Alpha (37 page)

"It could have been so much worse but the girls insisted they wanted to fight, and then your brother arrived with his pack," he revealed.

"I told you girls could fight," I gloated with a smile. He smiled and shook his head.

"Fine. You were right."

"Say that again?" I teased. He playfully glared back at me.

After a few moments, our playful mood turned serious.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he reached over and caressed my cheek.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked as I studied his features.

"I was supposed to be there to protect you and I failed," he stated. His voice was filled with regret.

"Victor was determined to get me and he would have done anything to do it. Besides, you had no idea Curtis was working for him," I said, trying to ease the guilt he felt. "We were both wrong but I can't say I was happy when you locked me in the cell."

I remembered how angry I'd been. I didn't have that anger anymore. Maybe it was because, despite everything, things had worked out.

"Will slapping me make you feel better?" he asked in a serious tone. I contemplated it for a moment.

"I can't say that hadn't crossed my mind more than a few times while I was in the cell," I admitted. "But I'm over it."

I shrugged and he smiled at me.

"That's the problem. We're both so stubborn and so intent on protecting each other that we end up doing stupid things," I said.

"I know I could have done things differently but I was scared," he explained as he ran an agitated hand through his hair. "When I found out you had overheard us I knew you were going to do something drastic and I couldn't let you do that."

There were several moments of silence.

"The thought of something happening to you…it's like trying to breathe without air," he said, trying to put into words how much I meant to him.

"I get it. I feel the same way about you. But what you did to me was horrible. Don't ever do that to me again," I warned him. "We are probably going to face other problems and we need to learn to deal with them together."

"You're right. We need to learn to work things out together," he echoed.

"Did Victor tell you how Keri and Curtis managed to hide the fact they were werewolves?" he asked.

"He'd been injecting them with wolfsbane," I answered. "It suppressed their werewolf traits. It was how I defeated Victor."

His eyes darkened with anger and he remained silent. I reached for his hand and took it into mine.

"He meant to inject me with the wolfsbane to keep me from mind-linking or being able to shift. But I managed to get the syringe and I injected him with it. He wasn't able to shift but I was. He was able to get the empty syringe and he filled it with air. Then, just before I killed him, he injected it into me."

I gave him the shortened version. He didn't need to know all the painful details.

"That explains why you collapsed. It had something to do with the air in your bloodstream," Cade said.

I was so thankful it hadn't killed me.

"How did you find me?" I asked, still confused as to how he knew where I was.

"I discovered you were missing," he explained. He reached for both my hands and held them in his. "It had to have been Curtis but I wasn't sure why. Luckily Blake had someone watching Keri. He was worried about her and when he found out from the guy watching Keri that she and Curtis had gotten into a car together, I knew you had to be with them."

It was still hard to believe that Curtis had been working for Victor.

"The guy tailed them onto Victor's territory and he also discovered they were both werewolves. He told me where they were and I got some guys and got there as soon as I could."

He paused for a moment.

"When I saw you, you crumpled to the ground. I was scared.”

It was still hard to believe I'd come that close to dying.

"I think the fact that you are a werewolf, and heal quicker than a human, is the only reason you survived," he finished. He squeezed my hands.

"What is going to happen to Keri?" I asked as I bit my lip. He'd brought Victor's body back for a reason. And despite the fact that Keri had betrayed us, I didn't want something bad to happen to her.

"She is now the alpha female of Victor's pack and hurting her will start another war. Besides, whether I like it or not, she is Blake's mate," he said as he rubbed his temple.

We'd overcome so much but I was so glad that we weren't in their shoes.

"Why did you bring Victor's body back with us?" I asked. There was no way I ever wanted to see that man again even if it was in a body bag.

"We need to prove that he is dead so that Keri can take over," he replied.

"Why do I have the feeling that we are only safe for the moment?" I said.

"There is no guarantee that the change of leadership from Victor to Keri isn't going to have some effect on the surrounding territories."

I gave him a questioning look.

"Victor was a brutal sadist but at least we all knew where we stood with him. Keri will take over his leadership but the problem is no one knows what type of leader she will be. Treaties will have to be renegotiated."

It was werewolf politics.

He leaned forward and touched his lips to mine. All thoughts of what we were talking about vanished. As he pulled back, I held his face and kissed him harder. I took control and I pushed my tongue into his mouth and caressed his tongue. I needed more.

He groaned against my lips.

"You need to rest," he said as he tried to pull away but I wasn't having that. I snaked my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"I need you," I told him as I pressed my lips against his.

He was still for a moment and then his arms wrapped around me and he held me firmly against him. He was careful not to hug me too tight.

"For you, anything."

My heart swelled at his words.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he said as his eyes took in my face.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Scarlett

The next couple of days after killing Victor, Cade was very overprotective; it was almost suffocating. The only reason I didn’t put a stop to it was because I knew nearly losing me had scared him and constantly being around me fussing was helping him work through it.

After two days of being confined to my bed, I’d had enough. I was going stir-crazy lying in bed watching mindless TV. I was getting out of bed when Cade walked into the room and he frowned at me. He held a tray of food.

“
Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded as he walked to me and set the tray down on the bedside table.

“
I’m not spending another day in bed,” I told him. He was about to open his mouth and argue but the glare I sent in his direction made him stop and shut his mouth.

Almost all of my bruises were gone and physically I was feeling okay. And after two days, I was bored stiff. I needed to get out, get some fresh air.

I was dying to be able to shift into my wolf form and run in the forest.

“
I’m fine,” I stated with my usual determination, and Cade knew there was no fighting me on it.

“
At least have some breakfast first,” he told me. I raised an eyebrow but he held my gaze.

We were both so headstrong, and when we clashed it could be explosive.

“
Okay,” I relented, getting back into the bed.

He set the tray on my lap and I surveyed the food. I had just eaten a spoonful of cereal when someone knocked on the door.

I looked up to see Gary, and I smiled.

“
I thought I’d just stop by to see how you’re doing,” he said, walking into the room.

“
I’m fine, in fact I will be out and about today,” I told him and I saw him shoot a look to Cade who just shrugged.

“
Okay. If you get a chance, come and pop into the gym. I want to show you the setup,” he said, looking so excited about his new role in the pack.

After the fight with Victor’s pack, all the women had insisted that they wanted to be allowed to fight, so changes had been put into place. Women didn’t just train to protect themselves; they also trained to fight with their male counterparts as equals.

With the increase in fighters, Hank had been overwhelmed and Gary had offered to step in to help. Obviously he couldn’t physically fight against a werewolf, but he helped with the strength-building exercises using the gym equipment while Hank concentrated on the fighting of werewolf against werewolf.

It gave him a sense of purpose that had eluded him from the time he’d found out about the supernatural creatures.

“
I will,” I promised him. He bent down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he left.

I looked to Cade with a satisfied smile and he rolled his eyes at me.

“
You don’t get to say it anymore,” he told me and shook his head. My smile widened playfully.

“
I don’t have to say it anymore,” I shot back, and he glared at me.

I was right
, I said to him through the mind-link. He never said anything about not mind-linking it. He rolled his eyes at me. I never tired of reminding him and he hated it.

“
Come on, eat so you can go and see the setup,” he said, trying to get me to concentrate on eating my cereal instead of gloating.

The only reason I dropped it was because I really wanted to see the females in the pack fighting alongside the male werewolves. From the time I’d found out I was a werewolf, I’d been fighting Cade to allow females to fight and he’d fought me on it.

Now that I’d won, I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

I finished my cereal quickly and while Cade took the tray back to the kitchen, I got dressed.

Just as I got to the bottom of the steps, Cade walked up to me.

“
Are you sure you’re okay to be out of bed?” he asked, his eyes scanning my features for any tiredness.

“
I’m fine,” I assured him.

He reached for my hand and we walked side by side out of the house.

The flurry of activity in the gym when I entered made me smile excitedly. Females were training alongside the men and I saw a girl put a guy flat on his back on the sparring mat. I’d never felt so proud before.

For a while I just stood there, taking it all in.

I couldn’t wait to start training again but I knew it would be a couple more days before Cade would let me. I didn’t need his permission. Having someone in your life meant considering their feelings in every decision you made. It was taking some getting used to but I was getting there.

After a visit to the gym, I stood in front of the gates of the compound that led into the forest. I could feel the need to shift and run wild.

“
You ready?” Cade asked beside me as he told the guards to open the gates.

“
Yes,” I breathed as I closed my eyes and shifted into my wolf form. This time it didn’t hurt when my body changed.

I looked beside me to see Cade had shifted and was standing beside me.

Still so beautiful
, he said to me through the mind-link.

My heart smiled at his words. I never tired of hearing him say that to me.

I’d only shifted a few times but I felt more comfortable in my werewolf form than my human form.

I looked back to the forest and shot off. The feel of the ground beneath my paws felt wonderful as my powerful legs pushed me forward to a speed that made the forest blur beside me.

The smell and the sounds made me feel peaceful inside as I bounded through the forest with Cade following closely behind me.

After a little while of whizzing through the forest, I began to feel tired so I stopped, feeling my lungs burn from the exertion.

Are you okay?
Cade asked, sounding concerned as he came to stand beside me. He nudged me with his wet snout and I looked at him.

I’m great.
I was trying to catch my breath but I felt wonderful.

For a few minutes we stood side by side, taking in the serenity and the calmness around us.

It was in that peaceful moment with just the two of us that I realized how lucky we were to get through everything we had, unscathed.

I turned to look at Cade and I managed to study him for a moment or two before he turned to catch my gaze.

I love you.

He nudged me gently.
I love you too. So damn much.

My heart melted at his words. For a few minutes we stood, still feeling each other's emotions.

Time to go back
, Cade said through the mind-link. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was right.