by Lia Davis
The front doors opened then closed, but Hayden didn’t need to turn to see who it was. He’d know Torin’s scent anywhere. His senior enforcer spotted him and came over to stand next to him. “Never thought I’d see the day we’d allow a mutant into the den and not kill it.”
Hayden snorted. “She’s more human than animal.”
Torin grunted. “We’ll see.”
He wasn’t going to argue. Gina would have to gain everyone’s trust. That wasn’t going to be easy for the female. Then again, she’d survived one death sentence; she could survive another.
Shay came through the front doors, her mother-in-law, Robyn, on one side and her mate, Travis, on the other. She walked straight toward Hayden and stopped a few inches from him. He smiled and bent down so she could kiss his cheek.
Shay was the Pack princess, always would be. She was also like a baby sister to him. It didn’t matter that she was a white tiger and Keegan’s adopted daughter, or that she was born in the Onyx Pack and wore their mark. It was more like a brand, symbolizing that she had a natural resistance to the mutant virus.
Blaine had found her when she was two, hiding inside a small burrow that they learned later her parents had placed her in to hide her from Onyx.
“So, boy or girl?” he teased and indicated her very large, round stomach, knowing good and well she was not sharing that information.
“No you don’t. It’s a surprise.”
Hayden straightened and gave Travis a nod.
Travis laughed. “She won’t even tell me.”
Shay moved to stand in front of Christa and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Shay.”
Christa shook her hand. “May I ask how far along you are?”
Shay’s features brightened, and she rubbed her large belly. “Twenty-nine weeks. Three more weeks to go.” Shay sat down in the chair next to where Christa stood. “I’m so ready,” she added with a light laugh.
Travis moved to stand next to his mother, who was talking with Ana and Gina softly. Hayden nudged Christa and asked, “Can you hear okay?”
“Yes.”
He held his smile and watched Robyn place the silver two-inch wide collar around Gina’s neck. The female mutant gave a little shudder after the collar locked in place. When Robyn stepped back, Hayden noticed the collar appeared more like a piece of jewelry resting at the base of her neck instead of a spelled tracking device that would also prevent the female from speaking lies.
“Comfy?” Robyn asked.
Gina nodded. Robyn ran her hand around the thing as if checking the fit. When done, she stepped back. “I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, and I want you to lie.”
Fear rose in Gina’s gaze. “What will happen?”
“Nothing that will hurt. I’m an earth witch and refuse to do harm to others. You shouldn’t be able to lie. What color are your eyes?”
Gina opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her eyes grew wide. “I can’t. I tried, but I can’t speak the lie. It like something is blocking me when I do.”
Robyn patted her hand. “Good. The collar also has a tracking device on it. If you leave the den, they will find you.”
Gina nodded. “I understand. I’m just happy to have a safe place to stay.”
Hayden frowned. He wasn’t so sure how safe she would be until she gained some trust.
“I want to help out somewhere. I can work in exchange for staying here.”
Work? Shit. It would be better to give her something to do, but what? There was no way the den mothers would allow her anywhere near the children. That involved most the jobs in the den since everyone played a role in the safety and upbringing of the pups and cubs.
Torin spoke up next to him. “You think Jasmine would let her work in the bar?”
Shay stood and waddled over to her mate. “That is a great idea. Gina, would you like to work in the bar? Well, it’s actually half-bar, half-restaurant.”
Gina’s face lit up. “I’d love to. I worked as a waitress while in college.”
Shay smile. “Great. Come with me then.” She turned to Ana and asked, “You want to come with us? You can meet Jasmine.”
Ana agreed without a second thought. Hayden wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to stay close to Gina or meet another packmate. Maybe it was a little of both.
Hayden turned to Christa. “I have to go meet with my mother and Blaine. Do you still have the key I gave you to my house?”
She nodded and held up the key.
He kissed her on the cheek. “Good. Make yourself at home. I’ll see you a little later.”
He walked out of the medical center into the late afternoon sun. Torin stepped up next to him. “You trust the human to be on her own in the den?”
He growled and moved his gaze to Torin. Tor held his hands up in surrender. “Just asking. I know she’s your mate, but—”
Hayden stepped into the male and growled, “I will not lock her away. She can be trusted.”
Chapter 14
Vance kicked the chunk of what used to be the front door to the main entrance of Onyx’s old den and stormed inside. Half the mountain that had once hidden the den had caved in as he’d planned. The charges he placed throughout the main common area had gone off perfectly. The only thing that failed was that the damned Ashwood enforcers all got out alive.
He cut right to the set of stairs that lead him into the lab, the heart of Felix’s brainchild. Stepping off the last step, Vance peered around the room until he spotted what he was looking for.
On the far right corner workstation was a tablet. The two laptops that Vance had left were gone.
Just as planned.
There was just enough information left on the computers to make Ashwood think they had the upper hand. But what they didn’t know was that each device in this room held a micro-size tracker built into the hard drives.
Vance made sure the trackers were placed in a spot where they wouldn’t be discovered until it was too late.
The only mistake the Ashwood bastards made was leaving the tablet behind because it was one of two devices that held the program needed to activate the trackers. The other had been destroyed when Ashwood’s wolf Marshal and sentries stormed Shield HQ.
It was stupid of Vance to hang around. Yet, he couldn’t leave. He wanted Christa and the brat twins she cared for.
So he’d stuck it out to see if he could get to her. Then one of the sentries had spotted him, chased him through the back of the building, and started shooting. A bullet struck the pinky finger of the hand with his phone, causing him to drop the damn thing down a storm drain.
Fucking Ashwood and their dumb luck.
Picking up the tablet, he turned to the cabinets behind him. He opened the first drawer and smiled. The extra cell phones were in there. He checked three for battery life with no luck. The fourth one was at thirty percent.
Enough for him to make the pick-up call.
“It’s about fucking time. What the hell happened to your phone?” Felix bit out as a greeting.
Vance was used to Felix’s temper, so he ignored it. “It took a swim. I’m at the den and need pickup.”
A low growl came from the other end of the call. “You know where to be.”
“Yes.”
“And Vance?”
Vance clenched his jaw together. “Yes.”
“You are replaceable. Just keep that in mind.”
The call cut off and so did the leash of Vance’s control. With a roar, he threw the cell across the room. It hit the wall and shattered on impact. Pieces of plastic and metal pinged off the floor and furnishings around the room.
If Felix thought he had the upper hand, he was gravely mistaken. The male was at a disadvantage with Vance for he was one of the rare people Felix couldn’t use his mindbender abilities on.
“You are wrong, Felix. It is you who is replaceable.”
****
Hayden sat at the large conference table in the office building next to the
medical center. The building held offices for each of the Alphas; Jared, the Pack Justice; Nevan, the Pack psychologist, and one for each of the Healers. The conference room was located on the ground floor between the Alphas’ offices.
Blaine walked through the door and dropped in the seat across from him. The male looked tired and stressed.
“How is Cam?” Hayden knew the couple had lost a child when Cameron had gone through her first heat cycle. He hoped the pregnancy took this time.
Blaine’s smile widened. “She’s good, now. Dani confirmed the pregnancy had taken.”
“Man, that’s great. Congrats.”
Blaine nodded just as Keegan and Luna walked in and took their seats. Keegan punched in a number into the telecom in the middle of table. The flat-screen TV came to life, showing Sven’s smiling face.
Sven Malone was the Birchwood Pack Healer—and he also specialized in genetics. That was why they scheduled the meeting. They needed his opinion and help, if he accepted, to look into Gina’s situation. Ana had asked Keegan and Blaine if they could see if anything could be done for Gina to reverse the mutant virus.
Of course Keegan had agreed to look into it.
Hayden figured it couldn’t hurt. Even he could tell the female had a pure heart.
Peering back at the screen, he couldn’t help but grin at the Healer. Sven’s blond hair reminded him of Albert Einstein’s, only a bit shorter and more on top. For some reason the male wore small wire-rimmed glasses.
Hayden didn’t know a shifter alive that had to wear glasses, though there was the rare occurrence that one was born blind.
“Hello, neighbors,” Sven said cheerfully.
Hayden felt his lips twitch. Birchwood was located in the Virginia mountains. “A little far away to be neighbors.”
Sven laughed. “It’s only about two hundred and seventy miles.”
Blaine cleared his throat. “Did you have a chance to look over our Healers’ report?”
Sven nodded as he shuffled some papers in front of him. “I’ve never heard of a human having shifter genes and not shifting. However, it is possible, if the gene originated from about three or four generations before their birth.” He paused to peer at the computer screen. Hayden caught the slight twitch in the male’s right eye, and then he squinted briefly. “Ah. This doesn’t look promising. The mutant virus has fucked with her DNA big time.”
Keegan leaned forward and asked, “So she can’t be helped?”
Sven grinned. “I didn’t say that. It’ll be the biggest challenge I’ve ever taken on, but I’m intrigued enough to take it on. When can I come down to meet her?”
Luna shifted in her seat. “Sven, you’d have to give us a couple of days to make accommodations for you. We don’t have the equipment set up...”
“Luna, you are too nurturing for an Alpha. I’ll bring my own computer, and I have my magickal glasses.” He winked and tapped the frame of his glasses.
Hayden glanced at his mother then back to Sven. “You’re blind.”
Luna slapped at him, but Sven laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair. “Only ninety percent. The glasses are enhanced to help with reading if the letters are big enough. Plus my computer talks to me. It’s like your regular lab around here, equipment, mad scientist, and all.”
Keegan and Luna laughed, but Blaine and Hayden shared a raised brow.
Luna sobered, but when she met Hayden’s gaze, she started laughing again. “Sven, you are welcome to come anytime.”
The Healer nodded. “Okay, but it’ll be a couple of days before I can get there.”
Hayden peered over at his mother, and she shook her head and waved him off. She discounted the telecom.
Laughing, she stood. “Sven is a little different. His IQ is off the charts. His sense of humor is something to be desired to most. Many think he’s crazy.”
Hayden grunted as he followed his mother out of the conference room, shaking his head.
Yep, the Pack was doomed. They’d allowed a mutant inside the den, and now a mad-scientist-Healer was on his way to stay with them for God knew how long.
Chapter 15
Christa settled into the oversized armchair in the small library in Hayden’s home with a book she’d pulled from one of the shelves. The book was some kind of murder mystery by an author she hadn’t heard of, despite being an avid reader of the genre.
Reading had always been her outlet of choice. She found satisfaction in knowing the bad guy would be caught in the end.
Brenna giggled from the living room right outside the door, making Christa smile. The kids seemed more relaxed since arriving in Ashwood. Even Bryce was a little less tense than he had been in recent months.
The click of the front opening made Christa’s pulse kick up a couple of beats per second. It wasn’t out of fear. No, it was in anticipation of seeing Hayden again.
She blew out a breath and closed her eyes. Really? She wasn’t a teen anymore. She didn’t have crushes. Hayden was just a man. Well, man and wolf, but still. Christa wasn’t falling for him.
Nope.
It’s just that she hadn’t been with anyone in a while, and Hayden...
Fuck. She was falling. Hard.
However, she was not about to let the wolf know that.
She saw him appear in the doorway out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t lift her head to greet him. She didn’t want him to see how much he affected her. It was bad enough he could sense it.
“You look rested.”
Out of reflex, she looked up at his statement. The moment their eyes met, a lazy, yet sensual smile curved his lips. Her body heated, and her skin itched for his touch.
Damn man.
“I took a short nap while you were meeting with the Alphas.” She closed the book, stood, and gave him her back as she returned the book to the shelf. “How was it?”
“The male mutant isn’t doing too well,” he whispered, and she knew he did so to try to keep the twins from hearing.
Christa frowned. “They can still hear you.”
He shrugged. “He was their father.”
“Who killed their mother.”
“He didn’t have a choice.”
She turned then jumped as she realized how close he was to her. She quickly recovered and pinned him with a hard stare. “Are you sticking up for a mutant now?”
“Just stating a fact.” He paused, took a breath, and then continued. “Sasha says he has about forty-eight hours, give or take.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I think you should speak to him. Find some kind of closure.” She moved to step around him, but he gripped her arm and pulled her into his body. “Give those kids closure.”
Defeat flooded her system, making her sag against him. “I’m not sure I can face him. I almost lost it at Hunter Ridge.”
“You were in shock. Your mind was trying to stop the pain from resurfacing.”
She shook her head. Hayden ran a finger down her cheek to slip under her chin and lift it up so she met his gaze. “I never said you’d have to forgive him. Just talk to him.”
She held his green gaze for several seconds before opening her mouth to speak. The instant she did, Hayden covered it with his. His tongue swept inside, finding hers. Hot liquid desire burned through her. Hayden slid his hand inside her robe, gripped her ass, and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved them.
A clatter of things hitting the floor right before her ass touched the edge of the desk. Hayden slid his hands up her sides and inside her robe to cup one breast. He released her lips to travel his down the column of her neck to her shoulder, nipping her lightly along the way.
The sound of Brenna’s annoyed voice froze them in place. “We can hear you. Get a room!”
Hayden lifted his head and peered into her eyes. He smiled, and for the first time since she’d known him, the smile reached his eyes. “I guess I could wait a little longer.”
> After a quick kiss, he lifted her off the desk. Slowly lowering her to the ground, he said, “Go get changed. We’re going to dinner.”
Christa bit back a retort even though the need to tease him lay heavy on her mind. He was such an alpha male.
And she liked it.
“Casual or business?”
“Casual.”
She drew her robe closed and stepped around him to go change, ignoring the twins’ smirks on her way.
****
Hayden watched Christa’s profile as she took in the night sky and the forest around them from their table on the back deck of Russell’s Bar. She wore her wavy blond hair down. The ends brushed the tops of her shoulders as the breeze teased the strands. Without thinking, he reached out and brushed a few silken strands from her face. When his fingers touched her skin, she turned to him and smiled.
“What?”
He went to move his hand, but she grabbed it and linked her fingers with his then brought their hands to her mouth. She pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “I like it when you touch me.”
He felt his lips twitch. “What changed that?”
“You. The way you are with your family and friends. Your strength.” She dropped their connected hands to the table and stared out into the darkening forest. “It’s beautiful here. I could live here forever.”
“You can.”
She snapped her attention back to him. “No, I...”
He pressed a finger to her lips, halting her denial of what was fated. “You are my mate.” He leaned in so their lips were a breath away from each other. “I will win this—win you. You will be mine. No. You are mine.”
She raised her brows. “I’m not sure I like this whole possessive thing.”
“I’m as much yours as you are mine.” He sat back in his chair. “You just have to claim me and accept the mating.”
She fell silent and peered at her beer bottle. He let it go for now. Christa would come around. She had to. If she ran from this, from him, he’d just hunt her down and seduce her into staying.
Their waitress came over and smiled. “Hi. What can I get you two to eat?”
Hayden softened his expression a bit and held out his hand, palm up. She flicked her gaze to Christa, who watched her with interest, then back to his hand before placing her own in his. “How have you been, Cora?”