by Regan Ure
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.
I hadn’t been out for a while, and I didn’t want to tire myself out.
The run back to the pack was quick and as we ran into the compound the gates swung closed.
I shifted back into human form just as Cade did. The more I shifted, the easier it seemed to happen. It was almost like creating a habit that could be done without concentrating on the thought too much.
While we walked back to the house, I asked about Blake.
“Have you heard any more from Blake?” I asked. Was it too soon to hope that he and Keri had managed to put the betrayal and lies behind them?
“Yeah,” Cade answered. “He is trying to put what happened behind them and move on.”
Keri and Blake had been the most important thing on my mind, but unfortunately I couldn’t fix them. I would try to help them but they would need to work through their problems together.
Despite everything Keri had done, I didn’t believe for one moment that she was evil like her father. Blake would just need a little time to see it for himself.
She was the one destiny had chosen for him and there would be no second chances. If he couldn’t get i
t to work with her he would spend the rest of his life mateless.
I walked up to Cade and hugged him. The touch of his skin against mine made me feel calm and complete. I didn’t know what I would do without him. Cade pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“Come on,” he said, releasing me and taking my hand in his. “I have a surprise for you.”
My curiosity was piqued as he led me back into the house and into the formal lounge.
My eyes were on the stranger watching me from the fireplace.
There was no doubt. I knew who he was and I swallowed hard as I took a step closer to him. I hadn’t been expecting to see him.
He stood, stunned, looking at me like he was looking at a portal to the past. He looked like an older version of my father, with dark hair flecked with gray.
“You look just like your mom,” he said hoarsely, and I smiled at him. I liked that I looked like her, it was like a part of her still lived on in me. But my similarity to my mom wasn’t just skin deep. I’d fought bravely against Victor like she had, but I’d survived; she hadn’t.
He stepped closer as his eyes caressed my face. I couldn’t believe how similar he looked to my father. He took another step closer and hugged me. It was hard to keep my emotions in check as I hugged him back.
“I’m so glad you’ve come home,” he whispered as he hugged me tighter.
He was right. I was home. It was more than just a town on a map. It was the people who surrounded me that made it my home and I knew I belonged here.
I smiled and hugged him as I thought of how much I’d gained in such a short span of time.
I’d gained family.
I pulled away gently and turned to face Cade, who was standing beside me with an encouraging smile. I’d gained the love that would carry me through to forever.
He held his hand out to me and I put my hand in his. Just being with him was enough to make me feel that my life was complete.
We would never be one of those quiet, getting-along type of couples. We fought and we were both strong and stubborn. We would disagree and we would have to find a way to sort it out but I had no doubt I would enjoy every minute of it.
Cade and I visited with my family for a while. I asked Uncle Nate so many questions about my mom and dad. I was too young to remember a lot about them so I was transfixed as he relayed childhood memories of my father getting up to mischief and getting into trouble.
“The day he found out your mom was his mate, he was so happy,” Uncle Nate said with a faraway look in his eyes. It was like he was looking back at the memory.
I wished that for a moment I could see back in time at that memory with him.
The way he spoke of my parents and the way he relayed the past, it felt like I was getting to know my parents better.
I hung onto every word, hoping to savor the feeling of getting to know my parents better through the memories of them. I wanted to remember my parents not by the way that they had died, but by the way that they had lived.
When I closed my eyes I didn’t want the image of my parents to be of them lying dead. I wanted to remember them by the way they’d looked at each other with the type of love that I only now understood. The way that I looked at Cade.
I lost track of time as we all sat in the formal lounge listening to Nate talk about my parents.
He relayed one story after the other, never tiring of telling me everything he could remember. I think he also enjoyed taking a walk down memory lane.
Gary joined us. I could tell by his expression that Uncle Nate's resemblance to my father was uncanny.
Cade introduced them and they shook hands. Gary sat down beside me as Nate started to tell us about the day my mom found out she was pregnant.
"She was so happy and excited,” Uncle Nate said with a look of sadness.
It was late. I yawned and Cade looked at me.
"You're tired," he stated as he stood up and extended a hand to me. I allowed him to pull me to my feet.
“You can visit more tomorrow,” he told me. I nodded in agreement. The truth was I was exhausted and in need of rest. There were so many times that I’d fought him constantly over everything but now there were times when I was okay with him bossing me around. But only sometimes.
I said good night and hugged everyone. Cade led me upstairs to our room.
In the bathroom, Cade helped me strip my clothes off and we got into the shower. He kissed me under the running water and I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him closer.
The intense flutter of excitement went into overdrive when his tongue swept against my lips and opened them, allowing him access. Our tongues tangled and I groaned.
I pulled him closer, needing more.
“I want you,” he whispered.
“Then take me,” I told him as I pressed my lips firmly against him.
In the shower, under the steady stream of water, he loved every inch of me, and I’d never felt so cherished before.
Breathless afterward, he soaped me down and rinsed me off. He switched off the water and got out of the shower to dry me off with towel.
I loved those moments when he took care of me.
Tired and satisfied, he tucked me into my side of the double bed. He got in the other side and I laid my head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around me. He switched off the lights and for a few moments in the darkness, I just enjoyed the happiness I felt.
"Thank you for my surprise," I said.
"You're welcome," he said as he squeezed me closer.
"It's still hard to believe how much my life has changed," I murmured, thinking about when I'd first moved here.
Never in a million years when I first set eyes on Cade did I ever imagine that he would turn out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me.
"I know," he said.
There were more changes to come. We'd decided to keep my house and use it as another location for the pack. Plans were already in place to start building a similar setup to the compound on my property.
My stuff would be moved to Cade's house, although he now referred to it as 'our house', which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
“I love you,” I whispered, needing him to know how much he meant to me.
“I love you too,” he said, pressing a soft kiss against my temple. I loved it when he did that, it made me feel adored.
I'd been so against the idea of having a mate. I'd thought that it was taking away my right to choose my own partner for life but fate and destiny had matched me perfectly with Cade.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"How lucky you are to have me," I teased.
He laughed and I lifted my head to look at him, still grinning. Even though it was dark, the light from the moonlight illuminated his features.
I reached out and touched his face, loving the way the connection between the two of us made me feel.
His laughter faded.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier with someone more easygoing?” I asked. I knew sometimes I could be hard to handle.
“No. That would be boring. I know every moment with you is going to be unforgettable.”
Feeling overwhelmed by his words, I kissed him.
I’d learned in my short life that happiness wasn’t guaranteed.
I’d defeated Victor but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t face other problems in the future. We were werewolves and our way of life was dangerous, but I knew I could face anything with Cade by my side.
I trailed my fingers down his cheek and touched his lips with my finger.
It was hard to believe that I'd fought this so hard in the beginning. I had believed that you couldn't be with someone without losing your independence and some of who you were.
But I'd learned that I was wrong: I could still be the same person with my independence left intact. If someone truly loved you, they loved you just the way you were.
And this was true love.
About the Author
Regan discovered the joy of writing at the tender age of twelve. Her first two novels were teen fiction romance. She then got sidetracked into the world of computer programming and travelled extensively visiting twenty-seven countries.
A few years ago after her son’s birth she stayed home and took another trip into the world of writing. After writing nine stories on Wattpad, winning an award and becoming a featured writer the next step was to publish her stories.
Born in South Africa she now lives in London with her two children and husband, who is currently doing his masters.
If she isn’t writing her next novel you will find her reading soppy romance novel, shopping like an adrenaline junkie or watching too much television.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
About the Author
