Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (34 page)

Falco’s long dreadlocks veiled his expression, but Hayden could see the man’s broad shoulders heave a steadying breath. With one last growl, the Alpha shoved Red cruelly against the wall, releasing his shirt with distaste.

Hayden and Asher both exhaled lowly in relief as the Alpha and beta started walking further into town. She turned back to look at Red, watching as the human shrugged his shoulders, adjusting his clothing. He had seemed so insistent that Falco was the one to blame.
And
Falco
had
seemed incredibly out of control for an Alpha, but he’d also been adamant that he hadn’t committed the murders.

“I think
that’s
proof enough.” Asher rocked back on his heels and watched Falco retreat. “They’re patrolling the town tonight, so it’s going to be hard to convince the other Alphas of what we saw. But I’m sure we can convince Cole and Eric if it comes down to it.”

Hayden didn’t like where Asher was going with his suspicions. She didn’t want to tell the other Alphas. “But,” she began uncertainly, “you don’t know for sure if it’s Falco. He and Red obviously have some pent-up antagonistic relationship, but we can’t automatically assume Falco is the one to blame.”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right? Hayden, you just saw what I did.” The blond beta slapped his palms against the roof and stood up. “Don’t you think it was suspicious?” He jutted out an arm and motioned toward the alleyway below. “Falco can’t even control himself in front of a human. He…”

Asher stopped abruptly, his face creasing into sudden understanding. The way he looked at Hayden would make anyone feel ashamed about
themselves
. “I get it,” he murmured, deeply disenchanted. “Come on, I should probably get you home before Cole notices.”

It took Hayden a few seconds to register that Asher was already walking toward the edge of the roof. She leaped off her feet and hurried toward him.

“Asher,” she called out softly, not liking how he seemed to have come to a silent conclusion about her. Reaching out, she curled a hand around his elbow and held him back. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. It just seems unreliable.”

He turned to look down at her, his features hard. “It is unreliable, but Falco is an Alpha. If we don’t speak up now and stop him, he may put his whole pack in danger.” Asher exhaled through his nose, pulling his arm free from Hayden’s hold. “But I understand if you don’t want to tell Cole. After all, you’d be revealing the fact that you snuck out against his orders just to see me.”

Hayden watched him jump down from the roof, landing silently on the concrete below. His words and his reaction made it seem as if she would willingly sacrifice the life of others just so she wouldn’t have to tell Cole about tonight.

She didn’t want anyone else to get hurt on her account, but she also wanted to avoid bringing Cole into this. If he found out about her betrayal, he would be beyond angry, beyond hurt.

Hayden jumped down after him, persistently following close behind him. “I don’t want anyone
else to get hurt, Asher. I just don’t want to tell Cole unless we’re completely positive that it’s Falco. Cole would be furious I snuck out after he deliberately told me not to. I don’t want to break his trust.”

Asher whirled around with a grim laugh. He placed his palms on her shoulders and shook her once. “But you are breaking his trust.
Right now.”
His restricting hold gradually turned gentle and he seemed to lose his harshness. “Being with me tonight means you’re going against his word. You’re completely disrespecting his orders and his position as Alpha.”

The words were harsh, but so true. Still, Hayden didn’t like his bluntness.

“You’re doing the same thing to your father,” Hayden responded icily, wanting to hurt him as much as he had unintentionally hurt her.

But
as soon as the words hung in the air, she chastised herself. Asher wasn’t the one to blame. She was the one responsible for her own actions.

“I don’t worship my father like you worship Cole,” Asher reasoned bitterly and took his hands from her shoulders. “I don’t want to fight with you, Hayden. I really do understand why you don’t want to tell Cole about tonight. I’d prefer if my father didn’t find out either.” 

They lapsed into silence as they walked down the street that led to their pack homes.

Hayden watched his back, conflicted. Considering what happened with Devan and Joseph, it would have been ideal to keep her relationship platonic with Asher. Not only would it spare her the endless stress of
being found out
by Cole, but it would also save them the despair in the end.

Nevertheless, she liked being close with Asher and spending time with him. He was obviously interested in her as well. If Cole persistently reminded Hayden there was nothing between them, then she couldn’t feel guilty for seeing Asher in a romantic light.

“I don’t worship him,” Hayden addressed Asher’s turned back. “I respect him as my Alpha, but I also like meeting with you. If he finds out, I lose both of you.”

Asher stopped in front of the large weeping willow that stood a few feet from Cole’s territory. He turned to her, the glow from the moon highlighting the small, pleased smile across his face.

“I know that, Hayden,” the beta answered smoothly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel as if you had to choose between your pack and me. But maybe someday we can figure something out that doesn’t require so much secrecy.”

She nodded in agreement, but inwardly, she grimly accepted that Cole would never agree to something that would benefit Asher.

A soft hand touched her jaw, luring Hayden out from her thoughts
. 
She looked up, feeling her chest tighten as he bent down and tenderly brushed his lips across her cheek.

“We have to do this again,” Hayden found herself requesting when he pulled back. “Or, at least we can meet by the territory line again.” She wasn’t too fond of stakeouts, especially if they resulted in what happened tonight.

“We’ll plan on it,” he responded pleasantly. With one last stroke to her jaw, Asher brushed past Hayden and back toward his own house.

She looked after him, overwhelmed with uncertainty. Was she really doing the right thing by keeping Falco’s assault a secret from Cole? Even if Falco seemed out of control tonight, Hayden
couldn’t see the Alpha killing his pack omega. He couldn’t be the killer, but Asher and Red Donovan certainly thought so. 

“I really do hope you aren’t doing anything stupid with pretty-boy.”

Hayden gawked at Blake who had all but materialized from behind a tree. His eyes were half-lidded with sleep and his hair was in complete disarray. He leaned heavily against the tree trunk, his face slack with
exhaustion
and his mouth open, ready to begin snoring. Dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers, he appeared as if he were simply sleepwalking.

At her shocked silence, Blake snorted. “You know stupid things, like
mating
with him and making litters of your own.”

“Litters?” she repeated dubiously. Her cheeks burned with both anger and humiliation. “I don’t need
you
to tell me not to do anything stupid. I already know that.”

“Hey,” he exclaimed in mock offense. “I’m your big brother. It’s my duty to slap away leering predators like Asher and to remind you not to get blinded by the power of his dimples.” At her deadpanned expression, he shrugged. “It can happen.”

Hayden offered him one last unimpressed stare before she began taking off her shoes and stuffing them into her backpack. “Why are you even out here?” she demanded. His presence made Hayden leery that the rest of the pack knew of her absence and were currently waiting inside to confront her.

Blake sighed and hugged the tree. Laying his cheek against the bark, he assessed her in sleepy amusement. “I had to take a piss, but Fergus plugged the toilet downstairs.
So
, on my way to the toilet, I noticed a cold draft coming from underneath the crack of your door. And low and behold, after inviting myself into your room, I noticed you were gone.”

He thrust a thumbs-up toward Hayden. “Good plan, by the way,” he drawled sarcastically. “Next time you might just want to escape through the back door. Cole’s a heavy sleeper, but he’s sensitive about his tools going missing. I’d get the screen up on your window as soon as possible and get his screwdriver back before morning.”

The more he babbled on, the more Hayden
was reminded
of why she loved Blake so much. “Cole doesn’t even do anything handy around the house,” she argued unnecessarily. “He always makes us do things.”

Eyebrows furrowed in scornful agreement. “True, but he’s anal about things being put in their place. I swear he admires his polished toolset every day before he goes to work. One screwdriver out of place will set him off.”

Hayden’s smile vanished when she realized she hadn’t asked Blake the most pressing question. “And?” she prodded softly. “Are you going to tell Cole about this?”

Blake looked as if he were considering the immoral implications of blackmailing her in return for his silence. Then he just shrugged carelessly and buried his face further into the trunk.

“No, I already knew about your weekly meetings with Asher. I
am
in charge during the day and I’ve noticed your disappearance. Just know Cole will be beyond furious when he finds out.” He closed one eye and peered at her closely. “I thought there was something going on with you and Cole.”

Hayden narrowed her eyes, inhaling deeply to calm herself. Had she made her attractions to Cole
that
obvious? She didn’t think she had, especially considering she just recently recognized the extent to her feelings herself.
But
not only had Fergus noticed something, but every member of the pack had commented on it.

She stepped on the lawn in a threatening manner. “Do all of you have secret seminars about us?” she asked icily. Poking a finger into Blake’s chest, she pushed at him, emphasizing her point. “There is nothing between Cole and me.
Alright?”

His eyes widened and he waved his hands in surrender. “Ok,” he conceded passively. He followed her retreat with his eyes, a sudden smirk blossoming in mischief. “Or you’re just in denial. It doesn’t suit you, Hayden.”

As she retreated to the pack house, a sudden wave of melancholy washed through her. She wasn’t in denial. She had seen the connection she shared with Cole just as everyone else had. Cole
was the one who had firmly rebuffed any sort of affection for her. He had claimed it was just his duty as her Alpha and she had felt mortified for even thinking something was there to begin with.

_______________

The pancake
was already swollen
with syrupy goodness, but Hayden continued to rub it through the rivulets of syrup and butter anyway. She kept her gaze on her breakfast, ignoring the rest of the pack as they conversed around the table. Across from her, Fergus and Blake were having a contest to see who could eat the most pancakes, effectively reducing the amount of intake for the rest of the pack. 

Even Devan and Nathan were speaking quietly with one another. The other female looked more alive than she had all week. Hayden felt immensely jealous of her. She had all but switched places with the other woman. Seeing Asher behind everyone’s back made Hayden feel disjointed from the rest of the pack. It’s no wonder Devan had carried a chip on her shoulder for so long.

Addie suddenly jumped up from her chair when the phone rang shrilly. She answered it cheerfully, the pillar in the kitchen veiling her expression from the observing pack.

“Cole,” she addressed, popping back into sight. All the liveliness in her voice had vanished as she handed the phone to Cole. “It’s Adolf.”

Hayden’s forked paused and she watched Cole retreat from the room. She looked up and across at Blake, who had turned just as silent as the rest of them. Hearing from Adolf this early in the morning could never mean a good thing. There couldn’t be another murder, there couldn’t be.

After a few seconds of hushed conversation, Cole walked silently back into the room, the phone no longer in his hold. “Red Donovan has been attacked,” he addressed the pack solemnly, paying special attention to Hayden. “We caught the perpetrator responsible for the murders and for Red’s attack.”

She held her breath. Surely, it couldn’t be…

“It was Falco.”

Hayden dropped her fork and placed a hand over her mouth to quell the nausea. Across from her, Devan gasped, looking horrified to learn her ex-boyfriend’s father had a hand in the killings. However, she wasn’t feeling nearly as traumatized as Hayden, who would have had the power to stop the attack on Red before it had happened.

“Hayden and Blake will come with me. We need to meet with the others and discuss the consequences of Falco’s crimes.” Cole approached a shell-shocked Hayden, curling a hand around her elbow. “You will be fine.”

With ridiculous ease, Cole forced Hayden into a standing position and escorted her shaken form out of the kitchen. She let him lead, too disorientated to function by herself just yet.

“Is he dead?” she asked numbly. All she could remember was how easily Falco manhandled Shane’s grandfather. The human would have never stood a chance.