Chapter 24 - Camden
As soon as they had arrived in Ironbrand, Camden realized he had made a miscalculation about Sier’s intentions and had turned around, heading back home to Silverrose. He was worried he would be too late when the town was completely empty when they arrived.
It hadn’t taken long for him to catch the heavy scent of the pack heading into the forest. The sound of voices let Camden know he was approaching his target.
As he and the squad came over the crest of the hill, he saw the pack spread out below them, and, further down, Flora, Sofia, Stella, Ben, and Demetrius.
Camden’s heart lurched forward when he saw his family in harm’s way. Jasper reached out a reassuring arm to him, steadying him on his feet as he swayed from fear.
“You can’t afford to fall apart,” Jasper reminded him.
Camden nodded his head tersely and stalked forward, but all four of them stopped short when they saw the trees moving behind Demetrius.
“Is that….?” Marbles asked.
“The entire Ironbrand pack,” Thompson finished. “Even the women are here. What the hell?”
But none of them had any time to waste trying to figure out how Alpha Sier had convinced everyone—including the women he had kidnapped—to show up for this confrontation. The evil alpha was moving forward now, and Camden needed to get down there. Fast.
As he ran toward the scene, he saw his pack moving forward as well, rallying around Flora to protect Sofia.
The women were forming a defensive barrier, shuffling his mate and child backwards out of harm’s way without leaving them open to any attacks as the men rushed forward to protect the front of the line.
If he hadn’t been distracted by fear, he would be proud that they were taking his training to heart and using their strengths to work as a team.
“Jasper, right,” Camden said, barking orders to his squad. “Marbles, with me. Thompson—”
“Got it, boss,” Cillian said, swerving to the left to get around their pack’s formation and distract the warriors from Ironbrand on the east side of the valley.
With quick movements, they dashed to their places, joining the fray as both packs attacked each other.
Some fought in human form, others as wolves, according to their preference and abilities.
Camden had been sure to show everyone he trained how to fight in both forms to achieve maximum impact.
In an area as small as this, being in wolf form had its own risks.
There simply wasn’t enough space for sixty wolves to move around here, and transforming made them an instant target for the opposing side.
Even now, he could see his people taking down their wolves one by one, clearing a path for him and Marbles to reach the center of the fray.
“Sier!” he screamed, using his loudest and deepest voice to pierce through the din of the fighting.
Demetrius’ eyes flashed toward him, and he lunged forward, away from his pack and into the middle of the Silverrose warriors.
Immediately, he was converged upon as men and women bit, clawed, scratched, and kicked to injure him by any means necessary.
He returned fire left and right, his attacks much more powerful than any of theirs.
Still, the sheer number of people he was facing had him at a disadvantage. He had separated himself from the rest of his people, leaving his flank unprotected.
Unlike Demetrius, Camden didn’t have to avoid any of the Ironbrand warriors as he fought against his counterpart.
The men and women of Silverrose weren’t allowing any of their enemies through their defenses as they focused on keeping Demetrius cut off from help.
On the left and right, his squad pressed the invaders in and back so that Silverrose wouldn’t be overrun.
Flora and Sofia had made it to the rear of the line and were huddled in the middle of a circle, surrounded by four wolves who watched for anyone to break through the line.
“Argh!” Demetrius yelled, ripping a smaller brown wolf from his leg as he stalked forward toward Camden. “Call off your dogs and come face me yourself!”
Camden stood in the middle of the turmoil, untouched, ten feet away from Demetrius. He watched as the alpha was forced to stop again and again, beating back attackers who never stopped coming.
“You messed up, Sier,” Camden said. “You forgot that real alphas don’t have to force people to fight for them. Real packs protect each other because of loyalty, not force. That’s why you’re going to lose. They aren’t attacking you because I asked them to; they’re doing it because they want to.”
Demetrius screamed in pain as another wolf clamped onto his bicep.
He drew back his fist and punched the wolf in the eye, forcing it to release him.
He lunged forward, transforming into a wolf as he did, but Camden was faster.
Before Demetrius’ four legs hit the ground, Camden was there, claws outstretched.
He raked his razor-sharp claw against the alpha’s carotid, and blood poured from the wound.
A strange gurgling sound came from his ruined throat as he collapsed on the ground, and in seconds, he was dead.
Silverrose was still outnumbered, but as soon as the Ironbrand pack saw that their alpha had fallen, the tides of the battle shifted at once.
As soon as he was down, the women turned and ran.
Camden didn’t blame them. Many were only there because they had been kidnapped and forced to participate.
They had likely been hoping for Alpha Sier’s death as much as Camden had.
As more women left, a few men followed suit. Faster and faster, they fled, until almost no one remained except the injured who couldn’t escape under their own power.
“Everyone, stop!” Camden shouted, and a hush fell over the valley. The last few remaining attackers looked around, saw that they were severely outnumbered, and fled into the trees behind the rest of their pack. “Anyone who is injured should be taken to the infirmary for care immediately.”
“What about the Ironbrand wolves?” someone asked in a loud voice.
“I don’t care what pack they’re from,” Camden clarified. “If someone needs medical attention, they’re going to get it.”
The pack began to help the fallen, helping those who were mobile to their feet and back up the hill, while a few people ran back to the infirmary for stretchers to carry those who couldn’t walk. When Camden could see that everyone was being taken care of, he hurried to Flora’s side.
“Are you two alright?” he asked, kneeling on the ground beside her. “Did he hurt you?”
“We’ll be okay,” Flora said.
Sofia threw herself into Camden’s arms, and he felt a lump in his throat. He had barely gotten to know his daughter, but he loved her more than he could possibly describe. Knowing that she felt safe with him was the greatest gift he could ever receive.
“Are you okay, Sof?” he said quietly.
“That was scary,” she said, her face buried in his neck.
“I know,” he said, rubbing her back. “Come on. Let’s get you both to the infirmary so the healers can check you.”
With Flora walking beside him, Camden carried Sofia up the hill and into town. The infirmary was set next to the pack house, and he saw that it had already become a hive of movement. He found a cot for Sofia, who was immediately seen by a healer, and turned to Flora.
“I need to go back and help,” he told her.
She gave his hand a squeeze and nodded. “Go,” she said. “We’ll be here.”
***
It was hours later when Camden was finally able to return to the infirmary.
Every last person who needed medical attention had been brought in long ago, and the warriors who were uninjured had been running patrols all over the territory ever since, with Camden leading the charge.
He hadn’t expected that anyone from Ironbrand would restart the fight after Demetrius’ death, but he wasn’t about to leave that up to chance.
“How are the borders?” Jasper asked as soon as he saw Camden. “Did you secure the west pathway by the—”
“—Yes, Jasper,” Camden said, placing a calming hand on his friend’s foot, which was sticking off the end of the cot he was laying on. “We’ve handled everything. Just rest, okay? You did great out there today.”
“Not my best work,” Jasper said with a grimace. “I forgot how much it hurts to have a broken bone. It’s been years since that happened. How long do these usually take to heal?”
“I’m sure you’ll be back to normal in the morning,” Camden said reassuringly. “Have you seen Flora?”
Jasper nodded toward the back of the room, and Camden saw Flora pushing a cart full of bandages, hot water, medicine, and other instruments along the row of cots. She stopped in front of one of the warriors, and Camden saw it was his old school friend, Scott.
Flora leaned down to speak with him and held a glass of water with a straw up to his lips, holding it for him while he drank. Camden could see that both of his arms were in slings.
“As soon as Sofia was cleared by the healers, she tucked her into one of the cots at the back and jumped in to help,” Jasper said. “She hasn’t taken a break once since this all started.”
“She’s supposed to be taking it easy,” Camden said.
“You and I both know that isn’t the kind of person she is,” Jasper pointed out.
“She’s like you. If she sees that someone needs help, she’s going to help them.
Besides, I think it’s great. She had already gotten almost everyone on her side after what happened with Alpha Hughes, but after the way she shielded Sofia today, even though she was a human far out of her depth, and then this,” Jasper nodded toward her work at the infirmary, “I think she’s earned everyone’s respect now. ”
Indeed, as she moved from person to person, helping wherever she could, Camden could see that even the most bitter, old-fashioned men in the pack had changed their opinion of her.
Camden had come to recognize the hard, suspicious look they usually gave her.
That expression had been replaced by admiration.
Camden walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist before she could move on to another patient.
“Flora, come here,” he said gently, leading her to an empty office at the back of the infirmary.
He pulled her into the room and closed the door. Inside was a single, cushioned chair and a desk. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her gently as she put her head on his shoulder.
For a long while, they sat there, not moving or speaking a word. Camden closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her breathing, comforted by the gentle rise and fall of her body with each breath.
“Today was the scariest day of my life,” he admitted quietly. “I really thought I was going to lose you both. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to keep you safe.”
“But you were,” Flora said, lifting her head up. Her face was a mask of confusion.
“I should have been here the whole time so that you were never in danger,” he said.
Flora smiled at him. “You were protecting us even when you weren’t here. You made Silverrose into a pack that protects each other—exactly like you were trying to do. And it worked. They came, Camden. They protected Sofia and me.”
Camden swallowed hard as his emotions overcame him. He hadn’t considered it from that perspective, but it was true. The pack had come through for all of them today.
“And you did exactly what you said you would,” Flora continued. “You promised you would come back to me safe and sound.”
“I always will, Flora. I know things haven’t been easy between us, but that’s all about to change,” he promised. “There is no one left to harm you.”
“No one would dare,” she teased. “Not with you around.”
He sighed and rubbed his hand along her arm, comforting himself that she was truly safe. “I love you, Flora. I always have, even when I was too stupid to admit it to myself.”
“I know, Camden,” Flora said. “I love you, too.”
She leaned down to kiss his lips, tenderly, as if it were the first time. Camden felt like he had the entire world in his arms.
“Now that Sier is gone and the Ironbrand pack has left, what happens next?” Flora asked.
“Peace, Flora,” Camden said with a smile. “Now we get to live and love each other in peace.”