Fighter (Outsider Series) (18 page)

I screamed again, and then fell into the water trying to get away from the squirming worm.

I untangled myself from the fishing pole and came up sputtering.

Caeden was still sitting on the dock, laughing with tears streaming out of his eyes.

“I hate you,” I growled.

“Oh my God, that was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” he hiccupped.

“I’m glad you get amusement out of my fright. I
hate
worms and for the record, I’m never, ever, going fishing again.”

He wiped the tears from his face. “Next time, because there will be a next time,” he winked, “you can watch.”

I went to climb back on the dock but Caeden stopped me. “I don’t really feel like fishing anymore. Let’s just swim.”

“That’s what pools are for,” I remarked.

He shook his head. “You’re being such a girl.”

“Last time I checked, I was a girl.”

He stood and pulled his shirt off before diving elegantly into the water.

I swam over to the area where he had dived in. He came up for air, shaking his head.

“Show off,” I smiled.

He laughed and swam over to me. Water droplets
slid off his face, down his neck, and over his collarbone. The freckles on his shoulders stood out in the sunlight. Gosh, I loved those freckles.

“Still mad at me?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him. My heart stuttered in my chest.

“N-n-no.”

“Good,” he bent his head and kissed me.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

He deepened the kiss and I moaned in response.
My fingers crawled up his neck to tangle in his hair. I clung to him, because if I didn’t, this kiss would send me straight to the bottom of the lake, never to return. His fingers found the edge of my tank top and he lifted it up over my head, and tossed it onto the dock.

“I need to feel you,” he breathed, his eyes a smoky blue, “I need to feel your skin.”

He pressed against me, chest to chest, my bra barely serving as any kind of barrier.

Our lips crashed together, heated with passion. Everywhere he touched me, my skin burned.

I was so happy that we were in this secluded spot and no one could see us.

Caeden’s hands moved down my sides, under the water, and cupped my legs. He pressed me even closer and I felt so safe with his arms cocooning me.

I kissed him back, my tongue gliding over his bottom lip.

He moaned low in his throat
, and adjusted his grip on me so his hands were now on my backside. Even under the water, I could feel the warmth of his hands, like it was searing into me, into my
soul.

The water clung to our lips but I didn’t mind it.

This moment was perfect.

Everything with Caeden was always perfect.

fifteen.

Our “honeymoon” was everything I had ever wanted and more.

I don’t know how we managed it, but the whole week, no one bothered us. I expected at least one person to show up and break our little love bubble.

I sat up in bed and drank in the sight of my husband. He was a view that I would never get ti
red of. He pulled on tan shorts, a white t-shirt, and a short sleeve blue and red plaid shirt over top of the white one before looking over at me.

With a crooked grin he said, “Like what you see?”

I nodded. “Very much.”

He laughed and grabbed his wallet off the dresser and stuck it in his back pocket.

I drew my knees up to my chest, reluctant to get out of bed and get dressed.

Now that our “honeymoon” was over
, it was back to pack business and the issue of Travis. Oh joy.

Caeden placed his hands on the bed and leaned towards me until we were nose to nose. “I don’t want to go either,” he said, picking up on my thoughts, “but we have to. This is our job.”

“I know,” I nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that…”

“About what?”

I pushed the covers away and started getting dressed while I told him. Best to kill two birds with one stone. “I don’t think we should go to college.”

He snorted. “Soph, you’re the one that wanted to go. We’ll go.”

“Priorities change,” I shrugged. “I was being selfish. I have a new life plan now. Number one,” I grinned and held up a finger, “be the best wife I can be. Number two, be the leader my pack deserves.”

He swallowed. “Soph-”

“I hadn’t shifted yet, when I was all gung ho on the whole college experience. I know now, that being Alpha is more important than going to classes and getting a degree. Being Alpha is our
job
. I just didn’t understand that before.”

“Are you sure?” he took my hand with a furrowed brow.

“I’m one-hundred percent positive. I wouldn’t be telling you this if I had an ounce of doubt.”

“God, I love you,” he grabbed my face in his hands and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips.

“Why aren’t they coming here?” I asked.

He shrugged. “They all live there. I figured it would be easier for us to go to them then have all of them come here.”

“Good thinking,” I said and snapped the button on my jeans into place.

“I really don’t want to leave,” he growled and wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me against him.
He nuzzled my neck and the feel of his scruff against my sensitive skin made me shiver.

“Me neither,”
I said, and my voice came out all raspy and breathy.

“Ah hell,” he pulled away and put a few feet of distance between us. “You’re like a drug to me.”

“Well, you know what they say about drugs?”

“What?”

“They’re bad for you.”

“Babe, the problem is
, you’re really, really, good for me.”

I just shook my head at him and headed out the master bedroom door. If one of us didn’t leave the room soon, we’d never get out of there.

I padded down the steps and around the corner to the mudroom. I sat on the bench and pulled on my sneakers. Archie and Murphy stood at the garage door like sentinels on duty. Caeden slipped his shoes on and grabbed his keys up.

“Ready?” he asked, taking my hand and helping me up.

“Yep,” I said as he tangled his fingers in my hair. “What-” I started but then his lips were on mine, consuming my very soul.

He pulled away, breathing heavily. “One for the road.”

He opened the door and ushered me into the garage before pushing a button that opened the garage door. He went around the back of his Jeep Cherokee and opened the lift gate. He grabbed a ramp that was hung up on the wall of the garage and placed it at the opening of the trunk.

“In ya go
, Murphy,” he coaxed.

The large dog sniffed the air, giving Caeden a disgusted look, before bounding up the ramp and into the cage.

“He really hates that thing,” I laughed.

“Sorry
, Murph,” Caeden shrugged and closed the trunk.

I grabbed Archie and
cradled the small dog in my arms.

“Let’s roll,” I said.

* * *

“Mom!” Caeden called, pushing open the door to his childhood home. “Bryce! Where are you guys?”

I concentrated, trying to locate the rumble of voices. “Dining room… I think.”

Caeden took my hand and led me to the massive dining room. I stopped in my tracks. I had just expected Bryce, Bentley, and Logan. Maybe Charlotte and Chris. But not… Well,
everyone
. All the parents were here and even a few grandparents.

Caeden’s brow
s knitted together. “Did something happen?”

“No, no,” Amy said, disentangling herself from the crowd.

“Then, what’s going on? Why’s everyone here?” he asked.

“We’re all your pack, Caeden,” said Jeremy, Bentley’s dad. “You’re not going at this alone. You need our help to do this. Don’t let
your stubborn pride get in the way.”

Caeden swallowed and shuffled his feet. “I wasn’t trying to let pride get in my way… It’s just… Being Alpha is a lot to get used to.”

“I understand,” Jeremy said. “But you have to think this through. You can’t go after Travis without a plan. He’s cunning, and if he’s anything like his dad, then he’s got a plan up his sleeve, which is bad news for us. We have to be one step ahead of him.”

“I agree,” I spoke up.

Caeden squeezed my hand. “Travis is definitely up to something,” he nodded, “and I agree with needing to come up with a plan of attack. But we also need to be prepared for an ambush. I won’t put anything passed Travis and what he’ll make his pack do.”

We moved further into the room and Caeden took the seat at the head of the table. I took the seat at his right.

“Please, everyone sit,” Caeden motioned when no one moved. “While I’ve been-uh-” he cleared his throat, “gone, has anyone been patrolling the woods? Notice anything unusual?”

Charlotte’s dad spoke up, I couldn’t remember his name, “We’ve kept up patrols and we still notice the strange scent. We’ve followed and can’t seem to find the source. It’s… strange. But still no sign of Travis.”

“That bastard is up to something,” Caeden growled, “and whatever it is, it isn’t good.”

“What are you thinking?”
I said as I wrapped my arm around his.

“I don’t know,” he ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick
up on end. “Something’s up… that’s for sure. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” he addressed everyone.

The rest of the meeting consisted of organizing patrol shifts and coming up with a plan to figure out how to identify the strange scent.

Jeremy spoke up, “The scent has changed from being ‘death’ like to being…” he shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ve never smelled anything like it.”

“Maria,” Caeden turned towards an older wolf.

She lifted her head, letting him know she was listening. “Yes,” she prompted.

“You have access to the hospital, right?”

She nodded.

“I want you to head out with Jeremy and Keith
, and collect samples that strongly contain the scent and take them back to the lab at the hospital and test it. See if anything suspicious comes up.”

Maria nodded. “I can do that.”

Caeden ran his fingers through his hair again; he did that a lot when he was stressed.

Sighing, “I think that’s the best place to start. As soon as you know anything on that,” he told Maria, “call me and
we’ll go from there. You’re all dismissed.”

Keith, Jeremy, and Maria were the first ones out of the room.

Caeden and I made our way around the room speaking to the pack members. Everyone was very nice, despite the fact, that I was awkward and shy. It felt weird, being their leader, when I didn’t know most of their names. I had yet to meet the council, and from things I had picked up from Caeden, that was a good thing. He didn’t seem to like them very much.

After everyone had cleared out
, Amy asked if we’d like to stay for dinner.

“Of course,” I said, before Caeden could answer. “We’d love that.”

“Great!” she clapped her hands. “I was planning on making pancakes for dinner? Is that okay?”

“I love having breakfast for dinner,” I said and she was immediately at ease. “Would you like some help?”

“That’s not necessary,” she smiled.

“Please
, let me help.”

“Okay,” she relented.

“Will you be okay?” I turned to Caeden and smoothed my thumb over his wrinkled brow. “You better stop that,” I scolded. “You don’t want to get premature wrinkles.”

That made him laugh. He bent and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m good. I’ll go hang out with Bryce for a bit. Play some video games.”

I followed Amy into the kitchen and grabbed an apron from the pantry door. I tied it around my back and then put my hands on my hips. “Put me to work.”

Amy laughed, tying
on her own pale blue and white striped apron. She rattled off a list of ingredients and I grabbed them all and plopped them on the counter. She had already dug out a mixing bowl and was warming a griddle.

I started mixing the batter and she gave me a few tips before she started frying up some bacon.

“So,” she said over the sound of sizzling bacon, “how’s your week been?”

I blushed. This was definitely not something I wanted to talk to Amy about. “Good,” my voice spiked a few octaves.

“Sorry,” she laughed. “I’m not trying to pry and I don’t want any details or anything like that,” we both blushed. “I just thought I should ask.”