Lord of the Grrr's (53 page)

CHAPTER

4

Hayley didn’t want Cam’s hands anywhere near her throat. She managed to squirm until he released her, avoiding his eyes as she redressed and left the tiny bedroom to go to her kitchen. She’d indulged in an espresso machine from Wal-Mart over the winter. She brewed shots, grabbing ice from the freezer and dumping it in two mismatched glasses.

Morning Joe filled her trailer with its earthy sweet aroma, inspiring a craving for a fat waffle slathered in butter and strawberries. She tamped the hunger down, ignoring a familiar rumble in her stomach along with the half eaten, dry bologna sandwich drying on the counter. The cubes hissed when espresso slithered them. She added the last of her dollar store creamer, stirring it all up with a spoon handle, well aware she wouldn’t win any awards at Starbucks, and set the glasses down on the table as Cam exited the room. He'd straightened up as well- had he even taken his boots off?- and now regarded her with inscrutable green eyes as he sat.

“Hayley.”

She leaned against her counter, staring into the glass without tasting the liquid. After a moment she forced herself to take a sip; she needed the calories and couldn't afford to waste any food, besides. Maybe it would bolster her courage enough to finish the sandwich.

Hayley kind of resented his tone; it wasn’t like she was trying to keep anything from him. He was the one who’d come here and gotten all wolfy on her. If it pissed him off at this point that he was one short step from mating the drug dealer who’d put his sister in the hospital, it wasn’t Hayley’s fault. Being his mate, that was. Selling Cecily drugs was entirely Hayley's fault. The fact that Cecily was now in the hospital having overdosed, was Hayley's fault, too. Though to be fair- but who wanted to be fair?

Glancing at Cam, her mouth firmed. The illusion of mated bliss had been nice for a few minutes, but she knew it wasn’t meant to be. She was certain he loved his sister- she had never heard of the slender, troubled woman suffering any unwanted attention from the males in the pack. Her brother had bought her a house, made sure her fridge was stocked, kept an eye on her. Well, not a great eye if he continued to allow her to use, but a good enough eye considering they were both adults.

Hayley resented the woman. She had a man taking care of her, and she still turned to drugs to deal with her problems? At least her father hadn't kicked her out of the house at eighteen. At least she hadn't been born the runt of her pack. At least she didn't have to sell drugs to eat because she couldn't read or write well enough to get a decent job. Aware she was descending into nauseating self-pity, Hayley jerked her attention back up to the present.

“You don’t have the wrong trailer.”

Cam stood. Beta of the Dalig Hund pack, Hayley wasn’t sure if he meant to be intimidating or if it just came along the job and being dominant- but he was intimidating, regardless. She clutched the glass in her hands then forced herself to relax her grip. Showing fear would get her nowhere.

“You said-”

She cut him off, surprised she even had the balls to interrupt. “I know what I said. And I know what I let you think. I’m not a victim. I’m Cecily’s dealer.”

The silence. Hayley didn't meet his eyes. It would be a challenge, at this point, if she made direct eye contact. And besides, she wasn’t proud of what she did. Not ashamed, necessarily, because in an amoral kind of way she knew she had to eat, and cared more about that then the people she enabled. But she did feel bad for the families of the people who used. The families didn’t deserve to see their loved ones in such a state.

“You sell my sister drugs.”

It sounded like he was testing the words in the air, almost as if he didn't quite believe or understand.

“I’ve been dealing for awhile now. I can’t really read. There didn’t seem to be anything else to do other than whore or try to get disability.”

The sound of twisting metal startled her. She yipped and jumped as Cam’s hands reshaped her chair into a pretzel. Hayley forced her breath to slow, her flight instincts to calm.

“Why can’t you read?”

The utter neutrality of his voice… it opened so many wounds. So many memories of judgment. The quiet question in contrast to the violence of his temper towards the chair also warned her to tread carefully with this wolf.

“I’m dyslexic.”

“That’s all?”

Eyes narrowing, indignation rose in her throat as she stared at him. The lines around his eyes were white, green irises backlit with anger.

“All? What job can you get when you can’t read?”

“Cecily is in the hospital.”

“She’s a nice girl.”

Hayley winced, not knowing why she’d said something so… inane. Cecily was
not
a nice girl. The woman was a bitch. But… Hayley had always sensed there was something more than a bad attitude and lack of personal responsibility driving her issues. She snorted softly. As if she was one to get down on someone for having issues.

“You know the penalty for dealing in Rolf’s territory?”

Hayley’s shoulders hunkered, head drooping. It took a few tries to reply. “Yes.”

A finger slid under her chin, lifting her face. Cam’s expression was hard, belying the gentleness of his touch.

“Who’s your boss, Hayley?”

She wasn’t a rat. She shook her head. “No, I’m not telling you. He’ll kill me, but he’ll torture and rape me first. You’ll have to find him yourself.”

“You think I can't protect you?”

Hayley looked into his eyes. “I think Cecily is in the hospital. I think you won’t want to. And even if you do for a time, till you think you’ve caught everyone- eventually I’ll be on my own, and a bad guy will be waiting. And what then?” She shook her head. “No. I’m not saying anything.”

He drew back, hand lowering to his side. “Our reach is longer than you think, Hayley. You got something to write on?”

She opened a drawer, took out a cheap pen and old receipt. Watched as Cam scrawled some numbers.

“My cell,” he said. “In case you change your mind.” He paused, giving her a measured look. “I know you don’t trust me. You will.”

He put the slip of paper on her table, gave her once last, long look, and gathered up his jacket, closing the door quietly behind him.

Well. That was that. So much for having a mate.

She drank his abandoned iced coffee. Couldn't afford to waste it.

***

Cam’s rage drove him on the ride to Rolf’s. He’d barely managed to get out of Hayley’s trailer without breaking anything… else. He hated her, hated her family, hated the circumstances that had taken two young women with good spirits and turned them into something they never should have been- just on opposite sides of the spectrum. Cam wondered if Hayley used as well. He hadn’t seen any signs, and her place was clean. Eyes and skin clear, even though she was skinny. But it was the skinny of a shifters high metabolism not getting enough food, not that of a user.

His hands tightened on the handlebars. Too damn skinny. She needed to eat, and it looked like she wasn’t. And whether he liked her or not she was his responsibility now. Just like Cecily was his responsibility, a responsibility he’d failed. Ironic, how the two women he was failing were so closely connected. Cam pulled up in Rolf’s driveway, drawing his cell out of his pocket as he walked to the door.

“Lancelot,” he said when the bartender answered the den's phone. “Take down this address. Send a steak and all the works, alright?”

He put the cell away as Rolf opened the door, stepping aside to let him in.

“What’s the deal?” his Alpha demanded. “Your text was cryptic. As usual.”

Cam followed him to the kitchen. Not many people knew that Rolf actually cooked. The place was decked out the kind of appliances that sat inside the wall, a big counter with a deep sink in the middle- an island. Yeah.

“Where’s your mate?”

Rolf growled. “I’ll handle that, you keep your mind on your own business.”

“Yeah, well, the Beta of the Lykaon? She’s gonna be everyone’s business.” Cam paused. “Any challenges yet?”

Rolf swore, picked up a silver bowl with tiny holes in it and slammed it down. “Two already, damnit. I haven’t told her yet.”

“You gonna let her fight?”

“I have to, don’t I? If I don’t I’m setting her up for failure from the beginning.”

“I got your back man, even if your mate is a top flight bitch. What you need me to do?”

Rolf snarled at him, but there was no real anger in the sound. Truth was truth after all.

“Did you find your sister’s dealer?”

Cam shifted, suddenly… embarrassed. Damnit, he had woman issues of his own.

“Yeah. Thing is…”

Rolf’s head tilted, pale eyes glinting. “Spit it out, bro.”

“Cecily’s dealer is a girl. And it seems like… we’re mates.”

Rolf had been puttering around, pulling various implements of torture out of drawers and setting them on the counter. He paused at the polar bear sized fridge, carefully closed the door a turned around.

“What the fuck?”

Yeah. That was kinda what he’d thought, too.

Rolf just looked at him. "Are you going to handle this, Cam?"

"Yeah. I'll handle it."

CHAPTER

5

A terse recorded message informed Hayley of a pack call out that evening. She cursed the timing. She’d half convinced herself to resume her plans to leave immediately, but the side of her that entertained wishful thinking wanted to stick around in case Cam decided to come back.

After he left it was as if her body began to protest his absence. Her legs wouldn’t stay still, her fingers itching to move. Her pussy clenched and unclenched and flushes of heat came over her in waves. She wondered if it was just the unfulfilled bonding making itself known, and grimly gritted her teeth, enduring the uncomfortable physical sensations.

A curious delivery teen brought her a takeout tray of food with a menu attached. The menu was emblazoned with the Alpha’s Den logo. Hayley knew it had to have been Cam who’d sent the food. A prime cut of steak, baked potato with all the fixings and a side salad. A separate container with a hearty slice of cheesecake. The kind of meal she hadn’t seen in… a long time. And couldn’t afford. Last time she’d scratched her numbers in a notebook, her daily food budget was somewhere around the cost of a Happy Meal. Well below the cost of this meal. Hayley didn’t know whether it was a gesture of thanks to pay her for sex- or if it was sign he was trying to take care of her despite their… issues.

She ate every last drop, texted a quick thanks to the number Cam had left and spent a few minutes dithering about what she should do. If she missed the gathering, Oscar might notice. That would tip him off. On the other hand, if she left now, she would have the whole night while everyone was guaranteed to be distracted- plus the morning after- to make a getaway. She’d mostly be on foot. A bus ticket would wipe out her bill money for two weeks, but since she wouldn’t have any bills…

Hayley didn’t know what she would do, though, after she ran. Besides finding another territory and maybe begging the Alpha not to kill her- what was her plan after that? She would still have a hard time getting a job, plus she would be a new, unprotected wolf. She supposed she could find a shelter for human women, claiming an abusive ex. Not a bad idea actually. She’d get a bed, food, and maybe help finding resources to get her on her feet.

Deciding to go to the gathering since she would need more time to research possible women’s shelters, Hayley quickly showered off Cam’s scent and changed into a set of fresh clothing. She turned the water as cold as it would go, hoping to calm her strained and jumpy nerve endings.

The sun was setting by the time she hitched a ride with a neighbor woman. Shifting to wolf was out of the question, it would leave her too tired for the pack run. Luckily the woman was the nonjudgmental type and turned a blind eye to Hayley’s activities- but then, she had three kids of her own to support and the anonymous cash Hayley left on her doorstep every once in a while helped. Cash which would have gone a long way in Hayley’s own stomach, but she knew the woman had refused to go on food stamps, and her silence regarding Hayley's unusual visitors was invaluable.

She stayed on the outskirts of the gathering as usual, especially now that her temper was uncertain, scanning the silent crowd for her family. She spotted her father and one of her unmated sisters, certain they already knew where she was and were deliberately avoiding her. It hurt, but she had to learn to harden her heart.

Forcing herself to abandon thoughts of them, she focused her attention on the empty circle. Well, not quite empty. A tall, voluptuous woman stood just outside the boundaries of the challenge center, long dark hair moving in the breeze. Expression frozen, dark eyes pinned someone on the opposite side of her. Hayley watched curiously when the woman’s stance shifted, full mouth tightening as if in preparation for a fight.

Hayley sidled up to a pack mate. “Who’s the woman?” She didn’t bother to whisper- shifter ears heard everything.

The man glanced at her impatiently. “That’s Andraste. She’s been challenged.”

Hayley’s eyes widened. Andraste? Wasn’t that the Lykaon Beta? Hayley wasn’t much to keep up with pack politics, but even she knew that the woman shouldn’t be on Dalig Hund territory unless she was spoiling for a fight. The man started to turn away and then stopped, nostrils flaring. He turned back towards her.

“Hey, you smell like-”

Hayley backed away quickly, not liking the glaze in the man’s eyes. What the hell? Could they
smell
that she was not a virgin anymore? Or was it the half bond making itself known? She hadn’t known that was possible, not that her parents had bothered to give her much of an education. She weaved between several pack members, now alert to any odd behavior, and tried to stay out of sight. She wasn’t followed, so whatever scent he’d gotten from her evidently wasn’t strong enough for him to pursue her. She relaxed a little, but not much.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Oscar said in her ear.

Hayley tensed. He was the very last person she wanted to see.

“It’s a call out, and I’m pack,” she replied.

“Barely pack.” He moved up to her side, watching Andraste. “You get any work done, babe?”

“It’s been, like, not even a day-”

“Time’s wasting.” He turned his head, gave her an unfriendly look. “Makes me think you really do want a visit from the boys and me. Maybe this is your way of asking-” He stopped, turned fully to face her, eyes widening nostrils flaring. “What the fuck? You smell like one hot bitch.”

Her temper spiked. “You know, I’m really sick of the nasty way you talk to me. Just because-”

He grabbed her arm, dragging her several feet away from the pack. “You aren’t in a position to be sick of anything.”  He managed to hiss, a neat trick for a wolf. In the background, Hayley heard Cam’s voice and began turning instinctively when Oscar yanked her back around.

“Pay attention to me!”

“Are you stupid?” she asked angrily. “The challenge is starting.”

He hit her, a sudden crack to the face she hadn’t seen coming, especially since they were in public. The force of the blow snapped her head back. Hayley stood, stunned, holding her face and knowing no one would help her. Oscar’s wolf pressed down on her, demanding her obedience. The thing was, despite the fact that he was supposed to be more dominant than her, she’d never felt a particular need to submit to him, other than the need for self preservation and the fact that he provided her with a way to make a living.

Hayley hardly realized when her hand balled into a fist and struck out, crunching into Oscar’s nose with a satisfying thunk. He cursed, clutching his nose and taking a quick step back before he jerked to a halt. Fury rose in her, matching the anger in the glare directed at her. An unfamiliar courage rattled in her veins, demanding she stand up for herself for once, damnit. She might be the runt of the litter, but she didn’t have to be a pathetic doormat.

“If you ever hit me again-”

“Is there a problem here?”

Oh, God. The absolute
last
voice she wanted to hear right now. Maybe other girls would have wanted their… mates… to come to the rescue, but Hayley knew Cam wasn’t a sure thing, and his interference now would only make the situation worse.

Hayley turned to face the Beta, placing herself in front of Oscar. The muscles in her stomach tensed, a phantom cock pulsing in her pussy. She inhaled, forcing her hands to still at her sides. A flush of heat trolled through her body starting at the toes and working its way to tips of her ears, warming her body with an almost compulsive need. For a moment Cam’s eyes caught hers, the sides of her vision darkening and the sounds of the pack, the muffled thuds of the two in the challenge circle dimming until it was just her and the Beta. The urge to wrap herself around him was so strong she took a step back, placing herself nearly into Oscar’s metaphorically waiting arms.

“No problem,” she said.

Cam stared at her, measuring the flatness of her reply, gaze reaching over her shoulder to narrow in on Oscar. Something… unfriendly… traveled over his usually easy going face. He shifted, shoulders moving, before he stilled and Hayley thought maybe she had imagined the brief sense of danger.

“No problem, Cam,” Oscar echoed behind her, voice muffled. Satisfaction flared then died, shriveling along with her momentary insanity called courage. He would pay her back later. “Hayley and I were just discussing some business. Sorry about the noise.”

“You want to tell me why your discussion involved a fist fight?”

Oscar had no ready response for that, Hayley noticed. If she wasn’t busy cussing over Oscar’s stupidity, she might have been amused. Business? Of course the imbecile had no way of knowing that Cam had paid her a visit, but the dealer’s choice of words could have been a bit more discreet. Now Cam would have a direction to look towards- and Hayley would be blamed for the attention. It made getting out of Dodge even more imperative.

“No answers, huh? Guess I’ll leave you two at it, then. Keep the noise down. Hayley, I want to talk to you later. Stick around after the gathering.”

She felt Oscar’s presence at her back as Cam walked away. A hand squeezed her shoulder.

“That’s what I smell. You fucked him.”

Hayley shook off his hand. “None of your business.”

He laughed softly. “You stupid bitch. Of all the wolf’s to spread your legs for. I should beat your fucking ass. You keep your mouth shut and don’t piss him off until he’s done with you, you hear me? He’s too close to the Alpha. Don’t need that kind of attention.”

“Maybe you should think about that the next time you hit me,” she retorted.

“I’ll be checking up on you, Hayley,” he replied, walking away.