2. Kade

Kade stands in the shadows of the early afternoon as they dance through the branches of the bushes hiding him. Once again, he's outside Denzel's house, watching Elara run to the pack instead of running back to him.

He's followed her all morning, watched her get home, watched her leave, even kept control of himself while Laith put his hands on her and actually embraced her. Kade had bristled then. That anyone but him would be touching her made him more angry than he had any right to be. But now? Now Elara's willingly walked into a situation he warned her against. She's accepted the invitation to the pack. She"s joining Denzel and taking Laith with her instead.

In his mind, Kade knows he has no right to be upset. He's done nothing but lie to Elara and push her away every time she tried to ask questions. He wants her with him, but the prophecy…

Kade growls as Laith and Elara square off to practice dueling. It should be him with her, him rolling around in the grass and pinning her to the ground, not Laith. But the prophecy can't be denied. Elara made the change, she's the destined one, and Laith's drawn to her like a moth to the flame, which could only mean one thing. Laith is her mate. Laith will help her fulfill the prophecy.

Laith, not Kade, will be the one that Elara falls in love with.

A grunt from the clearing that's Denzel's backyard draws Kade's attention. Laith has Elara pinned to the ground, her legs wrapped around his waist as she bucks and thrashes to be set free. Both of them are laughing, staring into each other"s eyes like star-crossed lovers. It makes Kade physically sick.

He was ready to do what it took to fulfill the prophecy with her as her mate. Ready to lay down his life for the greater good. Better to have loved than lost…but no. No, it isn't him. Why would it be? Why would anything in Kade's life ever work out? It wouldn"t.

This is not his destiny.

Elara's not his mate.

Elara's nothing to him, nothing but a girl he has to protect. So why does his body yearn to be near her? Why does his heart ache when he imagines a future between her and Laith?

"Alright, that's enough. Laith, let her up," Denzel says with laughter in his voice. He claps as the pair right themselves and playfully shove each other. "Laith, you're clearly stronger than Elara, but strength isn"t the only way to win a battle. Elara, come here."

Elara almost dances over to Denzel and leans up on her tip-toes when he motions her to come closer for a whisper. Mischief flashes in her eyes as Denzel's dark lips hover close to her ear. He has a lazy, half-smile and Kade can't help but wonder if his hands are itching to touch Elara the way that Kade's are.

"Again," Denzel announces with a clap, and Elara and Laith begin to slowly circle one another.

"I don't know what he said to you, girl, but you don"t stand a chance," Laith goads, a friendly grin on his face.

"We'll see about that," Elara laughs, holding out her arm and crooking a finger at him as if to say ‘come at me.'

Laith lunges, all brute strength and no skill.

Elara drops.

Kade watches with growing pride as she slides through Laith's leg, grabs his arm on the way, and flips the much bigger werewolf on his back in one swift move. Like a wild cat, Elara jumps the moment he's down, pressing her knee into his chest and holding his hands above his head with a victorious smile splitting her face.

"Do you yield?" she asks playfully, wiggling her hips slightly. Her cockiness is her downfall because Laith uses his legs to throw her off balance. He wraps his legs around her chest and flips her, landing her face first in the grass.

When Elara shrieks in surprise, Kade almost reveals himself and jumps through the bushes, determined to destroy Laith. But as the sparring partners collect themselves off the ground, they're all smiles again.

"No fair, Denzel, he has years of wrestling practice!" Elara whines good naturedly.

"And you have more practice as a werewolf than he does," Denzel laughs, stepping forward to clap them both on the shoulders. "You two are amazing together. I can't wait to see the connection that blooms between you as you grow to understand what life has in store for you."

Kade almost vomits there and there as Laith and Elara smile at each other. Is she blushing? Does she already have feelings for him? Is the passionate kiss that Kade and Elara shared so easily forgotten?

Kade clenches his fists at his sides, no longer able to just stand here and watch the girl he loves fall for someone else. It's time to go, time to wait at her house. Where she'll return and be alone and he can watch her in peace.

Kade silently leaves the scene, darting between backyards and alleyways until he can make it to the road without arousing suspicion. When his sneakers scrape against the concrete sidewalk two blocks away, Kade stops and turns his face to the sun with an exasperated sigh.

He has no right to be jealous, Elara isn't his. She doesn't belong to him. He should be celebrating because the prophecy is coming to fruition. Everything Kade's worked so hard to achieve, all the people who died to achieve it, it all means something now. It's time to focus on the future, on making everything come to pass as legend says it will. It is not time to lament one"s own heartache.

"It makes me sick! They're abominations!" a woman spits.

Kade freezes, listening to the approaching voices as he slowly moves deeper into the shadows.

"I agree. It's disgusting," a man spits. "They're nothing more than a half-thought-out witch spell, a fluke!"

"We should have wiped out the shifters long ago, but no, we let them live. Out of mercy. Now they thrive! Now they're so strong they think they can destroy us? It's ludicrous!" the woman exclaims.

Kade feels these words like a knife to the chest. He, too, was cursed by a witch, but that makes him no less of a were himself. Would they think the same about him? Would it matter?

"And now Denzel wants to bring in this girl, this outlier. She's not right, I'm telling you. There's something different about her, and about that boy she changed too. She's more than just a wolf. We can't let her join, we have to talk some sense into our alpha. The girl and her spawn need to be cast out before they bring more harm to the pack than we can handle."

So these wolves are part of Denzel's pack, and they're not on board with Elara and Laith. It means that without a shadow of a doubt Elara and Laith aren't safe with Denzel's pack. Kade will have to do everything in his power to get them to understand they need to come with him. If they won"t come, well then?—

Kade's phone rings, ending his thought mid-sentence. He pulls it out and answers immediately. The only one who has this number is Guy.

"Someone broke into the lab. I need you here now," Guy growls before Kade can even say hello.

Kade sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Someone broke in?" he repeats numbly.

"Yes, they broke in and stole important research. Listen, I don't have time to discuss this over the phone. I have to go over the surveillance and figure out when and how this happened. Get. Here. Now."

Click.

Kade stares blankly at the phone before he shoves it back into his pocket. After hearing what those weres said, every instinct in his body is telling him to run back to Elara. To stay by her side, even if she doesn't know he's there.

She can't do this alone.

And Laith won"t be able to help her against what's coming.

It's up to Kade to protect her. Except if he doesn't obey Guy, he might lose the privilege of being her guardian altogether.

Growling under his breath, Kade kicks a rock back down the alleyway and starts running in the opposite direction of where Elara is.

He has to go to Guy, whether he likes it or not.