Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (25 page)

Her hands curled around the banister as she leaned her torso into the living room where the majority of the pack was gathered. Only Fergus and Blake were missing from the meeting, both males probably hiding out in the basement if they knew what
was being discussed
. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension,
a far cry
from the pack’s earlier uplifted mood.

“Nathan has requested you as a mate, Devan, not Hayden.” Cole threw Hayden a warning look over his shoulder, the kind of look that told her he was well aware of her intentions of interrupting. 

Across the room, Devan was breathing shallowly and her expression was that of panic. Even if Hayden had a rocky relationship with Devan, she couldn’t help but to feel sorry for the
female. She wondered if Devan would mention her commitment to Joseph in order get out of this, or if she would be too afraid to break the news to Cole. 

Nathan stood up from his position on the couch. “Actually,” he started, “I don’t mind having Hayden as a mate. I have waited patiently for a partner, Cole. And it’s your job as Alpha to assign us into pairs if we request it.”

“I know what my job as Alpha entitles,” Cole growled impatiently.

Seeing a way out of the assigned mating, Devan was quick to intervene. “Then why don’t you assign Hayden and Nathan together?” she pressed eagerly. Her hands were trembling and she looked anxiously back and forth between Cole and Hayden, almost as if she expected the female Alpha to vouch for her.

Hayden blinked, flabbergasted at this whole situation. Yes, she felt pity for Devan, and she felt abhorrence for the bizarre rule that pack members could only date inside the pack, but she would
never
sacrifice her independence like
this.

“I don’t—”

“I will handle this,” Cole barked angrily, shutting her up immediately with the intensity of his fury. His dark eyes barely spared her a glance before they zeroed in on Nathan. “From the moment Hayden stepped foot in this house, you have treated her with nothing but indifference. Now, you tell me you would take her as your mate?” The Alpha shook his head mockingly, a cruel smile to his face. “Please tell me where I am misunderstanding this.”

The blond werewolf shrugged, clearly not intimidated by Cole’s budding anger. “You’re not misunderstanding anything, Cole. I’ll readily admit that Hayden has many attributes that would make her an ideal mate,” he explained calmly.

“Attributes?” Hayden stuttered out, biting her cheek to steady her temper.

“
Attributes
?”
two
voices chorused in quiet unison. In the staircase leading to the basement, both Fergus and Blake ducked quickly away as soon as Cole snapped his attention onto them. 

“Yes,” Nathan agreed with a nod, looking at Hayden. “She would just need a tighter leash.”

Cole laughed suddenly, his expression torn between amusement and ridicule. He hardly looked reassuring to any of the observers in the living room. “A leash?” he repeated. “If you think she needs a leash, its evidence enough that you could never handle her as your mate.”

Hayden balked at the ongoing conversation. Her fists tightened on the railing and her cheeks turned red from both offense and anger. They were talking about her as if she weren’t even in the room.

Before she could interrupt and defend herself, Addie caught her attention from across the room. The older werewolf flashed a look of sympathy before pressing her finger against her lips. 

Finally, Nathan stepped down, looking a bit affronted. “If that’s the case, then I suggest claiming her as soon as possible, Cole. Despite Nicolas’ mark on her, I’m not the last werewolf who will approach you for permission to take her on as a mate. There will be others.” In attempt to seem bigger than he was, Nathan puffed out his chest and raised his eyebrows at Cole challengingly. “Do you deny that there is anything between the two of you?”

Cole leaned closer to Nathan, staring him down until the twin bowed his head in submission. “I don’t deny or agree to anything, Nathanial. This conversation is about
you
and your request to take on Devan as your mate.
Heel
and take my blessing before I refuse.”

“This isn’t
fair,
” Devan cried. Tears clung at the corners of her eyes. “I’m leaving this pack!” she declared fiercely. She looked almost deranged with her wide eyes and her quivering body.

A heavy silence settled around the house at her exclamation. Cole turned to her, looking anything but devastated. “And where would you go?” the Alpha wondered dryly. “Who would accept you, a member of my pack?”

A frown line creased Devan’s eyebrows. “Many members of the old Slayter pack left after your father died. I can simply do the same thing.”

“Devan,” Hayden admonished, appalled at her disrespect.

“Those were members of
Xavier’s
pack,” Cole answered her, his anger cooling into stony resignation. “They left after he died and other Alphas welcomed them. Because you stayed behind and accepted me as your new Alpha, you
will only be seen
as a traitor. No other Alpha, especially around here, will welcome a member who leaves their pack.”

Cole pointed a level finger at Nathan. “Discuss your problems with your mate, Devan. I have only given my permission.”  

Hayden frowned, watching as Cole moved stiffly out of the living room before escaping the house entirely. She couldn’t help but feeling a sense of emptiness as she stared after him, an emotion she couldn’t identify the cause
of
. It didn’t originate from her own feelings, but rather from something she believed had to do with Cole’s own whirlwind of emotions.

In her intense scrutiny of the closed door, Hayden barely had time to brace herself against the railing as a distraught Devan raced past her and up the stairs. Turning back to the living room, Hayden was able to spy Nathan’s face fall as he watched Devan’s swift exit. It was rare to see Fergus’ brother wear anything but seriousness on his face. He looked truly upset at Devan’s negative reaction to the prospect of mating with him.

Hayden grimaced as Nathan left the room as well, escaping to the basement. She really couldn’t fault anyone in this situation, though Cole was at the top of her list.

If Devan didn’t already have Joseph, it was quite possible she would accept Nathan as a mate. After all, they enjoyed each other’s presence so often.
And
because Nathan was ignorant to her commitment to another man, he felt belittled at her passionate rejection.

Hayden didn’t appreciate all the drama and the separation of the pack. For a moment, Hayden wondered if she could do anything as female Alpha, but then thought against it. She’d been here for only one full moon. Nathan and Devan were members long before her.
It wasn’t Hayden’s place to stick her nose in issues that were before her time.
 

“Hayden,” Addie called out affectionately. “Come sit here with me.”

As Devan began crying in her room, Hayden jumped from the stairs, eager to use any excuse to get away from the sound. “Why did Cole do it?” she asked.

Stopping before Addie, Hayden looked over the woman’s head at the large bay window. It was becoming more frequent that Cole disappeared in his wolf form, preferring to run on four paws rather than two. He out there, isolating himself and trying to hide what he really felt about the situation.

Cole’s grandmother sighed. “I could see he felt obligated.” Her blue eyes searched Hayden’s troubled gaze. “Most packs have
many
members in their niche. Mating doesn’t seem as…” she trailed off, trying to find the right word.

“Incestuous?” Hayden supplied. She wasn’t able to imagine mating with one of the males in her pack. With the exception of Cole, whom she saw as the commanding force of the pack, the others were all like brothers to her.

“If you look at it like that, yes,” she tentatively agreed with Hayden’s analogy. “Nathan was raised with the old traditions of werewolves. He thinks in order to appear superior he needs a mate who will bear his children and stand at his shoulder.” Addie ignored Hayden’s deep scowl. “Cole, on the other hand, was young enough to be raised in the era where males do not need a mate to excel or to enjoy higher status.”

“Then why did he give Nathan permission?” she persisted.

“It is expected of him. Traditionally, an Alpha must give his blessing to the male werewolf who requests to pursue a female as a mate. It’s just one of the duties of an Alpha.”

Again, Hayden had to acknowledge females’ lack of independence in the werewolf community. If Cole gave his blessing, did he also have the power to deny someone the request to take on a mate?
And
if so, why hadn’t he denied Nathan? Addie said he felt obligated. Was it because Cole felt as if he had to live up to his father’s high standards?

Addie leaned forward and touched Hayden’s cheek. “I’m so
happy
you’re here with us, Hayden.” She folded her hands on her lap and regarded Hayden closely. “Cole has changed remarkably since your arrival.” The woman hesitated. “I was afraid he would remain withdrawn because of his parents’ death. But I’ve seen the life return to him once again.”

It didn’t feel right when Addie looked at Hayden as if she were Cole’s one, true savior. “It’s not like that,” Hayden denied. “Maybe he’s finally healing his wounds.”

“No,” she gave a wide, knowing smile. “It’s you.”

She stood up and patted Hayden’s elbow as she moved past. “He doesn’t want to be like his father.” Her voice dropped a few octaves and her tone turned apprehensive. She spoke behind Hayden’s immobile form. “He doesn’t want to get too close to those he cares about.”

Distinctively, Hayden remembered Cole telling her about his father. After Nicolas killed Xavier’s life mate, Xavier ended up killing himself over her dead body. Hayden supposed it could be frightening, to love somebody so much that they would be unwilling to continue living after they passed on. Life mates, especially, had no option but to follow their lover in death. 

“He thinks it’s weak to be close to another, which is why he distances himself from you.” Addie’s voice tensed, sounding exceedingly old. “Just remember his past when he pulls away, Hayden. That’s all I ask of you.”

She glided out of the living room, leaving Hayden standing alone. She didn’t know what Addie was suggesting besides the fact that Cole cared for her, much more than he was willing to admit, and much more than Hayden was willing to acknowledge or even think about.

“There must be
one
lane open.”

The customer snapped her gum impatiently, looking beyond annoyed. The tongue inside her mouth rolled sideways as she relocated her wad of gum from one molar to the other before proceeding to snap it a second time. 

“No ma’am, all the lanes are full.”

Hayden had trouble removing her eyes from the customer’s clumpy, red lips. It wasn’t even the fact that this woman was a human that ensnared Hayden’s undivided attention. No, it from the sheer discourtesy the woman treated everyone around her with, Hayden included.

The customer scoffed throatily, placing her hands on her hips. Behind her, her three children stared at Hayden beneath heavy bangs. Their gazes were lifeless, jaded, almost as uncaring as their mother was.

“Well,” the mother sighed heavily and looked vindictively around the bowling alley. “Can’t you just… combine a game or two to make room for me?”

Hayden’s cheeks ached from her strained smile. The pencil in her fist received the brunt of her frustration as it snapped cleanly in half. “There is only a few minutes left until we start closing up for the night. So no, there is no possible way I can interrupt a game to combine two lanes together.” 

Across the bowling alley, Hayden could sense Shane Donovan’s close observance. It was only her second week working at the bowling alley, but Hayden felt as if she had adapted easily enough. Actually, it would have been her third week on the job if it hadn’t taken five days of constant persisting and arguing with Cole. On the sixth day, the Alpha had reluctantly agreed to let Hayden work with Shane.

Unfortunately, his consent had come at a price. It was mandatory that she would wait for him after her shift. Cole always came a half-hour early to watch Shane closely, as if he expected the human to do lewd and cruel things to Hayden.

She hadn’t argued at the time, as she was happy to receive any bit of independence she could get her hands on, but it was starting to get ridiculous. Even the other pack members stopped by occasionally, making sure Hayden was playing nicely with the humans. 

They really had no reason to worry, and their lack of confidence was beginning to insult her. Ever since her arrival to Oregon, and especially after the full moon, she was able to coexist more peacefully with her wolf. Humans still smelt good, undoubtedly, but they weren’t nearly as irresistible as they once were.

“Unacceptable,” the customer snapped callously. “Not even
one
lane.” The woman eyed Hayden’s cheek-straining smile with heavy malice. “What are you grinning about, honey?”