Alpha - Forever #1 (Complete)

Chapter 18 - Part 1

Scarlett

The next morning when I awoke, I didn't feel Cade's warmth. I opened an eye and scanned the room. The sun shone through a gap in the curtains as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

I was alone.

We'd only known each other for a short space of time, but I already didn't like waking up without him in the bed.

With renewed determination, I slid off the bed. I wanted to go and have a shower, but I didn't have any clothes to change into.

It was then that I noticed a set of folded female clothes on the side table with a new toothbrush. The clothes were a black shirt and a pair of gray sweats and, although they were a size too big, I wasn't going to complain because at least they were clean.

After a quick shower, I brushed my teeth and got dressed.

I walked down the hallway and when I heard some activity inside Gary's room, I knocked briefly on the door.

"Come in," Gary instructed.

I opened the door and found him sitting at the desk, typing away on a laptop. Where had he gotten it? Since the scare at school, we hadn't managed to get any clothes or other stuff from the house.

"Hi," he greeted briefly before he turned his concentration back to what he was doing.

I leaned over his shoulder, trying to figure out what he was doing.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm trying to find all the information that I can about your parents," he explained absentmindedly as he scanned the web page that came up. I wasn't quite sure why on earth he would be doing that. He'd known my parents better than anybody else.

"Why?" I asked, unsure of what that information would yield.

He stopped and spun around to face me as I took a step backward.

"Cade had hoped that once you joined his pack that the rogues would leave you alone, but they haven't. This confirms that they were after you for more than just the fact that you were a rogue. Blake and Cade are even more convinced the reason behind the rogue attacks is tied to your parents," he began to explain. "So I'm trying to find out all the information that I can."

He rubbed his temple. It was a sure sign that he was stressed. I couldn't blame him. The fact that the rogues were working together to get me had me concerned, too. It wasn't like I didn't believe that Cade would fight to the death to keep me safe; the problem was that I didn't want it to come to that.

As strongly as he cared for me, I cared for him.

"I met your parents when your mom was in the early stages of pregnancy with you," he reminded me. "I was your dad's best friend, but even I have no idea where they'd come from. They didn't like to talk about their life before I met them and I respected that."

He let out a deep sigh as his eyes met mine.

"But I can't just stand by and do nothing while rogues plot to get you," he said. "I love you like you were my own daughter."

My heart squeezed at his words and I leaned down to hug him.

"And I love you like a second father," I assured him in a whisper.

He might not be blood-related, but to me he was family. I kissed his cheek as I released him.

"We all believe that these attacks have something to do with the life your parents left behind," he added.

"It sounds like you're on the right track," I said.

There had to be a reason behind the attacks and the only logical reasoning was that it had something to do with my parents. It was also very possible that my parents were murdered by werewolves and those same werewolves were after me for a reason I didn't know.

"Have you seen Cade this morning?" I asked as he swung around to face the laptop.

"He was going to meet up with Blake this morning," he said.

"Is Blake already up and about?" I asked, a little surprised he had healed that fast.

"Yes." Gary looked at me over his shoulder. "It's quite astounding how fast werewolves can heal".

Holy crap, that was fast.

"Okay, see you later," I said as I left the room to search for Cade.

It took me a while to find him. I thought he'd be in the compound somewhere but, after asking a few people, I discovered he was with Blake in his study at the house.

The door was closed so I knocked.

"Come in," Cade instructed and I opened the door.

Blake, Hank, Jake and Ross looked up at me as I entered the room. Ross was Blake's beta. They were standing around a medium-sized square table that looked like a table meant for meetings. There was a map open on it.

At the sight of me walking into the study, Cade walked forward to meet me.

"Morning," he said as he pressed a kiss to my lips.

"Hi," I greeted him. I pulled away from him and greeted the rest of the guys who were watching us with smiles.

"Are you ready to start your training?" Cade asked me.

"Yes," I replied. I was surprised he was thinking about the same thing I had. I'd been blocking my thoughts so there was no way he could have known what I was thinking.

"The sooner you get trained up, the better," he said as he looked to Hank. "Don't be too rough with her."

I gave Cade an annoyed look. I wasn't that weak and I hated the implication that I was. When Cade caught my look he sighed and cupped my face.

"I just don't like the thought of you getting hurt, even if it's for training," he said as he kissed me again.

"I'll be okay," I assured him as I pulled away.

I knew that Cade allowed everyone, including women, to train, but was it too much to hope that he'd changed his mind and he was going to allow me to fight?

He could read my thoughts because he shook his head at me.

"I still won't allow you to fight," he told me. "This training is to ensure you are able to protect yourself."

Would we ever be able to agree on this subject?

I followed Hank out of the study and to the compound gym. On the way there he asked questions about the type of training I'd been doing with Gary.

"This training will be different and, in conjunction, you will need to do some weight-training to build muscle," he informed me.

"Okay," I said, following him into the gym.

"Even though you're stronger than most humans, you are no match against a male werewolf," he told me as he walked me to the weight machines.

"By building up your muscle, we can increase your strength slightly," he began to explain.

"It still won't be enough for you to take on a male werewolf, but that's why our training will concentrate on speeding up your reactions. The faster you can get away, the better." He gave me a serious look.

I could see he also wasn't keen on the idea of me fighting the rogues alongside them. I wasn't going to try and argue with him because Cade's mind was the one that needed changing, not Hank's.

Four hours later, or what honestly felt like forever, I landed with a thud on the gym mat. Winded and in agony, I rolled onto my side, trying to keep from screaming out in pain.

"Have you had enough yet?" Hank asked as he bounced on his feet, waiting for me to get back up. I looked like I'd been at it for hours but Hank had barely broken a sweat.

He was brutal and ruthless with his training. I'd trained on the weights until I couldn't feel my arms or legs anymore. Then he'd proceeded to kick my ass on the gym mat for the last couple of hours.

I squeezed my eyes closed for a moment to try and wrestle with the aching limbs. I wanted to get back up and fight again but my body had other ideas. Every muscle screamed out in pain.

Breathing hard with the sweat dripping from my face, my clothes drenched in sweat, I lay on the ground unable to get back up.