Woohoo! 500 likes on my facebook page! You know what that means?! The whole first chapter of Fighter!
Enjoy!
prologue.
A year ago, I never could have imagined
this.
But that’s the thing… a lot can happen
in a year.
I met my mate and fell in love.
I nearly died.
I became a wolf.
And as insignificant as it seems
compared to all of that, I graduated high school.
I also got engaged to the most
wonderful man.
Caeden.
I close my eyes and envision his face
before me. His blue eyes, chocolate brown hair, and the adorable scruff that
always covers his cheeks.
I take a deep breath and finger the
white material clinging to my body.
This is it.
The day all girls dream of.
Despite the nervous butterflies
flooding my tummy, a smile spreads across my face.
I know that no matter what, Caeden, is
it for me.
He’s my mate.
My life.
My love.
My future.
My husband.
one.
This had to be some cruel, sick, joke.
My jaw opened and closed, and my eyes were bugged out. I knew I looked like a
demented fish but I couldn’t stop my reaction.
“What?” I gasped, hoping my ears had
mistaken what Caeden said. He couldn’t have possibly said that, could he?
He
closed his eyes, and flinched as if in pain. “Travis isn’t dead.”
I jumped up from the settee. “No, no,
no, no, no!”
“Sophie, please sit down,” he said
softly.
“I can’t sit down! Are you crazy! He’s
still out there, Caeden! He’s been out there for months and you didn’t tell
me!” Anger bubbled up in my chest and I clenched my fists. “Why didn’t you tell
me, Caeden!?”
He buried his face in his hands. “I’m
ashamed.”
“Well, I’m angry!”
“You have every right to be mad at me.”
“You’re damn right, I do.”
He flinched. I never cussed. Ever.
“Do the others know?” I crossed my arms
over my chest and stared him down.
“No,” he breathed.
I paced the room, at a loss for words.
Finally, I came to a decision. I stood in front of him and held out my hand. He
looked up at me with a question in his eyes.
“Give me your keys,” I hissed out,
opening and closing my hands in a ‘gimme’ maneuver.
“What?” His brow furrowed. “You can’t
just leave!”
“I need to get out of here… I need to
get away from you,” I whispered.
He flinched as if my words had cut him
with a knife. I had never seen Caeden look so hurt before but I was too pissed
to care.
“I need to get away from you,” I
repeated, “before I do something I’ll regret.”
“Don’t leave me,” he pleaded.
“If you don’t hand me the keys right
now, Caeden, so help me God, I’ll do something reckless and stupid.”
He dug around in his pocket and tossed
me the keys.
“How long will you be gone?”
“As long as I need to be.”
I was almost out of the master bedroom
when he whispered, “I love you.”
I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh.
“I’ll be back.”
I stomped down the stairs.
“Hey!?” Bentley called.
“Are you okay?” Chris asked.
“I don’t know,” I stopped with my hand
on the doorknob.
“What happened?” Bentley came around
the couch. His golden brown eyes scanned the room for a threat.
I shook my head. “Talk to Caeden.”
And with that, I was out the door.
I climbed in the driver’s seat and
slammed the lock button down, just in case Caeden decided to stop me. I quickly
adjusted the seat and mirrors, and went to put the key in the ignition.
But there was no keyhole.
Instead there was a button.
What the heck was I supposed to do with
a button?
I’m a smart girl. I can figure this
out. How hard can it possibly be?
It took me a minute, but the engine
purred to life.
I knew all three of them were watching
me leave, and a part of me almost put the car in park, but I truly didn’t want
to do or say something to Caeden that I would regret. I wasn’t running away,
trying to be some petty, whiny, little girl. I was doing this because I knew I
needed a moment to think and calm down without his guilty eyes searing into me.
I drove around the beach town and was
content with that for a while. But finally, I just needed to get out of the
car. I pulled over and grabbed some change. I shoved it into the meter and
turned it.
It was starting to get late. The colors
of orange and purple blending together to form the night sky. A star or two
blinked cheerily at me.
I stuck my hands in my pockets and started
down the street.
I walked with no particular destination
in mind.
I scanned the windows of the odds and
ends stores, but I was too numb to enter any of them. I came upon a bench that
sat on the sidewalk overlooking the sand and ocean. I claimed it, and made sure
to give out an aura that said, ‘don’t mess with me’.
My head dropped into my hands and I
sobbed.
Travis was alive.
Caeden had lied.
Somehow, the fact that Caeden lied to
me seemed almost worse somehow.
I was supposed to be able to trust him
unequivocally.
My breath came out raggedly and I found
myself looking over my shoulders. What if Travis was here? Watching me? Right
now?
Panic surged in my stomach and my hands
began to shake. I knew I was having a panic attack. I scanned every man that walked
by, looking for blond hair and soulless black eyes. My heart raced in fear.
I had lived in fear for so long and that weight had been lifted
from my shoulders, when I believed that Travis was dead. Knowing that he was
out there, alive, made that weight come crashing down on my shoulders once more,
and this time it was ten times heavier.
I dammed the tears back. I didn’t want
to cry in front of all these strangers. I didn’t want to cry at all. Crying
seemed like I was letting him win.
I covered the scar on my arm and closed
my eyes.
Liar.
I gritted my teeth.
I’m not a liar.
I’m a fighter.
And it’s time I stand up and do
something.
* * *
I
tried to calm myself the whole drive back to the beach house. This wasn’t
Caeden’s fault. He was obviously torn up about it. I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t blame him. This was our fight. We needed to take down Travis,
together.
I
pulled into the driveway next to Bryce’s Jeep.
The
gang was all here.
That
thought made me feel better.
I
opened the door and went inside.
Everyone
was seated at the white sectional with stunned looks on their faces. Either I
looked really horrible or Caeden had dropped the bomb.
“Did
you tell them?” I asked, while my back was to the room, as I closed to door.
“Yes,”
he croaked.
I
turned to face them, the air rushing out of my lungs in a gust.
I
squared my shoulders and braced myself. I plastered my Alpha face on and strode
across the room to them.
I
looked into each and every one of their eyes.
Determination
flooded my veins. “This is just a minor setback.”
“A
minor setback? The psychopath tried to kill you,” exclaimed Bryce.
“I’m
aware of that,” I replied calmly.
“Should
we go home?” Bentley rubbed his face before stretching his arm across the back
of the couch. Chris leaned into him.
Caeden
opened his mouth to agree and I held up my hand to shut him up.
“No,”
I shook my head. “We’re going to have fun. For just this one week we’re going
to be normal teenagers. Shifter talk
needs to be kept to a minimum…” I paused. “Preferably non-existent.”
Caeden
looked up at me, shocked. I wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by my words or
the fact that I was overriding him. I guess it’s the Beaumont coming out in me.
“Travis
can be dealt with later.”
Bryce
looked at Caeden and pointed at me. “Is she off her rocker?” he stage
whispered.
Caeden
shrugged.
“I’m
serious guys. There’s nothing we can do right now and rushing home doesn’t
change the fact that he’s alive. Besides, he’s been alive for months,” I looked
pointedly at Caeden. “And from past experiences, we know that just rushing into
things doesn’t solve anything. We need a strategy.”
My
pack looked back and forth between each other.
“You’re
right,” Bentley said.
“Yeah,
you are,” Caeden sighed. “I’m going upstairs,” he left the room without a
backwards glance and ice drenched my veins. He was mad about something.
“I’ll
see you guys in the morning,” I said and ran up the steps. “Caeden?” I called,
pushing open the bedroom door. He was sitting on the bed with his head in his
hands. “Caeden?” my voice was soft and hesitant.
He
looked up at me and his blue eyes were pale, steely, and bloodshot.
“What’s
wrong?” I crooked my head.
“I’m
not cut out for this.”
“For
what?” I was confused.
He
stood so quickly that it frightened me, and I jumped back. “To be Alpha!” he
yelled. I flinched and his face softened. “I’m sorry, Soph, but it’s true.”
“No,
it’s not.”
“When
they kidnapped you, I should have gone after them, but instead I let them run
away. At least, Travis killed Peter, but I think Travis has always been a
bigger threat than Peter. He’s unstable. Volatile.” He took a deep breath and
ran his fingers through his dark, wavy hair. “Then, when I get the chance to
take the psycho out…” he collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his
hands and sobbed. I had never seen Caeden look so fragile and broken before. “I
thought he was dead! Why didn’t I stay to make sure?! How could I be so
stupid?! I know better than that! You killed Robert, and Bentley killed Hannah,
but I couldn’t kill Travis when I had the chance! There was so much blood I
thought he had to be dead.” He crumpled completely to the floor and his fingers
dug into the thick carpeting. “I don’t deserve to be Alpha and I don’t deserve
you.”
I
sighed and closed my eyes. A part of me was still mad at him for not telling me
that Travis was alive, but I could see how much pain he was in, and I knew that
we needed each other. Fighting wouldn’t fix this.
I
lowered myself to the floor and crawled to him. I picked his face up in my
hands and lifted him up until we were eye level.
His
blue eyes were so full of pain that my heart broke.
“You
didn’t know that he was still alive
when you left, Caeden. That’s not your fault.”
“Yes
it is,” he shook his head. “And if I hadn’t went back to get his body, I’d
still think he was dead. You have every right to hate me.” He put his hand over
my left one and fingered the ring. “I’d understand if you called off the
wedding… indefinitely.”
“Caeden,”
I shook my head back and forth. “You silly, silly, man. Do you really think I
don’t want to marry you anymore?”
“I
lied to you.”
I
didn’t really need to be reminded of that.
“You
did what you thought was right, even though you were completely wrong,” I
smiled. “I’m your mate Caeden. You need to tell me this stuff. I’m not some
precious flower that’s going to get crushed. I’m your she-wolf, remember?”
“I
thought you hated that nickname.” His lips quirked in an almost smile.
I
leaned in closer to him so that my lips brushed his when I spoke, his breath
hissed out. “And aren’t you the one that’s always telling me that I secretly
love it?”
He
grinned. “I knew it.”
He
leaned in to kiss me but I pushed his shoulders back. Hurt flashed across his
face, but he quickly tried to hide it.
I
smiled. “Before you kiss me senseless, can we please get off the floor? My
knees hurt,” I giggled.
“Good
idea,” he grinned.
“We
still have a lot to talk about,” I warned him as he helped me up.
“As
long as it’s together.”
“Always,”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips firmly against his.
This
was where I had always belonged.
In
Caeden’s arms.
