Scarlett

The next couple of days after killing Victor, Cade was very overprotective; it was almost suffocating. The only reason I didn't put a stop to it was because I knew nearly losing me had scared him and constantly being around me fussing was helping him work through it.

After two days of being confined to my bed, I'd had enough. I was going stir-crazy lying in bed watching mindless TV. I was getting out of bed when Cade walked into the room and he frowned at me. He held a tray of food.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded as he walked to me and set the tray down on the bedside table.

"I'm not spending another day in bed," I told him. He was about to open his mouth and argue but the glare I sent in his direction made him stop and shut his mouth.

Almost all of my bruises were gone and physically I was feeling okay. And after two days, I was bored stiff. I needed to get out, get some fresh air.

I was dying to be able to shift into my wolf form and run in the forest.

"I'm fine," I stated with my usual determination, and Cade knew there was no fighting me on it.

"At least have some breakfast first," he told me. I raised an eyebrow but he held my gaze.

We were both so headstrong, and when we clashed it could be explosive.

"Okay," I relented, getting back into the bed.

He set the tray on my lap and I surveyed the food. I had just eaten a spoonful of cereal when someone knocked on the door.

I looked up to see Gary, and I smiled.

"I thought I'd just stop by to see how you're doing," he said, walking into the room.

"I'm fine, in fact I will be out and about today," I told him and I saw him shoot a look to Cade who just shrugged.

"Okay. If you get a chance, come and pop into the gym. I want to show you the setup," he said, looking so excited about his new role in the pack.

After the fight with Victor's pack, all the women had insisted that they wanted to be allowed to fight, so changes had been put into place. Women didn't just train to protect themselves; they also trained to fight with their male counterparts as equals.

With the increase in fighters, Hank had been overwhelmed and Gary had offered to step in to help. Obviously he couldn't physically fight against a werewolf, but he helped with the strength-building exercises using the gym equipment while Hank concentrated on the fighting of werewolf against werewolf.

It gave him a sense of purpose that had eluded him from the time he'd found out about the supernatural creatures.

"I will," I promised him. He bent down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he left.

I looked to Cade with a satisfied smile and he rolled his eyes at me.

"You don't get to say it anymore," he told me and shook his head. My smile widened playfully.

"I don't have to say it anymore," I shot back, and he glared at me.

I was right, I said to him through the mind-link. He never said anything about not mind-linking it. He rolled his eyes at me. I never tired of reminding him and he hated it.

"Come on, eat so you can go and see the setup," he said, trying to get me to concentrate on eating my cereal instead of gloating.

The only reason I dropped it was because I really wanted to see the females in the pack fighting alongside the male werewolves. From the time I'd found out I was a werewolf, I'd been fighting Cade to allow females to fight and he'd fought me on it.

Now that I'd won, I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

I finished my cereal quickly and while Cade took the tray back to the kitchen, I got dressed.

Just as I got to the bottom of the steps, Cade walked up to me.

"Are you sure you're okay to be out of bed?" he asked, his eyes scanning my features for any tiredness.

"I'm fine," I assured him.

He reached for my hand and we walked side by side out of the house.

The flurry of activity in the gym when I entered made me smile excitedly. Females were training alongside the men and I saw a girl put a guy flat on his back on the sparring mat. I'd never felt so proud before.

For a while I just stood there, taking it all in.

I couldn't wait to start training again but I knew it would be a couple more days before Cade would let me. I didn't need his permission. Having someone in your life meant considering their feelings in every decision you made. It was taking some getting used to but I was getting there.

After a visit to the gym, I stood in front of the gates of the compound that led into the forest. I could feel the need to shift and run wild.

"You ready?" Cade asked beside me as he told the guards to open the gates.

"Yes," I breathed as I closed my eyes and shifted into my wolf form. This time it didn't hurt when my body changed.

I looked beside me to see Cade had shifted and was standing beside me.

Still so beautiful, he said to me through the mind-link.

My heart smiled at his words. I never tired of hearing him say that to me.

I'd only shifted a few times but I felt more comfortable in my werewolf form than my human form.

I looked back to the forest and shot off. The feel of the ground beneath my paws felt wonderful as my powerful legs pushed me forward to a speed that made the forest blur beside me.

The smell and the sounds made me feel peaceful inside as I bounded through the forest with Cade following closely behind me.

After a little while of whizzing through the forest, I began to feel tired so I stopped, feeling my lungs burn from the exertion.

Are you okay? Cade asked, sounding concerned as he came to stand beside me. He nudged me with his wet snout and I looked at him.

I'm great. I was trying to catch my breath but I felt wonderful.

For a few minutes we stood side by side, taking in the serenity and the calmness around us.

It was in that peaceful moment with just the two of us that I realized how lucky we were to get through everything we had, unscathed.

I turned to look at Cade and I managed to study him for a moment or two before he turned to catch my gaze.

I love you.

He nudged me gently. I love you too. So damn much.

My heart melted at his words. For a few minutes we stood, still feeling each other's emotions.

Time to go back, Cade said through the mind-link. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was right.

I hadn't been out for a while, and I didn't want to tire myself out.

The run back to the pack was quick and as we ran into the compound the gates swung closed.

I shifted back into human form just as Cade did. The more I shifted, the easier it seemed to happen. It was almost like creating a habit that could be done without concentrating on the thought too much.

While we walked back to the house, I asked about Blake.

"Have you heard any more from Blake?" I asked. Was it too soon to hope that he and Keri had managed to put the betrayal and lies behind them?

"Yeah," Cade answered. "He is trying to put what happened behind them and move on."

Keri and Blake had been the most important thing on my mind, but unfortunately I couldn't fix them. I would try to help them but they would need to work through their problems together.

Despite everything Keri had done, I didn't believe for one moment that she was evil like her father. Blake would just need a little time to see it for himself.

She was the one destiny had chosen for him and there would be no second chances. If he couldn't get it to work with her he would spend the rest of his life mateless.

I walked up to Cade and hugged him. The touch of his skin against mine made me feel calm and complete. I didn't know what I would do without him. Cade pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Come on," he said, releasing me and taking my hand in his. "I have a surprise for you."