Fighter (Outsider Series)

Fighter

An Outsider Novel

Book
Three

Micalea Smeltzer

Dedication

This one is for the fans!

You guys rock and I love each and every one of you!

Ya’ll are awesome!

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 ga
sped, 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 w
as 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.