Chapter 4
1051 Words
AUTHOR POV
The night air was cold.
Camille barely noticed.
She walked past the gardens.
Past the training grounds.
Past the patrol routes.
Farther than she normally allowed herself to go.
The sounds of laughter and music faded behind her.
Good.
She didn't want to hear it.
Didn't want to imagine Damien smiling at Selena.
Didn't want to picture the way the pack looked at the widow.
The way they admired her.
Accepted her.
Preferred her.
The forest welcomed her with silence.
Moonlight filtered through ancient trees.
The familiar scent of pine and earth surrounded her.
Normally the forest calmed her wolf.
Tonight it wasn't enough.
She finally stopped beside a small stream.
The water shimmered beneath the moon.
For several moments she simply stood there.
Then the tears came.
Not graceful tears.
Not quiet tears.
Years of pain poured out at once.
Her shoulders shook.
Her chest tightened.
Every humiliation.
Every disappointment.
Every broken promise.
Every lonely night.
Every moment Damien chose someone else.
All of it crashed over her.
"Why?"
The question escaped in a whisper.
The stream offered no answer.
The moon offered no answer.
Only silence.
Her wolf stirred restlessly beneath her skin.
Hurt.
Confused.
Rejected.
A werewolf's mate bond was sacred.
The strongest connection gifted by the Moon Goddess.
Yet lately Camille wondered if hers was dying.
Because every day Damien drifted farther away.
Every day she felt less connected to him.
Less loved.
Less wanted.
A branch snapped nearby.
Camille immediately straightened.
Years of Luna training sharpened her instincts.
Someone was approaching.
The scent reached her first.
Familiar.
Safe.
Noah.
The Beta stepped into view moments later.
His expression darkened the moment he saw her face.
"You've been crying."
Camille laughed weakly.
"Am I that obvious?"
"To me?"
He shrugged.
"Always."
For the first time all evening, a genuine smile appeared on her face.
Small.
Fragile.
But real.
Noah approached carefully.
Leaving respectful distance between them.
He sat on a fallen log.
Camille remained standing.
After a moment he spoke.
"You left the party."
"I noticed."
His mouth twitched.
"Damien didn't."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Instant regret crossed his face.
Camille looked away.
The truth hurt because it was true.
Noah sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
"No."
His voice hardened.
"It's not."
Silence settled between them.
The stream continued flowing.
The wind whispered through the trees.
Finally Noah spoke again.
"You deserve better than this."
Camille stared at the water.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
She swallowed.
Painfully.
"What if this is all there is?"
Noah frowned.
"What?"
"What if this is my life now?"
The words sounded hollow.
Broken.
Even to her own ears.
Noah stood.
"Camille."
She looked at him.
The Beta rarely used her first name.
Not since she became Luna.
His expression was serious.
Almost angry.
"You are one of the strongest women I've ever met."
Camille laughed.
"No."
"Yes."
"Noah—"
"You held this pack together while Damien was gone for months after his brother died."
She opened her mouth.
He continued.
"You worked through every crisis."
"That was my job."
"You cared about people."
His voice grew firmer.
"You remember names."
"You visit injured warriors."
"You help struggling families."
"You stay up all night solving problems nobody else notices."
Camille stared at him.
No one had ever listed those things before.
No one had ever acknowledged them.
Noah shook his head.
"And somehow you've convinced yourself you're not enough."
A lump formed in her throat.
Because lately she had.
Every ignored conversation.
Every cancelled plan.
Every forgotten promise.
They all whispered the same message.
Not enough.
Not enough.
Not enough.
Noah's voice softened.
"The problem isn't you."
Camille closed her eyes.
Those words nearly broke her.
Because she wanted to believe them.
Desperately.
But believing them felt dangerous.
Hope always hurt in the end.
Suddenly a powerful scent reached them.
Alpha.
Both wolves stiffened.
Damien.
Noah cursed quietly.
A moment later the Alpha emerged from the trees.
His eyes immediately landed on Camille.
Then shifted to Noah.
Something dark flashed across his face.
Possessiveness.
Territorial instinct.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
"What are you doing here?"
The question was directed at Noah.
The Beta folded his arms.
"Talking."
Damien's jaw tightened.
"Alone."
Noah's expression became flat.
"She looked upset."
"I can handle my mate."
The words sounded more like a warning than reassurance.
Camille felt exhaustion settle over her.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Just exhaustion.
Noah looked ready to argue.
Camille intervened before things escalated.
"It's fine."
The Beta hesitated.
His eyes found hers.
Making sure.
Making absolutely sure.
Finally he nodded.
"Goodnight, Luna."
"Goodnight."
Noah disappeared into the forest.
Leaving Camille alone with Damien.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Damien stared at her.
His eyes lingered on her face.
The signs of crying.
The red eyes.
The exhaustion.
For a brief moment guilt appeared.
Then vanished.
"What happened?"
Camille almost laughed.
What happened?
Three years happened.
A thousand disappointments happened.
Tonight happened.
But she was too tired to explain.
"Nothing."
"Don't lie."
Something snapped.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Camille looked directly at him.
"Why?"
Damien frowned.
"Why what?"
"Why did you come?"
The question caught him off guard.
"I was looking for you."
"Why?"
His brows pulled together.
Confusion.
Frustration.
Neither answered her question.
Camille took a slow breath.
"You didn't notice I left."
Silence.
The truth landed.
Heavy.
Damien's expression shifted.
Only slightly.
But she saw it.
Because it was true.
He hadn't noticed.
Someone else must have told him.
The realization settled between them.
Ugly and unavoidable.
"Camille."
His voice sounded different now.
Less certain.
But she was too tired.
Far too tired.
She stepped around him.
"I'm going home."
Damien caught her wrist.
Not painfully.
Just enough to stop her.
The contact sent warmth through the mate bond.
A warmth she hated for still existing.
Slowly Camille looked down at his hand.
Then back at him.
For several seconds neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Something unreadable passed through Damien's eyes.
Something she couldn't identify.
Fear.
Maybe.
For the first time in a very long time.
Alpha Damien Blackwood looked afraid.
Not of rogues.
Not of enemies.
Not of war.
Afraid of losing something.
Unfortunately for him...
Camille was beginning to realize she might already be gone.
- Writer
