Chapter 42 – CAMILLE
CAMILLE
Iwake slowly, every muscle deliciously sore in the best way. The basement is dim and quiet, with only the faint sounds of activity filtering down from above. Beside me, Jax is already awake, propped on one elbow, watching me with an expression so tender, it makes my chest tight.
"Creeper," I mumble, but I'm smiling.
"Can't help it." He traces a finger along my jaw. "I can feel you through the bond now. Your dreams were... interesting."
Heat floods my face as I remember fragments—definitely not appropriate for public discussion. Through our new connection, I feel his amusement mixed with renewed desire.
"How long have you been watching me?"
"Not long." He leans down to kiss me softly. "The dining hall sounds packed. I think half the visiting wolves are still here, probably nursing hangovers from celebrating last night."
I groan at the thought of facing a crowded room. Everyone will know what we've done—the marks are impossible to hide, and mated pairs have a certain... glow about them. Plus, given how loud I was last night…
"I can hear you overthinking," Jax says, tapping my forehead gently.
"Kitchen? I'll cook for you."
"You can cook?" I'm sceptical. In all our time together, I've only seen him eat at the pack dining hall.
"I lived alone for years before Dean dragged me back here. I can manage basic breakfast without poisoning us." He pauses, suddenly uncertain. "If you want. We could brave the dining hall instead…"
No. I want Jax all to myself.
"Kitchen." I decide quickly. "Definitely kitchen."
We dress slowly, hunting for clothes that got scattered in our desperation last night. My shirt is nowhere to be found, so I steal one of his, rolling up the sleeves. The way his eyes darken when he sees me in his clothes sends heat pooling low in my belly.
"Don't look at me like that." I warn. "I need food before round... What are we on now? Four?"
"Five," he corrects with a wolfish grin. "But who's counting?"
The kitchen is mercifully empty when we emerge from the basement. Through the doorway, we can hear the chaos of the dining hall—laughter, conversations in multiple languages, the clatter of dishes. But in here, it's just us.
Jax moves around the familiar space with easy confidence, starting coffee first, which is badly needed, before pulling eggs, bacon, and bread from the fridge.
I hop up on the counter to watch, swinging my legs.
"This is weird." I observe as he cracks eggs into a pan.
"Which part?"
"All of it. The fact that we're about to leave everything behind." I pause, studying him through our connection. "Are you okay with that?"
He considers it while flipping bacon with surprising skill. Through the bond, I feel the complex swirl of his emotions—sadness at leaving Dean and the pack, excitement about the future, and underneath it all, a deep relief that surprises me.
"I'll miss Dean," he says finally. "Jamie, the wolves I've treated.
But this place..." He gestures around the kitchen, but I know he means more than that.
"There are too many ghosts here. Too many memories of my parents, of what I was before.
Maybe starting fresh somewhere new is exactly what I need. "
"What about me?" I ask quietly. "What do I do? My whole career is here, my life—"
He turns off the stove and moves between my legs, hands settling on my thighs. "What do you want to do? I won't ask you to give up everything for me."
"I want to go with you." The words come without thought, straight from my heart. "To Kain's pack. I'll talk to Zane about shifting my role, maybe something with less travel. We'll make it work."
The joy that floods through our bond nearly takes my breath away. He cups my face, thumbs stroking my cheekbones. "You'd do that? Change everything?"
"Jax, I'd follow you anywhere." I lean into his touch. "Besides, I want to see what this beta role looks like for you. A fresh start sounds good for both of us. New pack, new opportunities..."
"New life," he finishes softly.
He kisses me then, deep and thorough, and I forget about breakfast entirely.
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, and his hands tangle in my hair as I feel his desire spike to match mine.
"You definitely need to get that under control before you join my pack."
We spring apart like guilty teenagers when we find Kain leaning in the doorway, looking deeply amused. Heat floods my face, but Jax just grins, unrepentant.
"Morning, Kain. Want some eggs?"
"Already ate." Kain moves into the kitchen, his presence immediately shifting the atmosphere from intimate to businesslike. "Came to talk timeline. When can you be ready?"
Jax glances at me, then back to Kain. "A few days? I need to help Dean with cleanup here, say some proper goodbyes and get packed."
Shaking his head, Kain moves closer.
"Take your time," Kain says, surprising me. "Do this right. Help your brother, settle any unfinished business. Enjoy your mating. Then come find me in a week or so. We've got a lot of work ahead of us—building a pack from scratch isn't easy. You need to be ready to hit the ground running."
Jax nods appreciatively at Kain for not putting pressure on him to leave with him on day one.
"Looking forward to it," Jax says, and he means every word. The prospect of hard work, of building something new, excites him in a way I haven't felt before.
Kain studies him for a moment, then nods, satisfied. "Good." His gaze shifts to me. "I could also use an experienced enforcer, even part-time. Especially one who can keep my beta in line. Rumour has it, he’s got a bit of a temper."
I laugh, and Jax pinches my side, looking offended that I’m enjoying Kain’s joke at his expense.
"Hey." Jax protests mildly.
"Just remember, first impressions count." Kain warns him. "That control you've found? We'll need to make sure it sticks. Having your mate close will help."
After he leaves, we return to focussing on breakfast, standing close together, hips touching, stealing bites from each other's plates.
"So," I say, crunching on bacon. "A week to wrap up your life here?"
"And enjoy our mating," he adds with a wink. "But yeah. I need to hand over my patient files, to make sure the clinic is left in good order. And there’s a lot to do, getting the pack back to normal now that everyone’s finally leaving." I feel a pang of sadness from him as he stares around the room.
"They'll miss you," I say softly.
He nods, but then as his gaze lands on the door across the hall, into the office that’s supposed to be Dean’s but never seems to be used, his mood darkens.
It’s the people here who he’ll miss, but there are painful memories at every turn.
Some distance will do him good.
"Kain's pack will need a healer too. And maybe..."
As he pulls me closer, I trail off, sensing the hope building inside him.
"You can start fresh, without the baggage of being the alpha’s son.”
Jax grins. “It’ll be nice just to be the healer and Kain’s beta, and not the broken wolf everyone's afraid of."
I wrap my arms around him and rest my cheek on his chest. "You're not broken. You never were. Just hurting."
He stares down at me, and the look on his face makes my heart skip. "I love you," he says simply.
He kisses me again, and this time, there's no interruption.
We momentarily lose ourselves in each other, in the bond that’s singing between us, in the promise of our future together.
When we finally surface, both breathing hard, he rests his forehead against mine. "Ready to start packing? I think I’m finally ready to get rid of the chains."
"Well, maybe not all of them. Just in case.” With a cheeky grin, I flash him an image of the leather cuffs, of him securing them around my wrists once more, and binding me to the bed.
He growls, lifting me, my legs winding around his waist automatically, as he sits me on the counter and buries his head in my neck, his desire pressing against my core, leaving me wet for him again already.
“I don’t think I want to eat anymore,” he whispers. “Or at least, nothing that can be eaten quite so publicly.”
I squeal as he tosses me over his shoulder, gives my ass a hard slap, and then races back toward the basement door.
Giggling, I cover my face in my hands as we pass a bemused looking Callum and Lynn, and a cheer goes up from the dining hall, as they spot us through the open doorway.
So much for avoiding being the centre of attention.