." Camden nodded, appreciating his unwavering presence, but her eyes still reflected a deep sadness. "Can I take you to your room?" Matt offered, his voice gentle. "Yeah, I'm ready," Camden mumbled, hoping to find some kind of solace in the familiarity of her room. Matt scooped her up effortle
Matt let out a deep sigh, his frustration evident. "I figured this wouldn't be easy," he admitted, his voice tinged with disappointment. Camden couldn't help but feel guilty for the turmoil she was causing. "I'm sorry, Matt," she said, her expression pained. "I feel like I've led you on now, but the truth is that my heart is absolutely torn," she explained, her brows furrowed with uncertainty. "I kind of thought you had made your decision when you kicked him out of here yesterday," Matt said, searching for answers. Camden's gaze shifted, her eyes wandering to the pink flower arrangement in the corner of the room. She couldn't help but think about the secret letter hidden under her pillow, its contents still a mystery. "If only it were that easy," she murmured, her thoughts consumed by the complexity of her emotions."Cam, do I need to remind you about how he reacted when you told him you were pregnant? Or the fact that he sat at the bar getting wasted after you left rather than going
Camden nodded, her spirit crushed under the weight of her indecision. The burden of having to choose between Matt and Clayton felt unbearable. Why did fate have to give her two mates? It seemed like such a cruel twist of destiny.Sensing that Camden was becoming more and more emotional, Matt decided not to press the matter any further. "Come here," he said softly, pulling her into a gentle hug. It was a truce for the moment, a respite from the turmoil surrounding them. Camden leaned into the hug, finding solace in his arms. She didn't have the strength to argue or fight anymore."Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Matt suggested, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "The sound on the stupid hospital TV isn't working," Camden grumbled, her annoyance evident in her voice. "We can watch on my phone?" Matt suggested. "Okay, we can do that," Camden agreed, grateful for the distraction. Her mind was weary, and she welcomed the idea of losing herself in a fictional world, even if only
Once Matt had departed, Camden retrieved the sealed envelope from beneath her pillow, turning it over in her hands repeatedly. Uncertainty clouded her thoughts as she contemplated whether to open it or not. With a deep sigh, realizing there would never be a better moment than the present, she tore open the envelope, revealing a lengthy handwritten letter from Clayton.The sight of his name at the bottom of the page had stirred a mixture of emotions within her already. With a trembling breath, she began to read his heartfelt words:Dear Camden,I hope this letter finds you well, despite the circumstances and the pain I've caused. I know that words on a page can never fully express the depth of my remorse, but I hope you can find it in your heart to read this and understand the sincerity behind every word.Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. How do you fix something that is unfixable? How do you put words back in your mouth? How do you learn to live in darkness after seeing the
Camden tossed and turned throughout the night, her restless sleep interrupted by the constant presence of nurses conducting their rounds. Between the looming conversation with Clayton and the weight of Matt's request to move to the Wildwood Pack, her mind was in turmoil.As the morning sunlight streamed through the hospital window, Camden's exhaustion was apparent. A friendly woman entered the room, carrying a tray of breakfast. Camden mustered a half-hearted smile but had little appetite. Without even lifting the cloche to see what was underneath, she dismissed the notion of eating. Soon after, the doctor arrived, checking in to assess how she was doing. "How are you feeling this morning, Miss Woods?" the doctor asked as she picked up the file at the end of Camden's bed. Camden yawned and replied, "Still tired. My ribs are aching, and I feel a bit weak today." The doctor looked down and noticed the untouched breakfast tray, then inquired, "Are you eating?" Camden sheepishly admitted,
"Well, I'd best be off," Luna Grace said as she stood up. "Come, let me give you a hug," she added, leaning over to Camden who wrapped her arms around her with genuine affection. "Thank you for everything, Luna Grace. Your visit means more to me than you know," Camden said, her heart and words filled with gratitude. "Can I ask you one favor though?" she asked tentatively. "Of course, dear," the Luna replied with a loving smile. "Is there any way you could tell Clayton I'd like to speak to him?" Camden requested hopefully. Luna Grace rested her hand over Camden's. "I'll let him know," she said as she gave Camden's hand a supportive squeeze. "Now you get some rest and look after that baby," the Luna said as she headed to the door, giving Camden one last smile before leaving.Camden was so grateful for the visit from Luna Grace. She had given Camden some very good advice, even though Camden was still uncertain about what she ultimately wanted. She looked down in her lap once again at the
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