Demetrius looked at her, smiling like a madman with a wild look in his eyes, as he twisted Harold’s head, breaking his neck. A sickening crunch went through the air, and the alpha’s lifeless body fell to the ground in a heap.
Flora was full of rage at the sight. She wanted to rip Demetrius apart, but there was nothing she could do. Shock and horror threatened to overcome her senses. And then Demetrius took a step toward the car. She let out a guttural cry as she threw the car into drive and swerved away from the scene, putting the pedal to the floor and powering toward Silverrose.
I’m so sorry, she thought as tears blurred her vision.I failed you.
Chapter 22 - Camden
“What do you mean he’s dead?” Camden asked in shock as Flora told him what had happened.
“He took me to an abandoned lot to give me up to Demetrius,” Flora said, her voice hollow. “I convinced him that it wasn’t the right thing, and he agreed. He was going to bring me back home, and then Alpha Sier turned up. He…I….” Her voice trailed off as her eyes unfocused, clearly seeing things that weren’t there. She shook her head gently and refocused on Camden. “Sier gave him a choice: to leave without me or die. He helped me escape. And then Sier…he…”
Camden could see how difficult relaying the story was for her, and he didn’t want to put her through it any more than necessary. He pulled her into his chest, comforting her as her body shook. There was only one more thing he needed to know.
“Is the body still there?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Flora admitted quietly. “I drove away like he wanted me to. I didn’t want his sacrifice to be for nothing.”
Camden was distraught at the news of his uncle’s death, and even more so because they were only in danger because Harold had wanted to trade Flora for the safety of the pack. Ultimately, he had made the right choice and saved her, but the cost had been his own life. He knew that in his uncle’s position, he would have made the same choice. It was a testament to how far Harold had come that he’d willingly sacrificed himself to ensure Flora’s safety. For that, Camden was grateful.
He pulled Flora tighter against his chest and closed his eyes, breathing in her sweet cinnamon smell.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he murmured. “If anything had happened to you….” Camden shuddered. The very thought of her being taken back to Ironbrand to be tortured and used was a thought Camden was unable to bear.
After settling Flora back in her room with a cup of tea, calling Clementine to come over and watch Sofia, and instructing Jasper to stand guard over the house, Camden followed Flora’s directions back to the place where Demetrius had murdered Harold. He wanted to hold a funeral as soon as possible and rally the rest of the pack against the Ironbrand wolves. When he arrived in the parking lot, he could see remnants of the fight—blood spattered on the concrete, the tire tracks Flora had made when she sped away from the scene—but his enemies were gone. And so was Harold’s body.
Camden howled in anger and frustration. His uncle had raised him, cared for him, and taught him everything he knew. In the end, he had saved his mate. He needed to honor the sacrifices Harold had made for him and the pack, but with his body missing, Camden felt like the act would be incomplete. Still, something needed to be done.
“Is it true?” Jasper asked in shock when Camden returned. “The alpha…he’s dead?”
Camden nodded, unable to say the words again. “Sier did it,” Camden spat. “He was after Flora, but my uncle distracted him so that she could get away.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised. He was a great man,” Jasper said.
Camden nodded. “Let the pack know there will be a memorial for him in the morning. Meet at the pack house at ten a.m.”
***
Camden expected the rest of the pack to blame him and Flora for the alpha’s death, but at the memorial the following morning, they were met only with kindness. Word of what had occurred the previous night had spread rapidly throughout the pack, including Harold’s decision to meet up with Alpha Sier to hand Flora over to them, Flora’s bravery in the face of danger, and Camden’s insistence on recovering the body from his killer.
“Your uncle raised you well,” one well-wisher said as he and Flora waited in the receiving line after the memorial. “I know that he’s proud of you.”
Camden didn’t know whether his uncle would be proud of him or not, but he smiled politely at the woman as she continued down the line. When they had spoken with every member of the pack, and everyone had left for the reception room where a luncheon had been prepared, Camden breathed a sigh of relief. That part was over.
“Boss, I need to talk to you,” Jasper said. “I’ve got some news.”
Flora and Camden turned toward him as he ran a hand through his unkempt hair. He had barely made it in time for the memorial and looked like he had been through the wringer. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles under them.
“You need to go home and get some rest,” Flora said when she spotted his appearance. “You look like you haven’t slept at all.”
“I haven’t,” he admitted. “Last night, I took Marbles and Thompson with me on an information-gathering mission. I know, I know,” he said, putting up his hands as Camden openedhis mouth to speak. “I should have cleared it with you, but you had enough on your plate.”
Camden took a deep breath. There was no use berating Jasper now, since it had already happened.
“Alright, what did you find?” Camden asked.
“Alpha Sier had a delivery late last night, brought in by a moving truck,” Jasper began. “We thought it might be weapons or something, but it wasn’t. When they opened the back, his men unloaded five young women. They were shackled, and their mouths were taped shut.”
Camden inhaled sharply, anger coursing through him.
