Hayden tried to ignore Dean’s words, but they stung regardless, just as he knew Dean had intended them to. Then he took a moment to really think about what Dean had said. It was true that Gregory had changed over the past couple of weeks, especially the last few days. He’d seemed distant. Hayden had believed it was because Gregory regretted meeting him and was sorry they’d mated, but if what Dean said was true—if he’d really been blackmailing Gregory to do something for him—then that would explain why Gregory had been distracted. Maybe his aloofness had had nothing to do with Hayden and their bond after all, and everything to do with worry about what Dean might do if Gregory didn’t do what he’d asked. Hayden felt his anger for Dean grow more and more pronounced.
“If you really believed I wasn’t important to Gregory, you wouldn’t have kidnapped me,” Hayden argued. “You would have just killed me like you did the other council members’ mates.” As he spoke, Hayden concentrated on shifting his hands into claws so that he could slice through the ropes that kept him tied to the chair.
Dean shrugged. “I’m just making sure I cover all bases, nothing more. Besides, I didn’t personally kill the other mates, you know. I didn’t have to. I got other people to do it for me.” The smile on his face was more of a sneer. Hayden shivered, even as a bead of perspiration trickled down his brow.
“But I don’t understand why.” Hayden tried to keep Dean talking so he could work on cutting through his bonds.
“Mating makes shifters weak!” Dean shouted. “We don’t need weak men in the council. We need strong men that can lead by example. Men that are not afraid to do what it takes for the greater good.”
Hayden finally managed to cut through his ropes, but he kept his hands behind his back and waited for the right time to make his move.
“And just what is the greater good?” Hayden asked his captor.
“Shifters have become spineless creatures. Only out for themselves. There’s no pack mentality anymore, no community spirit and no common sense. You wouldn’t believe some of the idiots I’ve had to deal with in the council lately,” Dean ranted. “You be surprised how many shifters want us to reveal ourselves to humans. That can never happen! We’d be digging our own graves. I had to put a stop to it. I had to deal with those members that would see us discard our way of life. I had to—”
“You took away people’s lives,” Hayden said.
“This is a war!” Dean screeched. “Don’t you understand that? There are always casualties. I did what I had to do. I took lives to save others.”
“You played God is what you did. You used people to your own ends, killed people to get what you want. You want to talk about war? If this is a war, what does that make you? Tyrannical. A dictator and a monster.”
Dean roared and struck out. Loose from his restraints, Hayden was able to dive to the ground before Dean’s powerful blow landed on the top of his head. He recovered quickly and spun around. Dean shouted out in frustration at losing his prisoner and rounded on Hayden, his eyes instantly shifting to their wolf form.
Hayden looked around for something he could grab, but he wasn’t fast enough. When Dean reached him he struck out and even though Hayden tried to dive out of the way to avoid the blow he didn’t manage it. Dean’s claws caught him, scraping along his back. The wounds were deep and Hayden tried not to cry out from the pain of it, not to show Dean any weakness, but he wasn’t entirely successful. Hayden crawled along the floor to try to get away from Dean’s imposing frame, but he only managed a couple of yards before Dean was on him again. Dean punched Hayden in the stomach, stealing his breath.
“Don’t fuck with me,” Dean roared. “Or I’ll give you another scar to match the one you already have.”
He dragged Hayden back across the room and threw him into the chair. “Sit!” he ordered. “And don’t fucking move while I call your worthless mate.”
Hayden’s breath was coming in pants. He had to do something to get himself out of this situation, but he didn’t know what. Dean was twice his size and incredibly strong. There was no way Hayden could fight him. His only chance to get out of this alive was to escape. Being smaller, Hayden had no doubt he would be lighter on his feet and much quicker than Dean. He could outrun him, he was sure of it. But he had to wait for Dean to be distracted enough so he could make his move. Dean fished out his cell, punched in a number then held the phone to his ear. He grinned manically at Hayden.
“Hello, Gregory,” Dean said. “Guess who’s here with me?”
* * * *
Gregory’s heart hammered frantically in his chest, his stomach lurched and he had to fight with his gag reflex when he heard Dean’s voice and had his suspicions confirmed. Dean had Hayden, although the fact that Dean was calling him was a good sign. It meant that Hayden was still alive, but for how long? And the question was, why? Why was Dean keeping Hayden alive? What did he want?
“Where are you?” Gregory asked.
Dean chuckled. “You don’t honestly think I’d tell you that, do you? Now, about that little thing I asked you to do for me? You know, all of this could have been avoided if you had just killed Jared like I asked.”
“What?” Gregory heard Hayden squeak in the background. His heart began beating even faster. “Don’t do it, Gregory!” Hayden shouted.
Dean roared. He must have struck out, hit Hayden, because the next thing Gregory heard was Hayden crying out in obvious pain. Gregory was surprised he didn’t throw up for real that time. It had been close.
“Leave him alone!” Gregory shouted. “Don’t hurt him!”
“Are you going to do what I’ve asked?”
Gregory looked across the room to where Kelan was watching him warily. Panic engulfed him. He hoped this would work, it had to. He had to save Hayden. His mate was all that mattered.
“If I do it, how do I know you won’t kill Hayden anyway?” Gregory asked. “What assurance do I have that Hayden will be safe?”
“I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it, won’t you?” Dean said. There was laughter in his voice and Gregory wished he was there to wipe the smile from the wolf’s face. He wouldn’t get away with this.
“Well, what’ll it be?” Dean asked. “Are you going to do this little thing for me?”
“I’ll do it,” Gregory said. “But you’ll have to give me a couple of hours. Jared is out of town. I’ll do it as soon as he gets back.”
Dean sighed happily. “I knew you’d come around. You’re doing the right thing. Call me when it’s done.”
“Let me talk to Hayden,” Gregory asked. He needed to hear from his mate’s own lips that he was okay.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Dean said. “I wouldn’t want the little brat to try to talk you out of this. You have three hours. Call me when it’s done and I’ll tell you where you can find your mate.”
Dean hung up before Gregory could say anything else. He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing back under control. “You think that was long enough?” he asked Kelan.
In response his cell started vibrating in his hand. He immediately picked up the call. “Gregory.”
“We have him,” Riley said. “We can get to his location in about twenty minutes.”
Gregory closed his eyes. “Please hurry, Riley. What if Hayden hasn’t got twenty minutes?”
“I think he’s safe for the time being. Dean isn’t going to do anything to Hayden until he knows you’ve done what he asked. He’ll want confirmation that Jared is dead.”
“Unless Hayden provokes him,” Gregory said. “And, knowing Hayden, he’s likely to do just that.”
“Yeah, I agree. Look, Dean’s location is actually close to the Crazy Horse—you’d get there quicker than we could, but you need to be careful. You can’t go in there guns blazing. I don’t have to tell you that you could do more harm than good.”
Gregory’s reply was sharper than he intended. “Give me the location, Riley,” he ordered his superior.
* *
* *
Hayden cradled his throbbing face. It was painful. It seemed Dean had made good on his promise and slashed him with his claws, giving him a mark on the right side of his face that had to be close to identical to the scar on his left. The wound was deep and the blood trickled through Hayden’s fingers and ran down his arm. Hayden seethed with anger. He had to do something. Dean could not get away with his blackmail attempt. Hayden couldn’t live with himself if someone were to die because of him. He couldn’t let Gregory kill Jared to save him. He eyed Dean warily as the wolf hung up the call and stuffed the cell back into his pocket.
“It seems Gregory has more sense than I gave him credit for,” Dean said, “although threatening a shifter’s mate usually inspires that level of obedience.”
Dean turned his back to upright the chair he’d knocked over when he’d attacked and Hayden saw his chance. It was now or never. He might not get the opportunity again. He got to his feet quickly and used all his energy to charge at Dean and knock the large wolf to the floor. Dean screamed out his frustration. Hayden ran for the door only to find it locked, but he wouldn’t let that stop him, he couldn’t. He was dimly aware that Dean had recovered from his shove and was rounding on him. Hayden nimbly sidestepped the wolf and ran for the window. Shielding his face with his arm, he crashed through. The sound of the glass breaking was loud and surpassed only by Dean’s roars of outrage at having lost his captive.
Hayden knew the glass had cut him quite badly in several places on his arms and head, but he ignored the pain and stood up on shaky legs. He didn’t have much time. Dean was already climbing out of the window after him. He took a look at his surroundings for the first time and realised they were in a wooded area. He could see Dean’s truck parked at the front of the cabin but there were no other vehicles in sight. The property seemed fairly cut off, at the end of what looked to be a private road. It was some sort of hunting lodge, probably one that Dean himself owned. Hayden didn’t pause for thought. He ran for the only visible road and followed it, pushing his feet to work harder, ignoring the sting from his cuts, the throb in his cheek and the pounding of his head. As he ran, he could hear Dean keeping pace behind him. Hayden knew what he needed to do. It was the only thing he could do to ensure his survival. If Dean caught him, he would kill him.
Hayden had to shift.
He veered right, into the line of the trees, and snaked his way through the large elms, brushing branches aside that got in his way. He twisted and turned through the dense woods, constantly changing direction in the hope of losing his pursuer. When he’d been running for what seemed like hours, but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, he chanced a look over his shoulder. Dean was nowhere in sight, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t there, watching, waiting for the right time to attack.
Hayden had to do this now. He couldn’t wait any longer. His body shook with anticipation, his cat exultant and excited at his release. Hayden stripped off his clothes, paying careful attention to the surrounding area. He used his cat senses to scan the woods for any indication that Dean was near. But he didn’t pick up on any sounds or scents from the wolf so he continued undressing.
When he was naked, Hayden took a deep breath and knelt down. This was going to be difficult and it was going to hurt. Hayden tried hard to focus his mind, to concentrate on the shift, and eventually felt his cat rise to the surface and take over. He stretched out his limbs and felt them begin to elongate, felt the bones break and realign. His eyes shifted and incisors tore from his gums. His claws ripped through the skin on his knuckles. Hayden tried to ignore the pain and focus on his shift. His cat snarled and hissed as the change continued, as his body accomplished the thing denied to it for so long. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
After long, excruciating minutes, Hayden lifted his head and looked around him with the sharp vision of his jaguar. He scented the air and growled. There was a wolf nearby. A fully shifted wolf. Hayden snarled. He took a tentative step forward and continued to scent the air, to find out where the wolf was hiding—and he was hiding, of that Hayden had no doubt. He was waiting for him, wanting him to make the first move.
It was then that the fog cleared in Hayden’s mind and he knew who the wolf was. Dean. Dean had shifted to his wolf form. He followed the scent. The wolf appeared to be moving, back towards the road. Hayden followed. He wasn’t sure where the wolf was leading him, but he was happy to oblige. When the road came into sight, Hayden lost the scent of the wolf. He froze and listened, waited.
A movement to his right caught his eye and he spun around, but not in time. The wolf careened into him, knocking him off his feet, huge jaws snapping inches from his neck. Hayden managed to use the force of the impact to his advantage and he rolled to his side, throwing off the large wolf, but Dean recovered almost at once and came for him again. The second time, Hayden was ready for it. When Dean pounced, Hayden dived out of the way and slashed out with his claws, cutting the wolf’s throat, slicing deep. Dean threw his head back and howled. The sound was loud at first, but then it turned into a spluttering, choking gurgle.
The wolf fell to his side, trying to turn his head to get at the wound in order to clean it, but couldn’t reach. He whined, the sound low and mournful. Hayden watched, still on high alert, as the wolf lay there, panting, blood seeping from the open wound. Hayden looked around him, trying to get his bearings. They were right next to the road.
He left the wolf’s side, keeping Dean in his peripheral vision as he crawled out onto the road. Hayden looked up and down the road, looking for the best way for him to get away, to escape. The wolf didn’t look healthy enough to follow, but he could always heal from his injuries. Hayden was still deciding what direction to take when he heard the low rumble of an engine, the crackle of tyres on gravel. There was a car heading their way. He thought it best to hide. He couldn’t afford to show himself to humans.
He was just about to duck back into the treeline when the wolf landed on his back and sank his canine teeth deep into Hayden’s neck. The bite was excruciating and Hayden’s cat cried out. Hayden was aware of the heat of his blood as it ran down his shoulder.
Hayden tried to move, but the wolf had pinned him to the ground. He was going to die like this, with Dean the victor, able to carry on with his reign of terror unchallenged. He felt bad that he hadn’t been able to stop him. But Hayden’s biggest regret was not seeing Gregory one last time, not being able to tell him how much he’d come to care for him. It was too late for that. Hayden could feel the energy seep out of his body along with his blood.
When he thought about Gregory, Hayden’s cat hissed, infuriated at having to leave his mate. He roared and, with the last ounce of energy left in his body, managed to throw the wolf off and lash out with his own claws at the same time the wolf went for him. Dean caught him again and this time Hayden knew it was bad. He laid his head down, trying to catch his breath, and felt his eyes grow heavy. Just as he gave in to the need for the sleep his body craved, he saw the headlights of the truck speeding towards them.
* * * *
“There he is!” Gregory shouted. The sound was loud in the enclosed space. “Kelan, stop the truck!”
Kelan slammed on the breaks, but Gregory was out of the door and running before the pickup came to a complete stop.
“Hayden! Oh, shit.”
Gregory ran to his mate’s side. Hayden was lying in the dirt in his human form, naked and covered in dried blood. Gregory knelt beside him and began to assess his injuries. Hayden was breathing, but his breath was shallow, laboured. His eyes were closed and his long eyelashes were flickering, as though he were dreaming. Hayden had a few small cuts and welts on his face, neck and arms but none that looked life-threatening. They all looked as though they had been worse but had already begun to heal. The scar on Hayden’s cheek had all but disappeared. Hayden had shifted. Gregory finally allowed himself to take a breath. He’d never felt more relieved.
“Hayden, can you he
ar me?”
A low moan tore from Hayden’s throat but he didn’t speak.
“I’m here, Hayden, you’re safe now. You’re going to be okay.”
Kelan stepped up next to them. “How is he doing?” Kelan asked.
“Good. He’s sleeping. Whatever happened to him must have used up his energy reserves, but I think he’s going to be fine.”
“Any sign of Dean?”
“I hadn’t even thought to look,” Gregory admitted, finally looking up from his mate’s face. “You think he’s still around here?”
“I think so… Look.” Kelan indicated a spot on the ground a few feet away from them.
Gregory followed Kelan’s finger to a patch of blood in the grass that trailed off into the woods. “He couldn’t have gone far,” Kelan said. “I’ll follow the trail.”
Gregory wanted to stay with his mate to make sure he was going to be okay, but a fury unlike any he’d known consumed him. When he thought about what could have happened to Hayden, what nearly had happened to him at Dean’s hands, he wanted to tear the wolf apart. Wanting revenge might make him little better than Dean, but he didn’t care. Dean had gone too far. He would pay for what he’d done to Hayden and for the other mates he’d killed, the families he’d destroyed.
“Will you stay and take care of Hayden for me?” Gregory asked.
“Gregory, I don’t think that’s—”
“Please, Kelan. This is important.”
Kelan nodded. “Fair enough, but be careful. Dean is a powerful wolf and even injured he’ll make a formidable opponent.”
Gregory nodded. “I know. When Hayden wakes up, tell him—”
Kelan shook his head. “Oh no, I’m not telling him a thing. Hurry back and you can tell him yourself.”
Gregory nodded solemnly. He bent to kiss Hayden’s forehead then got up and followed the trail of Dean’s blood into the woods. The first twenty yards or so the trail was clear and easy to track. Dean had lost a lot of blood. But then the blood on the ground disappeared altogether, indicating that Dean had shifted. Gregory wasn’t sure if he had changed into a wolf or back to his human form.
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