Camden slid to a stop in front of her, hands out as if in offering. “An explanation, maybe?” he ventured. “You just left without a word. I thought you were having a good time.”
“Iwashaving a good time, but you put a stop to that, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, getting frustrated with her evasiveness. “All I did was come over and talk to you. Is that against the rules now? Am I supposed to ignore you in public? You are my wife!”
“You’ve made that perfectly clear!” she shouted back. “Yourwife. Like I’m your property or something. Just because you saved me from my parents doesn’t mean you get to step into that role.”
“You think I want to be your parent?” Camden asked, exasperated at this point. His feelings for her were far from filial. “Flora, that’s insane.”
“Ugh!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. “What do you want from me, then? You order me around, tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, where I should and shouldn’t go. And then, when I’m finally having a good time and laughing with people who you want me to be friends with, you put a stop to it because I’m laughing at another man’s jokes?That’sinsane, Camden. I just can’t win, no matter what I do!”
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but Camden finally realized what Flora meant. He started to laugh, realizing it had all been a huge misunderstanding. Flora, however, was not amused.
“Don’t laugh at me,” she said softly, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. “I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.”
She started to turn away again, but Camden caught her wrist. He pulled her to face him again and tilted her face up so she was looking into his eyes.
“Flora,” he said, calming himself. “Hold on, just wait a minute. I’m not laughing at you, I promise. I’m laughing because I’mrelieved.”
“Relieved?” she asked in confusion.
“Yes, because I finally understand,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, relishing the feeling of her skin against his fingertips. “I wasn’t trying to dampen your happiness. I was…jealous. I thought you understood that. When I saw you laughing at Cillian’s joke, I got upset. I wanted to be the one who makes you laugh. And when I tell you what you should do or where you should go, it’s because I want you to be safe and happy. I know you have a tendency to take care of everyone else before yourself. I’m trying to help you change that.”
Flora’s lips formed a perfectOas she heard his explanation. He knew he wasn’t out of the water with her yet, but at least she was listening to his side. It was a start.
She also wasn’t trying to pull away from him anymore. Her face was right there, merely inches from his own. Her brown eyes were searching him, pulling her into their depths. He could just lean forward slightly, and then—
“Ahem,” she cleared her throat and turned her face away, breaking the moment between them before it could go any further. “I want to be able to make choices for myself. I’ve been told how to act and what I should be for as long as I can remember. When you order me around, it makes me feel small.”
Her honesty made him realize that even though he had thought he was doing the right thing by her, it had actually had the opposite effect. He hoped that someday she would realize he would only make choices for her own protection, but knew that was a trust that would have to be earned.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I never meant to make you feel small. What can I do to make things right with you? I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
Her question lilted up at the end playfully, and the corner of her mouth twitched. She was enjoying having him within her grasp, willing to bend to her wishes. Camden had never been more attracted to her. He gulped and nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. She cocked her head thoughtfully as she thought about what it would take for him to make it up to her. After a few agonizing moments, she answered.
“Wanting me to be safe is…admirable,” she began hesitantly. “But instead of forcing me to rely on you as my protector, I want to be taught how to fight.”
“Done,” he answered immediately.
“I wasn’t finished,” she chided, her smile widening. “I’m not the only woman who lives here. Every one of them has been pushed to the sidelines, made to feel unimportant and helpless. If you really want to show me that you’ve changed and that you want the best for me and the women of the pack, I want you to train all of us.”
Flora waited, clearly thinking he was going to turn down her request. The Silverrose pack had never trained their women to fight, and she knew this. But he had promised he would do anything to prove himself to her, and she had underestimated just how serious he was about altering the course of the pack.
“It would be my honor,” he replied.
The look of surprise and happiness in her eyes was almost worth the fight that had led them there.
Chapter 9 - Flora
On the first day of training, Flora woke up with nervous tension in her stomach. Asking Camden to train the women of the pack had been a good idea that she didn’t regret for one second, but the idea of showing up without knowing what to expect was nearly paralyzing. Her hands were cold as her body struggled against her fight or flight instinct. She wondered how the rest of the men in the pack were going to respond to Camden’s plan. Was she going to be in trouble with them for suggesting the plan? Were she and Sofia going to need to run away or hide from their ire? The thought terrified her.
“What are we doing today, Mom?” her daughter asked.
“You’re coming with me to an activity with some of the other women in the pack,” Flora answered, deciding that it was best if Sofia stayed by her side. “Go and grab your notebook and some markers, okay? I don’t want you getting bored with our grown-up stuff.”
Sofia shrugged and ran off to pack a bag to bring with her while Flora finished getting dressed. When they were both ready, they headed out to the field that Camden had told her about.
