After about an hour of talking and getting to know one another a little better, Clayton decided it was time to tell her something that was weighing heavily on him. The potential deal breaker. He walked over to the kitchen, his mind consumed by a whirlwind of emotions. In the back of a cupboard, he found what he was looking for, a bottle of whiskey.
"Oooh!" Camden exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement and curiosity. "What's the occasion?" she asked, a playful smile tugging at her lips. Clayton's gaze met hers, a mix of apprehension and sadness in his eyes. "I don't think you'll be smiling after I tell you.” he replied, taking a long swig from the bottle.
Camden's face fell, and her playful demeanour shifted. "Oh, shit..." Her expression turned somber. "Give me that," she requested, reaching up for the bottle as she remained seated on the floor in front of the fireplace. "Something tells me I'm going to need this too," she added with a frown. "You might," Clayton replied, handing the bottle over to her with a pained expression. Camden took a big swig, gagging and pulling a face at the taste. "Ugh..." She moaned, shaking her head vigorously. Clayton reached back down for the bottle and took another enormous swig. Camden was morbidly impressed by the fact that he was able to drink it without any change to his facial expression.
Clayton resumed his restless pacing in front of the fireplace, the whiskey bottle clutched tightly in his hand. He avoided making eye contact with Camden, a clear sign of his inner turmoil. Finally, he mustered the courage to speak.
"Earlier, you mentioned that you don't know whether I want a family," Clayton began, his voice tinged with hesitation. "I do," he continued, taking another swig from the bottle. "Well, so do I," Camden interrupted, seizing the opportunity to ease his worries. Her smile radiated warmth and understanding. "Let me finish," Clayton insisted, his tone heavy with sadness. "I do want a family, I always have. I wanted to create the family I never had, but I can't."
Confusion and concern crept into Camden's expression. "You can't?" she asked gently, her voice laced with empathy. "I don't understand. You can't because you don't want to? Or you physically can't?"
Clayton ran a hand down his face in frustration. "Fuck... I can't believe I have to have this conversation with you," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the floor. Taking a deep breath, he met Camden's eyes and revealed his truth.
"It's not that I don't want to have children," he confessed, his voice strained. "Physically, I can't." He watched her face intently, searching for any hint of emotion, but she remained stoic, listening intently.
"When I was twelve, I had what you might call a 'sporting accident'," Clayton continued, his words tinged with bitterness. "Basically, a baseball thrown by a full-grown werewolf hit me square in the nuts. The doctors said I'll never be able to have kids as a result." He took another swig of whiskey. Camden reached up for the whiskey bottle, gently pulling it from Clayton’s fingers before taking another swig, her face betraying her distaste for it. The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the raging storm outside.
"Well, say something!" Clayton blurted out, unable to bear the tension any longer.
Camden sighed, her expression calm. "Think of all the free time we'll have to travel the world," she said, a small smile gracing her lips. "I assume all the equipment still works, right? It's just that babies are a no-go, correct?"
Clayton let out a sigh of relief, realizing the depth of her understanding. "The equipment works just fine, thank you," he quipped, a flicker of a smile forming on his face. He couldn't help but admire her strength and acceptance in the face of this revelation.
Camden shrugged nonchalantly. "You aren't upset?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty. He couldn't help but feel a mix of surprise and relief at Camden's composed reaction to his news. It was practically unheard of for werewolves to pursue a ‘child-free’ lifestyle, and she had just indicated to him moments ago that she did indeed want a family of her own. "I'm not upset," she replied, her voice steady and reassuring. "I would have liked a family, but if this is the card we've been dealt, then obviously it's not meant to be. We could always consider adopting, but I feel like that's a conversation for the future. It's not like you HAVE TO have children for your life to be full and complete. It's your own job to make your life full and complete," she explained, her words carrying a sense of wisdom and acceptance.
Clayton was taken aback by her perspective. The weight that had been pressing on his shoulders began to lift, replaced by a newfound hope. He flopped down next to Camden, resting his head on her shoulder, and handed her the whiskey bottle. She took another swig and handed it back to him.
"Sorry about your nuts though, that's fucking brutal" she said with a pained expression. "It was fucking brutal," he replied, his voice tinged with a mix of vulnerability and dark humour. He took another swig from the bottle, the warmth of the whiskey spreading through him.
"You smell good," Clayton murmured, his words muffled against Camden's shoulder. She chuckled softly, her hand gently running through his hair. "So do you," she replied, her voice filled with affection. They both turned their attention back to the dancing flames in the fireplace, the crackling fire providing a soothing backdrop to their conversation.
The storm raged on outside, but within the cabin, a sense of calm and understanding enveloped them. Clayton reached for the blanket he had pulled out earlier and wrapped it around both of them, cocooning them in warmth and comfort.
In that moment, as they listened to the thunder and wind, Clayton couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the woman by his side.
"Any other surprising revelations you'd like to share?" Camden asked with a mischievous smirk, her eyes sparkling with playful curiosity. "I don't think so," Clayton replied, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "How about you?" he asked. "Well, besides the fact that I was previously engaged and I’m not a virgin, nothing else comes to mind," Camden replied with a teasing grin. "You were engaged?!" Clayton gasped dramatically, clutching at his chest as if in shock. He imitated Camden's earlier gesture, pretending to faint. Camden burst into laughter, enjoying their playful banter. "Sorry, I thought the wedding dress you found me in made that pretty obvious," she confessed, still chuckling. Clayton stifled a fake sob, exaggerating his distress. "Camden, I just don't see how we can move past this. And not a virgin? This is a travesty. How could the goddess expect me to love someone like you?" he teased, his voice laced with mock indignation. Camden playfully elbowed him in the ribs, her
Their lips remained locked in a passionate kiss, their connection growing deeper with every passing moment. Camden's fingertips traced the contours of Clayton's chest, eliciting a shiver of pleasure from him. As her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands explored her curves, their bodies melting together in a dance of desire. With a playful twinkle in his eyes, Clayton grabbed her butt again and lifted her up, their laughter mingling with the sound of the storm raging outside. Camden couldn't resist the urge to kiss his neck, nibbling at his earlobe, causing him to sigh and moan in response. The intensity of their connection heightened, their breath mingling in the air. However, their passionate moment was interrupted by an enormous crack of lightning, followed by thunder that shook the cabin.Camden's heart raced, her body jolting with surprise. "Fuck!" Clayton exclaimed, his gaze fixed on the window. "There's a tree on fire out there," he said, concern etched on his face. "But we'l
"What do you want to do today?" Clayton asked, breaking the silence that enveloped the cabin. Camden let out a whiny groan and covered her face with a pillow. "Well, at this point, I'm uncertain as to whether I'm actually going to survive the day," she complained, her voice muffled. Clayton chuckled at her dramatic response. "For real though, was there anything you wanted to do today?" he persisted, genuinely interested. "You're kidding, right?" Camden replied, peeking out from behind the pillow. "Like what? You wanna go for a hike or something? At this rate, the only thing we can legitimately do is go fucking white river rafting - we can take off from your front door! The weather is horrific! If we aren't struck by lightning we'll drown out there."Clayton burst into laughter, finding amusement in her exasperation. "We'll have to get creative then, won't we? I'm sure you can think of SOMETHING to do indoors," he suggested, raising an eyebrow playfully. Camden sighed, considering his
Clayton shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the lingering sensation of Camden's touch. "You'd better put some clothes on," Camden sighed, breaking their embrace and biting her lip as she looked at his bare chest. He couldn't help but smile, enjoying the way she looked at him. Heading to a chest of drawers, Clayton pulled out a pair of black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Camden stared into the dancing flames as Clayton dressed, her thoughts seemingly lost in the flickering firelight."You hungry?" Clayton asked, making his way into the kitchen. "No, but I should probably eat for the sake of my hangover," Camden replied, her voice tinged with a touch of exhaustion. She suddenly turned towards him with a hesitant look on her face. "Would it be weird if I did some yoga?" she asked, a hint of embarrassment colouring her cheeks. Clayton chuckled, finding her self-consciousness endearing. "Pffft... Not at all. Yoga away. I'd love to see how flexible you are," he teased with a sl
"Is it 5 pm already?!" Camden exclaimed, glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall. "I suppose it is," Clayton replied, a hint of surprise in his voice. "The weather, it makes it difficult to judge when you can’t see the sun." He shrugged, his eyes lingering on the dancing flames. Camden, feeling a renewed burst of energy following her win, realised she was famished. "Shall I make us something to eat?" she offered, her gaze moving from Clayton to the kitchen. "Sure," Clayton smiled eagerly. "If you're feeling up to it." Camden's smile mirrored his, as she made her way to the kitchen. "Let's see what we have here."She began rummaging through cupboards and shelves, searching for ingredients. After a brief moment of contemplation, she settled on a box of mac and cheese, a familiar comfort food. "You eat spicy food, right?" she asked Clayton, who was busy tidying up the rest of the cabin as she cooked. "Yeah, sure," he said, wondering what she was getting up to. As Camden cooked, adding
TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULTCamden groaned, her forehead resting on Clayton's chest as she took a deep breath. She trailed her hands down his arms, their fingers intertwining. "Just to make it clear, I'm suffering just as much as you are here. It's a real struggle not to rip those boxers off of you," she said playfully, her teeth nipping at one of his nipples. "Arg... Cam, you're such a tease!" he moaned, his desire evident in his voice. "You're killing me over here!"Camden stepped back giving him a cold look, her playful demeanour vanishing in an instant. "Please don't say that," she said firmly, her eyes filled with a mix of rage and pain. “I’m sorry… I… I thought you were into it,” Clayton apologised awkwardly, uncertain of what was going on and what had changed between them so suddenly. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and continued, "Listen, I was, and I'm sorry." Her voice softened with genuine remorse. "I just..." She trailed off, her emotions swirling within her.
TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT"I don't want to push you," Clayton urged gently, his voice filled with compassion, "but did you know him?" His words hung in the air, heavy with anticipation. Camden took a deep breath, gathering her strength to share another painful piece of her past. "I did," she replied, her voice tinged with bitterness. "He was my boyfriend." She let out a bitter laugh, filled with self-deprecation. "I thought I was in love. I thought he was so sweet and so hot, and I was just a stupid 16-year-old girl." Tears welled up in Camden's eyes once again, but they flowed silently, her pain etched across her face. "He told me he wanted to show me something and led me into the forest," she continued, her voice trembling with the weight of her memories. "I thought he had some elaborate romantic surprise planned, like the waterfall or some beautiful scenic spot like that. But I was so naive and stupid."Clayton listened intently, his heart aching for the young girl who had be
Sitting in the dimly lit room, illuminated only by the flickering flames of the fire, Camden's sobs had subsided, and her tears had ceased their flow. With her arms securely wrapped around Clayton's neck and his embrace around her waist, she finally felt safe—safe from her past, safe from her fears. "Thank you," Camden whispered into Clayton's ear, her voice barely audible. The weight she had carried for years felt lighter, as if shared between them. "I'll always be here for you, Cam. You can tell me anything. We can get through anything together, okay?" Clayton reassured her, his voice filled with unwavering support. Camden nodded against his shoulder, finding solace in his words.They remained entwined, finding comfort and strength in each other's presence. Time seemed to blur as they held onto one another, basking in the warmth of their connection. Eventually, Clayton sensed Camden's exhaustion, her body growing limp in his embrace. "Are you tired?" he asked gently, his voice a ten