Page 23 of Cam's Treasure

"Is this a serious offer?"

Kezan nodded, his brown eyes warm and sincere.

"Um, would it be okay if I took a few days to think about it? Cam and I are moving tomorrow, so we'll probably need a few days to settle in."

"Of course. Take your time. The job's yours whenever you're ready."

"You're moving? Moving where? Don't tell me you're leaving Mistvale. This is not a farewell party!"

I turned with a grin as Raphael stalked toward us, his brows furrowed as his long blond hair flew into his face, only for him to impatiently push it away.

"Answer my question, Micah."

Chuckling, I shook my head. "Yes, we're moving, but our new place is right behind the cul-de-sac." While Raphael and Jai lived in a big house a few blocks away from my parents' place, he used to live in the cul-de-sac, and his brother-in-law, Joy, still lived there with his mates.

Raphael's eyes widened, and then he grinned. "That's great! You'll still be close."

Raphael was the embodiment of the 'fun uncle' stereotype. Like me, he'd been mistreated by the mages of Ravenshire, including his own family, before he came here. Despite that, he was an amazingly cheerful person, and whenever he and Cam got together, people in their vicinity knew to be wary.

After congratulating me for the move and giving me a rib-crushing hug, Raphael ran off, probably to track down Cam.

I drifted around the place, sharing small conversations with people as I ate. Cam made rounds nearby, checking in with me every few minutes before drifting off to talk to someone.

When I'd finished my meal, I went to put my dish into the dirty pile, and then got caught up in a conversation with Noel and Jai, who'd already been informed by Raphael—his mate—about our impending move.

"Tell me if you need help moving. Caleb and I would be happy to help."

A loud growl stopped me from replying, and I turned around to see Cam racing across the packland with two small wolves flanking him on either side while a much bigger brown wolf chased after them. Cam never could resist pulling Caleb's tail, metaphorically speaking.

"Uh, I don't think so," I said, referring to Noel's earlier comment. I was pretty sure that if Cam wasn't Raiden's son, Caleb would have whooped his ass by now. But all he could do was growl at him and chase him around, so that was what he did.

I used to think Cam was just childish, that he continued messing with people because he didn't want to grow up, and didn't want to act like an adult. But over the years, I'd learned differently.

Cam didn't cause mischief because it madehimhappy. He did it because it made the people around him laugh, and he enjoyed bringing a smile to everyone's faces. Well, everyone except Caleb.

I had no idea what Caleb had done to become a focus of Cam's pranks—or if he'd even done anything—but I knew his reactions entertained Cam to no end, and that was probably why he kept doing it. I was surprised he'd dragged Rowan and Sage into his scheming this time, and I wondered what their moms—Rebba,the alpha of the Mistvale pack, and Rhiannon, the clan's only warlock—would have to say about this once they caught on.

"There they go again," Joy—a human, and Jai's brother—said, and my lips quirked up at the fondness in his voice. This was why Cam did it, to cheer people up, and I loved him for it.

The party ran late into the evening, so much so that Noel, Jai, Papa, and a few others cooked up some dinner to go along with the leftovers from lunch, and we ended up all having dinner there too. Some of the people had left early, but the core of the clan—Raphael, Jai, and their kids, Cam’s and my families, Noel and Caleb, Rebba and Rhiannon and their kids, and Aeron and Niall—was still here, and we talked well into the night.

It was only after Dean, Rowan, and Sage had fallen asleep that everyone decided it was time to head home. The others had helped clean up before they left, so it only took a few minutes to put everything right, and then we left.

Mateo and Miles joined us in our car on the way back, and even they fell asleep before we reached home.

Like every good Mistvale party, everyone was too exhausted to stay upright by the end.

After waking up the twins and making sure they went inside the house, I drove us to Cam's place without consciously deciding to. We could've stayed at my place, but I was tired from maintaining my mental shields all day, and it was easier to leave them down at Cam's place than mine. Raiden was an expert at keeping his mind hidden from me, and he was teaching William how to do it too, so I was less likely to stumble upon thoughts that would leave everyone embarrassed.

Amelia was trickier, but her thoughts were mostly occupied by her art, so it wasn't too bad. Definitely much better than hearing my dads' thoughts—especially the ones they had about each other—or my brothers'.

Once in Cam's room, we both changed into loose sleep pants before climbing under the covers shirtless. Cam wrapped his arms around me, and I cuddled close, relaxing my mental wards as I sank into his embrace. It didn't take either of us long to conk out.

Yep, it was agoodparty.

Eleven

Cam

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