Alpha (12 page)

"It could be a while. This rogue is good at covering up his tracks and he is very good at keeping himself hidden," he answered. "He is probably an older werewolf."

Great!
Not only did I have a rogue intent on doing me some serious harm, but he was older and more experienced. I had a feeling I was going to be staying at Cade's house for a long time.

Crap!
It was going to be harder keeping my distance from him if I was living in his house. The odds were starting to stack up against me.

"Is there a chance that there might be more of them?" I asked. I wasn't sure what made me ask the question.

"Yes, there is." He watched me carefully for a reaction to his answer.

The thought that there might be more than one rogue terrified me, but I kept my outward calm facade firmly in place as I finished my coffee. I glanced down at my watch and realized I didn't have a lot of time before I had to leave for school.

"I'm going upstairs to get ready for school," I announced as I put my empty mug in the sink.

"You're not leaving the house; it's not safe," Cade informed me sternly. Gary looked more concerned as he shot me a look, which told me to play nice but he knew me better than that.

I didn't like being told what I could and couldn't do no matter what was at stake. I was stubborn to a fault.

"Why not?" I asked. "The school is filled with werewolves, so how can I not be safe there?"

This whole ‘being in danger’ thing really sucked.

"You're safer here, or do you want to chance another encounter with the rogue?" Cade asked, already knowing what my answer would be. Last night had scared me, although I wouldn't openly admit it to anyone. I hid my fear deep under my facade of confidence.

"I can't just skip school until you catch the rogue," I argued. "Like you said, it could take a while."

"At least give us today to try and strategize and put a plan into action," he said, surprising me. I'd expected him to tell me that I wouldn't leave the property until the rogue had been dealt with.

I was learning I needed to pick my battles. I gave him a brief nod, agreeing to stay put for the day.

"Tomorrow I'm going to school," I stated. There would be no negotiating.

"Fine," Cade agreed tightly. He didn't like being dictated to; well, that made two of us.

"Nice to see the two of you are getting along this morning," Blake remarked, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I wouldn't say we were quite getting along," I muttered. I think the correct thing would be to say we'd negotiated some sort of truce for the moment.

Spending the day at Cade's house was boring. I'd gone back upstairs to shower and change. Then I'd lain down on the bed for a little while. I was so bored, even flipping through the channels of the TV didn't hold my attention for long.

My stomach rumbled and I let out a sigh.

As much as I wanted to hide out in the room to avoid any run-ins with Cade, I needed to eat. The kitchen was empty when I walked in. I let out the nervous breath I'd held, hoping I wouldn't run into Cade. Cade had instructed Gary and me to help ourselves to whatever we wanted in the kitchen.

I began to look through the cupboards. I had a craving for some sugar-coated cereal, which was strange because it wasn't something I normally ate. I found a couple boxes of cereal on the top shelf of the one cupboard and I tried to reach it on my tiptoes.

"No way!" I heard Blake exclaim.

Confused, I looked over to him, his eyes were fixed on my hip —my hip that had my birthmark. Mentally, I swore as I quickly pulled my shirt back down but it was too late. He'd seen it.

"What?" I asked, breathless, like I'd been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

"This is going to be good," he murmured to himself with a grin on his face.

"What do you mean?" I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about as I clutched my shirt over my birthmark.

"You're Cade's mate," he revealed to me, shaking his head like he was truly amused by the information.

"Cade's my mate?" I asked, trying to feign surprise but he saw right through it. His eyes narrowed for a moment and he cocked his head to the side.

"You don't seem that surprised by that information," he observed.

I contemplated whether it mattered if I knew before and decided it didn't.

"Yeah, I know," I muttered as I shrugged my shoulders.

"How'd you find out?" he asked, watching me with curiosity.

"I saw his birthmark," I answered. I felt a nervous knot start to form in my stomach, and there went my appetite. He began to grin as he shook his head again, like he was laughing at some inside joke or something. It was annoying.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, sounding as annoyed as I felt and I put my hands on my hips as I glared at him.

"Because I think the two of you are perfectly suited for each other," he answered, still with a huge grin on his face. "And it is going to be endless entertainment to watch the two of you figure all of this out."

I continued to glare at him but, honestly, he was only telling the truth. Cade and I were both strong-willed and we didn't back down easily, so the fact that we were mates was going to be a constant battle of wills.

"Are you going to tell him?" I asked, nervously biting my lip. Blake stopped smiling at me and looked a little taken aback.

"Why would you want to keep this from him?" he asked. It didn't take a genius to figure out he wouldn't be happy about keeping the secret from his friend.

"I just wanted a little time to get used to the idea before he finds out."

It was the truth. I couldn't keep it from him indefinitely. Was it so wrong to want a couple of days to get used to the idea? My eyes pleaded with his and after a few moments of contemplation, he sighed.

"Cade is my best friend and I don't like keeping things from him... but I understand you're new to all of this and want some time to get used to it so I'll give you two days."

I was about to argue with him but he gave me a look that made me shut my mouth.

"Two days is all I'm going to give you."

The finality in his voice told me not to bother arguing with him, and that I should be happy he hadn't gone looking to tell Cade straight away.

"Thank you," I said, relieved I still had some time, although two days didn't seem like a lot. At least it was something.

"Understand that if you don't tell him by the end of the two days, I will," he warned me seriously.

I nodded.
Two days.

"I know it's a lot for you and I know Cade can be a bit domineering and stubborn at times, but I know him well enough to know that he is fiercely loyal and he'll be a good mate."

It was because he was domineering and stubborn that I was so hesitant to reveal I was his mate. He would try and dictate to me and that was something I wasn't willing to take from anyone, even someone picked out by destiny to be the person I was supposed to spend forever with.

"I feel I should also warn you," he continued as he sat down in the chair across from me, "just so you know what you're in for."

I felt the nervous knot in my stomach grow. Whatever was coming wasn't good.

"When Cade finds out you're his mate, he'll make sure he does everything in his power to keep you safe."

"That's not exactly a news flash," I replied sarcastically.

"You don't understand."

He took a deep breath and released it. It was like whatever he was going to say was something I wasn't going to like.

"At the moment, you don't belong to a pack and you can't shift into a werewolf. Both of these things make you weaker and therefore an easier target."

His eyes held mine, his face serious.

"So?"

"He'll expect you to join his pack."

That was the first bombshell. I didn't want to belong to a pack. I liked being on my own.

"He will want you to mate with him so you'll be able to shift into a werewolf."

And there was the atom bomb.

Ah, crap!

Slightly stunned, I walked over to the kitchen table and sank into one of the chairs. Thought upon thought of what was going to happen bombarded me and I felt the pressure weighing down on my shoulders. Blake watched me with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently as he came to stand in front of me.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be okay," I mumbled. I felt like my life was busy spinning out of control and there was nothing I could do but watch it happen.

Blake was right. When Cade found out I was his mate, my safety would become his top priority. He would make me join his pack. I wasn't even sure how that happened, and then he would insist we mate.

Then I remembered what mating involved: biting and sex. There was no doubt about it, I was physically attracted to him, but that didn't mean I wanted to jump in the sack with him. And the biting thing, that would hurt. It was barbaric.

I shook my head. I wasn't ready for any of that and I doubted two days would change that.

"I know it's all a bit much all at once but it isn't that bad," he assured me gently. I looked up at him and threw a look that told him to go fly a kite.

"Just yesterday I was a single, independent, human girl starting her senior year. Today I'm a werewolf whose life is in danger, who has also just discovered she has a mate and, once he finds out, I'll have to join his pack. I lose my independence and on top of that I have to mate with him so I can shift so I will be able to protect myself."

Blake remained still and silent.

"Does that about sum it up?" I said, feeling my anger rise at the unfairness of it all. This was my life and it felt like since I found out I was a werewolf that it wasn't just mine anymore.

"It is what it is," was the only consolation I got from him. It meant no amount of anger was going to change the inevitable.

In two days, Cade would find out I was his mate. I knew, irrespective of how hard I fought him, my life was going to change. There was no doubt about that.

CHAPTER TEN

Scarlett

After our conversation, Blake left me with my thoughts as I munched on some of the cereal. I hadn't bothered with a bowl and I was eating out of the box. It was something I normally did at home. My appetite was gone, but the munching seemed to ease my angst slightly.

My conversation with Blake played on my mind. Blake was right—when Cade found out I was his mate, he would do everything he could to keep me safe and I couldn't blame him for that. He'd make me join his pack and he'd insist we mate.

This was all so unfair. I'd just found out I was a werewolf yesterday. I hadn't even had time to adjust to that, so the thought of joining a pack and mating overwhelmed me.

I wasn't sure what joining Cade's pack would entail. I made a mental note to ask Blake some questions about it. But there was no way in hell I was ready to mate with Cade. Sex might not mean a lot to some people, but it meant something to me and I wasn't going to be forced into anything like that when I wasn't ready, even if my life was in danger.

With my decision made, I began to feel a little better. I'd be open to the idea of joining Cade's pack, but there was no way I was going to mate with him.

Images of the two of us getting hot and heavy flashed through my mind and it made me feel a little flustered. I was attracted to him, but that didn't mean I was going to sleep with him.

At that moment, the boy who had occupied my mind for most of the morning walked into the kitchen looking as hot as ever and as his eyes met mine, I felt the flutter of butterflies in my stomach again.

It was like my body came alive every time he was near. I wondered if he felt anything around me; if so, I hadn't picked up on anything. I tried to pinpoint if it was the way he walked or if it had something to do with the fact that he was an alpha—that he held that air of authority about him.

I wasn't a good liar and I wasn't good at keeping things from people. It felt like I had a neon sign above my head flashing that read, “She's hiding something!”

"You’re so hungry you didn't bother with a bowl?" he asked as he pointed to the cereal box that I had on my lap.

"Sorry, it's a bad habit. I normally only do it at home," I said while standing up, intent on putting the cereal box back. Then I remembered that was how Blake had found out. No putting the cereal box back, so instead I set it down on the kitchen counter.

"I don't mind," he said as he walked to the fridge and got out a bottle of water.

"Do what makes you happy," he added with a shrug of his shoulders.

I watched him for a moment as he opened the bottle and took a couple of swallows. It was one of the few times he had spoken to me without being angry or annoyed and I was a little stunned, and a little suspicious.

He was never this nice to me and I couldn't help thinking that maybe Blake had gone against his word to me and told Cade I was his mate. But then I thought about it. If he knew, he would be going all territorial on me. I knew him well enough to know he was the possessive type.