KADE'S POV
I shift back to human form slowly. My body aches from the transformation. My heart aches from their words.
Monster. Always that word. Always that look.
I sit on the ground where they left me. The garden is quiet except for the sound of birds. Even they seem to avoid the area where I'm sitting.
"Kade?" My Beta Derek's voice comes from behind me.
I don't turn around. "They ran."
"I saw them packing their bags." Derek sits beside me. "They looked terrified."
"They called me a monster."
Derek is quiet for a moment. "You're not a monster, Kade. You're just different."
"Different." I laugh bitterly. "That's one way to put it."
"You'll make a good king," Derek says firmly. "The pack needs you. Strong leadership. Someone who can protect them."
"From everything except their own alpha," I mutter.
"That's not true and you know it."
I look at him. Derek has been my friend since we were children. He's never been afraid of me. But he's one of the few.
"The curse isn't just about our bloodline dying out," I say. "It's about isolation. About being alone even when surrounded by people. I destroy things when I transform. I am not in control of what I do when it's the full moon, and you know that. You've seen that, Derek. You know how bad this is, don't you?”
"I do but I want you to know you're not alone," Derek says, nodding. "You have me and you have the pack."
"I have people who respect me because they have to," I correct. "And friends who pity me because they care."
Derek doesn't argue. He knows I'm right.
"My wolf is going crazy," I tell him. "He needs a mate. He's been searching for years and finding nothing. The loneliness is killing both of us."
"So what do you do?"
I stand up and brush the dirt off my clothes. "I go find her myself."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I stop waiting for suitable girls to come to me. I go out and search every pack, every territory, every corner of this region until I find the one who doesn't run."
Derek frowns. "Your father won't like that."
"My father wants grandchildren and a secure bloodline. He doesn't care how he gets them."
I walk back toward the castle. Derek follows.
"Where will you go?" he asks.
"Everywhere," I say. "I'll start with the neighboring packs and work my way out. I'll meet every unmated she-wolf between here and the sea if I have to."
"And if none of them can handle the real you?"
I stop walking. "Then I'll know for certain that the Fenrir line ends with me."
We reach the castle doors. Through the windows, I can see Father talking to Beta James. Probably about the girls who just left. Probably about new plans and new strategies.
"You really think you'll find her?" Derek asks.
"I have to," I say simply. "Because the alternative is giving up. And I'm not ready to do that yet."
I push open the doors and walk toward Father's study. My footsteps echo in the empty hallway.
Father looks up when I enter his study. "I heard about the River Bend girls."
"They left," I say simply.
"Because of the transformation?"
"Because of what I am."
Father sighs. "We'll find others. Better ones. Girls from stronger bloodlines who understand what they're getting."
"No, Father." I stand straighter. "I'm done waiting for them to come to us."
"What do you mean?"
I meet his eyes. "I'm going in search of my mate myself."
He exclaimed loudly in disbelief. “What?!”