Un.Requited (Claimed Series) Page 11

  Hayden’s cheeks colored. Not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. “And you believe that?” she challenged, propping herself against the bar and watching him for any sign of deceit. He and his father may have sided with Cole once, but that didn’t necessarily mean they were firm allies.

  Asher leaned against the bar, first glancing at the mark across on her throat before looking into her eyes. “Not really, no,” he admitted dourly, not affected by her defensive manner. “I think you’ll just make things a little more exciting.” He grinned as she scowled.

  The bartender announced his presence with a grunt, interrupting any progression of conversation. He passed Hayden another Coke, and despite being old enough for something stiffer, Asher received one as well.

  The blond beta was the first to climb on a stool, looking at ease in his sloppy-postured slouch. After noticing Hayden’s hesitation, he patted the seat next to him. “Come on, I don’t bite.” He flashed a sharp canine in her direction, daring her to come closer. “Why don’t you tell me how life is with the stone-cold Alpha?”

  Glancing in the general direction of Blake, Hayden situated herself on the stool next to Asher. “Cole?” She frowned in contemplation. “He’s just fine. He’s been great.”

  She kept her response clipped, not willing to divulge anything personal to the beta next to her. The werewolves discriminated Cole enough as it was, she wouldn’t have a hand in encouraging any more predispositions.

  While Cole may have been distant, Hayden knew the death of his parents still affected him. He was trying to keep his emotions and feelings in check and veiled from judgmental onlookers. The most important thing for Cole was that he wanted to be seen as a capable Alpha before a grieving son.

  Asher sniffed lightly amusement. “You don’t need to be so guarded around me, you know.” His deep brown eyes stared into his fizzing beverage. “Cole and I used to be good friends before his parents were murdered.” A pensive grin flashed before it disappeared. “We were always causing trouble.”

  It was news to her. Asher and Cole seemed like two separate specimen, one hot, the other cold. She could clearly see that Asher possessed a lighthearted personality, the type of character that made it hard for him to take things too seriously. Frankly, being around such a playful spirit was a nice change of pace.

  “Where did you live before you came to Oregon?” Asher changed the subject entirely as he looked at her sideways.

  “New York,” she responded gloomily as she remembered her mother.

  Suddenly, the blond beta perked up. He abandoned his drink entirely. “New York? Blake’s from New York, I assume that’s how you were referred to Cole’s pack. I’d really love to live there someday, in the city.” His grin was contagious and he easily brought her along in his exuberant joy. “For the full moons, I would fly out to someplace exotic, or maybe a nearby cabin.”

  Her lips twitched at his enthusiasm. “You don’t want to stay here and be your father’s beta?” Really, she was intrigued after hearing his unique desire.

  Asher shook his head, leaning in close so only she could hear. “Only between us, this place doesn’t appeal to me. I always feel restless, like I’m missing something more important out there, away from this secluded town.”

  Hearing those words, Hayden found herself marveling at how opposite she felt. Despite the inhospitality of the other werewolves, Hayden felt at peace when she arrived in Oregon. The trees, the nature, the whole atmosphere had welcomed her home. In New York, she felt out of place, agitated. Every day, she had to live at the edge of her seat, never able to settle and relax.

  Asher needed to experience that for himself. It wasn’t Hayden’s place to deter him from his dreams.

  For a couple of minutes, she amused him by answering his questions about New York. His wholesome curiosity and unbridled excitement easily wooed her. It had been so long since she’d had a conversation that didn’t center on newborns, self-control, and Nicolas.

  Asher never let the conversation die either, having a question ready when Hayden thoroughly answered his previous one. Instead of sating his curiosity, she only seemed to ignite a more fevered response from him.

  It wasn’t long until Blake announced his presence, coming to a stop directly behind Hayden. At his arrival, Asher’s mood darkened. The beta’s infectious grin dropped off his face and he offered Blake a guarded glance over his shoulder.

  “We should get going, Hayden. Cole should be on his way home from work.” Blake’s amber gaze swept the length of the blond male beside her. “Asher,” he greeted coolly.

  Asher gave a tense nod in return before standing up from his seat. “It was nice talking with you, Hayden. We should do it again sometime soon.” He reserved a small grin for her.

  “I’d like that.”

  She watched him leave, feeling as if she had finally met the one werewolf who could make her feel human again. There was a sense of normalcy with him that she hadn’t experienced in a long while. He was also the only werewolf outside of Cole’s pack who had approached her with an air of genuine interest, not suspicion or disgust.

  “I’m sure you would,” Blake grunted in distaste as he steered Hayden out of The Lounge. His heavy hands were on her shoulders, refusing to let go until they made it outside. “What were you doing talking with prissy boy?”

  Hayden ducked below his hold, eyebrows raised. His dislike for Asher was obvious. “If I remember correctly, you told me to unwind and have ‘fun’.” She noticed his reserved shrug, a careless sort of gesture. “I don’t know what you have against him anyway. I was actually considering asking Cole if we could trade him for Nathan.”

  The idea of switching Nathan, the brooding and unwelcoming twin, for Asher was extremely tempting. Of course, Fergus wouldn’t think too highly of the exchange.

  Blake didn’t take offense at the statement and laughed. He reached over to ruffle her hair. “Come on, pup. Don’t be too hard on old Nate. It’s not his fault he lacks the essential social skills.”

  It was more than the ‘essential’ social skills he was lacking, but she didn’t comment further.

  Taming her hair after Blake’s mistreatment, Hayden followed her beta as they made their way through the calm town and toward the pack house. The evening sun was hot and heavy, its rays relentlessly beating down on the occupants in the street. To offset the warm air, a cool breeze coiled between the shops and the trees, rustling the leaves and doing wonders to Hayden’s hot face.

  Blake seemed to be mulling over something unpleasant in his head, for his expression grew grim. “Well,” he started, “don’t get too cozy with Asher, Hayden. Alpha’s don’t—”

  “Allow romantic relationships outside their pack. Yes, Cole told me,” Hayden interrupted impatiently.

  Immediately, she thought of how well Devan and Joseph had followed that rule. Asher hadn’t seemed surprised when he mentioned their romance and it made Hayden wonder how many people knew about their relationship. Judging from Devan’s reaction to Hayden’s taunting, Cole was in the dark.

  Blake laughed breathlessly, suddenly looking extremely mischievous as he gained an extra spring to his step. “Cole already told you?” His eyes sparkled as if he held a priceless secret. “It didn’t take him too long to inform you of that rule, did it? I found out a few years after I became part of the pack.”

  His happy-go-lucky glow abruptly dimmed when he noticed Hayden’s dubious expression. Clearing his throat, he shrugged and pulled himself back together. “I guess it’s probably because you’re a female and all.”

  “Meaning, werewolves still live in the dark ages,” Hayden pointed out. “Women are still controlled by men here. It’s disgusting.”

  Blake gave an uncomfortable laugh, running a hand through his rich, chocolate-colored hair. “We are a few years behind the humans in women’s rights…”

  “Decades,” Hayden mumbled.

  The tall werewolf bumped Hayden with his elbow, offering her a bright smile to cheer
her up. “It’s just because you are so priceless,” he teased. “We males like to protect the only hope we have at expanding our pack numbers without resorting to Siring humans.”

  She frowned at him, amused, but refusing to let it show on her face. Hayden decided she liked seeing Blake squirm. He was a lot easier to rile up than Cole, who only showed his Alpha dominance when he had to confront an argument. And Fergus was impossible to rile up, considering he liked to fiercely agree with Hayden, no matter the situation.

  “So now women are just simple breeders?” she asked icily.

  “I didn’t say that,” Blake argued weakly. “It just came out that way.”

  Hayden stared at him blankly, finding his tense shoulders and flickering eyes extremely entertaining. He really was uncomfortable over their current topic.

  She smirked. “You’re so easy, Blake.”

  He looked bemused for a moment before his face broke out in surprise. “Wow, look at you. You must be adjusting to the pack well enough.” His relief was obvious now that he wasn’t being accused of sexism.

  She cocked her head, grinning lightly. “I don’t blame you for what the werewolf community thinks, but I still believe that females don’t hold any authority here. Look at Devan. She’s the female Alpha but she’s doesn’t go to meetings, her word isn’t worth anything, especially not equal to Cole.”

  The tall, broad-shouldered man considered this. “That’s because there aren’t many females. Sometimes there is only one female in a pack and she’s automatically labeled as the female Alpha, even if she is not suited to be one. Males have just come to see females as submissive and not suitable to carry the title as Alpha.” He shrugged. “I’m sure you can change that general conception, Hayden.”

  She stopped abruptly, watching as the beta continued to stroll listlessly along. “What do you mean by that?” Hayden asked, jogging to catch up to him.

  Blake seemed to get great pleasure in drawing out his answer. “What do I mean? I mean you should become female Alpha and change the general concept of women in packs.”

  “But Devan is female Alpha,” Hayden argued. She couldn’t help but to be intrigued with his hinting. “How can I replace her?”

  “You can’t replace her now. Well, you can’t replace her now. Generally, when someone wants to challenge an Alpha’s position, they can always do it on nights that aren’t the full moon. They have the choice to do it in wolf or human form.” He pointed at her, his index finger touching her shoulder.

  “But considering you aren’t fully wolf yet, it would be in your best interest to challenge her on the night of the full moon or afterward. Right now, your body is still cleansing out your human traits. You can’t heal as fast, you aren’t as strong, and you aren’t as quick as a fully-grown werewolf. You would be at a disadvantage.”

  His explanation made sense. It would explain why her efforts against the redheaded rogue in New York hardly caused him much opposition.

  “Just challenge her?” Hayden wondered. Despite how tempting it sounded, she wasn’t able to envision fighting against Devan just yet.

  Blake seemed to have noticed her doubts. “You should have noticed by now that there are varying degrees of werewolf dominance. Just look at Fergus and Cole, they are two completely different wolves. On one end of the spectrum, you have dominant wolves that most consider Alphas. Then you have Fergus and Addie who are classified as submissive, sometimes as omegas. Then there are always the werewolves who fall in between those two extremes.”

  He gave Hayden a pointed look. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here, Hayden. Your wolf is far more dominant than Devan’s is. You’d do more with your title than what she’s comfortable with doing.”

  She mulled over his words, acknowledging the truth in them. Devan could hardly look at Cole in the eye, let alone stand up to him. Devan may have no authority to her title as Alpha, but maybe that was because she chose not to enforce it.

  Hayden didn’t know if she wanted to make waves just yet by confronting Devan and challenging the other werewolves’ perception of females. Maybe when things settled down Hayden could reconsider the possibility.

  “Where are you going?” She came to a sudden stop at the end of Cole’s territory. Furrowing her brows, she watched as Black passed the pack house and continued down the road.

  “All these questions tonight,” he teased. “We’re going for a walk, Hayden. Come on.” He strolled straight into the woods, following a matted-down trail.

  If it were anyone else, Hayden would have turned around and escaped back into Cole’s house. Instead, she found herself trailing after him, making sure to keep a few feet separating them, just in case her intuition to trust him was wrong.

  The woods were dense and the abundance of trees and leaves easily blocked the sun’s reach. Hayden had to marvel in the nature’s embrace. Moss was everywhere as it climbed the sides of the shady trees and claimed victor over the abandoned logs.

  The variety of smells tickled her nose, from the fresh dew to the rich soil. Evergreens and deciduous trees clumped together, providing heavy shelter for the singing birds. The underbrush was colored a vibrant green as it housed numerous insects and small animals.

  Up ahead, Blake’s broad shoulders skimmed the low-hanging trees on either side of the skinny path. He led her around a loop, beginning to put more distance from Cole’s property and further away from civilization. Hayden tried to pick up the scent of a territory line, but the smells of wildlife easily overpowered what small marking an Alpha might have made.

  Her growing anxieties abruptly vanished when she heard muffled voices ahead of her. As she stumbled forward, she found herself entering a decent-sized clearing. A small lake was nestled in the midst of uneven terrain, with boulders and grassy hills surrounding it. Much to her surprise, there was even a grill situated on a concrete slab, which stood next to a long wooden table.

  Blake laughed at her surprise. “It’s your initiation into the Slayter pack.” His mirth died down as he looked around pensively. “Cole isn’t here yet,” he mused. “I would have thought he’d been home by now.”

  Not noticing Blake’s disappointment, Hayden stared around in wonder, her lips parting into a small smile. Addie was near the grill, working on what appeared to be hamburgers. Nathan and Fergus were swimming, the latter twin waving at Hayden with prominent excitement.

  Near the edge of the lake, Devan was sitting on a boulder. She must have gone home first, because modest shorts replaced the red skirt she had worn at the tavern.

  Across from Hayden, Fergus climbed up on a boulder and began shaking his hips to an imaginary tune. Much to her horror and amusement, he was completely nude. The twin hardly seemed deterred at his lack of dress as he invited Hayden over with a silly grin and a beckoning wave.

  Blake swiftly covered her eyes and bellowed across the clearing. “No one wants to see that, Fergus.” He patted Hayden’s head protectively. “Besides, Hayden still has her human modesty.” A laugh from Fergus and the sound of a splash indicated that the twin had followed Blake’s instructions quite seriously.

  The hand uncovered her eyes before it nudged her in the direction of Devan and the twins.

  “Go socialize,” Blake encouraged as he pushed her more forcibly. “I need to talk to Addie.”

  It wasn’t as if she wanted to talk to Devan, but Hayden would take advantage of this time to confront her about Joseph. Cole wasn’t around and everyone else was too far out of earshot to hear. She didn’t know what she wanted to get across to the female Alpha, but this time, Hayden was the one on higher ground.

  “I see you were able to pull yourself away from Asher,” Devan remarked coolly. “He can be quite charming… to the younger ladies, I suppose.”

  Hayden laughed distantly, shaking her head as she came to a stop next to the other woman. “Don’t turn this around on me. You’re not going to make me forget what I saw.” She crouched down next to Devan. “You’re not as scary as you’d lik
e to think.” The tension around Devan’s shoulders hardly went unnoticed by Hayden.

  The other female kept her emotions closed as she observed Hayden. “So what are you planning? Are you going to blackmail me?”

  Hayden looked away from the brunette, amusing herself by making Devan wait for a response. Grinning tightly, she watched the twins’ antics below. Fergus, who’d disappeared completely underwater, suddenly blasted from the depths like an airborne whale, startling a sunbathing Nathan in the process.

  “The thought actually did cross my mind,” Hayden admitted truthfully. “But I don’t want anything you have to offer.” The genuine surprise that crossed Devan’s face was worth giving up prospective blackmail material.

  Devan frowned suspiciously. “You won’t tell anyone?”

  Amber eyes studied her. She noticed that Devan’s features had softened around the edges, a sign that the woman actually possessed a sliver of humanity. “I don’t agree with not being able to date outside the pack. And you seemed serious about him.” Her throat throbbed when she remembered Joseph’s hand around her neck and the way Devan encouraged him.

  “I do love him,” Devan declared unexpectedly. At her sides, her fingers clawed against the bolder. “We’ve been together for two years. No one from our pack knows about it. And if Cole or Falco ever found out, we wouldn’t stand a chance staying together.”

  Considering Devan was admitting her feelings so openly, Hayden figured she shouldn’t poke fun at their relationship like she had intended. “Why don’t you leave Cole’s pack and go to Falco’s? Or Joseph could come into Cole’s pack?” Hayden remembered Cole explaining that many of his father’s old pack members transferred packs after his death.

  “It’s not that easy,” she bit out. “Falco doesn’t like Cole and Cole doesn’t like Falco. They would never accept former members of the other’s pack.” Her tone was clipped and slow, as if she were talking to a child. "Just don’t say anything, Hayden You don’t need to overexert yourself by thinking up ways to resolve this. I’ve already done that.”