“Okay,” Sofia said as she twirled in her light pink dress.
Flora had worried that her daughter was too young to understand, but in some ways, that would be a blessing. Sofia didn’t have to worry about what the future held for them. She could relax and enjoy her childhood. It was Flora who had to carry the weight of what was coming.
The pack house was decorated with beautiful flowers when they descended the stairs. Every available surface was overflowing with petals in pink and white, and white carpets had been laid across each threshold. They walked toward the formal dining room, where the ceremony would be held, and saw a crowd of people already gathered.
“Flora,” Camden said, relief coloring his voice. “Right on time. Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.
He handed her a bouquet and nodded at her. “For the flower girl,” he said, giving Sofia a smaller, identical bunch of flowers.
Sofia’s face lit up, and Flora felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hadn’t expected Camden to include her daughter in the day. He didn’t know she was his own daughter, believing her to be someone else’s. Still, he was making her feel like she was a part of it.
“Thank you,” she told him softly.
“Camden!” It was his uncle, Alpha Hughes. He clapped a hand on his back genially. “Congratulations, boy. It’s a big day for you!”
He completely ignored Flora and Sofia as they stood awkwardly next to Camden. Flora had hoped things would have improved in the pack while she was gone, but clearly that wasn’tthe case. They had always focused on the accomplishments of the men, proud of them for finding a mate or starting a family. A woman’s contributions were rarely acknowledged. For all Flora knew, the alpha didn’t even know her name.
“Uncle, this is my mate, Flora, and her daughter, Sofia,” Camden said, gesturing to them.
Flora was surprised by the introduction. Maybe Camden was different after all. But Alpha Hughes didn’t respond. He gave them a cursory glance and mumbled something unintelligible before walking away to greet more of the wedding guests.
“Sorry about him,” Camden said with an apologetic look. “Stuck in the past. Anyway, I should get up there. Just wait here, and the music will cue you.”
He made his way to the front and stood alone as the guests were seated. The music began, and a hush fell over the crowd. She nudged Sofia forward, and her daughter walked to the front to stand by Camden. A moment later, Flora followed.
The walk down the aisle felt like it lasted an eternity. Her palms were sweaty as she worried about what was about to happen. She and Camden were about to get married, and then—goddess help her—they were going to have to kiss. She dreaded the moment. The last time they had kissed had been the night Sofia was conceived. The night Camden had rejected her.
Camden gave her a smile when she reached him and took her hand in his.
“Thank you for being here to celebrate my marriage to my mate, Flora Jones,” he began. “With you as our witnesses, we will vow to protect, love, and care for one another for the rest of our lives.”
He turned to Flora, who handed her bouquet off to Sofia. Her daughter was beaming, and Flora took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
For Sofia, she thought. I’m doing this for my daughter.
“I, Camden Hughes, take you, Flora Jones, to be my mate. In sickness and health, for better or worse, until death,” he intoned.
“I, Flora Jones, take you, Camden Hughes, to be my mate,” Flora repeated. “In sickness and health, for better or worse, until death.”
Her last word trailed off. She had said the words, committing herself to Camden. When a wolf took a mate, that bond was solidified by the marriage vows. In humans, they were just words, easily broken. She had no idea if being mated to a wolf would carry the same weight for her as it did for their people. If she went back on them, would she be doomed to live a life of turmoil?
She didn’t have time to think about that now. The ceremony was over, and only one thing remained.
Camden cupped her cheek in his hand, drawing nearer. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest as she closed her eyes and allowed him to pull her in. His lips were soft but urgent as they claimed hers. It was a chaste kiss, quick and uncomplicated, but something in her reacted when their lips touched. A fire burned in her abdomen, aching to rage and consume her.
But then the kiss was over, and Camden was pulling away. She turned to face the cheering crowd and gave a weak smile, doing everything she could to ignore whatever had just awakened inside her.
Chapter 6 - Camden
As soon as they were married, Camden had asked his uncle for a separate home that he could take his new bride back to. He had expected his uncle to ask for payment—which he had been more than willing to give—but instead, the alpha had given him a modest home with three bedrooms.
“Room for you to grow a family,” he had said. “Hopefully, that mate of yours will be able to give you plenty of children of your own.”
The comment hadn’t set well with Camden, but he was grateful to his uncle for the gift, even if he was uncomfortable with the way it had been presented to him. Uncle Harold had taken Camden in after his parents died. He had been the one to raise him and teach him everything he knew. It was because of him that Camden had been successful in life. Without having a steady hand to guide him, it was entirely possible that Camden would have turned into an angry and ill-equipped man.
It had taken leaving the pack for Camden to realize that he had been privileged because of his birth. He had the good fortune of being born a male and being given opportunities by his uncle. If he had been a girl, it was far more likely that he would have been pawned off on another, lower-ranking relative or member of the pack. Alpha Hughes was an unforgiving and misogynistic man. Those viewpoints had been shared by the majority of the men in Camden’s life until he left for army training, and it hadn’t been until he was exposed to more diverse ways of life that he had begun to question what he had been taught growing up. Joining the black ops squad had taught him about the joys of having unique experiences, and that conformity wasn’t always a benefit. With a new perspective, he had beenable to see just how much damage his uncle’s opinions had done to the women in the pack.
