Ashwood Falls Volume Two (29 page)

But it didn’t.

No matter how much the others welcomed her, showered her with love, and trusted her, she still felt something was off. She had a purpose, but had no idea what the hell it was.

She smelled the slight scent of citrus right before Kieran came to stand next to her. There was the other complication in her life. Peering at him, she smiled as he raised his hand and caressed her cheek.

While they’d lived in Onyx, Kieran had been all protective with her. Here in Ashwood, he’d seemed to backed off, distancing himself from her. She didn’t know how to take that.

She wasn’t a submissive and didn’t need to depend on anyone, especially a male, but she missed the overbearing, protective side of Kieran. However, he didn’t seem to miss her at all.

“Ana, what is it?”

She studied him for several moments. His gold eyes watched her with a distant interest. His caramel-brown hair was a little longer than normal, and it made her wonder if he’d wore his hair longer before he moved into the Onyx den as a spy.

There was so much she didn’t know about her fated mate.

Taking a breath, she offered a sweet smile and cupped his cheek. “Just trying to adjust.” She peered back at her new family happily chattering about mates, the growing family, and babies. “I don’t fit in here.”

Kieran moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. She sighed and leaned into the chest, relishing his warmth and scent. “You will. I promise. Give it time, Ana. It’s only been a couple of weeks.”

He kissed her temple. He was right. “Yet, I feel I’m in the way. I have no purpose here.”

“Then find one. Use your gifts to help the Pack.”

That was it. She was free to express herself, use the magickal gifts she’d been born with. “I don’t know where to start.”

He chuckled and squeezed her gently, washing away the insecurities she had about them. “I think you do and don’t realize it.”

She turned in his arms to face him and nipped at his nose. “How did you get so smart?”

One corner of his full, kissable lips lifted. “I learned from the best.”

C
hrista’s stomach was in knots when Hayden pulled to a stop in front of a large one-story house inside Ashwood Falls. She really didn’t know what to expect. Although Hayden had told her the binding was a blood bond with both Alphas and it involved a slice to her hand, she had a feeling it was a little more detailed than that.

She unhooked her seatbelt and got out of the car. Brenna linked her fingers with Christa’s and leaned into her. “It’ll be fine, Chris.” Her niece took a deep breath as if drawing in the scents around her. She probably was. “There is goodness here. A love and peace I’ve never felt before.”

Hayden stepped up behind Christa then and placed a hand on her lower back. “It’s the bond and magick of a healthy and strong Pack.”

That helped to relax Christa only a little.

Hayden leaned and kissed her cheek. “Come on. We don’t want them coming out to get us.”

She smiled at his teasing tone then frowned. Last night had been wonderful, yet she expected him to be...to be what? An ass? Walk away and forget that they were mates? That was what she wanted.

Wasn’t it?

When she’d woken up in his arms that morning, a new realization had slammed into her, hard. She didn’t want to walk away from him. She’d never connected to anyone the way she did with him. Nor had she ever had so many orgasms in one night before.

And she wanted more, damn it.

Hayden gave her a gentle push, drawing her out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside the house. The scent of bacon and coffee hit her, making her stomach grumble. She flattened her hand on the thing as though she could make it be quiet.

Hayden chuckled and nudged her farther inside.

She noticed Blaine and Luna right away. Next to them was the black-haired female, Cameron, Christa had meet yesterday and a male with long brown hair that, by the way he and Blaine looked alike, she guessed was Keegan, a Pack Elder and Blaine’s father. Beside Keegan was a beautiful blond holding a little boy with white-blond hair.

The farther she, Hayden, and the twins moved into the living room, the more uncomfortable she became. Everyone stared at her except for the woman next to Keegan. She seemed uninterested in what was going on. Well, maybe not uninterested, but she seemed preoccupied with the little boy in her lap.

Before Christa could sit on the sofa next to Hayden, Luna came over and took her hand and tugged her into the dining room. “I’m starved.”

Hayden and the others followed them to the large table with a breakfast buffet set up. Hayden bumped his shoulder into hers and handed her a plate. “Mom gets up with the roosters, if we had any. She usually has breakfast and is in the gym before it is fully light outside.”

Luna tsked on Christa’s other side. “Old habits of taking care of three boys.”

Christa smiled and loaded her plate with bacon, eggs, a couple of small pancakes, and some fruit then followed Luna into the living room. She sat eating her breakfast and listening to Blaine and Hayden tease each other about when they’d first met.

Blaine laughed. “Yeah, I hated that wolf.” He pointed to Hayden.

Hayden smirked. “The feeling was mutual.”

Luna cleared her throat. “That was until Keegan and I made you shadow each other.”

Hayden meet Christa’s gaze. “They told us if we didn’t get along, they’d lock us up in one of the holding cells.”

Christa drew her brews together. “Holding cells?”

Keegan was the one to answer. “We have a jail of sorts a few yards to the north of the den. It has four holding cells. They’re actually windowless, stone-walled rooms.”

That was good to know. They sounded awful, especially for a shifter. She so hoped she wouldn’t be seeing one of those rooms.

After everyone finished breakfast, Luna stood and directed Christa to the front of the room to stand between her and Blaine. Luna turned to the others. “I wanted to make this informal. Christa comes to us as an ally and a mate for my eldest son if she so chooses him.”

Christa’s pulse jumped several beats. Geesh, did they all know? She took a deep breath but remained silent. She was here for the twins and because she wanted the rogues stopped. After everything she’d discovered over the last couple of days, she owed Vance a little visit, wherever the hell he was.

Luna turned back to her with a half-smile. “Why are you here?”

Christa flicked her gaze to Hayden briefly. “Because your son abducted me.”

Luna laughed. “Yes, we are aware of his lack of common sense. Tell us your intentions for coming to the den.”

Hayden made a low, yet playful, growl at his mother that had Christa fighting a smile. She met Luna’s eyes and said, “Brenna and Bryce need a safe and healthy den. They need to be with their kind. Plus, I want to help track down Vance and the rest of the rogue Pack.”

“Why?”

Christa bit back her irritation. She knew what the Alpha female was doing. Hell, Christa had done it many times to the soldiers under her. Her loyalty was being tested. “Shield has been compromised. I believe they...no, I know Vance has taken control over the group and plans to attack Ashwood.”

Surprise darkened Luna’s features. “You know this for sure?”

Christa nodded, not breaking eye contact with Luna. “The day Hayden, Tanner, and Kirk came to headquarters, Vance went over the prelims and talked about how Ashwood was the evil of the shifter world and a threat to humans.”

She felt feel Hayden’s gaze upon her. This was something she hadn’t shared with him, not fully. He was going to want more later. She peered at Hayden and frowned at the lack of emotion across his features.

A very old dagger appeared in Christa’s line of sight, breaking visual contact with Hayden. She shifted her gaze to Luna then the dagger. The handle appeared to be hand carved. It reminded her of old ritual knifes she’d seen only in history books or museums.

She grabbed the handle and took the full weight of it. Luna spoke softly, but firmly like the Alpha she was. “Slice your palm and pass the knife to Blaine.”

Christa did as she was told. When Blaine sliced his palm, he took her hand, linking their fingers together so their palms pressed together. Her hand started to warm then tingled. Blaine’s fingers tightened on hers when she would have pulled away.

“I welcome you to Ashwood Falls as a packmate. Through this bond, you accept the rules of secrecy and honor the Pack,” Blaine said.

Christa felt the connection in her grow. A sense of home, love, and belonging filled her. Family. That’s what a Pack was. “I promise.”

Blaine let go of her hand and motioned for her to turn toward Luna. When she did, the wolf Alpha had already cut her palm, and she pressed it to Christa’s. They repeated the same vows she had made with Blaine.

When the ritual was done, Christa felt lightheaded. Hayden was there, hand on her elbow, to steady her. She peered at the twins. They were smiling and playing with the little boy in the blond woman’s lap.

“That’s Blaine’s son, Max, and the female is Addyson. She’s the Pack Scribe and Keegan’s mate,” Hayden whispered.

“I take it the man who looks like Blaine is Keegan?”

Hayden slid his hand down her arms to link his fingers with hers. “Come on. Let’s get you settled in.”

It was a five-minute walk to Hayden’s house, which was a lot bigger than she’d expected. She didn’t really know what she expected Hayden’s home to look like, but it wasn’t the mini-Victorian in front of her.

“Please tell me you don’t have a mate and ten kids in there.”

He laughed then teased, “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

She planted her feet and crossed her arms, all the while trying not to smile. The change in Hayden over the last twenty-four hours had softened her toward him. He wasn’t the same male who had charged into Shield, killed everyone she worked with, and kidnapped her.

Okay, so he was the same male, but he was so much more.

There was a heart behind his hard exterior.

He growled and tugged her hard enough that she stumbled into him. Wrapping his arms around her, he placed one hand on her ass and the other in her hair. He kissed her hard and quick on the lips. When he pulled back, his eyes glowed, indicating the wolf was peering out those green eyes.

“You have a lot to learn about mating.” He growled, and God, she had to squeeze her legs together to ease some of the ache between her thighs.

She did have a lot to learn. There were so many questions she’d never bothered to ask her sister. Now she couldn’t. She damn sure wasn’t going to ask Hayden. Not yet.

Yet, whom could she ask?

Hayden lifted her chin with a finger so she met his gaze. “What is it?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. I was thinking, that’s all.”

“Hmm.” He released her and urged her to go inside his home.

She was so glad he hadn’t pushed for answers she wasn’t ready to give him. Stepping into the house, she gasped at the beauty of it. Cherry oak-colored floors stretched through the open and bright ground floor. The kitchen was off to the left and separated only by an island sink and black marble countertop.

The living room was warm and inviting. The cream-colored leather sofa and love seat were the perfect contrast to the dark floors.

“It’s beautiful.”

“My mother decorated it when she lived here.”

Christa turned to face him. “This was your family home?”

He shrugged. “It still is. Mom stays in one of the apartments next to the medical center. It’s closer to the office building where Pack business is taken care of. Dane, who you’ll meet at the meeting in an hour, has a house in the southeast part of the den. Tanner kind of bounces around between the three of us.” Hayden chuckled and continued. “He has a room almost everywhere.”

Christa smiled, not surprised by that insight on Tanner. “He did seem like a wanderer. A free spirit in a way.”

“He is. He doesn’t like to be tied down for too long. It’s what makes him a great sentry.”

She nodded and continued through the downstairs until she reached the master bedroom. The bed was huge...

Hayden stepped up behind her so close she felt his body heat wrap around her. Her heart skipped a couple of beats before racing as Hayden placed his hands on her shoulders. When he dipped his head and placed a kiss on her neck, she nearly came.

She reached up and threaded her fingers into his hair and tugged, wanting more of this male.

The doorbell rang, drawing a growl from Hayden. “Excuse me while I kill whoever that is.”

She bit her lip to hide her smile and turned away from the bedroom to go into the living room. Hayden came back with a man dressed in black slacks and a white button-up. The man met her gaze, gave a short nod, and then turned his attention to Hayden. “If this is a bad time...”

Hayden waved him off. “This is Christa.”

“Ah.” The man extended his hand to her. “Jared.”

Before she could shake his hand, Hayden gripped Jared’s arm. Jared flashed his gaze to Hayden’s, and they stared at each other for a tense few moments before Jared smiled. “Man, you got it bad. I wasn’t going to read her. Just trying to be polite like Cam says I need to do more often.”

Hayden slowly let go of Jared’s arm. Christa folded her arms over her chest. “What does he mean?”

Hayden ran a hand through his hair. “Jared is a Justice. He pulls memories and reads them to see your true intent.”

“If it makes you feel better...”

Jared shook his head. “There’s no need. You pledged a blood bond with the Alphas. You’d die if you betrayed us now.”

Hunted down like an animal, no doubt. Yes, she’d known that. “I have no intention of betraying the Pack. I want Onyx to pay as much as you do.”

Something dark flashed in Jared’s blue eyes, but it was gone before she could try to guess what it was. What the hell had Onyx done to this Pack? To their own kind?

Hayden gestured for them to have a seat. Once seated, he asked, “You wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t found something.”

Jared gave a short nod. “I found Rafe.”

Hayden went still beside her. His hands fisted then opened again. “Where?”