Un.Bridled (Claimed Series #2) (18 page)

Cole suddenly gazed down at her, his face unreadable.

She matched his expression, hardly letting it show that she approved of
his
outfit tonight. He looked handsome in his dark, knee-length coat and black slacks. There wasn’t anything he could do with his unruly hair, but it appeared as if he spent at least a few minutes trying to tame it. His beard, which had grown over the past few days, was trimmed and not a single hair graced the thick column of his neck. He smelt of pleasant aftershave, a sort of masculine scent that was very subtle and not overwhelming in its intensity.

As soon as Hayden spied a group of werewolves through the trees, she sped ahead, not wanting to be caught ogling Cole further. The neutral meeting ground for the annual gathering was nearer to Cole’s property than the other properties, settled just in the outskirts of the cul-de-sac. A line of trees shielded it from the road, but behind that small defense of pines and naked deciduous trees, a large clearing stretched for an acre or two.

As she ducked under the trees’ branches and clambered over the snow, she studied the crowd of gathered werewolves. Some were assembled in groups, others in pairs, and a great number of them were mingling with everyone in their proximity.

A few children were running through the trees, chasing one another or playing games with supervising adults. Hayden hadn’t seen any werewolf children since her arrival in Albertville, as most of them were sheltered inside their pack houses. Though, as they raced through the trees and swatted each other with sticks, Hayden decided they didn’t
seem
overprotected or stifled, they seemed carefree and rambunctious.

Someone put a great deal of effort into decorating the clearing. Rope lighting wrapped around the trees and entwined through their branches. It wasn’t dark yet, but when night fell, Hayden knew the rope lighting would give the clearing an ethereal glow.

Three different bonfires, all varying in size, were lit around the clearing. White, rock-like pebbles decorated the base of the fire pit and reflected off the reds and oranges of the fire, setting the stones aglow with warm radiance.

The best part of the gathering, as Fergus and Blake would quickly identify, was the long, almost never-ending table of food. Every morsel imaginable, whether exotic or traditional, was placed strategically on the table. A few werewolves had already staked their claim near the feast, hugging their laden plates close as they stood a respectable distance from the table, but not far enough to miss the opportunity to grab another quick bite. 

Blake and Fergus suddenly raced past Hayden’s immobile form, wrestling each other with their elbows as they hurried toward the food. Nathan bumped past her, intentionally shoving her shoulder as he followed his twin brother at a much slower pace.

Hayden sighed and made room on the table for Addie’s homemade mashed potatoes. Ignoring Blake’s holler for her to hurry, Hayden peeled back the cover, the smell of sour cream and buttery goodness joining the palpable cloud of other delicious aromas. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

It was tempting to stay with Fergus and Blake and pig out on food, but Hayden had other, more pressing matters to take care of.

She searched the expansive clearing of socializing werewolves, spotting
them
instantly. The Alphas and their respected betas claimed the center of the clearing, their lounging postures hinting they were lazy and at ease, but their senses were most likely sharpened. With all the packs gathered, high alert was essential, especially with the Hunter’s immediacy.

Before Hayden could move towards Adolf, she felt a presence behind her. Turning, she spotted a silent and motionless Cole. Briefly, she wondered how long he’d been standing at her shoulder.

He eyed her diligently. “What are you planning now?”

She pursed her lips, clutching the box close to her chest.
“Nothing.”

He didn’t look at the gift, his eyes were for Hayden only, but she
knew
he was more than aware of it. “I would like to know now, in advance. That way I can plan accordingly.”

Despite herself, a small smile slipped past her defenses. As uncomfortable as Cole’s advances were as of late, she could never deny that his presence wasn’t unwelcome. “It’s nothing, really,” she insisted.

Shaking the box in his face, she let him catch whiff of the contents.

“Raspberry Danishes,” Cole stated flatly, hardly flinching at her vigorous gestures. “I hadn’t realized you and Adolf were on such an intimate level that you knew his favorite foods.”

“We’re not,” she replied simply, beginning to make her way towards Adolf. Like an overprotective shadow, Cole trailed at her shoulder. “I know you aren’t really fond of sweet things, but
most
people enjoy an occasional desert as opposed to their morning Raisin Bran.”

Cole was silent for a moment. “I don’t like Raisin Bran.”

Hayden turned to look at him, surprised at the admission. “Whenever Addie doesn’t cook breakfast, you eat it during the mornings.” If Hayden didn’t know any better, she’d say he was disappointed that she didn’t know something as mundane as his likes and dislikes.

He stared forward, his grim frown becoming more prominent the closer they neared the other Alphas. “I tolerate it. It’s the only alternative to Fergus’ and Blake’s teeth-rotting cereals.”

Hayden pondered on that, wondering if she knew Cole as well as she believed she did. Was he indirectly telling her that she needed to make more of an effort? But they hardly ever shared such humdrum information. They usually dwelled on serious concerns. Although, the more she thought about it, conversing with Cole without such daunting issues hanging over their heads was rather appealing.

There was no point telling Cole this, at least not now. As soon as they stepped within earshot of the other Alphas, he clammed up. Anything she said would be overheard by the others and it would only serve to humiliate both of them.

Shrugging off her lingering doubts, Hayden shuffled closer to Adolf. Instantly, the silver-haired Alpha’s eyes narrowed suspiciously when he noticed her approach.

Adolf stood next to a chair, his beta taking precedence next to him. Eric and Tobias were seated on the other side of the fire, the former far more forlorn without Asher by his side, and the latter suddenly roused at Hayden’s presence.

She strode past Tobias without a glance, though she was aware of his neck straining to follow her. Fortunately, Adolf was a good distance away. While it wouldn’t offer them seclusion, it did give them a semblance of privacy.

“Merry Christmas.”
Flashing a brilliant smile, she offered him the box.

Adolf’s beta, Samuel, looked between his Alpha and Hayden before deciding to retreat and give them more privacy. He settled next to Cole, who had claimed a chair next to the others.

Sighing as if it were a great burden, Adolf took the box with a wary gaze. Expecting something to lunge out at him, Adolf only lifted the very edge of the lid and peered inside. He then shut it and lifted a questioning eyebrow.

“Raspberry Danishes,” Hayden confirmed, unable to keep the silly grin off her face. “They just happen to be Addie’s favorite.”

He squinted at her. “After our discussion about cooking, why should I feel confident eating something you made?”

“Oh, I didn’t bake them.” Hayden leaned closer to Adolf and pitched her voice lower. “They’re from Addie’s favorite bakery in town. You can do whatever you like with them, but we both know
who
you should share them with.”

She expected a scathing remark, maybe something similar to what Cole said earlier about staying out of people’s
business, instead, Adolf deliberated the box once more. He then looked for Addie across the clearing, a considering light entering his eyes.

“I will keep that in mind.” Very gently, he laid the box of Danishes next to his chair before grabbing a bag Hayden hadn’t noticed earlier. “I don’t normally make a habit of purchasing gifts, especially for those outside my pack. But I believe this is overdue.”

Flabbergasted, Hayden accepted the gift. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she peered inside the bag, her eyes widening at what she saw. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t suppress the aching grin across her face.

“Are you serious?”

“Genuine leather,” Samuel pointed out smugly from his chair, doing nothing to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping, along with the rest of the curious Alphas.

Adolf tossed him a fierce scowl before turning back to Hayden. “The holster is made from genuine leather,” he informed stiffly, peeved Samuel had stolen his thunder. “It wraps around your right shoulder and then hooks around your waist, allowing for easy access to the knives.”

Hayden pulled out the handsome holster. The sheaths holding the knives would be positioned in the middle of her chest, permitting a quick draw and a quick throw. There were five sleeves across the chest, each sleeve holding two silver knives, their hilts sticking conveniently from their respective sheaths.

She drew one of the knives, noticing it wasn’t like the ones they practiced with, but similar in weight and style. Hayden could do nothing but admire it.

“You aren’t skilled with the dagger just yet, but you excel at throwing knives. It is only fitting you have proper weaponry.” Adolf peered down at her emotionlessly, as if he hadn’t just given her a noteworthy gift.

Hayden sheathed the knife and placed the holster back into the bag. “It’s wonderful, more than wonderful. Thank you.” She stared up at him, noticing his uncomfortable posture. Briefly, she pondered his reaction if she hugged him in gratitude. 

As if sensing her considerations, his grey eyes scrutinized her vigilantly. “You are welcome.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you showed off the holster for me.” Tobias leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together and leering. “It would be best if you didn’t have anything else on—”

He hardly had a chance to finish, for his chair was knocked forward and into the fire by a stern-looking Cole, whose face was lined with aversion. Hayden turned a blind eye to the conflict and bowed her head respectfully in Adolf’s direction.

“I look forward to continuing our lessons.”

“Naturally,” Adolf said. “You still have a long way to go with the dagger.”

Hayden smiled thinly, knowing there was truth behind his words. Her excitement over learning how to throw knives had overshadowed her previous desire to learn how to wield a dagger during knife combat.

Not wanting to overstay her welcome, Hayden ducked away from the Alphas and immediately sought Blake’s company. Located near the feast, the beta struggled to stuff a particularly large chip into his mouth, though he was having difficulties considering the sheer amount of toppings piled on top.

“Tobias giving you trouble again?” he asked, having taken a brief reprieve in figuring out how to fit the chip inside his mouth without breaking it. “He’s harmless, you know.”

Next to him, Nathan growled and Fergus flashed his twin a sympathetic look. “Harmless?” Nathan spat, glaring at the back of Blake’s head. “He was kicked out of town years ago for his brutality involving a woman.”

Hayden’s eyebrows skyrocketed upon hearing the revelation. She’d just thought Tobias made crude jokes to get under Cole’s skin.

Blake flashed him a withering stare. “That was never confirmed and he wasn’t kicked out. He left on his own accord and gave the Alpha position to Falco.” The beta considered the chip in his hand. “Cole told me why Tobias is back in town. Apparently, he bumped into Falco and they had a discussion about what happened here with the killings and the rogue attacks. Falco asked Tobias to come back and look after the pack again, Nate. They both thought the pack needed a firmer, more familiar hand during these times.”

Nathan scowled at him before turning his heel and retreating. Blake watched him depart from the corner of his eye, but pretended not to care as he returned to his food. Rather forlornly, he snapped his chip in half, the majority of the toppings falling off his plate and onto the ground.

“Was that necessary?” Hayden watched as Fergus quickly followed to comfort his brother.

Blake grimaced. “I was trying to explain that Tobias came here for a reason, not out of simple boredom. With Nicolas and his rogues becoming more of a threat, the pack needed someone who could defend them. Nathan would have never held that pack together if they were attacked. You know that, Hayden.” He exhaled. “He needs to get over it. When times become more stable,
that’s
when Nathan should get experience as Alpha. Not now. Cole should have never encouraged him.”

Grudgingly, Hayden agreed with Blake. As unfair as it was to Nathan, Falco’s old pack needed someone who was experienced and capable enough to protect them during these times. Whatever Nicolas had planned, he would introduce it with a bang.

“Why didn’t Falco just come back?” Hayden asked. “I know the Hunters wouldn’t support his return, but he
was
under the influence of enhancing drugs when he attacked Red Donovan.”

“Cole explained it well enough when Falco was being banished from town. Don’t you remember?” Blake threw his chip down and stared at it, apparently having lost his appetite.