The Eve of Darkness

Chapter 3 - Camden

The angry woman screamed as the last of her comrades was killed. Camden heard footsteps running down the stairs and the familiar sound of a small bell. The woman was breathing heavily, making it easy for him to know where she was at any moment. What was concerning, however, was the lack of noise being made by his mate. 

Did she pass out?

"Cam," said Jude, Camden's longtime friend and right-hand man. "Maybe next time, you could refrain from taking off without warning? It's hard enough to keep up with you as it is."

"Who are you?" The woman who was not Camden's mate demanded. 

Camden breathed out a laugh, ignoring her completely, and shook as his head as he reached his hand towards his friend. Tapping his lightly, he gestured his head in the direction that he'd last heard Aria's voice. 

"I'm sorry, I was excited. What does the girl look like right now?" The worry that was wrapping itself around Camden's heart tightened like a thorned vine with every second that he was left without an answer. 

"Uh, the one with the massive fucking knife or the one playing upside-down hangman?" 

"It's a machete!" The woman argued back, only to go ignored once again. She seemed to be keeping a distance now, however, knowing that Camden could easily kill her.

Camden growled and placed a tight grip on Jude's shoulder. "She's what?" The overwhelming smell of his mate caused his anxiety to shoot up like a rocket as he thought about how much blood she must have lost in order to envelope the room in it. 

When I thought about being surrounded by her scent, this is not how I pictured it, he thought in agitation. 

Jude, seemingly unaware of the way his words were impacting his friend, decided to go into more detail for him. After all, he'd had to describe things in specificity before, so it made sense that Camden was asking for it in this moment. 

"Yea, there's this blonde chick with a machete," he paused as if to make a point, "and this brunette hanging from the ceiling by her feet. She looks rough. She's also bleeding a lot holy shi-" 

"Jude," Camden interjected, stepping away from the beta as he felt vein in his forehead throbbing. His chest felt inflamed and his hand opened and closed in frustration. How could he act so nonchalant this entire time when his mate was suffering? How could he treat everything like a joke when she was hanging by her feet? "The injured one is my mate."

If Aria lived, he understood if she wanted to beat him up. 

"Oh, shit," Jude said as Camden growled and lunged towards the blonde woman, whose scent seemed to be poisoning the air and was easy to pick out from the scent of Aria. Any scream she could have tried to release was stifled as he grabbed her throat, holding it tightly until he finally heard her heartbeat stop. Camden dropped her body, breathing heavily as he tried to reign himself in. 

It's okay. Aria will be okay. You need to help Aria. 

It was only with thoughts of his soulmate that he was able to get himself together. 

"Jude, I can't pinpoint her exactly, there is too much blood," Camden bit out, upset that he couldn't go to her directly without aid. 

Jude said nothing, but he placed a hand on Camden's elbow and lead towards Aria. 

With his friend's help, they broke the chains binding her, catching Aria before she could fall. Camden held her back and legs, grunting a bit at the unexpected weight. 

"Let's get back to the pack so we can have Hazel look at her," he said, his heart in his throat as he heard the slowing beat of her heart. "We don't know what they did to her or how long she was down here." 

Jude hummed in agreement. "For sure. But first, I have to carry her right now." 

Camden growled in his direction and could feel the sneer on his face. "The fuck, why?" 

The very small laugh from his friend annoyed the hell out of Camden. 

"Stairs." 

"Fuck." 

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A/N: We have a little sneak peak into Camden's POV! I am so happy to have him as a character, it really challenges me to try and describe things without using sight. I hope that I can do justice for him as we explore him as a character, the ways he lives with his disability, and the way his relationship with Aria develops! 

Remember to vote and comment what you think! 

See you all next week!