Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (9 page)

After Blake ordered half the items on the menu, the server swept off with a highly aggravated look on her face. Hayden grinned into her water, feeling more lighthearted than she had in ages.

The man sitting across from her had a happy-go-lucky grin on his face as he considered the dessert menu, the shirt across his chest constricting, most likely borrowed to him by his younger brother.

“How is Gregory doing?” Hayden ventured. Her high spirits began diminishing as she remembered the human’s swollen and bloodied face.

Blake appeared delighted at her concern. “He’ll make it.” His face darkened. “He may have a few scars on his face, but we all have our battle wounds.” He glanced at Hayden. “He tells me you’re worried about transferring to Minnesota. Keiran is a good Alpha. You’ll enjoy staying with him.” The werewolf leaned forward. “If I wasn’t Cole’s beta, I’d even consider transferring to Keiran’s pack myself.” He winked, making light on his words.

Hayden raised her eyebrows at the word ‘beta’ and found it unexpected that Blake was Cole’s second-in-command.

“Hayden will be coming to Oregon with us,” Cole interrupted their conversation, looking at Hayden expectantly. “You will make a better fit with my pack than Keiran’s.” His roguish features tried to soften into a welcoming smile, but he didn’t achieve his desired results. It looked far more wolfish than friendly.

Hayden stared, shocked, and Blake did a double take at Cole’s smile.

“But I thought you said she was going to Minnesota with Keiran?” he inquired.

“You have already bonded so well with her, why separate you two?” he replied flippantly.

“But why?”
Hayden asked bluntly.

The relocation change had come so suddenly, even Hayden and Blake were blindsided by his decision. Minnesota was already far from New York, but Oregon was even further. Moreover, having
Cole
as an Alpha was something Hayden wondered if she could ever adapt to.

Cole ran a hand threw his messy hair, appearing exasperated with their questions. “Keiran has enough rogues to deal with.” Emerald eyes landed on Hayden’s throat and his face became tight and unreadable. “Because Nicolas marked you as his mate, I think it is best if I avoided drawing anymore unwanted attention to Keiran.”

Blake jerked in his chair, leaning closer to Hayden and staring repulsively at her neck. Out of instinct, Hayden cupped her throat, covering the mark and giving the beta a look of animosity. Clearly, the man hadn’t known Nicolas had claimed her, his dramatic reaction was proof enough of that.

“Other packs may be leery taking you in, but I have a history with Nicolas.” Cole brought her attention back on to him. He easily dismissed Blake’s background antics. “I would be able to protect you better if you were under my wing.”

Hayden knew Cole and Nicolas had a history, but she didn’t know what it entitled. She certainly wasn’t on well enough terms with Cole to ask him about it, so she kept quiet.

A part of her wondered if Cole was only taking her in because he felt guilty for almost killing her. There was also the suspicion that he was taking her in just to lure Nicolas in his territory. The conflict between the two Alphas was fanatical enough for that, as evidence of Nicolas’ persistence in claiming Hayden before Cole had the chance to.

Yet somehow, she doubted Cole would be ruthless enough to put his pack in danger just because of his rivalry.

Blake shifted. “I’m not complaining, Cole,” he murmured softly, almost too quietly. “But are you sure the rest of the pack will approve? She has Tracer as a Sire and now Nicolas is after her. The other packs in town will be in disarray, especially Adolf—”

Cole didn’t need to speak in order to shut Blake up. His aggressive gaze zeroed in on Blake from across the table, immediately causing the beta to stiffen and look down in submission.

“If it’s a problem,” Hayden started, “I’m sure there is another pack I could join.”

Better yet, she could stay in New York. She didn’t like being the source of conflict. If she was going to be unwelcomed with Cole, it was best to avoid that route all together. 

Blake glanced at Hayden and then looked at a spot above Cole’s head. “Everett is an option,” he treaded lightly.

“She stays with me and that’s final,” Cole bit out harshly. He didn’t need to shout to get his point across. Instead, he had said it quietly, with a growl-like undertone.

Silence lapsed between them, as neither Blake nor Hayden was willing to anger Cole further. Luckily, it wasn’t long before their food arrived, with Blake’s order taking up half the table. Without hesitation, he dived into his food and Hayden followed at a much slower pace.

“This is good,” Blake somehow managed to get out between his mouthfuls. “But it’s not as good as Addie’s cooking.” Bits of food sprayed the table and he easily banished any earlier tension around the table. “Addie is Cole’s grandmother. She’ll love you, Hayden.”

Hayden glanced at the Alpha, recognizing that he appeared in his mid-twenties, the same age as most of the werewolves she had encountered. However, the way he carried himself and his closed-off expressions made him appear a lot older.

“How many are in the pack?” she asked, encouraging Blake to fill the silence.

“Including Cole and I? There are six, but with you, seven.” Blake grinned lopsidedly. “Addie is the eldest in the pack. And then—”

“There are Nathanial and Fergus,” Cole unexpectedly cut in. For lack of the better term, he seemed proud as he recounted th
e members of his pack.
“Nathan and Fergus are twins, but you’d
never know it. You’ll have no trouble telling them apart. Lastly, there is Devan. She is declared the female Alpha.”

Hayden took a mental pause at his words. Trying to withhold a grimace, she pondered on the idea of a female Alpha. Another commanding authority wasn’t what she was looking forward to, especially when she knew females were rather territorial and vicious.

And
those were human females. She could only imagine how territorial female werewolves could get.

“Is she your mate, then?” Hayden pressed curiously. From what little she knew about wolves and the fables of werewolves, the Alpha male and female were usually mates.

Cole’s expression tightened marginally, but he was quick to turn neutral once again. “Devan and I
are
joint Alphas,” he explained. “We are not a mated Alpha pair.”

Across from him, Blake snickered into his potatoes. Apparently, Hayden was missing something vital.

Cole pressed his forearms on the table, leaning toward Hayden. Like Nicolas and Tracer, he had the ability to pull Hayden in, somehow making the hustle and bustle of their surroundings become void. Fortunately, his ability wasn’t overpowering and Hayden found it more comforting than unnerving.

“You’ll enjoy it in Oregon. As my duty as your Alpha, you can be reassured that I’ll help you with your self-control on full moons as well as around humans.”

It was the first time Cole had ever openly reassured her and even Blake seemed surprised at the action. “It would be nice not to see my mother as food,” Hayden responded quietly.

She swallowed, looking away from Cole and back at her food. It had been painful to be so distant from her mother these past few days. She hoped, with time, she could hug her mother again without feeling rage and hunger.

However, if she was honest with herself, she already felt calmer, especially in Cole’s presence. When Hayden didn’t feel disgust at his attempted murder, she recognized the soothing vibes around him. She didn’t understand it, but assumed it had to do with Cole being an Alpha.

“Do Alpha’s have some sort of power?” Hayden ventured guardedly. “I mean, your presence, seems to be… calming.” She didn’t have any other word for it and she wondered if it came out as stupid as she thought it had. 

Cole didn’t appear to think the question was senseless, if he did, he did well not to let it show. “Alphas are known to have a certain power, yes. Pacifying other werewolves aside, once we bond with our pack members, we also have the power to force their transformation.”

“Force?”
Hayden pressed as she poked listlessly at her meat.

Cole inclined his head in consideration. “For instance, say I wanted the pack to transform back into humans or morph into their wolf. I could manipulate the bond we share and force their transformation.

“Alphas are also creatures who placate and tame newborn werewolves who enter their pack. With this power, I will be able to guide you and assist you with human proximity, as well as the painful first transformation.” Cole trailed off, appearing pensive.

“Don’t let Cole scare you too much. The first transformation isn’t all that bad,” Blake commented through his food. “And if you survive, and if you have control over your wolf, you’ll be able to morph freely anytime, even nights that aren’t the full moon.”

Despite his blocked air passage, Hayden heard him clearly. “
If
I survive?” she repeated hoarsely. Nicolas had already commented that females rarely survived the transformation. She didn’t know there was another phase she would need to hurdle over in order to survive. 

Cole offered Blake a withering stare. “You’ll survive, Hayden,” he murmured confidently, turning back to her. “I’ll be right beside you.”

His confidence made her feel a little lighter, yet she was still apprehensive about what was to come. Hayden didn’t trust him completely and there was still that empty feeling of leaving home and living with people who may not welcome her.

Raising her gaze, she met Cole’s searching stare. Even if Hayden tried to clear the trepidation from her face, she knew he could easily see through her.

The closer they approached their destination, the more her depression about leaving New York lessened, and the more her anxiety about meeting Cole’s pack increased.

After a rather cramped airplane ride, involving the use of her scarf due to the closeness of humans, Hayden found herself occupying an even more cramped taxi. She was current sitting between Cole and Blake, their brawny bodies hardly allowing Hayden much room for comfort, let alone breathing room.

The taxicab even smelt horrible, her enhanced senses making it worse. The driver was currently indulging in a bag of mini donuts, carefully using his large belly and elbows to steer the car. Hayden had been watching him since they left the city in Oregon, which happened to be more than an hour ago.

Her eyes drifted toward Cole’s side of the window, observing the stunning scenery. She had never been to Oregon, only Montana, but both areas were rich with forests and greenery. The trees were broad, thick, their leaves spreading selfishly at the top. The high sun reflected richly off the lakes and streams, casting golden hues across the
water
and making it appear like gold-encrusted jewels.

As she mentally compared the greenery here to New York, Hayden began thinking about her family. Before they had left, she had asked Cole if she could go home to pack a few things and to say goodbye to her family.

Cole had refused her request, distractedly promising to purchase her new belonging when they got to Oregon. As far as her family went, Blake had reassured her that Gregory and his family would be speaking to them in hopes of easing them into the transition.

Through the reflection of the window, Hayden was aware of Cole watching her with intrigue. Throughout the trip, she had noticed the Alpha inspecting her, especially at times when he thought she wasn’t paying attention.

Was he simply trying to observe, to get to know her better?
Or
was he watching, waiting for her to lose control? If she ever lost control, Cole would have a reasonable excuse to send her away. Now more than ever, Hayden was determined to keep her self-control in check.

Cole had already needed to hold her wrist on the plane. Once Hayden had stopped trying to pull away from him, Cole had rubbed small circles near her pulse. It had surprisingly worked, as the humans around her hadn’t been nearly as appealing as they had been without his presence.

Pulling herself back to the present, Hayden turned her stare onto Cole’s scrutiny, observing him with just as much intensity as he was
her
. She could easily admit to being infatuated with his eyes. They were so green, focused, and intelligent. A sharp thrill traveled down her spine as she kept eye contact with him, an act of defiance in itself.

The corner of the man’s mouth twitched as he kept his eyes leveled hers. “Are you challenging me, pup?” he inquired deeply, his tone hoarse with amusement. “I don’t remember the last time a female challenged me so outright.”

A frown tugged at her lips. “Then you obviously aren’t around females very often.”

Through lowered lashes, she studied the man closely. Although attractive, the Alpha next to her was arrogant, almost conceitedly so. He also seemed to possess a unique ability of being able to both calm her and get a rise out of her.

Blake chuckled lightly at her comment, causing Hayden to break eye contact with Cole. The beta played it safe by pretending to be ignorant of the proceedings next to him. He kept his attention firmly fixated on the passing scenery, avoiding any possible chiding from Cole.