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“That’s because you sleep through everything,” Drew shot back.
He was right, but had Drew yelled that night, I bet Riven would have been up in a second. He might be a heavy sleeper, but he was vigilant, and he was quick to react.
From the moment I met them, I always felt safe with these men around. They would do anything to protect me.
I never considered myself one of those omegas who relied on others to provide for me. I had full intentions of contributing to our life once I finished this healing journey we were on. There was no way I could sit back and make them work for me.
Just by being close, they made me feel stronger. The fact that they encouraged me to be independent and do what made me happy was just icing on the cake.
“Okay, done,” Riven said as they threw the last bag into the truck. It was almost overflowing, but he didn’t seem the least bit upset by that. He locked up the unit, making sure everything was secured before we all climbed back in.
You would have thought that we left Mia for hours the way she reacted, but she immediately curled up in my lap as we rumbled down the road, Lake’s hand on my thigh, Riven’s eyes on the road, all of us preparing for another adventure.
I hoped it would always be like this with them, making plans at the last minute and going all in. I’d never considered myself as spontaneous, but they were helping me embrace the new Shaye.
She was excited, always ready for an adventure, and I was loving every second of it.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Shaye
The sign for Camp Willow was barely hanging on as it swung on the thin chain that used to hold it in place. The letters were peeling off and the wood was starting to rot.
The old gate was still bound by a thick chain and padlock. For a second, I thought that might be the end of our camping trip until Riven went up and pulled on the hinges. His muscles bulged and they gave way easily. He just tossed the gate aside and dusted his hands off like this was a normal thing to do.
“We’re doing a bit too much breaking and entering on this adventure,” Micah groaned, but his protest was half-hearted. I very much doubted anyone would be out here.
We tried to find the owners, but the last information we found on Camp Willow was when it was still a retreat people could rent.
The entire campground was surrounded by a tall wooden fence that looked like someone stuck a bunch of thin logs together. It was isolated and protected. Even the road leading up to it was half overgrown.
We abandoned the truck and opted to walk in. I kept Mia close, not wanting her to get tangled in the overgrowth because nature had definitely reclaimed this camp.
The entryway was an open area, with a few picnic tables and some random gear scattered around. Two sides were fenced off with a door in the middle and the back wall was the front of a wooden cabin. It likely used to belong to the owners and was for checking in.
Now the windows were busted out and jutting out with jagged edges. The door was slightly ajar and I would guess that there was more than just vines creeping inside there now.
The door to the right said “employees only” and there was a sign outside the door to the left that said “dining area, bathrooms, campsite, cabin.”
“Let’s head that way,” I said, avoiding the employee area for now.
Lake moved ahead, pulling some branches out of the way so Mia and I could get through as Riven and Drew pushed open the rusted door.
There was a wooden pavilion that ran along one side of the new area. The rest was open, with a large campfire ring and several logs around it.
Off to the other side was a small storage shed that said “games” on the outside. I tried to peek inside, but it was too dark. What I could see showed a few different basketballs and a beanbag toss game.
The tall, wooden fences led further in, and we followed the pathway to the next area that had a large bathhouse.
The chances of me doing anything in there were very slim. I’d rather pee in the woods.
Beyond that was an area for the permanent tents. They were made of sturdy canvas, somehow surviving the years of neglect. They were set on platforms that kept them off of the ground and dry if any big rains came through.
The fence parted in the back corner, leading into another area. I wove my way through the maze, passing some abandoned supplies, and into another large, open area.
The fences seemed to cut off here, though there were still some makeshift barriers blocking the woods from the row of picnic tables. A river acted as the final barrier to the campground.
The beach was fine gravel and there were a few mangled beach chairs and umbrellas that still remained.
