Un.Requited (Claimed Series) Page 14

  Blake entered first, plopping down on his chair and avoiding eye contact with the rest of the pack. Both men looked worse for wear as they settled at the table, either not aware of the grim attention of the pack or ignoring it entirely.

  Cole took special care not to look in Hayden’s direction when he finally addressed the pack. She tried not to feel the bitter pang of betrayal as she lifted her chin and watched him listlessly. If he was going to avoid her, for whatever transpired between them last night, then she would too. Whatever she had felt last night, she blamed it on her fever.

  “I think we are all aware of the circumstances surrounding last night’s attack,” he said lowly.

  Across from Hayden, Nathan leaned forward. “Enlighten us,” the werewolf coaxed after a long silence came from Cole. “Blake said something about a body being discovered at Falco’s property.” He looked at Hayden, as if she were to blame for all of this.

  She gazed steadily back. Ever since her arrival, Nathan kept her at arm’s length. It was if she had a contagious disease he didn’t want to catch. His demeanor toward her wasn’t so much hostile as it was distrustful. As if to prove his suspicions, he always appeared in the room when she was interacting with Fergus, his posture stiff and ready in case she mauled his twin.

  Cole inclined his head. “A member of Falco’s pack agreed to infiltrate Nicolas’ ranks and feed us information on the rogues’ activities. Nicolas found out his intentions and sent his body back here.”

  “Nicolas himself?” Addie demanded softly as soon as Cole was finished speaking. She was sitting at the end of the table with the spatula still in her grasp. Her other hand was cupped around her neck protectively. Fear was tangible from her and everyone was quick to pick it up.

  “No, just the rogues,” Cole reassured patiently. “Nicolas was nowhere to be seen when the rogues attacked the outskirts of town. They had lured us away from our packs in order to distract me from their invasion here.” He looked pointedly at Blake. “The Lounge was attacked and partially burned down before I realized that the rogue numbers looked too small to be a proper ambush.”

  “So their intention all along was to get Hayden by drawing you away?” Nathan interrupted quickly. He looked so thrilled to be proved right about his assumptions of mistrusting Hayden’s presence.

  Cole leveled the bulkier twin with a fierce look. Only when Nathan bowed his head did the Alpha continue. “Not entirely, no.” Here, his eyes finally rested on Hayden.

  “If Nicolas wanted to properly take you away, he would have come personally. He was only playing mind games by sending a handful of rogues to wreak havoc on the pack and the town. He sent a clear message to the Alphas that he wouldn’t be so easily fooled by an infiltrator.”

  Nicolas most likely wanted to poke at Cole again. Hayden had seen the intense interaction between Cole and Nicolas back in New York. The rogue Alpha wanted Cole to remember who was on higher ground. This attack was just another hit.

  “And one more slip from Blake will result in his termination of beta.” Cole’s sudden declaration turned the atmosphere in the room even grimmer. The Alpha’s hard eyes watched Blake’s pinched expression closely. “Do you not agree?” he asked derisively.

  Blake tightened his fists on the table, his eyes staring at a spot over Devan’s head. “I tried.”

  That got a rouse out of Cole. The Alpha leaned in close, baring his teeth in a humorless grin. “You did nothing of the sort,” he shot back. “After all these years, your self-control still leaves much to be desired. Last night, your wolf clearly put your prey above your pack. Instead of staying behind to protect the house, you chased after your target, essentially leaving it wide open and exposed.”

  The rest of the pack knew it too, Hayden realized as she looked around the table. Their expressions were bleak but silent to any defense for Blake. While she understood the severity of his actions, she couldn’t blame Blake for what happened.

  She looked at him, meeting his gaze. Offering him a small, fleeting smile, Hayden suddenly realized something. Blake had amber eyes. She had noticed his amber eyes before, but not the implications of it. Most of the rogue werewolves had amber eyes, as did Hayden. The rest of Cole’s pack and the majority of the other werewolves in Albertville possessed eye colors that normal humans had.

  Did the amber eyes mean that the werewolf lacked proper self-control?

  “I understand, Cole. I will accept my punishment if it happens next time.” Blake angled his head toward Cole in submission. “But what precautions are we going to take after this attack? Are we going to allow the females and the children to roam freely around the town?”

  Cole exhaled softly. “The Alphas have all agreed to live normally. Nicolas will not attack again. He is a coward and will only attack if we are crimpled or distracted. And our distraction will not happen again.”

  Hayden was surprised at Cole’s admission to Nicolas’ cowardice. She didn’t know if she agreed with him on that perception, but then again, Nicolas had given up quickly in New York and had fled the scene. Maybe he wasn’t as powerful as Hayden feared.

  Across the table, Blake appeared frustrated at Cole’s decision. But the beta was in no position to argue today, especially not after what happened last night. Besides, the argument wouldn’t go anywhere. Both Cole and Blake were stubborn, and because Cole was Alpha, his word would overrule his beta.

  Hayden slouched in her chair, looking sideways at Addie. Her blue stare met Hayden’s forlornly. The woman hadn’t mentioned anything about Hayden’s attack last night and none of the other pack members showed any indication that they knew about it. It could only mean that Addie hadn’t told anyone. And for that, Hayden was entirely grateful.

  She turned to glance at Cole, hoping that he was right in assuming that the rogues and Nicolas wouldn’t attack again. Never before in her life had she feared something as much as she feared Tracer.

  8. Chapter Eight

  It was the full moon tonight and Hayden had never imagined spending the day with Devan of all people. Of course, if it weren’t for Devan’s insistence of pulling her outside the house, Hayden would have probably been pacing alone in her bedroom, waiting for the moon to rise.

  “Where are we going?” Hayden insisted again.

  Devan tossed an exasperated look over her shoulder. “I’m doing you a favor, Hayden. Just relax and trust me.” She always had that patronizing tone to her, the type of tone one would use to speak to someone beneath them.

  Refusing to let the other female affect her, Hayden followed listlessly and kept conversation to herself. After a few days off her leg, her thigh had healed fully. The only proof that it had ever happened was the thick scar stretching over her leg.

  She liked to stare at it sometimes, marveling at the silvery sheen to the skin. Unlike the other scars on her neck, her own hand caused this, yet it was also the hardest to relive the memories that came with it.

  As her fingers touched the mark on her throat, Hayden remembered an earlier question she’d had. “Why did Nicolas’ bite scar over? It wasn’t caused by silver, so I’d thought it would eventually go away.” Devan wasn’t the first person Hayden wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to go to Cole or Addie about anything that had to do with Nicolas.

  “Because it’s a mating mark,” she replied simply. Hazel eyes noticed Hayden’s blank expression. “I don’t know the science behind it, Hayden, no one really does. Both of your wolves recognized the bite for what it was. He’s warding off any possible suitors you may have and claimed you as his own mate.” She paused, grinning. “But that’s definitely not stopping Asher, now is it?”

  The question took Hayden by surprise. It wasn’t until she took note of her surroundings did she understand Devan’s intentions.

  The park was secluded among the mature trees and the picturesque shops. It certainly wasn’t out in the open where someone, mainly Cole, could spot them easily. And it was a good thing too, for Hayden saw Asher approach them from the
other end of the park. Her mouth went dry and she blinked uncertainly. This couldn’t end well.

  “Imagine my surprise when Asher asked me to bring you along,” Devan commented airily as she watched Asher approach. A thin smile crossed her face. “It looks as if we both have a secret to keep from Cole. Isn’t that right, Hayden?”

  Without waiting for a response, Devan walked away, leaving Hayden staring after her in disbelief. She watched as the female Alpha greeted Joseph, the dark-skinned beta who unexpectedly emerged from the thick brush around the park benches.

  Clearly, this had been setup. The only reason Devan had agreed to bring Hayden along was so she could have blackmail material. Of course, one could argue that the depth of Hayden’s relationship with Asher wasn’t as strong as the depth of Devan’s relationship with Joseph. If Cole did find out, Hayden wouldn’t be nearly as torn as Devan was over the prospect of being banned from seeing the other male.

  “I didn’t mean for her to corner you like that,” Asher interrupted her musings. He leaned against the monkey bars and considered Hayden through warm eyes. “It was just a simple request to bring you here, nothing underhanded.”

  Apparently, he had picked up on Devan’s motives just as well. Hayden had to smile at his doubt. Even if she’d only just met Asher, she had to appreciate his openness. He wore his emotions on his sleeve. There was no need to play the guessing game to discern what he was thinking.

  “Living with Devan, you’d get used to this sort of blackmail agenda.” She approached him, coming to a stop a few inches in front of his lazy form. “It’s good to see you again.”

  The other male’s presence was certainly a nice change of pace. From time to time, Hayden found herself thinking of the blond beta ever since their first encounter at The Lounge.

  He seemed to shake himself from his retrieve and reach for her. His warm fingers curled around her wrist and he adopted a look of concern. “I heard about the attack at your pack home. Cole was being an asshole about me visiting you, so I thought we could meet this way.” He offered a crooked grin before dropping her wrist. “Unless you’d prefer staying behind his territory line.”

  She was surprised to hear that Asher had asked Cole to see her, even more so that Cole denied Asher. “I’m all better now. Thanks for your concern,” she said dryly, noticing he was more troubled by Cole’s behavior than his initial concern for her.

  Asher scoffed, shaking his head. “I was concerned,” he defended himself. “But then I heard you recovered. It would have been a heavier issue if he would have let me see you after it happened.” He leaned closer, peering into her eyes. “Don’t you get stir-crazy in his house all day?”

  “No,” she denied quickly, a bit defensive. “There are a lot of things to do.” Hayden quickly saw the doubt that shadowed his face. “Fergus and I started a competition. We see how many times we can hide Nathan’s things around the house without him knowing. It is kind of funny to see how often Nathan thinks he just misplaced it.”

  Asher had a look of disbelief on his face before he began laughing. “Wow,” he moaned. “I’m definitely missing out on that.” His tone was sarcastic, amused.

  Hayden shrugged, offering him a small grin in return. She did go stir-crazy at times, but she would always occupy her time with something. She didn’t want Asher to think Cole was keeping her locked away in the basement with nothing to do. It was constricting at times, but she managed.

  “Don’t you think it’s odd, though?” Asher suddenly asked. He turned his heel and began making his way toward the swings. “That Addie and Devan can freely roam around town, but you can’t even toe his territory line without someone holding your hand?”

  Amber eyes watched as he plopped down on the swing. “He doesn’t want me to get in trouble. I’m a newborn and uncontrollable.” It sounded like an empty excuse even to her own ears.

  Eric’s son and beta surveyed Hayden closely. Pale blond locks fell into his eyes, giving him a smoldering look. “That’s a nice excuse, Hayden, but I haven’t seen any evidence of your temper. Humans may be tempting to you, but with Cole’s constant influence around you, you should be able to resist them now more than ever before.”

  He paused, planting his feet into the sand beneath him. Bowing his head, he considered his shoes before suddenly looking back up at her. “Is there something going on between you and Cole? Is that why he he’s so overprotective?” he asked evenly.

  The question shook her more than she’d like to admit. Truthfully, she wanted to know the same thing, but she had always avoided the topic. At times, Hayden felt like there was something between Cole and her.

  There was a tension and a warm familiarity, but as soon as she became aware of it, Cole seemed to shut down and avoid her, as if disgusted. His icy avoidance always grounded her back into cold reality.

  “No,” she denied firmly as she looked him in the eye. “There isn’t anything.”

  Asher seemed doubtful, but he didn’t press the topic further. “Then you wouldn’t mind if I said I’d like to see you more often.” He watched her, waiting for her reaction.

  Against her control, her cheeks reddened at his bold request.

  “You don’t want to,” he deduced after noticing her unchecked surprise.

  Hayden grinned ruefully and sat on the swing next to him. “You didn’t even give me a chance to respond.” She hesitated just briefly. “I don’t know if this can end well. I mean, Cole forbid me to meet with you or any other male—”

  “It’s not like we’re doing anything forbidden.” Asher swung his leg around the swing, straddling it sideways in order to give her his full attention. “I like hanging out with you, Hayden. There’s nothing wrong with that. Cole is too overprotective, so we can find a way to meet when he isn’t at home. We’ll take it as it comes.” He offered a shrug, seeming nonchalant, but his scrutiny was proof that he was anticipating her response.

  Across the park, Devan and Joseph were sitting together and exchanging playful banter. Hayden considered the two, marveling at Devan’s naked emotions. The female Alpha had never appeared so carefree and lively.

  Their relationship really was bittersweet and Hayden didn’t want to fall into the same trap. The rule about dating inside a pack was incredibly flawed. If Cole or Falco ever found out about Devan and Joseph’s relationship, the two would face a struggle just to remain together.

  Turning away from Devan’s painstakingly wide smile, Hayden looked at an expectant Asher and found herself relenting. Asher was hinting that he didn’t want anything serious or heavy. It would be something fun, something she could look forward to without any guilt.

  Hayden mirrored Asher’s earlier actions and straddled the swing sideways. She pushed back the lingering fear that she was betraying Cole’s trust and relented. She was just agreeing to get to know Asher better, nothing more.

  “We can meet near Cole’s territory line during the week. I’m sure Devan can come up with something that would explain my absence.”

  His answering grin was enough to settle any qualms she may have had about agreeing to meet with him. “That’s great.” His hair turned wild when he ran a hand through it. “I promise I won’t bother you with any more questions about New York.”

  Hayden scoffed. “Still drooling over New York City?” She leaned closer to him. “Why don’t you stop dreaming and commit to it?” she asked curiously.

  His dimpled-grin faltered as he turned her question around in his head. “It’s not the right time yet.” Before she had a chance to press the topic, he continued. “I’ll know when it is. It’s just not now. Unlike Joseph, some of us take our responsibility as beta seriously.”

  His pointed glance in Joseph’s direction drew Hayden’s attention to the pair. She scoffed a little at Devan. “It’s amazing that they’ve gone so long without their relationship coming out.”

  Asher reached across the distance separating them and grabbed her swing’s chain. He tugged it towards him, causing Hayden to
lean in close to the beta. “Do you want to know a secret?” His tone was serious, but humorous grin ruined the image.

  “Many werewolves in Albertville already know about their hush-hush relationship.” His grin grew wider at Hayden’s perplexed expression. “Most issues stay within the pack. No one will go out of their way to tell Cole or Falco about Devan and Joseph. And besides, most members of Falco’s pack are too afraid of Joseph to squeal on him.”

  Hayden could relate. She never wanted to be the one to approach Cole with this type of news. “I wouldn’t want to be in their position,” she exclaimed softly, glancing toward Devan and Joseph. “What if it ends badly?”

  Asher’s stare grew searching as he looked at her. “If they really love each other despite the rules and expectations, don’t you think a bad ending would be worth it just to have the chance in the first place?”

  There was an underlying message in his words and Hayden had a fleeting concern that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to get closer to Asher. She was drawn to him and his sincere personality, but she didn’t want it to go past a mutual attraction.

  “I would say that you’re the biggest romantic between the two of us,” she said lightly.

  She didn’t know if she agreed with his view. If she knew beforehand that a relationship would end badly, Hayden would never take the steps to further her attachment to said person, no matter how blissful it would be together. However, wasn’t she going down that road with Asher? Was she starting something that would eventually turn sour in the end?

  Raising her gaze, she noticed his easy-going grin that instantly made her wonder why she was so worked up about this. Being in his company brought with it a sort of welcoming thrill, a sense of novelty. Seeing the same excitement mirrored in his eyes made Hayden begin to accept that maybe things wouldn’t turn out for the worse. Maybe she would just let things fall into place.

  _______________

  Hayden swung her feet back and forth as she watched Blake and Fergus from her position on the front porch. The two males were tossing the football back and forth, though Blake seemed more inclined to chuck the ball as hard as he could and watch Fergus fumble his way through a catch. Cole’s beta chuckled wickedly as the football slipped through Fergus’ open hands and proceeded to hit the twin in the face.