by Reese Morgan
Grabbing her coat, she pulled it over her sweater and holster, fastening the buttons. Pleased that the holster could be hidden, Hayden opened her coat once again and grabbed the hilt of a knife. Her fingers itched to practice, but decided Rachel wouldn’t appreciate knives being thrown in her direction.
“You must have some idea.” Rachel seemed frustrated, almost hysterical. “What can they gain by running us out of town?”
Dropping her hands from the holster, Hayden gave the other female her undivided attention. “Because the rogues were waiting in the forest during the Hunter’s attack, I can only guess that Nicolas prearranged this. He used the Hunter’s proximity to his advantage. By forcing us out, we are disorganized and vulnerable. We’ll be easier to eliminate.”
Perhaps that hadn’t been the best thing to say, for Rachel paled dramatically. But the damage was already done. Hayden couldn’t take it back or soothe it with false assurances.
“The only reason the Hunters would chase us out of town is if… if Red Donovan died.” Hayden looked down at her hands, also worried about Shane. “Either he died from his wounds, or someone, maybe even a rogue, attacked him in his home.”
Rachel exhaled heavily, licking her lips and trying to regain her bearings. “It seems like something the rogues would do, Nicolas especially.” She tried to appear stronger than she was by nodding sharply. “I just wonder what his overall goal is. Exterminating all of us seems…”
“Too mundane for Nicolas’ cultured tastes?” Hayden finished with a fleeting grin and Rachel tried to smile in turn.
They lapsed in silence after that, any sort of humor they may have shared had withered when they remembered their current predicament. Hayden took advantage of the silence and kept her ears open and her body still, least she hear an approaching threat.
“What I meant earlier, about you annoying me…” Rachel trailed off, struggling for words. “It’s not a reflection of you personally. I just think many of the females in town don’t know what to think of you or how to interact with you.”
The admission took Hayden off guard. “Really?”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders and stared down at her feet. “Purebred werewolves are expected to fit into traditional roles. The women are supposed to be submissive to the men and adhere to their ways. Submission is an inbred trait.”
“Surely there are other females who are dominant—”
“Oh, there are,” Rachel agreed quickly. “Probably more outside of Albertville, but the closest we’ve seen is Falco’s mate. She is definitely a female Alpha, but even she knows to step lightly around the Alpha men.”
Hayden remembered scrutinizing Falco’s mate just hours before the explosion. She had identified the woman as being strong and authoritative.
“But when you came here,” Rachel continued, “even when you were recently changed, you challenged the men. You met their eyes and interacted with them without reservations. And instead of the Alphas admonishing you, they seemed to respect you. It was a new development for us, the other women who were raised decades —centuries— before you were even born.”
That wasn’t exactly true. The Alpha men did chastise Hayden for her behavior, for her challenging nature. Adolf, especially, had despised her when she first moved to Oregon.
“I have noticed that females aren’t entirely respected,” Hayden concurred. “Because of the way I was raised, I believe that men and women are equal in many ways. We have many differences, but that doesn’t mean one sex is more superior to the other.”
Rachel looked up from her bowed position and met Hayden’s eyes for an extended length of time. “Do you think, because Cole is your life mate, it contributed to your dominance?”
She looked so hopeful, as if that would explain Hayden’s radical difference from the other females in Albertville.
Instead of outright denying the allegation, Hayden simply said, “Was Marie Slayter a true Alpha female?”
Rachel briefly contemplated the words before appearing disenchanted. “No,” she murmured. “Marie was very much a submissive female, though her life mate, Xavier, was a lot like Cole.”
Hayden stared at the woman, watching as she looked down, her long brown hair veiling her features. “You know, if it bothers you so much, you can try to change the way you interact with the males.”
A sardonic huff escaped Rachel’s lips. “By now, my wolf is entirely submissive. It would be almost impossible to change, which is why I have to rely on other methods to get what I want.”
“Ah.” Hayden raised her eyebrows, her tone turning harsh. “Manipulating and seducing men to get into their packs and receive their protection.”
Rachel laughed bitterly and ran a hand through her hair. “Can you blame me? What happened with… I just don’t trust men. I don’t trust unstable packs. If I can find a male and use him for his protection and status, then I feel secure. My son feels secure.”
Hayden’s anger dwindled and she averted her eyes to the distance. She didn’t accept Rachel’s treatment of Fergus or Black, but she did understand her reasons. If someone did not have a voice, they had to find alternative ways to survive and prosper.
It was ironic how an immoral deed suddenly seemed acceptable once the details were known.
Exhaling, Hayden watched the visible cloud of breath expand and float away with curvy tendrils. “Why didn’t you tell anyone about Cole and I being life mates?”
Rachel pressed her forearms on her knees and offered Hayden an amused look. “You might think I’m a conniving bitch, but I do have my morals. I figured if Cole hasn’t even marked you, then it wasn’t something you two were comfortable with just yet.”
Once again, Hayden found herself faced with the realization that she misjudged Rachel. Her eyes riveted away from the surrounding woods and on to the other female. There was something thrilling at the prospect of having another female for company.
Addie was Hayden’s only female companion in an all-male household. But Addie was Cole’s grandmother. Hayden couldn’t seek her out with anything personal in fear she would pass it on to Cole.
“I’m sorry for treating you so callously before.” Hayden found herself apologizing. “If I had known…”
Rachel waved a hand, a true smile crossing her normally despondent features. “I don’t blame you for protecting your pack members. It’s actually reassuring to know you take their safety seriously. And besides, you weren’t the only one to judge prematurely. I was wrong about you too. Many of us were.”
A warm, pleasing glow settled in Hayden’s chest as she smiled back. Ideas and possibilities raced through her head. Maybe Cole could reconsider his decision of barring Rachel from the pack. Or if that was not a possibility, at least Hayden had someone she could interact with that wasn’t of the male species.
Her optimism suddenly darkened and blackened with unease. As soon as she came back to reality, she became aware of the threat directly behind Rachel. As silent as a shadow, the rogue lunged for Rachel’s turned back.
The throwing knife slipped easily into her hand before she flung it at the rogue. The weapon was a blur of silver as it flew inches above Rachel’s oblivious form and embedded deeply into the unsuspecting rogue’s chest.
Rachel gasped, finally reacting. She turned just in time to see the werewolf clutch at the knife implanted in his chest, his face white with shock. Hayden knew she hit her target. He would be dead in seconds, the silver blade having pierced his heart, or close enough to it, that he’d die of silver poisoning.
She sent a silent thank you to Adolf, who had enough sense to purchase throwing knives the same size and weight as her practice knives. Otherwise, she would have had to readjust her throw.
Barely having a chance to recover, two more rogues came leaping from the surrounding trees, their sights narrowed on Hayden. They were no longer making noise when they moved, which only unnerved her.
They were smart, she realized. At least smart enough to make Hayden underestima
te them. By making her believe they were clumsy and loud, their chances of springing a surprise attack increased significantly as soon as she lowered her defenses. Whoever claimed rogues were dumb beasts clearly hadn’t seen them in action.
Undoubtedly, Nicolas’ rogues were intelligent and they were fast.
Hayden ducked beneath a fist and swiped her blade across the inside of the man’s forearm. It split the skin and a few droplets of blood rained down on the snow. Without slowing, Hayden dropped to the ground, bracing her weight on her hands. She swiped her legs in a perfect arc, knocking the rogue off his feet.
As the man descended to the ground, Hayden fisted her knife and drove it into the man’s eye socket with a backhanded thrust. Her strength, combined with the knife’s durable nature, permitted her to penetrate the blade straight into his skull.
The man roared and Hayden uncurled her hand from her knife’s hilt. Blood soaked her palm and a sharp wave of nausea curled in Hayden’s stomach. Practicing with dummies and feints with Adolf was entirely different from real life. Now she understood Adolf’s initial warning about the dagger and knife being unforgiving weapons. It was personal and it was real.
She was killing a living, breathing being. It didn’t seem right.
An open-handed strike came at her face. Just before it could send a nasty blow to her nose, Hayden ducked. She wasn’t fast enough, but it only struck her forehead as opposed to breaking her nose.
She flopped backwards from the force of the hit, sliding a few feet in the snow. Above her, Rachel screamed. With a quick look, Hayden made sure there was no immediate threat to her. Fortunately, the scream was just a reaction to their current predicament.
The remaining rogue charged at her, his expression livid. Hayden pressed her palms on the ground. Just as he came within distance, she braced her weight on her hands and threw her legs in the air. Her heels struck his face, causing the man to stagger back. Using her upward momentum, she executed a cartwheel and got back to her feet.
“Bitch.” The rogue touched the blood from his nose, as if he couldn’t quite believe he’d been hit.
With another throwing knife in hand, Hayden crouched down low, trying to shake off her disorientation. The hit to her head had been incredibly hard, almost shockingly so. During her training, Adolf taught Hayden how to fall and recover from a hit. But this rogue’s strike had been powerful enough to prevent her from catching herself.
He charged and Hayden stayed immobile, forcing herself to calm. An angry opponent was a weak opponent. In their anger, they were prone to make more mistakes that resulted in conquest.
With surprising strength, the man threw a punch and Hayden cupped it with her palm. She grunted as a few bones in her hand broke under the pressure. In response, she tightened her hold over his fist, refusing to let the pain distract her. She couldn’t remember ever encountering someone with this much raw strength. It had to be similar to Cole’s power, yet the rogue didn’t possess nearly as much skill in combat.
Cupping his fist with one hand, Hayden swiped her knife with the other. As expected, he grabbed her wrist with his free hand, stopping the blade from touching his skin. Adolf would cruelly remind her to stay away from power plays with males, and to stay at arm’s length, but she had a well-executed plan in mind.
Staring into his eyes, Hayden channeled her resilience. They were at a standstill, holding each other’s attack with sheer willpower. He was stronger than her, Hayden knew. It wouldn’t be long until he overpowered her completely. She needed to act now if she wanted to come out on top.
Before he could react, Hayden kneed him in the stomach. He doubled over just marginally, but it was all Hayden needed.
Rearing her head back for momentum, she butted her forehead against the top edge of his eye socket. Dazed, he released her and she quickly grabbed his arm. Swinging it around in the socket, she forced him to the ground and hastily embedded her knife into his chest.
Hayden scrambled backwards, her eyes wide as she watched him inhale one last time. Turning, she vomited. Three people. She’d killed three people. The number made her vomit again and the sticky scent of blood only made her stomach clench in both hunger and disgust.
The intensity of her horror and self-disgust must have been enough to alert Cole, for he tried to send reassuring vibes through the link. Hayden fervently tried to block him. He didn’t understand. He wasn’t here to see her downfall.
“You… you did well, Hayden.”
Putting a hand to her forehead, Hayden turned to stare blankly at Rachel, suddenly feeling insecure. The girl stood near a pine tree, appearing apprehensive, but hopeful.
“I did well?” Hayden repeated numbly. “I did well…”
The brown-haired female flushed and lowered her eyes. “It wasn’t easy for you, I understand. But would you rather have them kill us? Because they would have killed us with far more cruelty than what you just displayed. You gave them a quick death. Just imagine what they would have done to us.”
“You sound like me before I actually killed someone.” Hayden straightened from her bowed position and began retrieving her throwing knives from the dead rogues. “It feels like a part of me died with them.”
She placed her boot on the rogues’ chest and tugged her blade free, wiping it clean on her jeans before sheathing it back into her holster. She rounded on the second rogue she killed, abruptly pulling the blade from his eye socket and trying not to vomit again. As she rounded on the first rogue, the first victim, she stopped short when she saw the chest wound.
But there was no throwing knife in the chest cavity.
Hayden frowned and searched the perimeter of the corpse, thinking the man had struggled to tug it free in his last moments. When she couldn’t find the knife, dread, so sharp in intensity, chilled her to the bone. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention.
A loud snap echoed across the forest and a hollow thud followed shortly thereafter. Hayden whirled around, staring at Rachel’s fallen form with blank terror. The woman’s neck was at an odd angle, but that wasn’t what killed her.
A man with platinum blond hair stood over her lifeless body and tugged the missing knife from her chest. His dark eyes met Hayden’s and a small grin settled across his lips.
“Beautiful knives. Pity you can’t keep a better eye on them.”
He winked and Hayden saw red.
She snarled and charged, her fingernails elongating to sharp claws. If she weren’t so determined to use her knives on this nameless enemy, her wolf would have taken complete control.
As it was, she lunged at the man, feinting a swipe with her blade and jabbing it up and under his blocking arm. The tip of the knife tore his shirt, but he moved skillfully away before she could do any damage.
He seemed proficient with the blade as he met her attacks with solid defense. He fought similar to Nicolas, in that he refused to stop smirking and grinning. Hayden never realized what Cole must have felt fighting someone who didn’t take him seriously. Now she knew.
The blond-haired rogue seemed to be humoring her. He detected each attack and countered it with one of his own. His hits were powerful, but Hayden had a premonition that they could have been a lot stronger if he felt susceptible.
Her anger slowly turned way to desperation and sorrow as she fought around Rachel’s lifeless body. She tried to avoid bumping into the woman, but her opponent seemed to find it humorous as he intentionally led her in that direction.
Calming, Hayden read his intentions and played that to her advantage. He thought her weak and an emotional mess. She pretended to remain that way as she blindly attacked him, but she also forced herself to take note of their surroundings.
As soon as his back faced the edge of the hill, Hayden acted. She swiped blindly at him, an attack he would see as another rage-inspired exploit. But at the last moment, before he could block the low thrust, Hayden changed direction and flipped the knife around. Using the butt-end of the blade, she slammed it into
the side of his skull and kicked the legs out from underneath him.
Mocking eyes widened as he began to fall. His fingers snatched out and hooked into her jacket. With a sharp tug, he pulled her with him. Unable to stop the descent, she fell and tumbled down the hill with her enemy, their limbs becoming a tangled and unrecognizable mess.
It was a steep hill and Hayden couldn’t grasp anything to stop and anchor herself. A wave of dizziness swept through her as she tumbled and rolled at breakneck speed. She tried to get a pinpoint on the man’s direction and catch him with the blade, but all that served to do was break her outstretched arm. It was a clean break, but the numbness and pain made her fingers slacken around the knife, causing it to fall from her hand.
Only fate would determine who would hit the tree first and sequentially stop their descent. Unfortunately, fate was not on Hayden’s side. The first tree that stood directly in their path was an unmovable obstacle. It did nothing to cushion Hayden as she slammed her head against it.
She experienced another wave of disorientation, and before she knew it, the blond-haired rogue was kneeling on top her chest, looking down at her as if he’d just won a prize.
His grin was back in place as he traced his knife—Hayden’s knife—across her neck. The tip of the knife prodded Nicolas’ mating mark. “There must be a strong man behind such a strong woman. I look forward to meeting him.”
She glared up at him. “His name is Nicolas Slayter.”
A part of her wondered why she identified Nicolas as her mate, but a more logical part of her acknowledged that Nicolas was the Alpha of the rogues. If this man were part of the rogues, then he would think twice before killing his Alpha’s declared mate.
At her declaration, the man turned motionless. Seconds later, his grin widened. “Hayden, am I right?” He chuckled. “You’re a smart lady, but word has it you’re more interested in the youngest Slayter."
Hayden gasped breathlessly as he added more weight on her chest. No matter how hard she struggled, he seemed to match it with more strength. Her arms were pinned at her sides, rendering them useless.