Page 6 of Banished Mates
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised; we would have already gotten together if we were going to, right?
My heart constricted in my chest.
I licked my dry lips, mustering the energy to get it together. I dipped my chin in a tight nod.
She exhaled. I was sure there was a smile on her face, but I didn’t bother looking up. I didn’t want her to see the agony etched in my expression.
When Camden was mated, I would lose him and his mother. Except, it seemed like their care for me stemmed from pity.
That wasn’t fair.Camden had been by my side for years.
This day was bound to come. Camden needed a mate to lead as pack Alpha. I’d always known this. But fuck, I never thought it would hurt this much. I never expected his mother would ask me to encourage him to do it. Like she was ready to give another girl the affection she’d always given me. And then Camden would...
No. I couldn’t endure it. I couldn’t do it. Unless...
Would the pack accept me as Camden’s mate if I shifted?
Would Camden finally take the steps to be with me if I did?
None of it mattered.
Even if I shifted, I didn’t want him to only choose me because I had a wolf, or out of some sense of guilt I’d had no idea he struggled with. That was unfair to me. I deserved to be loved unconditionally. And he deserved to have a mate that wouldn’t put him in danger and be hunted for being an Omega.
Willow
I showered,got ready, and then puttered through the kitchen as I stuffed my face with a granola bar Hector left on the counter. Somehow my shower had taken longer than I’d expected and I was left rushing.
Time management wasn’t my best attribute.
I hunched over and peeked into the fridge, and my bag slid down my arm and smacked into the door. As I readjusted it over my shoulder, I noticed we still had sandwich stuff, so there was no need for me to stop by the store to restock.
I took care of that household bit, since I was in the city for work, an hour from the heavily wooded area the pack was located.
When I didn’t want to, Hector had no problem going into the store, but I felt less guilty about not spending as much time with him as I used to.
As a pack enforcer, he was often too busy running himself ragged as he patrolled the area, but I would always finagle quality time together. Now, I didn’t have as much time, which was the advantage of pack meals being provided. I still liked having stuff around just in case he got hungry, considering werewolves were notorious for eating constantly.
Nearing the door, I smoothed the carpet that folded under Hector’s heavy boots and exited, the door clicking shut behind me. It was nice not having to worry about locking the doors on pack land.
The cool air hit my face and a chill crawled up my neck, racking a shiver from my limbs. My wet hair wasn’t making it any better, but I was on a mission: talk to Camden before I rushed out of here in Hector’s beat up truck.
Rounding my house toward the heavier wooded area, I climbed over one of the fallen redwoods. It was fortunately a small one, or else I would have had to climb the trunk. Some of these trees were absolute monsters.
A few minutes later, I was pushing away some of the foliage to see his home. The one he’d built after the Alpha informed him that he wouldn’t allow him to move out of the pack house. It was a one bedroom, one bath, with a living room and entertainment room, but each space was huge.
What I loved most about it was that it was well into the woods, away from the tons of pack members.
A thump accompanied by a grunt echoed through the trees, disturbing the peaceful silence. I followed the sound, rounding the house to the back side.
I skidded to a stop as a shirtless Camden lifted the axe over his head, eyes narrowed in on the stump in front of him. The muscles beneath his firm, taut flesh twitched as he brought the axe down to its target.
The thud vibrated up my spine, and my body clenched. Heat spawned near my belly and spread downward. As if molasses had been slathered there and dripped down, coating my throbbing pussy.
Sweet baby werewolf, he was hot.
My knuckles popped as I fisted my hands. This was nothing new, he was hot. I always believed that, but the blatant sexual appeal in front of me was a damn menace.
I clenched my thighs together, forced my hands to relax and cleared my throat. Camden looked over at me, no surprise in his expression at my presence.
