His Secret Love Child (Book One of the LOVE CHILD series)

Chapter Fourteen A DANDEROUS SECRET 2

Video above says it all.

Thorne stood there in the open doorway for a moment and watched as his best friend walked away with steps heavily laden with despair. Thornes' anger surged through him  along with his feeling of impotence at the realization that there was nothing that he could do for Cameron. He slammed the door closed and walked with swift angry strides out to the garden. His eyes sought for and quickly located Hunter.

Hunter was in the midst of a group of people with Bethany clinging to his arm, receiving no doubt more congratulations. Thornes' eyes bore into the back of Hunters' head. As if sensing the malevolent stare of his brother Hunter turned around and locked eyes with Thorne. The brothers engaged in a silent staring match for a long moment, before Hunters' attention was once again grabbed by Bethany. But then he heard Thorne through their mind link, "We need to talk. Now!"

Hunter stiffened slightly at the order and anger in Thornes' words. His wolf did not appreciate being spoken to like that. After a moment to get his own spiking anger under control, Hunter expertly excused himself from Bethany and their gathered audience saying, "Would you excuse me for a moment? I need to have a word with Thorne."

Bethany pouted up at him prettily, "What could be so important? It's our wedding day." Hunter leaned in and kissed her in a placating manner, "I know sweetheart. It will only take a moment. I won't be long." and with that he made his way over to Thorne. Thorne watched as Hunter made is way over towards him. Or at least tried to. Hunter was stopped every few steps by the throng of people, all wanting to offer their congratulations and to have a few moments of his time. Growling to himself in frustration, Thorne turned and walked away.

Thorne went to Hunters' office to wait for him. He had no doubt that Hunter would know where he was and would come find him. After fuming and pacing in the office for about ten minutes, eventually the door opened and Hunter walked in. Thorne whirled to face him, just as angry as ever, his eyes shooting daggers at Hunter. Hunter quietly closed the door behind him, walked over to his desk and engaged the soundproofing on the office. This was not a conversation that either of them wanted to be overheard.

Suddenly Thorne erupted into clapping and mirthless laughter. Hunter just stared at him as if he had lost his mind, but just as suddenly as he had started clapping and laughing, Thorne stopped. "Well done big brother. Congratulations. You have set such a fine example for me to follow in how to treat my true mate." Thornes' voice dripped with sarcasm, his rage barely contained, but very evident in his voice.

Hunter took a moment before answering, "Listen Thorne. I know that you're less than happy with the decisions that I've made. But what do you expect me to do? Bethany is pregnant with my child, my heir." Hunter needed Thorne to understand. They were once so close, but this whole situation was now tearing them apart.

Hunters' words only caused Thornes' anger to boil and spill over and in his rage he revealed Cameron's secret. A secret that he had intended to take to his grave. "Bethany is not the one carrying your precious heir. Cameron is!!!" Thorne erupted, stunning them both into silence.

Hunter just stared at Thorne as shock raced through him, "Wh…what did you just say? Cameron is pregnant?" Hunters' voice wavered as he struggled to wrap his mind around what Thorne had inadvertently revealed.

Thorne turned away from his brother and took deep breaths to get his anger under control. He never meant to reveal Cameron’s secret. Cameron had trusted him and now he had broken that promise and his trust. Hunters' voice rang out thunderously behind him, "I believe I asked you a question. Now answer me. Is Cameron pregnant?" Clearly Hunter's wolf Ares was now at the surface.

Thorne reached into his pocket and took out the ultrasound image of the baby from Cameron’s last doctor's appointment. He stared at it a moment before turning around and tossing it onto the desk between them, angrily saying. "Yes. Congratulations. It's a boy."

In a shocked daze, Hunter slowly reached out and picked up the picture, staring down at the image of his unborn son. Unable to believe what he was seeing. "How far along is he? Why didn't he tell me?" He whispered, aching inside.

"He's three and a half months pregnant. And he was going to tell you. That night up at the cabin. That was the reason he called you and wanted to see you. Instead you told him that you not only slept with  Bethany, but you got her pregnant on top of it!" Thornes' voice ended on a roar as his anger took hold of him again.

Hunters' head snapped up, "Where is he? I need to find him. I need to fix this."

Thorne laughed mirthlessly once again, "You can't just fix this brother! Cameron is not some broken toy! He's your true mate, the one you abandoned in favour of another! Besides you’re already married to Bethany and he's gone."

"What do you mean by he's gone?" Hunters' voice had a hard edge to it, mixed with a tinge of worry as he feared what Thorne had to say next.

"He's gone, left town and he's not coming back. He was here earlier. Against my advise he came to watch as you got married to Bethany. He said it was the only way that he would be able to move on with his life and put you behind him."  Thornes' voice ended on a note of sadness as he thought about what Cameron would be facing alone.

"You let my pregnant mate leave town alone?! Do you know what kind of danger he will be in if the wrong people find out about this?! He will be hunted by both humans and super naturals alike. They will kill him!" Hunter roared out loud as he attacked Thorne, his rage getting the better of him.

He backhanded Thorne with a blow so vicious and fuelled by his rage filled power, that it sent Thorne flying across the room and crashing into the floor to ceiling bookshelf. The shelf broke and splintered under Thornes' weight, the precious books that it held crashing down around him. Thorne groaned out loud at the pain that shot up his back, he felt blood trickling down his chin and he wiped at it with the back of his hand. He stared at his now bloody hand a moment before getting up and saying to a livid Hunter, "I'm not the one who has put Cameron in danger. You did that. The moment you chose Bethany over him!"

Thornes' words brought home a devastating truth to Hunter. Because of him and his actions he had effectively sentenced his own mate and child to an uncertain future fraught with danger. He had no one to blame but himself. He turned away from Thorne, his chest heaving as heartache wracked his body like a physical pain. He stared down at the picture in his hand, praying that he would find them in time before anything happened to them both.

…………………………Meanwhile

Cameron left the mansion and the man he loved behind, his steps heavy and laden with despair, his heart aching, his soul shattering. His only comfort being the child he carried within his body.  His son would be the only part of Hunter that he would ever have again.

As Cameron walked towards his car, his hand resting on his baby bump his eyes caught sight of the gorgeous white Jaguar stretched Limousine that was waiting to take the wedded couple on the first leg of their honeymoon journey. It was the most modern and elegant limousine ever created. It came completed with eighteen inch chrome rims, twisted Maybach ceiling, the latest in touch screen controls, ultra suede headliner and the most luxurious leather seating and interior. It was a beauty indeed.

But the sight of the gorgeous limo inspired nothing but rage within Cameron. His rage ignited, sparked and before he knew it, his rage was blazing out of control. As if watching himself from a distance, Cameron walked over to his car and popped open the trunk. He opened the emergency kit that Thorne had insisted that he pack for the long road trip ahead. Cameron took out the gas can that was filled with gas and he took out a box of matches. He walked over to the Limousine and without a second thought or any hesitation, he proceeded to pour the entire can of gasoline all over the limo. Setting the can aside, Cameron lit a match, he watched it flare and burn for a moment, before flicking it towards the limo.

As if in slow motion, Cameron stood and watched as the burning match flew through the air and landed on the gasoline soaked limo. He watched dispassionately as it caught fire. The fire quickly spread to engulf the entire car, becoming a blazing inferno within just mere moments. Cameron just stood there and watched it burn, feeling the heat of the blaze on his skin, completely unaware that there were unchecked tears coursing down his cheeks silently.

Cameron then turned and walked away. Getting into his car, he sped down the long drive way, never looking back. There was no point to looking back. There was nothing and no one for him back there. As he exited through the gates, he heard it. A loud explosion rocked the air, Cameron flicked his eyes up to the rear-view mirror and watched the pieces of the once gorgeous limo as they flew through the air.

Catching sight of his tear streaked face, Cameron quickly wiped his face, before resting his hand on his slight baby bump, stroking it soothingly "It's just you and me now baby." He whispered.

…………………………Meanwhile

The sound of the explosion shocked everyone, bringing everything to a standstill for a moment as they looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what was going on. Then a second explosion rocked the air. As one the crowd of super naturals rushed towards the source of the sound. Hunters' father, quickly realizing that neither Hunter nor Thorne were among the crush of people got out his cell phone and called Hunter.

Hunter answered his phone on the first ring, hoping against hope that it might be Cameron. Seeing the caller ID as his father, he reluctantly answered. "Hi dad."

"You need to get out here now!" The panic in his fathers' voice had Hunter springing into action. "Somethings wrong. We have to go!"  He yelled over his shoulder at Thorne. Rushing out of the office, they made their way outside, following the crowd of people. Pushing through them until they were able to see what was happening. They both drew up short as they caught sight of the carnage before them.

Hunters' eyes flicked over to a sobbing Bethany, who was wrapped in the arms of her father and brother, crying hysterically. Others in the crow were whispering amongst themselves, wondering who could have done such a thing

But Hunter didn't need to ask who had done it. He knew. He locked eyes with Thorne and spoke to him through their link "We have to find him!"

………………………Present day

Hunter stood in his office overlooking a magnificent view of the city, but he saw none of it.  He looked like a man that had the world in the palm of his hands, yet didn't enjoy it. His shoulders were slumped in defeat and with his hands thrust in the pockets of his pants he allowed his mind to wander back through the years.

It's been ten years since he made the worst mistake of his very long life. A mistake that had cost him his true mate and his son. He has looked for them everywhere, followed every lead, investigated every rumour. But all to no avail. It was as if Cameron had disappeared into thin air. Every time he had thought that he was close to finding them, he had been met with nothing but disappointment. Hunter refused to entertain the possibility that Cameron and his son could be dead. The very thought was enough to bring him to his knees. So he carried on with his secret mission to find his mate and son. A mission that he shared with only one other, a mission that he trusted with only one other and that was his brother Thorne.

Hunter reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and retrieved a well worn photograph. It showed the many years that have passed and the numerous times that it had been handled, yet it was his most precious possession. It was the ultrasound image of his son that Thorne had given him. It was the only picture that he had of his child and he always kept it with him.

Feeling the tears as they threatened to spill over, Hunter wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, willing the tears away. He didn't want them falling on the picture and ruining it. As Hunter continued to stare at the ultrasound brushing his thumb over it lightly, he wondered what his son looked like. He would be nine years old, going on ten. He hoped that his son had inherited Cameron’s fiery personality. Hunter smiled a little to himself as he remembered the burning limo.

"How could I have been so stupid. So blind." He wondered.

Hunter thought about all that he had given up, all that he had lost and all of it for a lying scheming bitch that had only wanted to be called his Queen. Anger surged through him at the misery that he have had to live through.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Thorne bursting through his office door in barely contained excitement. "What the fuck do you think  you're doing barging in here like this?" Hunter did not appreciate being disturbed.

Thorne wasn't phased by his reaction however. Thorne closed the door behind him, ensuring their privacy and then he excitedly announced "He's coming home!"