Un.Requited (Claimed Series) Read online

  He chuckled tensely, not exactly finding humor in her reassurance. “Blake and Cole are coming here.” His fingers shook as they began to tear holes in the bread Hayden had given him. Slyly, he looked up at her. “They’re going to collect you and bring you to a pack in Minnesota. Keiran is the Alpha there—”

  “What?” The slab of meat dropped from Hayden’s fingers. “He’s going to relocate me to Minnesota?” Looking around the small restaurant, she was suddenly mindful of listening ears. Luckily, they were alone. “Gregory,” she started, “I can’t leave New York.” The boy had been right about getting food in her stomach before springing news like this.

  As soon as his piece of bread was a pile of unrecognizable mess, his fingers then began to fumble with the sub wrappings. “You can hardly control yourself around your family, Hayden. The closer the full moon gets, the less likely you will be able to control yourself. You need an Alpha and Keiran is one of the best Alpha’s out there. He’ll take good care of you.”

  She remained silent, staring blankly at her discarded sandwich. Leaving her family, leaving New York especially, was out of the question.

  As if sensing her rebuttal, the boy heaved a heavy sigh. “It was hard trying to convince Cole to spare your life. And if you’ve ever been in that man’s presence, you would know how frightening it was to argue with him, even if it was just over the phone.” He broke off, shooting a wary glance out the window. “I told him you were different than most newborn werewolves. He gave me the benefit of the doubt because I’m Blake’s brother. But he doesn’t have the patience to take a newborn werewolf into his pack, so he asked Keiran to take you.”

  “And I have no say in this?” Hayden asked bitterly.

  As Gregory sat in a contemplative silence, a customer entered the sub shop, inviting in a burst of rain-scented air. Inhaling, Hayden straightened when she detected something more than just rain in that gust of wind. There was an undercurrent of burning wood and a hint of an iron scent, like blood. Before Hayden could turn and search for the customer that brought in the smell, Gregory claimed her attention.

  “Look at me, Hayden.”

  Grudgingly, she focused on the human sitting across from her. She had to remind herself that this boy was the same student who had to endure constant harassment by his classmates. Right now, he sounded far older than his years, and his expression, while full of sympathy, also had a hard edge to it.

  With his mouth agape, Greg slowly reached his hand over to hers. Hayden refused to drop her gaze, too afraid of what would happen if she looked away. As soon as his skin made contact with hers, Hayden jerked, but didn’t pull away. She knew perfectly well what he was intending to do, and she wanted to prove him wrong. She could withstand physical contact if she tried hard enough.

  Closing her eyes, she focused on controlling her breathing. The familiar feeling was back again, the hot ache and the yearning to attack. The sensation rested in her chest until it grew heavier, becoming almost painful. The only way she could alleviate the heaviness was to comply and lash out at her target, at her enemy. It was almost as if the animal inside of her stirred at the immediacy of a weaker prey, eager to pounce and sate its hunger.

  “Are you really that selfish?” Gregory asked as he tightened his hand over her slack fingers.

  Exhaling deeply, Hayden bit her lip to control her initial reaction to that question. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly, trying to keep the bite out of her tone.

  “Look at you. You can barely tolerate a simple touch. What would happen if your mom accidentally brushed against you, or hugged you? Would you explain that you’re a werewolf who could break her neck? Could you tell her you were too selfish to move away, and chose to stay here instead, evidently putting her in danger?”

  “Gregory,” Hayden warned hotly.

  She tore her hand away from his. The insistence to attack was subdued and replaced with floundering hopelessness. She hated to admit it, but he was right. It would be pure selfishness on her part if she stayed here and put her family in danger.

  “Ten years ago, my brother attacked me when I was eight.”

  Startled at the confession, Hayden looked up at her classmate. Gregory began tugging at his jacket, unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt and pulling the material aside. A section of his chest was visible, along with his right shoulder. Against his pale skin, four horizontal scars stood out noticeably. The skin was uneven and elevated, appearing healed but stained an ugly red.

  Greg shook his head, marveling at the scar as if he had never seen it himself. “Blake was angry with me over something stupid. He grabbed my shoulders the same time his claws came out. He didn’t mean it, but the whole family was devastated.”

  His eyes were unfocused, locked far away in a memory. “Blake and I were –are— really close. He’s my big brother. When we found out he was a werewolf, we tried to tame him. It was selfish to keep him with us. We didn’t have the power to tame a werewolf, Hayden. Only an Alpha has that kind of control. But for two years we tried, probably doing him more harm than good.”

  He trailed off, self-consciously pulling his shirt and jacket back into place. “We still keep in contact with Blake all the time, but we know he’s better off with a pack.” The human looked over at Hayden, grinning sadly. “I think you’ll be able to fit in with a wolf pack. You’ll be with male werewolves who know how to defend themselves and help with your control.”

  He was right. Her temper was unpredictable, and if she ever attacked a member of her family, she would be devastated. She was suffering here, in New York, and in turn, she was putting her family at risk. “Thank you,” Hayden murmured grudgingly. “I needed that.”

  His cheeks flushed again and he buried his face near his demolished sandwich. “Cole and Blake should be arriving here shortly. We can just stay here until they call.”

  Hayden ate the rest of her food without tasting it, not inclined to break the silence that stretched between them. She was trying to convince herself that leaving New York really was the best option. It was going to take time to become accustomed to moving to Minnesota, a state she had never been to, and a state that was hundreds of miles away from family.

  “Hayden,” Gregory addressed with an impatient bounce to his knee. “I need to use the restroom. Will you… will you be alright?”

  Raising her eyebrows, Hayden smirked at the unspoken question. “You mean will the humans be safe in my presence? The answer is yes.”

  Before the words could fully leave her mouth, the boy leaped from his chair, fidgeting his way to the bathrooms without another word.

  Slouching in relief at his absence, the sullen werewolf looked idly over at the only other customer in the restaurant. She couldn’t help but to notice that he was a handsome-looking man. A high-collared coat fell to his knees, accenting the tall length of his body. He looked rather sophisticated and proper with the way he sat gracefully in his chair. Even his black hair was neatly arranged, looking as if he spent hours before the mirror just to get it right. Thin, but shapely lips twitched upward, amused. It was if he sensed her scrutiny, only, his eyes were focused on his newspaper.

  Sitting forward, suddenly on edge, Hayden narrowed her eyes on him. Even from across the restaurant, she could recognize his scent of burning wood and blood. Unlike with all the humans she’d encountered before, her animalistic temper was oddly silent. From what she experienced before, the only time the creature inside of her was silent was when there was another werewolf in proximity.

  Suddenly, glacier-blue eyes looked up and ensnared Hayden’s complete and utter attention. She could only stare, never seeing eyes like that before. They were so pale, almost white in color. Uncertain, she wondered if she should be feeling awe or fear.

  With unnatural grace, he stood up. His body moved with a predator’s natural poise and there was an abnormal amount of strength encompassing him.

  “Hello, Hayden.” His aristocratic features morphed into a small, welcoming s
mile. On his left cheek, a silvery-scar was prominent. “I couldn’t help but to follow your scent here. They told me you smelled incredible, but I hadn’t realized you could smell so divine.”

  He was laying it on thick with the condescending and sickly-sweet compliments. Yet, Hayden was intrigued despite her better judgment. There was something that kept her stationary in her seat, the same type of enthrall that kept her motionless with Tracer. This man’s influence seemed to suffocate her, urging Hayden to show him obedience.

  But that should be impossible, shouldn’t it? Gregory explained only a Sire had this kind of power, and this man wasn’t her Sire.

  “Who are you?” Hayden asked, pleased to find that her mouth was working properly.

  He offered a lopsided grin before sitting down next to her, invading her personal space. “Many people would address me as ‘My Alpha’, which I prefer, but others know me as Nicolas, the Alpha of the rogues.” He inclined his head in graceful greeting.

  He took advantage of Hayden’s surprised silence. “Forgive my forwardness,” Nicolas continued smoothly, “but I’m sure you are familiar with Tracer, your Sire. He has piqued my interest in regards to your presence. Females are such a rarity, especially ones that have survived the initial change.”

  Hayden really didn’t know what she felt. There was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions to consider. Understandably, there was the sudden spike of fear, of sitting face-to-face with the Alpha of the rogue werewolves. Rationally, the sooner Hayden left the restaurant, the better.

  However, she was also captivated and perplexed. When she had pictured Nicolas, she had imagined he would resemble Tracer: dirty, greasy, and unruly. Yet, the rogue Alpha was formal and almost aristocratic. He acted like a gentleman, but Hayden wasn’t blind enough to overlook the danger and the cruelty lurking beneath those eyes.

  She also wondered if all the Alphas carried such an influencing aura. It took all of her courage to look at him in the eye, but the effort made her knees weak. It was a good thing she was sitting, or she would have made a further idiot out of herself.

  “Tracer might have mentioned something like that,” Hayden found herself responding, strangely firm and resilient. “Personally, I don’t see it as anything to be proud of, especially if it attracts unwanted attention.” Here, she looked at him pointedly.

  He smiled. His eyes then ran the length of Hayden’s neck, yet he made no physical move to get closer or attack. “You are still young and naïve not to fully understand your importance. While rare, there are females available, but your scent is… wild, untamable.” Nicolas breathed deeply, his eyes never wavering from her face. “Your wolf has a scent about her that is appropriate for a prospective female Alpha. And a scent like that is only suitable for the strongest male Alpha to claim as his mate.”

  Hayden did her best to remain unaffected at his boldness. Clearly, the werewolf community didn’t practice courting and getting to know their life partner before ‘tying the knot’. In this case, instead of husband and wife, it was primitively labeled as a mate.

  “Is that really?” Hayden remained unmoved outwardly, but she was slowly beginning to slide from her chair. She stopped abruptly when she noticed the expression Nicolas wore.

  He had a look about him, the kind of look someone would give to appease a weaker opponent. He knew Hayden was slowly moving off her chair, but he wouldn’t do anything about it until she made the final move. He was lying in the weeds, waiting, watching.

  “I’m only surprised Cole hasn’t claimed you as of yet. Tracer tells me Cole has his eye on you as well.” Nicolas raised his eyebrows. “I tend to enjoy a direct competition with him. Seeing as he has yet to make a move, I imagine I should be the one to act first. It is a pity, though. I would have liked to court you properly before claiming you.”

  Somewhere, somehow, Nicolas’ interest in Hayden was no longer about her, but about his feud with Cole. She could sense in it in the way he talked about the other Alpha. For him, it was a constant battle to see who would come out on top. Unfortunately, she was a chess piece in a game between Nicolas and Cole, two players who only saw each other and not the innocent bystanders they walked over to obtain their goals.

  She wondered what Nicolas’ reaction would be if he found out that Cole didn’t intended to claim her, but was rather shipping her off to another pack in Minnesota. He probably wouldn’t even be here, following her in hopes of claiming her, a mere pawn, before Cole had the chance.

  No matter, Hayden was smart enough to know when she needed to retreat, and it was a good enough time as any. She thought she was quick in her escape, but apparently, Nicolas was quicker.

  As soon as she made a move to lunge out of her chair, his hand caught her throat and curled firmly around it. With strength that would surpass any human, he had Hayden sitting back down on her chair. Stubbornly, Hayden lashed out at him with her hands, hoping to catch him across his unguarded face.

  After the bite in Montana, Hayden’s body experienced changes, but she was beginning to suspect that the transition was incomplete, simply because Nicolas was in a whole other league than her. He was quicker and so much stronger.

  As he moved his hands to intercept her fists, Hayden could barely make out his movement. Within seconds, he had her pinned more firmly against the chair. He leaned in, his breath ghosting across her exposed throat.

  Chuckling breathlessly, Nicolas’ elongated canines embedded into her neck. Powerful shockwaves grated her nerves and Hayden gave a cry, halfway between a growl and shout. His arms, so strong, held her elbows at her sides, making certain she wouldn’t struggle.

  Just as Hayden brought up her knee to catch him in the groin, Nicolas was already leaning away. His canines were out of her neck, but he left behind the feelings of violation and defilement. Blood dripped down her neck and pooled near her collarbone, the only evidence of what had just happened.

  Cupping the wound, and trying to stop the blood flow, Hayden stared at him in surprise and confusion. Shakily, she stood from her chair, guarded and cautious just in case he decided to lunge at her again. However, Nicolas only watched her, licking his lower lip and seemingly unfazed at her slowly retreating form.

  An amused smirk curled the man’s lips. “I’ll give you a head start,” he said smugly as if this were all a game to him.

  His gaze bypassed a motionless Hayden and landed on an even stiller Gregory, who had just emerged from the restrooms. “You have a human in tow, after all. I’m all about fairness, my dear.” His pale eyes turned back to her. The pupils suddenly dilated and the wolf was peering out of the human’s body. “Your time starts now.”

  Those eyes were enough to shake Hayden from her stupor. She pushed away from the table and rushed toward the exit, leaving her things behind. She didn’t even wait to see if Greg was following, his loud footsteps were answer enough.

  “Who was that?” Gregory cried, running after Hayden as they escaped the restaurant. Outside, the dark clouds began releasing a light drizzle. “Why did you let him bite you?”

  Hayden whirled around, highly insulted. “I didn’t let him bite me!” she exclaimed fiercely. “That was Nicolas. No matter how much I struggled, he was stronger. I couldn’t do anything.”

  She added the last part quietly, doubtfully. His restraining hands on her arms had been unendurable, she hadn’t been able to shake off his hold, or even move an inch. Her arms were still tingling, the memory of his touch burning her skin.

  Gregory stooped abruptly on the sidewalk. “Nicolas?” The whites of his eyes showed, like that of a frightened horse. He looked over his shoulder at the restaurant and huddled closer to Hayden. “Tracer must have sent word to Nicolas that you were under Cole’s protection. He saw it as a threat and decided to come here.” The boy’s eyes then fell on Hayden’s hand that covered the bleeding mark. “Naturally, he came to hunt you down. But why would he let you get away like that?”

  Dropping her hand from her neck, Hayden began quickening h
er pace with Gregory hot on her heels. Craning her neck around, Hayden tried to scope out Nicolas. The rogue Alpha had yet to exit the restaurant.

  “It’s all a game to him,” she replied unhappily. “He knows we won’t be able to hide from him, not when he can sniff out our trail. But he gets enjoyment out of hunting us down.” It was a predator’s simple pleasure. The hunt was almost as satisfying as the victory.

  “I don’t suppose you have any money for a taxi?” He turned out his empty pockets. “I spent all of mine on the subs.”

  Seeing Hayden’s crestfallen expression as a negative answer, Gregory pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number with trembling fingers. Hayden divided her attention between watching her companion and searching the nooks and crannies they passed by.

  Several scenarios were running through her mind, aiding her with anything that would help their current situation. They could enter a public store or business, to seek protection in front of the many witnesses, but she quickly eliminated that option.

  Not only could Nicolas follow their scents, but Hayden also had her suspicions that the rogue Alpha wouldn’t care about causing a scene in public. She didn’t have any guarantees that he wouldn’t hurt innocent bystanders just to get to her, and that included Gregory.

  “Blake,” Greg addressed weakly in his phone. His tongue moistened his cracked lips in agitation. “Nicolas is here in New York and he’s on our trail. We’re heading toward the main road that leads to our apartment.”

  From Hayden’s position, she could clearly see the unshed tears in Gregory’s eyes. He kept the fear and the desperation out of his voice, but there was an obvious tick to his jaw, indication of his mental strain. She felt immensely guilty for putting him in this position. He’d done so much for her this far, and now he was in danger because of it.

  “Leave without her, Greg. She’s not worth your life.”