“There are increased patrols, but Camden isn’t going to take any chances.” Jasper paused, as if he were considering whether he should continue or not. He opened his mouth and closed it again, as if deciding against what he was going to say.
“Just spit it out, Jasper,” Flora finally said. “You clearly have something you want to tell me, so just do it.”
“You’re very observant,” he said with a chuckle. “Okay, then. I know it isn’t any of my business, but, as I said, I’ve been watching the house for the past few hours. So I know that you and Camden had a fight, and I know what it was about.”
Flora’s face reddened in embarrassment. She hadn’t even considered that Jasper would be able to hear their argument.
“Don’t worry,” he continued. “Your secrets are safe with me. But when Camden came outside, he told me to make sure I kept watching over you and Sofia while he went to cool down. Even though he’s upset right now, he wants you to be protected no matter what. He’s a good man, Flora.”
She had thought when Camden left that it was because he was completely done with her and Sofia, that keeping her secret for so long had pushed him further away than he had pushed her all those years ago. But now Jasper was telling her that Camden had made sure, even during his fit of anger, that she and Sofia were still protected from Alpha Sier and the Ironbrand pack. She realized that she had misjudged him. He still cared about her.
Flora was ashamed that she had taken his leaving to mean that she should follow suit.
“Are you still trying to leave, or would it be okay if I brought your suitcase back inside?” Jasper asked gently.
“I’m not leaving,” Flora said.
“Good,” Jasper said approvingly.
He grabbed her bag out of the trunk and closed it securely before hauling the luggage up to the house. He set it inside the open door and nodded at her, returning to the yard where he would keep watch over the house.
“Jasper,” Flora called out. “Did Camden say when he would be back?”
“He didn’t,” he answered apologetically. “But I doubt it will be very long. If you hadn’t noticed, he isn’t very good at staying away from you.”
Flora gave him a grateful smile, which he returned, and headed back into the house. Sighing, she took her bag back up the stairs and unpacked it methodically. Sofia was still playing happily in her room. Nothing had changed, and yet, she felt like everything had.
Chapter 18 - Camden
In hindsight, walking out on Flora hadn’t been the best move. He knew it would trigger her, but he needed to clear his head. Their conversation hadn’t been a productive one, but it had given him a lot to think about. His own opinions and emotions were at the forefront of his mind, but hearing Flora’s perspective, as much as he didn’t want to admit it at the time, had been eye-opening.
He knew that her adoptive parents had mistreated her, and that life had been difficult in Silverrose and then Ironbrand, but he hadn’t given enough thought to how alone she must have felt all those years. The abuse she had suffered was obviously traumatic, but the bullying and teasing at the hands of his friends—and, regrettably, himself—had been isolating. She had never had anyone to count on—except him.
And then he had taken that away from her, just when she’d needed him the most. Not only had he taken her virginity, but he had rejected her and then left the pack. He hadn’t claimed her publicly, as he should have done. His friends’ opinions had meant more to him than her feelings, and he had allowed their influence to make him feel ashamed of her when he should have been proud that a woman like Flora had given him her heart. His love had been shallow, even though she had trusted him with everything that night.
Even if she had wanted to tell him about the pregnancy, he realized she would have had no way of doing so. He had left her without a way of communicating with him and had never looked back.
He cursed, thinking of all the mistakes he’d made when they were young and the errors he continued to make now thathe had found her again. Ever since he had taken her away from Alpha Sier and brought her to Silverrose, he had tried to make up for his behavior, but he realized now that he had barely scratched the surface of what was required to earn her trust. If he was honest with himself, he was lucky that she hadn’t stolen everything from him while he slept and run away. He deserved that kind of treatment, but she’d stayed. She’d married him, cared for him, and allowed herself to be intimate with him when he didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve her.
The secret about Sofia had crushed him, but now that he was away from the house, he realized how smart Flora had been to protect their daughter. After how he had treated her, it was no wonder that she was afraid he would abandon her once again. With Sofia in the mix, it only made sense to protect her from the same kind of pain. To be abandoned by a lover was one thing; to be discarded by a parent was another. Flora knew what that pain felt like, and she had done everything she needed to do to make sure Sofia didn’t suffer the same fate.
“I’ve been a fool,” he muttered to himself as he walked down the street.
He hadn’t left the house with any kind of plan. After asking Jasper to keep a close watch on the girls in his absence, he wandered aimlessly, sifting through his thoughts until they made a semblance of sense. His conclusion now was that he would have made the same choices Flora had if he’d been in her shoes, but that Flora was a much stronger person than he ever would be. Her determination and ability to persevere through the worst kinds of betrayals were beyond his comprehension. For her to even think about opening her heart to him again after what he had done showed that she was a more forgiving person than he could ever hope to be.
All he could do now was keep her and their daughter safe, both from the Ironbrand wolves and from the worst parts of himself. He would never abandon either of them again.
What he needed now was a project, something he could do to improve things. With the destruction from last night, there was plenty of that to go around.
“You again,” Harold said as Camden stopped in front of the pack house. “I already told you that I’m going to double the patrols. Or did your human mate cause another problem that you want me to fix?”
Camden gritted his teeth at his uncle’s last comment. After hearing from Flora firsthand about her experiences, each barb sent her way made the pain of what he had done to her cut even deeper. He had perpetuated the problem for years, ignoring the consequences, and now all of it was staring him straight in the face.
“There are no more problems,” he said. “I’m here to offer my help, as promised.”
Harold’s demeanor changed at once. “In that case, come with me.”
They went into the alpha’s office and began to plan routes and tasks for the warriors of the pack, ensuring that no area was left uncovered. Camden was impressed with the planning his uncle had already done and his willingness to increase the effort everyone was giving in light of their current situation. The only thing that continued to bother him was that his views on a woman’s place were interfering with the running of the pack. It took two hours for Camden to convince him that the women his squad had trained were ready and willing to contribute to the daily patrols. When they were finally done discussing it, his nerves were frayed.
