I watch as Caden shifts, his fur receding into his body as the bones realign themselves. Guilt is present in his posture as he stands before me in his human form, his emerald-green eyes not meeting my gaze. I had seen the tattoo on the wolf that called him Alpha, a tattoo only belonging to the wolves that guard the Alpha King.
"Caden who was that?" I ask, my arms hugging my body as I try to keep the hurt I feel from showing. Caden is someone from the Royal pack, a pack that caused this Goddess forsaken event hundreds of years ago.
“A pack mate of mine.” He answers, honesty radiating from his body. I stiffen, realizing the hidden meaning from his words. If that wolf was Caden’s pack mate, then that means.
“Who are you?” I ask in a whisper, my eyes closing as I try to calm my frantic heart.
“I can’t tell you. It’s the one thing that I have to keep from you to protect you.” He counters frantically, his words sounding like a plea for me to understand.
"Who are you?" I ask again, this time allowing the anger and hurt in me to surface.
“I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.” He whimpers out. I open my eyes to find him staring at me, his eyes filled with regret and…fear. Fear of what, I do not know, and right now I am too hurt to care. I turn away from him, not wanting Caden to see the tears gathering in my eyes. In such a short amount of time, he has found his way into my heart and knowing he has kept something from me hurts. Strong arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me against a sturdy chest as his scent surrounds me.
“I can’t tell you everything. Not until the Run is over and plans that have been set are in motion.” His words are low, his lips just beside my ear as he speaks.
“But I can tell you that my name is Caden and that I am from Wœlf Haven in a sense. It is my mother’s pack and I trained there.” Caden continues, his heart beating calmly against my back from inside his chest.
“And I promise that everything I have told you from meeting you to now is the truth. So please, just be patient and wait till we get to the Lodge for me to tell you everything.” I take a deep breath, silence stretching between us. I can sense Amelia trying to link me, her wolf form pacing back and forth as the tense air between Caden and I grows.
[Grace?] She asks, pushing through the black I had tried to maintain between us, not wanting my best friend to see the turmoil in my mind.
"Why should I trust you?" I ask, allowing Caden to gently turn my body to face him and allow him to see the tears that have spilled down my cheeks. He carefully wipes them away, a soft and gentle smile on his face as he holds me close.
"Because I haven't lied to you but I haven't told you everything about me." He whispers, his own eyes filled with tears as he places a kiss on my forehead. Closing my eyes, think about his words and decide whether or not I should accept the answers he has given.
[Grace, what do we do?] She asks, her snout nudging my arm as she lets out a soft whimper. I feel Caden stiffen, but he doesn’t release my.
[We get to the lodge and let him explain] I answer back, hearing a sigh or relief coming from my friend. She knows how I feel about someone betraying me, about how easily my trust can be broken. And right now I feel like the trust I had in Caden has been shattered into a million shards.
[Will we leave him if he tries anything on our last leg of the Run?] Amelia questions, her words causing me to stiffen this time. Not once has Caden tried anything towards us, but that isn’t to say now he might try a last ditch effort in keeping me beside him. But deep down I know Caden is a man of his words. If he says he will tell me everything at the Lodge, then he will tell me everything at the Lodge.
[No. Caden already knows he is in a rocky path with me. We won’t leave until we get answers.] This seems to relieve Amelia as she makes a sound of agreement before our link is closed. Caden holds me close to him, his chin resting on top of my head as we allow silence to settle between us. Sudden, a gasp is heard from where we left the male and his mate, making me turn around to see the she-wolf sitting up and looking around dazed. Leaving Caden’s side, I jog over to the she-wolf and kneel beside her, taking a deep breath to see if I can find anything in her scent that might indicate there is any other injury.
"What happened?" She asks dazed, her confused expression taking in the area around us.
“You were unconscious because of another male. But you’re safe now.” I answer, Amelia bringing the bag over to me. I rummage through and find some buns the Fae packed, handing one each to the wolves before me and watch as they scarf the food down.
“These people scared off that wolf. Apparently that man over there is his Alpha.” The male states, nodding his head towards Caden who now wears a pair of shorts. He must have taken them from our of the bag before Amelia brought it to me.
“You saved us?” the she-wolf asks, her eyes wide with shock.
“Yes. I wasn’t about to let my pack mate rape an innocent she-wolf.” Caden answers, coming to sit beside me. His scent wraps around me once more and I take a moment to breath it in. I am still mad at him, but I can’t hide the fact I relish in being covered in his scent.
“There is a tree house up ahead you can hide in and signal for help if you’d like us to help you there.” I suggest to the pair, watching as the male tenderly holds onto the she-wolf. I can see the love in their eyes, my heart longing for the same type of love they have
“We were actually heading there when that wolf showed up. We were separated at the beginning of the Run and finally found each other. Our goal was to consummate our mating and make it official.” The male states, his gaze never leaving the female. I smile at the two, happy to know they have found one another finally and relieved that there are some good in this event for couples.
“I am Lisa, Lisa McNiel and future Alpha of Crater Paw. This is Daniel Nodel, a warrior from my pack.” Lisa introduces herself. Daniel chuckles, placing a soft kiss on Lisa’s cheek before he looks at my small group.
“I guess after today I will be her Luna.” He states with pride, causing me and Caden to chuckle as I look at Amelia who is in a similar situation with Bryden.
“I am Grace and the she-wolf is Amelia. We are from Silver Birch and Amelia will be the next Alpha as well while I will be her beta.” I introduce myself and Amelia to the two before pointing to Caden.
“And this is Caden, future Alpha of Wœlf Haven.” I continue, watching Caden stiffen for a moment before sending me a smile of gratitude. What ever secrets he is hiding; I will not reveal them to these wolves. I will be the first person to learn his secrets or he can forget about our first date ever happening. After making sure Lisa and Daniel can walk, we help the two to the tree house and made sure they are safe. Caden once again shifts into his wolf form, letting me climb onto his back once more. With a nod, we are off once more and I contemplate about the kind of relationship I would want with Caden once I learn his secrets.