Chapter 4 Kade
Chapter four
Kade
Something is wrong with Dustin.
I've known it since he came back from the bathroom over an hour ago, his jaw pulled tight and his eyes darker than they should be. He hasn't said a word about it, just threw himself into preparing Thunder for the next race with an intensity that borders on violent.
However, the bond between us hums with emotions I can't quite pin down. There was a sudden bout of euphoria earlier, and now there's anger simmering beneath his skin. Not the quick flash of temper that comes and goes. This is deeper, slower burning, the kind that builds until it explodes.
It's putting me on edge. My own temper starts to rise in response, feeding off whatever fury Dustin is carrying. I want to corner him and demand answers, but he's in the middle of showcasing the horses.
Thunder prances beside him as Dustin leads him around the show ring, his smile firmly in place for the crowd. No one else would notice the tension in his shoulders or the way his free hand keeps clenching into a fist. But I notice. I always notice when it comes to Dustin.
I'm going to lose my mind. Whoever hurt him is going to pay.
I lean against the rail and watch him work, trying to breathe through the rage building in my chest. Dustin moves with easy confidence, showing off Thunder's lines and gait to potential buyers who probably can't afford him anyway. He's good at this part. Always has been.
People gravitate toward his warmth, that genuine smile, and those damn dimples that make even the most skeptical buyer soften. Right now, though, I can see through the performance. He's holding himself together by sheer force of will and that damn split lip isn’t nothing.
The bond pulses again. Anger mixed with something else. Longing, maybe. Or loss.
What the hell happened?
"Kade." A hand claps on my shoulder, and I barely manage not to shove it off. I turn to find Trevor from the Anderson ranch grinning at me, two of his buddies flanking him. "Hell of a showing today. Thunder's looking prime."
"He is." I keep my voice level even though everything in me wants to snarl at him to fuck off.
"Listen, we've been talking." Trevor leans in like we're old friends instead of business associates who tolerate each other. "That shipment you've got coming in next week. We want in on it."
Not now. Not when I'm trying to figure out if I need to hunt down whoever hurt Dustin and make them regret being born. "We can talk about it later."
"Come on, don't be like that." One of Trevor’s friends steps closer, invading my space in a way that makes my hackles rise. "We're offering good money. Better terms than what you've got with Patterson."
The bond flares with liquid rage, Dustin's anger spiking so suddenly I actually take a step back from the force of it. My own temper rises to meet his, the combination turning my vision hazy around the edges. I can feel my control slipping, that careful mask I wear in public starting to crack.
"I said later." The words come out harder than I intend, sharp enough that Trevor’s smile falters.
"Jesus, what crawled up your ass?" The third guy mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.
That's it. I'm done. I turn to face them fully, letting them see exactly how close I am to violence. "I'm headed to the truck. If you need anything, don't."
Trevor laughs nervously. "Alright, alright. We'll catch you another time."
I don't wait for them to leave. I stalk through the crowd toward the parking lot, ignoring the looks people throw my way.
They can sense the aggression rolling off me in waves.
Good. Maybe they'll have the sense to stay out of my way.
The truck sits in the far corner where I parked it this morning, away from the main flow of traffic.
I unlock it and climb into the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel hard enough to make my knuckles ache.
Breathe. I need to breathe and get myself under control before Dustin gets here. Losing my temper at him won't help anything. But the bond keeps feeding me his emotions, anger and frustration and something that tastes like grief, and it's making it impossible to settle.
The passenger door opens maybe ten minutes later. Dustin slides into the seat beside me and I turn to look at him, ready to demand answers, but the words die in my throat.
There's a black eye forming on his face, the skin around his left eye already starting to swell, turning dark purple at the edges. His lip is split too, dried blood crusting at the corner of his mouth.
Someone put their hands on what's mine and hurt him.
The rage that's been building all afternoon explodes. I'm out of the truck before I can think, slamming the door hard enough that the whole vehicle shakes. My vision narrows to a single point. Find whoever did this. Make them pay. Make them understand what happens when you touch my mate.
"Kade, wait." Dustin's voice cuts through the red haze, but I can’t stop moving back toward the grandstands. "Kade, stop."
I make it three steps before he catches me, his hand wrapping around my bicep.
I could shake him off easily. I'm bigger and stronger and right now I'm so far past rational thought that nothing short of violence will satisfy this need burning through me.
But it's Dustin. It's always been Dustin. So I stop.
"Let me go." My voice doesn't sound like my own. It's too low and too rough, vibrating with barely contained fury.
"Not until you calm down." Dustin moves in front of me, blocking my path back toward the stadium. "You're not thinking straight, Alpha."
"Someone hit you." I reach up and touch the edge of his black eye as gently as I can manage. He winces anyway. "Someone put their hands on you, and I'm going to find them and make sure they never do it again."
"It's not worth it." Dustin catches my wrist, holding my hand against his face. "Getting arrested for assault isn't going to help anything."
"I don't care."
"I do." His brown eyes meet mine, steady despite the swelling. "Kade, I need you to listen to me. I met someone."
His words stop me cold. The anger doesn't disappear, but it shifts, redirecting itself as confusion takes over. "What?"
"An Omega." Dustin's scent changes, sweetening with something that might be excitement or nervousness.
"She came out of the bathroom and her scent just hit me.
I've never felt anything like it. Vanilla and orchids and like pure sugar.
She's beautiful, Kade. Soft and curvy and she has these eyes that are mostly brown but with little flecks of green and when she smiled at me I swear my heart stopped. "
I stare at him, trying to process this sudden shift in conversation. "You met an Omega."
"Her name is Solana." The way he says her name is like a prayer, like it's something precious.
"We talked for maybe five minutes and then I kissed her because I couldn't help myself.
That's when one of her guards from Harmony House showed up.
" He gestures to his face. "He wanted to teach me a lesson about touching their property. "
Harmony House. Of all the places his mystery Omega could have come from, it had to be there.
Those places are notorious for how they treat their residents, hiding abuse behind bureaucracy and legal protections.
Getting an Omega out of Harmony isn't impossible, but it's expensive and complicated and requires navigating a system designed to keep them trapped.
The anger from before comes roaring back. "No one puts their hands on my mate."
"I know." Dustin steps closer, his free hand coming up to rest against my chest. "I know you want to go find him and make him hurt. But that's exactly what he wants. I’m not asking you to do anything because that would be reckless but I just...”
He trails off, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth as his gaze darts toward a few Betas leading horses into their trailers and then back to me. We’ve talked over the years about adding an Omega to our pack and I made sure Dustin knew that whoever he chose would be okay with me.
However, he’s still thinking about my choice even as I see the longing in his eyes and feel the pain of separation in our bond.
I let out a heavy breath, deciding to be smart about this.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the visceral connection Dustin had to Solana means she’s not just his but going back there and beating the hell out of some Harmony House guard would feel incredible in the moment and then cause nothing but trouble.
They'd press charges and we'd end up tangled in legal problems that would only put attention on our businesses that fall outside the ranch. I force myself to take another breath, letting the rage settle into something more manageable.
Dustin relaxes slightly, relief flickering across his face.
Then I lean in and kiss him, tasting him the way I've been wanting to all day.
He melts against me with a soft sound, his fingers curling into my shirt.
I lick into his mouth, cataloging every familiar taste and finding something new underneath.
Something sweet and floral that definitely doesn't belong to Dustin.
I pull back just enough to speak against his lips. "I can taste her on you."
Dustin grins, those dimples appearing despite the split lip.
"She's so pretty, Kade. And soft. When I touched her, she just leaned into me like she'd been waiting for it.
Her scent got even sweeter and I could feel her trembling but it wasn't fear. It was want. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. She’s so perfect. "
I can imagine it so easily—Dustin with his hands on that pretty Omega, her body pressed against his, both of them drowning in pheromones and instinct.
My cock hardens in my jeans, desire mixing with the lingering anger to create something almost overwhelming.
I kiss down Dustin's jaw to his neck, finding the spot that always makes him shudder.