Jaded Hearts
Chapter 51

Kade

“f**k! How do you catch me with that move every time?”

“Because I’m better than you are. Once you accept it, your face will thank you.”

Tyson and I had been sparring for a while now. It had become our Wednesday morning routine, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t read him. This guy was an incredible fighter, probably one of the best I’d ever seen, and I was determined to kick his a*s.

Hopefully.

He dropped his arms and blew out a breath.

“You’re approaching this all wrong. Stop thinking of this like you’re fighting another wolf. Wolves are pack animals; bears are more solitary. One on one, based on size alone, a bear would destroy a wolf. But when you’re part of a pack, the odds even out.”

“I know all that. What’s your point?”

“My point is, every Wednesday, you come out here with beating me as your only goal. And you leave disappointed each time. How about you learn from me instead? You’re putting your focus and energy in the wrong place. You’ve got to walk before you can run.”

Agh! I still hated him sometimes.

“I can f*****g run, I’m a Beta. I know what I’m doing.”

“That’s your problem. You’re still thinking like a wolf and not like a fighter. Rank doesn’t matter in the ring. All that matters is that I’m bigger than you, I’m stronger, and you have to figure out how to take me down. So, figure it out.”

He walked out of the circle over to the bench and chugged a gallon of water like it was nothing.

“We’re not done yet. What are you doing?”

“We are done. We’ve been at it for an hour, and I have to train Morgan now.”

s**t, I had forgotten about that. I didn’t want her fighting, especially not fighting bears. Maybe I could talk to Tyson.

“Hey man, how about—”

“No, Kade. She asked me to teach her, so I will. She needs to learn about who she is. Just reading about it in a book isn’t good enough.”

I walked over and sat on the bench next to his. “I don’t want her getting hurt.”

“You see the world we live in. She’s in more danger of getting hurt if she stays untrained. You realize that, don’t you?”

I saw Morgan walking over the hill at that moment, dressed in her pristine workout gear with her hair pulled back in a short ponytail. The wind blew her scent to me, and she smelled so f*****g good. Maybe she needed me to help limber her up before her training started.

“Stop eye-f*****g my cousin, man, not cool.”

“I’d rather be physically doing it, but you’re here. Unless you’re into that kind of thing. I don’t know what kind of freaky s**t you bears are into. Well, I know the freaky s**t one bear in particular is into, but you, who knows?”

“Shut up, please!”

She walked over and wrapped her arms around my sweaty chest, and looked up at my face. “He kicked your a*s again, huh?”

Tyson didn’t even try to hide his laughter.

“I got a few good hits in. Besides, the guy is f*****g huge. I’ve just got to figure out how to approach the fight better.”

“Yep. He’s finally learning. So, you ready, Mo?”

She turned to Tyson, and I could feel the excitement radiating off her. “Ready! What’s first? Headlocks, uppercuts, rib shots?”

“Running. Five miles. Let’s go.”

She turned to me, shocked, almost begging me to get her out of this. “You wanted to train, baby, and cardio is a part of it. Besides, I’m sure I’ve increased your stamina plenty over the past few months.”

I pulled her back to my chest and kissed her neck.

“Enough of that s**t. Morgan, move your a*s, or it’ll be seven miles.”

She g*****d but did what she was told and took off running behind Tyson. After her perfect, bouncy a*s was gone from view, I headed inside to get cleaned up. I found Matt in the kitchen dressed in his signature sweats and hoodie, fixing breakfast and piling it on a tray. He looked at me and smiled before turning back to the coffee pot.

“f**k you! f**k all of you! You’ve seen the size of his arms—god damn tree trunks! He’s a beast. It’s impossible for me to block all his hits.”

“I didn’t say anything, but good morning to you too.”

“Your eyes and that bullshit smile said enough.”

This time he laughed before picking up the tray and walking towards the stairs. “Whatever you say, Kade. You might want to ice that eye, though. It’s looking pretty bad.”

I snatched some leftover bacon and went up after him. I’d get Tyson, eventually. They’d see.

Assholes.

* * *

Morgan

“Please! How many more push-ups do you expect me to do?!”

“Morgan, you’re a bear. Now act like it and keep pushing. You can do this.”

Tyson was kicking my a*s in this training, and I hadn’t even learned how to throw a punch yet.

“Just ten more, then you can rest.”

When I finished the last one, I let my body fall like a pile of jelly on the ground.

“You did well. I’m proud of you.”

I rolled over to my back and limply waved my hand at him. It was the best I could do.

“Five-minute break, then I want to show you how to block a punch. You need to know how to protect yourself.”

When I caught my breath, I sat up and looked over at him. “Will I ever be able to shift?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. That ability could have stopped with your dad. You can likely partially shift, though. We can start there and work our way up.”

I really wanted to shift. When Tyson showed me his bear, it was amazing. I had never seen anything so huge. Even Xander and Matt’s Alpha wolves were smaller than him.

“Do we have ranks, like wolves?”

“Not exactly. We don’t move in packs, so there’s not really a need for it.”

“So, are all bears the same size as you?”

He laughed and gave me a smug smile. “Hell no. Our family is descendants of the first bear. Our b***d is stronger than other bears because of it.”

“Then, I should be able to fully shift, right?”

“Often, once the b***d is diluted, the shifting ability is the first thing that goes. You’ve got a lot of human b***d to contend with, but we’ll try. I promise. You’d be tiny, though. I’d actually love to see little bear cub, Morgan.”

“Thank you. This is the Tyson I remember from when we were kids. I think Taylor’s making you soft.”

“She probably is. You know how you’re irritated easily or anxious when you’re away from Kade for too long? It’s the bond you two share. You need to be together. Taylor and I don’t have the same bond, but I was always pissed off when I was gone. Anything could make me snap, which is probably why I was such a good hitman. Being able to spend time with her, even as friends, has calmed me down. I forgot what it was like to be chill and happy.”

“Good. Now we just need to replace you a girlfriend, and then you’ll be set. How about the girl from the bakery? She likes you a lot.”

“If you can play matchmaker, then obviously, you’re rested. Blocking—let’s go.” Tyson grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet.

“You can’t stay single forever.”

“I can, and I will. It’s best for everyone.”

“But why?!”

He put his hands on his h**s and let out a loud sigh. I was frustrating him, but he didn’t want to show it. “Would you be willing to share Kade?”

“f**k no! Why would you ask that?”

“Exactly. And anyone in a relationship with me would have to share unless they want the violent and angry version of me that would die before I hit fifty. I’m only the person I am today because Matt was the bigger man and allowed me to be close to Taylor. No woman wants to be in a relationship with a man who doesn’t put her first. Second-best would be all they could have with me, and it’s not fair to do that to someone. I’ve accepted it, and you should too. Now put your hands up.”

He showed me blocking and maneuvering techniques for another twenty minutes before he finally took pity on me and let me go. I thought about our conversation again and decided that I would let the matchmaking thing go. He really did seem happy again, and that was all I wanted anyway. If this was enough for him, then I wouldn’t push the issue. When we were walking back to the house, I had a thought, but it couldn’t be right.

“Tyson! Are you celibate?!”

“Why are you screaming? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Sorry, I was just wondering, though. I did celibacy, and it sucked. And you’re refusing to date, so …”

“I said I wouldn’t get in a relationship; that doesn’t mean I’m celibate. But the women I deal with know that nothing will ever come from it. Are you done poking around in my s*x life now?”

“Wrap it up, Cuz. A baby would really throw off your ‘single for life’ plans.”

“Morgan, I’ve been f*****g since I turned thirteen. I know what I’m doing, but thanks for the advice. Now go away and bother someone else.”

I gave him a quick hug, then jogged back to the house. I was so happy to have him back.

* * *

Kade

It was time for my daily briefing with Xander and the crew, so after my shower, I threw on some clothes and headed over to his office. When I walked in, I saw that I was the last one to arrive, and Matt still had his smug smile on his face.

“Good to see you again, Kade. I see you didn’t take my advice and ice your eye,” he said.

“You’ve become a real a*****e since you learned your true bloodline. I miss the sweet and innocent Matt who Xander could so easily pimp out to the ladies.”

“Tyson’s never put me on my a*s. Remember that when you’re reminiscing about the good ol’ days.”

“Cocky now, huh? I think I like it. Welcome to the club, man! So, what’s on the agenda today?”

“Give me a rundown on the reports from the patrols,” Xander said.

I stood up and walked to the map on the wall that outlined our territory. As I pointed out different locations, I filled the team in.

“A few rogue sightings along here, but they all seemed to just be passing by. None were rabid or posed any threat to us or our land. Henry and the teams have gone out to see if there have been any large congregations of rogues gathering, but they didn’t replace anything. We plan to search for witch covens or vamp clans next to see if any are on the verge of starting trouble.”

“That’s smart. Since we haven’t found even the smallest clue to advise us of Drew’s whereabouts, it’s clear that it’s either dark magic or vamp cloaking keeping him hidden,” Alexi agreed.

“Has Dark Woods ever had any alliances or pacts with witches or vamps that we know of?” Matt asked.

“Not that I can remember, but these types of allegiances can go back centuries. We should check the library and with the elders to see what we come up with,” Xander stated.

“Matt, what about North River?” I asked.

“What about them?”

“They still have resources.”

“And Claudia is still a disrespectful b***h. What’s your point?”

“I’m not asking you to marry her; we see how well that worked the first time. Just get her to work with us.”

“And how do you propose I do that, Kade? Or better yet, when? While Taylor’s on bed rest or after our daughter is born? And why do I need to be the one to get her to work with us? Why can’t you do it?”

“Because she already knows you.”

“And she wants to f**k me! I’m not doing it, and you’re a d**k for even suggesting it.”

“Alright, you two, calm down. This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Xander cut in.

I sat down and threw my head back. We needed to figure this out, and soon.

“If things go the way we think they will, we’ll need Claudia on our side. North River is the only pack with these connections. How do we get her?” I thought out loud.

After a few seconds of silence, Matt and I both jumped to our feet.

“Tyson!”