Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (12 page)

Cole prowled closer to Hayden’s chair, keeping his eyes zeroed in on Falco’s form. “It makes me curious, Falco. Just who are your contacts? How did you know about the mark?” he asked sinisterly.

Falco grinned in response, not at all affected by Cole’s suspicions. “Word travels fast. Does it really matter who I found out from, Cole? This bitch is carrying Nicolas’ mark. She is not allowed to stay in this community, in
our
community.”

Clenching her jaw against the insult, Hayden unraveled the scarf around her neck. As the flimsy accessory dropped from her throat and on to the floor, she felt a strange calm wash over her as their eyes sought the mark on her skin.

They treated her like some feral animal. Why humor them by keeping the scarf around her throat? Keeping it on would show them that she felt ashamed of herself, and that wasn’t true. She didn’t take the mark on her throat seriously, and they shouldn’t either. It didn’t define her.

She lifted her chin, challenging any of them who met her gaze.

Across from the commotion, the blond Alpha, Eric, leaned his chin on his open palm, regarding Hayden. There was no prejudice in his stare, only open curiosity. “I think I like you,” he said quietly, but loud enough to stop the chaos. “It’s obvious that she didn’t consent to Nicolas’ claiming.”

Adolf tossed his hand in annoyance. “It isn’t a
matter
of consent or no consent. What matters is that we can’t house a piece of Nicolas’ property in our town.”

Piece of property?

Hayden made a move to stand up, enraged at the offensive degradation. Blake was quick to crouch down next to her, laying a restraining hand around her arm. He hovered near her, both as protection and as a warning to keep her temper in check.

Cole paced in front of Hayden’s chair, keeping his face clear of any expression. “Hayden is in my pack, and as such, she’ll be staying in this town. If you have a problem with it, you can simply relocate your own pack.”

“There is always an alternative,” Adolf all but purred. “It’s simple, really. Just kill her. Deny Nicolas of his mate and make our community hazard-free.”

That snapped Cole out of his cool indifference. The Alpha’s muscles expanded again and his fisted nails began to lengthen. A deep growl resonated through his chest, a clear response to Adolf’s suggestion.

Quite frankly
, Hayden was taken aback at Cole’s fervent defense of her. Apparently, when Cole made up his mind to accept a member in his pack, he defended them with all his might. He
had
said that his pack was his family; Hayden just hadn’t believed he would treat her as such for quite some time. Whatever his reasons, she was extremely grateful of his protection.

“I think you’re all overreacting,” Eric interrupted, standing up. “You’re afraid Hayden’s presence will attract Nicolas and his rogues to our town, Adolf.
But
Nicolas is already interested in our territory. Throwing Hayden out of Albertville will make no difference whatsoever.”

Even after knowing about the mark on her throat, the blond Alpha was sticking up for her. Hayden hadn’t known him for very long, even a shorter time than she knew Cole, but she had to respect him. He seemed to be the only one who didn’t look down at Cole for his age, and he didn’t immediately cast her away because of her supposed mate.

“My father is correct.” The messy-haired beta stepped forward, a crooked grin on his boyish features. His eyes danced across Hayden before looking imploringly at Adolf and Falco. “I say we keep out of Cole’s business. It’s his pack, his risk.”

Adolf looked aghast at the alternative voice. Falco, on the other hand, looked almost bored as he sat down on a stool. His silent beta appeared just as excited to be there as his Alpha. Lounging against the nearby bar, the unnamed beta eyed the alcoho
l with serious consideration.

“If that’s all?”
Cole placed a hand on Hayden’s shoulder, a cue to leave.

She stood up quickly, almost knocking her chair down in her haste to leave.

“We’ll be keeping an eye on both of you,” Adolf threatened as the three turned their backs. “Any
sign
of trouble and we’ll run you out of town.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Blake muttered spitefully, slamming the door shut after him. 

Hayden allowed only a second to pass before grinning tightly. “What a happy bunch,” she commented sarcastically.

“Be respectful,” Cole was quick to warn, yet Hayden saw the tension leave his mouth.

“They aren’t exactly respectful of anyone but themselves,” she challenged darkly.

Cole gave her a disproving stare while Blake tried to withhold his grin. Hayden blinked ingenuously up at Cole and the Alpha shook his head, continuing down the sidewalk.

She remained silent as they walked back home. She had a hunch that Blake and Cole wanted to converse, but her presence was putting a stopper on that. Despite trying to look at things positively, she still felt unwelcomed. She was a mere intruder on the lives of the pack and the lives of the resident werewolves. Even when she was a creature like those around her, she was still somehow different—too different to feel like she belonged. 

Addie had been more than happy to show Hayden her new room. She took great care in explaining the benefits to her new bedroom, including her own bathroom and a good view of the sunset. She also made sure to slip in the fact that Hayden’s new room used to be Cole’s old bedroom before he became Alpha.

Three hours later, and not a wink of sleep accomplished, all Hayden could do was smell
him
and his scent of frost and earth. Her bloodshot eyes stared unseeingly at the clock, watching as the bright numbers turned to 1:50.

She could try to convince herself that she wasn’t able to fall asleep because the other Alphas in this town wanted her dead, but she knew she would be fooling herself. Something else was keeping her awake, making her
want
to get up and pace back and forth. 

Her sleeplessness
could also be contributed
to the fact that someone was downstairs. They were quiet enough, but she could still sense them. Now that she had acute senses, the prospect of getting peace and quiet seemed virtually impossible.

“Shoot me,” Hayden moaned at the clock.

A wolf in the distance suddenly cried and she tensed. Rolling around, she stared at the open window. The moon was bright in the sky, cruelly reminding her of the upcoming transformation. It was approaching quickly and she feared she wouldn’t be ready no matter when it came.

After coming home from
The Lounge
, Addie had invited Hayden to watch a movie with the pack. Cole had opted out and Hayden had followed suit. She had felt homesick and too uncomfortable staying with the pack, especially when half of the members distrusted her presence. Briefly, she wondered how long it would take her to adapt. More importantly, she wondered if it was even possible to adapt and accept
what
she was.

Throwing her sheets aside, Hayden tiptoed quietly outside her room, hoping she didn’t wake anyone. The only others sleeping on the top floor were Addie and Devan, and Hayden
definitely didn’t want to wake the latter. Fortunately, her eyes had improved since the bite and she could easily see where she was going through the night-lit halls. 

As she descended the winding staircase, she could already identify the man who stood in the living room. It was as if she had a sixth sense when it came to
him
.

She wondered if she could sense his restlessness because he was her Alpha now, but then again, Blake’s snoring sounded a few feet away, clearly untroubled with Cole’s wakefulness. She supposed the others were just as conditioned to the fact that Cole was up during the night

Stopping on the last step, Hayden leaned her body against the railing, gazing at the man opposite of her. Her attention automatically dropped to his shirtless torso, more curious than lustful, though she did appreciate the sight.

All of his muscles were large and well defined, but they
weren’t exaggerated
in a body-builder kind of way. His skin
was bronzed
, an indication he spent a lot of time outside. Surprisingly, instead of having flawless skin, there were scars across his back. There weren’t many, but they were noticeable enough. The scars themselves were silvery in color, a clue that silver, a werewolf’s weakness, might have been the cause.

He was bracing his forearms against the window, his grave reflection easily seen thanks to the moon’s bright rays. “You should be asleep,” he murmured, his voice hoarse as he remained looking forward. His untidy black hair created a halo around his face, appearing as if he had run his hands through it countless of times in distress.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She looked down at the pajama shorts Addie had borrowed her. Since she was taller than Cole’s grandmother was, they were shorter than she would have liked
. 
“I could…” Hayden paused, trying to come up with a more eloquent way of
saying
she ‘felt’ him. With the lack of sleep, Hayden went for it anyway. “I felt you down here, your agitation.”

His back muscles tensed, but his face remained stone as he gazed out the window.

“It must be because you’re my Alpha, right?” Hayden deduced, raising her eyebrows expectantly. Maybe if she hinted hard enough, he would realize that he was keeping her up as well. She was
tired
.

Cole inclined his head in response, not bothering with a verbal answer.

Gathering what little energy she had left, Hayden stepped off the stairs and padded her way over to him. Instead of feeling threatened at his brooding figure, something encouraged Hayden closer. She wouldn’t resist it, especially if it meant she could get to sleep sooner.

Besides, if Cole needed consoling, Hayden supposed she could push aside her unfamiliarity with him and lend a hand. After last night’s events, at
The Lounge
, her perception of Cole had changed drastically. The Alpha may be cold, and outwardly uncaring, but he was fiercely protective of his pack. Hayden had to admire that trait; she had to respect him for it.

Stopping at the window, Hayden peered out at the backyard, thinking it was more of a forest than anything
else
. There was a blanket of endless trees, stretching as far as the eye could see. Above, the moon hung crookedly, casting bright shadows across the treetops and staining them silver.

Cole’s eyes sought Hayden’s through the reflection, his expression appearing almost melancholic. “You should sleep, Hayden, it’s been a long day for you.”

“Is that your way of getting rid of me?” Hayden joked lightly, turning away from the scenery and up at him. In the silver wash of the moon, his features looked sharp and masculine. No matter how long she looked, she couldn’t see a single flaw. 

“Never,” Cole denied seriously.

Pushing off from the window, the Alpha leaned his shoulder against the glass pane and looked down at her. His eyes slowly descended to her exposed legs and his mouth thinned.

Hayden frowned, not liking the penetrating gaze. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest, raising an eyebrow when he looked back up at her face.

“You need clothes,” he announced suddenly with a sigh. “I apologize, I wasn’t thinking.” His weary expression made him look older than he was. “You’re my first pup, forgive my slips.”

The apology was completely unexpected. “It’s not a big deal,” she argued, feeling guilty that he needed to purchase her clothes. She wasn’t used to being dependent on others.

Hayden observed him, noticing his mood hadn’t lightened after her subtle reassurance. He was too hard on himself, but it didn’t come to a surprise to her. Everyone in this town seemed to doubt his ability to be a successful Alpha. According to them, he was too inexperienced, too young.

“What are you thinking?” he inquired, his eyes lingering across her face.

Hayden frowned. There could be many possibilities why Cole couldn’t sleep, so her sudden presence in his pack might not have even been on his radar. Still, she needed to address it.

“It must have been hard for you to take me into your pack. You must have risked a lot to—”

“I have,” he admitted, cutting her off abruptly.

She blinked, taken aback at his admittance. Although she wanted to storm away and wallow in loathing, her feet remained planted and her chin remained lifted. She had never been more insulted, but if that was what he felt, she couldn’t do much to change his mind, simply because it
was
true.

As if sensing her vulnerability, Cole covered her shoulder with a warm hand and tugged her closer. A miniscule smile ghosted across his lips as he leaned nearer, ignoring Hayden’s stiff and rigid body. His breath tickled the skin beneath her ear, yet he somehow, he kept his distance.

“Both you and I have risked a great deal by having you in my pack, Hayden. Some things, you wouldn’t even begin to
understand
…
”
he rasped, sounding expressive. His hand tightened on her shoulder. “Despite the risks involved, I don’t regret taking you in. I want you here with me, in my pack. Don’t ever forget that. We just need to work hard to get past the obstacles.”