Cade's View
The word came out of my mouth like a roar.
"MINE!"
Every wolf at the Christmas festival turned to stare at me. The music stopped. Children hid behind their parents. Even the older Alphas stepped back when they saw my face.
I didn't care about any of them. All I could see was Ember pressed against the pack house door, terror in her green eyes. All I could smell was her sweet scent driving me completely insane.
Ben Morrison was closest to her. His eyes were wild with want. and he was reaching for her with his hands shaking.
I grabbed him by the throat and threw him down the stairs. Touch her and die," I growled.
The other males scattered like scared rabbits. They might have been crazy with her smell, but they weren't stupid enough to fight an Alpha.
I climbed the steps two at a time. Ember was shaking against the door, her face pale and sweaty. The heat scent rolling off her was so strong that it made my head spin.
"Cade," she whispered. "Don't. Please don't."
But my wolf wasn't listening to her words. He was screaming in my head, demanding I claim what was ours. The animal part of me that I'd kept locked up for years had broken free, and nothing else mattered.
"You're in heat," I said, reaching for her.
She pressed herself harder against the door. "I know that. But you're engaged. You're getting married."
The mention of Victoria hit me like cold water. For a second, I remembered where I was. Who I was supposed to be. The hundreds of people watching us.
I looked back at the crowd and saw Victoria pushing through the group. Her perfect face was twisted with rage and embarrassment. Behind her, my father's silver eyes were blazing with fury.
"Cade!" Victoria's voice cut through the air like a knife. "What are you doing?"
I turned back to Ember. She was looking at me with such fear, such sadness. Like she already knew I was going to choose duty over her.
That's what the old me would have done. The me from an hour ago would have walked away and married Victoria like a good son.
But everything had changed. The moment I smelled Ember's heat, something inside me broke open. Something wild and desperate that I couldn't manage it.
"I'm sorry," I said to her gently . Then I lifted her in my arms.
Her scent enveloped me, and I realized I'll never be able to let her go.
"Put me down," Ember said, but her voice was weak. The heat was getting stronger, making her dizzy.
"Never," I said.
I turned to face the crowd. Every eye in the pack was on us. Some looked shocked. Others looked disgusted. A few of the older wolves were nodding like they understood what was happening.
Victoria arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her voice trembled with fury.
"Put that girl down immediately," she commanded. "You're making a fool of yourself." "You're making me feel embarrassed."
"The engagement is canceled," I said.
The words flowed out effortlessly. It felt as if I had awaited my entire existence to voice them.
Victoria's mouth fell open. "What?"
"You heard me. Find another Alpha to marry. I'm done."
The crowd exploded into whispers and gasps. My father pushed through the people, his face dark with anger.
"Cade Alexander Blackwood," he roared. "You will put that omega down and apologize to your fiancée right now."
I looked at my father. The man who had controlled every part of my life since I was born. Who had picked my future wife and planned my whole future without asking what I wanted.
"No," I said.
Dad's eyes went wide. I'd never said no to him before. Never disobeyed a direct order.
"That omega is nothing," he said. "A tree farm worker with no family, no money, no status. You are throwing away everything for a girl who means nothing."
Ember was shocked in my arms like his words had hit her. I could feel her trying to pull away from me, trying to make herself smaller.
"She's not nothing," I said. "She's mine."
"Your mate bond isn't even complete," Victoria said desperately. "This is just heat madness. You'll regret this in the morning."
Maybe she was right. Maybe I would regret this. But right now, with Ember in my arms and her scent filling my lungs, I couldn't imagine wanting anything else.
"I've made my choice," I said.
I started walking down the steps. The crowd parted in front of me like I was carrying a bomb. Nobody wanted to get too close to an Alpha who had completely lost control.
"Where are you taking me?" Ember asked quietly.
"Home," I said. "My home."
"Cade, please think about this. You're not thinking clearly."
She was right about that. I wasn't thinking at all. I was just feeling. Want and need and something else I didn't have a name for yet.
"I've thought enough for one lifetime," I said.
Behind us, I could hear Victoria crying. My father was shouting orders at someone, probably telling them to follow us. But I didn't care. Let them come. Let them try to take her from me.
My truck was parked near the edge of the festival grounds. I set Ember down just long enough to open the passenger door, but she didn't try to run. She just stood there looking lost and scared.
"Get in," I said softly.
"This is insane," she murmured. "You're going to dislike me tomorrow once you realize the truth."
"I'm not going to regain my senses," I said. "Not related to this."
She got into the truck, and I shut the door. When I reached the driver's side, she was folded against the distant window as if wanting to disappear.
I turned on the engine and drove away from the festival. In the mirror, I noticed Victoria in tears. My dad was likely considering ways to end my life. It was all pointless.
Only the girl beside me was important.
"Your dad is correct," Ember stated after a brief pause. "I'm no one." "I have nothing to give to someone like you."
I extended my arm and hold her hand. She tried to break free, but I grasped her tightly.
"You're wrong ," I said. "You are everything to me."
She looked at me with her beautiful green eyes, and I witnessed hope battling against fear. She wished to trust me, but she had experienced too much pain in the past.
We arrived at my driveway, and I shut off the engine. The silence seemed deep and meaningful, as though we were standing at the edge of a cliff.
"You're going home with me," I said, my tone sounding harsher than I intended. "And I will always be by your side."