The Lone Wolf: Cincinnati Shifters

Book 4 B.A. Stretke

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 Copyright © 2023 B.A. Stretke

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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not
intended by the author.

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ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456

Cover design by: Art Painter

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
 Contents
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
EPILOGUE
About the Author
More Books from B.A. Stretke:
 CHAPTER ONE

Connell Rathe lived alone in the forest of northern Ohio. It was a rich and bountiful land filled with
diverse plants and animals. His location was fed by the inlets from Lake Erie, providing him
everything he needed and making it a perfect location for a timber wolf shifter to relax and find his
center. He spent most of his life working hard and going for the win in every circumstance, and twenty
years ago, he decided to step back and just live rather than achieve.
He was kicked out of his birth pack when he reached adulthood. It was just the way his pack
operated. Every pack had its laws and customs, and protocol. It was nothing personal, although it was
a difficult adjustment at first. After a few years on his own, Connell decided he preferred to go it
alone and shunned pack life with all its laws and controls. He went to work for a lumber company
which seemed fitting for the time and made a small fortune throughout several lifetimes. He was an
old wolf, not in his twilight but with nearly three hundred on this earth.
Moving to the forest for the peace and solitude pleased his wolf, and he settled into a pleasant
life. He was big enough and mean enough that everyone left him alone, and he claimed this section of
the forest as his territory. Several people resided within his woods that he looked after, not in a
leadership role but more as a protector providing simple care and concern.
A small family of fox shifters relied on him to keep larger predators away, and he also looked
after sister witches, Mini and Maude, who lived together on the edge of the woods. He provided them
with protection, and they shared their garden with him. It was a life that was working for all
concerned.
Mini had come by his place earlier with a reading so important that she needed to share it
with him immediately. Maude was the seer, but from time to time, Mini was given visions that were
always spot on, so when she stopped by, Connell took it seriously and listened.
"I saw someone, Connell, someone very important." Mini was excited and smiled impishly as
she took a seat at his table and accepted the glass of iced tea. Mini was a sweet, accommodating
character and one of the nicest people Connell knew. Her sister, on the other hand, was a bit more
churlish, but with good reason, according to Mini. Connell never questioned or asked for
explanations for their relationship was cooperative, not intrusive, and he liked it that way. But the
vision Mini was hinting at sounded personal, and he was all ears in spite of himself.
"I've seen your mate." She announced, and Connell froze, nailing her with a stare that pleaded
for more.
"Where?" He asked, his tone clipped with an urgency, and she smiled again and sipped her
tea. The pause was interminable, but he waited, allowing Mini to move at her own speed.
"Cincinnati. A place called Club Zephyr." She finished with a wink and a nod. "He needs
you."

…
"Wake up, Cade, you're dreaming." Cade heard his brother shouting at him, but it seemed to be
coming from far away. The brute in front of him kept coming at him. He was not stopping, the bear
shifter was brutal, and Cade fought just to stay on his feet, but the attack was relentless. He soon
found himself overwhelmed and on the ground with that big bear kicking the shit out of him. Cade was
fighting, but a cougar shifter had little hope against a bear in a rage. He was losing spectacularly
when his brother's voice broke through, and he finally woke.
He sat up and looked over at Hofer, seated in the recliner across the room. The tv was on, but
it was no longer the movie he'd been watching. "How long was I asleep?" He asked, stood up from
the sofa, and started heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.
"A good hour and a half, but you were quiet until a few minutes ago," Hofer informed off-
handedly as he continued to watch the action movie currently on TV. Cade did not comment and
continued on to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and leaned against the counter
while he downed half of it.
The dreams were becoming intrusive, and his ability to suppress them failed him. Cade had
pushed down the effects of the beating he'd received, believing that it would eventually go away, but
instead, it had grown more powerful. He refuses to use the word trauma and would not allow himself
to be a victim. Cade had hidden his struggles from everyone except his brother.
Cade downed the last of the water and tossed the bottle into the trash. It had been a couple of
months since Garson Green, the rogue bear shifter, had put the beat down on him and left him for
dead. He'd recovered quickly after he was found by his Alpha in that vacant back lot and treated by
the pack doctor.
It was only a few days before he was up and around and feeling back to himself. Yet
something lingered deep and visceral, making him question his abilities and fearing the weakness and
failure that had enveloped him.
He and Hofer lived in a private home a couple of miles from Club Zephyr, owned by their
Alpha, Cross Mercer, and was also their place of employment. Their home was in a semi-rural area
and allowed them the freedom to shift and run the woods when the urge hit them.
Lately, Cade had avoided the woods, getting a tense and uneasy feeling whenever he
approached the edges of their property. There were several triggers he needed to work on, and
although he powered through the majority, he still needed help with vacant, wooded areas and being
around large shifters.
He and Hofer were scheduled to work eight to closing tonight, so he headed upstairs to rest
before getting ready. He used to love his job, but lately, it had become one of his greatest sources of
anxiety, always worrying that he would slip and his fellow shifters would notice that he'd become
weak and scared.
Cougars generally did not accept weakness in any form and would cull any member they saw
as inadequate. That wasn't the case with his new pack Cross was not the sort of Alpha who would
kick you when you're down, but still, the old conditioning was hard to ignore. He needed to get over it
and move on, but that was easier said than done. Hofer was trying to help, but he didn't want to drag
his brother into his stupid trauma or taint Hofer with his failings.
Tonight was going to be different tonight. He would stand strong and not let anything affect
him. Large shifters, brawls, whatever, he would not let it trigger him. Pushing through was the only
way, and he was focused on handling it himself. He could not abide his friends knowing how weak he
had become.
…
Cross sat at the bar having a cup of coffee with his head of security, Zeke. He thought the tiger
shifter could give him some insight regarding Cade. The young cougar had changed since his run-in
with the rogue shifter Garson Green. He'd tried to speak with Hofer, but he refused to share anything
regarding his brother's condition.
Cade had been uncharacteristically withdrawn doing his job and appearing forever distracted,
and Cross wanted to help if he could, but Cade would not open up. He kept insisting that he was fine.
He was not fine, and others were also picking up on the distance that he was putting between himself
and just about everyone.
"Cougar shifters are notorious for attacking their own kind and can be vicious. Cade and
Hofer have never been like that, which is why they ended up outside their range. Their birth range
was located in the mountains of Pennsylvania, and from what I've discovered, they are a hateful bunch
of shifters." Zeke tried to explain the basis for Cade's behavior by illustrating where he came from
and the pressures he faced.
“He thinks that we would harm him if he is seen as vulnerable?” Cross was somewhat taken
aback by the assumption. “We would never judge him.” He stated unequivocally. "Fuck, we all have
our issues, and there is no one here pointing fingers."
"It's not a statement against the pack. It's a factor of their upbringing." Zeke explained further.
"Cade is struggling right now, but he'll get past it. If we make too much of a deal out of it, he'll
probably regress further, so my advice is to support him but let him deal in his own way."
"I'll take your advice, but I want to know if anything changes. Cade accepted me as his Alpha,
and I take that responsibility very seriously, as I do with all my men. If I can help, please tell me if
there is anything he needs." Cross was at a loss as to what to do at this point. He accepted Zeke's
counsel on the matter, but doing nothing was not something that set well with him.

Connell packed a few things and jumped into his Jeep, wasting no time as he sped out of the
woods and connected with the interstate. Mini had given him the location of his mate, and he would
not squander one minute getting to him. Three hundred years on his own, and now Fate had deigned to
reward him with the gift that was prized among all shifters but experienced by only a few.
Mini told him his mate would be found at the Zephyr Club in Cincinnati. He was a member of
the pack that owned and operated the Club. They were a menagerie of paranormal beasts. Connell
wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived, whether it would be protocol or a free-for-all.
He'd never heard of a pack composed of such a cross-section of species and wondered how
they functioned. His mate was a feline, and Mini refused to give him any more information than that.
The rest, she said, was his to discover.
His mind was consumed with thoughts of his mate as he made his way to town. It was nearly a
three-hour drive from his home in the forest to downtown Cincinnati. He'd only been there once since
moving to the northern forest, and that was many years ago. The center city area was still the center of
activity and also the location of the Zephyr Club. He knew the area, but it had probably changed since
he'd last been to town.
He tried to focus on the drive, but the growing desire to find and claim his mate was driving
him to a single-mindedness that put everything else aside. Nothing would distract or delay him from
getting to his destination. His wolf was pacing wanting to shift and take over. He had firm control
over his wolf, but he could appreciate his wolf's belief that he could make it faster on all fours.
Unfortunately, civilization dictated that such exhibitions in heavily populated areas rarely ended well.
"We'll be there soon, and then we claim what is ours." He appeased his wolf for the moment.
The excitement was hard to quell, having waited so damn long, but he was not ruled by his emotions.
Calm concentration was the path, and he put his focus there.
Connell had more road to cover than just the highway ahead of him. Unfortunately, he wasn't
familiar with felines, having associated primarily with other wolves and bear shifters. It wasn't a
conscious choice, just that his business tended to attract larger shifters, none of the feline variety.
While residing in the forest, he'd been exposed to more varieties of shifters, such as the fox family he
looked after but still no feline shifters.
He met a few in passing but never anything deeper than that. Now he wished he'd made an
effort to be more social and broadened his experience a little. Regardless, the fact his mate was a
cougar meant he was going to broaden his awareness sooner rather than later. They would find their
way together as every Fated couple has done since the beginning of time.
The lights of Cincinnati rose up on the horizon, and his anticipation spiked as his speed
increased. The Jeep moved swiftly, taking him to his destiny, taking him to his mate. The young cougar
was already filling his heart and mind, and they'd yet to meet. Connell understood the power of Fated
bonds, but even he did not expect the connection to be so powerful.
Knowing that his mate existed and his location was all it took to set him immediately on this
journey and ignite an ancient need deep within his soul. He couldn't explain it, but he would admit
that he was loving it. He was an old wolf but still had many years remaining, and he looked forward
to having a mate to share them.
He took the exit for downtown, and soon enough, the signage for the Zephyr Club came into
view. The feeling of home began to seep into his mind, and he knew for a fact that his mate was
nearby. This was his purpose, life, and future, and hope filled his heart.
 CHAPTER TWO

Cade was working behind the bar tonight, not his usual placement, but Parc was at the door, and they
were two men down tonight with both Ames and Lowell having taken a few days off so their mates,
who happened to be good friends, could vacation at the lake together. Ames and Lowell deserved
some time off, considering everything they had to endure to keep their mates safe.
Garson Green had nearly killed Ames’ mate, Liam, and had nearly killed Cade as well when
he was sent to watch Liam’s apartment in case Green tried anything. Well, he tried plenty in his state
of evil rage but was promptly put down by the efforts of Ames and Alpha Cross.
Thankfully everyone had moved on and were now living lovely and fulfilled lives with their
mates, all except for Cade. Instead of moving on, he seemed to be sinking deeper into this disorder
that was filling him with irrational fears and phobias. Cade needed to stay out of his own head and
just focus on the job, pour the drinks, and keep the customers happy.
"How's it going?" Hofer came up to the bar leaning in so only Cade could hear. He was a
good brother, and Cade was sorry for making him worry. He wished he could tell him everything was
fine and back to normal but lies never worked on Hofer. He knew him too well.
"I'm trying." Was all Cade could say, and Hofer understood.
“You’ll get there and, in the meantime, lean on me.” Hofer patted him on the shoulder and
accepted the beer Cade handed him.
"Thanks." Hofer returned to the floor, monitoring the action and keeping the entertainment
rolling. He was doing much of the floor management that was Lowell's position, along with doing
quiet assessments of those renting the private rooms.
After the beatdown, Liam received in one of those rooms, Cross had implemented an
assessment procedure that had to be conducted before using the rooms. It was to make sure everyone
involved was consenting and knew what to expect. Hofer was especially intuitive along with Lowell,
so the assessments were left to them.
Speaking of intuitive, Hofer was paying considerable attention to a cougar shifter named
Ronny, who was not dancing or engaging but rather just sitting at a table and drinking one beer after
another. Shifters didn't get drunk easily, but with the amount, he was putting away, he could end up
dizzy or sick. It was unusual and suspicious behavior.
Cade noticed that he stared at him from time to time, and the look was blistering. He knew
Ronny, not personally, but he came into the Club occasionally. Ronny was always morose and talking
shit but not so much that he would get kicked out. He caught Ronny's gaze and stared back with a
hardness that he hoped conveyed his opinion of the beast. Thankfully he turned away as Hofer
approached his table.
Cade went back to taking care of the customers at the bar. It was busy, but Alpha Cross' mate
Autry was helping out, and they were keeping ahead of the rush. The number of customers who hit on
Cade was larger than usual nearly every guy he served tried to hook up.
 “There’s a certain vulnerability about you tonight, Cade," Autry observed with a teasing grin,
obviously not knowing what Cade was dealing with. "These guys are finding it very attractive you
should take advantage."
"I'm just trying to keep my mind on the job tonight; not interested in any hookups." He tried to
defend himself without explaining.
“That’s just going to make them want you all the more.” Autry finished with a chuckle and got
back to work.
He wasn't wrong. The offers intensified with Cade turning down one after another and doing it
gently. He had nothing against them, but the desire wasn't there for him tonight, last night, or the night
before. Once he managed to power through his inconvenient emotions, his love life would return to
normal.
"Come on, Cade." It was a little human who looked familiar, but Cade couldn't place him. "We
had fun last Friday, don't you remember? You said you'd never forget an ass as luscious as mine." He
turned at the waist to try and showcase his behind. "Don't you want to take it for another ride?" The
man was not shy, making sure those nearby heard his coarse remarks. Cade was far from a prude, but
this man and his recollections were not in the least attractive, so Cade shut him down rather than play
this game.
"Sorry, don't remember you. Perhaps you were with someone else." Cade made his statement
and got back to mixing drinks and fulfilling orders pushing the little man from his field of view. He
realized he'd been a little too harsh and needed to lighten up. It was part of his job to play along with
people, so he took a deep breath and turned back to the little man who was looking quite deflated.
"You're gorgeous, and anyone given access to that amazing ass is truly blessed. You can do
better than this bartender." He winked at him, and the little man smiled. "We have some wealthy,
heavy hitters out there tonight. Go get yourself a piece of the action." The little twink spun around
with renewed expectations and soon disappeared into the crowd.
The evening went on without incident, apart from the cougar at the far table giving him the
stink eye from time to time. Then someone walked in, and the room seemed to take particular notice.
Cade looked toward the doors where others were looking, and his heart surged into his throat.
He dropped the glass he was holding, which was thankfully saved by the rubber matting
beneath his feet. A gust of wind, soft yet forceful, enveloped him, and it was filled with a pure scent
of pine and rainwater. Cade looked around for the source but saw only the incredible wolf at the
door.
The man standing there surveying the room was beyond handsome and sexy he was in a class
all his own, and Cade could hear the sighs and groans of the men in the room as they took in the
magnificence of this newcomer. Lust and arousal filled the air, and Cade was overcome by an
irrational desire to whisk him away to somewhere quiet and private.
Black wavey hair hung to his shoulders, clean and shining in the lights. His face was solid
angles with a shadow of growth along the jaw and eyes so blue they pierced the air and froze
everyone they touched. Dressed in form-fitting faded denim and leather, he was tall and broad,
imposing his power, and he was a wolf, an alpha wolf.
…

Connell approached the Club and took his place in the long line of potential partiers, but he
didn't stand there long before he was bumped to the head of the line. He was then given easy access
inside by the doorman, who gave him a quick assessment and opened the door. He wasn't sure why he
was spirited to the front, but he wasn't going to complain.
The aura became heated when he stepped inside and scanned the room. His mate was in the
room. He could feel his presence. He could also feel the presence of the Alpha, the leader of this
pack. Connell looked over to his right and saw the man standing there regarding him with a hardness
that could be felt to the bone. He would not let Connell go much further without speaking to him first.
Alpha’s could be problematic if not dealt with appropriately. Connell needed this Alpha on
his side if he hoped for a smooth introduction to his mate and a speedy claim. He couldn't outright
deny him his mate, but he could make the process difficult and messy, two things Connell hoped to
avoid. He needed to meet with the Alpha and ask permission to pursue his mate.
Connell approached the man and reached out his hand when he was standing directly in front
of him. “Connell Rathe.” He stated his name and then finished with his request. “May we meet?”
"Cross Mercer." He took Connell's hand and held it for just a moment and then released. "Yes,
come with me." He stepped to the side and then walked through the crowd to the back of the room and
down a hallway. They stopped at the door near the end, and Mercer stated that it was his office.
They entered, and Mercer closed the door behind them. "Please sit." He said and proceeded
to take his seat behind the large desk things were starting out formal. It was a typical meeting of two
Alphas, tense and formal but accommodating.
"A seer has told me that my mate is among your people." Connell figured it best to get right to
the point. "I felt them when I entered the main room. I'm asking your permission to search them out."
Mercer didn't react immediately but rather watched, apparently weighing and measuring his words for
sincerity. It's an olfactory system of identifying truthfulness used by shifters. Connell had nothing to
hide, so he sat there and waited.
“Do you have their name?” He asked.
"No, only that he is a feline." Connell could still feel his mate even this far removed from the
main room. He didn't have the scent yet, only the enveloping sense that his mate was nearby.
"I have three felines in my pack." He said this and then paused as if there were something
concerning on his mind. "Zeke, a tiger shifter, and two brothers, Hofer and Cade, who are cougar
shifters." The name Cade slid across his mind like warm butter, and in that instant, he knew his mate's
name.
"I'd like to meet Cade," Connell stated, seeing the same subtle concern enter the Alpha's
expression again.
"Cade is very young," Mercer told him and then added as if in a warning. "We all look out for
Cade. He's a good guy and well-liked." He was saying a lot without saying a lot, and Connell's
concern for his mate was triggered. The seer had told him that his mate needed him.
“May I meet him?” Connell stuck to his request with not much else to say, considering he did
not know the man as of yet. He noted the Alpha's obvious concern, but whatever the issue, they would
deal with it as every Fated couple has done in the past. His wolf was getting stressed by what he
viewed as a deliberate delay and once again began pacing on the edges of his mind. He wanted his
mate, and so did Connell.
Mercer stood while still keeping his eyes trained on him and moved toward the door. "Let me
take you to a more comfortable room, and I will send Cade to you."
"Thank you." Connell stood and followed. Mercer said no more as he brought him to a room
two doors down from his office. It was furnished with plush leather sofas and chairs and appeared to
be perhaps a lounge, but the products clearly visible in a glass cupboard, and the lock on the inside of
the door spoke to it being much more than a simple lounge.
 Mercer left, and Connell stood very still, watching the door waiting for the moment his mate
would walk through them. His heart tightened at the thought of finally having his mate in his life. So
many years of waiting, and now the time had arrived for the Fated connection; all shifters dreamed of
the soul bond that would last forever.
…
Cade stepped away from the bar shortly after the handsome stranger followed Cross back to
his office. He felt almost compelled to follow, but he managed to stop himself and go into the
breakroom off the side of the kitchen instead. He took a seat and tried to gather his suddenly scattered
thoughts. The stranger was getting under his skin, and the desire to know his name was pushing him to
the edge.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Hofer was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and staring
intently at him.
“Just tired.”
"What's wrong?" He persisted in not accepting Cade's feeble response. "Is it that asshole
cougar that's been eyeing you from the back of the room?"
“He’s made it uncomfortable, but I’ll handle it.” Cade went with the cougar rather than try to
explain his reaction to the wolf who’d walked in.
"I'll have him kicked out," Hofer stated, clearly irritated by the guy.
“Was he bothering you too?” Cade wondered.
"He tried, but I backed him off then he turned his creepiness onto you. Cougars can be so
strange and aggressive that I don't trust him." Cade understood that his brother feared that the cougar
was sensing Cade was vulnerable, which was sometimes possible between shifters of the same
species.
Cougars were less tolerant than most shifters, and the need to beat down or eliminate the weak
and vulnerable among their numbers was something they were driven to do. They believed that the
weakness of one caused a drain on the entire species.
Although he wasn't worried about the cougar, Cade knew he could easily take him out if he
actually tried anything. Some people had an idea of themselves that far outshined who they actually
were, and Ronny was one of those people. No, he wasn't worried about the cougar. What he was
worried about was the large wolf who'd just walked in and why he was feeling what he was feeling.
Cade felt himself drawn to the wolf but also repelled and fearful at the same time.
"Did you see the big wolf walk in?" Hofer asked with an expression of awe. "I couldn't take
my eyes off him. He must be ancient because the energy he gave off was high-intensity. A power like
that is only possible after years and years upon the earth."
“Was it his energy that made the room fill with a scent of pine needles and rainwater?” Cade
wondered since that smell had filled the air and filled his mind and was still pervasive. When Hofer
looked at him strangely, he realized the scent was something specific to him.
"I didn't smell anything apart from the usual smells on the main floor." He smiled because the
prevailing scent on the main floor was always arousal. "Maybe Parc has an air freshener behind the
bar that you're smelling." It wasn't, but Cade nodded and accepted that as an answer. The smell had
assaulted him in a rush the moment the wolf had entered the room, and he had no explanation; it was
probably nothing.
"The wolf is in the office with Cross. I wonder what he wants." Cade pondered out loud.
"He's Alpha, obviously, and this is Cross' territory, so he would have to meet; otherwise, it
could be taken as a challenge or disrespect. But I agree with you. I think the large wolf is here for a
reason." Hofer added with a nod. "He walked in, and his eyes immediately covered the room. He was
looking for something or someone. The clientele was ready to jump his bones, and the regulars were
lining up, but he paid no one any mind. He's not here for the action."
“If you hear anything more, let me know.”
"I will." Hofer pushed away from the door frame. "I'm heading back to the floor. Why don't
you stay put for a bit while I make sure Ronny is gone. You're still recovering from that bear attack,
and I don't want idiots like him giving you grief."
"I don't care about Ronny. He's no threat to me."
“Humor me.” Hofer winked and then left when Cade nodded. Hofer was a protective older
brother, even though Cade was well able to take care of himself. The injury he sustained from the
bear shifter and the lingering effects he was experiencing was causing Hofer to be more defensive
than usual when it came to Cade.
Cade was just as glad Ronny would be gone when he returned to the floor. The creepy cougar
could be a real pain in the ass sometimes, and having to keep an eye on him while working was
arduous. Cade was about to head back to the floor when Cross came into the break room. His
expression was troubling, and Cade stiffened his back for whatever was coming.
“Go to the leather master lounge.” He stated. “There is someone there who wishes to speak
with you.” Cade stood silent for a moment and then moved toward Cross taking a couple of steps but
then stopped. The order was odd, and Cross was not someone who ever set up clients and staff.
"I don't understand," Cade said, hoping for some clarification as to who was waiting in the
lounge. The clarification he received absolutely knocked him for six.
"Your mate is here, Cade, and he is waiting for you in the leather master lounge," Cross told
him without hesitation and then waited as his words sunk in, and Cade's mind was blown for a
second.
“My mate?” He said and glanced at the door and then back to Cross. “My mate is here?”
“Your mate is here.”
Cade glanced back over to the door and began walking toward it and passing Cross without
further comment. He left the break room and headed to the back hall. His walk turned into a jog, and
then he began to run. The need to get to the lounge was taking him over completely. His mind just
blanked on everything as he stood in front of the door to the lounge staring at it breathlessly.
He reached for the large handle and pushed the door open, stepping inside. As if in a trance,
he slowly looked over to the center of the room, and standing there was the wolf, the large wolf with
the pine needle and rainwater scent. The aroma swamped him, and the desire flashed in his mind
setting everything inside him on fire. Their eyes met, and the connection was physical. This man, this
great wolf, ominous and intimidating, was his life and his future.
"Cade." He spoke, and his voice was deep like thunder as it moved across Cade's
consciousness and caused his heart to begin to race in anticipation. "My name is Connell Rathe, and
you smell like sun-warmed strawberries, sweet and invigorating." He took a few steps toward Cade,
slow, deliberate steps, and never took his eyes from Cade's.
"You smell like pine needles and rainwater, clean and purifying," Cade spoke, but his words
came out labored and breathless. Connell smiled, and his face warmed with emotion as he saw Cade
seeing all of him.
"Come to me, Cade." He spoke the words and raised his hand to beckon him over. "Come to
me." He repeated. Cade stood still, taking in the moment and analyzing his thoughts and feelings. This
was amazing and also terrifying. His mate was here calling to him, and Cade was too afraid to move.
 CHAPTER THREE

Connell watched his young mate enter the room. He was hesitant but did not look away. He held
Connell's gaze and appeared to be processing the encounter flashes of shadow crossed his
countenance, and a feeling of distress lay along the edges. Connell recalled Mercer's behavior when
speaking of Cade, and now the man's concern was beginning to take shape.
The distress was out of place for two mates meeting for the first time. He'd witnessed mates
coming together, and every time, there was a joy and an instant connection. Cade was being held back
by something he couldn't control. Connell could feel the cougar eager and filled with desire for
Connell's wolf, but still, Cade stood still, and fear began seeping out and filling the room.
Cade was a handsome man, tall and lean, with light auburn hair that was impeccably styled
and eyes warm and beseeching, begging for understanding. Connell's wolf began to bristle at the fear
coming off his mate, wanting to slay whatever demons were responsible for his distress.
Connell needed to know his mate better, and he needed to have Cade in his arms. He called to
him using every ounce of alpha and mate coercion he could muster. "Come to me, Cade." His body
trembled as his cougar pushed to go to their mate. "Come to me." He repeated, and then Cade began to
move. It was slow at first, but once they were within a few feet, Cade rushed toward him and flew
into his arms.
Connell held him close, tucking his auburn head against his shoulder and reveling in the
contact. Connell experienced a full-body tremor that was the result of his wolf fighting to the surface
to see their newly discovered Fated mate. Cade did not wrap his arms around him but rather
burrowed into Connell's embrace seeking comfort, which Connell readily gave.
“We’re mates.” Cade declared faintly. "When did you know? How did you find me?" All
paranormal beings understand and accept magic, seers, and mystics, so he did not balk at telling him
the whole story of Mini and her second sight.
"I came here knowing that someone here belonged to me. I scented my mate the instant I
entered the Club, but this is another alpha's territory. I had to meet with Mercer before looking for the
one that was mine." Connell pulled Cade closer when he felt him begin to move away. "Stay in my
arms, baby; I need to hold you. My wolf needs to know that you are safe." He said this, and Cade
dropped his head back onto Connell's shoulder.
"Mercer said he had three felines here, and when he spoke your name, I knew it was you. Your
name was like home, and the sound of it stirred within me. That's when I knew you were my mate."
Connell tunneled his fingers through Cade's hair and then kissed the side of his head. Having Cade in
his arms and his scent surrounding him was giving Connell so many thoughts, and his wolf was pacing
again, wanting out and wanting his cougar mate.
"Talk to me, Cade. Tell me what you're feeling," Connell commanded in a tone that brooked no
opposition. He was used to being in control, especially in relationships; in all his interactions, he
held the reins, and he made the decisions. It was how he preferred it, and he hoped his mate was
accepting of his dominant nature because, after nearly three hundred years, he doubted that he could
change even if he tried.
Cade seemed to accept that he needed him, and that was a least a beginning. He could help
him regardless of the issue, and he would be there for him no matter the circumstances. Connell was
well able to handle whatever was haunting his mate.
Connell had lived through plenty, and there was little he hadn't experienced or at least knew
of, so he was confident that he could help Cade, but first, he had to get a little trust. Cade needed to
start talking.
"I'm struggling right now." Cade made the first attempt at explaining but then fell silent. He
didn't try to pull away again, so that was a step.
"With finding your mate, or is it some other matter?”
"This is amazing and not something I'd ever expected because mates come to those who are
older and more settled." Cade continued, but each word was slow and laden with apprehension.
"I'm older and settled." Connell chuckled, trying to lighten the mood and keep him talking.
"I've waited a very long time for you, Cade." He added when Cade pulled back and stared up at him.
"Your cougar is purring, and my wolf is scratching at my mind. They want to get to know each other,
and I want to know you."
"I want to know you too, Connell," Cade said his name for the first time, and it was like
magic. The sensations that rushed him it was beautiful. "But I have other matters, as you described
them, troubling matters." He was deflating, and his fear was coming out once again, so Connell did
the only thing that he could think of doing to settle him in this moment. He kissed him hard on the lips
pressing firmly until Cade opened for him, and he went deep, tasting his mate and claiming what was
his.
…
Cade was overwhelmed by the sensations and reactions he was experiencing. His mate was
incredible. Connell was so much more than he'd ever dreamed, but why did he have to come along at
the worse possible time. Cade returned the kiss showing Connell that he was as invested and felt the
same, but his heart was tightening as Connell’s power and potency became clear.
His irrational panic was crushing him. He feared large shifters, and Fate decided it was a
good time to mate him to one of the largest wolves he'd ever met and a man who clearly was used to
control and taking what he wanted. He's an old wolf and probably not in the mood to deal with some
stupid emotional problems. The kiss went on for several minutes, and gradually Cade felt himself
loosen up, and the tightness in his chest and stomach began to ease.
He felt a release of sorts that gave him back his sense of normality for a moment, and it felt so
good. Connell was channeling his own strength to him, filling him with a quiet calm. The kiss slowed,
and Connell pulled back to look down into his upturned face locking those vibrant blue eyes to his
and holding firm. Cade was losing himself in this man.
"Tell me what it is you fear." Connell was pushing, but it didn't feel wrong. He wanted to tell
him to explain everything. His strength was addictive and gave Cade the confidence to try and
explain.
“I was involved in something that has left a lasting mark on me. Fears and anxieties spring up
without warning.” He was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without sounding too
pathetic when Connell spoke.
“What are your triggers?” Connell asked and caused Cade to stop and think for a moment.
"People coming up on me from behind, crowds, vacant wooded spaces, and large shifters."
He hesitated to admit the last, not wanting to offend his mate.
"And yet you come to work here, which probably results in at least three of these things
happening multiple times a night. How do you deal with it?"
"My brother helps me to hide the tremors and the panic until it passes, and I avoid things that I
can avoid. The others don't know that there is a problem; I don't want them to know." Cade couldn't
imagine his fellow pack members knowing that he feared things as ridiculous as crowds or being
around large shifters. "They can't know. I will figure this out."
"Your Alpha knows." That statement caught him by surprise, but it shouldn't have. Of course,
Cross would know that something was off but not the particulars; no one but Hofer knew what he was
feeling, and now Connell knew.
"He doesn't know the details; he only senses that something is wrong." Cade wasn't ready for
everyone to know that he was damaged and that Garson Green had done him much more than just
physical damage.
Connell nodded. “That may be the case, but he knows that you are suffering.”
Cade was suddenly feeling exposed and defenseless even, and the feeling was devastating. He
pushed away from Connell and took a solid step back. His mate was opening him up, and he needed
time to think.
If his weakness became known, he could become a constant target, and the local cougars
would single him out for special harassment. He wasn't in the mood for the bullshit that would be
heaped upon him. He had to keep this quiet until it was over.
"I can help you, Cade. Let me help you." Connell was persuasive, but Cade had a lot to lose.
"I can handle it on my own give me time, and I'll manage it." Cade felt the panic rising once
again, but it wasn't just caused by the fear of Connell's size; he noticed that the more he pulled away,
the stronger his panic. He didn't understand, and he decided he needed to get away to think and
process this new discovery.
"You are my mate, and I will not give you up. Know that I will move heaven and earth for you,
but I will never let you go. Whatever is haunting you is no match for me; please, Cade, let me in."
Connell was firm like before, but there was a softening of his tone. The controlling aspect of his
personality was still obvious, and Cade found that oddly comforting.
He wasn't sure why he liked Connell taking control when he really didn't know the man. The
idea of handing over everything, all decisions and his life in general, to this man was an attractive
thought right now. Cade had not been drawn to larger men in the past, having usually pursued the cute
diminutive types smaller than him, so the raging desire he was feeling for Connell, a large, imposing,
older man, was a bit of a shock.
There was nothing about Connell that didn’t appeal to Cade. He was fascinating, and Cade
longed to hear of the life he'd led. Connell was an alpha wolf with a daunting presence and the
character and attitude to back it all up. So much was happening to him so fast he couldn’t get his head
around it all. The irrational fears kept him at a distance even as his cougar and his own desires fought
to be free.
"I want you so badly, but I need time. I need to get my head straight," Cade said the words that
cut, and he saw the flash of pain in Connell's eyes before he was able to hide it.
"Lean on your animal, Cade; lean on your cougar. Let him guide you," Connell told him and
reached out to take his hand. The touch again soothed and invigorated, but Cade needed some
distance. He needed to reflect and to consider where he was and where he was going.
On a normal day, he would be simply over the moon with his new mate, and he'd be thinking
of nothing but sunshine and lollypops, but this wasn't a normal day, and he was far from a normal guy.
He had to get over this irrational fear, and he had to find his way back to normal.
"Go, for now," Connell spoke. His expression was tight, and his eyebrows were drawn
together as if it were difficult to say the things he was saying. "I'll get a room at the hotel across the
street. Come to me when you're ready." Cade was freshly taken aback by his astute understanding of
his needs and his willingness to give him what he clearly did not want to give.
Cade could sense the power of Connell's wolf pressing just below the surface, searching for a
release, but Connell had total control. His life was not a mess; his life was normal. Cade could also
feel his own cougar, and he could feel the disappointment his cougar wanted the wolf, and he wanted
him now.
Cade, as a rule, gave into his animal's needs but not this time. He had to keep him down until
he had better control over himself and his cougar. He couldn't risk making a fool of himself.
"Give me your number," Connell commanded, and Cade complied eagerly and without
question. A second later, his phone rang, and Cade checked it.
"Now you have my number; please do not hesitate to call; I will be waiting." With that said,
Connell abruptly pulled Cade up to him for another heart-stopping kiss that left no question of
Connell's desire, before releasing him and walking away. Cade turned and watched him leave and
continued to stand there, silent, listening to the sound his boots made as he made his way down the
hall and back to the main room.
A sensation of loss and dread washed over him, and Cade wrapped his arms around himself,
trying to dispel the feeling of sadness that had taken hold when his mate had left him. He'd asked for
this; it was what he wanted and thought he needed, and yet he was about to turn and run after Connell
and beg him to come back. He was so confused, and muddle headed he had no idea if he was doing
the right thing.
…
Connell used every ounce of strength and composure he possessed to be able to leave that
room and leave behind his mate, a man he longed for and finally found, only to have him step away
and ask for time. It was a blow to his heart and his ego, but part of him understood the rational part of
him understood, but the emotional part, the part that harkened back to a time of lonely isolation,
screamed at the unfairness. This was his mate. His Fated bond Cade belonged to him, and there
should be no place for distance in this relationship.
He did not meet any gazes as he exited the Club but rather kept his eyes straight ahead. He
walked across the street to the Covent Garden Hotel and, with a burst of optimistic promise, booked
the honeymoon suite. If Cade was feeling even half of what Connell was experiencing, then he would
not be able to stay away for long.
The distance between them once they met became painful both mentally and emotionally.
Connell wondered if that would extend to physical if they stayed apart for an extended period. He
would wait, for now, but he would not wait forever.
It wasn't long before there was a knock on his door; he took a deep hopeful breath but was
disappointed when it was not Cade at his door. The scent was that of Alpha Mercer, and Connell
wasn't sure he was in the state of mind to chat, or the worst case would be having to explain himself.
But not wanting to cause any undue strain between himself and those closest to his mate, he opened
the door and bade Mercer to enter.
“I admire your confidence," Mercer commented as he looked around the honeymoon suite.
"It's very nice here. My mate Autry and I have used this space on occasion."
 “Less confident and more hopeful.” He responded and offered Mercer a seat at the side table
by the window. Connell took the seat across from him. “What can I do for you?” He prompted.
Mercer studied him for a few seconds before speaking. "I understand the importance of a
mate, and I also know what it is like when the union does not go smoothly." He held up his hand to
stop Connell from commenting and then continued.
"I could feel Cade's confusion and regret and also your disappointment." Connell hadn't been
part of a pack in so long that he forgot how tuned in some Alphas could be. Obviously, Mercer was a
good alpha, but Connell wasn't exactly ready to bare his soul to the man.
"He asked for time, and I'm giving him time," Connell said, not comfortable with sharing too
much.
"Cade has been under some stress lately and is working it out." Mercer was cryptic, too
cryptic Connell wanted a clearer answer.
“What caused the stress?”
"It is not my place to say, but I admire your ability to give him space. Crowding him right now
would not be advisable. He will come to you, I have no doubt. I came here to make sure you did not
give up on him. I'm not here to try and push anything into happening." Mercer said this and then stood.
"Cade needs you, and he will come to you."
"I will never give up. Cade belongs to me, and when he is ready, I'm here." Connell made his
feeling clear in case anyone thought he was the type of wolf who would walk away from a difficult
mate. "I'm an old wolf, and I've been waiting too long for this man. Whatever he is going through, I
will wait for him." That last statement brought a smile to Mercer's face.
"I'm glad to hear it. Cade needs a man like you," Mercer stated and headed for the door.
“And I am a lucky man.” Connell spelled it out clearly.
Mercer paused at the door and turned back to regard Connell. "I think you're both lucky men."
With that, he left, closing the door behind him.
That was brief yet powerful, and Connell could appreciate the worry that Mercer felt for his
pack member. Cade was obviously well-liked, and it spoke to his character, not that Connell had any
requirements for his mate. He would accept him no matter his issues or character. Fate brought people
together, and she was never wrong.
All things could be worked out when the bond was strong, and Fate was not haphazard in her
pairings. She brought people together that needed one another Connell had seen it many times. He
remembered holding Cade in his arms and remembered the feel of his body pressed against his, and
his heart began to pound.
The mate bond was a powerful thing, and the drive to be together could not be denied.
Connell hoped that Cade did not make him wait too long before he was willing to truly open up and
let him in. Honesty and trust would be the building blocks of their relationship; he needed them both,
and so did Cade.
…
"What happened, Cade? Why do you look so despondent? Is it Ronny? Did he do something?
Did he say something?" Hofer was bouncing around, demanding answers, and Cade didn't know
where to start.
"It wasn't Ronny." Cade had left the lounge and went straight to the break room, wanting to
hide for a while. Cross came in; first, his concern so thick Cade could taste it, and his words stabbed
him deep. He told him not to fuck this up, and that mates were the most important person in a shifter’s
life.
 That was a fact, and it wasn't anything Cade wasn't aware of, but having him say it with such
force brought the reality of what he was risking to the surface, and Cade was about to break. When
Cross left him, Hofer walked in upset and demanding to know what was wrong. Everything was
wrong, and it was his own fault he let his mate walk out of the Club, and he didn't follow.
"That large, handsome wolf who walked in a little while ago is my mate. He came here
looking for me." Cade told him and then dropped his face into his hands. Silence fell for a few
seconds before Hofer caught up, and then he was back to being upset and demanding.
"Did he deny you? Who the fuck does he think he is? Where is he? I'll fucking kill him." Hofer
was reactionary and was about to blow when Cade broke through his tirade with the truth.
"I told him I needed time. I told him I wasn't ready, and he left. I'm so damaged I couldn't even
hold it together long enough to accept the gift that Fate offered to me. He left, and I didn't stop him."
Cade looked up at Hofer, who stood there filled with consternation. "What do I do now, Hofer?"
"He's really your mate?" He asked, his tone so much softer than before, with the situation
having changed significantly.
"Yes, his name is Connell Rathe, and he came here for me. He knew his mate was here, and
when he arrived, he knew it was me." Cade was feeling more inadequate by the minute.
“What do you want to do, Cade?”
“I want him, but this fucking paranoia is screwing with me. I panicked when he held me and
acted like a pathetic moron.”
“Do you fear him?”
"It's not him; it's the shit in my head that won't stop fucking with me." Cade shook his head,
realizing how much this stress was affecting him and affecting his life and his future. Cade felt as if he
were about to lose his mind.
"I have to deal with this for real, or I'm going to lose him. You saw him; he isn't going to wait
around for some damaged feline. He's Alpha, he stable and powerful, and I'm a pathetic mess." Cade
was falling into self-pity, but he couldn't stop himself; his cougar balked and pressed for them to run
to their mate, but he did nothing, just sat there. His animal didn't understand the resistance and was
becoming insistent and combative in his desire for Connell.
"You're not pathetic, and he's not going to deny you," Hofer stated as if he had inside
information, but Cade doubted it. "Whatever is affecting you, he can help. Your mate, your true Fated
mate, can heal. We've both seen it happen with Ames and Liam. Remember that shifter beat the shit
out of Liam, and a few hours with Ames, and he was healed."
"My problem isn't physical; it's mental," Cade interjected. "He's better off without me."
"Oh, cut the shit. You're his mate, and he is not better off without you." Hofer was done with
the gentle. "Go to him."
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
Cade had enough and rushed from the room, leaving Hofer behind as he moved quickly to the
end of the back hall and ducked out the side door that led to the small parking lot, a dark and quiet
spot for him to hide and to think. Unfortunately, He wasn't alone, and the moment the door closed and
locked behind him, he was jumped from the left and brought face-first to the cold, damp asphalt.
 CHAPTER FOUR

Ronny shifted and came at him again when Cade attempted to stand and brought him down a second
time. Cade was hesitant to shift for fear his cougar would run straight to the hotel across the street in
search of Connell. He lashed out and caught Ronny across the side of his head with a powerful punch
knocking him backward, but he quickly recovered and landed on his feet.
Cade stood and prepared as Ronny came at him for another strike, but he was too slow. Cade
grabbed him by the throat, wrapping his arm around his neck, and brought him to the asphalt. He
wrapped his legs around Ronny's middle and tightened his hold on his neck. After a few long minutes
of struggling and failing, Ronny gradually went limp, but Cade continued to hold him until he was
satisfied that Ronny was not going to get up for a while at least.
When he finally released him, Cade let him drop to the pavement out cold. It took more than
that to kill a shifter, but Ronny would be hurting for a while, and rightly so. He was a lowlife who
preyed on the weak and found pleasure in causing misery. He didn't deserve to die, but he deserved a
good ass kicking.
The world would be none the worse with his passing, but tonight wasn't his night. After a few
seconds, Ronny shifted back to his human form but remained unconscious. He was stark naked, and
Cade did not give a shit. He left him where he fell and headed around back to the door off the kitchen.
Ronny ran with a group of other cougars who were of a similar mind to his, and Cade was
certain that this was not the end of the attacks. They were all scum, but apart from Ronny, who was far
from deadly, the others were more skilled in the art of the takedown. He would have to be alert and
ready because this was not going to end any time soon.
…
Connell sat and stared out the window at the lights of the city. It was late, and the Club would
be closing soon, but still, there was a line of people waiting and wanting to enter. He hadn't paid
much attention to the Club itself but had noticed the sophistication and order that he had not expected
from such a business.
It was raw and yet came off as classy, and that combination provided an atmosphere that
would attract not just the thrill seeker but also a higher-class clientele. To call it a leather bar was to
do it an injustice, for it looked to be an experience and one that was probably different for everyone
who entered.
He chose not to think too long about the life that Cade had lived being a bartender in such a
place. His wolf was not in the mood to contemplate past lovers, so he pushed his thoughts back to
their brief time together in the lounge.
He remembered Cade's strawberry scent and how it made him feel, and the smoothness of his
skin when he held him close. The way his body formed to Connell's made him close his eyes for a
moment as a wave of pure lust washed over him.
He reached out with his mind searching for his mate, trying to touch him through their thin as,
gossamer connection. They’d spent only minutes with one another, and their touch had been quite
brief, so their bond was barely there. He pushed with all he had to find him, and then suddenly, he felt
it just a light wisp of sensation signaling the presence of his mate. It wasn't strong enough to get a
good read on him, but his personal conflict was coming through.
Cade was fighting whatever was holding him back as the need to be with his mate compelled
him to follow Connell. The connection faltered, and Connell let it go; it was enough to know that
Cade was trying. He would wait, but if he heard nothing from his mate by morning, he would seek him
out once again.
…
Cade felt like he was coming apart; the fight with Ronny out back was actually a relief as it
gave him some release to work off the craziness that was assaulting him. But the wild thoughts and
panic were back, and he couldn't differentiate between the phobia and the insecurity he felt about
bonding.
It had nothing to do with that gorgeous man and everything to do with his own inadequacies.
He didn't want to saddle Connell with a mate that was not his equal or, at the very least, healthy and
strong. What kind of relationship would that be with one partner always burdened by the other? He
could feel Connell on the edges of his awareness and wanted to embrace him, but the doubt kept him
back and kept him stupid.
He went to the public bathroom and cleaned up after the dust-up with Ronny. While there, he
was propositioned three times which was normal for the bathroom at Zephyr, but this was the first
time that it bothered him.
Having someone else's hands on him made him cringe even though the men had been quite
beautiful, all three of them. He stopped and stared at himself in the mirror, seeing very clearly his
cougar making himself known in the depths of his eyes.
“I know you’re upset and can't understand why we aren't with our mate." He spoke, and then
his cougar surged, and he half shifted before forcing the animal back. His cougar was much more than
upset. He was ready to take over and force the issue. Cade gripped the edge of the sink and held him
back, but just barely. He glanced at himself again in the mirror, and all he saw was a fucking coward.
After about five minutes of grappling with his cougar, he stepped back from the sink counter
and pulled himself together. This was ridiculous; his mate was across the street, and he was done
making him wait. He rushed from the bathroom, ignoring everyone who tried to speak to him or grab
his attention, for he had one goal, and that was to find Connell.
…
The line of people across the street was thinning out as the hours before the Club's closure
drew nearer. Would Cade come to him after the Club closed for the night, or would he wait for
morning? Connell decided to give Cade until ten in the morning before going after him.
Cross had shared Cade's address, where he lived with his brother Hofer, so he knew where to
find him. He wasn't leaving this town without him, so Cade would have to get used to this old wolf
forever on his trail.
The more time they spent together, the stronger their bond would become, and Cade would
soon find it difficult to deny or stay away. Right now, the bond was thin as a wisp, and as the hours
dragged on, Connell did not hold out much hope that Cade would seek him out. His wolf was restless
and tired of waiting in this hotel room. Their mate was out there, and he wanted to go and find him.
Like his wolf, Connell began to pace the room, thinking back to all the days, all the years he
lived his life just as it suited him, not answering to anyone. His heart was racing, and his stomach was
in a knot over a young cougar pup who now held his entire life in the palm of his hand. He took
another sip of the whiskey he'd been drinking throughout the night, and then there was a knock at his
door.
His breath caught with the possibility of it being Cade, and then he released that breath
knowing that it was probably Mercer or someone from the hotel. He walked over to the door, and the
moment he was close enough, the scent of strawberries enveloped him, and his heart lurched, and he
jerked the door open.
Standing there looking as stunning as he had those few hours ago was his mate. He didn't
speak, although it seemed as if he were trying to say something.
"Come in." Connell took control and led his mate inside, closing and locking the door behind
him. They walked to the center of the room and stood regarding each other in silence. It was Cade's
place to speak now, and Connell waited.
He noticed a tear in Cade’s well-fitting jeans and wondered how that had happened. It wasn’t
there before, and he also took in the mussed-up hair that had previously been perfectly styled. There
was a subtle dishevelment about him, and Connell wanted to ask but waited.
"I'm sorry about my behavior earlier. I've been through some things and haven't handled them
very well. I don't seem to handle anything very well these days. I should have followed the advice I
was given but tried to deal with it all on my own, and nothing has gotten better." He watched Cade run
his fingers through his hair roughly and glance around the room nervously.
He had nothing to be nervous about. There wasn't anything he could say that would deter
Connell. The fact that he was there with him now was all Connell had expected, and he was thankful.
Connell took him by the arm gently and brought him over to the plush sofa, and they sat down together.
Connell made sure he was touching him shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh to push
forward their bond and channel the calm that he obviously needed. He wanted to take his hand, but
Cade was busy knotting his fingers together or running them repeatedly through his hair.
"Just talk to me, Cade." He finally said in the softest manner he could muster, not wanting to
push the man away. He was on the edge, and Connell was going to make sure he did not fall.
"There was a situation several weeks ago with a friend and his human mate." Cade started, but
the words were rough and labored. This was going to take a while but would probably be the most
important conversation of their entire relationship. Connell took his hand and held it, and waited for
him to continue.
Cade told him of guarding Liam's apartment, waiting for the bear shifter to show himself, and
being blindsided. "He took me apart. I was on the ground, losing consciousness, before I even knew
what hit me. I wasn't ready. I was fooling with my phone thinking he was just some abusive idiot who
was no threat to me." Cade paused for a moment and took several deep breaths. The retelling of this
story was taking a toll.
"He nearly killed me, and I'm sure he thought I wouldn't survive when he finally left me and
headed into the building. If Hofer hadn't become concerned when I didn't answer my phone, and if
Cross hadn't found me, I would have died in that overgrown vacant lot." He stopped and hung his
head, and the shame he was feeling filled the air, and Connell was not going to let it stand.
"The size and abilities of your attacker should have been taken into consideration. You should
not have been staking out that apartment on your own." Connell was throwing the blame back onto
those who misjudged the situation and not on his young mate who tried and was bound to fail. "A bear
shifter of any size cannot be felled except by a shifter of equal or greater size. Your cougar may be
large but not as large as a bear. It was not your fault."
 Connell had dealt with a few bears in his lifetime, and it wasn't easy to bring them down. He
was an exceptionally large timber wolf, and even he had difficulty with some of the larger species of
bear shifters.
They were massive and strong, and just thinking that his little cougar had been on the
receiving end of a beating from such a beast was hard to accept. His wolf was scratching for release
to go and find this bear and teach him a lesson, but that bear had already paid the price.
"I wasn't supposed to engage with the bear; I was only to watch and report if he was seen
around Liam's apartment building." Cade expounded with more detail, but Connell could only see his
mate being brutalized by a larger shifter.
"Green must have known I was there, and I was distracted, which was my own fault." Connell
did not comment further as he hoped for Cade to tell him more; he wanted to know why his fear has
persisted.
"Ever since that day, I've been bombarded by feelings of failure, incompetence, and stress that
is nearly crippling." He stopped and took another couple of deep breaths centering and focusing as
best he could. Connell respected his struggle and took his hand and held it tightly, channeling his calm
and attempting to soothe as best he could.
"I feel my body tightening and panic taking me whenever I'm around large shifters, in crowds,
so as you stated earlier, working at the Club has been a challenge these last few weeks." He tried to
smile, but it did not reach his eyes. "I'm sorry I walked away. I was panicking, and I didn't know how
to tell you what I was feeling." Connell pulled him over closer and kissed the side of his head, and
then wrapped his arm around Cade's shoulders.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I understood, and I waited. I knew you would come to me. Your cougar
was enthralled, so you wouldn't be able to stay away for long." Connell chuckled. "We'll work
through this together after we bond."
“You want to bond with me?” He sounded surprised.
"More than anything, my love. I want to make love to you and claim you as my own." Connell
stated honestly, and he saw the answering desire shining in Cade's eyes.
"I want you to Connell so badly." Cade moved closer, slipping his arms around Connell's neck
and leaning in for a tentative kiss. It was sweet and lovely, just like his mate.
"In the morning, I would like for you to take me to that vacant lot where you were attacked. I
believe it is the place where your healing will begin." He noticed Cade's eyes widen. "I will be with
you. We'll do this together. You're safe with me. You are always safe with me."
"I trust you even though I know absolutely nothing about you. Going back there was not
something I ever considered doing, but I want to get better. I don't want to be seen as weak or
damaged.” Cade spewed his feeling as Connell pulled him into his arms once again.
"You're not damaged and definitely not weak, and you are not the first shifter to suffer after a
traumatic event. You're strong and settled with good sense. This anxiety that has gripped you will not
last, I promise you. I've been alive a very long time, and I've witnessed many things. I know that men
like you work through their problems because they have the strength to address them. You will be
fine." Connell assured him, and Cade sunk into his embrace, relaxing in earnest for the first time.
"I will be fine," Cade repeated his words. "And I love that you chose the honeymoon suite."
He chuckled.
"Anything for you, sweetheart."
 CHAPTER FIVE

Cade couldn't believe his mate was so understanding and so ready to accept him. Every moment he
spent in this man's presence brought them closer and made their connection stronger. His smell, touch
and blue eyes were blowing him away, and Cade just wanted to lose himself in Connell. They'd
moved to the bedroom, a lovely room with a large bed in white and tans so soft and comfortable.
Cade sat on the edge of the bed, and Connell stood before him, tall and handsome.
"Tell me something about yourself, Connell. I don't know anything about you." Cade wanted to
know him. He wanted to know the man he was about to give everything to. He had a sense of him; he
knew he was honorable, dependable, intelligent, patient, determined, and committed. Those were just
a few of his attributes that came through clearly to Cade. But he wanted more. He wanted to know the
man, and he wanted him to share just as Cade had shared.
"I live in the northern woods about three hours from here. I moved there about twenty years
ago, and I live alone. I haven't been a part of any pack since I was in my teens. When I reached
maturity, I was asked to leave my birth pack because they didn't allow alphas to remain; I was
approximately sixteen or seventeen. It was several centuries ago." Cade just sat and listened; he had
no idea the past that his mate had lived.
"I worked most of my life in the logging industry and made a lot of money. Several centuries
of good money management has left me very well off. You do not have to continue working. I have
enough for both of us to last us the rest of our lives." Connell took his hand and pulled Cade to his
feet.
"I'd like for you to move to the forest with me. I have a nice place there, and I believe you
will be happy. I'm not asking you to abandon your family or pack. You can remain a member and
commute when necessary, and they are welcome in my territory any time. I will support whatever you
decide but understand that I do not do well with controls or rules that are not of my own making. My
wolf and I have been on our own for far too long to ever be able to join a city or a pack." Connell
paused, searching Cade's expression for clues as to his agreement. Cade kept his face neutral as he
took it all in and began to process.
"I've lived a very solitary life these past twenty years, and I am asking you to join me. I know
you're young, and perhaps living so deep in the woods is not for you, but please just give it a try."
Connell finished and pulled Cade into the circle of his arms.
“Do you have any family?”
"None that I'm aware of; when I left, I was alone. My family remained with my birth pack, and
we had no further contact."
“That is really sad.”
"It was for a little while, but I soon found my own way and my own friends." Connell dropped
a kiss to the side of Cade's head. "What about you? Is Hofer your only family?"
"It's just Hofer and me. We left our range about four years ago. We didn't measure up. They
were a nasty bunch, and we preferred to try to make it ourselves. It was a battle; at first other cougars
saw us as vulnerable, but we fought and took care of each other. We joined Alpha Cross' pack about a
year ago, shortly after he came to Cincinnati. He's a good Alpha, unconventional, but a damn good
leader." Cade was not having a problem with moving to be with his mate, but the forest atmosphere
was giving him pause.
"I can't leave the pack; it is the first time I've ever felt like I was a part of something that was
good for me and a place to belong. The other requests I believe are doable and . . ." Cade fell off, and
Connell picked it up.
"And we can take it at our own pace; no rush for anything right now apart from making you
mine for all eternity." Connell swung Cade into his arms, which was no small feat considering his
height and weight. He carried him back to the bed and laid him down on his back with his head on the
luxurious pillows. He leaned over and placed a proprietary kiss on his lips, and Cade reciprocated
by deepening the kiss and wrapping his arms around Connell's neck.
Those blue eyes saw so much Cade could not hide from this man, no matter how hard he tried.
"Let go, Cade, let me love you." He whispered as he rained kisses down Cade's throat and across his
shoulder. He removed his shirt and continued dropping lovely kisses on his chest. "You are beautiful,
Cade." He kept saying such sweet things, and Cade was eating it up.
This was a true connection; the sensations with every touch were so powerful and meaningful
that the bond was growing and making everything perfect. It was perfect in a way that was only
possible with true mates. It felt like forever. Each word, touch, and moment they were together
signaled forever.
How he ever thought he could wait or delay until he was better, whatever that entailed, was a
mystery to him now. Waiting was not possible or desired. The bond was everything, and the
sensations rocking Cade's life with Connell were all he would ever need.
His shirt was gone, and his pants soon followed, along with his boots. Cade never was one
for underwear, so the minute his pants disappeared, his goods were on full display. Connell was still
fully dressed, and the juxtaposition of his nakedness to Connell's being clothed was strangely exciting
and sent a thrill through Cade that was new and felt a little wicked.
Cade shivered when Connell kissed the head of his hard, leaking cock and cupped his balls in
the palm of his hand. His body was humming with contentment and delight and greedily asking for
more. "Let me see you, Connell." He asked and reached out, pulling on the buttons of Connell's white
cotton shirt. He chuckled and pulled the shirt off over his head, bearing one of the most gorgeous
chests of all time. It was cut and with a dusting of dark hair, just enough to be sexy as all hell.
He moved his hands to his jeans, and while never taking his eyes off, Cade quickly discarded
them, and within minutes, he was standing there at the side of this wonderful bed looking all hard and
muscled and so ready. His eyes were on fire as he grabbed his own cock and gave it a couple of
pumps. Cade wanted him so badly he was beginning to sweat.
"Join me, Connell; this bed is made for two." He teased and shifted slightly as Connell
crawled in next to him. His hands never stopped caressing Cade's chest and abdomen, and cock. It
was tantalizing and built a desire so sharp that Cade thought he would go out of his mind. The need to
feel that hard cock deep inside was overwhelming all other thoughts. "I need you, Connell."
"I need you too, sweetheart." His endearments went straight to Cade's heart. He'd never cared
for such things before, but now he found himself craving the sweet endearments when they came from
Connell's lips. Sweetheart, baby, lover, he wanted them all, and Connell did not disappoint.
"I like to be in control, baby. Will you give that control? Will you let me show you how hard I
can love you?" The sound of his deep voice played across Cade's nerves, sensitizing and exciting.
"It's all yours; everything is yours." Cade was not in the mood to be coy; he knew what he
wanted, and it was this man; every part of him, Cade wanted it all. Connell moved over top of Cade.
They fit together perfectly. Although Connell was taller, their bodies seemed to line up like two
puzzle pieces.
Connell's hands were everywhere, making Cade tremble and blood burn. He ran his hands
down Connell's back, feeling the muscles and the smooth flesh. "You are so beautiful, Connell." He
couldn't hold back the praise that poured from his lips; the vision that was his mate was so much more
than he ever expected or dreamed would belong to him. He was an older wolf, but he was definitely
in his prime strong, gorgeous, and single-minded in his desire to take Cade.
"You are the beautiful one." Connell countered while trailing more hot kisses down his
abdomen to the side of his cock. Cade touched his hair; long, soft, and full, it slipped through his
fingers. Connell's mouth was playing havoc with the sensitive flesh of his cock, kissing, licking, and
teasing until Cade was ready to come.
"I need to come." He gasped and thrust his hips up toward Connell, seeking completion.
"Not yet," Connell commanded and gripped the base of Cade's cock stemming the impending
eruption and forcing back the euphoria that had been right on the brink. The pleasure he was seeking
was there, ready to be had, but he had to wait, and as he waited, Connell continued to tease and stroke
him until the edge was burning him through.
"I need it, Connell, please." He was not above begging at this point. The level of excited
desire was about to take him over when suddenly Connell took him in his mouth and took him to the
root down his throat. The shock had Cade catching his breath and his body exploding. He thrust
inside, going deeper, and Connell took it, massaging and stroking, applying pressure in all the right
places.
Cade felt himself falling, coming so hard he saw stars on the periphery of his vision. The
pleasure burst within him, shattering his control and any and all resistance. He came down Connell's
throat, and he took it all as he continued to thrust until he was spent and breathless.
Cade opened his eyes and smiled, catching his breath and feeling all the sensations that rushed
through him, the feeling of love and belonging and renewal. It was miraculous, and it was all Connell,
his mate, partner, and amazing lover.
…
Connell finished letting Cade's now softening cock slip from his mouth as he continued to
stretch and prepare him. Cade's entrance was taking three of his fingers, now sliding in and out with
ease, covered in lube, spreading the slippery substance to cover the entire area, and going as deep as
his fingers would permit. Connell freed his fingers and covered his hard, aching cock with the same
lubricant.
Cade was ready, or rather prepared, and Connell could not wait any longer to claim this feline
as his own. He deftly and, with one arm, flipped Cade from his back to his stomach; he heard Cade's
soft laugh and couldn't help smiling at the playfulness of his mate. "You're mine, Cade; you belong to
the wolf." With that exclamation, Connell reared back and plunged inside his hot, stunningly gorgeous
mate. The slide and the grip were exquisite, holding him and milking him within the velvet warmth of
Cade's body.
Connell held Cade's hips and pulled him up slightly and back firmly, impaling himself, and
then abruptly pulled back, causing a gasp and a groan from this lovely mate. Cade positioned himself
on his elbows and glanced back over his shoulder at Connell, and the lust in that gaze had Connell
slamming back inside, hammering away at that luscious ass.
The sounds and the scents filling the air between them was pure daydream material. Connell
threw his head back and roared as his wolf called to the cougar demanding submission but also
calling for the passionate devotion of a bonded pair.
"Harder, faster." Cade was chanting and dropped his head to his forearm, panting with each
word he struggled to get past his lips. "More, love, more." Connell heard the cougar as a high-pitched
snarl burst forth, and Cade slammed his hips back against Connell to increase the force of contact.
They were both demanding more and faster and complying in the most delicious way possible.
He fell for this amazing feline the moment he laid eyes on him, and every minute since, he has
fallen harder and faster. Cade answered every want and met every need; he was the perfect mate for
this old wolf, and Connell would never lose him and never let him go. His energy and personality
shown through even through the issues he fought so hard to control. His strength was always front and
center, even when he thought he was weak.
Cade tightened, and Connell groaned and slammed in a little harder and a little deeper. His
body was a perfect fit, just as he'd known it would be. Their bodies were made for each other and
designed by destiny. The sensations began to build to an uncontrollable degree, and he felt himself
succumbing to the fall.
It hit fast, stiffening his muscles as a spasm of pleasure ripped through him, and he came so
hard he shook, physically trembling while pounding home the love and purpose that had consumed
him. The wolf surged forward, and Connell dropped onto Cade, pining him to the bed, and sank his
teeth into Cade's shoulder's tender flesh.
The blood poured into him, sweet and invigorating, stirring his heart and filling his mind with
the glory that was his mate, Cade Deluca. He held him like his life depended upon the connection, and
in many ways, it did. The bond snapped into place, and the thoughts, feelings, limitations, and
expectations all became crystal clear. Connell finished and drew back, licking the wound closed, and
slowly pulled free of Cade's body, immediately missing the warm embrace.
…
In that moment, Cade took over and flipped, taking Connell to the mattress and landing on top,
half straddling his beautiful body. He stared into Connell's eyes for just a second and struck, sinking
his teeth into Connell's shoulder, squeezing him snug in his arms, holding him still, and drank in the
sweet taste that was his mate. His cougar insisted they mark their mate for all to see and own the
wolf. They were fully bonded, their lives and their souls bound now together, the cougar and the wolf.
Cade finished and licked the wound closed, feeling the quiver that passed through Connell at
his touch. "You make me feel so powerful." Cade settled on Connell's chest, tucking his head under
Connell's chin. He held him close, wrapping his arms around Cade in a manner that spoke to his place
in Connell's life. He was precious, and he felt every emotion that flooded Connell and was channeled
through to his own heart.
"You give me life, Cade, and there isn't anything in this world that I will not give you."
Connell declared. "I live modestly these days, but that wasn't always the case. There was a time in the
beginning of building my fortune that I enjoyed every extravagance that money could buy. I lived for
money, success, and the win I always had to win." Connell kissed Cade on the forehead.
"Were you a robber baron, Connell?" Cade knew his history, and based on the information
given, it was looking very likely.
“That’s a name used now more than it was used then. We were ambitious, dogged, and fixated
on the win." He paused as if the memory was captivating him. "These past years, I've lived a life that
has been quiet and isolated. I don't know if I was doing penance for past bad behavior or just tired,
but I know that having you has given me a sense of a new beginning, a fresh start, and a chance to live
this new chapter of my life to its fullest."
"I can't imagine that any penance would be required of you." Cade began. "I've known you for
only a few hours, but I know that you are an honorable man. I also know that I am falling in love with
you. I call it like I see it, and I see myself loving you for the rest of my life." Cade did not beat around
the bush, always choosing to be as honest as possible with his wants and needs.
"We are a bonded pair, but what I feel for you, Cade, goes beyond anything I considered
possible when I first learned of your existence. I came for you expecting a comfortable partnership,
but what I got was fire and emotions so thick I thought I would choke. You became my center and my
soul." Connell's words hit Cade right in the heart, and they snuggled closer, wanting to be one with
this man in every way.
His size and his power no longer caused him fear or concern. He felt only peace and comfort
in Connell's arms. His triggers were easing with the support of his mate, and that filled him with
relief. His issues were not over, but he was well on his way to conquering them; he would be himself
again with Connell's help.
"Let's rest here for a while," Connell stated softly and pulled Cade a little closer. "I just want
to hold you and know that you're mine, and I'm yours, and our lives are just beginning."
“I’d like that.” Cade agreed and relaxed in his lover’s arms.
 CHAPTER SIX

Morning came much too fast, and the sun shone brightly into the room. Connell wished he's
remembered to close the blinds last night, but he'd been too caught up in claiming his mate. Cade
began to stir, and Connell was not ready to let him go yet.
"It's still early, baby; rest a little longer." Connell held him and then rolled him onto his back.
"What a sweet man you are." He said and kissed him, taking in the sweetness of his mate. "You taste
wonderful," Connell said and trailed kisses across Cade's jaw and down his neck to the bonding scar
on his shoulder.
"I love how you wake me up," Cade told him and reached between them to lightly brush
Connell's cock before cupping the cheek of his ass in the palm of his hand. "I do love this ass so hard
and yet so full and luscious."
“Luscious?” Connell chuckled at the description. “I love that you love my ass, but it is a long
way from luscious.”
“Everything about you is luscious.” Cade defended and tried to roll Connell onto his back, but
Connell resisted keeping Cade beneath him and moving to more fully cover him with his body.
"Everything about you drives me crazy, baby," Connell said and began a torrent of kisses,
intent on taking Cade's breath away. He settled into the space between Cade's thighs and felt his
hardness pressed against him. Cade's body was lovely and warm and inviting.
He quickly saturated his fingers in lubricant and began stretching Cade, but it wasn't
necessary. He was still prepped from last evening. "Your body is so ready for me." He mumbled, his
mind fixed only on getting inside his sweet lover and satisfying them both. He entered him in one
thrust, sinking to the base and holding himself still for just a few seconds before retreating and then
thrusting back inside.
Connell balanced himself with a hand on either side of Cade’s shoulders so that he could look
down into the sweet soft eyes of his newly bonded mate. He saw the lust shining brightly and knew
that it matched his own the need radiated off them as they sought pleasure and satisfaction that is
achieved only between Fated mates.
Cade wrapped his legs around Connell's hips and began to ride the thrusts making everything
acutely more sensitive. "Yes, my love," Connell whispered sensually and started a rapid rhythm of
thrusts filling the room with the sounds of their lovemaking and racing toward an explosive climax.
"Harder, Connell, harder." Cade's desire was Connell's command, and he pounded hard and
fast until the edge overtook him, and he came in a rush panting and sweating and grabbing at one
another, needing everything all at once. He filled his mate full of his warm seed once again and felt as
his mate exploded, covering them both in his sweet essence; it was the best of his life so far.
Connell continued to thrust until he was completely spent and fell to lay beside his mate. He
pulled him into his arms and held him as they came down from the glory that was their perfect
connection.
 Connell felt Cade place a loving kiss on the claiming scar on his shoulder, so Connell
reciprocated and felt Cade moan and sigh so sweetly when he touched his scar. "I love how you
respond to me.” He said and laid his head on Cade’s shoulder.
"It's only for you, Connell; no one makes me feel the way you make me feel." That was a very
heady statement, and Connell took it in, marveling at how powerful those words made him feel.
Satisfying his mate made him feel finer than anything ever before. It was all he needed to make his
day complete.
…
Hofer sat at the bar drinking a cup of coffee, waiting to hear from his brother. He'd spent the
night at the Club just in case Cade needed him. Cade was across the street at the Coven Garden Hotel
Hofer had watched him go there last night.
“Cade’s with his mate?” Zeke asked. He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat next to
Hofer.
"Yes, he went to him last night. It's been hours, and he hasn't been back, so things must be
working out okay." Hofer was obviously still uneasy but was trying to put up a good façade.
"I'm worried about him too." Zeke cut through to Hofer's true feelings. "He's been trying to
overcome the trauma but hasn't been all that successful in my observation. He’s good at hiding it from
people who don’t know him or don’t know him well, but I can tell you that his pack mates are
aware.”
"I understand that Alpha Cross knows, but I didn't realize everyone knew there was a
problem. It makes sense, though, the way everyone has been keeping an eye on him and the way Park
took him off the floor and put him at the bar where he had protection and distance from the clientele."
Hofer shook his head.
"Connell Rathe is his mate, and he's been around for a very long time; he will help him. I
heard that he's somewhere around three-hundred years old." Zeke pointed out.
"Wow, yeah, he should be equipped to help Cade with whatever problems that might crop up."
Hofer shook his head once again. "He looks good."
“Shifters never show their age.” Zeke smiled. “I passed one-eighty my last birthday.”
“I didn’t know that.” Hofer looked at him with a renewed respect.
“Shifters aren’t big into birthdays since we have so damned many.”
“Cade was thirty-two on his last birthday.”
"Connell will take care of him. You have no need to worry for your brother." Zeke assured
him.
…
After a shower and a cup of coffee, Cade began to think, and his mind went immediately to the
relief he felt last night and this morning. Being with Connell gave him the strength that allowed him to
push through the fear and put aside the damage. It gave him back his sense of self and made him feel
normal again. But there was still one bump in the road that he needed to deal with.
He had to come to terms with being in a wooded, isolated environment. Thoughts of that
vacant lot he was in when Green found him and nearly killed him always brought with it a breathless
panic.
He hadn't been on a proper run with his brother since that day, and he missed running the
woods with Hofer. Most important of all, how would he ever live in Connell’s forest if he was too
afraid to enter? He had to beat this because Connell and his new life with his amazing mate meant too
much to him.
 He had to go back; he had to stand in that vacant lot and feel whatever he needed to feel to
process this out of his system. Connell had mentioned it last night, and although it would probably be
easier with Connell by his side, Cade wanted to do it on his own. He wanted to beat this last monster
on his own and show Connell that he was a worthy mate.
Connell was in the shower and they planned to have a bite to eat and then head out to the
vacant lot to do some soul-searching. Cade decided he needed to do it alone, so he left a note for
Connell on the bed telling him that he had some business to attend to and that he would be back in an
hour or so and not to worry.
He wasn't sure why he added the last bit, but he knew Connell well now that they'd spent
hours talking and were fully bonded. He knew that Connell worried even if it did not appear so, he
had access to Connell's softer side, and he knew the man felt things deeply.
Cade quickly left the hotel and headed across the street to pick up his car that he had left
parked behind the Club. Just as he was unlocking the door, Hofer came up to stand beside him.
"Where are you going?" He asked, and Cade nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Fuck, don’t sneak up on a guy like that.” He burst and then leaned against his car.
“What are you doing?” Hofer persisted.
"I'm going to take care of something. I won't be long."
"Where is your mate? He should be with you." Hofer was definitely getting accusatory.
"It's something I have to do on my own. I'll be back. It's nothing dangerous." Cade danced
around, not wanting to spell out to Hofer what he was planning.
"Tell me what you're doing." He was pulling the older brother card, and Cade folded. He told
him his plan to go to the vacant lot and force himself to confront his fear. "I've overcome every other
trigger. I only have this last one, and I want to do this myself." He pleaded with his brother, who
hesitated for a moment before nodding and giving Cade his blessing.
“If Connell comes by and asks me where you are, I will tell him. I just want you to know that.”
He informed and Cade did not have a problem with that.
"It's all good, Hofer. I have nothing against Connell's help, but I want to do this on my own I
need to do this."
"Okay, and good luck." He waved as Cade got into his car and drove away.
…
Connell exited the shower and quickly dried off, and wrapped a towel around his hips. He
was eager to get back to his mate. This was the beginning of their lives together, and he wanted
everything to be perfect. When he entered the bedroom, he sensed that something was off, and then he
noticed the note lying on the bed. It was a quick read, and Connell was dressed and out the door in
minutes.
He had tried to call him before leaving the suite but noticed that Cade had left his phone on the
bedside table. Why would he leave without speaking to him directly? They'd shared so much last
night, and yet there was still something he couldn't tell him.
The phone left on the bedside table was a dead giveaway that he sought to not have contact
until whatever he was doing was finished. He hoped to find answers with Cade's brother, so he went
directly across the street to the Club.
It was too early for the Club to be open, but there were plenty of people there, obviously
cleaning and prepping for the night ahead. He was let in by a tall, formidable man that he had not seen
the night before and who he recognized as a tiger shifter. Connell introduced himself, but it wasn't
necessary. The tiger knew who he was. Connell explained that he was looking for Cade and thought
Hofer might know his whereabouts.
"Hofer is here; I'll get him for you. Perhaps he knows what Cade is up to." Connell waited,
and after a few minutes, a young man looking much like his mate but with more age and maturity,
which shown in his eyes, entered the main room and walked over to where Connell stood by the bar.
“Do you know where he is?” Connell felt his irritation rising when Hofer did not answer
immediately but rather gazed at him speculatively for what seemed an eternity. Finally, he spoke just
as Connell was considering forcing a response from him. The shadow of a grin that passed over his
continence did nothing to endure him to the man.
“He said he wanted to deal with the last of his triggers on his own.”
"The vacant lot where he was attacked?" Connell voiced, and Hofer nodded.
“He values what you have done for him, but he wanted to finish it himself. It’s a matter of self-
respect.” Hofer was telling him to back off, but Connell had a bad feeling and was not going to leave
his mate to the will of the winds.
“Where is this vacant lot?” Connell fixed him with a crippling stare.
"It's more than just a lot. It's an entire section of a city block that sets northeast of the
apartment complex, and it is partially wooded. I'll give you the directions but be careful that you do
not take this away from Cade. He needs to succeed in this." Hofer lost the grin, and his tone turned
solemn.
"Cade is his own man no one, not even me, can take that from him." Connell made his position
on the subject very clear. He took the directions and left without further discussion. He understood
Cade's position, and he understood Hofer's reluctance, but his wolf was telling him to find his mate,
and he never second-guessed his wolf.
…
Cade pulled up to the curb and stepped out of his car. He stood looking out at the expanse of
emptiness for a few minutes before crossing the unkempt, raggedy sidewalk and heading into the
overgrown city lot. Each step caused his breath to catch in his throat, and he noticed that his hands
had begun to shake. The memory of his failure was choking him, but he kept moving even as the brush
grew thicker and his visibility contracted.
He hadn't noticed or heard when Green moved up on him from behind; he had been too busy
on his phone doing a bunch of nothing. He thought the assignment was nothing more than a simple
stakeout, but it turned into so much more.
He had been caught unaware, and he paid dearly for that mistake, but he was done paying, and
he was getting his normal back again. Connell deserved a healthy well, balanced mate, not a basket
case. Cade was approaching the place he'd been standing when Green first struck him when he
thought he heard something from the cluster of overgrowth to his left.
Cade stopped and listened, taking in all the sounds around him, and a deep breath told him he
was not alone. "Show yourselves." He yelled, and then the laughing started. They came out of thick
brush one at a time, looking pleased and somewhat excited by the fact Cade was there, and he was
alone. "What the fuck do you want?" He sneered at them.
"We want to kick your ass, loser." One of them said. "With luck, you managed to take out
Ronnie last night, but you're not going to be so lucky with us. He'll pay for his weakness and stupidity
just as you will pay. We don't need cougars like you dirtying up the gene pool with your cowardice
and impotence.”
There were five of them, a group of cougars who hung together but did not make up a range,
only a gang of sorts. No leader and no hierarchy made it a dog-eat-dog relationship, and it looked as
if Ronny was on his way out, as well as Cade. No weakness was tolerated, as if their decision held
any meaning or consequence.
Cade instantly shook off any lingering anxiety. His trauma was dissipating just in the nick of
time, it would seem. He didn't know them by name other than Ronny, who liked to come to the Club,
but he knew them by sight.
The one talking fancied himself a boxer who liked to dance and strike but rarely shifted. The
others were simple thugs going after the weaker and avoiding true battles. He didn't know if he could
take them all if they came at him at once, but he was going to give them a fight they would not forget.
They saw him as vulnerable, but that was before Connell Rathe came into his life. Cade felt
himself strong and focused once again, and these bastards were going to feel it. He might not win, but
they were going to leave hurting. "Come and get me, boys." Cade goaded and laughed and moved to
avoid having them try and circle him.
They seemed a little taken aback by Cade's eagerness to fight and gave one another tentative
glances while preparing their assault. Cade was watching them all and planned to go for the
speechmaker first since he was the largest of the bunch. None had shifted yet, so neither did he, but he
was prepared in case the need did arise.
"We're going to beat the living hell out of you, Cade. You're going to be coughing up blood for
a week when we finish with you." The talker kept talking and Cade made his move charging at him
and taking him to the ground. He then jumped up and landed several kicks to his side before he had
the chance to recover or his friends had the chance to join.
Cade fought them all, and he held his ground for a while until they came at him in a group.
They tried to pile on, and Cade felt himself sinking, but he never stopped, and he was about to shift
when all of his attackers, but one, were yanked away.
He rolled when the talker leapt at him and then jumped back to his feet while quickly taking in
the scene before him. The talker stepped back and was looking less sure of himself without the assist
from his friends. His friends were being held by the most handsome man on earth. Connell was there,
and he was holding them back while Cade took on the talker.
"I'm not interfering; I'm just making it a fair fight," Connell told him, and Cade gave him a big
smile, and the fight began. One at a time, Cade finished them. First came the talker. He quickly
rendered him unconscious and tossed him into the underbrush. With each victory, Cade's smile grew
larger.
Connell stood guard and kept them back as Cade beat the snot out of them, and in the end, all
five lay somewhere within the vacant lot. Cade tossed them as far as he could throw, working out his
pent-up anger and frustration at himself and at those assholes.
When it was all over, Connell came toward him and pulled the handkerchief from his pocket,
and began cleaning the blood and grime from Cade's face and hands. "Thanks, I really needed that."
He laughed and spit out the blood from his split lip.
"I know," Connell said and continued to clean him up while placing a few kisses on his
bruised and bleeding face. Connell couldn't resist his mate, especially when he was looking so raw
and sexy.
"Those jerks have been asking for a beat down for weeks now, and I'm glad I was able to
deliver." Cade laughed again and leaned into Connell, needing his support and contact. "I love you,
Connell; you get me; you know who I am and what I need. Anything you want that I'm able to provide
is yours. I want to live with you wherever you choose. I see you so clearly now, and you make
everything right."
 "I know you're tired and a little high on endorphins right now, but I am going to hold you to all
the lovely things that you're saying to me right now." Connell helped him out of the woods across the
cracked, overgrown sidewalk and into his Jeep.
“I have my car.” Cade gestured to the SUV parked a few feet away.
"Call someone to pick it up," Connell stated and started the Jeep, and pulled away from the
curb.
"Okay." Cade did as he was told and called his brother. His mind was filled with so much,
and yet he had never felt more sorted and calm as in this moment. They drove out of town and headed
north. Cade knew where they were going and was excited to see his mate's home, the wolf's territory.
 CHAPTER SEVEN

Connell reached over and took his mate's hand in his. Cade was everything his life had been missing,
and now he felt complete and ready for the adventure and excitement that lay ahead. "You are all I
will ever need," Connell said, the words that were filling his thoughts, wanting Cade to know just
how important he was to him.
"I love you and will protect and provide until the end of my days." He made the pledge he so
often heard mated couples make to one another, understanding them now as he had not in the past.
"I love you too, Connell, and I will strive to always protect and provide until the end of my
days." Cade also made the pledge and lifted Connell's hand to his lips, and laid a soft kiss on his
knuckles. It was sweet and touching but also a little titillating.
Connell was not used to sweetness in his lovemaking, but Cade made it so desirous, and every
act set Connell a light with a fire that made his body quiver. Cade had a power that was all his own,
and Connell was finding that he lived for it the sweetness, the teasing, and the amazing connection.
Every hour spent with this man was filled with new revelations and discoveries and a sense
of excitement that Connell had never experienced before. Mates were in a class by themselves when
it came to love, romantic love, commitment, honor, expectations, and dreams. Connell felt his heart
melt a little bit more each and every time Cade cast his eyes upon him.
"Thanks for helping me back there," Cade said and flashed another one of those heart-stopping
smiles in his direction.
“I knew you had it handled.” Connell winked at him.
“I doubt they’ll bother me again anytime soon.”
"It would not be in their best interest if they did." Connell made himself clear, and Cade
laughed. "I have to be honest. My wolf was not satisfied that none of them died."
"Your wolf is a bit bloodthirsty." Cade joked.
“Only where you and your protection are concerned.”
"I'd do the same for you," Cade responded thoughtfully.
“I know you would.”
…
They came to the end of a long dirt road and turned right onto a two-track. The further they
drove, the deep they went into the forest. Cade checked himself to see if he was reacting to the
environment but nothing. He was calm and peaceful, not anxious or apprehensive, with no fear or
dread. All he felt was anticipation and comfort here in this Jeep with his amazing mate Connell Rathe.
"We have about five more miles, and we'll be home," Connell announced after the turn. "The
little Victorian over there beyond those shade trees is the home of Mini and Maude. They refer to
themselves as witches, but they're more mystical. They don't deal in spells or charms; they're seers,
psychics, and healers and do some crystal gazing. I watch out for them."
"Mini told you about me," Cade remembered.
 "Yes, she's very good at what she does. I've never known her visions not to be spot on, so
remember that." Connell glanced over at Cade to make sure he understood.
“I’ll remember.”
"Maude is a bit stuck in her ways and can be a little bristly but don't take anything she says
personally. She has a good heart, just not very social."
"I'll remember that too." Cade flashed another smile. He loved listening to Connell talk about
his home and the people near him.
"There's also a fox family in my territory that I watch out for. It's a father, James, and two sons
and a daughter. They all live together about four miles east of here. Larger shifters and other
predators like to give grief to the small breeds, so I make sure that doesn't happen."
“Are you their alpha?” Cade asked because it sure sounded like he was doing alpha stuff.
"God, no, I'm no one's alpha except you, baby, only you." Connell suddenly pulled to a stop
and parked, surprising Cade because he did not see a house, only trees. "We're here." He said and
jumped out of the Jeep.
Cade followed, stepping out of the Jeep and taking a look around. "Where is it?" He had to
ask, and Connell chuckled.
"I like my privacy." He said in explanation as he gestured over to a grouping of gigantic
spruce pines. "It's nestled behind those trees." He reached over and took Cade's hand as they walked
together, and just as they passed the trees, the house sprung up. It was an impressive structure of log
and stone and was quite large.
Cade was surprised that he hadn't been able to see it, but that was how Connell had positioned
his home among the large trees. Like he said, he likes his privacy. "This is really something." He said
and took in the grand design. He'd expected a cabin, and although it had elements of a cabin, it was
actually an estate.
“Something good or something bad?” Connell pressed.
“Good, very good.” He responded. “Did you build it?”
"Yes, but I had help. It was my design, but a crew put it together." Connell led him to the tinted
glass front door that effectively reflected the forest and pushed it open. "Go on in." He said, and Cade
stepped inside.
"It blends into the forest to the point it almost disappears." He commented as he looked
around the grand room and peeked into the kitchen area, library, tv room, and rooms he didn't have
names for. "This is impressive, Connell, and not at all what I was expecting."
“Do you think you could be happy here?” Connell asked and came up behind Cade to wrap his
arms around him.
"All I need is you, Connell, and I can be happy anywhere." He turned in his embrace and
placed a hungry to Connell's lips. "Two days, Connell." He burst and then smiled and kissed him
again.
“What is two days?” Connell enquired with his eyes taking in every lovely nuance of Cade’s
sweet face.
"I've known you for two days, and my life will never be the same."
"I feel like I've known you forever." Connell countered. "You fill every corner of my mind,
and it's as if you've always been there."
"I love your forest; I love your house, and I love you. I am so happy right now. I watched
Ames and Lowell, and Alpha Cross find their mates and thought that it seemed nice. I figured they
cared deeply for one another and would make good lives together. I never understood just how
intense the feelings were or how overwhelming it could be in the beginning. You just don't know until
you know." Cade thought his heart was going to burst, standing there in the arms of his mate, being
asked to stay and to love and be loved forever.
"Intense is the perfect word for this, and beautiful is another perfect word. I've lived a lot and
never felt what I feel for you, Cade." He moved, dipped his head, and took Cade's lips in a kiss that
absolutely consumed him. It went on for several heart-stopping minutes before Connell picked him up
in his arms.
"I'm taking you to our room, and I'm going to make love to you." He told him and carried him
up the short flight of stairs to an upper level. The bedroom was much like Connell himself clean
design, orderly, and excessively comfortable. His bedroom and his home were minimalist, as he had
described, but it wasn't without feeling or meaning. Everything had a purpose, even if that purpose
was simply to be appreciated. He was already comfortable in this space and already prepared to call
this home.
Connell sat him on the edge of the large bed, and Cade stared up at him. "I love you, Connell.
I'm so glad you believed Mini when she told you that your mate was at the Club, and I'm so glad you
found me." Connell cupped Cade's face in his hands and stared down into his eyes.
"The second that I knew you existed, I went in search of you, and the day I found you was the
best day of my life." Connell dropped a quick kiss to Cade's lips. "I love you, sweetheart." Connell
stepped back and stripped off his clothing while Cade watched, his eyes eating up the vision before
him.
…
Connell needed his mate, but his wolf was clamoring for attention. He wanted out and was
calling to the cougar in Cade. "My wolf wants to run." He stated and reached over to pull Cade's shirt
up and over his head. "I want to run with you, Cade." He saw the excitement spark in Cade's eyes and
knew that he was feeling the same.
They finished stripping off their clothes, and Connell was the first to shift. He was a large
wolf, larger than any of the breeds of this era. The timber wolf of three-hundred years ago was an
intimidating beast, and he saw the awe and the love in his mate's eyes.
Cade was not afraid, and he ran his hands through Connell's fur, dropping kisses and
marveling at his beauty. His wolf was smitten beyond recognition, loving this man and his cougar as
much as Connell loved them. When Cade was ready, he shifted into a handsome cougar, mid-sized but
strong and muscular, and was the color of Cade's auburn locks. They raced downstairs to the back
door that pushed open easily.
Connell led, and Cade followed, racing one another, wrestling and playing in the dark and the
light of the thick forest. It was heaven on earth. In Connell's estimation, nothing in life could compare
to the joy he experienced with his cougar mate.
They stayed out until near dark and then raced back to the house. They shifted in the backyard
and just stood there staring and one another. No words were spoken as Connell lay him out on the soft
grass and then followed him down.
Cade rolled onto all fours lowing his head and offering himself to his mate. "You are so
beautiful," Connell growled and plunged inside, filling Cade full, stretching him to the limits. He held
Cade's hips and pulled back, then hammered forward again and again, picking up speed and relishing
the heat and tightness of his mate and the lovely sexy sounds he was making.
Cade was pleasuring himself, stroking his cock in rhythm with Connell's thrust, and the sight
was making Connell so hot he was on the edge with only a few thrusts. His mate was beyond sexy in
everything he said and did.
"You make me so hot." He mumbled, and Cade repeated those words. Connell couldn't hold
back. He pounded into Cade ruthlessly, pursuing his satisfaction, and came in a burst so powerful he
roared with the pleasure that spiked through his system.
"Yes, yes, yes." Cade chanted and came with Connell; he could scent the sweet aroma of his
mate, and it made his head spin and his heart swell. They continued to thrust and stroke until they
were both thoroughly spent. Cade dropped to his side in the soft grass, and Connell followed him
down.
He pulled Cade to him, wrapping him in his arms and raining kisses down the side of his face.
"This is absolute heaven, Cade, absolute heaven."
“Absolute heaven.” Cade was in complete agreement.
 EPILOGUE

Cade moved in with Connell but maintained his membership in the Mercer Pack. After a little
thought and a little subtle persuasion, Connell also became a member of the Mercer Pack. He swore
his allegiance to Cross Mercer and his fellow members, something he never in his life ever thought he
would do, but it felt right. It was time he affiliated, or at least that was what Cade told him, and he
would do anything for his lovely mate.
Having spent most of his life building his own financial portfolio, he offered to assist Cade
and the other members of the pack with building their own portfolios; everyone was quite pleased,
especially Cross, who saw this as a chance for growth and expansion.
Cade no longer took regular shifts at the Club, but he was available to fill in from time to
time. Hofer was a frequent visitor to their forest home, but Cade wasn't sure if he was the draw or if
it was the young fox shifter who lived nearby. Hofer wasn't saying, and Cade was just glad to have
him around, even if he did spend an inordinate amount of time with the fox shifters.
"Hofer's coming this weekend, and I think he's bringing Noa with him. He said Noa needs
some fresh air and space to run." Cade informed Connell one morning as they sat together on the back
porch taking in the morning air at sunrise.
"Noa having problems?" Connell asked, surprised that he was actually interested in all these
men. He considered them all part of his family now since they were part of Cade's family.
"I think it's personal, but Hofer said he needs some solitude and a place where he can think,"
Cade explained as best he could.
"If it's solitude, he's after, he will certainly find it here, and I wish him luck on his journey."
Connell took a sip of his coffee and leaned over, placing a proprietary kiss on his mate's lips.
“I know being a part of a pack and having to socialize on a regular basis was not something
you wanted when you moved out to these woods, but I appreciate your acceptance and tolerance of
the people I care about.” Cade took Connell’s hand and held it in his. “I love you more every day.”
"I care about them too, and it was time I joined a pack, and I couldn't think of a better bunch of
guys than the Mercer Pack." Connell turned to regard Cade. "I have you, I have friends, and I have a
family now, and I could not be happier."
"Well, in that case, Lowell asked if I could cover for him tomorrow night, and I thought
perhaps you'd like to come too and help Noa out at the door." Cade casually inquired.
"Of course, anything for you, sweetheart." Connell brought Cade's hand to his lips and kissed
it gently. "I love you more every day." He echoed Cade's words.
“Let’s go for a run. I’ll race you to the creek.”
“You’re on.”

THE END
 About the Author
B.A. Stretke is a Gay Romance and fiction author who publishes through Dreamspinner Press,
LLC, and Amazon.com.

B.A Stretke began writing as a hobby. He read his first Jane Austen novel as a teen and was
instantly hooked. The age-old dream of being a novelist took hold. Now long into adulthood, and a
few years as an editor under his belt, B.A. is a full-time writer.

B.A. spends his days reading, engaging in sarcasm, and plotting the next storyline, often leaving
little head space for much else. He loves hiking through the Northern Michigan woods he calls home,
often finding inspiration for his books. Writing and finding that perfect cup of coffee occupy the rest
of his time.

B.A. Stretke lives in Northern Michigan.

You can connect with B.A. Stretke on his website: www.bastretke.com

Follow him on Twitter @BAStretkeWriter
Like him on Facebook! B.A. Stretke
 More Books from B.A. Stretke:
Bay Harbor Wolves:

Rogue

Vampires of Blood and Bones

Blood and Bones

Stone and Steel
Die Pretty
Ezra’s Awakening

Pittsburgh Vampires

Meant To Be
Bad Reputation
Blond and Broken
Master DuCane
Love Is Danger
Surrender To Me
Eyes of Darkness
The Vampire and the Witch
The Vampire Next Door
Never Let Me Go

Dragon’s Blood M.C.:

Apex: The Dragon’s Mate

The Dragon’s Heart
Loving The Hellhound
Runaway
The Bad Boy
The Call of the Dragon
Finding Forever
The Dragon Twins
King of the Dragons
Rafe: The Dragon Knight
Suffer The Knight
Crimson Vampire Coven:
● Crimson Love

● Trusting Fate

● For Now and Forever

● My Vampire Lover

● The Vampire Code

● The Crimson Sorcerer

● The Crimson Omega

● The Crimson Alpha

● The Crimson Beta

● The Dragon King

● The Demon Lord

● The Dragon Knight – The Crimson War

● The Crimson Redemption

● Crimson Christmas

● Come Back To Me

● Love and Magic

● The Crimson Victory

Pack Rules – Rue Pack Wolves:

● Mine
● Alpha Mate
● The Enforcer’s Mate
● Forever Mine – The Beta’s Mate
● Lost and Found
● The Omega’s Mate
● The Doctor’s Mate
● Finding Home
 ● Owen’s Mate
● Saving Jeremiah
● Jackson’s Journey
● Jesse’s Love
● The Master’s Beloved
● The Vampire’s Chosen

The Wolves of Belle Fourche:

● The Wolves of Belle Fourche – The Alpha’s Claim
● Surprised by Forever
● Healing Scars

Lonepine Wolf Shifters:

● Lonepine Wolf Shifters
● Reluctant Mate
● Jamie’s Mate

Superiorland Wolf Pack:

● The Werewolf’s Mate

The Dark Side:

● The Dark Side - Vampire Romance

Sparrow Ridge Wolf Pack:

Omega Mine
The Omega’s Love

Other Stories:
● Risk and Reward: A Gay Love Story
● Bound By the Gods
● Signed and Sealed
● The Art of the Deal
● Save Me - A Supernatural Romance
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 If the analysis of the relation of the individual to society is correct,
we are justified in claiming that any adequate statement of the aim of
education must point unmistakably to the idea of the common good.
Education aims so to adjust the individual to the group that the
welfare of society as a whole may be advanced. This adjustment can
be brought about only through participation in social activities, and
thus the aim is constantly realized in the process.
In our democratic society, which makes possible free education for
all of its members, there can be no question of the right of society to
demand that education aim to develop men and women who work
for the common good. It is necessary, then, to analyze this aim of
social efficiency in terms of our society. The equality of opportunity
which we profess to offer is to be thought of in terms of possible
service which may be rendered.
In any community the contribution to the general welfare which
may be made by any one of its members is conditioned by the
interests which the individual has in the general good. The unsocial
individual, the one who seldom responds to the needs of the group,
is out of sympathy with social problems, and contributes little to
social welfare.
But it is not enough that the individual be interested in the common
welfare. Interest may lead him to do that which is harmful rather than
helpful, or it may be that his interest may have no result except to
give him certain pleasurable emotions. There must be added to
sympathy, knowledge. Interest or sympathy in the welfare of society
may furnish the propelling force, but knowledge is necessary for
effective action. The world is full of men and women with the best
intentions who hinder rather than advance the common good.
Since each is responsible not only for his own conduct, but also for
the welfare of the whole group, it is necessary that our education
provide opportunity for growth in intelligence. Our schools have
always emphasized this element in education. We have often
defined the aim of education in terms of the development of
citizenship. Usually the chief qualification of the citizen has been
interpreted to be that knowledge which would enable him to exercise
the right of suffrage with intelligence. We do well, however, to
remember that intelligence must be exercised in all of the activities of
life. Our education must strive constantly to develop men and
women who will be rational at all times. But we may not forget that
our schools have been so much concerned with the intellectual side
of education that they have tended to neglect other elements which
are equally significant from the standpoint of social welfare.
There is still another element which must be added, the habit of
acting on behalf of the group. We all know people who know just
what is demanded in a given social situation; they profess to be
interested in the welfare of the group; but they never act. When their
own private interests are involved they are quick to seize the
opportunity for improving their condition; but in social matters they
are inactive. It is in this particular, rather than in any other, that our
schools fall short. We do much to arouse the sympathy of children in
the general welfare; we give them the knowledge by which their
action may be guided; but we give them little opportunity to form the
habit of social service. This is due to the fact that we so often think of
adult social activities as the only ones that are worth while, forgetting
that for the child the important thing is social activity now and in his
society, that the only way to prepare for adult social effectiveness is
to secure social efficiency on the part of the child.
These questions still remain: how can we, through education,
produce the individual who, because of social sympathy, knowledge,
and activity, will tend to advance the welfare of all; and what kinds of
education meet the demands of the aim which we have set up.
First of all, we must endeavor to produce the individual who is
sound physically. Modern education recognizes the fact that a man’s
usefulness is conditioned by his bodily condition, and is also coming
to find that physical activity is not without its effect on the mental
development and life of the individual. There is, therefore, one large
division of our work which we may call physical education.
On the side of mental development, education consists in
preserving and stimulating the child’s interest in the materials and
processes with which he may come in contact. Intellectual training
aims to develop the man or woman who is mentally alert, active in
investigation, and controlled by reason. It is to this intellectual
education that our schools have devoted the larger part of their time.
The school is the agency set aside by society for transmitting culture,
and the teacher must always concern herself largely with the
intellectual life of children.
Our modern view of education is leading us to stress, along with
physical and intellectual education, a kind of training which aims to
develop the individual whose moral standards are positive rather
than negative. Moral-social education should establish ideals of
social service as well as standards of individual righteousness.
Along with physical, moral-social, and intellectual-cultural
education, there is need for that type of training which will enable
each individual to do some particular work with a high degree of
efficiency. This type of education we commonly call vocational. It is
only recently that we have come to realize that it is not enough to
train an individual with respect to general intelligence and morality,
but that it is also just as fundamental that our education provide the
training necessary for success in the particular calling which each
individual is to enter. For the preparation of clergymen, doctors,
lawyers, teachers, and engineers, whose vocations require a
maximum of intellectual achievement, it is true that we have long had
our vocational schools. We are coming now to appreciate the fact
that equality of opportunity demands that special training be given to
those who are to enter the industries. Indeed, our vocational schools
must multiply until there is training offered for each and every calling
before we can claim to provide that training which is essential for
social efficiency.
Another problem is that of the training for leisure. In society as at
present constituted, it is possible for many individuals, and it should
ultimately be possible for all, to have a considerable amount of
leisure time. The contribution of each individual in his special line of
work, and his general interest in the whole community, will depend in
a considerable degree upon the proper use of leisure time. Our
education must, therefore, attempt to equip men with interests and
ideals which make for the nobler enjoyments.
 Keeping in mind the sympathetic, wise, active social individual,
made so by the process of acquiring experience or making of
adjustments, both physical and mental, we have yet to reduce our
aim to the terms of schoolroom practice. What can a teacher hope to
do in this hour, with this group of children to work with?
First of all the teacher can work for the formation of habits which
are socially desirable and for the inhibition of those which are
undesirable. “Education is for behavior, and habits are the stuff of
which behavior consists.”[1] The school may be a very important
factor in the formation of habits in each of the fields of education
mentioned above. If the school is organized on a rational social
basis, it must continually present opportunities for actions which
should become habitual, and the future efficiency of the learner
depends upon gaining such control of much of the knowledge which
we teach that the response desired becomes habitual. The social
virtues of promptness, regularity, helpfulness, industry, fidelity,
honesty, truthfulness, cleanliness, both physical and mental,
patriotism, and the like, should be made habitual in connection with
the situations which demand their exercise. The physical habits
acquired in childhood are of the utmost significance throughout life.
Much of arithmetic, spelling, writing, geography, history, and even of
literature and art, will be significant in proportion as we have reduced
our knowledge to the automatic basis of habit. One cannot stop to
reason everything out; life is too short. We gain time and energy for
the higher activities of life in proportion as we reduce the responses
which occur frequently to the basis of habits. In vocational schools
one of the chief aims is the formation of habits of skill. Later we shall
want to discuss in detail the methodology of habit formation.
Every teacher recognizes that one of the ends which must be
achieved by the school is knowledge. We shall not here enter into
the discussion of the problem of what knowledge is of most worth,
since for the teacher this choice is usually made and prescribed in
the course of study. One cannot, however, refrain from suggesting
that much that is taught would be eliminated, if we kept constantly in
mind the end for which we strive. The following criteria, proposed by
Professor Frank M. McMurry, will be suggestive from the standpoint
of teaching, whether the teacher determines the curriculum or not.
“We hold to the following propositions in the rejection of subject
matter.[2]
“1. Whatever cannot be shown to have a plain relation to some
real need of life, whether æsthetic, ethical, or utilitarian in the
narrower sense, must be dropped.
“2. Whatever is not reasonably within the child’s comprehension.
“3. Whatever is unlikely to appeal to his interest; unless it is
positively demanded for the first very weighty reason.
“4. Whatever topics and details are so isolated or irrelevant that
they fail to be a part of any series or chain of ideas, and therefore fail
to be necessary for the appreciation of any large point. This
standard, however, not to apply to the three R’s and spelling.”
These criteria indicate clearly that knowledge can never be in itself
an end of teaching. It is not that the child may have knowledge
merely, but that he shall have knowledge which will function. This
knowledge which we seek to have the child master will concern his
physical life, his social relationships, his vocation; and in each field
the knowledge he possesses will limit his intellectual activity.
The school must keep alive, or, in some cases, awaken those
interests which are socially desirable. It is not enough that habits
have been formed and knowledge acquired. Much of the usefulness
of the individual after he leaves school will depend on his interests
which lead him to acquire new knowledge, or to attempt some new
activity. It has sometimes been asserted that the school, as at
present organized, tends to kill rather than to preserve those
interests which are common to little children. It is probable that the
passing interests in things due to curiosity must disappear,
regardless of the education which we give; but it is a poor sort of
education which leaves the child without abiding interests which will
help him not only in making a living, but also in enjoying his life.
Here, as elsewhere in education, we may be satisfied with the result
only when we get the corresponding action. That child has an
interest in good literature who reads good literature. We can be sure
that the boy is interested in natural phenomena when he is willing to
spend his leisure time finding out more about nature’s ways. The
only test that we have of an abiding interest in the welfare of others
is the fact that the child is now active on behalf of others. In like
manner are we to judge of our success in arousing and maintaining
those other interests which are desirable.
Judgments of fact are called for constantly in acquiring knowledge
and in our everyday activity; but no less important in the life of
individuals are judgments of worth. Education must concern itself
with the ideals, purposes, and standards which should be acquired
by children. There is no field in which greater skill is demanded in
teaching than in bringing children to appreciate those things which
are good, true, and beautiful. Ideals, or, for those who do not agree
with them, prejudices, will always be of tremendous importance.
They determine the course of action a man will take. Because of
their ideals men have been willing to labor incessantly for a cause
which they considered just, to give up personal good in the
pursuance of public duty, to lose all, if they might but retain their
honor, yes, even to lose their lives because they felt that this
extreme service was demanded of them. The awakening and
nurturing of ideals of work (or industry), of honor, of duty, of purity, of
service is the greatest contribution of the best teacher.
There is one other aim which the teacher should have constantly
in mind, included possibly in the above, but which needs to be stated
separately for the sake of emphasis, i.e. that children should be
taught how to work independently. The best teacher is the one who
is constantly striving to render her services unnecessary. There is
nothing that the school can do which will take the place of giving the
child knowledge of the most economical means to be employed in
achieving desirable ends. Is it a matter of knowledge, the child
should be made conscious of the methods whereby truth may be
established; is it the need of establishing a new habit, or the
breaking up of the old one, we should make available for the pupil
the principles of habit formation so that he may apply them to his
own case; in matters of right and wrong, the school should have
supplied standards of reference which will help in the difficult
situation. Possibly the great weakness of many teachers in imparting
this knowledge of methods of work is best illustrated by citing the
well-known fact that children of high school, or even college age, are
found very frequently who do not know how to read a book, or study
a lesson assigned. This problem will be treated in considerable detail
when we come to consider the study lesson.
Pupils at work forming habits of thought, feeling, and action;
acquiring knowledge of nature and of society; forming ideals which
make for social well-being; and learning in all of this work to act
independently, to function in the society of which they are a part: this
is education, and these are the goals which we should strive to
achieve every day and every hour that we teach.

For Collateral Reading

Nicholas Murray Butler, The Meaning of Education, Chapter I.
W. C. Bagley, The Educative Process, Chapter III.

Exercises.
1. How would you hope to contribute to the realization of the aim of education in
the teaching of English, arithmetic, cooking, geography, or other school subjects?
2. How would you determine whether or not the children in your grade are
socially efficient?
3. What are the most important subjects, or parts of subjects, which you teach?
Why?
4. How would an application of the aim of education as discussed in this chapter
modify the work commonly done in arithmetic? In nature study?
5. It has been claimed that education should provide for the harmonious
development of all of the powers. Criticize this statement of aim.
6. Could you defend the statement that “the aim of education is to produce
socially efficient men and women,” and at the same time deny that the greatest
individual good comes from working for the general welfare?
7. Why should education be free in a democracy?
8. Is society justified in offering special education to the deficient and the
delinquent? To the especially capable? Why?
 9. Is the excessive rivalry which we sometimes foster in our schools compatible
with the aim of social efficiency?
10. Of the several types of education, physical, intellectual, moral-social,
vocational, and education for leisure, which is most neglected?
11. How do you account for the fact that many children cease to inquire, to
investigate, or even to ask questions, although they are regularly taught in our
schools?
12. Why do you teach school? What do you hope to accomplish?
13. Can you name specific instances of changes brought about in children under
your instruction which justify you in believing that you have fulfilled the aim of
education in your teaching?
14. What justification is there for music, drawing, or literature in the curriculum?
15. State briefly the aim of education.
 CHAPTER II

T H E FA C T O R S C O N D I T I O N I N G T H E T E A C H I N G P R O C E S S

If it is essential that the teacher approach her work with a clear

view of the ends which it is desirable for her to achieve, it is quite as
necessary that she be conscious of the factors which condition the
teaching process. The school, with its limitations and its advantages,
the community and home life of the child, and, above all else, the
child himself, his instincts, impulses, and abilities must be the subject
of most careful study. Much progress has been made in recent years
because of a better understanding and a more sympathetic attitude
toward children. Teachers are beginning to see that education has its
beginning in, and that it is always conditioned by, the life of the child
outside of the school building. The possibilities of the school as an
institution for the education of children are just beginning to be
realized.
While it is true that the school shares with the home, the church,
and the community at large the education of children, no one can fail
to recognize the fact that the responsibilities and the activities of the
school have been very greatly augmented during the past few
decades. Where other institutions have lost or have become less
effective, the school has gained, or has been forced to accept new
responsibilities. Changed industrial conditions and life in cities have
made it impossible for the home to continue to hold the important
place which it once occupied in preparing its members for efficient
participation in the productive activities. Whether we like it or not, we
are forced to admit that the church no longer exerts the power over
the lives and conduct of men that it once did. Along with the
specialization of function which is so characteristic of our modern
life, citizenship in our democracy has come to require less of that
type of participation in public affairs which was once a great
educative factor in our community life.
As these changes in the effectiveness of other institutions have
taken place, men have looked to the schools to make good the
deficiency. The schools have responded to the demand made upon
them. Our curriculum no longer consists of the three R’s. Cooking,
sewing, gardening, and many other kinds of manual work, music,
physical training, and fine art are already found in our courses of
study. We are coming to recognize the need for more systematic
training in morals and civics, and vocational training is being
introduced.
What is the significance of these changes for teachers? Is it not
true that they must teach whatever is demanded by the course of
study; and is not this the only difference in the teacher’s function
brought about by changed conditions? The answer is, most
emphatically, no. The situation which has already made necessary
the change in curriculum demands also changes in method quite as
revolutionary. It is more essential to-day than ever before that the
school present opportunities for coöperation and for group work, a
chance for pupils to work together for common ends, because there
is so much less demand of this sort made upon children outside of
school than was formerly the case. We ought to do more than we do
to develop the independence and the self-reliance which were so
characteristic of the boy and girl who lived in an environment which
constantly made heavy demands upon their strength, skill, and
ingenuity. The responsibility for taking the initiative, and of measuring
the success of one’s efforts by the results produced, is all too
uncommon in the lives of our children. The school must, if it is to
adequately meet its enlarged responsibility, develop those habits of
thought and action which enable one to get along with his fellows.
The school life of the child must, in so far as this is possible, present
such opportunities, make such demands, and judge results by
standards essentially social. The child must learn in school to serve,
to accept responsibility, and to produce results socially valuable. We
could do much to increase the efficiency of the school if we planned
more carefully to have schoolroom activities find their application in
the homes of children.
School education begins not with the ignorance of children, but
with their knowledge. Children come to us with a great wealth of
experience. Our work as teachers is to enlarge and to interpret this
experience, to give it greater meaning and significance. Can any one
question, then, the necessity for acquaintance with the life of the
child outside of school? And this study of the out-of-school
environment must continue as long as the child is in school, if the
teacher’s work is to be most effective. It makes a great deal of
difference when you wish to teach nature study that your children
have always lived in the city, at a considerable distance from a park.
The problem of teaching a great commercial center to children living
on farms presents some difficulty. But it is not alone these more
gross differences in the lives of children which demand our attention.
There are differences in ideals, differences in social custom, in short,
in ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, which one must know if one
would claim any adequate knowledge of the child to be taught.
Probably the best opportunity to gain this intimate knowledge of the
lives of children whom we teach is to be had in the work with parents
and older brothers and sisters which should be carried on in the
school building when the smaller children are not present. The
school which is a center of community life, a place for study, for
recreation, for physical development, and for social intercourse is the
school that is fulfilling its mission in the life of the people; and the
teacher who works in such a school will know her children.
There is one other responsibility which we as teachers must
acknowledge which again leads us beyond the schoolroom. We
should work for the welfare of our children during the time that they
are not with us. No other body of men and women knows the needs
of these children better than we do. Our work is conditioned by the
life of the child before he comes under our influence. Our work is
ofttime of no effect because of the adverse conditions outside of the
school. What does it matter that we try to develop morality in
children, when the forces of immorality in the streets more than
counteract our influence? what does it matter that we strive earnestly
to provide hygienic conditions for work during five hours of the day,
when filth and disease are doing their deadly work outside of the
school for nineteen hours a day? Who knows better than we that
children with starved bodies cannot do great things intellectually? If
we were only organized to improve these conditions, we could do
much for the welfare of the community. The time is coming when it
will be considered as legitimate for a body of teachers to discuss the
problems of impure food supply, of relief for the poor, of means for
the suppression of vice, and of better hygienic conditions for the
children of our cities, as it is to discuss the problems of method or
the organization of school work. What we need, if we are to be
effective in the work, is better organization, more craft
consciousness. We now possess potentially great power for social
betterment. We are exercising this power in the school, and, as
individuals, outside of the school. We will, let us hope, in time,
recognize the larger social demand and perform the larger social
service.
The children with whom we work come to us equipped with many
native reactions or tendencies to behave. In any situation the child
will react in accordance with some native tendency or habit which
has grown out of the original tendency. Success in teaching depends
upon a recognition of these instinctive tendencies, the development
of some, the grafting of new but similar reactions on others, and the
inhibition of the native reaction and substitution of another in still
other cases. The instincts which are of importance in education have
been variously named; among these those of greatest significance
for the work of the teacher are play, constructiveness, imitation,
emulation, pugnacity, curiosity, ownership, including the collecting
instinct, sympathy, wonder. We shall deal briefly with each of these in
relation to the work of the teacher.
Play: Possibly the lesson which teachers need most to learn is that
play has real educative value. Before the school age has been
reached, the child has learned chiefly by playing. In play the child
gets his first experience in those activities which are later to make
possible a happy, useful life in the community. The number of
possible reactions possessed by a child of six is largely determined
by the opportunity he has had to play. This is why we value so much
a life free from restraint, and in contact with nature, for little children.
Contact with the trees, the rocks, the birds, the flowers, and
association with other children mean possibilities of learning for the
child which no amount of instruction or exercise of authority can
equal. The child plays now with this object and again with that; and
in consequence comes to know not only the objects, but his own
power. In an imaginative way he experiences all of the adult activities
about him, sowing, reaping, building, cooking, cleaning, hauling,
fighting; and he is wiser and better prepared for the period of
struggle, which must come later, because of these activities.
Nor should this period of play end when the child enters school.
The skillful teacher makes a game of many of the exercises of the
school, which might be otherwise drudgery. The desire to win is
common to children six years of age, and many a hard task will
become play, if the element of competition is introduced and
sufficient variety in procedure is provided for. By playing, children
may learn to work. To achieve the ends desired in a game may
involve the overcoming of difficulties which require the most earnest
effort. There can be no better preparation for life than the playing of
games where team work, self-restraint, and fairness are demanded.
We need more careful study on the part of teachers of children’s
games, and more planning that all may secure the benefits which
come from this sort of activity. In the schoolroom, wherever it is
possible, the spirit of play should pervade the work. There will be
cases enough where results will depend upon the exercise of
authority. Let us never forget that the reaction of play may mean just
as valuable results as the reaction of necessity, and that the ideal life
is the one in which all work is play.
Constructiveness: Closely connected with the play instinct is the
instinct to make out of the material at one’s command that which will
represent some element in the play. In the beginning, gestures,
sounds, and whatever objects are present suffice in the make-
believe world of the child. But soon the materials are rearranged or
shaped into some new form in order to represent the object desired.
Materials become to the child just what he can make out of them.
And it is not simply in power to construct or to represent that the
child grows because of this activity. To make something, to work out
in materials one’s idea, means growth in definiteness and control of
ideas. The one adequate test of ideas must always be some sort of
expression; and, for the adult as well as for the child, construction is
one of the most important forms of expression. We would gain much
in all of our school work in clearness and definiteness, if we resorted
oftener to construction as a test. Of course, construction is not to be
limited to the making of things of three dimensions. The map, plan,
or artistic representation belongs to the same group, and is
developed from the same instinctive tendency.
Just one more word of caution needs to be given with regard to
work of this kind. In constructive work, whether with wood or clay, or
with pencil or brush, the point of departure should be the child’s idea,
not the model or pattern provided by an adult. After the child has
made his attempt, then let him see where he has failed by reference
to the object which he has tried to represent. And we can afford to be
satisfied in the beginning with a crude product, so long as it satisfies
the child. As for technique, there will come a time when the desire for
a better product will call for greater skill and will furnish the very best
possible motive for the necessary practice.
Imitation: In both play and constructive work a most important
element is the instinct to imitate. The child constantly imitates adult
activities in play, and in construction he represents the objects about
him. As has already been indicated, it is in this way that he clarifies
his ideas, that he gains experience. In imitation, which is truly
instructive, the child does not consciously plan to imitate; it is enough
that the model is present. This kind of imitation is sometimes called
spontaneous imitation, in contradistinction to the other type of
imitation, in which the individual persistently tries to reproduce the
activity of another. In the latter case he is conscious of the process;
and this type is sometimes called voluntary imitation. This distinction
is important for teachers in many phases of school work. There are
cases where the only satisfactory response is that which accords
with the model, the standard which society imposes. We do not want
a child to try to spell a word without being conscious of the form
commonly accepted. He will succeed in spelling because he has
studied this word, or is able to build it up from his knowledge of its
constituent parts. On the other hand, wherever creative work is to be
done, wherever originality is required, the educational value of the
exercise is inversely proportioned to the degree in which conscious
imitation of a model has entered to produce the result. In such
subjects as English composition, constructive work, science work
involving observation and experiment, what we want above all else is
the attempt on the part of the learner to express his own ideas; and it
is only after this expression that any adequate appreciation of model
or of criticism can be hoped for.
There is one other factor in connection with imitation which is of
great importance in teaching; namely, that children persistently
imitate what they admire. This has a double significance for the
teacher. Those things which can be made less attractive will tend to
be less imitated; and, conversely, that which is held up as worthy of
great respect will be much imitated. If we were only wise, we would
devote our attention to the leader of the group, trying to secure the
appropriate or desired reaction upon his or her part, rather than
devoting ourselves equally to the whole group. We can depend upon
it, the crowd will follow the leader whom they admire. Our appeals
often mean little to children, and the models which we set up have
little effect, because, however admirable these standards may seem
to us, they are beyond the power of children to comprehend or
admire. Instead of giving a boy a letter of Jefferson as a model,
better give him the one written by his classmate. Do not expect the
girl to imitate the noblest women in history, but make your appeal on
the basis of the virtue of the girl she likes.
Emulation: Much that has been said above under imitation might
quite as well have been written under the head of emulation. As
social beings, we tend to do what others do. Consciousness of kind
compels us to lay great store upon our ability to do as others do.
When in Rome the difficult thing is not to do “as Romans do,” but to
do otherwise. The desire to do not only as well as others, but to
accomplish more, is responsible for much that is achieved in the
world. If we did not have others with whom we are constantly
comparing ourselves, few of us would do as well as we now do.
Rivalry will always be one of the greatest means of bringing about
improvement or advancement in social conditions. In school, as well
as in the world at large, rivalry, if kept free from jealousy and envy,
will justify its existence by the results produced. The boy or girl who
is anxious to distance his fellows in school is apt to be the man of
ambition and of success in later life.
Pugnacity: More prominent in boys than in girls, but present in
some degree in every individual, is the instinct to fight, the desire not
to be overcome either by persons or conditions which surround us.
In so far as this instinct leads to physical encounter, for all except the
unusually strong physically, the correction comes by way of defeat.
For all, the substitution of games which involve physical prowess for
fighting, and the substitution of victories of intellect for the victories of
physical combat, point to the utilization of this instinct in education. It
is sometimes possible to appeal to this instinct when
discouragement and defeat in school tasks seem inevitable. No boy
likes to be told that he has been downed by the task in long division,
or that he has failed to make good in spelling or geography. The
whole world hates a quitter, and normal, healthy children are no
exception to the rule.
Curiosity: Children are proverbially curious about things. They
want to know more, to enlarge and make more definite their
experience. This desire shows itself in their actions in handling
materials, in making and unmaking, in questions asked, in
reasoning, in play, and in imitating others. The most striking
characteristic in the mental life of children is the breadth of their
interests, due to this instinct of curiosity. Most adults think along very
narrow and restricted lines; not so with children. While it is true that
they do little abstract thinking, there is scarcely an object or an action
which comes within the range of their senses that is not followed by
the desire to find out more.
Children have the spirit of inquiry, have many problems, in short,
are mentally active to a degree most uncommon among adults. The
problem of the teacher is how to keep alive this spirit of inquiry, how
to insure a continuance of this mental alertness. Much of our school
work has certainly tended in the opposite direction. Reciting what is
written in books, without thought or question, has too often been
characteristic of recitations. The appeal to authority, whether of the
teacher or of the book, instead of the appeal to experience, to
observation and experiment, or to other methods of establishing
truth, tends to kill rather than to strengthen the spirit of inquiry. We
should place greater value upon the intelligent question than upon
the parrot-like answer. Respect for the problems of children, even
when they seem of little account to us, rather than ridicule or
evasion, will tend to keep alive this most precious heritage. Of
course it is not wise to encourage the scatter-brained boy or girl who
never thinks about the same thing for two minutes in succession.
One great function of the teacher is to help children to concentrate
upon the main issue, to show a child that his question is irrelevant to
the problem under consideration, and to guide him on the path which
makes thinking pleasant and profitable.
It would be a good thing for every teacher to ask herself whether
while under her direction the children whom she teaches are usually
mentally alert, thinking, asking questions, or whether they concern
themselves only with repeating the thoughts of others. If there be
any doubt with regard to the children’s natural aptitude, let her
observe them when out of school and contrast the result. Mental
laziness is a habit acquired in spite of our initial advantage, in spite
of our desire for knowledge and the pleasure which comes from
thinking. The school and the teacher must always be judged by their
success in keeping children awake mentally; for it is power to learn
rather than knowledge which counts in later years, and learning is
most of all dependent upon the initial impulses toward inquiry.
Ownership: Very early in the life of the child the idea of personal
ownership develops. There can be no doubt concerning the
importance of this instinct in its effect upon the achievements of
men, but we are concerned chiefly, in dealing with children, with one
aspect of this tendency which is commonly known as the collecting
instinct. This desire to have the most complete collection of buttons,
postage stamps, pictures, birds’ eggs, shells, arrowheads, or
whatever else it may be, may often be utilized to great advantage.
Illustrative material for work in history, geography, nature study, and
to some degree for other subjects can be had in this way. Such a
collection will mean not only a much greater interest in the work, but
also a livelier appreciation of the subject, more images upon which to
base its generalizations. I have never seen a class that learned more
geography in a short time than was mastered by a class who
followed the American fleet around the world, collecting pictures,
products, and stamps for each of the countries visited, and writing a
full account of the country visited to accompany these illustrations.
Another class made most interesting collections in connection with
their study of colonial history. It is a mistake to suppose that ready-
made collections will answer the same purpose. They may illustrate
better, but the added interest and enthusiasm growing out of the
exercise of the collecting instinct will be wanting.
The collecting instinct may be utilized in work which deals with
ideas rather than things. Children may be just as keen in collecting
ideas about a subject in which they are much interested as in making
their collection of stones, or birds. The transition from the one type of
collecting to the other is apparent, in collections which are interesting
mainly for the ideas which they suggest.
The Social Instinct: The school has often overemphasized the
individualistic point of view. Competition is a legitimate motive; but if
all of school life centers around this motive, the child has lost much
in the non-exercise of that peculiarly human instinct which demands
coöperation and sympathy. At the foundation of our society is the
idea of working together for the common good. Boys and girls who
are to be most useful to their fellows, who are to do the most for
society, i.e. those who are truly educated, must have kept alive and
developed this spirit, more than altruistic, which sees in the good of
society the greatest individual gain. In a later chapter this topic will
be dealt with in considerable detail; suffice it to say here that many
opportunities should be found for group projects, for service on the
part of each member of the group of the sort that he is particularly
qualified to render.
 Wonder: The instinct of wonder or awe, closely related to or
possibly identified with the religious instinct, is one that our modern
critically scientific attitude tends to discourage. No one who has had
the experience can doubt the value of this element in mental life. To
wonder at the glory of the heavens will doubtless make more
difference in the lives of most men and women than the smattering
of astronomy they may acquire. The man who wonders at the
manifestation of the power of the forces of nature may get more real
joy out of life than he who feels that he has solved all of her
mysteries. We are not as a people remarkable for our reverence. It
may be well urged that our schools have often been responsible for
the opposite attitude. This instinct of wonder will thrive only in a
sympathetic atmosphere. No teacher can directly inculcate or
develop it. Only that teacher who has preserved and nurtured the
instinct in her own life can hope to be effective in keeping alive the
same spirit in children.
In the first chapter it was claimed that teachers should work to
develop the socially sympathetic, intelligent, and active individual,
and that the ends to be expected from any exercises might be
classified as habits, knowledge, interests, ideals or appreciations,
and methods of work. In our discussion of the native reactions of
children, we have endeavored to show that the possibilities of such
accomplishment are the common possession of normal children. It is
for the teacher who would accomplish these ends most economically
to discover the instinctive basis for the habit to be formed, the
knowledge to be acquired, interest to be awakened, or appreciation
to be aroused. The instinctive interests of children will furnish the
most powerful motives, and will serve as a basis for the most lasting
results. Even when the native reaction is undesirable, the successful
process may depend not merely upon negation, but upon a grafting
upon the original tendency of one that is socially desirable; or, in
other cases, the substitution of another reaction based upon some
other instinctive tendency. We may not always follow where instinct
seems to lead, but we can never ignore these native tendencies.
Whether we blindly ignore or attempt to work against nature, or
wisely utilize the instincts, the fact remains that all of our work is
conditioned by the native equipment.
 It has become more or less the fashion in recent years to decry
the theory of those who discuss the teaching process from the
standpoint of the child’s native tendencies, and with due regard to
his interests. The reactionary who continually harks back to the good
old times is still with us. The term of ridicule most commonly used in
lieu of argument is “soft pedagogy.” We are told that the only way to
develop men and women of strength is to begin by making sure that
we make our appeal on the basis of our superior authority, or even
brute strength, instead of finding the foundation for our work in the
instinctive curiosity and tendency to mental activity with which
children come to us. It is presumed by those who argue on the side
of the importance of authority that, unless children are compelled by
others to do hard tasks, they will never attempt anything that
involves effort. Again, they interpret interest to mean the blind
following of the child’s instinctive tendencies.
In our previous discussion we endeavored to show that education
concerns itself quite as much with the inhibition of undesirable
tendencies as with the encouragement of those which lead to
desirable activity. The process is not one of following where children
lead, but rather of availing ourselves of the native tendencies in
order that the ends we desire to achieve may be accomplished with
the least waste of time or energy. In reality, the choice between the
two positions is not whether we will have regard for childish instincts
and capacities, but rather whether we shall approach our task from
the standpoint of one who has faith in an appeal to the lower motive
of fear, or whether we believe that children are best prepared for
later activity who work out their own problems.
The best teaching can never consist in driving pupils to tasks
which they do not understand and which have little significance for
them. The standard of efficiency is found in ability to present to the
child a need, a purpose, or a problem which solicits his attention. It
may be that we shall be but imperfectly able to accomplish this
result, but, nevertheless, this must be our ideal. And it is not for
reasons of sentiment that we adopt it. The learning process is
explained in this way only. We make a new adjustment, reconstruct
our experience only in a situation which makes such a demand upon