Page 48 of Rejected Mate Bride
“We found an informant who was willing to talk. Sier has been kidnapping female shifters from surrounding packs to use as slaves and to…grow his pack,” Jasper said, wincing at the words as he cast an uncomfortable look at Flora. “Packs that fight back against him have been eliminated. Remember how we thought that the Dark Claw pack had left the area? We were only half-right.”
“He killed them?” Camden asked, alarmed.
Jasper nodded and shook his head at the same time, as if he couldn’t believe the news. “Sier is expanding his territory and his pack. It’s way bigger than any of us thought.”
Camden could hardly believe it himself. They had known Sier was up to something, but what Jasper was telling him were the actions of a man with no conscience whatsoever. It was pure evil. He looked at Flora, expecting her to have the same reaction, and was shocked to see that her face was impassive.
“You already knew, didn’t you?” he asked.
“I didn’t realize until last night that Silverrose didn’t know what was going on in Ironbrand,” Flora admitted. “I toldHarold about it when we were talking, and I was trying to change his mind about handing me over to Demetrius. I thought the kidnapping was why you were investigating him in the first place.”
“No,” Camden admitted. “If we had known how bad it was, we would have stepped in long ago.”
The room was silent as the three of them considered what course of action to take. Camden was glad Jasper had found an informant at least. With evidence of what was going on, he would be able to convince the pack council to take action against Alpha Sier and get payback for his uncle’s death in the process.
“Did you find out why he’s kidnapping so many women?” Camden asked. “I can understand the idea behind taking over other packs, but don’t they have enough women in Ironbrand for population replacement, if that’s what he’s concerned about?”
Jasper shook his head, indicating he hadn’t found the answer, when Flora spoke up.
“I know the answer to that, too,” she said with a sigh. “He only told me because he said no one would believe me, anyway. Alpha Sier is infertile. He’s afraid that because he can’t have his own children, he’s going to lose the respect of his warriors if they ever find out. He’s using the kidnapped women as gifts to appease his men. They can marry them if they want to, but that isn’t what their purpose is.”
Camden saw red as his mind went again to all the horrible possibilities that could have befallen Flora if she had been taken back to Ironbrand. Another thought crossed his mind as he realized how close Flora had come to being a part of that pack.
“Is that why he wanted you? Because of Sofia?” he asked.
Flora nodded. “I already had a child that he could adopt, and with me as his mate, the line would remain intact. When she grew up, he could marry her off to whichever son of the Ironbrand pack he chose to become his heir and the future alpha, thus securing his legacy. No one would suspect him of being infertile if he married a weak human like me. He could tell them I was to blame for any…deficiencies. He could say I wasn’t strong enough to carry his pureblooded alpha children. No one would have any reason to doubt him. I was an easy scapegoat. If he tried that with another shifter, it was more likely that their family would have questions and eventually someone would find out the truth. Stella and Ben already think I’m useless, so there was no risk of that happening if he married me.”
“So, he’s growing the pack through sheer force of will and cutting down anyone who stands in his way,” Jasper surmised. “Sounds like him.”
“Go and get the rest of the squad,” Camden said.
This new information and the continued abuse of women in the surrounding territories were enough of a threat for the Silverrose wolves to make a move against Alpha Sier and take him down once and for all. Now that they had evidence and witnesses to what was going on, he could convince the rest of the pack that it was time.
Jasper nodded, leaving to get Marbles and Thompson. Camden turned to Flora.
“You can’t be thinking of goingnow,” Flora argued. “Your uncle’s funeral isn’t even done yet!”
“That’s why it should happen now,” Camden pointed out. “He needs to be stopped, Flora. Every day that we wait puts more people at risk. I don’t want that on my conscience.”
Flora sighed, knowing that Camden was right. “I’m worried,” she admitted.
“You and Sofia will be safe here with the pack,” Camden assured her.
“I’m not worried for myself,” she said, reaching out to take his hand. She pressed it to her heart, and Camden felt tears welling in his eyes, mirroring her own. “What if something happens to you?”
“I can handle it,” he said.
He hoped the strength in his voice was assurance enough that she should trust him to come back home safely. She had spent years worrying about her own safety and what would become of her future. It was only natural that now that she had some stability, she would worry about it all crashing down on her.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said softly. “Give Sofia a kiss for me, okay?”
Chapter 23 - Flora
Flora felt a pit of worry settle in her stomach. She knew that Camden was a capable warrior; she had seen it firsthand in training. His skills weren’t the concerning part, though. She knew that he was emotionally compromised by the attacks on her and Sofia and the subsequent death of his uncle. The pack was leaderless, waiting for someone to fill the void left by Alpha Hughes, meaning that there was no one who could order the pack warriors’ full strength to aid in Camden’s plan to go against Ironbrand. The only backup Camden had was that of his three-person squad: Cillian, Jasper, and Franco. Would four warriors be enough to take down Alpha Sier and his much larger pack? Flora wasn’t so sure.
All she could do was trust him when he said he would return to her, safe and sound, after taking down their enemy. Trust hadn’t come easily for them, but now that he had proved himself to her time and time again, she decided that she could do this. She could let him go and believe he would come back.
“Can we go home now, Mom?” Sofia asked, grabbing her hand.
