Chapter 17 - Flora
She had always known that Camden would eventually need to be told about Sofia, but this wasn’t how she wanted to have the conversation.
She felt trapped by the sudden question, unable to think of a single thing to explain why she had kept it a secret for four years.
All her excuses and explanations had vanished into the air, which was heavy as Flora waited for Camden to respond.
His expression was hard to get a read on: shock, confusion, betrayal, and something else that Flora thought looked like relief.
“What do you mean, yes?” he asked.
“Sofia is your daughter,” Flora admitted. “I was pregnant when you left for training, after that night we spent together.”
Camden’s jaw dropped further, as if he had forgotten how to control his facial muscles. He ran both his hands through his hair frantically, pulling at his scalp.
“How could you do this?” he asked in barely more than a whisper. “How could you not tell me?”
Flora knew that Camden was hurt by her secret.
The betrayal was written, plain as day, across his face.
But the moment he accused her, she became defensive.
Didn’t he understand what she had been through?
She had been young, pregnant, and completely alone.
He had abandoned her, cast her aside, told her she was nothing to him.
Did he think she should have run to him with her heart open wide and spill her deepest fears to him?
“How could I do this?” Flora asked. “You rejected me, remember? The second you had gotten what you wanted from me, you left me, pregnant and alone.”
“And you think that excuses keeping it from me?” Camden asked, his eyes flashing with anger.
“You have no right to be upset with me after everything you did!” Flora yelled. “I did what I had to do to protect myself and my daughter!”
“Our daughter!” Camden shouted back, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “Our daughter, Flora! You’re still acting like she’s only yours. Even after I saved you from that monster of an alpha, you kept it from me! Don’t you think I had the right to know? Don’t you think I’ve earned that much?”
“How could I trust that you wouldn’t abandon me again?
Abandon us?” Flora asked, tears spilling from her eyes.
She hated that she cried when she was angry, but there was no way for her to keep the emotions in any longer.
She had kept them in for far too long, always the brave one.
Always strong. She couldn’t do it anymore.
“I wouldn’t have, and you know that,” Camden said, seething with rage now.
“You’ve stolen every moment from me. I never got to hold my baby, see her first steps, watch her learn to talk.
I didn’t get to hear her say ‘dada’ or watch her experience the world for the first time.
Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!”
“If you think you missed out on some kind of picture-perfect family, then you still aren’t listening to me!
” Flora countered. “You think I was enjoying myself, laughing behind your back about how you didn’t know the truth?
Sofia and I were in hell with Ben and Stella.
The only joy we ever got was from stolen moments of bonding when I wasn’t so exhausted that I passed out at the end of each day, trying to do what was best for her. ”
Camden’s face was a mask of horror, and Flora knew it was pain for what all three of them had gone through. She thought he was finally starting to understand why she had done it, but when he spoke, it was just more of the same.
“I could have helped you,” he said coolly.
“No, Camden, you couldn’t have. More importantly, you wouldn’t have,” Flora argued.
Both of them were clinging so tightly to their own experiences that the conversation was going nowhere.
Flora knew that Camden had a point: it would have been ideal if he had been able to be involved in Sofia’s life.
But the fact remained that this was the path they both had taken.
Camden had chosen to push her away. Flora had chosen to let him.
Nothing they said now would change those facts.
“I guess we’ll never know now, will we?” Camden said, his usually handsome face turned up in a sneer of disgust. “You decided what would happen, and now we’re here. Honestly, Flora, I can’t even look at you anymore.”
He turned on his heel, stalked out of the laundry room, and through the kitchen. Flora heard the front door slam shut.
The emotions that had been spilling from Flora dried up as suddenly as they had begun.
Camden had left her, just like she always knew he would.
He had learned the truth about his daughter, and instead of responding with excitement, he had turned to anger.
Anger at Flora for keeping a secret that she had only kept to survive.
Flora knew the time had come. She had enough money saved to make a new life for herself and Sofia now. She had only been waiting to find out if she was safe in Silverrose or if she needed to make an escape. Now she had her answer.
She went upstairs to where Sofia was playing.
Her heart broke a little, knowing that this was the only stable home her daughter had ever had.
Now that she knew it had all been a lie, she had to rip her daughter from what had become comfortable.
Someday she would be able to explain it to her, but not today.
Flora couldn’t bring herself to interrupt her daughter quite yet.
She wanted her to be able to enjoy her last few minutes in the house.
So she headed into her own room and began packing up her clothes and other essentials into a suitcase she had found in the hall closet.
It had been hidden under her bed for weeks, just waiting until she needed to use it.
As she zipped it closed, she looked around the room, wondering if she was making a huge mistake.
No, she thought. Camden made it clear that he is done with us. Done with me. There’s nothing left for me here.
If he had given up on the idea of a future together, there was nothing keeping her and Sofia in Silverrose any longer. She wondered whether it would hurt him when he returned and found out they were gone, or if he would be happy to be on his own again.
She lugged the heavy suitcase down the stairs and grabbed the car keys from their hook by the front door.
It wasn’t her car, but she needed to get away somehow.
Hopefully, Camden wouldn’t come after her to get it back.
She popped the trunk open, placed the bag inside, and then turned back to the house to finish packing Sofia’s things.
She would let her bring a handful of toys with her, Flora decided.
Camden wouldn’t have any use for them, and since he wouldn’t be providing for his daughter for the rest of her life, he could consider whatever she took as child support.
Flora made a grim face as she walked heavily up the wooden steps.
“Going somewhere?”
A voice from behind her startled her. She turned around in alarm, but it was only Jasper.
“Um, yeah,” Flora answered uncertainly. “Just…getting away for a little bit.”
Jasper shook his head. “Not today, you aren’t,” he said. “Not without Camden’s approval.”
The thought of her needing Camden’s approval to do anything rubbed Flora the wrong way. She crossed her arms.
“I don’t need his permission,” she said.
“You might not, but I do,” Jasper explained. “He has the rest of the squad and me on a rotating guard duty of the property. We aren’t supposed to let anyone in—or out—for you and your daughter’s safety.”
This was news to Flora. Camden had said Alpha Hughes was going to increase security of the territory, but that conversation had just happened this morning. She couldn’t remember him mentioning anything about the squad monitoring the house.
“How long have you been here?” she asked.
“I’ve been here since eleven this morning. Marbles was here before that, and Thompson stayed after we got the fires put out last night,” he said. “One of us will be here at all times until Camden gives us the all-clear.”
“Is the territory not secure?” Flora asked. “Camden said there would be increased patrols. Does he think it still isn’t safe?”
“There are increased patrols, but Camden isn’t going to take any chances.” Jasper paused, as if he were considering whether he should continue or not. He opened his mouth and closed it again, as if deciding against what he was going to say.
“Just spit it out, Jasper,” Flora finally said. “You clearly have something you want to tell me, so just do it.”
“You’re very observant,” he said with a chuckle. “Okay, then. I know it isn’t any of my business, but, as I said, I’ve been watching the house for the past few hours. So I know that you and Camden had a fight, and I know what it was about.”
Flora’s face reddened in embarrassment. She hadn’t even considered that Jasper would be able to hear their argument.
“Don’t worry,” he continued. “Your secrets are safe with me. But when Camden came outside, he told me to make sure I kept watching over you and Sofia while he went to cool down. Even though he’s upset right now, he wants you to be protected no matter what. He’s a good man, Flora.”
She had thought when Camden left that it was because he was completely done with her and Sofia, that keeping her secret for so long had pushed him further away than he had pushed her all those years ago.
But now Jasper was telling her that Camden had made sure, even during his fit of anger, that she and Sofia were still protected from Alpha Sier and the Ironbrand pack.
She realized that she had misjudged him. He still cared about her.
Flora was ashamed that she had taken his leaving to mean that she should follow suit.
“Are you still trying to leave, or would it be okay if I brought your suitcase back inside?” Jasper asked gently.
“I’m not leaving,” Flora said.
“Good,” Jasper said approvingly.
He grabbed her bag out of the trunk and closed it securely before hauling the luggage up to the house. He set it inside the open door and nodded at her, returning to the yard where he would keep watch over the house.
“Jasper,” Flora called out. “Did Camden say when he would be back?”
“He didn’t,” he answered apologetically. “But I doubt it will be very long. If you hadn’t noticed, he isn’t very good at staying away from you.”
Flora gave him a grateful smile, which he returned, and headed back into the house. Sighing, she took her bag back up the stairs and unpacked it methodically. Sofia was still playing happily in her room. Nothing had changed, and yet, she felt like everything had.