Alpha - Forever #1 (Complete)

Chapter 8 - Part 1

Scarlett

It was an hour later and I was standing in the guest bedroom I'd been in earlier.

I still wasn't happy about this arrangement but there was no use fighting it. They did have a point, though. I knew how to protect myself against an attack from a human, but I'd be useless going up against a vicious werewolf. It was hard to comprehend that the rogue had been powerful enough to go head-to-head with my car and survive.

So, for my own survival, I'd given in and accepted that I'd be staying at Cade's house until they managed to catch the rogue that was after me. Cade and Blake had assured Gary and me that there were enough werewolves on the property to protect me.

"There is a compound at the back of the property where a lot of the werewolves from my pack live," Cade had explained.

The fact that there was a huge compound in his backyard was a little weird, but wolves like to live in packs.

He'd briefly explained that Curtis, the doctor and one of the few humans who knew about the werewolves, lived in the compound. I suppose it came in handy, especially when werewolves got injured because in a normal hospital, questions might get raised that might jeopardize their secret.

I didn't know a hell of a lot about werewolves, but I was sure that if their blood got tested something would be discovered.

I still couldn't figure out why the rogue was so determined to harm me. I didn't have a lot of memories of my parents, but from what I could remember, they were kind and loving people. Why would a rogue have murdered them?

Gary was relieved I'd caved in and he'd gone back to my house to get some stuff, like clothes and toiletries, for both of us. I'd wanted to get my own stuff, but Cade had shaken his head at me.

"You're injured and you need to rest," he'd reminded me. "And remember, the rogue is still out there somewhere."

That had scared me enough to back down.

Once Gary and Blake had left, he'd showed me the kitchen so I could help myself if I was hungry and then he'd led me back upstairs to the guest bedroom I was in now.

"Gary can use the guest bedroom next door to yours," he'd told me.

"Thanks," I'd muttered.

"If you need anything, I'll be in my bedroom at the end of the hallway," he'd informed me before he'd turned and left.

I'd walked over to the bedroom window and looked out over the back of the property and I could see a massive building that was slightly hidden by a bunch of tall trees. I wondered how many werewolves stayed there.

It was a big building, but Cade's property was massive.

It was the first time it occurred to me that he hadn't said anything about his parents. I wondered if they stayed in the house with him or maybe they lived in the compound with the other werewolves.

I made a mental note to remember to ask him.

I rubbed my temple as my head began to pound again and my side started to ache again. The painkillers were wearing off. Normally, painkillers worked for a certain amount of time but once I'd started to develop changes they only seemed to last for half the time they used to when I was human.

Wow! It was still sinking in that I wasn't human anymore.

Knowing I couldn't let the painkillers fully wear off, I had no option but to walk down the long passage to a set of double wooden doors. Cade's room.

I knocked on the door and seconds later Cade opened it. He was only wearing a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips. His chest was hard and defined and I couldn't help but stare.

No matter how hard I fought it, I was physically attracted to him. I wanted to reach out and run my hand over the smooth skin of his chest, but I tightened my hand into a fist and fought the urge.

"Do you need something?" he asked when I was too occupied with fighting my physical attraction to him to tell him that I needed painkillers.

"Y—Yes..." I stuttered. It was like I became a blubbering idiot around him, like my brain stopped working and my hormones went into overdrive. I was acting like a hormonal teenage girl and it revolted me.

"You're looking at me like you've never seen a naked chest before," he stated with a smirk. I felt mortified. My cheeks darkened with a red blush.

"Oh, please," I scoffed at him. His ego was unbelievable.

"For God's sake put some clothes on," I muttered to him, trying to cover up the fact that I was attracted to him.

He gave me a knowing smile as he stepped back and walked to his bed. I followed him into his room.

It was huge. The color theme of his room wasn't surprising. It was a dark blue—a very male color. The bed was massive. I was pretty sure it was the biggest one I'd ever seen. I couldn't help thinking of what probably happened in it.

Cade reached for a discarded shirt on his bed and pulled it over his head. I couldn't argue the fact that physically he was gorgeous. He was ripped and defined, and it was enough to make any girl's knees go weak, even mine.

It was as my eyes surveyed him that they fixed on a birthmark on his hip as he turned to pull the shirt down. There were two teardrops side by side, one bigger than the other. They were identical to mine. Shock locked the air in my lungs as I stared openly at the birthmark that confirmed something I didn't want to believe.

As his birthmark disappeared under the hem of his shirt, I racked my brain trying to remember what Blake had said about them. Slowly the realization sank in and I felt a wave of horror sweep over me.

Mates had matching birthmarks. Mates.

Oh. My. God.

It wasn't possible. It had to be some sort of joke.

I tried to remember what else Blake had told me about mates. It wasn't like in the movies or books, since werewolves had to physically touch to discover they were mates. I tried to remember back through the stressful events. Blake had picked me up when I lay injured in the road. The more I cycled through the events, the more I realized that Cade hadn't touched me at all.

"Are you okay?" he asked, watching me closely.

"Yeah... I'm okay," I managed to get out as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, trying to pull myself together so he didn't suspect something.

"Well, you came here for something," he said as something changed in his eyes.

"Was there something you... wanted?" he said. Then it hit me: he thought I'd knocked on his bedroom door because he thought I'd come looking to get better acquainted with him.

"Oh, please," I scoffed at him and rolled my eyes. He was so conceited it was annoying. "I came to ask for some more painkillers."

"Sure you did," he said like he knew better and I wanted to smack him.

I couldn't believe he was supposed to be my mate. If that was true, I would end up killing him.

He disappeared into his adjoining bathroom and I heard him searching for something in the cupboards before he reappeared with a bottle of painkillers.

"Here," he said as he handed me the plastic bottle. I made sure I didn't touch his fingers as I took the bottle from him. I didn't want him to know that I was his mate until I had time to wrap my mind around it.

I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it forever, but I was going to try and give myself time to come to grips with all this werewolf stuff before I needed to add an egotistical mate to the equation.

Could the fact that he was my mate explain my unwanted attraction to him?

"Thanks," I murmured while still deep in thought about werewolves and mates as I turned to walk out of his room. I felt the heat of his gaze as he watched me leave.

By the time I made it back to my room with the painkillers in my hand, I felt the panic at the realization that Cade was my mate.

I was so screwed.