by Reese Morgan
It was getting warmer outside as spring approached.
Instead of light, fluffy snowflakes, it rained shards of ice.
Hayden rolled her back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes, smelling her pack members. They were close. So close. Yet something kept her an intentional distance away. A growing unease and a feeling of desolation made her limbs heavy.
Nicolas hadn’t caught up to her yet.
She was sure he would have found her by now. She could see him now. He would have mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and teased her for taking so long.
One of Cole’s first lessons to her was that an Alpha needed to stand tall and firm for his or her pack no matter the circumstances. Hayden knew she needed to push aside her feelings of vulnerability and focus on protecting the others.
She was proud of them.
They had enough sense to get the hell out of the house before a Hunter had the chance to force his way inside. Their quick acting was why their house had no crimson ‘x’. There had been no casualties to report. No cold-blooded assassinations. No victory.
With her eyes closed to the breaking dawn, Hayden could hear the pack talk quietly amongst each other. They argued about starting a fire.
Fergus cringed at the very prospect of gnawing a dead carcass for breakfast.
Hayden shook her head fondly, her heart swelling for him. For all of them as they angrily rebuked his third attempt to gather firewood.
Only when Blake murmured something did they all quiet.
And then something strange happened.
With the exception of her eyes, her senses remained open and hypersensitive. A chorus of footsteps pierced the thin layer of ice on top the snow. There were many bodies, all taking the exact same stride at precisely the same moment.
It was almost robotic.
Robotic.
Her eyes snapped opened and dread settled like a toxic weight in her stomach. Deliberately, she turned around the circumference of the tree and watched a group of six puppets march their way toward her pack.
Six puppets would have been a difficult challenge, not necessarily impossible.
What made the situation impossible was the smug, platinum blond-haired man leading the group of puppets. He strutted as if he were an admiral leading his army to their victory battle. She stared at Evan, the scar he’d given her burning at his presence alone.
A Carrier was within reach.
Vividly, she remembered Zane Donovan urging her to strategize a plan that was obtainable. Something that was still feasible giving their deplorable conditions.
Eliminating Evan and Nolan before hunting down Celeste was their only chance.
Hayden thought the idea was achievable, but the only fighter present, beside herself, was Blake. Nathan knew enough, but he could not stand up against a puppet, let alone Evan.
However, despite all that, despite Evan being present, another factor stacked the odds against Hayden and her pack. Staring at the approaching group, her attention landed on the individual with wild, black waves and an uneven beard.
That ill-fitting puzzle piece was back in her life.
Cole.
Hayden laughed noiselessly and turned back around, pressing her spine against the tree. Uncontrollable tears ran down her cheeks and she dug her palms into her eyes in an attempt to stifle them. Devastation blackened her spirit and she felt an overwhelming urge to collapse and become a permanent fixture at the base of the tree.
“Will you look at this?”
Hayden inhaled shakily as Evan’s voice reached her ears.
“A misfit Slayter pack without an Alpha to lead them.”
She drew her claws across her thighs and forcibly pulled herself together.
Stop. Now is not the time. No. Using her sleeve, she wiped her face, drying her tears and ridding herself of her fear, or, at least forcing it to the deepest recesses of her mind.
She’d faced death before, only, her whole pack was never with her.
Hayden would die before Evan touched them.
Standing up, she hid the handgun firmly inside her coat pocket. Securing her knives and making certain her sword remained strapped to her back, Hayden stepped out from behind the tree.
Diligently, she made her way down the small incline.
“When I was told to flush out the traditional wolves who escaped from the massacre, I hadn’t expected such an unexpected treat. But just where is my favorite Alpha bitch? Don’t tell me she didn’t make it.”
Blake stood in front of the others, keeping an arm out as if to warn them away from Evan. For the most part, they appeared elusively gloom. They kept their fear off their expression, though even Hayden noticed their frantic, desperate looks to Cole.
As if he could somehow help.
This was their first time seeing their Alpha.
Seeing his unfocused stare and his mind-numbing obedience to Evan.
Hayden approached the group from an angle, channeling Nicolas into her gait. She’d seen him walk into danger so many times, and each time, he appeared unfazed and coldly confident. Even if she couldn’t win this, at least she went into the situation with her chin raised.
“Ah, there’s my girl.”
The grin nearly split Evan’s face into two as he noticed her approach.
Devan cupped her mouth and gave a dry sob in either relief or fear. Nathan was quick to wrap an arm around her while Fergus shifted closer. Blake watched her approach. They shared a look, both acknowledging they’d give it their all.
It was almost like a farewell.
The puppets shuffled without a word from Evan, surrounding the pack and preventing them from running. Even if they had been able to run, Hayden didn’t think they could all outrun them.
Vividly, she recollected the decapitations of her allies, her friends.
She didn’t want to be alive long enough to see the rest of her pack beheaded.
Planting her feet firmly in the snow, Hayden observed Evan stoically. “Nice eyepatch,” she whispered.
Indeed, Evan wore an eyepatch that covered the gray, lifeless eye Hayden had destroyed earlier. The blond-haired Carrier inclined his head and placed a finger against his mouth with mock consideration.
“There is something different with you as well. Let me think. Let me smell.”
Wet strands of hair clung to her face, yet she maintained steady and unblinking eye contact with the monster standing opposite of her.
Evan snapped his fingers and another blinding grin crossed his lips. “I think congratulations are in order. You’re now officially a breeding bitch for Slayter, eh?” He paused dramatically. “But where is your stud now?”
He looked around in an exaggerated manner.
The only sound to break the tense silence was the sleet hitting the hard layer of snow and Devan’s heavy breathing.
“You know, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.” Evan took a step closer to Hayden and Blake tensed. “I respect you, Hayden, I really do.” Teeth clenched in an edgy smile. “With how quickly you inserted yourself into our society, it truly is impressive. And with your status as Alpha, why, you’re faced with all sorts of tough decisions. Aren’t you?”
He clasped his hands behind his back and stopped only a couple of feet from her.
Evan leaned forward, putting their eyes on equal levels. “Tough decisions like in this instance,” he crooned. “If you had to pick one member from your pack to sacrifice themselves for a good cause, who would you choose?”
“Myself,” Hayden replied without hesitating.
The blond-haired Carrier blinked before laughing boisterously. His single eye widened with pleasure and he clapped his hands.
“So predictable,” he complained gleefully, glancing back at Blake as if sharing a private joke with the stern beta. He released another laugh. “I bet you think I will rebuke your decision and tell you to pick someone else. Isn’t that right?”
Hayden simply stared at him.
Her
silence did not deter Evan from entertaining himself.
“Right,” he replied for her. “That would make me predictable. But I’m feeling rather creative today. I think I will accept your generous bargain.” His face suddenly darkened. “Because I really, really want to kill you.”
He backhanded her sharply.
Hayden’s hearing and vision failed her. A sharp, ringing echoed in her head and the world turned colorless and black. She found her body hitting the ground hard.
Evan’s high-pitched laughter was the first thing she heard.
“Restrain them!” he ordered loudly.
His boots stopped in her line of vision and he crouched down, tilting his head to examine her with mock pity. “You’re bleeding,” he declared worriedly.
Hayden blinked rapidly, trying to sharpen her vision. He touched the area beneath her nose, scooping up the warm liquid. Bringing his crimson-coated fingers to his mouth, he closed his eyes and savored the taste.
Moaning, he stood back up.
“That’s a good taste. A defeated female in her rightful place.”
Devan sobbed and Fergus moaned her name. Evan laughed and Blake snarled wildly. The sounds all intermingled into one high-pitched whine. Hayden knew she couldn’t go this way. Not after all the training, not after the resilience, and the suffering she’d endured.
She stood firmly and stared at Evan’s back.
Her entire body trembled with unrestrained hatred and adrenaline.
As he turned, Hayden slammed her fist into his unsuspecting face twice in rapid concession. Drawing her sword, she jumped out of his reach as he grabbed for her. His hand plunged into his coat and he drew a throwing knife.
His single eye dilated as he chucked the weapon at her.
Twirling her sword, Hayden deflected the knife with her blade, sending it flying in the opposite direction. She ducked below his dive, slamming her shoulder and her momentum up under his armpit.
Something snapped or dislocated in his shoulder, but Hayden could hardly savor her victory. Twirling around his back, she just barely nicked his calves with her sword before he turned and delivered another ruthless punch to her jaw.
Stumbling back, but moving in time to lessen the blow, Hayden flipped away from his second assault. His movements were incredibly fast, too fast. She had to pay close attention to him or she would fall behind and lose her footing.
His strength was unparalleled, so Hayden relied on her own quickness to counteract his strikes and soften his blows. Adrenaline roared through her veins, making her body hot and her reflexes honed.
She swung her sword, catching him across his cheek.
Just barely.
As she withdrew her sword, Evan reached out and grabbed the blade. The blade cut his hand and blood swelled. Disbelievingly, Hayden watched as he bent the sword with his bare hand.
Hayden rotated her hips and slammed her foot into the side of his face. Evan dropped the sword, though it was useless now. She deposited it on the ground and quickly dodged behind a tree as he delivered a punch.
The tree’s branches shook wildly and released a shower of snowflakes.
Hayden jumped backward and practically ran from his relentless advances. She dodged, twirled and flipped away from him, barely moving fast enough to prevent his blows from landing a hit. Her body twisted around the trees and she used her flexibility to deliver kicks to his lower abdomen.
It seemed to be his one and only weak point.
“Run! Run!”
Blake’s yell interrupted Hayden’s intense concentration. She finally realized they were a good distance away from the others. From the corner of her eye, she saw the pack scramble away and sprint as fast as they could through the trees.
Somehow, they wiggled free from their puppet captors.
That was all she saw before Evan slammed his foot into her chest and knocked her off her feet. She fell hard before using her hands and somersaulting back to her feet.
His hand descended, only for it to stop midair.
Blake appeared suddenly and twisted Evan’s arm backward, slamming his knee into the small of the man’s back. Evan hardly flinched. Bent forward, he threw back his elbow and connected it into Blake’s jaw.
Her beta scrambled backward, but as soon as Evan turned back to her, Hayden used her throwing knife and stabbed him in his neck.
His single eye widened.
Hayden slammed her opposite fist into his face.
Evan snarled. Grabbing her forearm, he squeezed until her bone snapped. He then chopped her throat with the side of his hand. She gagged at the pressure but soon lost the ability to breathe as he slammed his fist into her stomach.
Her ribs did not stand a chance against his assault.
Hayden descended to the ground, watching in disbelief as he pulled the knife from his neck as if it were a mere inconvenience. The blood flowed from the wound, but not nearly as much as it should have.
He turned on Blake, relentlessly tearing through the beta’s defenses and landing a particularly hard blow to Blake’s temple. Dazed, dizzy, Blake stumbled, unable to defend himself when Evan took a hold of his head and slammed it against the tree.
Hayden flinched as Blake collapsed on top of her broken forearm.
“Underneath Slayter’s claim, all I can smell is a delectable scent of sulfur and silver. What are you hiding, puppy?” Evan grabbed hold of Hayden’s ankle.
He tugged her cleanly across the ground and groped her. She struggled, her ribs screaming in protest and her arm on fire. She landed a good kick near his groin, but Evan ignored her entirely and kneeled harshly on her broken ribs.
His clumsy, bloody fingers found the handgun in her coat pocket.
Withdrawing it, he admired the weapon.
Evan’s breath came faster upon his discovery. “Was this your last-ditch effort, Hayden?” He leered down at her and grabbed her hand. “I’d love to see you pull the trigger. There is something sexy about a woman wielding a gun.”
Forcing her hand around the weapon, he positioned it against her temple. His finger hovered over hers, forcing her to apply pressure against the trigger.
Hayden wailed deliriously as he pressed it roughly against her skull. He applied a significant amount of pressure on her finger, the trigger dangerously close to firing. This was it, she realized. A quick bullet to the head.
“You bleed a beautiful red,” Evan declared with finality.
A figure appeared behind Evan and embedded a throwing knife into his temple. Time seemed to stand still as Hayden stared disbelievingly as the blond-haired Carrier collapsed from on top of her.
A blade came down and decapitated the Carrier, finally ending his reign of terror.
Hayden’s throat was tight and she scrambled away from Evan’s body. Her hand uncurled hurriedly from the gun as she stared up at her savior. Disbelief made her turn cold.
It was impossible.
Cole stared down at her, his emerald eyes focused, sane.
She shakily used her good arm to crawl backward, away from him.
“No.” She shook her head. “No.”
A frown creased between his eyebrows, but he remained motionless. He did not approach her or reach out to her. He simply stared. “Did Troy not tell you?”
Hayden stopped at his voice, her body shuddering violently. Perhaps she was frightened of him or maybe she was so desperately relieved that she could not contain herself. Cole was Cole. He was not Celeste’s puppet.
No.
Cole dropped his sword and it fell to the snow with finality. “Judging from your reaction, I take it he didn’t get the chance.”
She was speechless.
“Hayden,” he called her name as he always did with such fondness. “You’re safe.”
The tears wanted to come, so did the breakdown. Being on high alert these past few months, however, made that impossible. She had trained herself not to give into her whims, no matter how much she wanted to cry in relief.
Hayden licked her lips, so many thoughts and emotions running through her mind.
There were several questions she wanted to ask him. She wanted to touch him. Stare at him. Unfortunately, footsteps approached from a distance. Hayden turned away from him and prepared herself for another confrontation.
Only, it was her pack who advanced slowly, their expression weary.
Just behind them, Adolf approached. So did a few others from his pack. And Falco. Her father. They had their swords drawn, their auras just as darkly haunted as hers. Looking past their hard and impassive expressions, Hayden could see from their eyes that there were so many casualties.
Too many.
Hayden released a shuddering breath.
As she blinked, her lashes gathered small droplets of moisture. Traditional werewolves surrounded them from every angle as they slowly emerged from the trees. Their numbers were sparse and they spread out to cover more distance.
“Cole?” Devan was the first to inquire. “Are you really…?”
She trailed off. Just like Hayden, Devan did not know what to say.
Under the silent scrutiny of the approaching werewolves, Cole inclined his head. His focus remained on Hayden. “It was a deflection,” he stated firmly.
“This whole time?” Hayden asked, feeling a wave of sad disappointment.
She was more than relieved to see him alive, to see him well. However, if he played a role she wasn’t privy to, a very large part of her despised him. She despised him for making her think they’d lost him. For making her nearly delirious with the need to see him safe.
“Yes.”
Hayden looked down and away from him.
“Were you able to do much damage to Celeste, Cole?” Falco demanded. “Any good news would be welcome.”
“I would like to keep my information as private as possible until we identify the reflectors,” he said. “I know there is someone feeding Celeste information.”
Despite the pain in her body, Hayden stood. Planting her boots firmly in the snow, she stared at Evan’s decapitated body. The other werewolves were silent after Cole’s confession, perhaps with disbelief, perhaps with jadedness.
Her subconscious reached out to Nicolas, not detecting his presence anywhere.