Page 20 of Cultivating Caden
What the hell was wrong with him? Ever since meeting Caden in the woods, Quade’s whole world had tilted on its side. His control, which was always a struggle to maintain, had begun to slip. Maybe he needed fresh air flowing past his muzzle as he ran the forest trails. That was nearly as good as sex. Well, not quite. Fine, it was a fucking pale alternate, but Quade knew better than to approach anyone in Sanctuary for a quickie.
He rushed back to his room and began to strip off his clothes. Now that his wolf was awake, it wanted out in the worst way. Before he’d gotten his shirt off, his wolf started pushing to be released. Quade’s fingers turned to claws, shredding what he still wore. Every muscle cramped as they began shifting into their new configuration. Fuck, it was as sweet as it was painful. When it was over, a sleek gray-and-black wolf stood sniffing the air. The diamond-shaped white marking on his forehead signaled his bloodline, something Quade could never be free of.
The wolf rushed through the halls, using the passages created for shifters that led to the outside world. As soon as his feet hit the dirt, the pressure eased and the wolf breathed in deep lungsful of fresh air. It was happy to be free of the clothes, the rules, the structured life the human half had to live. Lycans weren’t meant for that. They needed room to run, prey to eat, and a body to plunder. Humans needed to work, interact with others, and be on their best behavior at all times. What made it worse was they hated it but wouldn’t change.
The wolf plunged headlong into the woods, loving the freedom. He chased rabbits, not wanting to eat them, but to amuse himself as he smacked them with his paw. Some died, but they would be devoured by the scavengers of the forest. All that mattered right now was his freedom. He hadn’t been given a chance to let loose since he got to Sanctuary. Mostly it was the fear of hurting someone that kept him inside. Though Ten assured Quade he was fine, there were too many horrors in Quade’s mind to allow his wolf much freedom. Tonight, he needed to get out. Not hunting another human, not caring about a mission. Just free to run. He’d had it before when his human half had given up and allowed the wolf free rein. Then it was run, play, and fuck to his heart’s content. For almost a year, the wolf was happy, and the man was relegated to the farthest corners of their mind.
Then he found the child. She was alone, defenseless, picking flowers at the edge of his forest. He stalked her, intoxicated by her scent, wanting to feast. Wolves might hate the taste of human flesh, but lycans weren’t under such restrictions. They were all meat, tasting just as good as a deer or rabbit.
He’d crept up on her as she knelt in a patch of wildflowers, singing to herself. Just as the wolf was ready to claim its prize, pain seared through its head. A blinding light and a voice calling to his human half. The wolf struggled against it, not wanting to give up the freedom it had finally achieved, but the voice continued calling, a singsong, lyrical child’s voice. And his human awoke and began to listen.
“Come out, Quade. We need to talk.”
The wolf shifted, becoming an amalgam of both human and wolf, the form in which the human was strongest, and the wolf felt itself being sucked back down into the darkness. From then on, the human was dominant again.
A noise in the distance caught the wolf’s attention. He sniffed the air, scenting another wolf in the area. A male. An alpha. The wolf headed that way. He would have preferred to fuck something, but sometimes a fight could be just as good.
The wolves in this area were about to find out that a lycan was now in charge.
* * *
Caden couldn’t believehow well he’d slept. Whatever Ten did to him obviously helped. He woke refreshed and ready to face the day, free of painful memories of his beating. He stepped over to the door, wanting to see if he was truly allowed to leave his room. When it opened, he couldn’t help but smile.
Stepping into the hall, he checked his surroundings. The place could be an upscale apartment complex for all the finery. The same windows as in his place—his place. That sounded so weird—lined the walls, each displaying a bright, sunny day. He swore he could feel the warmth on his skin from the sun and longed to luxuriate in it. Small animals skittered about on the forest floor, searching for nibbles of food. If Caden didn’t know better, he would swear it really was a window.
“Good morning, Mr. Daniels.”
Spinning around, Caden was surprised to find Ten standing behind him, beaming a smile.
“Hi, Ten. How are you feeling?”
“Great. All I needed was some rest and—”
“Tennyson James Marshall, where the hell did you go?”
Caden frowned. “You ran out, didn’t you?”
“Maybe. Don’t tell them I’m here, please?”
The door swung open as Ten turned toward it. Fuck if Caden could doubt the doorsdidtalk to him.
Quade came around the corner, his expression like gathering storm clouds. Dark and ominous. Someone was in trouble.
“Where’s Ten?”
“Who?”
Quade stalked closer. “Don’t fuck with me. He wasn’t given the release by the doctor, and he’s got a good talking-to coming. Where is he?”
Caden pointed toward his door, but said, “I haven’t seen him. Sorry.”
Quade grunted as he moved to the apartment. He tried the door, but it was locked. “Tennyson, if you’re not out here in five seconds, I’ll break the door down and drag you back to the infirmary. Everyone is going to see you getting your butt handed to you.”
Even Caden heard the sigh from inside as Ten opened the door. “I don’t wanna go back. It’s boring. No one will talk to me, and I wanted to see Caden.” His gaze flicked to where Caden stood. “I mean, Mr. Daniels.”
Warmth rushed through Caden. “You can call me Caden,” he said, giving Ten a smile. Caden didn’t know much about anything, but it seemed Ten knew a lot about him.
Quade’s eyes softened as he knelt down and opened his arms. Ten threw himself in, hugging Quade for all he was worth. Caden’s attention was drawn to the long, angry welt on Quade’s neck. It looked painful.
