Chapter 23 - Flora
Flora felt a pit of worry settle in her stomach.
She knew that Camden was a capable warrior; she had seen it firsthand in training.
His skills weren’t the concerning part, though.
She knew that he was emotionally compromised by the attacks on her and Sofia and the subsequent death of his uncle.
The pack was leaderless, waiting for someone to fill the void left by Alpha Hughes, meaning that there was no one who could order the pack warriors’ full strength to aid in Camden’s plan to go against Ironbrand.
The only backup Camden had was that of his three-person squad: Cillian, Jasper, and Franco.
Would four warriors be enough to take down Alpha Sier and his much larger pack? Flora wasn’t so sure.
All she could do was trust him when he said he would return to her, safe and sound, after taking down their enemy.
Trust hadn’t come easily for them, but now that he had proved himself to her time and time again, she decided that she could do this.
She could let him go and believe he would come back.
“Can we go home now, Mom?” Sofia asked, grabbing her hand.
The memorial service and luncheon were over, and the squad had left.
She wanted to go home with her daughter and crawl under the covers while she waited for Camden to return, but there was still work to be done.
Mr. Thompson had decided to open Moon Brew for business today to give the pack somewhere to congregate if they needed to be with friends and family, so Flora was on duty as well.
She knew she could take Sofia to Clementine for the day, but with Camden gone, it seemed too risky. Better to keep her close, she thought.
“Not yet, baby,” Flora told her daughter. “We have to go to work. Want a hot chocolate when we get there?”
Sofia brightened at the suggestion. “With whipped cream?” she asked excitedly.
“Of course,” Flora said with a smile.
The sun cut through the cool chill in the autumn air as they walked through town toward the coffee shop, and Flora found herself needing to take off her jacket after just a few minutes.
Sofia skipped ahead before running back to her over and over, as she usually did.
The atmosphere in town was somber, but not hostile.
Townspeople sat outside chatting, commiserating over their loss, and waving to neighbors.
Flora only wished that Harold’s sacrifice hadn’t been needed to bring everyone together.
The coffee shop was busy with groups of people milling about, sharing stories and comforting each other. Flora took Sofia to her usual seat at the back table and went up to the register to ring in an order for hot chocolate.
“Sofia with you?” Edgar asked.
“Yes,” Flora said, nodding toward the table.
“I figured she would be,” Edgar said. “My boy told me he and the squad were going out on a mission. Didn’t say what it was, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Are you and your little girl doing okay?”
“We’re managing. It’s tough when he’s gone. I worry,” Flora said with a shrug.
“I know what you mean. Cillian has been with the army for years now, and I still panic a little when I haven’t heard from him,” Edgar said, giving Flora’s hand a gentle squeeze. “But you’ve got me, too, you know?”
“Thank you, Mr. Thompson,” Flora said, tears welling in her eyes.
“Alright, enough mushy stuff,” Edgar said with a wave of his hand.
Flora gave a slight chuckle and headed back over to Sofia, handed her the hot chocolate, and got to work.
Time seemed to fly by as the day stretched on.
The shop never slowed down. With patrons coming and going all day, the tables were always crowded.
Flora was having a hard time keeping up when she bumped into a couple who had just come into the shop.
“I’m sorry,” Flora said automatically, but her apology died on her lips when she recognized who it was. “What are you doing here? How did you get into Silverrose? Camden said you aren’t welcome here anymore.”
Stella and Ben had disguised themselves as tourists and snuck into Silverrose. For what nefarious purposes, Flora didn’t quite know. Had Alpha Sier sent them?
“I don’t think Camden will be bothering us today,” Ben Jones said.
“Not when Alpha Sier has a nice little trap set for him back in Ironbrand,” Stella added. “He and his squad will be walking right into it.”
“Any second now, I’d imagine,” Ben agreed.
Flora’s blood ran cold, and she glanced over at where Sofia sat, drinking another hot chocolate from a tiny mug. She looked at Mr. Thompson, hoping he had seen her distress, but he was busy with a gaggle of customers at the counter.
She backed away from her adoptive parents slowly, moving toward Sofia. They followed her at a distance, careful to stay between her and the front door.
“Sofia,” she said, snapping her fingers to get her daughter’s attention. “I need you to come with me. Leave your things.”
Her daughter recognized the tone of her voice immediately and scurried to her side. Flora needed to get her daughter to safety, but she also needed to warn Camden about what he was walking into. They would be stronger if they were together. She just needed to get to him.
She picked Sofia up and walked toward the counter.
Stella and Ben were closing in on her, but the tables in between them would slow them down considerably.
Flora took off suddenly, running toward the emergency exit at the back of the shop.
She threw the door open with a bang and ran as fast as she could.
Her legs burned, and her arms screamed from the effort of carrying Sofia at such a pace.
By the time she reached the forest, Ben and Stella had almost caught up with her.
As much as she had trained, and as fast as she had run, she was no match for the speed and agility of shifters.
“You aren’t going to make it!” Stella said in a sing-song voice. “No one is coming to save you, and you can’t outrun us. You might as well accept it!”
A tree root snagged Flora’s foot, and she went flying to the ground. Sofia tumbled from her arms and rolled down the hill, coming to a stop. Shakily, Flora got to her feet and stumbled toward her daughter.
“Sofia!” she yelled. “Run!”
Sofia, covered in dirt and bleeding from her leg, sat up, but before she could get to her feet, a man stepped from the shadows of the trees behind her. Flora let out a scream of despair as Demetrius scooped Sofia up in his arms.
“Let her go!” she screamed. She lurched forward, but Stella and Ben grabbed her arms and held her back. “Let go of my daughter!”
“Mommy!” Sofia shouted, trying to free herself.
Demetrius held on tight and tossed Sofia upside down over his shoulder. Her tiny fists rained insignificant punches against any part of him that she could reach.
“Let. Me. Go,” Flora said, writhing against the hands that held her, desperate to reach Sofia.
She knew that her chances of getting her back from Demetrius were slim, but she had to try.
If she could only reason with him, maybe he would take her instead.
“Please, take me. Take me instead. Leave Sofia alone.”
“You silly woman,” Demetrius laughed. “I have no more use for you. I can find another mate, but your insolence must be punished. Don’t worry, I’ll take great care of her.”
Ben kicked Flora’s legs out from under her, and she fell to the ground with a crash. Pain shot through her legs as her knees collided with the hard earth beneath her.
“Follow us, and we’ll kill you both,” Stella threatened.
Flora couldn’t believe she had ever considered the woman to be her mother. A sob bubbled up from her gut as she realized all hope had been lost. Camden was far away, and she was powerless to stop this.
But as Stella and Ben moved across the path to join Demetrius, a loud crash from behind Flora drew all of their attention. A line of men and women appeared on the ridge where Flora had tripped. The Silverrose pack was coming to her rescue.
“Let the girl go,” Edgar Thompson said in a loud, commanding voice.
The rest of the pack growled their approval, and a few shifted into their wolf forms, preparing for a fight. Flora spotted her friend Tessa standing with the rest of the women from their training group, and her heart soared.
Maybe all hope isn’t lost after all, she thought.
“You all have no clue who you’re dealing with,” Stella said in a high-pitched voice, the one Flora remembered her using whenever plans didn’t go her way. “This is Alpha Demetrius Sier! He will cut you down in a second.”
“He will die a quick death if he doesn’t release the daughter of our pack!” Tessa shouted back.
“You think this woman is a part of your pack?” Demetrius said, nodding toward Flora. “She is a human. Nothing.”
“You’re wrong!” a man shouted, and Flora was surprised to see that it was Thatcher. “She’s one of us!”
The crowd was getting antsy, waiting for Demetrius to release Sofia. But Flora could see Sofia, still struggling and growing more furious with each passing second. She began to swing her body from side to side, trying to right herself in Demetrius’ arms.
“Stop your moving!” he growled, hitting her on the back of the legs. Flora felt like she was going to be sick.
“Don’t TOUCH ME!” Sofia screamed.
A high-pitched snarl followed her shout, and Flora’s eyes widened as she saw claws growing from Sofia’s fingers.
Her shifter side was awakening in the face of danger.
Sofia growled again and slashed at Demetrius’ side.
He snarled and dropped Sofia to the ground.
Flora screamed and lurched forward, knowing she wouldn’t be able to catch her, but Sofia was quick.
She rolled into a ball and out of harm’s way before jumping to her feet and running toward the line of wolves.
Turning her attention back to Demetrius, Flora saw blood pouring from the open wound across his ribs as he staunched the flow with his hands. His upper lip pulled up as he bared his teeth, snapping his head toward Sofia’s back as she ran for cover.
“You’ll pay for that,” he snarled.
As he spoke, the rest of the Ironbrand pack came stalking through the forest behind him. Flora hadn’t been expecting such a show of force, and she was reminded of just how uneven this fight was going to be. Carefully, she got to her feet and ushered Sofia toward her.
“You won’t be able to protect her now,” Demetrius threatened.