Chapter Twenty-One
“Who do you think that was?” Cade asked as they reached the edge of the grassland, stepping back into the cool of the forest.
“An early patrol, maybe,” Hunter said. “They were too far away for me to make out who it was. It’s not the usual route, though.”
There had been silence between them for a while. Not the awkward silence of neither of them knowing what to say, but a more companionable quiet, both knowing the other was there and content with their company.
“When we leave the Cove, which way do we go to take you home?” Hunter asked eventually, breaking the silence.
Cade could tell the alpha was a bit insulted that he insisted on hiding the whereabouts of his home, but Hunter was doing his best to conceal his feelings on the matter and focus on the plan at hand. It was another thing about the alpha that made Cade wonder at the nature of his temper. He didn’t seem to be a bad-tempered person but his anger, when it came, burned fast and hot.
“We go west and north.” He still hadn’t changed his mind though. He couldn’t risk the den. It was for the best that they went their separate ways.
“Okay, west it is. We—” Hunter broke off, glancing behind them. “Shit. We’ve got a tail.”
Cade tried to turn but Hunter shoved him forward. “Don’t look behind. Keep moving.”
He did, almost stumbling in his haste. “Steady,” Hunter urged.
“How many?”
Hunter’s answer was accompanied by a huffed breath of annoyance.
“Six.” He paused and swore. “And they’re not our patrol.”
“Who?”
“Red Fang.”
“Shit.” Cade glanced behind them, seeing the wolves bearing down on them, red war paint and all. “I can hold my own. Against one, maybe two.” He thought it important for Hunter to know that.
“They teach you to fight where you’re from?”
“Being an omega is a physical disadvantage but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to throw a punch.”
Hunter’s hand squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t doubt it. But try and leave the worst of the fighting to me, okay?”
“How many can you take on?”
“At one time? Three or four.”
“Four for you, two for me. Sounds fair.”
“Red Fang don’t fight fair.”
“Don’t we know it,” he replied softly.
Hunter’s hand squeezed again, gentler this time.
“See anywhere good for a fight?”
They both glanced around but they were out of luck. The ground was almost flat, grass giving way to weeds closer to the road.
“I guess I’m doing this out in the open. They’re gaining on us now. Looking to catch up with us before we get to the rest of the pack. It’s still early, most of the Cove is still asleep. I don’t want them taken unawares.”
“What do you think they want?” Cade wondered.
“Let’s ask and find out,” Hunter said, slowing to a stop and turning. Cade followed suit, turning to watch their pursuers. The wolves tracking them were running flat out.
“Well, I don’t think they’re here to talk,” Hunter commented.
“How do you know?”
“There’s six of them and they’re carrying spears.”
That wasn’t good. They weren’t random wolves out for a stroll but Red Fang warriors, here to fight. But why?
“Isn’t that Zane?” Cade asked, the crazy alpha standing out because he was the tallest of the six.
“So it is.”
“He’s here for me, isn’t he?”
“We don’t know that,” Hunter said.
“Just the two people we were looking for,” Zane called. They were still some distance away but they had slowed to a walk on seeing Hunter and Cade stop.
“This is Cove land, Zane. What the hell do you want?”
Even from this distance, Zane’s smile was unsettling.
“A rematch. That omega should have been mine and I want a chance to prove it.”
“We fought, I won, fair and square. There’s nothing to prove.”
Hunter turned to face Cade, hands on his shoulders. “I’m going to hold them off. I want you to run, get to the pack house, and raise the alarm. Then grab my bike and go. I’ll buy you as much time as I can.” He shoved the keys of his motorcycle into Cade’s hand.
“No, there’s too many. Besides, he wants me, if I go with him-”
“No! I promised I’d get you back home and I will. Go, now.”
Cade didn’t want to leave him. Hunter shook him by the shoulders. “Don’t be stupid, Cade. Go!”
Grabbing the collar of Hunter’s shirt, he reeled him in and kissed him until they were both breathless. It was only Hunter literally shoving him away that separated them. “Cade, run!”
He turned and raced away, hearing the wolves shouting and calling behind them. Cade’s feet barely touched the ground as he ran. Just as he reached the bend in the road, he heard Hunter growl then roar and turned to see him surrounded. Four of the wolves had encircled him while two were coming after Cade. He slipped off the road into the forest, weaving through the trees.
He didn’t look behind him as he ran through the forest, crashing into branches and doing his best to leave a trail behind him.
When the trees grew thicker, he stopped, took a breath, and jumped, grabbing a branch above him and swinging up onto it. They used to play this game as kids, pretending the ground was lava and they were monkeys, jumping from tree to tree. He climbed higher, hoping the dense leaves were enough to hide him from sight. At some point, he heard voices below and froze. The wolves tracking him were doing just what he wanted, following his trail.
They passed beneath him, never once looking up, and he climbed down silently. Now he was following them. Once they realized they’d lost him, they looped around, heading back toward the road. He crept after them.
When they got to the edge of the trees, the wolves started to run. Cade rushed after them, pausing just before the road. He stayed within the cover of trees and peered out. Three of the wolves were down, unmoving on the ground while a bloodied but defiant Hunter fought on with Zane. There were shouts and the two wolves tracking him ran to join Zane.
The fight went from one-on-one to three-on-one. As Cade went to step forward, one of the downed wolves got up. Four-on-one.
Cade could see Hunter was tiring and he knew he had to help. He was a shifter, for god’s sake. A full blown, active shifter. He couldn’t let Hunter fight all his battles for him. Crouching down on the ground, he shifted. It had been too long, his body protesting the change he forced through it. He didn’t always have full control of this but when his four paws hit the ground and his tail swished dangerously behind him, he knew he was ready.
Just as Cade was ready to rush out, he saw something in Hunter change. Like it had at the Gathering, something primal took over. Though he was looking at a man, what he saw was a bear.