He lost sight of her.
Jumping to his feet, Hayden reloaded a Taser cartridge and dropped the next wolf to charge his way. The dark-haired wolf fell to the carpet, twitching in agony. Hayden hurdled the nearest pew, and fired off the final rounds in his Glock. He couldn’t tell which wolves he hit, and which he missed, but when the front doors to the church flew open, time stood still.
The wolf pack’s guards had arrived, with White and Mad Dog leading the charge. Hayden counted twenty guards behind the councilmen, the ridges of their backs towering over five feet.
Victory sang through him.
His pack had come to join the fight.
Hayden’s backup circled the room, corralling the rogues in the center. They snapped and charged, only to be driven back by the line of experienced guards.
Surrender, Mad Dog spoke through his thoughts, as he stalked the group of rogues. Or we’ll rip off your legs, skin them in the gutter, and feed you the bones.
Damn. He was crazy intense, but they didn’t call him Mad Dog for nothing.
Asher shook into full wolf form in a blink. Coarse dark fur flattened over his skin and muscles erupted where they weren’t there before. He charged Hayden, his wide paws striking the floor like anvils. Thinking fast, Hayden charged right back and ate up the space between them. As Asher leaped, Hayden slid, just like he was sliding over home plate. He fired two quick rounds in Asher’s chest, making sure the silver hit true.
The wolves in his command howled in distress as if they could feel the wound.
The split-second distraction was all the guards needed to surround the wolves completely and pin them to the ground.
As the guards took complete control over the rogues, Hayden scanned the church for Lydia. There. Sprinting down the main aisle toward the altar.
He took off after her, reloading.
“It’s over,” he shouted, keeping her trained in his sights. “If you give up now, you’ll be tried for treason and rogue behavior, but you’ll live to see another day.”
“You think you’re the only one who can give an ultimatum? I’ve got one better for you.” Reaching the altar circled with stained glass, Lydia laughed in a string of wicked giggles that didn’t suit her. Rays of sunlight slanted over her face, making her skin glow a devilish shade of orange. “If you disappear, your precious Luminary will live a happy, fulfilled life. If you remain on the path you’re on, I’ll kill her myself.”
“You’re hardly in a position to make a threat.” He froze, finger twitching and ready to fire. “You’re not in control over the council anymore, now that they know what you were plotting behind their backs, and you’re not in control over the rogues.”
Her attention shifted over his shoulder, where the rogues were shifting back to human form and being placed under wolf-pack arrest.
“I may have lost my grip on a few things, but I’ve got my hand in others,” she whispered. “I’ve offered Melina the job of her dreams at Eclipse, as the sole editorial director of the fashion column. She was quite thrilled when I gave her the first assignment.”
He rushed up the stairs. She backed against the altar, hands extended.
“I don’t want you to mention her name, not ever again,” he said, gripping her by the wrist. “You’re under arrest for treason…”
She grinned from the side of her mouth before he could finish reading her rights. “Don’t you want to know what she’s going to write about?”
“I don’t want to hear another word.”
“Werewolves in the city,” Lydia said. “Well, one werewolf in particular…You.”
Panic latched onto his windpipe. “She wouldn’t work for you and agree to that.”
“Oh, she would and she will. It’s already done.” Lydia flicked her tongue over her teeth. “She’s already accepted the position. I’ve got the contract she signed in my coat pocket. You can see for yourself, if you don’t believe me.”
“I’d have to be crazy to believe a word that came out of your mouth.” Wrenching Lydia’s arms behind her back, he dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a small envelope. “Is this it? The alleged contract?”
She nodded slowly. “I’ve made all of her dreams come true. You’ll see.”
Keeping her hands clasped together so she couldn’t escape, Hayden shook the papers out of the envelope, and then nudged them open.
Eclipse’s contract.
Melina’s signature beside Lydia’s. And today’s date.
“Told you.” Lydia twisted in his grasp. “She works for us now. I’ve given her everything. And for that, she’s going to expose you to the world.”
If he wasn’t staring at the contract with his own eyes, he might not have believed it.
Working for Eclipse might’ve been her dream job, but she wouldn’t expose him as a werewolf, would she? He forced his heartbeat to slow, and for confidence to remain in his heart, but doubt managed to wedge its way in. If she wrote an article exposing him, would people laugh it off as satire? Bizarre, unbelievable news? Or would she dig deep enough to be able to really prove it?
“I can see the doubt in your eyes,” she whispered. “You know how much this means to her.”
Yeah, he did.
He dragged her to the floor. She fought against his hold, but didn’t shift. Putting a knee in her back, he swung her other wrist around and pinned her in place.
“With her position at Eclipse, Melina will be happy. That thought alone should be enough for you to leave the city and never look back,” Lydia said, her face smothered against the carpet. “If you don’t leave, every rogue in the city will be out for blood.”
I could protect her.
“The hell you could.”
He hadn’t meant to project the thought.
“In case you hadn’t noticed,” he seethed into her ear, “your rogues are on lock-down.”
She pushed out a maniacal laugh. “You think these rogues are the only ones out there? We’re everywhere; working undercover as guards, interning at the law office. I’ve gotten to more people than you know, and we’re very patient. We’ll simply wait for the right time to strike. When your back is turned or when you least expect it. As your mate, Melina will always be a target. And you won’t always be there to protect her.” The words resonated deep, hitting him like a low blow. “You won’t know who to trust.”
She was right. Of course she was. The rogues in the church tonight weren’t the only ones in the city. Not by a long shot. These were the only ones who happened to be in the vicinity when he showed up.
You won’t always be there to protect her…
With a growl escaping from his throat, Hayden jerked Lydia to her feet and led her down the steps to join her rogues. He handed her off to Mad Dog, who dragged her out back as if he was taking out the trash.
White approached Hayden’s side, his hands on his hips as he took in the scene. “Quite the party.”
“Yeah.” Hayden’s chest squeezed. “Thanks for coming to back me up.”
“We didn’t only come to back you up,” he said, leading Hayden out front. “We came to show loyalty to our Alpha.”
As they pushed their way out the front doors, at least fifty packmates stood silent, in human form, bowing their heads.
Hayden felt his face scrunch. “But I’m not—”
“You are Alpha. Or at least you will be.”
“I thought I wasn’t worthy.”
“Do these men look as if they think you’re unworthy?”
He scanned the bowed heads, and the humbled gazes. “What changed? Lydia?”
“No, it was you who changed.” White patted Hayden on the back, his touch warming through Hayden’s coat. “Your father waited his entire life to see you put the pack’s interest above your own.” He paused, and covered his heart with his hand. “There is no greater sacrifice than putting your life above your brothers’.”
Hayden’s throat burned with the threat of tears.
“Your father would�
��ve been proud of you, Hayden.” White nodded and smiled, and Hayden imagined his father doing the same. “As far as the San Francisco Wolf Pack is concerned, it doesn’t matter if you were born or turned. It’s what’s in your heart that’s important. And in your heart, I find selfless love. That, my son, is the true heart of an Alpha. Now, kneel before the members of your pack to accept the position you were destined for.”
His insides knotted. “The Alpha induction ceremony isn’t scheduled until the next full moon.”
“Now that you’ve proved your worth to the pack,” White spread his arms wide, to the crowd of wolves surrounding them, “there’s no need for a council vote. We’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“But…” Inadequacy niggled in Hayden’s gut. “…I’m not in wolf form. The induction ceremonies usually happen when the entire pack can be present as wolves.”
“We can wait until the next full moon, if that’s what you insist.” White leaned in close. “But the men present today feel it’s a sign of respect. You came here, defending the pack in human form. They want to bow to you in the same.”
Heart in his throat, Hayden kneeled before his father’s friend and stared at the concrete.
“Hayden Dean, son of Angus, and rightful heir to the San Francisco Wolf Pack throne, do you solemnly swear to always have the pack’s best interest at heart?”
“I do,” he breathed.
He’d never meant any words more.
“Do you vow to protect the pack, honor its laws, and obey its customs?”
“I do.”
“With the power vested in me,” White said, “by the former Alpha, Angus Dean, I pronounce you the reigning Alpha of the San Francisco Wolf Pack.”
Applause and hollers rang out from all around them as Hayden’s packmates welcomed him as their leader. Something warmed in his chest, and sent chills scattering up and down his spine.
This was the moment he’d been dreaming of for the last year. He should’ve been thrilled, over the moon, ready to conquer the world.
But there was one thing missing…
“Melina.” Lydia’s words rang through his ears. You won’t always be there to protect her. “I have to go,” he said.
As he took off down Church Street with the contract in his back pocket, Hayden had the sickening feeling Lydia had one more trick up her sleeve.
Everywhere.
I’ve gotten to more people than you know.
He’d left Melina in Gabriel’s care.
He’d never doubted him as a trusted friend…until now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
There’s someone else I can’t trust.
Lydia haunted Hayden long after she left his sight. All the way back to the law office, actually. Rogues were everywhere—he couldn’t trust anyone anymore—but it was more than that.
Melina had taken the job at Eclipse.
He couldn’t believe it.
Writing an article on him, exposing him as a wolf was underhanded and deceitful. The thought made him sick to his stomach. How could she even think about accepting a proposition from someone like Lydia?
No, that’s not what bothered him most.
She chose the job over me.
Sickness bubbled into seething anger. He didn’t blame her for taking the job—it was her dream. In no time, she’d be an asset to the magazine. They’d be lucky to have her. But that didn’t mean the thought didn’t piss him off.
She was going to write an article on him—the column of her career, probably—to use him to get ahead.
What kind of a person did that? He must not have known her as well as he thought he did…
Swerving into his usual spot, Hayden hopped out of his car and charged into the elevator. He jabbed the button and waited impatiently for the doors to open on his floor.
“Gabriel!” He stepped out, hands clenched into fists. “You still here?”
Silence. No wait, there was something in the distance. A printer spitting out pages. The sound came from his office.
She was here, finishing her article, most likely.
“Melina?” Following the sound, he stopped when he spotted her standing in front of his desk. Despite his anger, relief washed over him. Bitterness remained though, leaving a nasty taste in his mouth. “You’re here.”
Safe and sound.
“Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re okay.” She started to move toward him, but stopped suddenly as if something held her back. Her features were strained, her face pale. “I’ve been worried sick.”
Although it killed him, he gave her the space she clearly needed and remained in the doorway.
“I thought you’d be checking out your new office by now,” he said, leaning against the doorjamb.
She frowned. “Why would I be doing that?”
“Because I know all about the job. I have the proof right here.” As he removed the contract from his back pocket and threw it to the ground at her feet, his heart drummed in his ears. “I can’t believe you’d side with the traitor over me—over us.”
“I did take the job, but I’m writing—”
“I don’t care. Not anymore. You can save the excuses. I’ve asked the guards to come up and escort you out.”
She swallowed hard, but didn’t move a muscle.
Something was off.
“Where’s Gabriel?” A musky smell invaded his senses. Someone was in the room. “He still here?”
The corners of her lips twitched. And then her eyes shifted to the left side of his office, to the space between his desk and the wall-to-wall window. “He stepped out for a few minutes.”
Lie.
“Is he coming back?”
She nodded, shaking.
Another lie.
“Why don’t you step out here with me so we can talk.” What the hell was going on? “Melina? What do you say?”
Beads of sweat trickled down her temple. She was in trouble. Putting a finger to his lips, Hayden crouched low and scanned the shadows slanting over the floor. A thick, unmoving form lay near the window.
Gabriel…
Something moved behind his desk, shifting the dim rays of light. And then the unmistakable sound of a bullet sliding into the chamber filled the air. Jerking upright, Hayden cut his shocked breath short.
The intruder held a gun to the back of Melina’s head.
Hayden froze, blood to bone.
“Reagan,” he pleaded, tone flat. “You don’t want to do this. Put the gun down.”
He should’ve known Lydia would have Reagan in her back pocket…
“I’m the one giving orders around here now.” Lydia’s most trusted confidant snarled, and moved around the desk, closer to Melina. “Guns have that effect. Everyone listens when they’re staring down the barrel. Don’t they, sweetheart?” Snatching Melina around the waist, he dragged her against him and shoved the barrel of the gun to her temple.
Pulses of white-hot fury shot through Hayden’s muscles as she winced.
“Tell your boyfriend to back off,” Reagan seethed into her ear.
Leaning her weight against him, Melina blinked quickly. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Oh, God. This wasn’t the time to argue about petty shit.
Do what he says.
Reagan smirked and stared Hayden down over Melina’s shoulder. “You can deny it all you want, but it’s not going to save him now. I can sense the connection between you.”
As Hayden’s shoulder began to round forward, he suppressed a growl.
“I’m not trying to save anyone.” She swallowed hard. “I’m just letting you know that killing me isn’t going to affect him the way you think it will. Didn’t you hear him when he walked in? He’s called the guards on me. They’re on their way up.”
Holding the gun square to her temple, Reagan’s finger moved to the trigger. “Then I guess you’re expendable.”
“No, wait.” Hayden put up his hands in surrender. “I’m the one you want. Take me instead. She’s me
aningless.” Heart clench. “The guards will deal with her if you let her go. I’ve already arranged it.”
He hadn’t set up a thing, but Reagan didn’t need to know that.
“You already arranged it?” Melina stared him down as if she didn’t have a gun held to her head. “To hell with both of you.”
And then, with lightning-quick speed, she threw her head back, striking Reagan in the nose.
Groaning, Reagan’s finger squeezed the trigger in reflex. “You bitch!”
She whacked his wrist, twisted away from him, and then jabbed him in the throat with the side of her hand. Bowling over in pain, Reagan coughed out a blood-curdling curse.
As Hayden kicked the gun out of reach and wrenched Reagan’s arms behind his back, the guards burst through the emergency stairwell door.
Reinforcements.
Melina was going to be all right.
“You really did call them?” Mouth dropped open, Melina stepped aside as they carted Reagan out. “I thought you were blowing smoke. You know, for effect.”
He had been. The guards must’ve seen the situation unravel over the security cameras.
“There’s a packmate down over here,” Hayden said, focusing on Gabriel. He knelt at his side and felt for a pulse. Strong beats thumped against his fingers. “He’ll be all right, but he needs to be treated. She does, too.”
“I’m fine.” Folding her arms over her chest, Melina sat on the edge of his desk and crossed one leg over the other. “I can take care of myself.”
The only reason she was able to do so much damage to Reagan was because he wasn’t expecting her to fight back. And he wasn’t in wolf form. If he’d had time to shift before the guards arrived, it would’ve been an entirely different story. Not that he’d tell her any of that.
“You should still be checked out,” Hayden said, as three guards escorted Gabriel to the elevators. “Just to be sure.”
“If you insist.” She hopped off his desk, and faced him, fire burning in her eyes. “Seeing as how you called them to deal with me in the first place.”
God, everything was such a mess.
The Werewolf Wears Prada (Entangled Covet) (San Francisco Wolf Pack) Page 19