Chapter 32 – C A M D E N
I’ve never picked somany flowers in my life. I filled my whole backpack with them, all yellow, white, purple, and red. Brooklyn made it clear that she wanted the Omega’s funeral to be as nice as it could be under the circumstances. After how beautifully she took my knot during her heat, there’s no way in hell I could deny her anything.
The first time I was inside Brooklyn, I didn’t imagine sex could feel any better. She was so sweet and responsive and beautiful. Somehow, the past few days have been even better. Knowing that Brooklyn is mine, that I’ll get to keep her after, made everything that much more intense. I barely managed to keep myself from biting her—the urge to bond with her was so strong, it was practically unbearable. Thank God I managed to resist.
When I bond with Brooklyn, it’ll be because she asked me to. I’ll wait as long as she needs, even though frankly, sooner than later is more what I have in mind.
Once I’m sure that I couldn’t fit any more flowers in my bag if I tried, I head back to the pyre. Back to Brooklyn.
I find her sitting next to the coffin. She smiles wanly at me as I approach. No matter how much the situation upsets her, she’s determined to put on a brave face.
“Are these enough flowers?” I ask, opening the bag to show her.
Her smile brightens, and I see a little more of her spirit. “They’re beautiful, Camden,” she says. “Thank you.”
She starts arranging the flowers into little bouquets. I caught a glimpse of her creativity when I saw the decorations in her shelter, and even now while she sorts flowers, I can appreciate the natural way she pairs colors and shapes.
One day, I’m going to make sure she has a place to really pursue her art. A studio, with paints and clay and whatever else she’s interested in. Hell, I’ll find her a blowtorch and a kiln if she decides she wants to get into glassblowing. I can’t wait to spoil her with more than just wildflowers.
Brooklyn’s heat ended yesterday afternoon, but Denver ordered her to rest all night anyway. She complained about it, wanting to help us prepare for the fire and the funeral. Unfortunately for her, our Pack is a democracy, and after everything, the other Alphas and I get a little carried away when we get a chance to protect her.
Now, it’s finally time. We’ll lay this poor Omega to rest and arrange Brooklyn’s escape.
I go to the pyre, which Memphis and Denver are finishing preparing. It’s waist-high and impressive looking. When I examine the ground around, I can see the firm lines where we cleared away dry kindling that would help the fire spread. Our work was thorough, and I can’t see one more thing we need to change.
Still, I can’t shake an uneasy feeling in my gut. It would be so easy for the fire to burn out of control despite our best efforts.
Worse, Denver hasn’t been able to reach the Castles on the radio all day. Our plan was to tell those assholes that Brooklyn was close, but that we could smell campfire smoke on the wind. We’d plant the seeds of a story about Brooklyn starting a fire to cook that ended up burning out of her control. That way, when we showed up with her “remains,” it would seem like the natural end to the story.
Except nobody has answered our calls. It’s strange—the Castles have always picked up within minutes whenever he’s called before. We discussed postponing until after we could reach them, but we’re already stretching credibility with how long Brooklyn has supposedly slipped out of our grasps. We have to get moving on the plan now.
“Are we ready?” I ask the other guys.
Memphis nods curtly.
“We’re ready. But is she?” Denver asks, glancing over at Brooklyn.
She stands and joins us, four bouquets in hand. “I don’t think I could ever be ready,” she says. “But our friend deserves to be put to rest.”
Memphis, Denver and I move the coffin to rest on top of the pyre. Brooklyn gives each of us a bouquet, to leave on top once the fire’s started. It’s touching to see how serious Memphis and Denver look, huge muscular dudes holding our Omega’s dainty bunches of wildflowers.
Brooklyn clears her throat. “We’re here to honor the life of another Omega. We never spoke, and I don’t know her name or what her life was like. But I know that she was not treated with dignity when her life ended. I want her to know how sorry I am for what happened to her. I hope wherever she is, she feels a kind of peace. Because I owe her my life.”
She pauses, her blue and brown eyes shining with unshed tears and righteous fury. “I know what it’s like to be hurt by an Alpha. I used to think that there was no such thing as a good Alpha, that they were all violent, selfish, and cruel. I’m lucky that I got a chance to know three Alphas who showed me that wasn’t true. I wish that this Omega had the same chance I did. I wish she knew how it felt to be truly cared for and truly loved.
“So thank you, Omega. You’re helping me escape a life of hell and restart my life with my new family—my real family. Thank you, and I’ll never forget you.”
Now, Brooklyn’s not the only one with tears in her eyes. My vision’s blurry, and as I wipe my eyes on the back of my hand, I see that even stoic Memphis has a single tear streaking down his face.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Thank you,” Denver repeats.
Memphis opens his mouth, but he doesn’t speak. He freezes, nostrils flaring as he scents something. All at once, his quiet, sad expression turns thunderous.
“I smell Grayson Castle,” he growls.
Brooklyn gasps, her face turning pale. I wrap a supportive arm around her shoulders while Denver goes into military commander mode.
“Just Castle?” he says bluntly. “Any others?”
“A few, but I can’t identify them,” Memphis says. “They’re coming for Brooklyn.”
“Fuck.” Denver grabs his lighter and sparks up the torch he prepared for the fire.
“Are we sure that’s a good idea?” I ask. “We have to run. We can’t keep an eye on the fire.”
Ignoring me, Denver touches the torch to the pyre. The fire catches quickly, the kindling around the wood bursting into flame.
“We have to try,” Denver barks over the crackling flames. “It’s the only thing that might cover our escape. We have to move. Now.”