Page 3 of Rejected Mate Bride
She knew he wouldn’t be coming back to their meeting place, but every Tuesday, she showed up, anyway. It was foolish to hope he would have changed his mind, but Flora couldn’t abandon her feelings. They filled her thoughts every day, and her dreams each night. The memory of his rejection was burned into her like a brand. All she wanted was the chance to talk to him and make him see that her humanity was a problem they could overcome. If only he would give her the chance.
But three weeks later, he left for military training. He would be gone for two years at least. Flora knew she wouldn’t ever get the chance to talk to him about how they had left things. She was dead to him now.
And then the real catastrophe hit. Flora was pregnant.
Chapter 2 - Camden
It had been years since Camden had been back home. He and the rest of the soldiers of the Silverrose pack had been following their alpha’s orders, doing what needed to be done to maintain the safety of their people, but Camden was growing weary of life on the road.
The black ops squad he was part of was small but powerful. Because of their strength and ability to blend in, they had been given special orders from Alpha Harold Hughes, Camden’s uncle. With their enhanced directive, they had also been given more leeway in deciding their schedule than most squads were given. For years, they had stuck to the mission, focusing solely on helping the pack. But Camden and the other members of his squad were starting to lose focus.
“I think it’s time we take a break,” he announced to the squad as they got ready for the day.
They had slept under the stars last night with their blankets arranged around a smoldering fire that Franco Marbles was reviving to cook their breakfast. Marbles stopped what he was doing and raised an eyebrow at Camden.
“We just woke up, boss,” he pointed out. “Why would we need a break now?”
“Not that kind of break, Marbles,” Camden said with a chuckle. “A real break. We should go back to Silverrose for a while. See our families. Sleep in real beds for a change. We haven’t taken any R and R time yet. I think we’ve earned it, don’t you?”
The rest of the squad made sounds of assent. It had been too long since they had done anything except fight for the pack, they all agreed. Even Camden’s best friend and second-in-command, Jasper Ryland, who always pushed them past their breaking points on missions to get the job done, was on board.
“When?” Jasper asked him.
Camden and Jasper had been friends since they were kids, and because of that, they had an uncanny ability to communicate in very few words. They were also the only two members of the squad who called each other by their first names. Everyone else had been brought in to the squad for their special skills and ability to follow orders—true soldiers. Together, they had forged bonds of brotherhood, but only Jasper and Camden had been born with those bonds.
“Now,” Camden replied. There was no reason to wait. Their latest mission had been a success, and no further orders had come through from the alpha. There was nothing keeping them there. He turned his attention to the rest of the squad. “Get packed up, and we’ll head home.”
The mood around the camp brightened considerably as everyone began to load their bags. Marbles wasted no time in abandoning his attempt to restart the fire, choosing instead to pour the water from last night’s cleanup onto the hot coals. Smoke poured from the sizzling ring, filling the air with the ashy smell that Camden had begun to associate with the start of the day. Their lives had a particular rhythm to them, for which he was grateful. Being a soldier was always easier when the path was laid out in front of you. Decisions came much easier when you didn’t spend too much energy on the smaller, more mundane tasks of daily life.
The rest of the squad was packed up already and stood waiting for Camden’s order to load up into the vehicles. Just then, Camden’s phone rang. He heard one of them groan at the sound and couldn’t help but feel the same way. They had justdecided to go home. Of course, the alpha would call with another mission just then.
“Hello?” Camden said into his phone.
“Hughes,” the alpha replied. It always struck Camden as strange that his uncle called him by their shared last name, but tradition was tradition. He was a soldier, and that was what soldiers were called. “What’s your location?”
“Unmoved since the last check-in, but we’ve completed the objective and are getting ready to load out,” he said.
“Good. I have a potentially problematic alpha in your area. Twelve klicks to the east, just south of the Ironbrand River. Do you know it?”
“Yes,” Camden replied. “Recon only?”
“Recon only,” Alpha Hughes replied. “They are aware of your presence, so there’s no need to sneak around. Just gather what intel you can through diplomatic means.”
Camden hung up the phone and turned to the squad, who had been watching him nervously.
“We aren’t going home, are we?” Marbles asked dejectedly.
“Of course we are,” Camden assured him. “Just need to make a quick stop first. Don’t worry, it’ll be a quick in-and-out job. By tonight, we’ll be back in Silverrose.”
The men grumbled a little, but obeyed his orders to load up and head toward the Ironbrand pack’s territory. He wasn’t thrilled about their detour, either, but the sooner they got this mission over with, the sooner they could get back home.
As expected, the trip took no time at all. Long, winding stone walls fully enclosed the Ironbrand pack house, andCamden was starting to wonder how they were going to get inside when they approached the iron gates. They were wide-open.
“Strange,” he said.
“Should we stop here?” Jasper asked.
“No,” Camden replied. “Drive on. Either they’re expecting us, or they have an event going on. Either way, there’s no use sneaking around.”
