Alpha

by Regan Ure

  He watched me silently for a few moments as he contemplated my question.

  "It can't be anything," was the only response I got. I felt a weird burning feeling in my chest, I felt hurt. It was weird.

  "I know that," I replied, remembering what Cade had told me. The weird feeling in my chest eased. "It's just I've seen the way the two of you look at each other. You'd have to be blind not to be able to see there is something between the two of you."

  He sighed.

  "If I get involved with her and then I find my mate, all I'll end up doing is hurting her. I can't do that."

  I felt sad for him but I understood. I wouldn't be able to fight how I felt about Cade and when Blake found his mate he wouldn't be able to either. Keri would get hurt.

  "It is what it is."

  Another silence settled over us as I began to think about getting away. I made sure I kept my thoughts blocked off from Cade.

  "You look like you've got a lot on your mind," commented Blake.

  "I'm okay. It was just a lot to take in today," I lied.

  Cade would go crazy when he discovered I was gone and I didn't want him doing something stupid. Blake would need to make sure he didn't do anything to put himself at risk.

  "Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll keep your friend safe," I said to Blake. "Cade won't allow me to fight with him so I need to know that when I'm not there you will keep him safe for me."

  I added the last part so he wouldn't suspect what I was up to. Blake frowned at me for a moment.

  "Of course I will. I'd do the same for you."

  His words made my eyes sting with tears. I smiled to try and cover up the emotion I was feeling.

  "Thanks," I replied, unsure of what to say to something like that.

  At that moment Cade returned. He strode into the lounge to the seat beside me, and he shared a brief look with Blake before he looked to me. He smiled at me but the smile never reached his eyes. There was definitely something going on.

  "Is everything okay?" I asked. I knew there was something going on and that he was trying to hide it from me.

  Was he keeping it from me so that I wouldn't worry?

  "Everything is fine," he assured me.

  "I’d better get back," Blake said as he stood up.

  I stood up and walked with Cade to see him out.

  After we said goodbye to Blake, Cade and I walked silently to our room.

  "Is everything okay?" I tried asking.

  "Everything is fine, Scar," he said as he gave me a brief kiss to the mouth.

  I didn't believe a word he said. I knew he was lying to me. There was something going on and he wasn't going to tell me.

  There was an unexpected knock at our bedroom door while I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. I couldn't hear anything because Cade was probably using the mind-link to communicate with whoever it was that had knocked.

  By the time I finished, Cade was lying in the bed, his chest naked while he wore a pair of sweats. Even with everything going on around us I couldn't stop my hormones from kicking in at the half-naked sight of him.

  "Who was that?" I asked as I climbed into the bed. He pulled me into his arms as he covered me with the blanket.

  "It was Jake. I needed him to do some stuff for me and he was just reporting back," he replied as I settled into his arms. I closed my eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feel of his arms around me. I couldn't think about everything I was going to lose; I had to enjoy every second of what I still had until I could put my plan into action.

  "I love you," Cade whispered as he pressed a kiss against my forehead. Shock filled me as I looked up to Cade. He'd never said those three little words to me before.

  "I love you too." I did, there was no disputing it. I was going to sacrifice my life to keep him safe.

  "You are everything I ever wanted," he murmured as he hugged me to his chest. I closed my eyes and reveled in the moment. Even if it was all I had, it was worth it.

  I felt a painful prick in my back. My eyes flew open at the sudden pain.

  "I'm sorry," was all he whispered. I tried to move but my limbs felt so heavy and my eyelids began to flutter closed.

  I was still confused and shocked as I drifted into the darkness.

  When I woke up I still felt drowsy. Panic set in when I realized I wasn't in Cade's room. It was hard to focus my eyes so I closed them for a moment before trying to open them again. This time they focused.

  I gasped.

  I was lying on a small bed in a room with white walls. I didn't recognize it. I turned over in the bed and looked around the room.

  I rubbed my eyes again, hoping I was seeing things, because it didn't make any sense. But nothing changed when I opened my eyes again. I sat up and I felt a wave of dizziness hit me.

  The room looked like an ordinary room except for bars that ran the length of the room a meter from the door.

  What the hell?

  To the one side of my prison was a door. I assumed it was some sort of bathroom or something.

  Taking a few deep breaths I waited for the dizziness to pass before I tried to stand up. I heard the door open and I looked up to see Cade in the doorway.

  He stepped into the room, facing me through the bars. My limbs still felt so heavy. I struggled to get them to obey my commands.

  "Take it easy, the effects will take a few minutes to wear off," Cade said.

  His features were tight and unreadable as he stood with his feet apart and his arms crossed over his chest, watching me.

  Suddenly, I remembered that feeling. Horror filled me when pieces of what happened before I had blacked out began to surface in my mind again. I remembered the prick and then the pain.

  My eyes flew to Cade as I realized he'd injected me with something. Why would he do that? I rubbed my forehead for a moment trying to figure out what I'd missed.

  "I don't understand..." I began to say as I managed to walk to the bars that confined me. I was about to reach out to hold one.

  "Don't touch the bars," Cade warned me, just in time for me to be able to pull my hand away from the object. My forehead creased at the warning.

  "What's going on?" I asked. What was happening didn't fit with the fact that he was my mate and he loved me. If he cared about me, why on Earth was I caged up like an animal?

  "The bars are covered in wolfsbane," he revealed. I had no idea what wolfsbane was.

  "It will burn your skin if you touch it," he continued. "It's a security precaution we take to keep werewolves from escaping."

  "I don't understand," I said. I felt the effects of whatever he'd injected me with begin to wear off. I couldn't help the feeling of betrayal at his actions and I still didn't fully understand why.

  "After you came downstairs last night I knew there was something up, I just had no idea what. I went to talk to Jake and Gary came to me. He told me that you'd overheard what Blake and I had been talking about. I had this dreadful feeling that you were going do something stupid."

  I remembered feeling that strange feeling in my chest when I'd been talking to Blake. Had I felt his emotions? He looked at me like he expected me to deny it but I didn't. I was angry that Gary had told Cade that I'd overhead his conversation with Blake.

  "I began to understand why you were acting so strangely. I decided it was in your best interest to keep you confined so you wouldn't try and do something stupid. I knew you wouldn't be able to sit back and do nothing."

  He paused for a moment and I saw his jaw tighten. Even though his voice and his features looked calm, I knew he was angry.

  "It was only after I injected you with the sedative and I heard your jumbled thoughts that I realized how far you were prepared to go," his said, and his voice broke on the last word.

  I couldn't deny it because it was the truth. He expected me to feel guilty for being prepared to go to extreme lengths to keep the people I loved safe, but I didn't feel that way.

  "Do you have any idea what he might do to
you?" he exploded when he didn't get a reaction out of me. "Do you have any idea what that would have done to me...your brother...or Gary?"

  That made my heart crack.

  "And you really thought that I'd just stand back and do nothing while you gave yourself over to a fucking lunatic!" he shouted. I tried my hardest not to flinch under his verbal attack.

  "I would have started a war to get you back," he told me. Anger still visibly coursed through him as he ran a hand through his hair. He dropped his gaze to the floor—it was as if he couldn't stand the sight of me anymore. He struggled to contain his temper.

  I'd remained quiet while he'd had his say, but it was my time to talk.

  "Blake made a comment about the rogues not being a coincidence," I stated, watching his reaction. His features were veiled, and he remained quiet.

  "How long was it going to take for you to tell me that you'd figured out that Victor was behind the rogue attacks?" I asked, feeling my anger rise at the fact that he'd kept that from me.

  "It was only when Kyle told you about your parents and Victor that things started to make more sense. Jake confirmed it last night. A couple of the rogues were in our territory and Jake tracked them to the border of Victor's territory. He saw them talking to some of the pack members from Victor's pack. It explains how he was able to get the rogues to work together. He is an alpha," he said, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

  "So when were you going to tell me?" I asked in a calm voice, knowing the answer already. His silence answered my question.

  "You weren't going to tell me, were you?" I asked with my hands on my hips. He'd planned on keeping that information from me.

  "I didn't want to worry you," he replied.

  "How could you keep that from me? I had a right to know," I shouted, losing my temper.

  "And when you found out? What did you decide to do?" he threw back at me with just as much anger.

  "Do you really expect me to stand back and do nothing while the people I love are slaughtered trying to protect me?" I said, raising my voice even more. "I heard what you and Blake said. You'd be going into a fight that you would lose."

  His gaze lifted to mine.

  "You didn't even give me a chance to come up with a solution," he replied, sounding hurt. "Instead you decided you were going to go and hand yourself over to a monster."

  I kept silent.

  "You can't keep me locked up," I said.

  His eyes met mine with a challenge.

  "Yes, I can," he stated.

  Damn it!

  He was right, he could keep me locked up in this room for as long as he wanted to and there was nothing I could do about it.

  "I'll hate you for it," I warned him.

  "If hating me is the only way to keep you alive, I can live with it," he replied. "You can't hate me if you're dead."

  Forgetting his earlier warning, I reached to grab a bar and I felt my skin sizzle against it. I screamed as the pain sliced through me and I let go. Cade tensed as he watched me, looking down at the red burn on my hand. He was clearly wrestling with the urge to rush to me and check my hand.

  "I'll send Curtis to check on you," he said tightly.

  "You told me you love me," I said, trying to figure out how someone that loved me could do this to me.

  "I'm doing this because I love you."

  He gave me one more piercing look before he turned and left me alone in my prison.

  True to Cade's word, Curtis came in a little while later with some ointment to put on the burn on my hand. The guards wore gloves to be able to open the cell door.

  I kept silent the entire time.

  I'd discovered the little room inside my cell contained a toilet and a small shower. Later when someone brought me food I refused to touch it. I climbed onto the bed and lay with my face to the wall.

  I ignored the next meal as well even though my stomach grumbled. My stubbornness made me refuse to give in. Later, I was still lying on the bed when I heard the door open. I didn't turn to see who it was.

  "You have to eat," Cade said to me. I refused to acknowledge him.

  "If you refuse to eat I'll have to get Curtis to sedate you and put you on a drip," he warned.

  Silence hung in the air between us.

  "You have till tomorrow morning, otherwise you leave me with no choice."

  It was his final warning. I knew him well enough to know he meant what he said.

  Once I heard the door close again, I rolled onto my back.

  I felt like my life was spinning out of control and there was nothing I could do except hold on tight, hoping I wouldn't be swept away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Scarlett

  Later that evening when Gary made an appearance, my blood still boiled with the anger I felt at his betrayal. If he hadn't told Cade about me overhearing his conversation with Blake I would not be locked up.

  At the sight of him, I turned over on the bed to ignore him.

  "I know you're angry with me," he began and then cleared his throat nervously. "I did it because I love you."

  I ignored him as the anger simmered inside of me. Because of him my hands were tied and there was nothing I could do.

  "We are all doing this because we love you and we want to keep you safe," he argued further when he didn't get a response from me.

  "You need to eat," he instructed. He'd been sent to try and get me to eat. That just made me more determined not to eat.

  "If you don't, Cade will get Curtis to sedate you and put you on a drip," he said, repeating Cade's warning.

  "Please, Scarlett," I heard him plead.

  One moment's silence ticked into another.

  "I brought you some clothes and toiletries," he offered but I continued to ignore him. I heard the door to the cell open and after a few moments I heard it close again.

  "Cade has sent a couple of werewolves to watch over your house until this thing with Victor is resolved."

  My silence hung in the air.

  "I'm sorry that you're still angry with me," he said softly. "But one day you will thank me for what I did."

  I wasn't sure I would be able to forgive any of them, including Cade. They had no right to do what they'd done. They'd taken away my right to choose.

  He waited for a few more moments and then he let out a heavy sigh as I heard him leave. Once I was sure he was gone I turned to see he'd left some folded clothes next to my toiletry bag on the floor by the door of the cell.

  That night, before going to bed, I had a shower and changed into new clothes. As I lay on the bed staring up at the dark ceiling I thought about the mess I was in. I couldn't believe how quickly my life had changed in such a short space of time.

  Then I thought about Cade. My feelings were mixed. As angry as I was with him I still loved him. I'd told him I would hate him if he kept me locked up but the truth was I didn't. I was angry and upset with him but I didn't hate him.

  For most of the night I tried to come up with ways to get us out of the situation that my past had landed us in. Sometime during the night I drifted off to sleep. My sleep was anything but peaceful so the next morning I felt exhausted.

  I glanced around the room I was being held in. I'd walked around it trying to find any weakness so I would be able to escape but there was nothing.

  My anger was still going strong when Cade walked in. In his hand was a plate of food. I was sitting on the bed with my back leaning against the wall. My stomach rumbled at the sight of the food.

  "Here is your breakfast," Cade said as he looked to me for a response.

  I kept silent.

  "Scar."

  It was only one word but it took me back to a time when there wasn't this massive obstacle standing between the two of us, to a time where things had been simpler.

  "I'm giving you an hour. If you haven't eaten anything I will follow through on my threat," he stated calmly. There was no emotion in his features. It was like I was looking at a str
anger and not the boy that I loved.

  I got off the bed and walked over to the bars in front of him.

  "Let me out," I instructed in a firm tone. His eyes held mine in a challenge. I wasn't going to beg.

  "No."

  His answer was plain and simple. He wasn't going to back down and if I wanted to get out I was going to have to do something drastic. Then I bit my lip as I reached for the bar. I knew it was going to hurt but it was the only way I could think of to get Cade to let me out.

  "Don't," he said just before I wrapped my hand around the bar. The pain sliced through me and my face contorted in pain as I gasped.

  "Let go!" Cade yelled but I put all my strength in holding on. If he saw me in enough pain he would relent and let me out. I just had to hold on long enough. The pain worsened and it vibrated through every cell in my body.

  "Stop it!" Cade screamed urgently but he didn't open the door to try to stop me.

  Unable to hold on any longer I let go and dropped to the floor. I held the injured hand against my chest.

  "Let me out," I requested, breathing hard through my pain.

  I looked up to see Cade looking at me. He was livid and his jaw was clenched. Then he turned and threw the plate of food against the wall with such ferocity the plate shattered and fell to the floor.

  He gave me an angry and hurt look before he turned and left. In that moment I knew I'd pushed him too far.

  Minutes later Curtis along with two guys from our pack entered the room. I was still sitting on the floor hugging my burned hand to my chest.

  I knew what he was going to do. I wanted to fight him but with my injured hand I wouldn't be able to. The one guy opened the door and Curtis entered. I saw him holding a bag in his hand.

  They were going to sedate me.

  I wished I hadn't injured my hand because I'd have a better chance of fighting them if it were healthy. My hand throbbed painfully as I eyed out the three guys in the room.

  Curtis watched as the two guys approached me. I stood up and backed up. I struggled but the guys took hold of each of my arms and lifted me off the ground. They set me down onto the bed. They were firm but they made sure not to hurt me.