Worthless (Unedited Version)

Chapter 5

Kade in human form^

~Kade's POV~

I knew he was special when I first caught a whiff of him. There was no denying it: he was my mate.

It brought happiness beyond belief. My whole body quaked with excitement; with an overwhelming urge to be near him, to protect him. I felt that, if I didn't mark him right then, then he would disappear.

I walked towards him wanting, needing, the feel of him on me. Needing to mix our scents---to show all that he was mine and I his.

As if caught in a dream, I couldn't comprehend why my mate was growling. Why his captivating blue eyes were filled with fear. Why he lunged.

It looked as if they were in slow motion. My mate's paws were outstretched as his body went airborne, his lips drawn back in a snarl, and I saw Eric bashing into my mate and pinning him to the ground.

A growl rolled out of my chest, not only surprising even myself. The only thing going through my mind was my mate being held down. If it was any other wolf I would have torn them apart. Even so I couldn't help the glare, letting the rage I was feeling show in my eyes. Eric lifted himself off of my mate, locking eyes with a glare of his own. I'm sure he realized what this wolf was to me or he'd have never let my behavior go but at that moment I couldn't care. I relaxed slightly as he stepped away, returning my attention to my mate who had not moved an inch. Cautiously I once again started inching forward, worried about him but stopped as he once again growled.

Don't Kade, you'll just make things worse. I tensed as Eric's voice sounded in my mind.

Why? He's my mate, right? He'll realize I won't hurt him.

It doesn't matter. You don't want him to reject you.

I whimpered. It was possible for someone to reject their mate. Without their love and affection, a wolf will lose themselves in grief sometimes turning rogue, butchering anyone near; other times they would be so lost without their other half that the only solution in their mind was death. Seeing the consequences of rejection, many wolves do anything to make their mate happy--- not that that's the only reason they would. I'm fully prepared for a life spent cherishing my soulmate even without the threat of rejection.

But what if he runs? It's not like we can talk. Either he's got one hell of a barrier up or he's a regular wolf. I look to my mate who was watching us closely. He had too much intelligence in his beautiful eyes to be just an ordinary wolf. Whatever the case, I doubt he'll talk willingly.

I suppose the only option would be to take him into the pack by force... I let out a bark of surprise while the others started speaking all at once. It wasn't unheard of, but not many would try it due to the strain it puts on both the Alpha and the wolf being forced, not to mention the total invasion of privacy. There wasn't much choice in the matter so the wolf could resent the pack. 

The others were still in their heated debate when I suddenly felt the disappearance of a tingling sensation that I hadn't noticed until now. Looking over I catch a glimpse of a ginger tail disappearing between the trees. My legs were moving before I could think, leaving the others yelling after me. 

****

I'd been chasing him for hours, letting him pull ahead every so often. I know it was childish of me, but I couldn't help it. I threw away all sense of reason with my mate so close. This wasn't like me at all. I was level-headed. I wasn't acting like myself and now it was going to bite me in the ass. 

What I thought was desperation making him switch directions was what I realized all too late to be a plan. Soon enough his scent was everywhere, leaving me without a clear trail to follow. My head cleared and the guilt of what I've done, what I made him do, had my chest tightening in pain. He was trying so hard to get away from me that he even plunged into ice cold water.