Cade: The Boundarylands Omegaverse Read online

  Cade

  The Boundarylands Omegaverse

  Callie Rhodes

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  About the Author

  The Boundarylands Omegaverse Series

  Prologue

  Her fate was already sealed—an omega trapped forever with a brutal alpha who made her life a living hell…until he came along.

  Welcome to the Boundarylands. A place where the only way to know your true nature is to feel the touch of an Alpha. Omegas may be rare, but every woman knows their fates are hellish—held captive, broken, mated, knotted, and bred.

  Emily believed every word of that warning. She gave up on happiness months ago when a silly game turned into a life sentence as a violent alpha’s mate. Now the best she can hope for is a quick end to her suffering.

  But then a chance encounter changes everything.

  Suddenly, there’s an alpha who is willing to fight for her—Cade.

  He says he wants her just the way she is. That he’s willing to battle all her demons—real and imagined—if it means he can claim the title of her alpha.

  But, deep down, Emily can’t help but wonder if she’s just trading one nightmare for another, even though the fire that Cade’s touch ignites makes her feel more alive than ever before.

  Chapter One

  Cade knew what would happen if he went to Evander's Bar. He would start drinking, keep drinking, and then—probably around the time the sun went down—he'd get into a fight.

  It wouldn't be a bad one, probably no more than a few blows exchanged in the parking lot. He'd knock a brother across the jaw, take a couple to the chin himself, and they'd both walk away with bruised knuckles, busted lips, and the primal fire in their bellies back under control.

  And that was exactly what Cade needed right about now—a damned good fight, a chance to work out all the excess testosterone pumping through his veins.

  He flexed his long, thick fingers before wrapping them back around his steering wheel.

  Spring was slowly turning to summer. Nightfall came later, and mornings brought the scent of sun-warmed clover and the promise of long afternoons spent doing the work he loved, the work he missed during the winter months. Fishing was never better, and he had already bagged an elk that would provide meat for months to come. And he was catching up on the improvements to his cabin that he'd put off too long.

  Summer days meant waking up with purpose and falling into bed spent, but content.

  But today was different. Something was eating at him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, a strange kind of discontent that made him itchy and restless.

  Cade knew that his combative nature hadn't made him the most popular alpha in the Boundarylands, but who fucking cared?

  Unlike some of his brothers who had settled into domestic life with omega mates over the last year, Cade still knew what he was—a predatory animal at the top of the chain in every way that mattered.

  It was his opinion that alphas ought to get their aggression out before it led to something worse. Hell, Cade believed down to his bones that a few good fistfights a week kept morale high and tensions low. Confining them to neutral territory ensured that no one risked the much more serious threat of trespassing on another alpha's land.

  Evander's Bar was the only gathering place for this part of the Pacific Northwest Boundarylands, so it ended up serving all the community's needs. It was where the local alphas picked up supplies and traded with the beta world. It was where they drank, played pool, and shot the shit.

  On Friday nights, it was where they could pick up a whore to help them pass the time for a few hours, and every other night of the week, it was where you could knock your best friend on his ass and then buy him a beer with no hard feelings.

  Cade cursed under his breath as he pulled into the bar's parking lot. Judging by the trucks already lined up in front of the door, he wasn't going to get what he was after.

  The trucks belonged to Troy, Aric, Zeke, and Ty—all alphas who never strayed far from their omega mates. Pussy-whipped, Cade thought uncharitably.

  He didn't have anything against omegas. What alpha could? A woman who worshipped you, who'd wrap her legs around you every night, who'd bear your pups—everything an alpha could want, right?

  For an alpha who was ready to be mated, sure.

  But a solitary alpha with a hot head and itchy fists was a different story.

  To Cade, the omegas inside the bar were nothing more than a damn annoyance, a barrier to the good night of scrapping he'd been counting on.

  Because while omegas might be nice for warming alphas’ beds, they tended not to stay there. They insisted on coming to places like Evander's where they drank, played pool, shot the shit...and stopped their mates from having any fun.

  Anyone who thought an alpha called all the shots hadn't dealt with one of these omegas.

  Cade could get away with not caring what the omegas thought, but he couldn't be so blasé about their alphas. And while he was relatively sure he could handle one or two of his henpecked brothers, he knew he couldn't take on all four at once.

  He'd come looking for a fight, after all, not a damn bloodbath.

  For a moment, Cade considered throwing the truck into reverse and dragging his sorry ass right back home, but he quickly abandoned the idea.

  After all, omegas didn't like to be away from their homes for too long. Cade checked the sun's altitude and judged that it was only about an hour from sunset. Couples generally didn't stick around the bar too much longer after that.

  He'd parked and was headed for the entrance when he picked an unfamiliar scent.

  No—make that two of them, one alpha and one omega.

  Visitors were rare around here—especially visitors from other parts of the Boundarylands. Alphas tended to keep to their communities and had no reason to go to other settlements, where their presence was likely to be met with more suspicion than hospitality. After all, an alpha's instinct for territorialism was second only to his devotion to his mate.

  Cade glanced around the lot and spotted an unfamiliar truck parked in a corner furthest from the entrance. To his surprise, someone was sitting inside the cab—the omega, by her scent.

  What the hell was she doing out here alone? Why wasn't she inside the bar by her alpha's side?

  Cade forgot his sense of urgency and, spurred by a powerful curiosity, headed for the truck's passenger side.

  Sure enough, a woman was sitting on the leather seat. She gazed straight ahead at nothing, her baby-blue eyes unfocused. She might as well have been a statue, her fine blonde hair falling past her shoulders in a shiny sheet, her long-sleeved shirt buttoned to the wrist and neck despite the heat of the day, her hands gripping each other tightly. Even when Cade was standing right outside her rolled-down window, she seemed not to be aware of his presence.

  The hair on the back of Cade's neck stood up. Something was wrong—very wrong.

  "Hey," he said cautiously, keeping his voice low so as not to spook her.

  The omega blinked once, but it wasn't until her chest rose and fell with a deep breath that she slowly turned her head toward him. Her expression betrayed nothing, the look in her eyes devo
id of emotion.

  Only then did he spot the angry gash that cut across the field of freckles covering her pretty heart-shaped face. The blood was still fresh.

  A rumble started deep in Cade's chest, and he yanked the door open without thinking. The omega didn't even flinch.

  "What happened to your face?"

  Her eyelashes fluttered as though a breeze passed through the truck, her only reaction. "Who are you?"

  "Come down out of there." Cade held the door wide, extending a hand to help her down.

  Finally, she seemed to register his presence. Her hand flew to her mouth in dismay, and her face paled, making her freckles stand out even more. "Oh God, Sloan didn't do something stupid like sell me to you, did he?"

  What?

  "Who the fuck is Sloan?" Cade asked, even though he was pretty damn sure he had to be the son on a bitch who had busted up her pretty face.

  "Alpha," she mumbled.

  Not 'my alpha' or 'my mate.' Just a single word spat out like it was poison on her tongue.

  She didn't like alphas, not her own or in general. That was fine. Cade was used to it.

  But that didn't mean she could refuse his commands, not in the Boundarylands.

  "No, I didn't buy you," he said, his tone making it clear he expected cooperation. "Now, get out of the truck."

  The omega let out a small sigh, then did as he asked. Her movements were mechanical as she stepped onto the gravel in a pair of faded jeans that clung distractingly to her curves.

  "Happy?" she said with a spark of defiance, looking him in the eyes.

  Under any other circumstances, the answer would have been yes. This omega was different from most of the others he'd encountered. To a one, the omegas in the settlement were scrawny, petite things who looked like they'd blow away in a strong wind.

  This one was lush and round, with generous breasts. Her waist tapered only slightly before flaring out into curvy hips and an ass that demanded attention. Combined with her rosebud lips, long eyelashes, and pale, silky hair, this was a woman Cade could lose himself in.

  He realized that he was licking his lips and clamped his mouth shut in an angry line. Any alpha who would raise a hand to this beautiful, vulnerable being was a goddamn abomination.

  "Who did this to you?"

  She didn't respond, only turned with a sigh to climb back in the truck.

  Cade grabbed her wrist to stop her. Her skin was warm and smooth as velvet. It must have been her omega nature playing tricks on his body, but his cock stirred to life, something that rarely happened when he was in the clutches of his temper.

  "It was this Sloan, wasn't it?" he demanded. "Is he the one who drove you here?"

  She stared pointedly at his hand on her arm. Once an omega was turned, no man other than her mate was allowed to touch her.

  But at the moment, Cade didn't care. As far as he was concerned, all rules went out the window when an alpha did something so craven and unforgivable.

  "Was he the one who hurt you?" he growled.

  The omega tried to shake off his hold, but Cade held tight. For the first time, real emotion flashed in her eyes—fear. "Don't worry about it."

  "You think he's going to hurt me?" Cade asked in disbelief.

  "No." Her voice was bleak. "What I know is that he'll wipe the floor with you. Then he'll come out here and bash the other side of my face for talking with you."

  If she thought to dissuade him, she was mistaken. Cade's rage turned to a powerful need—a need to spill this Sloan's blood.

  "He's inside?"

  "Don't." She shook her head emphatically. "I know you're just trying to help, but you'll only cause more trouble for both of us."

  That was about as close to a 'yes' as Cade figured he was going to get.

  He let go of her wrist and headed for the entrance to the bar. He briefly thought the omega might follow, but instead she climbed back into the truck and closed the door, her scent settling back into resignation.

  Goddamn it, that bastard was going to pay.

  Cade's anger had reached the boiling point when he threw open the door. A stranger turned away from the bar to look at him, his meaty hands already curling into fists at the scent of Cade's aggression.

  "You Sloan?" Cade demanded as everyone in the room turned to watch.

  "Who the fuck wants to know?" the stranger sneered, showing off a row of yellowed teeth. He wasn't much to look at, his hair and beard unkempt, his boots worn and muddy, with hard miles showing in the lines on his face and the softness of his body.

  Cade had only one thought screaming through his brain: this piece of shit didn't deserve the beautiful omega he'd left injured and unprotected outside.

  "The alpha who's stealing your goddamn omega."

  Cade's fist connected hard with the bastard's jaw and dropped his sorry ass to the floor.

  Chapter Two

  Emily laced her fingers together, gripping her hands tightly in her lap as she stared out the windshield of Sloan's truck. There was nothing she could do now but wait.

  Wait for Sloan to come bursting out of the bar with his fists clenched.

  Wait for his blazing eyes to find her and narrow cruelly.

  Wait for the first blow.

  Two months ago, Emily wouldn't have given in to her fate like a steer sent to slaughter. She'd be checking the other trucks for keys left in ignitions, and wouldn't have thought twice before stealing one and hightailing it to the boundary. Failing that, she would have run headlong into the trees and hidden under the cover of the dense forest of redwoods.

  Hell, she might have even dared to trust a handsome stranger when he offered to save the day.

  But a lot had changed in the two months since Emily became trapped in the Boundarylands. Hope was a luxury she could no longer afford. She knew too much to pretend there was anything she could do but submit to her fate.

  Running wouldn't do a damn bit of good—Sloan would always find her. There was no hiding from an alpha, no way to evade those damned heightened senses. And when he found her, there would be hell to pay.

  Sloan had his own special brand of arithmetic. Cross him once, and there would be double the beating that she would have received if she'd just stayed put in the first place. Cross him a third time, and the beating would come with a souvenir—a gash that would leave a scar, a broken bone that would cripple for days. She still had the faint red line on her neck from when he'd ripped off the thin gold chain her parents had given her and tossed it into a lake.

  Emily remembered the first punch that Sloan had ever thrown at her—straight to her belly, no holding back. The pain had been so bright, so all-consuming, she'd thought for certain she was going to die…but it turned out that was only wishful thinking.

  If she was still a beta, she would be long dead. Her fractured ribs would have never healed, nor would her punctured lungs, and she would have bled out internally several times over.

  But she wasn't a beta anymore…not since the moment Sloan had clapped his meaty paw around her wrist and yanked her against him.

  Now Emily was an omega. In the space of a few heartbeats, she had become a new kind of creature, one with startling resiliency and healing powers. Most people would consider that an advantage, but Emily knew better.

  All it had done for her was to allow her to become an alpha's punching bag.

  She would never become desensitized to the pain, the constant anxiety of not knowing what would set him off or when. But she had finally absorbed the ugly truth that it would never stop.

  Every few days, something would set Sloan off, and he would come after her with a fire raging inside him that only hurting her could put out.

  And this time was bound to be worse than all the others put together.

  Emily had known something was different this morning when he'd smashed his coffee cup against the floor after she'd taken too long to refill it. The look in Sloan's eyes—as cold and dark as the bottom of a frozen lake—managed to frighten he
r despite her belief that she would never feel anything again.

  And then he told her that they were going on a little trip…and her fear turned to terror.

  His mood had only deteriorated once they were in the truck. Mile after mile, he hurled the usual litany of insults at her—fat pig, worthless bitch, frigid cunt. Emily had heard them so many times, the words barely registered anymore.

  But this time they didn't stop. Not as they drove down the long and winding Central Road deep into the lowlands at the southern end of the Pacific Northwest Boundarylands.

  Emily didn't dare ask where they were headed. Questions only frustrated Sloan. Everything, according to him, was none of her business.

  But as the day grew long, Sloan must have become bored with simple slurs and started rambling.

  "I heard they got more omegas than they know what to do with down near the southern boundary," he rasped, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He was driving too fast like he always did, but the fatal accident Emily sometimes prayed for had never come to pass. "Real omegas who treat their alphas right. Not dried-up worthless cunts who don't know nothing about bonding and breeding. They say every last one of them has given their alphas their claiming bite. What you got to say about that?"

  Emily knew she was damned if she did, damned if she didn't, so she gave him a toneless answer. "I don't know."

  "Of course, you don't, you stupid shit," he growled. "That's why I'm taking you to them. Figure if they can't teach you to act right, no one can. Consider it your last chance. You hear me?"