Chapter 8

Eli sensed the change in Cade and quickly moved towards her needing to know what was wrong. Angelique stood up realising something was amiss and waited knowing Eli would tell them what to do.

“Cade what is it I don’t sense anything?”

Cade kept looking out as if into space, her senses seemed heightened and her body super sensitive to touch; it was as if she could feel what was happening around her. She needed to focus or she’d lose it. She felt Eli move a hand to touch her and brought both hers up holding them out in front of her letting him know not to touch her.

He took a step back pulling Angelique to his side and waited unsure of what else he should do. Angelique remained silent at his side wrapping an arm around his waist as she needed the comfort of touch.

Cade was surprised when she’d caught the scent of Were on the wind and when she took another breath she felt sick to her stomach. The scent was unlike any she’d come across before, it was Were’s she was certain of it but there was a wild feral touch to their scent. It seemed somehow wrong and that’s what caught her attention more than anything else. It took her another minute to realise why then she turned to her mate.

“Rouges, at least three, no four of them! I’m not sure if they’re passing through or looking to stay in the area. Either way we need to stop them before people start getting hurt.”

Eli studied her face, saw the fear she held in her eyes and nodded, “I can’t scent them Cade but I’ll take your word for it. Will you be able to recognise the scents again?”

She nodded then he moved grabbing her arm and guiding both women back to the car. Once they were on the road he handed Cade his mobile and told her to call Nicolas. She looked at him at a loss as to what to do and Angelique took it from her realising she probably didn’t know how to use one. She went to contacts and scrolled down and called Nicolas before handing it off to Cade.

She held it to her ear listening as it rang once, twice, three times before it was answered, “Eli! Your brother and his friend are not happy that you three ditched them.”

Cade broke in, “Nicolas it’s Cade we’re on our way back to the Compound. I scented Rouges at the beach, at least four of them. Can you please have Jaz or someone meet us I don’t want Angelique to be alone?”

“Angelique? Oh you mean Angie; of course come straight to Braedon’s office I’ll have Jaz waiting for you. Is anyone injured?”

“No we’re fine Nicolas we’ll be there soon.” She handed the phone back to Angelique and she hung up and passed it back to Eli.

“When this is over my little mate I will not only be getting you a mobile phone I will have Taylor teach you how to use it.”

“Can’t you teach me?”

He laughed, “Taylor is younger and therefore has more understanding of such things. He could probably teach me a great deal although I would never admit that to him.”

“Do I really need one?”

“There will be times when you might need one. I’ll feel more at ease knowing you have one and also know how to use it.”

She nodded, “Okay, but how about Angelique?”

“We’ll get her one as well.” He smiled grateful that she wasn’t fighting him on the matter then concentrated on driving.

Cade saw how nervous Angelique was getting, “You do realise that both Taylor and Leith are going to want to teach us and that they are so going to enjoy every minute of it.” She grinned and Angelique laughed which was what she wanted.

When they got back to the Compound they parked the car and rushed to the main house and Braedon’s office. Cade was surprised that the room wasn’t full of Enforcers but pushed that thought away for the moment to look for Jaz.

Jaz and Kasey spotted them and rushed over, Jaz’s eyes going over both women assessing them. She gave them both a hug then turned ushering them out of the room. “Let’s get going the men will want us out of the way so they can...”

“Cade needs to stay Jaz,” Eli cut off her words but smiled letting her know it was alright.

Jaz nodded and Angelique touched Cade’s arm. “I’m sorry about what’s happening but thank you for today I had such a good time,” then she hugged her tight and let Jaz and Kasey lead her away.

Braedon waited until the women had left and the door was closed, “Cade, Eli what happened?”

Cade looked up at Eli and he spoke through their bond, go ahead Cade tell them what you sensed.

She turned back to the Alpha but also looked at Nicolas and Jacob, “We were at the beach and I caught the scent of Were’s three at first but then caught the scent of a fourth but it was more distant. It was strange though, they smelled off somehow. There was a wild feral touch to their scent, it was awful.”

She looked back at Eli then at the three men in front of her, “I don’t know if they intend staying here but I got the feeling they were looking for trouble. They’ve killed before and they like it. We need to stop them before someone else gets hurt or killed.”

Nicolas spoke then, “Did you pick up the scent as well Eli?”

“No but I trust Cade’s senses, if she scented Rouges we need to act on it.”

Cade suddenly realised they weren’t sure if they should believe her or not and took a step away from them. Eli growled and pulled her to his side, she was his mate and he needed to protect her.

Cade pulled away. “I don’t need your protection Eli,” then she turned to the Alpha. “I can’t make you believe me Mr Romanoff but if someone is injured or worse killed it’ll be on your head.”

She took another step away from them as if to leave but Jacob spoke up stopping her in her tracks, “Benjamin perhaps you can shed some light on how it is Cade was able to pick up the scent of four Rouges when a fully trained Enforcer could not?”

She turned to Jacob then where he was looking noticing for the first time a man that had obviously been listening to everything that had happened. He had an all knowing feel to him as if he carried the histories of many with him. Cade sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to like what he might have to say.

Ben came to his feet and moved towards Cade, “It is an honour to finally meet you Guardian.”  

The colour drained from her face and Eli could feel her closing in on herself. Ben also picked up on this and smiled softly, “Don’t’ be angry with your mate child he came to us out of concern and soon we will discuss who and what you will one day be, but for the moment there are other matters.”

Ben turned to Braedon a look of grave seriousness on his face, “We have no idea what Cade will be capable of in the future but from what I’ve been able to discover I’d believe what she says about the Rouges.”

Nicolas,” began Braedon, “I’ll send out a warning to the Pack, no one is to leave the Compound unless they are in a group and has at least two Enforcers with them. The women and children are to remain close; I don’t want them leaving their homes alone.”

He paused thinking what else needed to be done, “Nick, have someone organise the juveniles to help out by accompanying the women around the Compound. Those living in the outlying areas need to be brought in, we have several empty houses that the females and their young can stay in, the rest can bed down in training centre.

Gilbert will get the women to organise food stuffs and bedding for those that need it then he can take charge of the juveniles to help escort and protect the women within the Compound. As of now the Compound is officially in lockdown!”

Braedon moved to his desk and took a seat as he sent out the warning to the Pack, Jacob left to speak with Gilbert and organise help for him. Nicolas called in the Enforcers, those in training as well as most of the men that did security working the Pack borders to assemble in the training centre as soon as possible.

Cade ignored all that was happening around her and moved towards Ben, “You’re an Elder?”

“Yes child an Elder and also the Pack historian. I never thought to meet one such as you in my lifetime, I am truly honoured.” He bowed towards her making Cade feel a little unnerved.

“I don’t deserve your honour Elder,” then she turned into Eli’s arms and he led her out of the room. They were barely out the door when she looked up at him, “Cord?”

Taylor and Leith are with him at Jaz’s I’ve told them to stay put until Jaz gets there. They’ll make sure Angelique gets home and they’ll stay with her until her parents get home.”

“Thank you.”

Eli looked at her questioningly, “What for?”

“For believing me.” She nervously reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek before they continued on to the training centre.

 By the time they got to there the training centre was full of Were’s. She recognised Nate, Christian, Daniel, Kevin, Howard, Cain and Gabe plus several others but she hadn’t met as yet. There was also a group of men who usually worked security, Jonathan, Matt, Mike, Adam, Charlie, Seth and Gary.

She spotted Marcus and was about to go over to him when she a saw shimmering light and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw five huge men suddenly appear.

Eli put a hand on her shoulder calming her, “Come let me introduce you to Kasey’s brothers.”

“Okay but in a sec, I need to speak to Marcus first.” Eli growled but she ignored it, “I spoke with him earlier and we got things sorted.” She saw the scowl on his face and sighed, “We’re good Eli!”

She felt him tense but walked away from him hoping he’d understand. Marcus caught her eye and met her halfway. “Angelique is safe, she’s with Jaz and Eli has Taylor and Leith waiting for her so they can bring her and her family in closer.”

He nodded and stood looking so lost and unsure of what to do in regards to Angelique that Cade acted on impulse and pulled him into a hug. “She’ll be fine the guys will make sure of that I swear.”

They both heard a growl and turned to see Eli standing a few feet away from them. Cade shook head but Marcus whispered in her ear, “Thank you.” Then grinned at Eli, “This is one hell of a girl you’ve got yourself Eli.” Then he let go of Cade and moved over to the other men.

“Care to explain?” Eli asked.

“Not my story to tell,” she replied and walked over to the new arrivals.

He followed and when they stopped in front of the brothers Eli pulled Cade closer and introduced her to them.

“Cade I’d like you to meet some of Kasey’s brothers Trace, Caton, Kellen, Callum and Ewan. Guys this is my mate Cade.” Each of the men greeted her with a handshake and she would have liked more time to get to know them but Nicolas called for silence.

“Silence!” he gave the brothers a nod, “I don’t know how you knew but I’m glad you’re here.” Then he looked at the faces of everyone there. “We’ve had warning of Rouges in the area four of them. They are already blooded, meaning they’ve already killed.”

He turned to Cade not meaning to single her out but wanting her to learn from what was happening. “The fact that their scents were so feral tells us that.” She nodded now understanding why their scents were so off.

“Cade unfortunately is the only one to have scented them but no matter, if there are Rouges in the area we need to deal with them.” He saw Braedon come in and when he was given a nod continued.

“The entire Pack has been informed and people are moving in from outlying areas. The juveniles are being organised to help with that and will stay within the Compound to help in other capacities. Enforcers are to work in groups of three to search for the Rouges; everyone else will work the borders in groups of four changing up every four hours.”

Nicolas sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “The Compound is on lockdown and will remain so until further notice. I want them found and dealt with as soon as possible!”

Trace stepped forward then, “If you are agreeable my brothers and I will work with your Enforcers, it may give us the edge needed.”

Nicolas reached out a hand to Trace and they shook, “I am most agreeable my friend.”

Everyone moved at once breaking into groups. Each of the brothers approached one of the Enforcers and in no time everyone was ready to get to work.

Trace approached Eli and Cade, “I would very much like to work with you both.”

Eli nodded, “We could use the help, he offered his hand and they shook.

Trace indicated Cade, “I sense greatness within your mate Eli but also vulnerability,” he smiled at Cade, “I wish to be of service to her if it is needed.”

Eli gave him a nod and Cade smiled and softly answered, “Thank you.”

They headed out soon after Eli driving back to the beach where Cade had first scented the Rouges. They spent a good three hours searching the surrounding area but came up with nothing. For the next three days the Pack remained on lock down and the Enforcers along with the brothers continued to search.

Both Eli and Trace were vigilant in their searching always asking Cade if she scented or sensed anything they didn’t. Cade enjoyed the time she spent with both men, Eli didn’t treat her like some helpless female and Trace watched her with something like awe in his eyes. It should have unsettled her but she felt his curiosity and he treated her with a great deal of respect.

It was strange at first though working with Trace; he explained that his human form wasn’t his first form and that he could only retain it for a certain length of time. The first time he shifted Cade watched in fascination and when she dropped to her knees Trace walked smoothly towards her and let her pet him.

Trace would also disappear at times, usually when he was in cat form and Cade soon discovered that if she concentrated on him she could find him so long as he wasn’t too far away. She made a private game of it and the more she did it the easier it was for her to find him. Trace soon caught on and made it more and more difficult for her to find him, but in the end she always did.

She liked Trace and Eli seemed to trust him with her. They spent almost two weeks searching but found nothing. As they drove into the Compound late one afternoon they parked across from a group of men. Everyone sounded exhausted and fed up, no one had so much as caught a whiff of the Rouges.

Eli had checked in with Nicolas on the way back to see if anyone else had found anything but unfortunately no one had. Cade knew it was only a matter of time before the lockdown and search were called off. She tried not to think about it and closed her eyes and slowly drifted off.

Trace was riding shotgun and Cade was in the back seat asleep. Eli was loath to wake her so both men got out of the car as quietly as they could, Trace moving towards the main house and his sister. Eli looked in the back seat at Cade making sure she was alright; he decided to leave her to rest for a while longer then moved towards the group of men standing nearby.

Several of them were grumbling about wasting their time going on a wild goose chase. Eli knew they were just blowing off steam and let it go but he turned sensing his mate’s unease only to see the car door open and an empty back seat.

Eli sighed unsure whether his mate was angry with him or the other men there. He wanted to go after her but figured she probably needed some space. They’d been together all day every day since she first scented the Rouges. He also realised he could probably do with a few minutes to himself. He rubbed his neck trying to get rid of some of the tension there and headed to his quarters and a hot shower.

Cade took off after hearing the men complain about having to go on patrol or out searching when they were all sure there was no need. They didn’t believe she’d scented Rouges that was plain to see. Considering what they were saying she was surprised that Nicolas hadn’t already called off the lock down.

She knew Eli had sensed her leave but didn’t care; he’d stood there and not said a word to defend her. Cade shook her head and kept walking; she needed some time out away from them all. The trouble was there really wasn’t anywhere she could go to be alone. With that thought in mind she veered around the back of Jaz’s house and into the back garden.

She sat on the old wooden bench the one under the eucalypt tree looking over the flower beds, it was a place she often sat to think or get her bearings. She’d started to think of it as her calming place and as she took a seat she pulled her feet up in front of her and hugged her knees to her chest.

Cade closed her eyes and let her mind drift; she didn’t want to think about anything in particular and sighed when her thoughts kept going back to Eli and what her life would be like now that they had both acknowledged they were mates.

“Cade!” she lifted her head to see who was calling her and was surprised to see Nicolas.

She got to her feet and walked over to where he was standing hoping he wasn’t going to tell her he agreed with how the other men felt. She came to a halt a few feet away from him and waited.

Nicolas smiled at her; he knew she was probably feeling like crap at the moment. He’d heard the men whining and knew that at her age Cade would be feeling like she’d let everyone down.

“Follow me,” he said a serious expression on his face and turned and walked away.

Cade fell into step with Nicolas and was surprised when he led her to a building adjacent to the Enforcers quarters. She was curious but remained silent knowing Nicolas would let her know what was going on soon enough.

Nicolas pulled out a set of keys and opened the door. He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded before entering the building switching lights on as he did so. Cade followed and stood in awe of what she was seeing. She’d figured there would be a weapons room somewhere at the Compound, she just hadn’t figured she be brought to it by the head Enforcer.

Nicolas stopped in the middle of the room and watched as Cade did a full circle slowly taking in her surroundings. He grinned at the expression on her face, “What’s your weapon of choice?”

Cade turned to him so quickly that had she been human it would have done damage to her neck. She saw the look on his face and realising he was serious her face broke into a huge grin.

“Knives,” she told him and waited for him to tell her he wasn’t about to give a juvenile a knife to play with, but he turned and moved to a set of draws looking in several before he stopped.

Cade moved up beside him and watched. Her eyes lit up when she saw the contents of the draws and she stood waiting like a kid in a candy store as Nicolas lifted each knife and put it back before turning to her.

“Why don’t you take a look and see how a few of them feel?”

For some reason she couldn’t find her voice so she nodded and as he took a step back Cade moved forward and did as he said. The knives were beautiful, that is if you could actually call a knife that. She took her time looking and holding, getting a feel for each one and finally settled on four similar knives all slim and light in her hand. They weren’t too big either so could be concealed on her body if necessary.

Cade turned to Nicolas, “These four feel comfortable in my hand is it okay if I test them to see how well they throw?”

“Of course,” he turned to a wall at the other end of the room and indicated an area that already had a great many cuts and nicks on it.

Cade took her time getting a feel for each of the knives before throwing them. She spent a good twenty minutes throwing and Nicolas was impressed with what he saw. When she was done she turned to him and waited.

“They’re yours, on loan of course. You’re doing well in training but I thought you might need something more decisive to concentrate on. I know Eli still has your knife and this will show him that I’m trusting you not to put a knife to anyone else’s throat.” He laughed and she could feel her face redden.

They left and he steered her to a space out back of the building where there were several targets set up. “Not too many of us spend time honing knife throwing skills. We usually use brute force so you’ll pretty much have the area to yourself.” He gave her shoulder a light squeeze and turned to leave.

“Thank you Nicolas. I’m starting to see why my father trusted you so much.” She grinned at the surprised look on his face. “He wouldn’t have asked me to bring Cord here if he didn’t trust you.”

He nodded not knowing what to say but noting that she’d spoken only of her brother and not herself. He wanted to growl, hell he wanted to beat the shit out of his old friend for the way he’d treated his daughter. He hoped she would find some peace here and that with Eli she might find a place to truly belong. He felt his eyes sting and gave himself an inner shake before leaving Cade to practice.

Cade spent all her spare time practicing; she’d adjusted her cargo pants so that two of the knives slipped into the side pockets on her thighs. She also rigged a couple of leather straps around two knife sheaths to tie against her arms below her elbows so she could easily slide the other two knives under her sleeves. She rarely wore tight fitting clothing so the knives weren’t noticeable and after a couple of days she was used to the extra weight.

She went to her training sessions each morning and put Cord through his but stayed away from Eli and the other Enforcers as much as possible. She stopped going out with Eli to search, in fact she was pretty sure they’d stopped searching. The Compound was still on lock down but had eased off somewhat and the juveniles were now free from having to escort the females and children from place to place.

Cade didn’t tell anyone what she was doing, she’d never had something just for her and she wanted to keep it that way, at least for the time being. She left Jaz’s or home as it now felt an hour early each morning and practiced before going to her training session and snuck off whenever she could to get in more practice. She’d missed working with knives, well the one knife she had taken as her own when her father died.

Another week past and there was no sign of Rouges so Nicolas had no choice but to lift the lock down. Cade didn’t say anything, there was nothing to say. She distanced herself even more from Eli and all the others at the training centre becoming unsure of her own abilities. She even started questioning whether or not she really had scented Rouges in the first place.

Whenever Eli tried to speak with her she was polite and respectful, but gave short answers and walked away from him as soon as she could. She’d tense up and keep her distance not wanting any physical contact. She could see the worry in Eli’s eyes but she didn’t want to engage in conversation with him or any of the Enforcers.

Her entire life Cade had had to stand alone. She loved her mother and her brother and did the best she could for them both but there was never anything left for her. She’d hardened her heart telling herself that this was how it would be for her, that she had no choice and resolved to do all she could to protect the only two people she loved.

Cade sighed not wanting to think about what her future might hold. She needed to focus on the here and now. Cord was her priority. That she’d found her mate was one hell of a shock but she was too young to be mated and right now he was the last person she wanted to spend time with. He hadn’t spoken the words but she knew he wasn’t sure if he should believe her claim that there had been Rouges close by and it truly hurt.

Things went back to normal over the next week or so and Angelique became a regular visitor at Jaz’s house. She wasn’t so shy with Cade now and even the guys didn’t make her blush half as much as she used to. Somehow she seemed to fit in with everyone and it put a smile on Jaz’s face knowing that Cade had a female friend.

All four became close and Angelique even got the guys to show her a few moves in self defence. When they weren’t hanging outside doing something physical they were inside watching a movie or just hanging out relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. No one said anything about not being able to find the Rouges and Cade was grateful for that.