Fighter (Outsider Series)

by Micalea Smeltzer

  I sat up in bed and drank in the sight of my husband. He was a view that I would never get tired of. He pulled on tan shorts, a white t-shirt, and a short sleeve blue and red plaid shirt over top of the white one before looking over at me.

  With a crooked grin he said, “Like what you see?”

  I nodded. “Very much.”

  He laughed and grabbed his wallet off the dresser and stuck it in his back pocket.

  I drew my knees up to my chest, reluctant to get out of bed and get dressed.

  Now that our “honeymoon” was over, it was back to pack business and the issue of Travis. Oh joy.

  Caeden placed his hands on the bed and leaned towards me until we were nose to nose. “I don’t want to go either,” he said, picking up on my thoughts, “but we have to. This is our job.”

  “I know,” I nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that…”

  “About what?”

  I pushed the covers away and started getting dressed while I told him. Best to kill two birds with one stone. “I don’t think we should go to college.”

  He snorted. “Soph, you’re the one that wanted to go. We’ll go.”

  “Priorities change,” I shrugged. “I was being selfish. I have a new life plan now. Number one,” I grinned and held up a finger, “be the best wife I can be. Number two, be the leader my pack deserves.”

  He swallowed. “Soph-”

  “I hadn’t shifted yet, when I was all gung ho on the whole college experience. I know now, that being Alpha is more important than going to classes and getting a degree. Being Alpha is our job. I just didn’t understand that before.”

  “Are you sure?” he took my hand with a furrowed brow.

  “I’m one-hundred percent positive. I wouldn’t be telling you this if I had an ounce of doubt.”

  “God, I love you,” he grabbed my face in his hands and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips.

  “Why aren’t they coming here?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “They all live there. I figured it would be easier for us to go to them then have all of them come here.”

  “Good thinking,” I said and snapped the button on my jeans into place.

  “I really don’t want to leave,” he growled and wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me against him. He nuzzled my neck and the feel of his scruff against my sensitive skin made me shiver.

  “Me neither,” I said, and my voice came out all raspy and breathy.

  “Ah hell,” he pulled away and put a few feet of distance between us. “You’re like a drug to me.”

  “Well, you know what they say about drugs?”

  “What?”

  “They’re bad for you.”

  “Babe, the problem is, you’re really, really, good for me.”

  I just shook my head at him and headed out the master bedroom door. If one of us didn’t leave the room soon, we’d never get out of there.

  I padded down the steps and around the corner to the mudroom. I sat on the bench and pulled on my sneakers. Archie and Murphy stood at the garage door like sentinels on duty. Caeden slipped his shoes on and grabbed his keys up.

  “Ready?” he asked, taking my hand and helping me up.

  “Yep,” I said as he tangled his fingers in my hair. “What-” I started but then his lips were on mine, consuming my very soul.

  He pulled away, breathing heavily. “One for the road.”

  He opened the door and ushered me into the garage before pushing a button that opened the garage door. He went around the back of his Jeep Cherokee and opened the lift gate. He grabbed a ramp that was hung up on the wall of the garage and placed it at the opening of the trunk.

  “In ya go, Murphy,” he coaxed.

  The large dog sniffed the air, giving Caeden a disgusted look, before bounding up the ramp and into the cage.

  “He really hates that thing,” I laughed.

  “Sorry, Murph,” Caeden shrugged and closed the trunk.

  I grabbed Archie and cradled the small dog in my arms.

  “Let’s roll,” I said.

  * * *

  “Mom!” Caeden called, pushing open the door to his childhood home. “Bryce! Where are you guys?”

  I concentrated, trying to locate the rumble of voices. “Dining room… I think.”

  Caeden took my hand and led me to the massive dining room. I stopped in my tracks. I had just expected Bryce, Bentley, and Logan. Maybe Charlotte and Chris. But not… Well, everyone. All the parents were here and even a few grandparents.

  Caeden’s brows knitted together. “Did something happen?”

  “No, no,” Amy said, disentangling herself from the crowd.

  “Then, what’s going on? Why’s everyone here?” he asked.

  “We’re all your pack, Caeden,” said Jeremy, Bentley’s dad. “You’re not going at this alone. You need our help to do this. Don’t let your stubborn pride get in the way.”

  Caeden swallowed and shuffled his feet. “I wasn’t trying to let pride get in my way… It’s just… Being Alpha is a lot to get used to.”

  “I understand,” Jeremy said. “But you have to think this through. You can’t go after Travis without a plan. He’s cunning, and if he’s anything like his dad, then he’s got a plan up his sleeve, which is bad news for us. We have to be one step ahead of him.”

  “I agree,” I spoke up.

  Caeden squeezed my hand. “Travis is definitely up to something,” he nodded, “and I agree with needing to come up with a plan of attack. But we also need to be prepared for an ambush. I won’t put anything passed Travis and what he’ll make his pack do.”

  We moved further into the room and Caeden took the seat at the head of the table. I took the seat at his right.

  “Please, everyone sit,” Caeden motioned when no one moved. “While I’ve been-uh-” he cleared his throat, “gone, has anyone been patrolling the woods? Notice anything unusual?”

  Charlotte’s dad spoke up, I couldn’t remember his name, “We’ve kept up patrols and we still notice the strange scent. We’ve followed and can’t seem to find the source. It’s… strange. But still no sign of Travis.”

  “That bastard is up to something,” Caeden growled, “and whatever it is, it isn’t good.”

  “What are you thinking?” I said as I wrapped my arm around his.

  “I don’t know,” he ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up on end. “Something’s up… that’s for sure. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” he addressed everyone.

  The rest of the meeting consisted of organizing patrol shifts and coming up with a plan to figure out how to identify the strange scent.

  Jeremy spoke up, “The scent has changed from being ‘death’ like to being…” he shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ve never smelled anything like it.”

  “Maria,” Caeden turned towards an older wolf.

  She lifted her head, letting him know she was listening. “Yes,” she prompted.

  “You have access to the hospital, right?”

  She nodded.

  “I want you to head out with Jeremy and Keith, and collect samples that strongly contain the scent and take them back to the lab at the hospital and test it. See if anything suspicious comes up.”

  Maria nodded. “I can do that.”

  Caeden ran his fingers through his hair again; he did that a lot when he was stressed.

  Sighing, “I think that’s the best place to start. As soon as you know anything on that,” he told Maria, “call me and we’ll go from there. You’re all dismissed.”

  Keith, Jeremy, and Maria were the first ones out of the room.

  Caeden and I made our way around the room speaking to the pack members. Everyone was very nice, despite the fact, that I was awkward and shy. It felt weird, being their leader, when I didn’t know most of their names. I had yet to meet the council, and from things I had picked up from Caeden, that was a good thing. He didn’t seem to like them very much.

  After everyone had clear
ed out, Amy asked if we’d like to stay for dinner.

  “Of course,” I said, before Caeden could answer. “We’d love that.”

  “Great!” she clapped her hands. “I was planning on making pancakes for dinner? Is that okay?”

  “I love having breakfast for dinner,” I said and she was immediately at ease. “Would you like some help?”

  “That’s not necessary,” she smiled.

  “Please, let me help.”

  “Okay,” she relented.

  “Will you be okay?” I turned to Caeden and smoothed my thumb over his wrinkled brow. “You better stop that,” I scolded. “You don’t want to get premature wrinkles.”

  That made him laugh. He bent and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m good. I’ll go hang out with Bryce for a bit. Play some video games.”

  I followed Amy into the kitchen and grabbed an apron from the pantry door. I tied it around my back and then put my hands on my hips. “Put me to work.”

  Amy laughed, tying on her own pale blue and white striped apron. She rattled off a list of ingredients and I grabbed them all and plopped them on the counter. She had already dug out a mixing bowl and was warming a griddle.

  I started mixing the batter and she gave me a few tips before she started frying up some bacon.

  “So,” she said over the sound of sizzling bacon, “how’s your week been?”

  I blushed. This was definitely not something I wanted to talk to Amy about. “Good,” my voice spiked a few octaves.

  “Sorry,” she laughed. “I’m not trying to pry and I don’t want any details or anything like that,” we both blushed. “I just thought I should ask.”

  Trying to get over the awkwardness, even though that was nearly impossible with Caeden being her son, I said, “It doesn’t seem possible, but I love him even more now.” My cheeks flamed even brighter having admitted that.

  She used tongs to place a mountain of bacon on a plate. “I felt that way with Roger. Being married and sharing that part of yourself with someone else does make you love someone more. I fell even more in love with Roger when I found out I was pregnant with Caeden. I felt like, together we had created the most precious thing.”

  I blushed again, imagining dark haired children running around the yard.

  “I can see that,” I finally said.

  “I think,” she patted my hand and took the bowl from me, pouring perfectly circular pancakes onto the griddle, “that as you grow old together and experience the joys of life and marriage, you fall even more in love.” Tears pooled in her eyes and I wrapped my arms around her.

  “Amy, I’m so sorry.” The last thing I had wanted to do was make her cry.

  She sniffled and gave me a watery smile. “It is what is. He’s gone and he’s not coming back. Time’s precious,” she grabbed a tissue out of the box on the counter and dabbed under her eyes. “Live and love in the moment.”

  I flipped the pancakes while she composed herself.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said as I started removing the pancakes and piling them onto a plate. She grabbed up the bowl and started pouring more.

  I moved onto a safer and hopefully tear free topic. “We’re not going to go to college.”

  “What?” she gasped and looked up. “But I thought-”

  “I just realized that there are other things that are more important. Back then, I didn’t understand what being a shifter and an Alpha meant; now I do.”

  She gave me a motherly smile. “You’ve grown up so much since I met you. You’re a woman now.”

  “I think we’ve all grown up. Even Bryce,” I chuckled.

  She laughed too. “All of you have definitely changed in the last year, that’s for sure. I’m proud of you, Sophie. Of all of you.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Dinner or maybe I should say breakfast,” her lips lifted, “is ready. Why don’t you get the boys?”

  “Will do,” I removed the apron and put it back before heading up the stairs and down the hall to Bryce’s room. “Knock, knock,” I pushed the door open.

  I found them both collapsed in beanbag chairs yelling into microphone headsets.

  “Dinner,” I said.

  “Thank God! I’m starving,” Bryce threw his controller on the floor and ran out of the room. Caeden took the time to put things away. I don’t really know why he bothered. Bryce’s room was a mess. You could barely see the floor.

  “Did you have fun with my mom?” he asked as we started down the steps.

  “We talked,” I shrugged. “It was nice.”

  We joined Amy and Bryce at the kitchen table. Bryce was already stuffing a whole pancake in his mouth.

  “Really, Bryce? Really?” I said as I sat down and grabbed the tub of butter.

  He swallowed. “Yes, really,” he grabbed another pancake. “It’s the only way to eat them.”

  “You’re so weird,” Caeden chuckled at his little brother.

  I finished buttering my pancakes and then grabbed the container of homemade syrup.

  “I’m fan-freakin-tastic. There’s a difference in that and being weird,” Bryce pointed at Caeden.

  Caeden just rolled his eyes.

  I smiled and soaked in this small moment of normalcy. They were so few and far between.

  sixteen.

  I traced my finger lazily down Caeden’s chest. He shivered from my touch and turned his head to look at me.

  “Can’t sleep?” he asked, his voice thick from sleeping.

  I shook my head. “What do you think Travis is up to?” A week had passed since the pack meeting and it was still all I could think about.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Caeden,” I prompted. “I know you’ve thought of something. Please don’t hide things from me.”

  He swallowed and looked up at the ceiling of our bedroom. He put his hand over mine to still my movements.

  “No, I won’t tell you…” he laughed without humor and rubbed his eyes. “What I’m considering… I don’t think it’s even possible.”

  I sat up a bit, and my hair fell over my shoulders, framing my face like a curtain. “Fine, don’t tell me.” I wasn’t mad. “But if it is possible… is it bad?”

  “Very.”

  I was never going to sleep now.

  Sensing this, Caeden pulled me to his side and whispered sweet nothings in my ear.

  I woke up, completely drained. I think, I’d slept three hours, tops. I ran my fingers through my rat’s nest of hair and decided that was useless. I left Caeden in the bed and jumped in the shower. I took an extremely long time letting the hot water pour down my body.

  I would be lying if I didn’t say I was scared of what Travis had planned. He was unpredictable, that’s for sure.

  I was scared of what he might have planned, but I definitely wasn’t afraid of Travis himself. In my eyes, he was wimp. Everything he’d done so far proved that. He risked the lives of his pack as long as it meant he would survive.

  I turned the water off and grabbed my towel off of the glass door and wrapped it around my body. I snatched a small towel off of the counter and used it to dry my hair before braiding it. I padded out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Caeden was still asleep with his arm thrown over his eyes. I shook my head and opened the closet door.

  I dropped my towel and wiggled into some shorts and a loose t-shirt. I was just slipping on a pair of converse when the doorbell rang. Before, I could move, it rang again.

  My heart stopped.

  Something told me that the person at the door was not of my pack or someone I knew. Fear coated my throat.

  Caeden was already out of the bed pulling on a pair of shorts.

  He looked over at me and his eyes were as wide as mine. He sensed it too.

  If it came to a fight, it would just be the two of us.

  Living so far away from the pack suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.

  “Caeden,” fear made my voice spike. “Is someone sup
posed to be here?”

  He shook his head no but I had already known that.

  “Stay here,” he commanded. “There’s a panel in the closet, it’s hidden by your clothes.” He rattled off a code. “Hide in there if… if something happens.”

  I gripped his arm. “I’m not hiding.”

  “Soph-” he said warningly.

  The doorbell rang again.

  “We do this together, Caeden.”

  He tenderly stroked my cheek. “Okay.”

  I followed him down the steps and to the front door.

  “Is it just me or does it seem kinda strange that Travis would ring the doorbell?”

  “I agree,” Caeden’s hands flexed into fists by his side. His nails were already elongating and his eyes had taken on that flash of gold they had whenever an Alpha was about to shift.

  He sniffed around the door. I already had and it was a scent I didn’t recognize.

  “It’s someone from the Grimm pack,” Caeden growled. “Stay back,” he commanded as he opened the door.

  I tensed, my body preparing to shift at a moment’s notice as he threw the door open.

  A man with wild gray hair stood there with his hands raised in the air.

  “I’m here to talk. I’m not here to do you any harm.”

  Caeden’s chest heaved. “How did you find this place?”

  “I have my ways,” the man chuckled. “May I come in?”

  “Hell no,” Caeden growled.

  The man sighed. “I guess I should’ve expected that. Enemy pack and all.”

  “Why are you here?” Caeden asked.

  “Travis is after you.”

  “I’m aware of that, Jack.”

  “Listen carefully, child,” the man named Jack snapped, “Travis is after you. We, his pack, renounced him as Alpha. I have taken his place and we have no dealings with him. The Grimm pack is no more. We’re now the Hall pack. We’ll help you in any way we can to eliminate Travis. He’s just as much a threat to us as he is to you. Although, he seems far more interested in you for some reason. We don’t have to be enemies, Caeden. Travis is planning something, what it is, I don’t know. We renounced him before he could finish his speech.”

  “Why renounce him and not kill him?” Caeden narrowed his eyes at the older man.