Un.Bridled (Claimed Series #2) (12 page)

Cole said it wasn’t always like this.

Hayden reached over and caressed the dagger on her nightstand, her mind in turmoil.

If they got rid of Nicolas, would the situation eventually fix itself? She was suddenly struck with the same question she had many times before.

What
was
Nicolas planning?

* * *

“I don’t smell anything cooking!” Blake hollered from the living room. “I’m starving! Hurry up.”

On top of Cole’s abrasive lecture, he’d also given Hayden a punishment. Considering she enjoyed cooking so much, he assigned her dinner duty for a week. There had been no specifics in his orders, which meant Hayden planned to take careful advantage.

Balancing the platter with one hand, and a pitcher of milk with the other, Hayden bustled out of the kitchen and into the living room. Abandoning the traditionalism of the dining room, the pack relocated to the living room. No one could ever pull Fergus and Blake away from their favorite television program for too long.

Hayden lifted her chin as she passed Cole. She would make him regret giving her this particular punishment. Or maybe next time, he wouldn’t forget to specify his instructions.

Stopping before a lounging Blake, she deposited a bowl of Cheerios onto his stomach. “Would you like some milk with that?” she inquired innocently, holding out the pitcher of milk. Tilting it ever so slightly, a few drops dribbled onto his lap. 

He howled and scrambled into a sitting position.
“Cereal? For dinner?” He seemed more concerned over his meal than his wet pants.

Hayden smiled grimly. Even if it was petty, it felt good to get back at Blake. “I’m sure if Rachel was here, she’d whip up some homemade potpies,” she quipped cynically.

The last time the pack ate together was before Nathan’s departure from the house. Since then, there had been quarrels, tensions, and Rachel-invasions. Tonight, though, they were together. While there was still an air of unsettlement, there wasn’t enough tension to warrant angry outbursts.

“Fruit Loops?”
Fergus inquired with hopeful longing. From his position on the couch, he tried to catch a glimpse of the bowl that awaited him.

“You
are
a fruit loop.” Blake flicked a Cheerio at Fergus’ head.

“Yes,” Hayden responded, ignoring the beta as he flicked
a Cheerio at her this time. “With chocolate milk.” She handed Fergus the bowl of sloshing cereal. The pack omega looked positively thrilled as he accepted his dinner.

“Cole has
a sick sense of humor,” Blake mumbled, not caring if said Alpha was in the same room. “This may be a punishment for Hayden, but it’s an even bigger punishment for
us
.” Amber eyes narrowed on Cole. “Did you
plan
that? Are
we
at fault too?”

Cole’s silence was answer enough.

“Fruit Loops or Cheerios?” Addie sat primly in her chair, her blue eyes imploring and amused as she awaited her fate.

“Neither.” Hayden grabbed a warm bowl from the platter. “I made you cream of wheat with honey and cinnamon. I know how much you enjoy it.”

Her eyes widened and a pleased smile graced her lips. “You even added blueberries on top. What a sweetheart.” She accepted her bowl appreciatively. “Thank you.”

Across the room, Blake sat flabbergasted. His bowl of cereal was held lopsidedly and a few Cheerios rained to the floor. “It’s clear who you favor.” He then perked up, watching as she neared Cole. Sadistic glee brightened his eyes as he waited to see what kind of concoction their Alpha would receive.

Hayden wasted no time placing Cole’s bowl on his armrest. “Raisin Bran.”

Cole gave her a long, unimpressed look before staring down at the bowl. “Without the raisins,” he observed grimly. He looked back up at her. “Did you eat them from my bowl, Hayden? Is this your way of rebelling against me?”

Hayden stared mutely back at him, withholding her initial response of reminding him of all the things she
had
done to rebel against him. Stealing raisins from his bowl would hardly be a victory. Though, before she could respond, the real culprit confessed. 

“It was me, sorry.” Fergus leaned forward sheepishly. “It wasn’t from your bowl, though. I went through the box instead. I was making ants on a log, but we were out of raisins.”

Groans of exasperation sounded throughout the room, Blake the loudest protester. “I
ate
that cereal this morning. I thought it was a defective box without raisins. It was just your grubby fingers that gave it that extra flavor.” He kicked Fergus in the shin, causing the omega to spill his cereal all over the floor.

Fergus made a noise of grievance as he quickly tried to salvage the Fruit Loops from the ground.

Hayden ignored the two in favor of holding Cole’s gaze. If the man wanted a dominance duel, then Hayden would comply. She had a feeling Cole got off from their dominant plays more than she did, but he’d never let it show. Their bond only picked up exceptionally strong emotions, and at the moment, Hayden wasn’t feeling much of anything from him.

“What do you have there?” he asked throatily.

Keeping his stare, Hayden tossed the empty platter aside and cupped her bowl against her chest. “Leftover roast beef and rice.” She raised her eyebrows superiorly. “Pity there wasn’t enough for more than my share. I guess that’s one of the perks of being female Alpha.”

She tried taking a bite without looking away from him, but she missed her mouth and the food tumbled down her shirt and onto the ground. Cole grinned wolfishly, amusement creasing the corners of his eyes.

“Careful,” he murmured pleasantly. “We wouldn’t want to task you with something as challenging as eating.”

Hayden tried to ignore the breathing figure hovering next to her, but she figured it was a good excuse to look away in her embarrassment. She would give Cole
victory for this round.

Next to her, Fergus stood and pointed expectantly at her bowl of roast and rice. “Blake spilt my cereal
,” he complained.

She sighed and thrust the bowl into his hands.

“I’m ordering a pizza.” Blake stood up and purposely dropped his bowl of dry Cheerios on the ground. Addie scolded him, but it fell on deaf ears. “And it’s coming from your paycheck,” he informed Hayden, brushing past her and toward the stairs.

“I don’t have a paycheck.” She smiled vindictively
, though it vanished when Blake flashed an even larger grin.

“Yeah you do. You have a roll of cash in your underwear drawer.”

“You go through my underwear drawer?” Outraged, Hayden turned to the one man she thought she would never whine to for help. “
Cole
!”

Cole already had his head rolled to the side, pinning Blake with an exasperated, almost disgusted stare.

The beta held up his hands, though the silly grin on his face hardly hailed surrender. “Trust me, I was only looking for money. I’ve seen a lot more of Hayden to make me blush. A simple pair of lacy panties wouldn’t get me excited.” If anything, Cole’s stare grew colder.

   Before Hayden could defend her privacy, the unmistakable sensation of someone crossing the territory line interrupted her. As she
turned to approach the door, a breeze rustled past her. Cole had moved past her so quickly, she hadn’t even registered him moving.

Throwing open the front door, he stepped out first, followed by Hayden. Whoever crossed the territory
line must not have been a threat to Cole, for he hadn’t told her to go back in the house. Nonetheless, his shoulders were set, prepared in case of trouble.

One glimpse at the man charging up the steep incline of Cole’s property chilled Hayden to the bone. Snow fell in generous quantities, the flakes so large and clumpy the road was obscured from the porch. But somehow, through the poor visibility, the features of the desperate and worried man seemed clearer than day.

“Where is he?” Asher’s father roared.

After planting his solid form on the porch steps, Cole looked back at Hayden. Blake rushed from the house and took position next to Cole, creating a barricade that prevented Eric from coming closer. Like a coward, Hayden stayed back, too devastated to face reality.

He had really done it, she realized. Asher really had left.

A reassuring hand brushed her arm and another hand became a comforting weight on her shoulder. Undoubtedly, Hayden’s helplessness
was conveyed through her expression, for both Fergus and Addie closed in around her, offering as much silent support as they could.

She instantly felt guilty for being so carefree with the pack tonight when Asher was still so deeply troubled. In many ways, Asher had been more affected by the rogue massacre than Hayden had.

“Where is Asher? Where is my son?” Eric demanded again, coming to an abrupt halt before Blake and Cole. His brown eyes, much like his son’s, riveted toward Hayden. They held such intensity. It wouldn’t be surprising if he hadn’t even taken notice of Cole’s intervening figure. 

Struggling for words, Hayden simply shook her head.

“I know you know!”

“Eric,” Cole pacified warningly. “How do you know Asher is truly gone and not out for the night?”

“Many of his things are gone.” Eric released a shaky breath and pressed a hand to his forehead.

Known as one of the most leve
lheaded and affectionate Alphas in Albertville, it was surprising to see Eric so unraveled. His bare feet curled into the snow, evidence that he’d come charging to Cole’s house as soon as he’d found out Asher was gone.

“He left a note,” the man
started hoarsely, “telling me not to wait for his return.”

The lump in her throat proved difficult to swallow. Hayden kept her head bowed, unwilling to see the raw grief on Eric’s face. Asher was his only son, his only family. Even though Asher wanted her silence in regards to his departure, Hayden was finding it hard to honor her promise.

She hadn’t believed Asher would really take the dive and leave Albertville. After the full moon, when they had sat side by side in dawn’s early light, he had told her he needed a change. He said he needed to get away.

“Where is he, Hayden?” Eric struggled to keep his tone neutral. “Please, I need to know.” He paused. “I came here, half expecting you to be gone as well. He cared for you a great deal. I thought you two would have left together.”

Guilt soured her saliva, making it impossible for her to stomach. She should have taken a leaf from Cole’s book and practiced stoicism, for Eric saw the answers to his inquiries clearly on her face.

“He
did
ask you,” he breathed in revelation.

The members of her pack stared at her, some accusing,
some questioning. She watched as Cole slowly turned to face her. His eyes were narrowed, as if he expected her to flee the pack house in the dead of the night. Hayden closed her eyes, torn between wanting to reassure them and needing to dwell in her remorse.

Asher
had
asked her to come with him. With their hands clasped together, he had confessed that he needed her. Reluctant at first, Hayden had replied that she couldn’t leave the pack and that she wanted to fix things with the rogues and the Hunters. He had scoffed, not believing she had a chance at improving the situation, but had understood in the end.

Still, his absence left Hayden with a sense of hollowness. A part of her wondered if sh
e should have gone with him. He’d been hurting so deeply. She felt partly responsible. If she hadn’t insisted they warn the rogues, he wouldn’t have felt compelled to escape.

“He did ask me,” she responded numbly. Caching Cole’s eyes, Hayden challenged him, wanting him to feel like a fool for doubting her. “But I told him I didn’t want to leave my pack.”

The sharp planes of Cole’s face hardened as he examined her. His stare penetrated through any and through all of Hayden’s reservations, searching for something only he could find. Seemingly accepting her answer, Cole turned back to Eric.

“Between the two of you, I always thought you were the reckless one.” Despite
Blake’s and Cole’s unmoving figures, Eric stare was direct and penetrating. “He left because of what happened with the rogues, didn’t he? He told me about the child being killed. Is that what drove him away?”

Eric was frantic for answers and Hayden knew she couldn’t keep him in the dark. He had a right to know about his son’s frame of mind.

Stepping away from Addie and Fergus, Hayden shuffled closer to the stairs. Though she was a step above Cole and Blake, they were still an inch or two taller than she was. Indifference lined their faces, a silent explanation that they wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.

“The Hunters were a driving influence,” Hayden whispered. Over the shoulders of Blake and Cole, she saw Eric’s face fall. “But… Asher wanted…” How could she explain that his son had always wanted to leave Albertville? “Asher wanted to find his own place.”

“His own place?” Eric repeated, not understanding her words.