Chapter Fifteen
Keeping his promise to help Joe make some inroads with Axel turned out to be easier than expected as the very next day Dex and Axel paid them a visit. Supposedly, it was to see how Hunter and he were getting on in their relationship, but Cade could see it was an excuse for alphas to be alphas. Hunter had been oddly quiet since their last conversation and Cade decided not to antagonize him, so kept to himself as much as possible.
While Axel and Dex kicked back in their living room, Cade cornered Hunter in the kitchen.
“How about we get a group together and go down to the beach?”
Hunter seemed surprised but went along with it. “Who were you thinking?”
“Joe and Andy. Angie.” He’d met most of the pack by then but the only people he’d talked to for more than a minute were those three.
“Why not. I’ll check with the guys, see if they’re interested.”
When Sybil heard their plans, she and Angie rustled up a basket of food to take with them.
Their group of seven walked down together, Joe glancing at Cade who nodded encouragingly at him. Axel was right there, all Joe had to do was catch his attention. Only it quickly became clear that Joe already had the alpha’s attention. Axel wasn’t obvious about it, but there were furtive side glances and he was careful to walk so he was just ahead or just behind Joe. Why wasn’t he making a move? It wasn’t like alphas to be shy.
He lagged behind, and when Hunter noticed, he slowed down, falling into step beside him. “Everything okay?”
Everything wasn’t okay, from the ever-pressing need for Cade to run to whatever was going on with Hunter and his anger issues. Not to mention the cold, lonely feeling inside him that he just couldn’t shake. But he stuck to the matter at hand.
“What’s the deal with Axel?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s not mated, right?”
“Right.”
“Does he ever talk about Joe?”
“Joe?” Hunter seemed surprised by that. “Not that I can recall.”
“Would Shane have a problem with his mating a beta male?”
“Well, he’s not the heir, so it’s not that big an issue. But—”
“But what?”
“There’s pressure on him to mate with a girl in the pack southwest of theirs.”
“He likes her?”
“I don’t think they’re too worried about that.”
“Well, they should be,” Cade muttered under his breath, before asking another question. “You must know Shane pretty well, right?”
“I guess so.”
“If Axel petitioned to mate someone else, would he recognize the mating, or would he dig his heels in?” He wouldn’t push this any further if all it would do was cause Joe and Axel pain.
“Shane’s a reasonable guy, most of the time. If Axel really wanted to be with someone else, I think he’d let it happen. The biggest problem is he’s second in line and so mating a beta isn’t desirable in case he was needed to produce alpha heirs.”
This again.
“Have none of you ever heard of second mates? It’s like you’re not even shifters. Are you humans who got lost playing dress-up on Halloween? Or just took on the shifter lifestyle as a dare gone wrong or something—”
His rant only made Hunter laugh. “Or something. Why all the interest in Joe and Axel? You think there’s something there? You like playing matchmaker?”
Cade just shrugged, not wanting to admit how close to the truth Hunter was. That was part of what being an omega was about. He could sense connections between people. Which was why he knew Elena was wasting her time where Hunter was concerned but that Joe and Axel might have something if they were to pursue it. It wasn’t an exact science, just a bunch of feelings he did his best to sort through. It was easier with Joe because his feelings were plain and pure. Hunter was a random mix, a swirling vortex of emotions that left Cade feeling dizzy when he tried to piece through it. Probably something to do with his anger and what made him such a good fighter.
When they reached the beach, the hot sun beating down on them, most stripped off and headed straight for the sea, Axel included. Cade hoped Joe would do the same, but instead, he hung back, before climbing the cliffs instead, watching the swimmers below.
Hunter went into the water and Cade was distracted watching him and the others play about, dunking each other under the waves. Watching Hunter so at ease, it was hard to understand the concerns Joe mentioned about his temper, his anger. Until Cade recalled the fight with Zane and the way Hunter’s face had looked. He’d been lost to them, Angus’s voice the only thing that pulled him back. And if Angus hadn’t been there? What then?
A yell had him whipping his head around, just in time to see Joe tumble off a cliff and into the water. Axel, standing on a rock part submerged in water, dived off it and swam toward where Joe had gone in. The rest were a little slower off the mark, not overly concerned until Joe didn’t surface. Then both Hunter and Dex took off after Axel, strong strokes sending them quickly through the water. Axel dived under and the surface stayed still.
Joe hadn’t planned this, had he? It seemed a little reckless for someone so steady.
Ten long seconds passed before Axel rose to the surface, Joe in his arms. He turned and made his way to shore, Hunter and Dex reaching them and helping guide them to the beach.
“He’s okay,” Axel promised, “Let him get his breath back.”
He carried Joe in his arms across the beach to a quiet secluded spot near the back. Joe’s arms were wrapped around Axel’s neck and Cade could hear the quiet murmur of their voices.
Hunter’s voice right next to Cade startled him. “I think he’s alright. Bad spot to fall from though, the waves dashed him against the rocks, he’s got scrapes all down his side.”
“As long as he’s okay,” Cade said, relieved.
“Why not come for a swim?” Hunter suggested. “Water’s warm.”
Cade loved swimming. He loved it more when he was home, surrounded by his littermates, his family. Right then, stuck with strangers, it didn’t have the same appeal. But Hunter wasn’t taking no for an answer, catching Cade’s hand, and tugging him to his feet.
“Come on. You have to get your toes wet sometime.”
When he was waist deep in the water, he struck out toward the rock Axel had been standing on, hauling himself up on it. Hunter followed suit and moment later and they sat side by side, water dripping from them.
“You know how to swim then,” Hunter said.
“Of course.”
“Not all shifters do.”
“They used to. Every wolf, every bear, every jaguar.”
“Jaguar? Are they still around?”
Cade shrugged. He didn’t want to get into that conversation. “I haven’t seen one for years. It’s mostly old stories. You know, the jaguar in the river, the swan in the lake, the—”
“Owl in the tree. I remember those, I think my mother used to tell me them to get me to sleep at night.”
They sat there as the sun did its best to dry their skins. “Why did you choose me, Hunter? You could have had any mate on offer that night. Why me?”
Hunter kept his eyes on the water. “Does it matter?”
Cade’s curiosity was getting the better of him. He needed to shut that down. “I guess not. But you only chose because you had to, right? It was mate or exile?”
“Who told you that?”
Now Hunter was angry. A cold anger Cade hadn’t heard before.
“I overheard it. People talk.”
“Yeah, well, people should learn to keep their mouths shut.” As he spoke, Hunter deliberately turned and looked back toward the beach, toward Joe.
“Leave Joe out of it. You should have told me. I shouldn’t have had to ask other people to find out what was going on with you.”
Hunter stood, towering above Cade. His cold anger turned hot in an instant, Cade could almost feel it singe his skin.
“It’s none of your business and nothing to do with you. Keep your nose out of it.”
“None of my business? I’m supposed to be your mate. Are the rumors true? That you can’t control your temper? That you’re no better than a toddler.”
He knew he was goading Hunter, knew it wasn’t fair, but what was fair in all this? Hunter wasn’t his responsibility.
Hunter’s hand wrapped around his arm, drawing Cade to his feet.
“Do you want to see first-hand just how out of control my temper is?” he asked, his voice almost lost in the sound of the waves.
“Try me,” Cade challenged, clenching his fists. He was done being pushed around. “That’s why I’m here isn’t it? Your pack thought if they got you a readymade punching bag, someone to take all your emotions out on, you’d be safe to keep around.”
Hunter’s hand on him tensed, a ripple of anger passing through his body. Cade braced himself for what was coming.
The alpha’s grip eased, his fingers unwrapping from Cade’s arm, his arm dropping to his side. He turned his head away, staring out at the ocean before glancing back at Cade.
“I’m sorry,” he offered, then turned and jumped into the water, leaving Cade alone.
The omega watched him join Seth and Andy, trying to work out what had just happened. Hunter had been right on the brink, about to lose his shit in an epic way, and then… nothing. Just nothing. An even worse idea surfaced in Cade’s mind. What if the pack’s plan actually worked? What if his presence actually was the solution to Hunter’s anger issues, even without them mating? If that was the case, Hunter might never let him go. He had to leave and soon.