She was taking a risk in revealing her daughter to him, but there wasn’t much of a choice. She needed to be reunited with her, and Camden was the barrier to that happening. Flora took a deep breath and decided she had no choice but to come clean, at least partially. Eventually, if they were successful, she would have to let him know that Sofia was his daughter, but theinformation would have to be given carefully. Right now wasn’t the time for it, not when Sofia could be in danger.
“I’ll marry you if you help me get my daughter back,” she said.
Camden’s eyes widened, but he covered his surprise quickly.
“Your daughter,” he said, not even making it a question. “Is it the alpha’s child?”
“No,” Flora said quickly. “She’s from…before my engagement.”
She wasn’t quite ready to tell Camden the full truth, but she knew that if he believed it was Demetrius’ child, he would never agree to help. Retrieving her child was one thing; kidnapping the child of an alpha was another matter entirely.
Camden narrowed his eyes and seemed to decide that she was telling the truth. He nodded his head and extended his hand to her.
“I’ll help,” he said. “If you marry me. But before we go, I need to finish some business here. Can you wait here, or are you going to try to run away?”
“I won’t leave,” she swore.
Again, he seemed to believe her as he headed toward the door and down the stairs that would take him to his uncle’s study. It had been the truth. Now that she had a plan for getting her daughter away, she wasn’t going to move a muscle. Not until Sofia was safe in her arms again.
Chapter 4 - Camden
Before he went any further down this path with Flora, he needed to check in with his boss. As the elite squad leader, Camden had a lot of free rein when they were out on missions, but when they were at home, the alpha’s word was law. He needed to let Alpha Hughes know what had transpired since they last spoke. Without his permission, there was no way Camden could proceed with his plan.
Not that he had any intention of letting his uncle tell him no. Flora was going to be his wife, no matter what Uncle Harold had to say about it.
“Camden, my boy!” His uncle greeted him with a benevolent smile when he walked into the alpha’s office. He was in a good mood today, which was good news for Camden. “Welcome home! How was your trip?”
“It was…eventful,” Camden answered honestly. “We went to Ironbrand, as you asked, and did some recon. The pack was unsettled, it seemed.”
“Unsettled?” Alpha Hughes asked. “In what way?”
“Their alpha, Demetrius Sier, rules with an iron fist. The people seem to do whatever he asks of them out of fear rather than loyalty. We couldn’t get much information beyond vague observations, but Jasper—Ryland,” he corrected himself, knowing that his uncle wouldn’t know Jasper’s first name, “found a file on the alpha’s computer labeled ‘expansion.’ It seems like they might be looking to increase their territory. We should be on alert for any encroachments.”
“Is there anything else?” the alpha asked, seeming pleased but uninterested in the report.
Camden shifted on his feet. He needed to tell him about Flora, but without raising alarms about how she came to be back in their territory. Telling his uncle that he had kidnapped her from an alpha he had just described as a tyrant wouldn’t be the best choice.
“I found my mate,” he said simply.
This seemed to catch Harold’s attention.
“Did you now?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “And what is she like?”
“She is the perfect match for me,” Camden assured him. “But she was in a dangerous place when I found her. Her daughter wasn’t able to come with us, and we need to go back and get her—with your permission, of course.”
“Who is this woman?” Harold asked.
“You’ve met her before. Flora Jones.”
He could see the wheels turning in Harold’s brain as a crease appeared between his eyebrows. He shook his head, trying to place the name, before realization dawned on him.
“Not that human filth who lived here years ago?” he asked, aghast. “You should have left her where she was. What makes you think she’s a good match for a warrior like you?”
Camden felt rage welling within him at the way his uncle spoke about Flora. She was a far better person than most people in their pack. A far better person than Camden himself.
“She’s going to be my wife,” Camden said, ignoring his uncle’s offensive question.
Harold laughed, but he could tell his uncle wasn’t going to stop him from going through with his plans. He thought he was a fool, but Camden didn’t care.
