by Sara Dailey
With his body pressed against mine, I drank in his scent, fighting the urge to rub myself against him so that his smell became my own. I never wanted anything more.
He pulled away leaving me breathless and placed his forehead against mine.
“Allison,” he panted.
I couldn’t seem to make my lips create words. I just stared at him, unable to believe what had just happened.
“I wanted to do that ever since the other night; when we met. I’m sorry. I probably should have waited; maybe said more than five words to you. I just couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop myself,” Cade confessed.
“No, it’s okay. Just kind of took me by surprise, you know.”
With a coy smile, he replied, “Well, you kind of took me by surprise.”
And before I could stop the words from coming out of my stupid mouth, I asked, “Cade, what are we doing? What about Kendall?” She was the last person I wanted to think about, but being that I just made out with her boyfriend, I had enough sense left to know that some clarification was in order.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. But… there is something between us. I feel it. I know you feel it too. Right?”
Was he crazy? Of course, I felt it too. I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me again and preferably not stop this time.
I pulled back slightly and asked, “So what now?” I wanted him to tell me that he would end it with Kendall. That he wanted me, not her. That we were meant to be, and Kendall would just have to deal with it. But that was not what he said.
With confusion in his eyes, he said, “I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do. It’s complicated. Kendall and I…”
My defenses kicked in, and suddenly I didn’t want to hear his excuses. “You don’t have to explain. I get it. Really,” I said even though I didn’t. I didn’t want to sit there and listen to why he and Kendall were “complicated.” What did he expect me to do? Beg him to break up with her?
I started to get up, but Cade pulled my hand back down. “Just give me some time. We’ll figure this out.” And before I knew it, his lips met mine again.
Chapter 18
Kendall
That son-of-a-bitch! I’ll kill him, but not before he is painfully neutered.
Hidden in the brush, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I trudged all the way down here just to find him, so I could be all oh-I-want-you baby, and instead, I find him with that slut-puppy!
I stood there, unable to tear my eyes away from Cade and Allison practically making it on the dock.
He couldn’t get away with this! I started to run over there and confront the lip-locked losers when a strange, yet vaguely familiar scent wafted through the air. Not sure who or what the smell belonged to, I turned my attention to it instead. I didn’t think the cheating scumbags were going anywhere anytime soon, and I always trusted my gut, which was now screaming go find whatever’s out there. While my human nose could not pick up the exact location of the scent, I knew exactly how to find the source.
Not wanting to be seen or heard by Cade, I snuck away deeper into the woods. Quickly, I stripped off my clothes and changed into my wolf form. Immediately, I picked up the scent and followed it. It was coming from just the other side of the lake, and it didn’t take me long to find those same piercing blue eyes from before.
The last time I saw him, he was able to get away. I had only taken a few steps toward him when he disappeared into the brush. With my nose to the ground, I had dashed toward the area in which he had vanished, but he was long gone. I wouldn’t let that happen a second time. I didn’t know who this wolf was, but it was about time I found out.
Our eyes met and immediately my pulse began to race. He was new. No one I ever met before. Even if I had seen him as a human, I would have known.
He just stood there, staring at me. For some reason, I couldn’t move. My wolf legs stiffened, and I was… scared?
I don’t get scared? Do I?
Something about him was completely freaking me out, and I didn’t like it. We continued our staring contest for a few minutes, but before I could stop myself, my eyes shifted away.
When I looked back up, he was gone.
Damn-it!
***
I stood there completely dumbfounded. Cade was making out on the pier with Allison-freakin’-Wright, some mysterious wolf seemed to be stalking me, and I was standing in the middle of the woods without a clue as to what to do now.
I backtracked to where I had left my clothes, shed my wolfy form, and quickly got dressed. One glance toward the pier told me that Cade and Allison had taken their little romantic encounter elsewhere, so it appeared that my only option was to head back home and figure out what the hell to do.
I opened the front door only to find my mother, with a half-empty wine glass in her hand, waiting for me. She turned off the television, refilled her glass, and asked, “So what’s up with you and Cade? And don’t lie to me. Something is going on.”
“Hello to you too, Mother,” I replied after shutting the front door.
“Something’s up. I can tell. I saw him earlier today, and he could hardly look at me. And where has he been? Obviously, not with you. I would be able to smell him.”
I dropped my purse on the console table and made my way toward the stairs.
“I want an answer, Kendall!”
“Well, I don’t have one for you, Mom. But don’t worry. Things will be back to normal before you know it.” I disappeared up the stairs, but not before I heard her say, “They better be.”
Chapter 19
Cade
I wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing. I was even less sure about how Kendall would react when I told her that we needed to take a break. Take a break. That’s what I planned to call it. I can’t exactly “break up” with her. Not when my father has forbidden me to see Allison. Somehow, I needed to convince Kendall to still “pretend” to be my girlfriend. What was I thinking? I had no clue what I was doing.
I headed over to Kendall’s early, way before Sammy would arrive to pick us up. I texted and told him that I was going to drive Kendall to school. I figured that she could just take her own car, if she refused to ride with me after what I had to say.
I wasn’t sure whether or not to knock on her door, so I texted her, and told her that I was waiting outside.
After a ten-minute wait, she threw open the door, pulled me inside, and said, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Uh, good morning to you too,” I said, attempting to make light of the situation. “Is your mom up?”
Rolling her eyes, she admitted, “No, she’s sleeping off another hangover.”
That immediately made me feel even worse about what I was going to tell her. Kendall’s mom did a good job appearing to be a totally-together member of the pack on the outside, but behind closed-doors, it was a whole other story, and only I was privy to this information. Even Shari didn’t know that Kendall’s mom couldn’t go to bed at night without at least a few glasses of wine.
Not sure what else to say, I asked, “Can we sit down?”
We moved over to the couch, and Kendall didn’t waste any time. “Don’t think I don’t know what this is about. I saw you with Allison. Don’t try to play me for a fool, Cade.”
Shit! I wasn’t expecting that. “That was a mistake, Kendall. Look, I’m not sure what to do, but Allison and I are not an option. Don’t think I don’t know what would happen if my dad found out about that, not to mention the elders.”
“Have you completely lost your mind, Cade? How could you do this to me? How am I supposed to react, knowing that you’ve been off messing around with another girl? We are supposed to be together,” she whined.
Her attempt to make me feel bad for her was almost humorous. I mean, I should feel bad, but I knew that this was more about her and what people would think, than it was about our relationship. Plus, I could tell she was trying to produce some tears to go along with her
plea to try to make me feel worse, but it wasn’t working because she never cries. Never.
“I’m sorry, Kendall. I really am. I’m not sure what to say. I know it was wrong. But I need to be honest with you.”
She cut me off. No big surprise there.
“Oh, you need to be honest? Seriously?”
“Yes, I’m trying to be honest here. I’m trying to do the right thing. I need a break. I need some time to figure things out. I…I don’t know what to do here. I’m not with Allison. I’m not going to be with Allison. I just can’t be with you either right now.”
Her jaw dropped to the floor. She stood up, and the look in her eyes told me that she was trying not to brutally attack me. “So, what? You are breaking up with me?”
I stood up too, just so that she wasn’t standing over me. “Not exactly. I know what would happen if my dad found out that we broke up. Can we just keep this between us? Really, Kendall. I just need some time to think.”
“Are you really asking me if I will pretend we are still together when you are clearly breaking up with me? Do you know how crazy you sound?”
She was right. I did sound crazy, but I didn’t know what other option I had. Some Walker charm was clearly in order. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. “I really want us to work. I just need some time to figure out what’s going on with me. Trust me, I don’t want to mess up what we have. Just give me some time. Please, baby?”
Kendall pulled away and looked me straight in the eye. “Fine! I’ll give you your time. I’ll even pretend that everything is just peachy, but don’t fuck me over, Cade. I mean it. And you better stay away from that girl.”
I had what I needed. Time. Time to figure this whole thing out. Now I just needed to make sure my father didn’t suspect anything.
With my mission accomplished, I smiled and said, “Can I drive you to school?”
Chapter 20
Allison
On the way to school, I got a text from Cade asking me to meet him before first period. He wasn’t in Sammy’s car, and when Kendall wasn’t either, I didn’t know what to think. I met Cade at the side of the school, but we only had a few minutes before the tardy bell rang.
He pulled me into a doorway as if he didn’t want anyone to see us together.
“Hey,” Cade said sounding a bit out of breath.
“Hey, yourself.”
Cade looked around, confirming my suspicion that he didn’t want to be seen with me.
“Can we meet tonight? I need to see you,” he asked.
“What? Where?”
“Can you sneak out? I can meet you down the street, and we can get off of the estate for a bit.”
“What’s going on here, Cade?”
The bell rang, and we both needed to get to class. He took my hands into his and pleaded, “Just say you’ll meet me. I’ll text you. Just be ready at around eleven. And ignore everything you see today. I’m not with Kendall. I’ll explain everything tonight. I promise.”
And before I could respond, he kissed me. Hard on the lips, and then took off for the gym.
***
After completely avoiding all things furry for the rest of the school day, I counted down the hours until it would be time to make my grand escape. Aiden never went to bed before midnight, so I decided it would be best to take my chances with the tree outside my window.
Right past eleven, I received a cryptic message from Cade telling me where to meet him. I opened the window, said a prayer, and proceeded to make my way down, hoping that the wolf in me would somehow make me a pro at scaling my way down a tree. By the grace of God, I made it down in one piece and followed the dirt road not far from my house, as instructed. And just like he said, Cade was waiting for me next to a motorcycle.
I could hardly contain the butterflies swarming in my stomach as I said, “So, where to?”
Cade handed me his spare helmet and simply replied, “Hop on.”
I ignored my conscience, screaming that this wasn’t a good idea, and instead wrapped my arms around him. Before I could decide otherwise, we were off into the night.
Chapter 21
Cade
There was no easy way to convince Allison to go along with my plan. All I could do was ask her. I headed toward a park that I knew of that wasn’t too far from the estate, but far enough away that we wouldn’t be seen. It was freezing, and I knew we wouldn’t be able to stay out too long, but the park had an enclosed gazebo-type thing that would at least keep the wind out.
When we arrived, I parked my bike, and I took Allison’s hand. I led her over to a bench, just waiting for her to ask me what was going on. Surprisingly, she didn’t. Instead, we made it all the way there and sat down, but the look in her eyes told me that she was more than ready for an explanation.
I sat facing her and finally decided to just say it. “Allison, I’m not sure how to say this. And I’m even less sure what you are going to think.”
“Cade, just say it. Just say something. What is going on in that head of yours?”
All I wanted to do was kiss the living daylights out of her, which made it even more difficult to figure out just how to tell her what I needed to say. “Okay, I told you before that things were complicated between Kendall and me. The thing is, things work differently within our pack. And it’s no secret that I will be alpha one day in the near future. And well, Kendall… Kendall is supposed to be the alpha-female. I know it sounds completely crazy, but Kendall and I have been together for a long time, and it’s just, I don’t know… expected that she will be my mate.”
The semi-hopeful look on Allison’s face disappeared as she asked, “So, what are you telling me, Cade? I mean, if you are supposed to be with Kendall, then why are we sitting here now… together?”
I moved a bit closer, took her hand, and slid my fingers between hers. “Because I want to be with you.”
“Then be with me,” she said staring down at our intertwined hands.
“It’s not that easy. Look, I talked to Kendall today and told her that I needed to take a break. I don’t want to be with her, but I need some time. My father and the pack elders will freak out if I break up with Kendall and start going out with you. I know it sounds nuts, but I can’t do that.”
She pulled her hand away and my heart sank. She wasn’t going for it. Why did I think for one second that this could work?
“I still have no idea what you are trying to say, Cade?”
“I have to pretend to be with Kendall, just pretend. Until I figure out what to do. Kendall and I are not together. I told her today. Please, Alli, say something.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Having no idea what else to say either, I did the only thing I could think to do. I wrapped my arms around her and did the one thing that I wanted to do since I saw her walking down that dirt path. I kissed her.
And she kissed me back.
Chapter 22
Allison
Three fabulous weeks. For three weeks, I have been sneaking out of my house, night after night, to be with Cade, and to be honest, these have been the best three weeks of my entire life. He’s so amazing, but… yes, of course, there’s a but. He does have one major flaw. He has a girlfriend. A girlfriend who doesn’t seem to be going away. Major flaw!
Yes, Kendall and Cade were still technically together, which obviously sucked, and even though Cade promised me that it was only a façade to keep the pack elders happy, I couldn’t help but ask myself every five minutes or so what the hell was I thinking.
But here I was again. It was Saturday night, and I was getting ready to sneak out. It was like I had no willpower, no self-control around him. I knew in my head that my relationship with Cade was wrong in more ways than one, but I couldn’t stop my heart from wanting it to continue. I wanted to see him. I wanted to be with him. So I kept on going back, despite the fact that everyone, including my entire family, thought that Kendall and Cade were still together.
Taking o
ne more look in the mirror at my guilt-ridden face, I grabbed my bag, filled it with the change of clothes that Cade said to bring with me, and headed out my window. Maybe we’re going to the hot springs… again.
We went to five movies, three trips to the hot springs, and a few stops at the all-night coffee shop on the outskirts of town, all in hopes of avoiding other members of the pack. Secret dating was getting more than a little old. We were running out of places to go, but at least Cade was trying to keep things interesting.
Thank God I’m not afraid of heights. Sneaking out of a two-story house was no easy task. Climbing up and down the tree the first few times was a little tricky, but it wasn’t long before I was pretty good at it. We had our routine down pat. Cade waits for me just down the dirt road from my house by a huge oak tree that keeps him semi-covered. He always looks uber-hot leaning up against his motorcycle in his leather jacket and jeans, very James Dean. Tonight was no exception.
“Hey angel,” Cade said as he walked toward me.
“Hey yourself,” I responded coyly, knowing that my favorite part of the night was about to commence.
After an entire day of acting like there was nothing going on between us, I could hardly wait for his lips to meet mine. I hurried toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His soft lips melded into mine, he took his time, like he wanted to memorize every inch of my mouth, and I immediately turned to goo.
When our lips finally parted, Cade grabbed my bag and handed me my helmet.
“Where are we going? The hot springs?” I asked, trying to sound excited, but secretly hoping we would do something new.
“No, I have a surprise for you.”
A smile spread across my face as I hopped on the back of his motorcycle, wrapped my arms around him, and buried my face in his scent. Now that I had Cade back in my arms, I wouldn’t have minded if we just rode around all night on his bike. If only it wasn’t so freakin’ cold.