“Nothing on our end,” Jasper said.
“Ours was clear, too,” Camden said.
“It was a long shot that anyone would be out here,” Jasper pointed out. “I think the alpha just wanted to double-check that the other squad didn’t miss anything on their border patrol earlier.”
With their mission complete, Marbles and Thompson drifted back into vacation mode and started to goof off, seeing who could throw rocks the furthest, while Camden and Jasper watched them. The air was peaceful, but Camden couldn’t help but feel the emotional turmoil of his day bubbling to the surface again. Noticing his mood, Jasper broke their companionable silence.
“Don’t drift too far away from us,” he said suddenly.
“Huh?” Camden asked.
“We’re still technically outside Silverrose territory,” Jasper pointed out, nodding toward where the other two members of the squad were standing. “Don’t let your guard down. Not until we’re back at home.”
“Sorry,” Camden said. “It’s just…everything with Flora has been messing with my head a little.”
“I could tell.”
“Could you?”
“Of course. You’re not just my leader; you’re my friend,” Jasper reminded him. “I could tell things weren’t going great with her. I still don’t understand what you were thinking, taking her from Ironbrand like you did. You created a pretty fucked-up situation.”
“I know. But she’s—”
“Your mate?” Jasper finished his sentence. “You mentioned that once or twice. But Camden, you stole her from Alpha Sier. He’s not going to take it lying down once he figures out what you did. And what about when your uncle finds out? What do you plan to do if both packs decide to gang up on you?”
Camden knew his uncle wouldn’t like what he had done to protect Flora. He had always thought women were better left in the background and that their desires and even safety weren’t as important as doing what was good for the pack, but the thought of him asking the pack to drive him out for what he had done had never even crossed his mind.
“Do you think that’s what’s going to happen if Harold finds out?” he asked.
Jasper shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past him. If he thinks his chances are better siding with Sier instead of protecting you, he’ll do what he thinks he has to do for the good of the pack.”
Camden couldn’t argue with Jasper’s logic. He winced, realizing he had unwittingly put the rest of the squad in danger when he asked for their help.
“If it comes to that, make sure you, Marbles, and Thompson don’t get caught in the crossfire,” he said. “I can’t have that on my conscience.”
“Nice try,” Jasper said with a grin. “You know none of us would leave you behind.”
Camden’s phone started pinging, the loud sound echoing from inside his jeans pocket. It had been a long time since that tone had sounded. He pulled it out and read the urgent message that had been sent out to all the commanding officers in the pack.
“We gotta go. Right now,” he said quickly to Jasper. “Hey! Marbles, Thompson! We’re leaving!”
“What is it?” Cillian asked as they jogged back to where Jasper and Camden stood.
“There’s been a breach in the defenses,” Camden said. “Another pack is inside Silverrose.”
He wasn’t sure how they had missed an incursion. They had just run the entire outskirts of the territory and found nothing. Unless someone had been waiting for them to pass by before slipping behind them…
Camden transformed, barreling back toward town. He had been so ready for a distraction from his own problems that he hadn’t even realized he had broken his promise to Flora. He had taken his entire squad with him on this mission, leaving herand Sofia completely unprotected, and now he was too far away to check if she was okay.
I’m coming, he thought, desperately hoping she was alright.
Chapter 15 - Flora
Sofia was tucked into bed, a candle was lit in the clean kitchen, and Flora was enjoying a peaceful evening by herself. It was rare that she felt like she was able to relax instead of rushing around and trying to take care of everything, but with Camden home all day, there was very little left for her to do to get the house shut down for the night. Instead of doing dishes and laundry, she was curled up on the couch with a book she had been meaning to read.
She was engrossed in the story when a loud sound at the front door startled her. Her eyebrows creased, wondering if Camden had forgotten his key.
“Camden?” she called out. “Are you okay?”
