The Forgotten Claim (The Claim: Book 1)

Chapter 22 - Cameron

Despite the crash and burn of his big reveal to Olivia, Cameron's biggest concern was ensuring her safety. He didn't have time to mentally beat himself up over how the truth unfolded. His mind was set on one thing and one thing only, and if he came off sounding like an asshole, he didn't give a rat's ass. Olivia could deal with it. If she couldn't grasp the seriousness of the situation, she was a lost cause.

The timing was shitty but he couldn't rewind time, like he couldn't go back to when he first left her five years ago in the battle that nearly killed him.

This time, he was stronger and a more skilled fighter. He'd come back to her. Maybe not unscathed, but he had learned from his mistakes before and his family knew about her. If something happened to him, they would contact her.

For now, she needed some time to herself to think things over.

And he needed to kill some rogues before they killed his packmates.

Before leaving for battle, he pulled his mate flush against him and grasped her lips, pouring all of himself into a kiss that evoked the passion burning within him and his possession over her. She was his and he was hers. He made sure that was damn clear before he dashed out of the suite and down the stairs to the back door of the hotel.

Jumping in the car, he slammed on the accelerator and sped away.

It was shortly after five o'clock when he dropped Sam and his mate off at the packhouse. He held the door open to the infirmary for Sam to carry his mate in before ducking out and shifting into his wolf.

There was no one to be seen in the mainland. All of the elderly, pups, and females unable to fight were locked within their secured basements. He heaved a sigh of relief that Luna Aki got herself and her pup to safety this time. Kicking off the front porch, he sprinted across the open green valley to the surrounding forest.

Mentally checking in with his pack, he found that most of the rogues had come in the north end. A few wolves were on the east and west ends of the territory with Aspen Beach in the south-west end of the border.

[To put your mind at ease, guard the south-west end of the border. We've got the rogues out-numbered ten-to-one up here,] Alpha Noodin told him telepathically.

[Thank you, Alpha,] Cameron responded and turned south-west back toward Aspen Beach.

Sam must have been guarding the south-west border before his mate passed through.

Cameron's lips curled up as he pushed himself harder, faster.

That male was trouble. Cameron didn't know what his deal was but he knew he had to stop the male before he got too far or out of hand. It would take some time for him to recover from the broken bones Cameron inflicted but Sam could use that time to try and win the male over.

The earth flew beneath his paws. The undergrowth of the woods brushed against his shoulders as he hurdled miles through the woods, skirting around farmers' fields, and splashing through creeks.

He returned to the edge of Aspen Beach and sniffed around for any foreign wolf scents but the town was clean. Relieved, he continued west to the edge of the territory that lined the city limits of the major metropolis. He found Sam's scent along with his mates, but otherwise, the area was clear.

Hours passed as he trotted up and down the south-western border with no sign of any rogues. Through the pack's mind-link, he overheard the battle waging in the north. Five packmates were killed and all but two of the rogues were eliminated. More rogues were killed on the north-east and west edges and packmates sustained injuries, but their defenses were stronger than the rogues' offenses.