8. Kade

Kade leans against a brick wall in a dark alley, anxiously chewing on the end of a toothpick. His brows are drawn together in anger, his jaw twitching. He's watching Elara. Elara not being safe, Elara not staying with Laith. Elara, once again, ignoring everything he's ever told her so she can do whatever it is she wants.

Kade briefly thinks about sneaking up on her later and holding her captive. Elara tied up and gagged couldn't be hurt by random shifters or stray wolves. She'd be under his thumb, safe, if not happy about it.

He smirks, imagining her furious eyes watching him from the chair he's tied her in. It's not the worst idea, and would certainly be entertaining, but he doubted that Guy would let it fly. It's his base, after all, Kade just lives there.

And since the break in at the lab and the stolen vial, Guy's been…grouchy.

Elara finally meets her friends and Kade lets his shoulders relax. The girls look tense and on guard, which is exactly how they should be. He strains his ears to try and hear what they're talking about, but the crowd and the distance between them makes that impossible.

Kade breathes a sigh of relief when they disappear into the theater where there are cameras and security. Certainly, they'll be safe there. And Kade will be out here waiting to secretly escort her back home when the movie's over.

He takes a deep breath, letting his body relax as he drops his eyes to his shoes and stares at a pebble on the concrete. This is the worst part of babysitting Elara—waiting for her from outside. He briefly thinks about buying himself a ticket and watching Elara from inside the theater, but without being able to see which movie she chose he'd have to buy a ticket randomly and then try and follow her scent amid the popcorn and screaming children. Kade grunts, secretly hoping there are screaming children in whatever movie she chooses so she can"t enjoy her disobedient behavior.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Kade's eyes shoot across the street, his body ready to spring in a millisecond. There, past his car parked on the street, is Laith. He's staring at his phone as he walks, determination on his face. Someone leaps out of the way, annoyed, but he's not paying attention. And he's headed straight for the theater. Straight for Elara.

Kade groans, he wanted her to stay with Laith but with Laith actively stalking her? That just won"t do. Stalking is a one-man job, and Laith has a different role in all of this. Rolling up his sleeves, Kade steps out of the shadows and lopes across the road. He sneaks up behind Laith without him even noticing and is able to look over his shoulder and see that he's tracking someone's phone.

"Hey, stalking people is generally frowned upon," Kade growls.

Laith shouts and jumps, taking a few steps away in fear. He looks Kade up and down, then looks back and forth at the street and relaxes.

"You should know, eh?" Laith huffs a nervous laugh and tucks his phone in his pocket. "I'm just looking for my girlfriend. She texted me that she was busy but she sounded off, like something was wrong."

"Come on, man, can't you let Elara enjoy one movie without you?" Kade asks, trying to stuff the edge of jealousy deep down inside so Laith can't hear it, but the way the other man stiffens Kade knows he sensed it.

"I'm not here for Elara?—"

"Yeah, right, just like I'm not. Listen, I won't get in the way of you two, but if you get between me and her protection I'll?—"

"You'll what, Kade? Ignore her? Run away with your tail tucked?" Laith narrows his eyes and squares his shoulders. He clenches his fists at his sides, clearly coming to terms with his new powers and feeling far too brave for his own good.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Laith."

"You're right, I don't. No one does. All we know is werewolves are closing in on the city at the same time as someone attacks a girl at a waterfall. Now suddenly he's stalking her everywhere, insisting on protecting her, but from what? He won't say. It makes me wonder if maybe I should be protecting her from you."

Rage explodes inside Kade's chest, but he doesn't let it show. This kid is a newborn werewolf, a creature he could tear in two if he really wanted to, but he's needed for the prophecy so Kade can't do a damn thing.

Laith snorts. "That's right, don't say a word. Keep everyone in the dark, everyone suspicious. Such a protective thing to do. Now, if you don't mind, I need to find my girlfriend." He grins, more baring his teeth than a friendly gesture, and walks past Kade. He purposely rams his shoulder into Kade's, knocking him off balance.

"Laith," Kade growls, turning and facing his back. "I'm warning you if you don't leave her alone…"

"What will you do?" he asks, spinning and facing him with rage in his eyes. "What will you do if I don't listen? Kill me?" Laith laughs, drawing the attention of people walking by. "I've been learning a lot lately, and one thing I know for sure is not all wolves can do this—" Laith flexes his hands and sparks fly between his fingertips. "Can you fight magic, dog?"

Kade lunges, grabbing Laith's wrist and twisting it around his back before anyone else can see the display of power. He hikes Laith's arm up until he cries out in pain and his knees start to buckle. When he's on his knees, Kade down behind him and whispers over his shoulder,

"You're a fool, pup. An ignorant, untrained, fool," he growls, yanking Laith up to his feet and pushing him toward his car. "Rule number one? Don't let the humans know what you are. I'm sure Denzel has told you that, but I know your precious girlfriend definitely has."

"Elara is not?—"

"Shut the hell up, it's my turn to talk!" Kade grins at people watching them suspiciously and waves. "Sorry guys, my friend has had too much to drink! I'll get him home, no worries!"

Laith tries to protest, but Kade slams him into his car door roughly enough to make him forget what he was going to say. He quickly unlocks the back door and throws Laith inside.

"Stay!" he growls, disciplining him like an untrained puppy. Kade ignores the look of pure rage as he slams the door on Laith and gets into the driver"s seat.

"Where are you taking me?" Laith grumbles, sitting up in the back seat and leaning forward.

"Home, like I said. Clearly, you're drunk."

"The only drunk person here is you, drunk on power, that is. You know she doesn't even like you, right? I'm pretty sure Elara hates you."

Kade's lips thin as he focuses on the road. It doesn't matter if Elara likes him, Laith is the one she has to be with.

"She'll never want you, Kade. Some flea-bitten lone wolf who wants to keep her from her friends and family? You're out of your mind to think she'll choose you. So you better just give it up now."

Kade bites the inside of his cheek, refusing to retort. The rest of the ride is spent in irritated silence as he drives through traffic and weaves his way to the edge of town where this idiot's pretentious mansion sits.

"So, you do know where I live. Freaking stalker…" Laith grumbles as they arrive.

"I can't protect her if I don't know where she is at all times," Kade says grimly, then glares over his shoulder. "Get out and stay away from her tonight. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Laith says mockingly and opens the door to get out.

"After tonight, Laith…" Kade lets his voice trail off, waiting for Laith to close the back door and turn to look at him. "Never leave her side again, do you hear me?"

He laughs, threading his fingers behind his head and throwing the hollow sound into the night sky. "Which is it, loner? Stay away or stay close? Make up your damn mind."

"Protect her, asshole," Kade grunts as he throws his car into reverse and speeds out of the driveway, leaving tar marks where his tires screeched on the concrete.

"You're the asshole!" Laith screams at him, but Kade doesn't care.

He's got to get back to the theater, he's got to be there for her. It won"t be his job much longer, not when she realizes she's meant to be Laith's mate. His time to watch over her is limited.

The prophecy is unfolding faster than he'd like.