Cade (33 page)

Several minutes passed before he dared to peer out from behind the tree and into the darkness beyond. Terror filled him at the sight of a large, black
wolf
. Its fur was thick and long, its eyes glowing a moonlight yellow. Phoenix jumped back, shaking and panting as he glued himself to the tree trunk. He could not fight this
wolf
—he was about to die. The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks.

A low rumble began, at first hardly detectable, but then growing loud. The
wolf
was coming this way and Phoenix tensed, holding his breath. He willed himself to vanish and be invisible, wishing foolishly that the
wolf
would just walk past him. To the right, Phoenix heard the sounds of paws on the ground, and then the
wolf’s
snout slowly came into sight. It huffed as he surveyed the area, and Phoenix stood frozen, not making a single sound. The
wolf
turned, his yellow eyes falling onto his prey. Phoenix launched himself forward. He didn’t even think, just turned and ran. The
wolf
growled and lunged after him.

Something hit Phoenix in the back and he went down, flailing forwards. He threw his arms out to catch himself but ended up rolling with flashes of black fur and gnashing jaws above his face. They rolled down the hill together, and pain tore through Phoenix’s arm as the
wolf
bit down and caught him. He tried to yank his arm free and got a chunk of flesh torn from him. Phoenix screamed from the pain of it. The momentum of the roll made the
wolf
lose his hold and he was flung away. Phoenix sprang to his feet and ran the other way, as fast as his feet could carry him. The
wolf
recovered quickly, shaking off the fall, and took off after him again. Phoenix clutched at his arm as he raced back up the slope. He veered to the side when he reached the top, but he had to catch himself when the ground gave way. He caught himself on a tree at the edge whose roots had long since been uncovered as the stream had eroded the earth. The ground beneath him gave way and he slipped. Twisting, he clutched at the roots of the tree and caught himself. Phoenix peered up, panting, visually searching every direction for the
wolf
. He knew he was there—he just couldn’t see him—but his dark presence pressed against his mind. Blood rolled down Phoenix’s arm, making his hand and fingers slick with it. He wiped them across his jeans and pulled himself up from the dirt.

The rumble started again, faster this time, almost a howl rather than a growl. It pulled at Phoenix’s
wolf
and Phoenix fought to keep his eyes open as his
wolf
demanded attention and freedom.

“Come to me, boy.” Phoenix heard the soft call in his mind, as the man called to Phoenix’s
wolf
. His eyes closed as if of their own accord, and Phoenix glimpsed his
wolf
. He sat there, head cocked to one side in silent expectation. Unable to withstand the call any longer, Phoenix dropped to his knees, his skin set alight with the need to shift. His bones ached, the need to shift making them feel like they would snap at any moment.

“Stop,” Phoenix rasped, fruitlessly trying to stop his
wolf
. His face contorted in pain and his muscles tore under his skin, answering the call of the dominant
wolf
. He couldn’t fight it.

He screamed as the forced shift set his body to ripping itself apart.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Cade could hardly walk, let alone get himself out of the house and to the car to even think about driving. He was utterly exhausted. Stephen practically carried him to the car, wrapping his thick arms around him and taking the burden of his weight. Cade leaned on his friend, his arm around Stephen’s shoulder—his friend. No matter how angry he was with Cade, or how much of a confrontation they had, Stephen would always be there for him. He would always be his friend. Cade would never again doubt that.

Fighting through the weakness and dizziness, Cade willed his body to recover. Whatever Phoenix was doing, it was bad—it was really fucking bad. Cade could sense it deep down to the depths of his soul.

Stephen got Cade into the back of the car and wasted no time getting in and driving. They tore away from the house, the sudden lurch of the car sending Cade reeling. His head cracked on the door, and Cade let out an oath. No way was he telling Stephen to slow down, though. Every second that passed meant another second Phoenix might be in trouble.

“Fucking sweepers are out,” Stephen cursed, stopping at a junction that didn’t really require him to stop. A car drove past him, green lights flashing. Sweepers—they all hated them. They searched for strays at night and picked them up like wild animals. They could have done without the hindrance tonight. Cade pulled the seatbelt around him, but then thought better of it. He couldn’t wear it. It hurt too damn much, pressing against his wounds.

“Do you think you would feel better if you shifted?” Gemma asked, looking back at him from the front seat.

“Now?” Cade and Stephen echoed.

“If he shifts, maybe he can heal a bit and run after Phoenix. Maybe we need a
wolf
with us.”

Stephen glanced at Cade in the rear-view mirror. “Maybe she’s right. Can you shift back there?”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t shift in the back of the car—the space was big enough—but he was in too much pain to sit in the awkward angles it would need. But this was for Phoenix, so it didn’t matter how much it hurt and how uncomfortable it made him. “If I shred your seat?” he asked Stephen.

“Then I’ll bill you.”

Cade slumped back in his seat and slowly started to unbutton his shirt. He didn’t open the shirt all the way, just enough so that he could slip it up and over his head. He caught Gemma watching him in the mirror on the visor, their eyes locking for a moment. Stephen put his foot down on the accelerator abruptly, and both Cade and Gemma were flung back against their seats. Despite the fact they were on speaking terms again, Cade knew Stephen was not about to accept this thing between him and Gemma. He meant as much to Cade as Gemma did, but he couldn’t deny what his heart was crying out for.

When Cade had slipped his jeans off, he paused for breath. His
wolf
was ready to fight, ready to come out and protect Phoenix, but his body rebelled, still needing to recuperate from the damage the silver had caused. They hadn't even made it twenty-four hours in the cage. They hadn't been strong enough to stand it. Stephen had come down to check on them after his pack run and immediately taken them both out. If there were any repercussions for him from Malcolm for letting them out early, Cade did not know. The silver had left them completely weak and delirious, and Cade was sure he now knew what it felt like to be on the verge of death. How Stephen had managed longer in there, Cade had no idea. It was a hell he never wanted to experience again.

They reached the woodland area, no houses or shops to mar the view. Although all their homes were surrounded by countryside, this area seemed thicker with it—it had more trees, more animals, more hills and fields, though not much in the way of livestock. The
Humans
used these places when they wanted to get in touch with nature, their putrid stench lingering in the air long after they had gone. It was the stench of the viciousness that ran through them all. Places like Cammore Woods were picturesque, and they needed to be preserved. But
Humans
would erect monstrosities in the middle and call it progress. It wasn’t
Others
that destroyed nature, it was
Humans
. 

Stephen got onto a single lane that went around like the slope on a helter-skelter. The drop down the side was steep—there was no surviving a fall should they come off—but Stephen pushed it to its limit, driving at a speed dangerously close to sending them flying off the edge should he make one, wrong move.

Fighting his dizziness, Cade closed his eyes and located his wolf. It wasn’t so hard to do—his
wolf
was already there, ready and waiting to protect Cade and cub. All he needed was Cade’s invitation, and when Cade offered it, the
wolf
leapt. It took possession of his body, and Cade gritted his teeth as the shift came over him—the pain excruciating on his already-battered body.

He saw Gemma’s eyes well, but he had no time to tell her it was okay. Agony ripped through him and stole his breath, just as his
wolf
stole his body.

“I’m here.” Gemma’s hand buried itself in his fur, a comforting touch to both man and
wolf
. When he opened his eyes, it was through the eyes of his
wolf
eyes that he stared at her, drinking in the sight of her with predatory intent. He nuzzled her hand, taking her scent in deep. He smelt
tiger …
he smelt his mate.

She was his.

A low growl left him as she retracted her hand, his
wolf
not happy with being deprived. Stephen said nothing through Cade’s proprietary display, and Cade wondered if he might be on his way to accepting Cade’s feelings for his sister. Stephen focused on the road ahead, and Cade pressed his nose against the window. He closed his eyes, searching for Phoenix, homing in on him like parent and cub. He let out a growl when his mental radar picked up a blip. God damn it, they needed to take the next turn and Cade couldn’t say so. His growling increased to get their attention.

“Cade?” Gemma frowned.

He pawed at the door in response.
Please understand
.

“You want me to stop the car?” Stephen asked.

Cade shook his head and growled.

“I think that’s a no.” Gemma looked back at Cade. “You want us to turn that way?” Cade sat back on his haunches, quiet. She turned to Stephen. “Take the next left turn.”

Cade led them like that as they drove, growling when he needed them to turn, silent when they were going the right way. His impatience was heightening, however. God, they needed to be there already. They needed to get to the fucking cub before … before … Cade didn’t want to think about what danger Phoenix might be facing in that very moment. He pushed the awful thought away before his mind lost it in fear.

Cade didn’t know exactly how he knew where Phoenix was, but he just did. Suddenly, it was as if he had climbed into him, see through his eyes. What he saw was darkness and trees. What he could smell was fear.

Stephen hardly had the chance to bring the car to a complete stop in the car park when Cade began to paw at the handle. Gemma reached behind her and opened the door for him. He leapt out, wincing as his sore paws hit the ground, but the pain already seemed less now that he was
wolf
.

Gemma and Stephen both jumped out of the car simultaneously, but Cade was way ahead of them. Tracking Phoenix’s scent, he loped through the woods. Fucking Trevor—his father’s scent was there, strong, distinct. Why? Why would he do this? Although the question raced through Cade’s mind, he knew the answer … he always knew the answer. Control—plain and simple.

Phoenix’s scent was easy to follow, musky and light. But there was something else—someone else—a scent that Cade didn’t know nor recognise. Phoenix and Trevor’s scents went one way, and the foreign one went another. Cade stayed on Phoenix’s. The trail leading him deeper into the thickness of the trees. A crack and a yelp had his ears pricking up, fear and dread flooding him. The cracking of something underfoot came from one direction, but Phoenix’s scent went the other way. He picked up a faint sound in that direction, almost indistinguishable. Pushing down the urgency and the panic in him, he stopped and searched for Phoenix in his mind.

He found him, or he thought he did. Cade launched himself forward just as Gemma and Stephen caught up to him, leaving them to run on foot after him. They wouldn’t shift just yet, not knowing what exactly they would be coming up against. It was better if they held off. But even without shifting, they were fast, and Gemma had recovered from her wounds more quickly than he had. The fact that he had held onto the silver bars for so long seemed to have let it pervade his every cell more than if he had stayed away from them.

Cade trusted their instincts, and he trusted that they had his back and Phoenix’s. He raced through the trees, jumping over roots that stuck out, divots of dirt and broken branches. He raced through them all, pushing himself forward until he reached the water’s edge. The embankment slid down, sliding into deep water. Cade lowered himself to the ground, sniffing, listening. He could hear the sounds of Gemma and Cade to the back of him. He looked to the right, and that was when he spotted it.

White fur emerged from the trees and headed towards the heather and brambles. Cade tried to reach his mind, but it was so lost, so terrified, that nothing could penetrate it. Cade launched himself in that direction, but something big and black cut him off, slamming into his side. Pain from his injuries erupted under his fur, and it took him a moment to regain his bearings. Wrapping his paws around the big, black
wolf
that had him, he bit down, hard, breaking the flesh with his canines. He caught sight of Phoenix enough to see that he had come back. He could hear his howl and saw the blood that marred his fur. Fury rose in Cade and he bit down harder, tearing flesh from the other
wolf
. The black wolf whimpered, then growled, shoving into Cade and rolling down the embankment and into the water with him. They both plunged under the surface and water filled Cade’s lungs as he gasped for breath. The shock of the cold knocked the wind from him and he let go of the other
wolf
. The black
wolf
kicked his back legs out, catching Cade in his already-injured chest, and used the momentum to get to the surface. The water was deceptively deep, but Cade recovered quickly. He broke the surface and paddled after the black
wolf
that swam ahead. Phoenix was at the top of the embankment, growling and snarling, his top lip peeled back.
Run, run,
Cade wanted to yell at him. Cade lunged forward as the black
wolf
began to pull himself free of the water, biting down on one of the black
wolf’s
hind legs. The
wolf
spun on Cade, swiping at him and sending him flailing back into the water. Cade plunged down, taking in mouthfuls of dirty water. He came back up choking only to see the back
wolf
making his way to Phoenix.

Utter determination drove Cade on. All he could see was that this wolf killing Phoenix and Phoenix standing there and letting it happen. Cade would not let him die. He dug his paws into the mud and propelled himself forward. The black
wolf
leapt at Phoenix, making them roll in a cloud of teeth, paws and vicious growls. Cade launched himself at them both, slamming into them, his only aim to separate them. Phoenix rolled to one side, the black
wolf
to the other, and Cade was on him again, biting down. He kicked at Cade, gnashing at his face. Cade struck him with a paw, but his injuries made pain explode through his shoulders and he yelped. The black
wolf
took advantage of the moment and twisted away, going straight back for Phoenix. The black
wolf’s
fur was shiny with blood where Cade had bit him, but he didn’t seem to care as he went for the cub. Phoenix was no match for him and he took him down easily. The black
wolf
pinned Phoenix by the back of his neck, pushing the young
wolf’s
snout down into the dirt, showing his dominance over Phoenix. Cade let out a warning growl, but the black
wolf
raised black eyes to Cade, growling threateningly.

From the darkness, Stephen suddenly leapt out and landed on the black
wolf
. He hadn't shifted, he was still man, but he threw himself against the predator, tangling his hands into his fur and yanking him back and off Phoenix. Phoenix let out a screaming howl as his flesh was torn from him where teeth had sunk into him. Stephen raised a fist and slammed it into the
wolf’s
head, forcing him to release Phoenix. Desperately, he scrambled towards Cade, and Cade stepped protectively in front of him.

Stephen battled with the
wolf
while it bit and snapped and growled. They tumbled down into the water, Stephen’s big body intertwined with black fur. Even in man form, his strength was great. He punched the animal over and over, yelps echoing through the dark. Gemma reached them, panting, and Cade placed himself in front of her, too. She would be pissed about it—being treated less than equal—but right now, he didn’t give a shit. What mattered was protecting both her and Phoenix.