Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (32 page)

Hayden’s stomach plummeted when Asher looked at her again, his somber gaze telling her everything. Either she was a suspect for another murder or the other Alphas decided to reconsider punishing her for what happened to Robert Warden in the back of the bowling alley. She hoped fervently that it was the latter.

“There’s been another murder,” the blond beta informed softly.

“Another one?” she repeated numbly. Thinking back to that night at the bowling alley brought with it vivid flashbacks of the mutilated body. The nausea now was just as strong as it was then. “Who was it? Was the body… was it attacked like Robert Warden?”

Asher looked over at Fergus and Nathan before giving Hayden his undivided attention. “The body was mutilated like before, yeah. The victim was a member of Falco’s pack, Ian, their omega.”

“An omega?”
The term sounded incredibly foreign to her.

“Omega, like me.”
Fergus stepped in, placing reassuring hands on Hayden’s shoulders. “An omega is considered to be the lowest ranking member of the pack, the one that serves as the pack’s scapegoat.”

“That’s a derogatory characterization, Fergus,” Nathan quickly intervened. Instead of the cool, intellectual expression he usually wore, Nathan seemed to warm up considerably as he patiently corrected Fergus. “An omega possesses the special ability of sensing the pack’s emotions and helps them recover.
True
omegas, like you, are rare and incredibly valued among the entire pack.”

Hayden allowed herself a grin despite the situation. She finally had a name for Fergus and his unique talents. “You are pretty special,” she teased lightly, turning to beam up at him. “No one else could possibly have as much patience as you do in dealing with our moody pack.” 

Fergus seemed bashful and looked away in humility. 

“Well? What about the murder?” Nathan inquired, as usual, quick to get the conversation back on track. “Do they suspect someone? Do you know if the murder was intentional? Was Nicolas behind it?”

Asher’s eyes became half-lidded in annoyance at the bombardment of questions. He gazed unhappily at Hayden, easily expressing his disappointment at not being able to speak to her privately. Hayden had to agree. It had been days since she’d seen Asher alone, as she’d been under constant surveillance from Cole and the rest of the pack. 

“Nathan,” Fergus interrupted just as Nathan opened his mouth again. “I need your help with something downstairs.” He winked at Hayden before turning for the stairs.

Nathan appeared almost as taken aback as Hayden felt. He looked between his retreating brother and the two blonde-haired werewolves by the door. “But Cole—”

“Hayden is capable of taking care of herself and standing guard over the house in case Asher chooses to attack. Come on. I need your help downstairs.” Fergus’ voice turned muffled at the end, indication he was already in the basement.

Nathan whirled back around to stare suspiciously at an innocent-looking Hayden. Without another word, he followed behind his brother, choosing family loyalty over the orders of his Alpha.
Quite frankly
, Hayden was surprised at his choice. She would have thought Nathan was someone who stuck exclusively with the rules.
And
what exactly were Fergus’ intentions of willingly leaving Hayden alone with Asher?

“You weren’t out by the territory line,” Asher accused softly. “I’ve been worried about you.”

Hayden stuffed her hands into her jean pockets, a bit pleased at his concern. She slowly led him into the adjacent kitchen, thinking it would give them just a bit more privacy. “Cole found out that I was meeting with you. I’ve been under constant surveillance since.”

He leaned his broad frame against the counter, scrutinizing Hayden in amusement. “And that’s stopped you?” He chuckled at her unimpressed look. “I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble. I know Cole can overreact.”

He had no idea. Hayden shrugged carelessly, not inclined to dwell over that night. “He had nothing to get upset about, but he’s still being overprotective, especially considering the murder the other night.”

Asher appeared to be mulling something over in his head. He looked hesitant to spit it out, but he eventually mustered enough courage. “How about I take you out tonight? I think this whole situation with the murders and the framing is a little bit too clean-cut for an average werewolf to scheme up.”

He was certainly hinting at something scandalous, and she wanted in on anything he had in mind. “What are you thinking? That an Alpha was behind this?”

Asher’s dimples deepened when he smiled broadly. “That’s exactly what I’m implying. It’s not my father, and I highly doubt it was Cole, but there’s still a possibility.” He ignored Hayden’s disagreement. “But I have a strong suspicion that it’s Falco. And Falco volunteered to be the first pack patrolling the town at night.” He pushed off from the counter and surveyed the hallway where Cole’s office was. “I think someone should be patrolling
Falco
.”

Hayden’s lips parted in a silly grin. “You think we should spy on him.”

The male lifted his eyebrows and took another step closer to Hayden. A teasing smirk played across his features as he looked down at her.
“Only if you’re up to it.”
   

The door opened to Cole’s office, causing Hayden and Asher to step away from one another. “I’ll meet you outside the house at eleven o’clock,” Hayden responded quietly, nervous and excited at the same time.

She didn’t know if Asher truly thought Falco was behind the recent murders, or if he was trying to make it seem like a bigger adventure than it really was. No matter what his reasons were, Hayden could hardly say no to him.

Cole and Eric came to a stop in the entrance to the kitchen, both gazing doubtfully at Hayden and Asher. After impatient beckoning from his father, Asher escaped the kitchen, bypassing Cole.

The two men locked gazes, their postures charged with negative tension as they revolved their bodies around one another, both refusing to turn their backs. At one point, they had their chests parallel with each other, bringing with it the startling realization of how much
bigger
Cole was. Granted, Cole was only an inch or two taller than Asher was, but he carried himself taller.

Cole had an intimidating air to him, a commanding air of an Alpha. His chest was broader and his neck
was held
higher, giving him a significant advantage over Asher. Cole’s chiseled features
were crafted
into a mask of indifference, only his dark eyes relaying the intensity of his emotions. His gaze alone conveyed his warning and his dominance. Asher did a remarkable job mirroring Cole. Only, his seriousness didn’t suit his typical happy-go-lucky persona.

Hayden crossed her arms over her chest, her sly appreciation of the scene turning dark with displeasure when Cole continued to follow Asher with his eyes until the beta escaped the house. She kept her face clear when the Alpha turned to look at her, just as unhappy with her as he was with Asher.

“Nathan and Fergus—”

“I wanted to talk to Asher alone, so I told them to leave.” She lifted her chin at his skeptical look. She wouldn’t get Fergus into trouble when he had enough decency to give them privacy. “I
am
female Alpha, Cole. It’s only natural that my orders are as authoritative as yours, isn’t it?” He seemed surprised at her comment. “Female
Alpha
isn’t just a senseless title to me.”

Feeling rather satisfied, Hayden escaped the kitchen, hardly pausing even as Cole barricaded the doorway with a solid arm. With ease, she ducked beneath it, almost home free until a hand boldly curled around the waistline of her jeans.

His single hand alone was able to lift her cleanly off her feet before forcing her against the pantry door. Looking up, she scowled at his close proximity. She knew him well enough to notice the amused grin he was trying to suppress.

“Don’t run,” he scolded lightly. Both of his hands were on either side of her, keeping her prisoner against the kitchen pantry. “We need to have a discussion.” He gave lengthy pause, bringing Hayden’s anxiety to the next level. “About the other night, after the incident at the bowling alley, I didn’t mean to hurt you in anyway.”

Hayden stiffened and her face flushed. “You didn’t,” she insisted, wanting desperately to avoid this. “I’m still just a little shaken up over the murder. Asher told me they found another body, Ian, the omega of Falco’s pack.” There. It was subtle change of subject.

Cole’s lips pressed together in contemplation and he surveyed her diligently. His skeptical expression told her that he had noticed her intentional avoidance when it came to their earlier conflict. Fortunately, he didn’t press further.

“Did he now?” he murmured intently. He flexed his hands on the kitchen cabinets and leaned a bit closer. “Did he also tell you about the part where Falco went into a rage and attempted to come after you?” At Hayden’s sudden blank expression, Cole flashed a toothy grin that didn’t seem
all that
comforting. “Of course he didn’t tell you. Asher doesn’t want to be the bearer of bad news.”

Hayden mused over his words, reluctantly admitting that Cole was right. Asher hardly ever took things seriously, but he also made Hayden stop dwelling over things to the point of exhaustion. Just being around the beta was enough to distract her from everything.

However, Cole’s assertion brought her back to cold reality. “Falco wanted to come after me,” Hayden repeated dully. Usually, Adolf wanted to go after Hayden, which only meant that the normally cool-headed Falco had a reason to target her. “I was framed again.”  

Cole pushed off from his position against the pantry and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Ian disappeared the morning after Robert Warden’s corpse was found.” Cole’s tone was grim. “It was just this morning they found Ian’s body next to Falco’s territory. Both your scent and mine were near the body.”  

It didn’t make sense to her. How could they find their scents when—

Her eyes suddenly widened and her heart skipped a beat in realization. “We were near Falco’s property after the meeting at the bowling alley.” She had remembered running alongside Falco’s territory line. It had been in the back of her mind at the time, just a cloudy warning not to crossover
. 
“I’m surprised Falco didn’t come over here.”

Cole’s face darkened. “It’s fortunate he did not, otherwise I wouldn’t have taken his sudden invasion lightly,” he advised lowly. “Joseph was able to calm his father and a few members of Eric’s pack were nearby to assist. Falco has agreed to lay low until we can gather more evidence.”

Before Hayden had any chance to digest the information, she was startled out of her thoughts by a finger stabbing into her chest. The action was so sudden that she flinched, on edge. Her lips lifted in defense and she exposed her teeth to him. 

Cole dismissed her act of challenge by leaning closer, placing their eyes on equal levels.

“Falco may have agreed to stay low, but that doesn’t mean he will keep his hands to himself if the chance presents itself.” He paused for quite some time, making sure to stare through Hayden. “That means you are to stay in the house at all times. I am not only telling you this as your Alpha, but as the owner of this house, as the werewolf who has had more experience than
you, and as the man who cares greatly for your safety. You will not leave this house. Do I make myself clear?”

It was rare Cole’s Alpha authority affected Hayden. When she’d been awed and overwhelmed with Nicolas for the first time in New York, it was because of the power he carried as a leader. Cole had never used that power on her, only to calm her and pacify her.

Faced with it for the first time, Hayden could do nothing but nod dumbly in the face of his immense supremacy. Even if she had the
slightest
bit of interest to meet with Asher tonight, her mind was hazy to everything but agreeing with Cole.

At least for now she’d comply, later she could decide for herself. 

Everything for her nighttime exploit was properly premeditated.

Earlier that afternoon, Hayden had done some handiwork and removed the screen from her window. She even went as far as keeping her window open all day, raised far enough for her to escape. No one would have to be roused from
their
sleep by her noisy window being opened in the middle of the night.

Even the backpack on her shoulders was deliberate, carrying the shoes she would wear after she climbed barefoot down the roof.

Everything was all set. The only thing that kept her sitting motionlessly at the edge of the bed was her conscience. The clock next to her read 11:05, five minutes past her agreed time to meet with Asher.

Hayden tapped her knees, barely breathing as she monitored the rest of the pack. Everyone, including Cole, was fast asleep. She could even hear Blake’s choked snoring from two levels below. And just in case Cole was feeling particularly sensitive to Hayden’s movements and her frame of mind, she made sure to keep her emotions as flatline as possible.

She suppressed the fleeting rush of guilt for her deceit. If she hadn’t already agreed on meeting Asher, she would have easily followed Cole’s orders and stayed within the pack house. She reluctantly understood his orders to stay inside. He was only trying to protect her.