Page 97 of Fated
Going over the maps, I discovered that Cade was really good at strategy. He had more experience than I did so I listened to his suggestions as we looked over the maps, coming up with the best formations for defense.
One day stretched into another and we’d done all we could. The only thing left to do was wait, and it was agonizing. It was like living in limbo waiting for the bomb to drop at any time. There was no guarantee that Crystal would get us the information before the rogue launched their attack. The possibility of an attack at any time loomed over our heads and it was hard to think about anything other than that.
Kyle. He was silent. The few times I’d gone to see him he’d ignored me.
That night I lay in bed with Blake. I was totally recovered now and lying in his arms. I felt the need to be closer to him. I lifted myself onto one arm and kissed him. His lips moved against mine as I pressed harder, needing more.
“Are you sure?” Blake asked softly against my lips.
“Yes, I need this.”
It wasn’t just sex. It was being close to him in the most physical way that I needed. For those precious few moments, I forgot about the threat of the rogues or Crystal and Kyle. The only people that existed were the two of us. Soft touches and tender kisses joined us as one and afterward I felt peaceful for the first time in a while before drifting off to sleep.
Someone banging on the door woke me up. I shot up. Still half asleep, I answered the door. It was the anxious face of one of the guards.
“Crystal got word to us. The rogues are going to attack us at sunrise,” the guard informed me.
I looked at my watch.Damn it!
We only had a few hours before they attacked and, for the first time, I feared it wouldn’t be enough time. I felt Blake’s presence behind me and I turned to face him.
“Go tell Cade that we need his pack as soon as they can get here,” I informed him. Adrenaline pumped through my veins but on the outside I was calm as I began to shout orders.
“I need to go tell Kyle,” I said as I rushed out of the room. We would need Kyle’s pack as well. Kyle ignored me when I first entered.
“The rogues are going to attack us first,” I told him.
He looked at me for the first time in two days and sat up.
“Give me your phone,” he commanded and I did as he said. He was too far away from his pack to be able to communicate with them through the mind-link. He began to pace up and down as he dialed a number and waited for the person to answer.
“I need every member you can spare,” he said to the person on the other side of the phone. I assumed he was speaking to his Uncle Nate, who was looking after his pack along with his beta while he was with me.
“Hurry,” he commanded and then disconnected the call. He handed the phone back to me.
“Have you come up with a strategy yet?” he asked. It was so typical of an alpha to want to know what was going on.
“Yes, Cade and I went over a few scenarios,” I answered.
He nodded his head. I walked to the door and held it open.
“Come on, we need every fighter,” I said to him as I looked at him over my shoulder. The whole point of locking him up was to stop him from making a mistake and going after Crystal. We were out of time and we needed to fight now. I hurried out and met up with Blake, Cade and Scarlett at the gates. It was still dark and cool. Kyle followed me.
“How long until your pack gets here?” were my first words to Cade.
“An hour,” he replied. “They will be here before the fight starts.”
I nodded my head. I began to get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Everything had to go according to plan, otherwise we might not survive this fight. My eyes looked at every person around me. They were my family and I had to do everything I could to protect them.
Kyle was still tight-lipped, which meant he was still angry with me. It didn’t matter. I’d kept him safe.
“How long before your pack gets here?” Cade asked Kyle.
“Two hours,” he answered.
And there it was. Two hours might be too late.
“Which strategy are we going to play out?” Cade asked me. It was unexpected. Cade was an experienced alpha, unlike me, and the fact that he was asking me that question made me feel a confidence I’d rarely felt before.
