Chapter 7: The Storm on the Horizon

The pair wandered back to the cabin aimlessly, enjoying the surroundings and the riches that nature had to offer. Once they arrived back, they shifted into their human forms, feeling the exhaustion from the day's excitement starting to catch up with them. As they were heading inside, Clayton noticed some dark clouds looming overhead in the distance. "Shit... That's not good" he mumbled to himself. "What's wrong?" Camden asked, turning her gaze in the same direction as his. "It looks like there's a storm coming, and the storms here can be vicious. At least we got supplies today" he replied, concern evident in his voice. Camden's unease grew, her senses heightened by the impending danger.

They moved inside where Camden flopped onto the bed wearing the pair of leggings and t-shirt that she had packed in her backpack earlier and had taken with to the waterfall. "We need to get you a couch," she mused with a playful smile. "I've thought about it, but getting the mattress here was hard enough," Clayton replied, clearly reliving a rather challenging memory as he sighed, listening to the rumble of thunder in the distance.

He shuffled over to the kitchen and stated, "Okay, tonight we can eat some real food. You eat hotdogs, right?" he asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow as he awaited her response. Camden looked at him for a moment, trying to establish whether he was being serious or not before she burst into a fit of laughter, unable to contain herself. "Hotdogs? Real food?" she exclaimed between gasps for air as she tried to catch her breath. "Yeah," she eventually managed to say amidst her laughter, "I eat hotdogs, Clayton."

"Fresh bread is a rare treat over here, Cam" he said, giving her a disapproving look. "So then learn to bake bread?" Camden suggested with a giggle, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Tell you what, next time we go into town, we'll get the ingredients and then you can bake me some bread." Clayton proposed with a smile. "Oh yeah? What do I get in return?" Camden asked with a smirk. "I can bake a mean loaf of bread, but it takes time, patience, motivation. You’re going to have to make it worth my while." Camden joked with a sly smile. "Well, I mean, I figured you're staying in my house, spending my money on clothes and supplies, eating my food, sleeping in my bed... I feel like a loaf of bread isn't asking a lot," Clayton retorted, suddenly seeming a bit put out by Camden’s suggestion that she might want something in exchange. She brushed it off and scoffed, "If you're my mate, then all that is technically mine anyway. We're supposed to share everything." It seemed that the conversation was going in an unanticipated direction now. Camden had just been kidding when she'd asked what he would give her. She was hoping for a silly answer, like his undying devotion, or sexual favours, or something like that. But instead, he had turned the conversation around and made her feel guilty for being here now, like there were limitations to her welcomeness.

"Am I your mate?" Clayton asked, curiosity tinging his voice, "I don’t see any marks on either of us." Camden glared at him, her eyes smouldering, "Are you for real right now? After agreeing that you're okay with taking things slow, you now want to bring up the mark? Fuck, how did this even start? You want bread? I'll make you some fucking bread if that's the price for staying here. I didn’t realise we had some kind of rental agreement with freshly baked fucking bread as the currency!" Camden huffed, getting up and looking around the room for a corner of solitude. "And now, all I want to do is get away from you because I’m so mad, and I can’t because I can see you from every corner of this house and I can't leave because there's about to be a class 5 hurricane out there!" she spewed in frustration. "I was just kidding..." Clayton said innocently. "I don't think you were." Camden replied firmly, glaring at him with fury. "I just asked for some time - I don't know you, Clayton. I want to get to know you first. I want to spend time with you. Is that such a terrible thing to ask? I don't even know your favourite colour, or what sports you like. I don't know what foods you like. I don't know if you want a family. I don't know you - I want to get to know you. And just in case you don't remember, YOU were the one who initially had reservations about us being mates."

“You’re the one asking me what you’re going to ‘get in return’ if you bake a loaf of bread, Cam. Like I need to pay you for being here or something. How am I supposed to interpret that?” he asked, his eyes demanding an answer from her. “That was obviously a joke! I set you up to make promises of sexual favours or undying devotion!” she responded, her voice ringing with annoyance. A pang of guilt swept over Clayton. He hadn’t gotten the joke and as a result, maybe he had pushed it too far. He'd been kidding when he mentioned the mark, but obviously it hadn't come across that way to Camden. He frowned as he looked at her raging face. "I'm sorry, I didn’t get the joke,” he conceded. “And you're right," he added with a sigh. "We don't know each other, and we have a lot of catching up to do. Let me finish making dinner and we can talk more." Clayton’s mind churned. They definitely did have a lot to talk about. There was something he needed to tell her. Something important. A potential deal breaker.

Camden closed her eyes, allowing his apology to settle within her. Frustration lingered, but she recognized the sincerity in his words. Perhaps it was time to set aside immediate concerns and truly open up to one another, exploring the depths of their personalities, hopes, and dreams.

Clayton added more logs to the crackling fire, bathing the room in a warm glow. He retrieved a cozy blanket from the chest, spreading it on the floor in front of the fireplace. Gesturing for Camden to join him, he set their hotdogs down in front of the fireplace. With a mixture of reluctance and curiosity, Camden complied, taking a seat on the floor beside Clayton. They sat in silence for a moment as the storm outside intensified, the wind rattling the cabin.

Breaking the silence, Clayton cleared his throat. "Alright, ask me anything," he offered, his voice brimming with a genuine desire to share. Camden rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Are you a virgin?" she asked sarcastically. Clayton laughed. "No," he answered with a chuckle, meeting Camden's gaze. "Are you?" He asked. "No," she replied simply. He was a little surprised. Being the daughter of an Alpha, he thought she might have been more safeguarded in that way, and girls were usually a lot more sentimental about that kind of thing, wanting to save themselves for their mate and all.

Camden could see the wheels turning in Clayton's mind. "You want to know more?" She asked in a tone that was not unkind. "Um... Maybe. Like, you don't have to give me all the details...." He trailed off. "How many men have you been with?" He eventually asked. Camden maintained her nonchalant demeanour as she responded, "Five." Clayton couldn't conceal his astonishment, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Five?!" he blurted out, momentarily taken aback by the number. Camden's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Oh, please," she retorted, "are we living in the Dark Ages where women have to remain virgins until their wedding night?" Her words carried a playful edge, challenging his traditional expectations. "How many women have you been with?" she countered. "That's not the same..." Clayton started, but she cut him off. "It's exactly the same." "I'm older than you!" He exclaimed, trying to justify himself. "So how many women then?" Camden asked again, her gaze fixed on him. He sighed, his expression a mix of contemplation and vulnerability. "I don't know. Maybe around twelve?" he admitted, a tinge of embarrassment and shame colouring his features.

Camden gasped dramatically in mock horror. "Twelve?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she clutched at imaginary pearls around her neck. "How will I ever compete with these twelve women from your past? How can I, your true mate as bestowed upon you by the Moon Goddess herself, possibly compete with these twelve random women who seem to have no place in your current life?" She leaned back against Clayton's shoulder pretending to faint.

"Oh ha ha..." Clayton grumbled, stuffing a mouthful of hotdog into his face. "I'm just saying it doesn't matter anymore. The past is the past. Let's look to our future together instead." Camden suggested, her tone hopeful. "I know. You're right," Clayton agreed, nodding. "And about the bread thing and the mate thing, I really was kidding. I just pushed it too far." Camden nodded and sighed. “I’m sorry too. I said we don’t know each other, and I guess that goes for humour as well. We have a lot to learn about one another still. But don't ever make me feel like I owe you something for being here, okay? If you only want me around for things I can provide or give you, this is never going to work. And it's the same the other way too. I don't ever want you to feel like I'm only with you because of what you can give me. So, I also hope I didn't give you the wrong impression. I want us to be a team,” Camden explained, looking down at her half-eaten hotdog, hoping that they were now on the same page in that regard.