Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (11 page)

Cole’s persona morphed into the cold man Hayden remembered back in New York.

“What is it?” he growled.

Blake inched closer to Hayden, a solid bookend to her unprotected side. “Those are two of the four Alphas who live in town,” the beta whispered into her ear. His amber gaze watched the two men cautiously. “Most of the Alphas want to appear superior to Cole because of their age differences. Cole is just twenty-five, a mere pup in the eyes of the Alphas. They don’t think someone as young as Cole can lead efficiently. They’re constantly breathing down his neck, offering
helpful
advice.” 

Thankful for Blake’s explanation, Hayden could now understand their unfriendly, assessing eyes as they looked at Cole. Apparently, Hayden wasn’t the only one who experienced discrimination. For all his superiority, even Cole had to carry the burden of constant judgment.

“But…” Blake began casually as his voice raised a few octaves. “They are more than aware of the fact that Cole could beat the shit out of them if he wanted.” The beta chuckled lowly, truly tickled at the thought.

Smiling, Hayden wondered who the Alpha was before Cole took the position, and how long ago his predecessor stepped down. According to Addie, Hayden was the first werewolf Cole took in, and Blake just mentioned that Cole was only twenty-five.

“We request an audience with you and your new pup.” A handsome black man with blue eyes was the first to speak up. Like Cole, he was able to command proper attention when speaking.

“All in due time, Falco,” Cole replied, brushing him off nonchalantly. “We need to settle down before we attend pack matters.” He nudged Hayden behind him, closer to
Devan
.

At the other woman’s close proximity, Hayden flinched. Clearly, Devan shared the same opinion as Hayden did, for she hissed threateningly at her. The well-known rage Hayden felt around humans curled sadistically in her chest in response to
Devan’s
warning. She had the uncontrollable urge to attack Devan as she had attacked the redheaded rogue back in New York. 

Easily sensing the impending attack, Cole reached behind him and hooked his fingers in the back of Hayden’s shirt. Keeping his eyes trained on the two werewolves near his territory line, Cole cleanly tugged Hayden away from Devan.

“I’m afraid waiting is not an option,” the silver-haired Alpha warned. He gave Hayden a pointed look over Cole’s shoulder, his grey eyes contemptuous at her attempted lunge. “We will allow you an hour until we meet at
The Lounge
.” With one last condescending glare, he turned his heel and left. 

Hayden watched the two men retreat, feeling as if she had ruined her chances at impressing the other Alphas. With a sardonic sniff, Hayden blinked guiltily up at Cole. The Alpha peered down at her, looking anything but impressed.

“Are you satisfied, Devan? I thought you had better control than that.” Cole regarded the female Alpha over Hayden’s head. He then unclenched Hayden’s shirt and he began walking toward the house. “We will eat before meeting the others.”

Hayden blinked, disgusted when she suddenly felt the rush of vulnerability at Cole’s absence. Her expression hardened as she followed the rest of the pack up the yard. She was afraid that she was beginning to rely and depend on Cole. She didn’t need him to always stand and fight her battles.

Lifting her chin, Hayden entered the house that she would learn to call her home. At least until she learned enough self-control to move back to New York. 

_______________

To Hayden’s surprise, she found herself standing outside a quaint tavern. Cole stood before her, his face creased in concentration as he tightened the scarf clumsily around her neck. This
time, Hayden wasn’t using the scarf as a barrier between humans and her teeth, but a barrier between the Alphas’ eyes and the mating mark Nicolas left behind on her neck.

During dinner, Cole hadn’t thought it necessary to mention Hayden’s
union
with Nicolas. She knew, undoubtedly, that only bad things could come out of his silence on the topic. With the exception of Blake and Cole, Hayden felt most comfortable around Addie and Fergus. She didn’t want to lose their support once they learned about the mark. Both of them were extremely welcoming and had done everything in their power to make Hayden feel more at ease.

True to Blake’s word, Addie’s cooking had been exceptionally delicious. Cole’s grandmother had also kept conversation going during dinner, asking questions about Hayden and making the transition a little bit easier. All the other members were silent, almost a brooding quiet. Something told Hayden that the silence wasn’t just about her presence, but a regular occurrence.

“It’s a good thing you brought the scarf,” Blake muttered as he looked around the corner of the alley. “Considering Cole probably won’t clue you in, I might as well warn you about being in the company of Alphas, Hayden. Don’t speak unless spoken to, don’t make eye contact with the Alphas or the betas. They don’t take kindly to challenge, especially a newborn.”

Hayden’s eyebrow twitched at the primeval traditions. “And when am I supposed to kneel on the ground? After I kiss their hands or before I lick their feet?” she asked dryly.

Cole offered her an exasperated stare before turning away from his sloppy attempt at tying the scarf. Since the episode involving the two Alphas occurred, Cole had grown more distant, resembling the brooding man back in New York. He also seemed to avoid touching her unless it was necessary. It was perplexing,
he
was perplexing, but she wasn’t complaining. The distance would help her find her own footing.

“Ready?” Blake raised his eyebrows at Cole, offering Hayden a tight grin.

Walking leisurely behind the two males, Hayden approached the bar’s entrance.
The Lounge
smelt strongly of werewolves, the scent of human oddly absent. She wondered if werewolves were the only ones inhabiting this town, but then Hayden remembered smelling the tantalizing scent of
humans as they passed the other shops. Perhaps the bar was only open to a select group of people, all who happened to be werewolves.

Cole entered the tavern first, his shoulders rigid. Blake followed closely behind, making sure he kept Hayden within reach. Ignoring his protective hovering, Hayden studied the bar, surprised at the contemporary and elegant design.

The layout of
The Lounge
was impressive. Deep stairs descended into a restaurant-like area, which was equipped with an open floor used for dancing. An expansive bar with stools, and a few plush chairs furnished the main level. There were various liquor bottles decorating the wall behind the serving bar, their vibrant colors varying across the shelf.

The bar appeared to be empty, but her senses told her they weren’t alone. Adjusting her eyes further, she spied the werewolves gathered in the dark corner. One Alpha sat on a bar stool with another man, possibly his beta, standing at his shoulder. Another two Alphas were near the tables, appearing to have brought their second-in-command as well. All of their postures appeared relaxed, yet she noticed they carried the same tension in their torsos as Cole did. 

The silver-haired Alpha stood up. “It’s nice to see you on time, Cole,” he greeted cynically.

His age, like every other werewolf, was unpredictable, appearing no older than
thirty
. Even if his hair was silver, it looked natural as it hung past his shoulders. There were no wrinkles, not even a single blemish on his skin.

“Adolf,” Cole greeted with his voice just as spurious. 

Adolf
?!
The man’s name obviously set him past sixty, possibly seventy.

“And Blake, I see you are still Cole’s beta.” The fake smile upon Adolf’s mouth faltered as he considered Blake. “A pack with such valuable resources shouldn’t be entrusted with an incapable beta. You may want to reconsider your second-in-command, Cole.” 

In response to the taunting, Blake’s fists clenched at his sides, but he remained silent.

Hayden sneered deeply at the Alpha, irked at his patronizing tone. Stiffening, she braced herself as the man’s grey eyes skimmed over to her. Blake had warned her not to challenge an
Alpha’s stare, but she couldn’t help herself from meeting his gaze straight on. She didn’t take submission very easily, especially to men like him.

Before Adolf had the chance to realize Hayden’s challenge, Cole stepped in front of her, cutting off a future dispute. “The issue at hand,” Cole reminded the Alpha. “I did not come here for a social gathering.”

“Then why don’t you step aside and show us your new pack member, Cole? Who is she?” A new voice announced its presence, obviously trying to steer the conversation in a new angle.

Peeking over Cole’s side, Hayden watched an unfamiliar man with shoulder-length blond hair step forward. His brown eyes looked kind, yet hard. At his shoulder, a younger man stood, obviously his beta.

The younger werewolf had a similar appearance to the Alpha in front of him, and yet, he looked incredibly different from all the other men in the room. He had messy blond hair and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief. He met Hayden’s stare and a dimpled-grin crossed his mouth.

Blinking, Hayden suddenly found herself out of Cole’s shadow.

“This is Hayden,” Cole introduced curtly. “Hayden, you’ve already met Adolf.” He nodded to the silver-haired man. “Eric.” He motioned toward the blonde-haired man.
“And Falco.”

The black-skinned Alpha, who was sitting a distance away, assessed Hayden closely with a deep frown. He tapped the tabletop with a slow rhythmic beat, hardly appearing as outspoken or worked up as Adolf.

Cole didn’t seem inclined to introduce the betas, especially the eager
blond
at Eric’s shoulder. Instead, he steered Hayden over to a chair, forcing her to sit as he loomed behind her in a shielding manner. Blake was quick to lean against the bar next to her, appearing nonchalant, yet alert.

“As much as I enjoy the pointless introductions, we brought you here to discuss
her
living arrangements.” Adolf motioned toward Hayden with a flippant hand,
as if she were a mere
burden.
“We believe you are too young and inexperienced to take on a female, especially a female like this.”

“Oh?” Cole grinned mischievously. “And what do you propose? If I remember correctly, you don’t have any unmated females in your pack, Adolf.
And
you, Eric. Will you try to convince me you need a female to keep balance to all the packs?”

Falco sighed listlessly before standing gracefully from his stool. He began to advance closer to Hayden, his blue eyes sharp and evaluating. “No Cole,” the man denied as he came to a stop next to her. He ignored Blake and Cole as they shifted warningly. “We wouldn’t want a female in our pack
who
is tainted by Nicolas’ rogues.”

Cole bared his teeth, the hands on Hayden’s chair curling. “You’ve taken in newborns that were
Sired
by rogues before. What could possibly make Hayden any different?”

Eric, the blond-haired Alpha, sat down a few chairs away. He assessed the trio of defensive werewolves and shook his head. “Are you trying to fool us, Cole?” he asked. There was true disappointment in his tone, absolutely no scorn present on his face.

Adolf threw his head back in exasperation while laughing mockingly. “Of course he’s trying to fool us! He’s young and foolish if he thinks we would be so ignorant.”

“Why don’t you take off her scarf, Cole?” Falco grinned, suddenly crouching down on his haunches a few inches away from Hayden. His blue eyes taunted her and the smile on his face was far from pleasant. “What are you hiding underneath it, pup?”

Her back stiffened as she felt a rush of adrenaline race through her veins. Something was telling her to be on guard, and just as quickly as the thought came, Falco lunged. Out of instinct and a sense of defense, Hayden met his attack with her nails. He was able to get her scarf loose before her strike sent him off course. Her claws ripped through the skin on his cheek, effectively warning him away.

With his head averted to the side, Falco exhaled before turning back around, snarling in her face. His glare was animalistic and she knew he would attack again.
But
before he had the chance, Cole reached forward, intercepting Falco roughly around the collar. 

Yanking the other Alpha by the collar, Cole thrust his face close to Falco. “Never lay a hand on her again,
ever.
” It looked as if Cole would bite the other man’s face off with the way his teeth were exposed. Even his arm muscles were flexing, appearing larger than normal.

Adolf tsked disapprovingly, forcing his way between the two snarling men.
“Careful, Cole.
We didn’t intend to start a fight. We were only insulted that you think you could hide Nicolas’ mating mark.”

Blake reached over Hayden’s frozen form and placed a hand on Cole’s shoulder, effectively snapping the Alpha out of his rage. The black-haired Alpha growled lowly, pushing Falco away from him. As Falco regained his footing, Hayden noticed the scratches across his cheek were already beginning to heal. It seemed so unreal to her.