The Billionaire Ritual Read Online Free PDF Page A

late, he couldn’t help himself from cracking a smile and brightening.
    “Sorry I’m late,” she said, coyly looking up at him as she blew a loose strand of hair away from her face.
    “That’s alright,” he said. “Let’s get a move on,” he finished. It was as if this were a personal trip for just the two of them.
    Lynn sat in a middle seat on the left side, and was surprised to find that Cameron would be riding the bus with them. She wondered vaguely if her expected presence had affected that decision, but she received no particular attention other than a soft smile just before he proceeded to take his place just behind the driver’s seat, chatting amiably with a clearly flustered colleague from accounting.
    The morning drive was a long one, and Cameron resisted the impulse to look at Lynn for signs of what she was thinking. She had shown up, for now that was enough. The truth was she had gotten only a little sleep the night before, carefully packing her things for every likely occasion without over packing. Of course when she was done all that was left was to think about all that had occurred the night before. That, of course, had led to a long night without sleep.
    Hours passed, and Lynn fell asleep on the bus. Cameron napped lightly himself, waking periodically to make sure the driver was on the right track. The cityscape slowly transformed into greenery, and around noon they were only a mile out from their destination.
    Lynn woke to find them on a path deep into a forest, dots of late noon light filtering through the canopy overhead. The bus slowed to turn onto a dirt path, and many of the other people on the bus were looking out toward the trees. Every now and again, they would pass a cabin. Lynn wondered if those were the cabin’s they’d be using, and how they were assigned. She looked over at Cameron. Would he assume they were shacking up together? It would be wildly inappropriate, but not an altogether unfair assertion considering what had happened recently.
    When they arrived at the camp grounds proper the bus stopped, allowing everyone to get off the bus and gather their bearings. There were nearly thirty of them in all, and after bidding goodbye to the bus driver (and Lynn got the impression that he and Cameron knew each other well - was the driver like Cameron?), the bus driver left them.
    “Everyone, gather your things. Someone will be here shortly to guide you to your quarters for the next few days. I have to go handle some arrangements, but I’ll be meeting you all, later,” Cameron said. He, of course, had no intentions of meeting them later. Time was of the essence as that night would be the last full moon that he would remain both unmarried and unchallenged. Before the sun rose the next morning, he would be one or the other.
    Lynn was thankful that she would have some time apart from Cameron at the grounds. It made her feel more relaxed about her decision to come on the trip. Nevertheless, she missed him even as she saw him go and, secretly, hoped he would call her aside soon.
    Cameron had every intention of doing so, but had a few errands to run first. There were a few wolves that were on the retreat His father had finally relented that the retreat not be cancelled, though he had no idea why his son was so attached to the idea. When he approached, a wide grin on his face, he knew that whatever it was his son was sure he had won. That was perfect: he would finally find up what was going on.
    “Hello father. Time is short, so let’s not argue,” Cameron began, staring his father straight in the eye. The old man’s only reaction was to raise a solitary eyebrow.
    “I’m in love with a woman. She’s agreed to go through the ceremony with me. Yes she’s human, but so what? This insipid isolationist policy of ours is only going to cause us to die out as more and more wolf shifters choose human society over ours. Survival can happen only through integration. That is a statement I intend to