Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (42 page)

“It’s not any of your business,” he replied in a clipped tone.

He was being intentionally cruel right now. “How many times have you told me that I was now a part of this pack?” She pushed away from the bed and took an advancing step closer to him. “How come every other werewolf in this town can know about your past, but I can’t?”

“You are
a part of my pack,” Cole stressed. “I just find it hard to talk about the past. Just like you find it hard to talk about your father and how he left you.”

The comparison actually took her by surprise. She had confessed to Cole that her father had abandoned her and her mother, but she hadn’t wanted to talk about it anymore than necessary. In all actuality, she hadn’t thought Cole would remember the conversation from that evening. It felt like so long ago.

“My father left us,” Hayden explained emotionlessly. “He made us love him unconditionally before walking away. Apparently, a domestic lifestyle was tying him down and he wanted nothing more to do with us. I had to take care of my mother for days before she had enough strength to pull herself out of bed.” The memories were always there, always fresh, but she forced them away in favor of confronting Cole.

“But my father isn’t a threat right now. My father didn’t kill his family and he’s certainly not after you. I don’t think the issue of my father is anywhere near the complexity of your relationship with your brother. You can’t compare the two when they aren’t even similar.”

She understood why he didn’t want to talk about it. He was so closed off, stubborn, and clueless to the people who loved him. He wanted to protect his pack. He believed it was his one and only duty, but he didn’t realize that his pack loved him in turn.

“Hayden.”

He reached out to her, the scent of the herbal tonic he used on his back strong and alluring. With his gentle and coaxing tone, Hayden could have easily submitted to him.
But
she had an unusual amount of resilience right now. The events from tonight spurred her resolve about confronting Cole. She’d take advantage of this abundance of strength as long as she had the opportunity.  

“I want to hear about your brother, Cole.”

His retracted his hand and ran it through his hair. The black tresses grew wild and uncontrollable under his ministrations. “There is not much you don’t know already.” With the agitation of a caged animal, Cole paced the length of the room. “My parents were life mates and my mother had an especially weak and fragile demeanor. I didn’t see much of a flaw to their relationship until later in life.”

Hayden considered his words, wondering if that’s what he thought of her. Did Cole think Hayden was too weak to consider her as a proper mate? The events of tonight surely didn’t help matters.

“At the time, my father was expected to name his beta, the future Alpha of the pack. Everyone knew he would choose Nicolas as his second. My brother was more composed, more mature, and a better fighter than I was. Even though we both competed for the same position, I accepted the fact that I would not be chosen. But Xavier did end up naming me as his beta.” Cole grinned without humor, his eyes far away.

“Nicolas could have challenged either one of us to a duel for our positions, but he went mad. He wanted to make my father suffer and he chose the cowardly way to do so. Unlike Xavier, Marie was vulnerable and exposed. He took advantage of her bond with Xavier and killed her.”

It
was truly warped
, no matter how she looked at it. When she imagined Cole’s mother, she imagined Addie, a warm, generous spirit who would never step on anyone intentionally. It spurred Hayden’s disbelief that Nicolas had really killed his mother out of a pettiness.

How could he take her life just because Xavier hadn’t named him beta? Hayden truly wondered about Nicolas’ frame of mind and if Cole ever thought there may have been something else fueling Nicolas’ actions.

Just what
were
Nicolas and the rogues aiming for? What were their motives?

Cole pivoted around and looked at her. “I was standing in front of my father when he shot himself in the head. I watched as a highly acclaimed and highly respected Alpha crumble by
his own
hand. No matter how much I tried to convince him that he needed to stay behind for the rest of the pack, he wouldn’t listen. He willingly chose death over his duty as Alpha.”

“He left
you
behind,” she perceived. “You needed him the most.”

To be so young and burdened with the death of his parents, the betrayal of his brother, and the sudden obligation of a pack’s safety must have been a heavy burden on Cole. It was no wonder he liked to close himself off.  

He shook his head once, denying it. “He left his pack,” he insisted.

Crossing her arms, Hayden observed him and tapped her fingers anxiously against her arms. He was just as impassive as he gazed steadily back at her. Getting through to Cole with
soothing words was difficult, especially when he liked to withdraw further into himself upon hearing them. Maybe the cold, hard truth would work better.

“He left because he knew he was leaving the pack in good hands.” She saw a flicker of something in those emerald eyes, but it
was veiled
a moment later. “If you ever had any doubt about your father’s decision to name you his beta, you only have to look at Nicolas and imagine him as our Alpha. Your father made the right choice because he knew his children.”

She uncrossed her arms and continued. “It’s unfair you had to take up the mantle as Alpha so early, but you are an exceptional guardian to all of us. You aren’t alone, Cole.”

Cole turned away to hide how the words affected him, but Hayden felt a warm glow in her chest that originated from his side of the bond.
It was a bittersweet ache, something he felt gracious toward, but could never truly appreciate.

The chuckle that slipped past his lips was harsh. He rubbed his face with his palm and kept his attention buried for a moment or two. His demeanor then shifted into something predatory. Through his fingers, his eyes pinned Hayden with a heated stare. There was a noticeable amber ring around his normally emerald eyes, a sign of his surfacing wolf.

“When I look at this room, I feel like I’m looking into the future,” Cole grounded out. He dropped his hand from his face and scratched at the stubble across his jaw. He approached Hayden with the air of a cunning predator. “Will this be your room someday, after you run off with Asher?”

Her pulse spiked eagerly at his slow advance and his animal-like longing. If she were to back up any further, her back would be against the wall and that would give him an advantage. As much as she was agreeable to the idea of Cole reaching out and touching her, she already knew he intended to pull away afterwards.

“It might be, with the way you’re acting,” she growled spitefully.

Hayden pivoted around, intending on escaping from his path and from the room all together. Unfortunately, Cole was quicker as he planted a solid foot between her stride, tripping
her up. His hands reached out and gripped her by the waist and the shoulders. With a force that wasn’t harsh, but certainly not gentle, he shoved her against the wall.

Her hands trembled at their sides as he nudged her legs apart with his own body and took harsh possession of her jaw. She lay captive against his pressing body and the solid wall behind her, never feeling as frightened and as thrilled as she was then. As a result, she half-heartedly tried to escape his hold, torn between wanting to stay there and needing to leave.  

Cole kept her firmly in place, seemingly growing more eager as she resisted. His scent was musty, masculine as he leaned closer to her face, staring at her with vicious humor.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he breathed possessively into her face. His hard mouth lingered near her lips and his fingers grew almost unbearable on her jaw. “You’ll always belong to me.” Without any hesitation, he confidently closed the gap between them and claimed her lips.

At the searing kiss, Hayden’s whole body flushed hotly. Her trembling hands reached up and clutched at Cole’s solid torso, needing to bring him
closer
and desperately needing something to anchor herself. She
was overpowered by her own emotions, but also overcome by Cole’s aggressive arousal and unconditional need
. This wasn’t at all comparable to Asher’s innocent kiss. This was confident, mature, and so incredibly consuming.

Hard lips pressed greedily against hers and he fervently deepened the kiss. She was motionless at first, but she slowly kissed back, enjoying the way he seemed to push further into her, the male need to dominate.

Gradually, he pulled back, leaving her trembling against the wall. She closed her eyes, knowing what was about to happen. Cole was afraid of their bond, but the root of his belief was that he wanted to stay clear of any sort of attachment in order to protect himself, her, and the rest of the pack. She didn’t necessarily agree with him, but if
that’s
what he wanted, she would comply.

“We can’t go further with this. We can’t do this,” he explained, his tone slightly slurred.

Hayden’s fingers curled into Cole’s shirt and she tugged him down to her level. With a resigned air, she placed her lips near his ear and whispered, “Who said I wanted this, Cole?”

His shock was palpable as he jerked away from her. His eyes then became half-lidded with seductive anger and his fingers slipped from her jaw to around her throat. With his lips parted, his canines hovered dangerously close to her neck. His warm breath teased the mating mark on her throat, and for a split second, Hayden thought he would bite her.

Cole then scoffed angrily and pulled away. He appeared as if he wanted to say something, but he only stood there, staring at her with a veil of husky need.

Hayden was the one to push off from the wall and escape the situation. She kept her back straight and her gait confident as his eyes drilled into her retreating figure.

If he truly wanted a platonic relationship, Hayden would make his decision easier. She would happily ignore the tension between them in favor of keeping her distance, no matter how painful it may become.

End of Book One