Un.Breakable (Slayter Series Book 4)

by Reese Morgan

  He walked as if he had no concerns, no fears.

  In a way, he shared Nicolas’ aura of indestructibility, yet an unnerving abnormality warped Logan’s aura. Palpable abnormality. Sensing such a disquiet impression from him caused Hayden to submerge in the feeling of hopelessness and despair.

  She didn’t know what to do.

  He was still her father, still the man who’d raised her.

  Yet, it was time she faced the cold, stark truth.

  He led her outside the prison cells and through a labyrinth of hallways. It seemed cold in the base and Hayden assumed they were partially underground. The doorways they passed were shut, preventing her from observing their surroundings and memorizing their route.

  Everything looked the same.

  Dark and dank.

  Desolately stale.

  “I believe I have it covered from here, Tobias.” Logan stopped in front of a door and pressed his palm against the solid wood. “Find Celeste and Julian. Make sure they are ready to leave.”

  Hayden and Tobias traded looks, the latter silently fuming.

  “Now,” Logan growled suddenly.

  Like an obedient mutt, Tobias turned his heel and retreated from the immediate area. Hayden watched him go before her father ushered her inside a dark room. Hesitating at the doorway, she flinched as Logan reached over her shoulder and turned on the lights.

  It was a simple sitting room with an empty, unused fireplace and a few leather armchairs. There was nothing sinister inside, with the exception of the unsettling emptiness.

  She shuffled inside, her feet feeling heavy, her chest even more so.

  “Why?”

  Her question, thick with accusation, reverberated across the empty walls.

  “That question is rather vague.” Logan shut the door behind them, watching her with unsympathetic eyes. “Why did I turn against you? I assure you, it was nothing personal, but rather many decades in the making.”

  “Nothing personal,” Hayden repeated, unable to speak in anything louder than a whisper. “You’ve completely destroyed me.”

  A very small, nearly insignificant emotion fluttered within Logan’s eyes, though it was difficult to tell amongst the sea of casual superciliousness. Staring at her father, Hayden couldn’t help but realize how detached he was from reality.

  Or perhaps reality was so far detached from Logan Crow.

  “Your current situation was a result of Celeste’s bitter resentment to your very existence. I was disloyal and you were proof of that infidelity.” Logan pushed off from the door and leisurely approached her.

  “You said you have many other children. Did she hate them just as well?”

  “Oh yes, she’s killed many of my sons.”

  His confession was so blunt, so casual.

  “And yet, you still conceive children with other women.”

  “To push her buttons. To see her squirm. To win.”

  Hayden had to look away, far too distraught to make eye contact. Disgust bubbled in her stomach and made her sick with nausea. “Is that what you do? Hurt each other? Shoot one another with silver bullets? Commit adultery? It sounds like a very sick, twisted relationship.”

  “Our relationship has been described as many things, yes,” Logan agreed. “I’d say we have more of a timeless and challenging partnership.”

  He stopped in front of her.

  His fingers trailed her averted cheek and his thumb brushed the sensitive area underneath her eye. Hayden tried to suppress the feelings of violation. She’d once leaned into this touch, recognizing it as her warm, affectionate father.

  “Stop. Please.”

  “Hayden,” Logan chastised. Easing himself closer, he cradled her jaw. “I stand by my earlier observation. You’re my first and only daughter, a true blessing. You’ve grown into a strong, beautiful young woman. My time with you was never a lie.”

  “Your whole life is a lie,” she rebutted ferociously. “How can our time together be anything but a misconception?”

  “I’ve betrayed the traditional werewolves and their cause, never you.”

  Logan dropped his hands from her face and brushed alongside her.

  Approaching the expansive dining room table, he plucked up a silver knife that lay just inches from Hayden’s unaware fingers.

  Turning, she watched in disbelief as he grabbed an apple from a bowl of fruit and began to cut it deliberately with his blade. He watched her steadily, carving off a piece of apple flesh and placing it in his mouth.

  “Xavier Slayter was our largest obstacle,” he started. “Celeste and I had plans for the werewolf community. Very radical and disruptive plans, but fun nonetheless. The traditional wolves would never stand for our ideals. Therefore, they had to be eliminated and a plan had to be intricately manipulative.”

  He carved off another chunk from his apple, the small, silver blade luminous.

  “As you can imagine, that proved to be a very challenging task. The Hunters formed a strong alliance with Xavier Slayter and they would readily eliminate any rogue activity as soon as they caught a whiff.” He paused. “Celeste and I decided to branch apart, manipulate Xavier into thinking we were at odds on the issue of eliminating rogues.”

  “And were you?” Hayden asked. “You and Xavier created a disease to wipe out the rogue werewolves upon bite.”

  “All of the experiments were a simple front. It was never our endgame.”

  Our endgame.

  Celeste and Logan manipulated things from the very beginning. Several years ago.

  “And what is your endgame?” she asked neutrally.

  Logan smirked distantly. “Create disruption and chaos, of course. Through it, the werewolves will rise as the superior creature. Against the humans, we will rule. We will make stipulations and changes. We were tired—bored—constantly living in the shadows. Why should we live in secrecy and allow humans to dominate the world?”

  “So you gained Xavier’s trust, only to stab him in the back.”

  “We eliminated him through manipulating his own son.”

  Upon the mention of Nicolas, Hayden stiffened. Fierce protectiveness coiled her insides tightly and she gazed unhappily at Logan.

  “As a result of Xavier’s death, the Hunters started distancing themselves. Meanwhile, the rest of the werewolf community grew uncertain with Nicolas rising as the apparent rogue Alpha. Unfortunately, we underestimated Xavier’s eldest son.”

  Hayden watched him steadily. “In which way?”

  “We suspected, with his previous allies and family members viewing him as an enemy, he’d grow to enjoy the power Celeste offered him. However, Nicolas was already powerful and he was fiercely loyal to Cole. He fled before we could annihilate the traditional wolves and he brought valuable information with him.”

  She nodded. “He warned us before Celeste struck. He told us about her werewolf creations.”

  Logan inclined his head with agreement. “The traditional wolves were disbelieving, yet their knowledge of this supposed threat kept them on their toes. We had to draw out this war far longer than anticipated.”

  Hayden leaned against the table and watched as he carved another section from his apple. He handled the knife purposely, as if to show her his possession.

  She didn’t understand his intentions.

  “And Cole.” Logan exhaled with amusement. “I must admit, he, Troy Arnold, and Sophia did a marvelous job thwarting Celeste. Her numbers are quite abysmal.”

  He laughed, finding true humor in Celeste’s misfortune.

  “You knew about Troy and Sophia, didn’t you?” Hayden inquired suddenly. “You overheard Cole tell me about Sophia in the woods. And at the reservation, when Troy returned, you executed him before he could tell me anything.”

  “Yes and no.” Logan contemplated the apple core before throwing it back into the fruit bowl. “I told Celeste about Sophia, yes. Troy would not say what he planned to tell you. At his silence, I killed him. If I had known, at that tim
e, Cole was playing Celeste for a fool we may not be in this situation.”

  She mulled over his words, noticing the detached tenor.

  Logan spoke as if things were a mere inconvenience, a particular irritating bump on the path to assured victory. Lives were of no consequence, just as long as he still obtained his desired end result.

  “You made everyone think you were the good guy,” she murmured quietly, watching for any signs of emotion. There weren’t any. “When, in reality, you were alongside her.”

  He ran a hand through his blond locks. “That is the point, Hayden. Deflecting. Manipulating. Having someone on the inside.”

  She lifted her lip. “You were in a coma.”

  “We made the right people believe I was in a medically induced coma. However, it was voluntary. I was in the coma for approximately four weeks. You and Julian took a lot longer putting the pieces together than I had anticipated.”

  Hayden blinked back her tears. “You made me kill Elizabeth.”

  Logan raised his eyebrows upon her admission. “I did not make you do anything to your aunt,” he droned idly. “I only assumed you would realize she had possession of me. I needed you to retrieve me and bring me to the traditional wolves.”

  She shook her head, barely holding it together. “And you suggested we live with the Hunters, knowing they were going to slaughter us from the beginning.”

  “That was the idea.”

  “And just recently?” She closed her eyes. “You argued with Nicolas on whether the werewolves should move north or south. If Kieran had agreed with you and sent the defenseless werewolves north…”

  “Celeste had more men waiting for them. An ambush.”

  Hayden swallowed her bile.

  A loud, piercing clap sounded throughout the room, startling her. Her eyes flew open, observing Logan as he leaned forward, in her space, his hands pressed together.

  His eyes danced and an inane grin crossed his features.

  “Annihilating the traditional werewolves, my girl, is our main goal. Do you understand what annihilating means? Destroying. Slaughtering. Starting anew. A complete and utter massacre.”

  She focused on him, trying to picture herself in the future.

  After a few centuries old, was this going to happen to her? This crazed, unstable entity was her future. It ran in her family and Logan, despite his brilliant ability to act normal, was inflicted with the syndrome.

  “Werewolves are too noble and majestic to be executed,” Hayden argued.

  He straightened from his hunched position and observed her.

  “And there is something majestic about wiping them out and starting the new generation,” Logan countered just as passionately. “We would be the creators. We would personally bring our kind to the next level.”

  “Is this all just fun and games to you?”

  She didn’t want to know the answer, but she had to ask anyway.

  Celeste led Hayden to believe Logan committed all these acts out of monotony. Moreover, his explanations sounded as if he were bored with the way things were.

  “No, no,” Logan crooned. “I truly want a change. There is nothing more unsatisfying than stagnant traditions. Can you possibly imagine, Hayden, how mind-numbing it gets after decades and decades of the same thing?”

  Her hopes collapsed readily, weighed down by dread.

  “No, you can’t possibly imagine. How could you? You are but a pup.” Logan braced his hand on the table near the knife and smiled into the distance. “I hope, beyond hope, you never experience this. I’m going to make the world a better place for you to live, to grow, and to prosper. Together. It will be worthwhile in the end.”

  He was rambling ridiculous things.

  Hayden released a dry sob, staring at her idol, watching his fall as he revealed his true colors. As a child, he was always a solid, constant presence, guiding and educating her with a firm, but loving hand. To see him revert into madness twisted something painful in her chest.

  She’d wished she never changed into a werewolf.

  She’d wished he’d died an unknown death.

  “Hayden.” Logan stepped closer, appearing distressed as she took a frantic step backward. “You have nothing to fear.”

  In an attempt to stifle her tears, Hayden pursed her lips.

  “Nothing besides you, Dad.”

  Logan stopped his advance and gazed at her tears, his stare unfocused and his expression haunted. At his sides, his hands fiddled with nothing in particular. A nervous habit or perhaps anxiety made him agitated.

  Just as he was about to say something, the door opened behind Hayden.

  She turned, watching as Celeste made her way inside with Julian at her side. Catching her brother’s eye, Hayden knew he’d gone through a similar hell as she had. For now, he appeared compliant, yet his shoulders were unusually stiff and his pupils far too dilated.

  “Oh my, I take it your conversation didn’t go as expected?” Celeste walked around Hayden purposely to approach Logan.

  Her nails were like talons as she averted his face to hers. She kissed him firmly, possessively, all just to prove her claim. As Celeste pulled back, Hayden noticed Logan’s closed eyes and the faint smile across his mouth.

  “Celeste,” he breathed warmly. A certain hardness settled in his gaze as he looked at her. “Our conversation went just fine. Everything is in proper place like I promised.”

  Celeste made a purring noise in her chest.

  With her nails still gripping Logan’s jaw, she looked at Hayden. Sensing the younger female’s burning dislike, Celeste then looked at Julian in the corner of the room. Her expression appeared irritatingly amused.

  “When will you learn that you cannot lie to me?” the redheaded female chastised dangerously. Looking back at her lifemate, she smiled faintly. “Even after all this time, it’s admirable you still wish to build a large family. Yet, look at how defiant they both are.”

  With a sigh, Celeste dropped her hand and took a step back.

  Logan leaned in her direction as if his body desperately needed to close the distance. He searched her inexpressive face and a stern, disapproving line creased between his eyebrows.

  Hayden watched the two as they eyed the other. Logan swayed and Celeste subconsciously followed. Their eyes communicated volumes, though they spoke no words. It was apparent they were wholly in tune with their other half.

  “No. It is done.” Celeste raised her chin superiorly. “There will be others, Logan.”

  She lifted a long-fingered hand and motioned toward the doorway.

  The hallway and the inside of the room were dark, lit only by their canine senses and the occasional blink of the moon under the heavy cloudscape. Dread filled Hayden when she turned, identifying Nolan’s large-bodied silhouette blocking the exit.

  “Hunters and traditional wolves are closing around us. We miscalculated, Logan, therefore, sacrifices must be made to endure.” Celeste straightened her coat. “Nolan will take care of these two. I will take care of the Slayter brothers.”

  Horror washed Hayden cold.

  “No!” she reached for Celeste, pleading.

  Only, Celeste breezed past Hayden as if she were a mere ghost, already extinguished from the world. Her world and Logan’s world.

  “Celeste!” Logan roared, demanding attention, but receiving none.

  The door closed behind the female with finality.

  Nolan moved to take a quick position in front of the exit, effectively preventing them from leaving. His eyes gleamed as he took an advancing step forward. Celeste clearly spoke to Nolan beforehand about the possibility of eliminating both Julian and Hayden, for he set his sights on her immediately.

  With her mind torn between the advancing Carrier and Nicolas and Cole, Hayden clumsily backed into the table behind her.

  Julian roused from the corner of the room and raced towards Nolan, leaping onto his back with an animalistic snarl. His fingers turned into claws as they pierced the Carrie
r’s thick neck. Blood fountained, yet Nolan appeared unfazed.

  With practiced steps, he threw himself against the wall, effectively squashing Julian against both the wall and his body.

  Oxygen shot out from Julian’s lungs with a strangled wheeze.

  He tumbled from his position on Nolan’s back, dazed and confused. Hardly giving him a reprieve, Nolan grabbed his shirt and threw him across the room with ease. Julian hit the opposite wall hard, knocking over a few chairs in his wake.

  Nolan then refocused his sights on her.

  There will be more, Celeste said to Logan. Hayden now realized she meant children.

  The woman hadn’t even blinked at the prospect of killing her own son.

  Hayden vaulted onto the table, grabbing the knife Logan had used earlier. She barely flipped off the table before Nolan jumped after her.

  Only, before he could descend from his high position, Logan suddenly slid in front of her. Her father grabbed the end of the table and abruptly flung it over, forcing Nolan backward. The bulky Carrier executed a graceful backflip, landing on his feet.

  As the table flipped in midair, Logan jumped atop it and flung himself at Nolan.

  He landed an impressive kick to the Carrier’s face, forcing the man backward. As he executed another kick, this time to the larger man’s abdomen, Nolan took captive of his ankle and flung him across the room as well.

  Clearly, Celeste held more sway over the Carriers than Logan did.

  Per Celeste’s orders, the brute-like man seemed hell-bent pushing Logan away while he went after Hayden and Julian. Logan constantly got back to his feet, obstinately injecting himself between Nolan and Hayden, though he wasn’t able to stay on his feet for long.

  Nolan roared as he struck.

  Hayden ducked underneath the Carrier’s punch, eyeing the doorway.

  As she made a run towards it, hoping to stop Celeste before she could reach Nicolas and Cole, Nolan’s heavy weight slammed into her. Hayden grunted as she collapsed to the floor, cradling her knife possessively.

  Nolan punched her in the face, forcing her to blink rapidly. Unconsciousness grabbed her senses, not yet taking over, though a part of her wished it had.