Chapter 31 – CAMILLE
CAMILLE
The gathering of wolves thrums with nervous energy.
A mixture of humans and shifted animals mill around in small groups, their excitement sharper than usual, edged with anticipation.
Normally, pack runs are members only. To run in such large numbers, with wolf shifters from all over, is both a rare and exhilarating prospect.
News of yesterday’s confrontation has spread, and I catch the sideways glances, and the whispered conversations that stop when I pass. This isn’t just a pack. This is a gathering of the biggest and best wolves from all around, competitive and eager to show off.
There are a lot of big egos and powerful pheromones in the air.
Jax stands beside me, rigid as stone. His jaw hasn’t unclenched since we left my cabin.
I can feel the effort it’s taking him to be here, to stand among the pack and strangers alike.
His hands are shoved deep into his pockets, and his brows are drawn down low over his eyes, frowning at everything he sees.
“Deep breaths,” I murmur, low enough that only he can hear.
He tries, chest expanding with the effort, but the exhale comes out shaky. The full moon overhead is amplifying every emotion, making it hard to remain calm.
“Well, well.” Raven’s voice cuts through the noise of the crowd as he approaches, trying to look friendly and relaxed, but he’s anything but. “I’m surprised you showed up, Jax. I thought you’d be locked in your basement, preparing for us to drag you off for assessment after the final tomorrow.”
I’m amazed that he has the nerve to provoke Jax again when he knows how much stronger Jax is, but the presence of so many people is bolstering his confidence. He thinks Jax won’t do anything with so many witnesses around, or else he’s banking on the other wolves being able to step in and stop him.
If you ask me, Raven’s confidence is misplaced. If Jax was happy to attack him in front of Zane, a little thing like witnesses won’t stop him.
“You won’t be dragging me anywhere, at least not on your own, anyway.” Jax steps forward. “Or do I need to remind your wolf where he sits in the pecking order again?”
Raven narrows his eyes at Jax but speaks to me. “This is the man you want, Camille? You deserve so much better.”
He shakes his head sadly, like he feels sorry for me, but all it does is galvanise my resolve to protect Jax.
“Raven.” I inch between them, keeping my voice neutral and professional. “Just go and do your thing, and we’ll do ours.”
Raven’s eyes find mine now, pleading with me to see sense. The boy I fell for is still in there, but he’s harder now, more calculating. I don’t trust him now.
“Don’t you remember all the fun we had? Don’t you miss that too? All you’ll have with him is a lifetime of wondering when he’s going to lose his temper next.”
His gaze travels to my chest. “You took off my chain. Did he ask you to?” His pleading eyes hold mine. “You kept it all these years for a reason.”
Jax growls a warning as Raven dares take another step closer to me, but I gesture for him to stop, to stand down and let me handle this.
“I should have taken it off the second you chose someone else.”
Raven shakes his head. “My father chose someone else, and I was too young to fight him. But now… seeing how brave you are, how smart you are… I should have fought harder for you.”
Beside me, I can tell it’s taking every ounce of Jax’s strength not to go after Raven. If you ask me, it’s a feat worthy of some appreciation; few wolves that have full control over their wolves could resist ripping his head off.
“No. Because Jax is my mate. I was meant to find him. And you were meant… I don’t know, Raven, to do what you want. Just far away from me.”
Maybe he was always like this, or maybe he’s changed. But finding my mate has certainly lifted the rose-tinted glasses from my eyes. Raven is a self-absorbed, selfish prick. How was I so blind?
Was I more hurt by the idea of being rejected than by being rejected by him?
“The full moon changes things,” he says adamantly. “You’re different now. This Camille could be Luna.” His eyes slide over me, possessive and familiar, then he scowls at Jax. “I can give you a great life.”
“What? A lifetime of looking over my shoulder until a better, prettier Luna candidate comes along? No thanks.”
Jax’s hands rest on my hips as he uses himself to ground me. His chin rests on the top of my head, and he stands behind me, supporting me, with his eyes still fixed on Raven. Everyone around us is watching. There’s no way anyone could miss what we are to each other now.
They watch with a mixture of curiosity, joy and sympathy, depending on what they know of Jax.
“I should have picked you.”
Jax moves before I can stop him, stepping between us.
He doesn’t touch Raven, doesn’t need to.
His presence alone—the way his wolf’s dominance pulses from him, his power making the air around us heavy—is threat enough.
The energy is wild and untamed, a mixture of powerful alpha protectiveness and barely leashed violence radiating from every line of his body.
My spine stiffens, furious that he would disrespect his mate like that. “I know you’ve thought about it, about what it would have been like if we’d stayed together.”
“Walk away,” Jax says quietly. Two words, but they carry the promise of what happens if Raven doesn’t listen.
Jane was never a friend of mine, and after dating Raven behind my back, I have no reason to give a shit about her, but I can’t help the pang of sympathy I feel.
“That was years ago,” I say evenly. “You’re mated. It’s in the past.”
“Is it?” His smile is sharp. He looks at Jax. “You haven’t even marked her because you don’t trust yourself. If you were a good man, a good mate, you’d set her free.”
I feel the pain in my chest like a dagger, but it’s not mine; it’s Jax’s. Because this is what he really believes, and it hurts me to know this is how little he thinks of himself.
Raven’s getting to him, sending him into a spiral of negative thinking, but then he makes a fatal mistake. He opens his mouth again.
“I’ll take excellent care of her for you.”
Jax’s growl is low and deadly as Raven gives me a smile before he melts back into the crowd, but I can still feel his eyes on us.
His wolf’s energy lingers close by.
“I shouldn’t have come,” Jax mutters, his fingers gripping my hips, his thumbs rubbing soft circles on the exposed skin of my stomach, over and over, sending tingles straight to my core.
“Of course you should. This is your pack. And you’re doing so well.”
I squirm, pressing my legs together, aware that all the sensitive noses around us can scent the arousal dripping from my pussy as his long, thick erection presses into my ass.
Dean’s voice rises over the gathering, calling for the run to begin. Wolves strip, the casual nudity of pack life that suddenly has an extra edge now that my wolf feels so possessive of the big male at my back.
Jax hesitates, that dangerous gleam flashing across his face again, as I turn, and he looks me up and down, breathing in my desire.
“Together,” I remind him, pulling my tank top over my head, undressing slowly and letting everyone else get a head start. “We run together.”
The shift ripples through me, bones reshaping, fur sprouting.
When it’s done, I shake out my silver-grey coat and look for Jax.
His wolf is massive, with dark fur, thick and luxurious, but scarred in places, and intense yellow eyes.
He presses against my side, rubbing his scent on me, and I can feel his tension, even in this form.
The pack ahead of us moves as one into the trees. The full moon lights our way as we lope after them, turning the leaves of the forest almost silver. For a while, I nearly forget the tension. This is what we’re meant to do—run together, hunt together. Be together.
Jax bumps me with his shoulder, and when I nip him, he tackles me to the ground, making a point of taking in my heady scent and rumbling his approval. His wolf playfully bites into the thick fur at my neck, and I go still underneath him, not fighting, just curious to see what happens.
We lock eyes, trapped in a kind of stalemate as my wolf whines with need.
With a sudden burst of energy, Jax licks my jaw and leaps off me, charging after the rest of the pack, who’s now a good distance ahead of us. With a yip, he calls for me to follow, and with a frustrated chuff, I bounce onto my feet and hurry after him.
Even his wolf is a tease.
I’m smiling to myself, enjoying the feel of the moon’s beams on my pelt, and the dirt under my paws.
Until Raven appears.
His wolf is sleek and well-groomed, even in animal form. He matches my pace easily, running too close, on my other side.
When Jax spots him and growls, turning back toward me, Raven just speeds up, cutting in front of me.
I snap at his heels, warning the much bigger wolf off.
He dances away but doesn’t go far. The next second, he’s back, brushing against my flank, nipping playfully at my ears.
Courtship behaviour. In front of the entire pack, in front of Jax, he’s trying to flirt with me.
My wolf is disgusted. She barks to put him in his place.
I may be smaller, but in enforcer training, our fights were always evenly matched. And right now, I have rage burning through my veins that would surely give me the upper hand.
But under the full moon, with instincts running high, he’s harder to handle and stubborn. Other pack members are watching, some amused, some concerned. They know our history. And Jax’s penchant for unpredictable behaviour.
They’re waiting to see what happens.
Jax’s control is fraying. He’s already put up with more than any wolf should have to, all to prove that he’s not wild.
But I can feel him losing the struggle in the way he charges, no longer fluid, but angry and coiled to strike.
His eyes track Raven’s every move, and there’s murder in that yellow gaze as he draws near.
When Raven cuts in front of me again, tail raised as if he’s protecting me from Jax, I’ve had enough.
I shift mid-stride, human form hitting the ground hard. It’s dramatic and painful but needs to be done. I roll to my feet, fury driving me forward.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Raven shifts too, that infuriatingly innocent smile already in place.
Other wolves slow down, curious about the confrontation. I’m vaguely aware of Jax still in wolf form with hackles raised, but my focus is on the man in front of me.
“Running.” Raven spreads his hands, like he has no idea what I’m talking about.
“Cut the bullshit,” I shout, stepping closer, not caring that half the region, let alone half a pack, is watching. “Your wolf was propositioning me. In front of everyone.”
There are gasps. Raven’s mating mark is clear to see. Wolves are supposed to treasure their fated mates. Finding one isn’t guaranteed. Both the ones who wish they had theirs and those of us who understand how precious the bond is from experience despise anyone who doesn’t treat it with respect.
He chuckles. “You know how it is during the full moon. Instinct takes over.”
I scoff. Now that I’ve felt the real thing, what we had pales in comparison.
Raven was the handsome alpha’s son. I was young and foolish.
It wasn’t love then, and it’s not instincts that are driving his actions now; it’s nothing more than petty jealousy.
I’m about to tell him that when from the shadows, a tall, willowy brunette steps from the treeline, staying back, watching and waiting.
Jane.
I slam my lips shut, not wanting to say anything else that could make this horrific situation worse.
“Then you wouldn’t be stuck with this as the future father to your pups.” He waves a hand toward Jax’s dark wolf, whose eyes are glowing brightly in the dim shadows of the forest. “Can’t you see I just want what’s best for you?”
The growl that rips through the clearing is pure rage.
Jax has had enough, but Raven, too het up to focus on the recent addition to the multitude of scents around him, is on a roll.
“Wolves like him don’t get better. They get worse.”
I turn to see Jax stalking forward, still in wolf form, death in his eyes. His teeth are bared, muscles bunched to attack.
“Raven, shut up,” I beg.
This is it. This is the moment I’ve been dreading. If he attacks Raven now, in front of everyone, there’s no coming back from it.
“But we…” Raven gestures between us. “We could be happy again.”
My eyes lock with Jane’s across the clearing as she listens to her man explaining why his ex should reject her fated mate. For him.
“Jax.” I put myself between them, hands out. “Don’t. It’s never going to happen. I’m yours.”
But his focus is locked on Raven, and I know with terrifying certainty that Raven has pushed him too far, and that he’s about to cross a line he can’t come back from.