Un.Requited (Claimed Series) Read online

  Hayden pulled her attention away, reluctantly impressed at their speed and brute strength, but acknowledging that now was a good enough time as any to escape. Everyone was occupied, engrossed in their own conflict. Further ahead, Greg’s brother was engaged in his own fight with Tracer, too distracted to stop Hayden, let alone realize she was leaving.

  Her shoes splashed in the puddles as she backed away uncertainly, her pulse racing at the taste of freedom. She had to run home to get money, to get clothes, and then she would have the whole world to choose where to relocate. Nicolas may have a good nose, but even he wouldn’t be able to track her scent if she disappeared onto a plane or in a car.

  Exhaling, Hayden turned her heel and ran past the male werewolves. Brushing her damp hair away from her face, she turned around the corner, only to come to an unnatural stop when she heard a muffled scream. Hayden hesitated, slowly peering over the corner and immediately spying Gregory in dire need of help.

  A redheaded rogue was straddling the human, gripping the boy’s face with unnaturally sharp nails. Underneath Gregory, the puddles began turning murky red with blood, indication that something a lot more vital was injured. The human was breathing raggedly, whimpering as the claws pierced his jaw and cheeks. With disregard to the pain he was causing Gregory, the rogue leaned forward and eagerly licked the bleeding wounds.

  Hayden clutched the corner of the building, indecision tugging at her. With the others so preoccupied, now was the only time to get away. But then she remembered all the things Gregory had done for her. Thinking back to all the sacrifices he had made for her, running away suddenly didn’t seem so honorable.

  Staring, she could only watch in morbid fascination as the rogue continued to assault Gregory, treating him as a mere toy. As Gregory groaned painfully, the boy turned his head to the side, locking eyes with Hayden. There was no animosity in those eyes as he stared at her shell-shocked form. There was nothing but reluctant acceptance, as if he understood Hayden’s decision to run.

  His purity cruelly ate at her resolve.

  Making up her mind, Hayden pushed off from the building and charged at the crouching rogue. With the redhead distracted, Hayden was able to come up on him undetected. Gleefully, she lunged, tackling the rogue to the ground and wrapping her hands around the werewolf’s neck, squeezing tightly.

  They landed awkwardly on the wet pavement, both tangled ungracefully around the other. The rogue blinked at Hayden in surprise before narrowing his gaze in delight.

  Knowing she needed to act quickly, Hayden removed her hands from the rogue’s neck and brought her fist back. She intended to mimic what Cole had done earlier, by knocking her opponent unconscious with a fist to the temple. Unfortunately, the rogue had more heightened senses than she did.

  “I don’t think so, little bitch,” the rogue spat. He easily caught her fist with his palm. With a growl, the redhead placed his foot on her stomach and pushed.

  It was such a simple, but powerful attack. The world spun as Hayden soared through the air, landing heavily in a deep puddle. She gasped, inhaling as much oxygen as she could into her shocked lungs. Immediately rolling on her hands and knees, Hayden blinked the water from her eyes and stared uncomprehendingly at the oncoming traffic headed her way.

  Snapping herself out of her disbelief, she rolled on her side, avoiding a car’s tire only by a few inches. The spray from the wheels spit at her, hardly doing any damage to her already soaked figure. She shakily got to her hands and knees again, crawling to safety. Only, the redheaded rogue wasn’t about to let her go so easily.

  The werewolf landed in a crouch in front of her, exposing his yellow teeth in an ugly leer. Snarling uncontrollably, he struck out and compressed the sides of her face with his bulky hands. Hayden grimaced as he forced her forehead uncomfortably against the wet pavement. The loose rocks and tar scraped her skin, easily cutting it.

  “Let’s see how pretty you look after a little adjustment.” The redhead cackled with glee, his hands tightening and compressing her head more firmly against the road.

  Straining her eyes, Hayden took notice of the car heading toward them. Because the rain was coming down in sheets, the driver probably wouldn’t see her so low on the ground. The rogue werewolf was truly aiming to get her head run over.

  Fleetingly, Hayden wondered if this rogue was acting on his own uncontrollable rage. If Nicolas had claimed Hayden as a mate, surely the man wouldn’t want his pack members to kill her. On the other hand, the redhead could just be aiming to main her, not kill her.

  Desperately, Hayden struggled against the rogue, her nails finding his wrists.

  “Hayden!” Gregory called out frantically, as if he could somehow contribute to the situation by shouting her name on the sidewalk.

  The closer the car came, the faster her pulse raced. Her heightening pulse and blind panic seemed to arouse the creature inside of her. As a response, she could feel her nails grow longer, heavier. Ruthlessly, Hayden shredded the skin on the rogue’s wrists, relieved to hear the redhead’s high-pitched howl.

  She had no time to inspect the damaged she inflicted on the rogue, as the car was only inches away. Scrambling up, Hayden gathered what little confidence she had and jumped. Her feet hit the hood of the car with a resounding thump, probably scaring the driver more than it did her.

  Her relief was short-lived, however, as the driver swerved abruptly. With the heavy rain, and her lack of talent, Hayden slid off the hood of the car and landed painfully on the pavement below. If she were still human, the fall would have done her more damage than it had.

  Breathing unevenly, Hayden flinched when the redhead sprang at her again. “Don’t you die?” she demanded furiously.

  “We’re immortal, sweetheart,” he crooned sardonically as he brought back his fist. Before it could make contact with her face, a heavy palm cupped the redhead’s oncoming punch.

  “Sadly, we aren’t immune to pain, are we?” Cole whispered in the redhead’s ear. The rain drenched his shirt, easily defining the muscles in his arm as he held back the rogue’s fist.

  Mercilessly, Cole twisted the man’s arm with a sharp, jerking motion. A loud crack filled the air as the rogue’s arm bent at an odd angle. The redhead shrieked before a fist to his stomach silenced him. Once the rogue’s body slumped to the ground, Cole stomped on the man’s face, knocking him unconscious and breaking his nose in the process.

  Dark eyes then focused on Hayden. He appeared grim and silent as he studied her, not giving much away in his expression. In Hayden’s mind, he looked focused and prepared to finish what he had started. As he stuck out a hand to her, Hayden reared away from him, thinking he was going to strike her.

  Cole frowned, his hand still offered to her fallen form. “I’m not going to kill you,” he reassured sternly. “Take my hand. Let’s go.”

  Hayden studied him closely, on edge and suspicious. “It was only minutes ago that you had a loaded gun aimed directly between my eyes,” she pointed out as she struggled to her feet.

  Over his shoulder, she regarded the empty sidewalk. Nicolas was nowhere in sight, and neither was Tracer. Gregory seemed well enough to stand upright despite his injuries, and his older brother was hovering around him protectively, acting as a crutch if necessary.

  She turned back to look at the Alpha, noticing he hadn’t taken his eyes from her. While he had an imposing air about him, it wasn’t as overwhelming as Nicolas’ was. She was able to look at him in the eye without her knees going weak, and she certainly didn’t feel restrained in her ability to move or talk back to him.

  “I had a change of heart,” he supplied flippantly. “You seem to have a good restraint on your wolf, especially for being a newborn. Your death was unwarranted.”

  Amber eyes flashed at him. “I’m glad you think so.” A lot of this mess, a lot of this trauma was a result of Cole’s inability to show a spec of humanity. Deciding someone’s fate before meeting them was unjust.

  For the first time sinc
e attacking the redheaded rogue, Cole’s eyes lifted from her face and surveyed the scene in the road. Apparently, he didn’t think Hayden’s bitter comment warranted a proper reassurance, for he reached for her waist, intending to lead her away.

  “We need to leave. We can finish this discussion later.”

  Hayden easily bypassed his outstretched hand, refusing to be led away like a helpless victim. She surveyed the damage to the road, grudgingly agreeing with Cole’s insistence of leaving. The rain had tapered down considerably and idle cars littered the busy road. A few people who had collisions were now getting out of their cars to examine the scene.

  “Cole, should we finish them off?” Up ahead, Blake motioned to the two unconscious werewolves, mindful not to move too far from his swaying brother.

  “It’s neither the time nor the place,” Cole replied behind Hayden’s shoulder.

  Cole couldn’t be more right. Killing the rogues now would prevent them from wreaking any more havoc. However, now that they had already caused a scene, committing homicide in New York probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

  Hayden considered Blake as the man placed a consoling hand on Greg’s shoulder. Besides the obvious differences, the brothers did resemble each other. Setting them apart, Blake had amber eyes, shorter hair, and he was far more muscular than his younger brother was.

  “I need to make sure Greg gets home and treated,” Blake informed. He cast a quick glance at the commotion on the street before gazing at Hayden with guarded observation. “I’ll meet you and Hayden for lunch.”

  Cole and Hayden regarded each other, the latter distrustful and the former unreadable.

  Greg took a step forward, easily demanding Hayden’s attention. The human smiled at her, his face still bloody and his eyes swollen and bruised. “Thank you. You saved my life back there.” He reached toward her, ignoring his brother as he voiced a quiet protest.

  Hayden bowed her head briefly, feeling something heavy settle in her chest when she realized that this was their goodbye. “It was the least I could do for everything you’ve done for me.” She moved closer to Greg and held her breath as she kissed his cheek. Vaguely, she was aware of both observers tensing at her proximity to the human. “Take care of yourself, Greg.”

  Separate pairs of arms pulled them apart. Hayden only had a second to look back at Greg, watching as his brother led him away. The boy was already looking back, offering a weak smile and a sincere wave before disappearing around a corner.

  “I can walk on my own,” Hayden informed crisply, upset over the situation.

  She tried to shake off the solid arm around her waist but found it unyielding. She still didn’t trust Cole and his motives. Reluctantly, she realized he could have already killed her if he wanted to. Still, she needed to avoid dark corners and isolated places with Cole until she came to terms with how things were progressing.

  “That’s nice to know,” he replied distractedly.

  His arm pulled at her impatiently, forcing her to walk faster than what was comfortable. Behind them, the sounds of livid hollers and angry outbursts from the humans followed at their heels, gradually turning fainter the further they traveled.

  ______________________

  Hayden stared at the menu, stubbornly avoiding any eye contact with the man sitting across from her. A stony silence had settled between them as soon as they left the scene of the attack. If anyone had the break the silence, it would be Cole, not her.

  The only time Cole had opened his mouth was when he dragged her to a clothing shop. He had grumbled something about getting a change of clothes and Hayden had taken the liberty of purchasing another scarf. She never knew when she would need to use it again. Even now, her fingers clutched the scarf beneath the table, the article of clothing serving as a security blanket.

  Sensing the persistent stare, Hayden gazed across the restaurant at their impatient waiter. The woman had seated them over an hour ago and had been hovering and shifting impatiently ever since. Blake still hadn’t shown up and Cole wasn’t inclined to order anything until the man got there.

  Hardly paying any courtesy to the other occupants of the restaurant, Hayden included, Cole opted to give the doorway his undivided attention. It was either to keep an eye out for Blake’s arrival or to scout for potential enemies. Hayden had a feeling it was the latter.

  “You need to look at it from my point of view.” Cole suddenly broke the hour-long silence with a growl of frustration, as if this had been a constant burden on his mind.

  “What?” she implored unintelligently, bemused at the sudden remark.

  His eyes finally looked at her. “You’re still angry at me for what happened. You need to understand the situation from my point of view.” His tone was so domineering, making it sound as if the man’s opinion was the only rational explanation.

  His biceps may be larger than her head, and he may carry an aura of control and domination, but Hayden immediately balked at his tone.

  “Gregory told me all about you,” she started coolly, catching his eyes and holding them. “He said you hated humans and you hated newborns that were Sired by rogue werewolves. What is there to understand about your point of view? You were blinded by your discrimination and chose to execute me like an animal.”

  Cole stirred, resembling the man who had faced Nicolas earlier. His eyes hardened and his hands curled into fists. “Now that is a juvenile notion and exactly why I said you needed to understand my point of view, not Gregory’s. He’s human. It’s natural for him to be afraid of me.”

  Hayden leaned forward, clutching her scarf underneath the table. Cole could certainly turn on and off his Alpha influence, making it hard for Hayden to keep her ground. “Then you’re more than welcome to explain your point of view.” She did nothing to hide the scorn in her words.

  Leaning against his chair, Cole observed Hayden stonily before a small grin stretched his lips. His fists uncurled and he seemed to relax. “Nicolas has been expanding his pack numbers. He’s smart and manipulative, not like the animals he commands.” Pausing, he waited until a group of humans walked past before continuing.

  “Until a few years ago, packs graciously took in newborns that were Sired by rogues, confident that they could tame them. Nicolas saw this as an opportunity to attack his enemies from the inside out. He used these newborns to slaughter the packs that took them in. It’s Nicolas’ goal to outnumber the traditional werewolves.”

  “Traditional werewolves?”

  “Traditional werewolves are those who live by a set of old laws and live in hierocracy pack. Those who choose not to follow the decrees are deemed rogue werewolves, or lone werewolves that aren’t qualified to have a pack under their control.”

  The man motioned toward the scars across Hayden’s neck. “You were Sired by Tracer, essentially becoming just as much as a pawn to him as you are to Nicolas. You’re a high-risk newborn and the majority of traditional werewolves would choose to execute you rather than to take the risk in housing you. Especially now, with his claim, your odds at settling in a pack are rare to none.”

  Her hand jerked underneath the table, intent to cover her neck, but she refrained from doing so. “Then why did you keep me alive?” she asked bitterly.

  He hardly blinked, giving a stare so intense she had to look away. “I already told you why I kept you alive,” he replied hoarsely. “I understand our methods are inhumane at times, but our packs are our family. We will always choose the safety of our pack over the life of a newborn.” Cole frowned when he noticed the harshness of his words. “That’s not to say I don’t value your—”

  “I understand what you’re saying,” she interrupted, refusing to hear his false consolations.

  What Cole had said had crossed her mind earlier, she just had never considered it from his perspective. If it were up to her, Hayden would never choose the life of a stranger if it meant putting her family in jeopardy. Again, she experienced the suffocating feeling of extreme isolation and so
litude. She was entirely alone now, a hazardous risk no one wanted to take a chance on.

  Before Cole had any chance to offer more empty reassurances, Hayden looked at him intensely, a stubborn tick to her jaw. “You didn’t kill me, claiming you recognized that I had more control over myself than other newborns did, but that was your opinion. Kieran may not agree with you. How do you know he will accept me into his pack? Or worse, how do you know he won’t kill me as soon as I arrive in Minnesota?”

  Cole had the audacity to look confused, with his eyebrows drawn together and his mouth pressed into a stubborn frown. “Kieran?” As soon as the question slipped from his lips, his expression cleared into one of sudden realization. “Hayden, I don’t intend to—”

  “I see you two haven’t clawed each other’s eyes out yet.” Out of nowhere, Blake popped up behind Hayden’s chair, leaning in close and offering a toothy grin. “We haven’t formally introduced each other, have we? I’m Blake Martin, Gregory’s older brother.”

  The hand he held out was twice the size of hers. Hayden stared down at the offered hand, hesitantly reaching out to shake it. As he squeezed her hand reassuringly, she could feel callouses lining the length of his fingers.

  “Hayden Grey,” she greeted in return. His contagious, easy-going presence was a welcoming change from Cole’s reserved and cold persona.

  Blake nodded toward Cole and plopped down on his chair. The piece of furniture groaned at having to support the muscular weight of its host. “I’m sure Cole forgot his manners and hasn’t introduced himself.” His amber eyes then surveyed Hayden’s outfit. “But I see he had enough decency to get you some dry clothes.”

  Cole hardly looked impressed at the man’s goading and chose to occupy himself with the menu. Taking Blake’s presence and Cole’s interest in the menu as invitation, the server all but flew from her perch and approached their table.

  Surprisingly enough, the human’s proximity didn’t affect Hayden as much as it normally did. She wondered if it had anything to do with her company of two male werewolves, or more importantly, an Alpha.