Chapter 14 - Camden
It hadn’t thrown him when he woke up to find Flora had gone back to her own room.
She was a mother, after all, and Sofia surely would have reacted strangely if she found Flora in Camden’s bed.
But he wished she had given him the courtesy of a conversation, at the very least. Her rejection after breakfast had completely derailed him.
Camden had intended to spend the day with the girls, but now that Flora had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.
He was lost in his own thoughts, wandering aimlessly around his house as he tried to figure out why Flora was pretending nothing had passed between them.
Meanwhile, Flora and Sofia were in the backyard.
Camden watched as Sofia tried to blow bubbles.
Her small hands gripped the wind tightly, sloshing bubble solution all over as she dipped it into the container.
Flora clapped as her daughter blew a bubble.
Her wide smile transformed her whole demeanor, illuminating her features.
She was the most beautiful person in the world, Camden thought.
He felt lucky that he was able to witness her joy, but he wished once again that he was able to break through her hard exterior and become a part of the reason for her to be happy. He thought they had been getting somewhere last night, but now he felt like he was back at square one.
As he watched the mother-daughter duo, he couldn’t help but wonder about who Sofia’s father was.
Had Flora been in love with him? What kind of relationship had they shared?
Did he abandon them, or was he pushed away by the pack, or by Flora herself?
After the trials he had gone through to get Flora to trust him again, he had a better understanding of how fiercely protective she was of Sofia.
If Sofia’s father hadn’t been good to Flora during their relationship, he didn’t doubt that she would have done everything in her power to protect her daughter from the same treatment.
Unfortunately, he didn’t think there was a way to ask Flora without pushing her even further away than she already was.
Camden decided he had spent enough time sulking.
The answers he was seeking weren’t going to magically appear before him, and he had wanted to spend time with Flora and Sofia.
He didn’t want to allow his jealousy of Flora’s past to interfere with building a future with her, so he swallowed his pride and hurt and headed into the backyard.
“Cam! Bubbles!” Sofia shouted, waving the wand in the air and causing tiny droplets of soapy solution to splatter around her.
“That looks fun!” Camden agreed. “Can I try?”
Sofia brought the container over to him, and he blew a few bubbles. She jumped up to pop them and then came back for more.
“It looks like it’s almost empty,” Camden said.
“I have more,” Flora said. “Be right back.”
She went back into the house, and Camden was struck by a sudden thought.
“Sofia, do you remember your father?”
“I never had a father,” Sofia said.
“You’ve never met him?” he asked.
She pouted slightly, thinking about the question, and then shrugged. “I don’t think I have one. Mom’s never said anything about my dad.”
Camden didn’t think it would do any good to argue with a four-year-old.
She had to have a father somewhere in the world, but she was too young to understand that.
It was strange that one had never been mentioned before, though.
Had Sofia never questioned why everyone else had a dad, and she didn’t?
Perhaps Flora had filled in the role of parent so well that Sofia had never noticed one was lacking.
“Here they are,” Flora said, brandishing a brand-new tube of bubbles.
Camden accepted them and began to blow a stream of bubbles for Sofia to dance in.
As he watched her twirling and popping, he felt his mind ease slightly.
Flora was his mate. She and Sofia weren’t going anywhere.
The past didn’t matter, only the future.
His plans to build a better pack for both of them were making progress.
He would just have to be patient for the rest. What Flora needed was space; she had made that much very clear.
He cast a glance at her, and the familiar ache welled up in his chest. Patience might be what was required, but looking at her only made him want more than the life they were living now.
***
It had been a while since the squad had been out on patrol together.
They had all been enjoying their break and getting rested up after years away from home.
But after spending the day with Flora and Sofia, Camden needed a distraction, so when Alpha Hughes asked him to take them on a border check, he was more than happy to go.
His squad also seemed eager to get back out into the field.
“You sure you want to come, boss?” Marbles asked. “We can handle this.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t trust you guys out there on your own. Who’s gonna keep you in line if I don’t come along?” Camden teased.
In the dimming light of evening, they transformed, allowing their wolf forms to come to the surface.
Marbles and Camden took the eastern side of the border, separating from Jasper and Thompson, who went to the west. It was faster and more efficient this way, each covering their own ground and meeting up at the northern end of the loop.
It had been a long time since he had gone for a good run, and Camden enjoyed the feeling of the wind whipping through his fur as they stretched out their pace.
Marbles ran enthusiastically by his side, sniffing the ground for any sign of an encroachment into Silverrose territory.
After an hour, they completed the circle as the two groups ran into each other.
Stopping, they transformed back into their human forms to debrief.
“Nothing on our end,” Jasper said.
“Ours was clear, too,” Camden said.
“It was a long shot that anyone would be out here,” Jasper pointed out. “I think the alpha just wanted to double-check that the other squad didn’t miss anything on their border patrol earlier.”
With their mission complete, Marbles and Thompson drifted back into vacation mode and started to goof off, seeing who could throw rocks the furthest, while Camden and Jasper watched them.
The air was peaceful, but Camden couldn’t help but feel the emotional turmoil of his day bubbling to the surface again.
Noticing his mood, Jasper broke their companionable silence.
“Don’t drift too far away from us,” he said suddenly.
“Huh?” Camden asked.
“We’re still technically outside Silverrose territory,” Jasper pointed out, nodding toward where the other two members of the squad were standing. “Don’t let your guard down. Not until we’re back at home.”
“Sorry,” Camden said. “It’s just…everything with Flora has been messing with my head a little.”
“I could tell.”
“Could you?”
“Of course. You’re not just my leader; you’re my friend,” Jasper reminded him. “I could tell things weren’t going great with her. I still don’t understand what you were thinking, taking her from Ironbrand like you did. You created a pretty fucked-up situation.”
“I know. But she’s—”
“Your mate?” Jasper finished his sentence. “You mentioned that once or twice. But Camden, you stole her from Alpha Sier. He’s not going to take it lying down once he figures out what you did. And what about when your uncle finds out? What do you plan to do if both packs decide to gang up on you?”
Camden knew his uncle wouldn’t like what he had done to protect Flora.
He had always thought women were better left in the background and that their desires and even safety weren’t as important as doing what was good for the pack, but the thought of him asking the pack to drive him out for what he had done had never even crossed his mind.
“Do you think that’s what’s going to happen if Harold finds out?” he asked.
Jasper shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past him. If he thinks his chances are better siding with Sier instead of protecting you, he’ll do what he thinks he has to do for the good of the pack.”
Camden couldn’t argue with Jasper’s logic. He winced, realizing he had unwittingly put the rest of the squad in danger when he asked for their help.
“If it comes to that, make sure you, Marbles, and Thompson don’t get caught in the crossfire,” he said. “I can’t have that on my conscience.”
“Nice try,” Jasper said with a grin. “You know none of us would leave you behind.”
Camden’s phone started pinging, the loud sound echoing from inside his jeans pocket. It had been a long time since that tone had sounded. He pulled it out and read the urgent message that had been sent out to all the commanding officers in the pack.
“We gotta go. Right now,” he said quickly to Jasper. “Hey! Marbles, Thompson! We’re leaving!”
“What is it?” Cillian asked as they jogged back to where Jasper and Camden stood.
“There’s been a breach in the defenses,” Camden said. “Another pack is inside Silverrose.”
He wasn’t sure how they had missed an incursion. They had just run the entire outskirts of the territory and found nothing. Unless someone had been waiting for them to pass by before slipping behind them…
Camden transformed, barreling back toward town.
He had been so ready for a distraction from his own problems that he hadn’t even realized he had broken his promise to Flora.
He had taken his entire squad with him on this mission, leaving her and Sofia completely unprotected, and now he was too far away to check if she was okay.
I’m coming, he thought, desperately hoping she was alright.