Alpha (27 page)

When I didn't shift back, Cade dropped to a knee in front of me.

You having troubling shifting back?

I nodded my head.

Close your eyes and see yourself in your human form.

He was so thoughtful, I leaned forward and licked his cheek. He laughed and wiped his cheek. It was nice to see him in the carefree state; it didn't happen often.

I closed my eyes and did what he said. Sure enough, I felt my body change. But unlike when I shifted into a wolf, I felt pain shoot through my body. When the shift finished, I was on my knees with my hands grasping the sand as I breathed through the pain.

"It's okay," Cade soothed as I felt him pick me up. He tucked me closer to his chest as he carried me to the house. I was glad that Kyle and his pack had been directed to Cade's study so that they wouldn't see me like this.

I heard the murmur of voices coming from the study as Cade climbed the stairs. Once inside his bedroom, he laid me gently on the bed.

How are you feeling?

"A little achy, but I'll survive," I answered him out loud. It was still more comfortable to talk aloud than to talk to him through the mind-link. He sat down beside me and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"I'd stay but I have to talk to Kyle," he said as he pressed a kiss to my lips.

"It's fine, go do what you need to."

He gave me one last lingering look before he left.

I lay on the bed for about fifteen minutes before I felt the ache ease from my limbs. I wondered if it would be this painful every time I shifted back to human form, but then I remembered Cade saying something about it only hurting a few times after the first shift.

Thank goodness.

I wandered downstairs in search of Cade. I knew he was in the study with Kyle. Most people would have left them alone to talk, but I wanted to know what was going on.

The door was closed, but I didn't knock. I opened the study and walked in. Cade turned to look at me. I wasn't sure if I expected him to be mad that I'd barged in, but he smiled.

"Hi," he greeted as he stepped forward.

"Hi," I replied.

I heard a gasp and I turned to see Kyle standing a couple of feet away from me with his gaze fixed on me in surprise. His mouth was slightly open in shock.

It was like he'd seen a ghost.

"Eyes off her," warned Cade when he saw Kyle gaping at me. Cade took a menacing step toward him. Kyle was yanked back to reality as he shot a glare to Cade. This guy was really acting weird. Then, despite the warning from Cade, he turned to me. His eyes softened slightly as he searched my face.

"Scarlett?" he whispered.

Cade stopped mid-step. Confused, he looked from Kyle to me. I didn't know why Kyle was acting the way he was, but I stood firm.

"Yes, I'm Scarlett," I confirmed while holding his questioning gaze.

A few moments of deathly silence descended.

"I'm sorry, should I know you?" I asked, feeling a little impatient that I wasn't seeing the whole picture.

"Yes...you should know me," he replied cryptically. I racked my mind, but I'd never seen him before today. He didn't go to our school and he didn't live in our town so I wasn't sure how I was supposed to know him.

In the meantime, Cade looked deep in thought as he rubbed his chin and then it was like a light went off in his mind.

"Scarlett?" he said to Kyle. Kyle nodded his head gently, but his attention didn't move from me. I hated not knowing what was going on.

"Where am I supposed to know you from?" I asked, feeling a little impatient as I cocked my head to the side and studied him.

"You..." he began, "... are my sister."

My eyes narrowed for a moment as I considered the fact that he might be high on something. I looked to Cade but Cade's expression was blank as he watched my reaction. The fact that Cade wasn't laughing his ass off told me that he believed what Kyle had just said.

A brother.

It was unbelievable. I heard a rush of blood in my ears as the room suddenly became too hot. I took a deep breath and released it.

"Sit down," Cade instructed as he steered me to a chair and I sat down.

One thought after another ambushed me. More questions than answers flooded through my mind. How was it possible? I dropped my head into my hands for a moment to try and get a hold of myself.

"You okay, Scar?" Cade questioned with concern and I looked up to see him bent down on one knee in front of me as he searched my face.

A brother.

The thought resounded through my mind and my eyes went to Kyle's, who was watching me just as carefully as Cade was.

It was his eyes—they were gray, like mine. Could he really be?

I stood up and Cade shifted out of my way as I walked to Kyle. Everyone else in the room was forgotten about. I stopped just in front of him and he stood watching me as I studied his eyes. The more I looked at him, the more I saw glimpses of my dad's strong features and my mom's coloring.

Then it hit me. He was my brother and I felt a sob rip from inside of me.

I wasn't the emotional type, but in that moment I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. Another sob followed as I felt the tears start to run down my cheeks while I cried.

The parents I'd mourned since I was a little girl lived on in him and I held him close, feeling like I was connecting with my parents in some small way. The grief that I'd wrestled with began to break free at the thought that I had a brother I knew nothing about.

His strong arms wrapped around me and held me tightly against his chest. That small gesture made me sob even harder. I didn't know how it was possible, all that I knew was what I saw confirmed that he was my brother.

For the first time since I'd lost my parents, I didn't feel alone in the world.

I pulled back and brushed his cheek with my thumb and he smiled at me. Feeling vulnerable as my throat thickened with emotion, I took a step back.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, averting my gaze. I felt embarrassed at my outburst.

"I needed that as much as you did."

My eyes went to his and I bit my lip to keep more tears from breaking free.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I need time to process this," I told him, brushing the tears from my cheeks.

"You take as long as you need."

It seemed to be enough that somehow he'd found me.

I turned to see Cade watching me. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he saw right through it. Overwhelmed, I turned and rushed out of the study.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Scarlett

Thankfully, I managed to get to the gym without running into anyone. By the time I made it inside, I was breathing hard and I felt like I was going to explode from the emotions tearing into me.

Tears stung my eyes as I tried to take a deep breath and expel it. A couple of tears slid free and I brushed them away angrily. I hated being so emotional; it made me feel vulnerable.

I stood in front of the punching bag. I swung my fist and hit the bag hard. I repeated the motion again. It was a way of expelling some of the anger building up inside of me.

If I had a brother, it meant that my parents had lied to me. The betrayal was too much to deal with. No matter how hard I hit the punching bag, it didn't ease the feeling of betrayal. Why had they kept it from me?

I hit the punching bag again and again, the sweat pouring down my face as I kept at it.

I closed my eyes and held the punching bag as I tried to imagine what Kyle's life was like without our parents. I swear I felt my heart break for him. I was getting upset over the fact that our parents lied to me, but what they did to him was far worse.

He'd grown up without a family.

The tears I'd managed to hold up to that point broke free and I began to sob. I didn't hear anyone come in, but I felt hands turn me around gently. Through my tears, I looked up to see Cade looking at me with concern and understanding.

Another sob trembled through me as he pulled me into his arms and held me close.

"It's okay, Scar," he soothed as he rubbed my back gently. I clung to him. He was like my anchor to Earth while everything spun out of control.

Slowly my sobs began to ease and finally the tears dried up. I rested my cheek against his chest as he continued to hold me. I felt like I'd cried so much and experienced so many emotions all at once. Now that I'd stopped crying, I felt emotionally exhausted.

Gently, Cade pulled back slightly and tilted my gaze to his with his finger under my chin. He brushed the tears from my cheeks as I closed my eyes.

He led me to Hank's small office and made me sit down in one of the chairs as he got me a drink of water. He handed me the cup and I took a sip. He sat down on a chair across from me and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs.

"Talk to me, Scar," he pleaded gently. I couldn't even look at him at the moment so I dropped my gaze to the floor.

I took an emotion-filled breath and released it like it would help me let go of all the negative emotions I was feeling, but nothing eased them. One minute ticked into two. I don't know how much time passed as I sat there feeling like my whole life had been a lie.

They hadn't told me I was a werewolf. They hadn't told me I had a brother. What else had they kept from me?

I set the glass of water down on the table and stood up. I began to pace back and forth as I tried to come up with a reason why my parents had done what they did. But I couldn't come up with an acceptable excuse.

"Scar." Cade said my name and I turned to face him. I crossed my arms across my chest as I held his gaze. I didn't like people seeing me exposed and vulnerable like I felt at the moment.

"I hate feeling weak and emotional," I said to him.

He let out a sigh then he stood up and walked over to me as I held his gaze.

"It's okay to feel weak and emotional," he said as his eyes softened and I bit down on my lip to keep from crying again. "You don't always have to be strong and in control. You just found out that you have a brother you knew nothing about. I can’t even imagine what you're going through."

He paused for a moment.

"I'm here to be strong for you when you need strength. So feel what you need to, fall apart if that's what it takes. I'll be there to pick up the pieces."

I pressed my hands to my mouth to stop another sob that was provoked by his beautiful words. He reached for me and pulled me against his chest. His words covered me like a blanket, making me feel safe and protected.

"I think you'll feel better when you've talked to Kyle and found out why your parents did what they did," he suggested. "Maybe they had a good reason."

He was right. I couldn't guess why they didn't tell me about Kyle. I needed to sit down with my brother and find out what he knew. Maybe somehow he knew why our parents had left their pack and covered their tracks so well that Gary hadn't been able to find out anything.

I hugged him for a moment before I pulled back.

"Come on, let's go and find my brother," I said. It still felt so strange saying that.
My brother.

Cade held my hand as we walked back to the house.

"Where's Gary?" I asked Cade as we entered the house.

"I think he's upstairs," he answered.

"Please, would you get him to meet me in the study?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. He pressed his lips to mine and I savored the brief kiss.

While Cade hurried up the stairs, I turned to face the door of the study. It was time to get answers.

I opened the door to find Kyle alone, sitting in a chair with his hands clasped together. His eyes met mine and he stood up. He didn't strike me as the type to be nervous, but I could tell he was.

"Hi," I said. It felt inadequate, but it was the best I had.

"Hi," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"We need to talk." I stated the obvious.

He nodded his head in agreement as he sat back down and I sat down across from him. I felt nervous as Gary entered the study, looking a little confused.

I stood up and gave him a hug.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he scanned my features. The last time I'd seen him was before I'd mated with Cade and shifted for the first time. It hadn't been that long ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

"I'm good," I lied. He was asking about my physical well-being, not my emotional state.

Kyle stood up as Gary turned to face him.

"Kyle, this is Gary, he was our dad's best friend and my guardian," I introduced.

"Gary, this is my...brother."

Gary took a moment before what I said sank in and he turned to me. It was like he wasn't sure he'd heard right.

"Yes, he is my brother," I confirmed.