Time ticked idly by, drawn out by Olivia's restlessness and the uncertainty that was taking place beyond the walls of her hotel room on the fifth floor. Cameron told her that she had a lot of contemplating to do, and indeed she did with the revelations of him being some sort of werewolf and the implications that would have on Chloe.

She couldn't believe that Chloe would one day turn into a wolf. It had to be painful and the thought of her baby transforming into another creature was chilling. She wanted nothing more than to go to her mother's house that instant and hold her daughter and will her to stop growing. To stay sweet, young and innocent and never grow up in such a horrific world like Cameron's.

She knew she shouldn't think that way as crime-riddled the streets of her city as well, but everything came at once in such a shock that she couldn't think rationally.

An hour after Cameron left, she called her mother to talk to Chloe. It was more of a reassurance call than she would admit. Chloe was fine and enjoying herself like any four-year-old should—safe and secure without a worry in the world beyond her own immediate needs.

"Tessa got a puppy!" Chloe gushed on the phone, talking about neighbors' daughter whom she liked to play with. "Can we get a puppy too?"

Your father turns into a wolf, would that do? Olivia was tempted to say but held her tongue. That sounded crazy even to her, never mind what a four-year-old would think. "Maybe someday when we get a house. Puppies need more room to play."

"We could keep it at Grandma's house!"

Olivia could see her mother scowling in the background with that suggestion. She was more of a cat-person than a dog-person.

"I don't think so, sweetie. If you want a puppy, you have to take care of it, not Grandma."

"Does Daddy have a house? He can take care of it and we can play with the puppy on weekends!"

Olivia chewed on her lip at the mention of Cameron. Where was he now? Was he okay? "I don't know. You'll have to ask him."

Chloe heaved a sigh of defeat. "Okay, fine. When will we get a house?"

Olivia feigned shock. "What? You don't like where we live?"

"Nope," Chloe said, popping the 'p' sound for the first time and making Olivia wonder where she picked that up from. "I think we should live with Daddy."

Olivia's brows rose up. "Oh, you do, do you?" Where was this coming from?

"Well..." Chloe trailed off as if picking her words thoughtfully. "You're my mommy and he's my daddy. We should live together, right?"

"Well," Olivia replied, choosing her own words carefully now, "not all mommies and daddies live together."

"Why?"

"Well..." Olivia was biding her time to put the right words together that a child could understand. "Sometimes, mommies and daddies are better people when they are not together."

"Why?"

"Some mommies and daddies fight when they are together, so they are happier not living together."

"Do you and Daddy fight a lot?"

Olivia sighed, grappling with her feelings for Cameron. "No, not a lot. Sometimes we argue. You know, shout and say mean things we shouldn't say to each other."

"Why?"

Why, indeed? "Because we get frustrated with each other. We have problems to figure out, sweetie. A lot happened when Cameron lost his memories. We need to talk more."

"About what?"

Olivia was trying to limit the details about the possibilities of her and Cameron getting together. But Chloe being Chloe, and children asking questions when clear answers were not provided, would continuously ask a stream of questions until she got the answers she was looking for—especially if she could ask questions that would get her what she wanted.

Chloe wouldn't call Cameron 'Daddy' if she didn't want him to be her father. She wouldn't ask to start bedtime stories early with Cameron on the phone and read more stories if she didn't want to have him take an active role in her life. It was no secret that Chloe liked Cameron, but in her innocence, she would like anyone who was kind and sweet to her.

It was clear that Chloe was fishing for answers that Olivia didn't want to give—especially since she saw Cameron turn into a wolf—until she spoke more with him.

"About what's best for you, me, and Cameron. Okay? I have to go now, sweetie," she said, hoping to evade more questions that she didn't want to answer until Cameron came back.

If he came back.

She scowled at herself. He'll come back. Trust that he'll get through this and come back.

She said goodbye to Chloe and blew kisses into the phone before ending the call. Hanging her head, she closed her eyes and wondered where to go from there. She knew Cameron was right. She had to stay in the hotel where it was safe. She couldn't put her life in jeopardy when she didn't know how close the dangers were out there or if they would come after her. She had no means of communicating with anyone to find out what was going on.

Staying put was her only option to ensure her own safety so she could return to Chloe when it was all over.

Heaving a sigh, she stood up and took that shower Cameron told her to take. Afterward, she ordered room service and went out on the balcony to spend her evening reading a book on an app on her phone, surrounded by flowers. The sun began to set, splashing shades of crimson and red across the sky. Any other day and it would have been beautiful and romantic, but knowing that Cameron was out there fighting for his life and the lives of others, it was an ominous reminder. She went inside and drew the curtains shut and opted to watch TV for a bit.

Hours passed as anxiety gnawed away within her. She thought she heard howls in the distance from wolves, but she couldn't be sure as they were too far away and she didn't dare venture out onto the balcony now in the middle of the night. Even though she was five stories up, she didn't know what these werewolves were capable of. It wasn't worth the risk and she kept all the windows and doors locked for good measure.

The clock's hour hand struck midnight. Then one, and two, before voices in the hallway outside her suite whispered and the door opened.

Olivia sprang to her feet as a dark-haired stranger with tanned skin and carrying a large black duffel bag entered. Before she could question who he was, another man with graying black hair pulled back into a braid limped in with Cameron on his back.

She stifled a gasp at the sight of Cameron. Despite the blood and dirt that coated his body, rendering him nearly unrecognizable, she knew it was him and he was in rough shape.

The first man greeted her with a tip of his head before pointing to the bathroom. The other man limped in with Cameron and the first man followed.

Olivia hurried after them and peered inside as Cameron was set down on the toilet with a grunt. "What happened? Will he be okay? Is it over?"

The first man turned to her and introduced himself as Doctor Waaban while the other man turned on the water in the large standing shower. "I haven't been able to fully examine him to see the extent of his injuries yet, but the battle is over, yes. He's suffered some deep scratches across his body but the most concerning injury at the moment has to do with his ear. It's too close to his previous head trauma and is currently causing him dizziness. Until I get a better look at it, I can't tell if it will be a temporary issue or a permanent one."

"So, aside from his ear, he'll be okay?" she asked.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Yes, he'll be fine."

Cameron was instructed to stand slowly and enter the shower but to avoid getting his ear wet. The older man went in with him to clean the encrusted blood and dirt from his body and Olivia was asked to wait outside.

She paced between the kitchenette and living room, straining her ears for more information being exchanged between the men, but most of their conversation revolved around telling Cameron to move this way or that way while he groaned in pain. Ten minutes trickled by before the water was turned off and the doctor stepped out to retrieve the duffel bag on the floor near the door.

She peered into the bathroom as Cameron sat on the toilet again, naked, with deep scratches across his arms, neck, shoulders, back, chest, and legs. Blood seeped from each one as the doctor opened up his duffel bag to retrieve bandages and a bottle of cleaning fluid and set to work cleaning and dressing each wound before examining his ear. In the meantime, the older man stepped out of the bathroom and introduced himself as Blair, Cameron's father.

"Let's take a seat. We won't be of much use in there and will only get in Doctor Waaban's way. Would you like a cup of tea?"

Olivia nodded and they turned to the kitchenette. She offered to make the tea for him, but he urged her to sit down and relax.

"I'm sure you must be exhausted from stressing all evening. I'm fine, I'll make it," he told her as he reached for the electric kettle and filled it with water from the tap.

She didn't argue and sat down at the little table as he fetched two mugs from the cupboard over the small oven and looked at the assortment of tea provided by the hotel.

"Black, green, peppermint, or chamomile?" he asked.

"Peppermint," she replied. "Chamomile will just make me sleepy and I need to be calm but still alert."

"Don't worry. Cam has suffered worse. But if you want peppermint, we'll have that." He opened two individual peppermint tea packets and set the bags in the mugs before joining her at the table and waiting for the water to boil.

Silence hung between them for a moment as Cameron and the doctor murmured between themselves in the bathroom.

Olivia studied Blair's large, rough, weathered hands as her eyes gradually looked up to his face. His arms looked stronger than any man she'd seen his age. He looked like he should be retired from years of hard labor in the sun that made him strong and tough with a dark tan. He had a black muscle shirt and black cargo shorts on. His graying black hair was tied back in a tight braid that trailed down his back. His face was clean of facial hair and she could see every wrinkle, deep and shallow, etched in time. He had the look of a traditional Ojibwa elder compared to Cameron, except for his eyes.

As if reading her mind, Blair smiled. "He gets his looks from his mother but he has my eyes."

She looked away, embarrassed for staring even though she knew he was doing the same.

The kettle began to whistle and Blair rose to fetch it and pour the water. He brought the steaming mugs to the table and set hers in front of her.

Wrapping her fingers around the warm ceramic, she closed her eyes and inhaled the strong minty aroma, her mind unwinding and her body following suit.

"You've been hard on him," Blair said, breaking the silence, "but he still hasn't given up on you."

Warmth flooded her cheeks and she hung her head. "Yeah."

She couldn't deny it. A part of her felt terrible for the way she had treated him these past few weeks, but another part of her reminded her that in the beginning, she didn't know who he was. She had every right to be cautious and skeptical of his motives. She had to protect Chloe from getting hurt in case Cameron turned his back on them again. Then another part of her pressed that had she given him a chance to clear things up earlier instead of continuously pushing him away and making excuses, most of their struggles and fighting could have been avoided.

In hindsight, she knew she should have given him a chance and listened, but fear and anger took over. Cameron's patience and persistence were the only things that combated against it, pushing her and drawing her out of her comfort-zone—for their sake and Chloe's.

After all these years, she had harbored her pain and anger. Unable to come to terms with it as her own father had up and left without warning and without saying goodbye. He hadn't even tried to contact her. He had no reason to completely discard her from his life, whereas Cameron nearly died and suffered amnesia—and despite that, he still managed to find her.

"Do you still question his loyalty and affections for you and Chloe now?"

"Dad!" Cameron bellowed from the bathroom before hissing as the doctor applied pain.

More heat rushed to her face as she shook her head, no.

"Good," Blair said, "because he has suffered enough. He's stronger than he was and now that he knows he has you and Chloe on his side, he will never slip into the abyss of despair again. And as his father, I cannot bear to see my pups in that state of mind. Ever."

Swallowing, she nodded her head. She couldn't bear the thought of Chloe suffering in any way either. She couldn't imagine Chloe resorting to alcohol to drown away her sorrows like Cameron or cutting herself to distract from the pain in her heart like Sam.

Chloe wanted Cameron in her life as much as he wanted to be in hers. Now that Olivia knew the truth about Cameron's nature and that he passed on that trait to Chloe, Chloe needed him in her life. She needed him to show her and guide her through their world.

Their world.

Where did Olivia fit in their world?

That realization hit her like a freight train.

She didn't know anything about their world except that it was dangerous. Yet, they all looked out for each other and protected each other from threats. Where would she, a human, fit in the middle of it?

"When will Chloe... change?" she asked timidly.

"As with humans, her body will change when she hits puberty. Before she starts to grow into her womanly figure and get her menses, she will shift for the first time—around the age of ten or eleven."

Six or seven years. She swallowed. Time was flying by and Chloe would turn for the first time before she knew it.

It was too soon for her baby to grow up and... change.

"When she reaches the age of maturity at eighteen, she will be able to find her soulmate, like you and Cam," Blair said as she chewed on her thoughts. "He could be human or wolf, but he will exist and the Moon Goddess—our deity—will make it so that they cross paths at some point so they can find each other and lead happy, fulfilled lives."

Olivia sipped her tea. "What happens if she doesn't find him?"

"A part of her will feel empty and she will grow increasingly restless. Her soul will yearn for him. It's a miserable state of existence."

Cameron had mentioned that last week. That yearning, empty feeling that she had felt the moment she woke up alone five years ago.

"I'm not sure what the extent of the human experience is with soulmates, I can only speak from wolf experience and knowledge," Blair added, "but I assume the human experience would be similar. It's the power of the soul that compels our physical bodies. A soul-bond union is stronger than blood. When you seal the bond, you will see. Nothing will be the same after."

Blair sipped his tea with closed eyes, savoring the flavor in the silence that followed.

"And what..." she hesitated, her face growing warm with embarrassment. "What does that entail? Sealing the bond?"

"Well," he took another sip of tea before setting his mug down, "you're already halfway there. You've done the mating, all that's left is the marking. Marking involves biting, leaving a mark on each other's flesh. For you both to seal the bond, he would bite you and that would turn you into one of us and you, in turn, would bite him."

Become one of them. She didn't have to stay human, an outsider in a world of wolves, if she wanted. Cameron had mentioned that hastily before he ran off to battle.

But did she want to? It looked painful to see him transform into a wolf, even if it only took a few seconds.

"Ow!" Cameron hollered from the bathroom and causing Olivia to jump in her seat.

"Please, your first shift was worse than this," Doctor Waaban grumbled.

"Don't remind me, but that still hurt."

Olivia clenched her hands together in her lap, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes wandered to the bathroom. The door was open, but Cameron and the doctor were out of sight from where she was sitting.

Blair cleared his throat and nodded his head to the bathroom, granting her permission to excuse herself without uttering a word.

Rising to her feet, she ambled to the bathroom and peered inside.

Cameron was still sitting on the toilet with most of his wounds cleaned and bandaged up. The doctor was working on his ear. It was still a grizzly, bloody mess that made her cringe while Cameron grimaced with the doctor's movements.

"It appears to be nerve damage," Doctor Waaban said as if sensing her there. He continued to work, wiping away the blood that continued to dribble after. "Nothing too serious and will heal in a day or two. You will feel off-balance on your feet until morning, no longer than a day. You will feel dizzy with sudden movements for at least a day, so take it slow and easy. Don't sleep on it, I think that's a given."

He wrapped Cameron's head in gauze. "I expect to see you in my office tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Doc," Cameron said as Doctor Waaban secured the gauze and stepped back to give him a once-over for anything he missed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine right now."

"Get up slowly," Doctor Waaban commanded.

Cameron obeyed and reached for the edge of the vanity to steady himself.

The doctor didn't miss that. "Dizzy?"

"A bit."

The doctor told him to wait a minute before ordering him to walk slowly to the bathroom door. Cameron obeyed, his hand trailing across the vanity's surface as he moved toward Olivia. He flashed her a cheeky grin, but it was half hidden with another bandage covering his other cheek.

She flushed, looking away, as he was still naked and not at all ashamed by it.

Cameron stopped in front of her and leaned against the wooden door frame, hovering over her.

"How was that?" Doctor Waaban asked behind him.

"Okay," Cameron said softly, his breath blowing gently against her hair.

"Good, good. Let's make sure you make it to bed alright and we'll be on our way."

Olivia swallowed at his closeness and stepped back to let him pass through.

"Reach out to him in case he loses balance," the doctor ordered her.

She took his hand closest to her and held her other arm a few inches away from his back. She snorted, looking over her shoulder at the doctor. "Do you see him? If he falls, he's taking me with him."

Cameron and his father chuckled while Doctor Waaban grinned in amusement.

She walked carefully by his side. His strides were steady despite his sluggish pace and he made it to the bed in a minutes before easing himself down.

"Walking seems fine when I take my time," he reported as he carefully made himself comfortable on the bed. "Getting up throws me off."

"That's good. You should be back to normal by morning with our healing capabilities," Doctor Waaban said as he came to Cameron's side and looked him over once more. Satisfied, he covered Cameron with the blanket and returned to the bathroom to gather his equipment.

Cameron's father set the two mugs in the sink before going to Cameron's side and speaking softly with him.

Olivia turned away to give them some privacy and dug through her luggage for her pajamas. Cameron could sleep in the nude with all his injuries but she sure wasn't. She set her pajamas on the arm of the couch, waiting for the doctor to leave the bathroom, and went to the kitchenette to pour two glasses of water—one to put on Cameron's bedside table and one to put on hers. By that time, the doctor was ready to go and Blair bid them both goodnight and told them he would come back tomorrow to pick Cameron up.

Olivia saw them to the door, thanking them, and then went to the bathroom to change, brush her hair and teeth, and get ready for bed.

Cameron was standing outside the door when she opened it, causing her to jump in surprise.

"You're supposed to be in bed," she scolded.

He smirked back. "I still need to use the bathroom."

She stepped out of his way so he could go in. At least he was well enough to move around on his own again. That was a plus.

She waited for him to finish so she could help him to bed if he needed it. He grinned at her when he opened the door and saw her standing there.

"My, my, are we eager for something?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm waiting on you if you need any help."

"Well, I shan't make you wait any longer, my dear." His grin broadened.

Was he teasing her?

She narrowed her eyes, trying to read him better.

If he was trying to come onto her, he looked ridiculous with half his face bandaged up and several parts of his body were likewise bandaged—except for one area south of the border she refused to let her eyes roam.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes and released her arms, putting them at her side. "I was worried about you, okay?"

If that grin could get any wider, it did. His eyes crinkled in the corners. He reached up and touched her cheek. "Okay."

Closing her eyes, she gave in to the sensations his gentle caress caused. As much as she wanted to deny it, her body craved his touch.

"I will always come back to you. I will die fighting to come back to you."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she whispered. Emotion clogged her throat.

That was what she feared most. Allowing him into her heart only to have him leave like her father. Allowing him into Chloe's life only to have him abandon her too. Afraid of falling in love with him if she couldn't count on him to stay.

The fact that she couldn't control this need to have him scared her. She didn't want to be dependent on him. She pushed and fought against it and in doing so, pushed him away.

And it was crushing her.

He pulled her into his arms and she melted into the warmth of his body. His smell, although tainted with rubbing alcohol, eased her mind and exhaustion from the stress and events of the day began to sweep over her.

"Let's go to bed." His voice was low, laced with the heavy pull of sleep.

Nodding, she drew away, holding his hand with their elbows bent for support, and walked next to him across the room to the bed. She helped him to get settled in before she went around to the other side and climbed in next to him. She barely got settled when he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her back flush against his chest.

"Cam—" she began, but he shushed her.

"I just need to hold you, Liv," he murmured in her ear.

Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyes and relaxed in his embrace as he rubbed his nose against her hair. His natural smell enveloped her and the warmth of his body eased away the tension from her muscles.

He was asleep within seconds and it wasn't long before her breath evened out and fell in sync with his.

---- Author's Note ----

MERRY (early) CHRISTMAS!

Next chapter will be up on the 28th or you can get it now on Inkitt! It's a STEAMY one! Link is in my profile.

I'm going to be too busy preparing for Christmas and spending time with family to get anything up sooner.

Dedicated to HeartStone Packmate:  Luna-Andromeda 

Copyright Jo Lee Hunt ( Joflower ) 2018