Un.Requited (Claimed Series) Page 17

  It happened so quickly, Hayden could do nothing to prevent the claws that came at her. She flinched, pain blossoming across her muzzle and cheeks as the claws swiped across her face. Because of her distraction, Devan was able to get the upper hand by leaping and tackling Hayden to the ground. The current female Alpha snapped her teeth near Hayden’s neck, a show of dominance, and an attempt to get her prey to surrender.

  Not willing to accept submission so easily, Hayden brought up her hind legs and dug her claws into the other female’s vulnerable belly. A piercing whimper escaped Devan’s toothy mouth and she rolled off her prey in order to protect her stomach.

  Hayden never gave her a chance to recover. She climbed on top of Devan and encircled the female’s neck with her jaws, teasing the thin throat with her sharp canines. As a result, the calico-colored wolf immediately went stiff and arched both her stomach and neck up to Hayden in compliance.

  With the act of submission, Hayden had climbed the ranks as the new female Alpha.

  Easing off her pack mate, Hayden wagged her tail conceitedly, turning her back on the watchful spectators. As she made her way toward the den, Cole hurried to match her strides. The sky indicated it was almost dawn. They had run all night, which would explain why her muscles were far too sore to continue.

  Next to her, the Alpha occasionally rubbed his fur against hers, his natural wolf odor a claiming gesture that would mark her as his territory. Rebelliously, Hayden nipped his neck to put a stop to his antics before she raced toward the resting area.

  A short burst of adrenaline riled Hayden when she realized her Alpha was right behind her, his teeth nipping at her heels and tail. Though, even with the extra bit of adrenaline supporting her, Hayden wasn’t fast enough to outrun the looming predator behind her.

  His teeth caught her tail, pulling at it to stop her in her tracks before tackling her cleanly to the ground. The oxygen was knocked out of Hayden’s lungs as his heavy weight settled on top her. He rubbed their bellies together and playfully gnawed at her muzzle, a gesture of pleased affection. Hayden endured it, surprised he hadn’t done this earlier, this act of dominance.

  Much to her growing anxiety, he continued to hold her down, as if sensing her unease with submitting. The longer he was over her, the more difficult it was to remain docile.

  His teeth wrapped warningly over her muzzle as she thrashed underneath him, hating how long he required her to be submissive. Her hind legs tried to claw his belly, as she had done with Devan, but he positioned his body expertly and avoided her flying claws in the process.

  Fatigued and exhausted, Hayden reluctantly ceased her attack. This was her first moon and she spent the majority of it running. Attacking her this late into the full moon was a cheap shot from Cole. He had to have known she had no energy left.

  As if to prove her suspicions, the Alpha’s eyes were entirely human and completely amused as they looked down at her submitting form. Gently touching noses with her, Cole released his hold over Hayden and prowled toward the rest of the pack.

  Upside down, she focused on the grassy mound near their nesting place, noticing Cole’s scent over it, obviously declared his personal perch. Sending a defiant look in Cole’s direction, Hayden noted that the Alpha was currently preoccupied with checking up on the rest of the pack before they settled down for the night.

  Rolling over, Hayden got to her feet and trotted over to the hill. She crawled on top the mound and sat proudly, aware of most of the pack’s watchful gazes.

  Almost if sensing the defiance, Cole slowly turned around. He flashed a predatory grin at Hayden before slowly prowling closer to the mound. His shoulders rolled as he climbed up the steep incline, his eyes intense. Not affected, and eager to see what he’d do, Hayden threw him a stubborn glance as she kept her position solid and unwavering.

  Surprisingly, or rather disappointingly, he didn’t push her off the hill as she’d suspected. Instead, he thumped to the ground behind her, curling around her body protectively. His muzzle placed itself on Hayden’s shoulder, giving him an angle that would allow him to look out at the pack.

  Secretly satisfied, Hayden lowered her head on her front paws and closed her eyes.

  _______________

  “You and Cole seemed remarkably cozy last night.”

  Hayden offered Devan a look of quiet disdain as she escaped her bedroom. Across from her, the brown-haired female leaned against the wall, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest.

  “It was my first full moon,” Hayden reasoned. She then paused, realizing she was being defensive and wondering why she felt the need to defend herself from Devan. “I latched onto Cole just like you latch on to Nathan all the time.”

  Waking up this morning had been uncomfortable to say the least. Hayden was beginning to realize that werewolves lacked a sense of modesty, but her human instincts were still a pressing weight in her mind. If she had even the slightest shred of modesty last night, she would have never allowed herself to sleep so close to Cole.

  Because in the morning, their bodies had shifted back to human and everyone had been lacking an important necessity; clothing. Suspiciously enough, Hayden hadn’t needed to dwell on it for too long, as Cole had entered the pack house as soon as her mind regained proper consciousness.

  Devan grinned at Hayden’s poor excuse. “That’s because he and I are the only sane ones in this house,” she argued. “Besides, Cole is hardly the first one in the pack to seek comfort from. In fact, I’d almost say he’s standoffish. Just admit it, Hayden, you’re attracted to him.”

  After Tracer’s attack, Devan had tried starting up this same conversation. At the time, Hayden had been able to avoid answering. Unfortunately, it looked like she couldn’t elude addressing it any longer.

  “Believe whatever you’d like, Devan. But I can’t answer for my wolf’s actions last night.” With an air of cool nonchalance, Hayden brushed past her.

  “It must be hard,” the other female quipped behind her, “to be the center of attention of so many male werewolves.” There was a slight undercurrent of jealousy beneath her practiced casualness.

  Hiding her real annoyance, Hayden smirked at Devan from over her shoulder, appearing unbothered and unaffected by the subtle insult. “It’s not at all how you’re suggesting. I just think men are a lot more straightforward to be around than territorial women who have ulterior motives.” She then turned around and looked pointedly at Devan. “Speaking of territorial females, you didn’t put up much of a fight last night for the Alpha position.”

  For her part, Devan didn’t rise up to the bait. She stood defensively, her shoulders the only part of her body that tensed when Hayden stepped forward.

  “I didn’t stand a chance,” she admitted unexpectedly. “As much as some of us hate it, we all know your wolf was meant to be the female Alpha. Actually, you even had Cole lying in the weeds, silently pushing you into the position.” She reached out and patted Hayden mockingly on the shoulder. “Congratulations, you now carry a title that holds empty promises.”

  Without another word, Devan breezed past Hayden and down the staircase.

  Amber eyes looked after her, mildly amused and entirely frustrated. Devan liked to act bigger than she was. The front she put on was painfully obvious.

  Hayden only wondered what kind of vulnerability she was hiding underneath it all. Did she take her frustrations out on Hayden because she was insecure about her relationship with Joseph? Or did she truly not like another female in the pack and felt the only way to express it was through hostility?

  She shook her head, running a frustrated hand through her hair. While Devan and Hayden weren’t at each other’s throats, they weren’t exactly on friendly terms either. Maybe it was time for Hayden to try to close the gap and mend whatever damage had been inflicted.

  If she was going to stay with this pack, and if she was going to honor the position as female Alpha, then she wanted to get along with everyone. Unfortunately, that meant Devan as well.r />
  “It’s not fair!”

  Hayden paused on her way back to her bedroom, immediately identifying the source of the voice as Devan. As she overheard the ensuing words coming from the living room, Hayden’s earlier misconceptions about mending her relationship with the other female abruptly crumbled.

  “Why don’t you just assign Hayden as Nathan’s mate?”

  It took Hayden only a second to register the words before she ran down the stairs, her heart in her throat. There was no way Cole would ever agree to that.

  Did this pack really need a mated pair? Even after weeks of staying with werewolves, and growing accustomed to the werewolf traditions, she still had trouble wrapping her mind around the whole ‘mated pair’ ritual. It was the farthest thing from a proper marriage, the kind of marriage that involved two people who were unconditionally dedicated to each other.

  Her hands curled around the banister as she leaned her torso into the living room where the majority of the pack was gathered. Only Fergus and Blake were missing from the meeting, both males probably hiding out in the basement if they knew what was being discussed. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension, a far cry from the pack’s earlier uplifted mood.

  “Nathan has requested you as a mate, Devan, not Hayden.” Cole threw Hayden a warning look over his shoulder, the kind of look that told her he was well aware of her intentions of interrupting.

  Across the room, Devan was breathing shallowly and her expression was that of panic. Even if Hayden had a rocky relationship with Devan, she couldn’t help but to feel sorry for the female. She wondered if Devan would mention her commitment to Joseph in order get out of this, or if she would be too afraid to break the news to Cole.

  Nathan stood up from his position on the couch. “Actually,” he started, “I don’t mind having Hayden as a mate. I have waited patiently for a partner, Cole. And it’s your job as Alpha to assign us into pairs if we request it.”

  “I know what my job as Alpha entitles,” Cole growled impatiently.

  Seeing a way out of the assigned mating, Devan was quick to intervene. “Then why don’t you assign Hayden and Nathan together?” she pressed eagerly. Her hands were trembling and she looked anxiously back and forth between Cole and Hayden, almost as if she expected the female Alpha to vouch for her.

  Hayden blinked, flabbergasted at this whole situation. Yes, she felt pity for Devan, and she felt abhorrence for the bizarre rule that pack members could only date inside the pack, but she would never sacrifice her independence like this.

  “I don’t—”

  “I will handle this,” Cole barked angrily, shutting her up immediately with the intensity of his fury. His dark eyes barely spared her a glance before they zeroed in on Nathan. “From the moment Hayden stepped foot in this house, you have treated her with nothing but indifference. Now, you tell me you would take her as your mate?” The Alpha shook his head mockingly, a cruel smile to his face. “Please tell me where I am misunderstanding this.”

  The blond werewolf shrugged, clearly not intimidated by Cole’s budding anger. “You’re not misunderstanding anything, Cole. I’ll readily admit that Hayden has many attributes that would make her an ideal mate,” he explained calmly.

  “Attributes?” Hayden stuttered out, biting her cheek to steady her temper.

  “Attributes?” two voices chorused in quiet unison. In the staircase leading to the basement, both Fergus and Blake ducked quickly away as soon as Cole snapped his attention onto them.

  “Yes,” Nathan agreed with a nod, looking at Hayden. “She would just need a tighter leash.”

  Cole laughed suddenly, his expression torn between amusement and ridicule. He hardly looked reassuring to any of the observers in the living room. “A leash?” he repeated. “If you think she needs a leash, its evidence enough that you could never handle her as your mate.”

  Hayden balked at the ongoing conversation. Her fists tightened on the railing and her cheeks turned red from both offense and anger. They were talking about her as if she weren’t even in the room.

  Before she could interrupt and defend herself, Addie caught her attention from across the room. The older werewolf flashed a look of sympathy before pressing her finger against her lips.

  Finally, Nathan stepped down, looking a bit affronted. “If that’s the case, then I suggest claiming her as soon as possible, Cole. Despite Nicolas’ mark on her, I’m not the last werewolf who will approach you for permission to take her on as a mate. There will be others.” In attempt to seem bigger than he was, Nathan puffed out his chest and raised his eyebrows at Cole challengingly. “Do you deny that there is anything between the two of you?”

  Cole leaned closer to Nathan, staring him down until the twin bowed his head in submission. “I don’t deny or agree to anything, Nathanial. This conversation is about you and your request to take on Devan as your mate. Heel and take my blessing before I refuse.”

  “This isn’t fair,” Devan cried. Tears clung at the corners of her eyes. “I’m leaving this pack!” she declared fiercely. She looked almost deranged with her wide eyes and her quivering body.

  A heavy silence settled around the house at her exclamation. Cole turned to her, looking anything but devastated. “And where would you go?” the Alpha wondered dryly. “Who would accept you, a member of my pack?”

  A frown line creased Devan’s eyebrows. “Many members of the old Slayter pack left after your father died. I can simply do the same thing.”

  “Devan,” Hayden admonished, appalled at her disrespect.

  “Those were members of Xavier’s pack,” Cole answered her, his anger cooling into stony resignation. “They left after he died and other Alphas welcomed them. Because you stayed behind and accepted me as your new Alpha, you will only be seen as a traitor. No other Alpha, especially around here, will welcome a member who leaves their pack.”

  Cole pointed a level finger at Nathan. “Discuss your problems with your mate, Devan. I have only given my permission.”

  Hayden frowned, watching as Cole moved stiffly out of the living room before escaping the house entirely. She couldn’t help but feeling a sense of emptiness as she stared after him, an emotion she couldn’t identify the cause of. It didn’t originate from her own feelings, but rather from something she believed had to do with Cole’s own whirlwind of emotions.

  In her intense scrutiny of the closed door, Hayden barely had time to brace herself against the railing as a distraught Devan raced past her and up the stairs. Turning back to the living room, Hayden was able to spy Nathan’s face fall as he watched Devan’s swift exit. It was rare to see Fergus’ brother wear anything but seriousness on his face. He looked truly upset at Devan’s negative reaction to the prospect of mating with him.

  Hayden grimaced as Nathan left the room as well, escaping to the basement. She really couldn’t fault anyone in this situation, though Cole was at the top of her list.

  If Devan didn’t already have Joseph, it was quite possible she would accept Nathan as a mate. After all, they enjoyed each other’s presence so often. And because Nathan was ignorant to her commitment to another man, he felt belittled at her passionate rejection.

  Hayden didn’t appreciate all the drama and the separation of the pack. For a moment, Hayden wondered if she could do anything as female Alpha, but then thought against it. She’d been here for only one full moon. Nathan and Devan were members long before her. It wasn’t Hayden’s place to stick her nose in issues that were before her time.

  “Hayden,” Addie called out affectionately. “Come sit here with me.”

  As Devan began crying in her room, Hayden jumped from the stairs, eager to use any excuse to get away from the sound. “Why did Cole do it?” she asked.

  Stopping before Addie, Hayden looked over the woman’s head at the large bay window. It was becoming more frequent that Cole disappeared in his wolf form, preferring to run on four paws rather than two. He out there, isolating himself and trying to hide what he rea
lly felt about the situation.

  Cole’s grandmother sighed. “I could see he felt obligated.” Her blue eyes searched Hayden’s troubled gaze. “Most packs have many members in their niche. Mating doesn’t seem as…” she trailed off, trying to find the right word.

  “Incestuous?” Hayden supplied. She wasn’t able to imagine mating with one of the males in her pack. With the exception of Cole, whom she saw as the commanding force of the pack, the others were all like brothers to her.

  “If you look at it like that, yes,” she tentatively agreed with Hayden’s analogy. “Nathan was raised with the old traditions of werewolves. He thinks in order to appear superior he needs a mate who will bear his children and stand at his shoulder.” Addie ignored Hayden’s deep scowl. “Cole, on the other hand, was young enough to be raised in the era where males do not need a mate to excel or to enjoy higher status.”

  “Then why did he give Nathan permission?” she persisted.

  “It is expected of him. Traditionally, an Alpha must give his blessing to the male werewolf who requests to pursue a female as a mate. It’s just one of the duties of an Alpha.”

  Again, Hayden had to acknowledge females’ lack of independence in the werewolf community. If Cole gave his blessing, did he also have the power to deny someone the request to take on a mate? And if so, why hadn’t he denied Nathan? Addie said he felt obligated. Was it because Cole felt as if he had to live up to his father’s high standards?

  Addie leaned forward and touched Hayden’s cheek. “I’m so happy you’re here with us, Hayden.” She folded her hands on her lap and regarded Hayden closely. “Cole has changed remarkably since your arrival.” The woman hesitated. “I was afraid he would remain withdrawn because of his parents’ death. But I’ve seen the life return to him once again.”

  It didn’t feel right when Addie looked at Hayden as if she were Cole’s one, true savior. “It’s not like that,” Hayden denied. “Maybe he’s finally healing his wounds.”