Hayden’s Haven

by Cohen, Julie K.

  “You know it’s Novak. Same as mine.”

  “I suppose every family has a bad egg, even shifter families.”

  Hayden took a second to look around at what was usually a busy area of the camp. Nothing appeared shot up, blown up, or even knocked over. “How did they overtake you, Liam?” he asked, trying to focus on an ally rather than the scumbag who was threatening to kill every adult and child shifter in Liam’s pack.

  “Leverage on me, the same way he’s using us against you.”

  Liam didn’t have family, which meant it was someone else Liam cared for. Speaking of caring, where was Aloe? Hayden looked to Frank and mouthed her name. A slight shake of Frank’s head. He didn’t see or scent her either.

  “Any casualties?” Hayden asked, afraid to hear the answer.

  “Just my pride.”

  That alone was hard to hear coming from Liam. Whatever else Hayden thought of the alpha, Liam wasn’t one to back down from a fight or lose one either.

  “You’ll have him, Sloan,” Hayden said.

  The DSA man nodded, his grin long gone. “One week, shifter. The virus and your brother or the first pack we exterminate with SEV2 will be this one. And I promise, while it’s the first one, it won’t be the last.”

  Chapter Twelve

  HAYDEN

  Hayden hated leaving Liam’s pack vulnerable to the soldiers and their guns, but there was nothing he and Frank could do. They ran the entire way, pushing their wolves beyond their usual capacity. Time was critical. As they raced through the forest, Hayden thought through every possible scenario he could envision, and none of it ended well for his pack or wolf shifters in general. Invading Drake’s territory and starting a war without Liam’s shifters would be suicide or at best a draw, with dozens dead at the end of the day. And still, they wouldn’t capture Drake. His brother was too smart for that.

  Frank howled as they crossed the border, letting their patrols know who was entering. Frank and he were of like-mind, determined to make it to camp without any delay. As he and Frank finally entered the center of the compound, hot, thirsty, winded, and beyond tired, Hayden scented wolves that didn’t belong here.

  “I smell them. At least five. No blood,” Frank confirmed what Hayden had scented.

  “It appears we have visitors.”

  “That’s never good.”

  After the ‘visitors’ they’d encountered at Liam’s compound, Hayden had to agree. “Do a perimeter search, see what you can find out.”

  “Where are you going?” Frank asked.

  “Into the lion’s den.” Hayden pointed toward Damien’s house. The place was lit up, upstairs and downstairs, and he could hear voices inside, whispers really.

  Frank shifted and headed off. Hayden quickly dressed and tossed the bag off toward a tree. Until he knew what was going on, he wanted to appear calm, collected, but most of all full of strength and not like he had been running for five hours straight. He took his time walking up the few steps that led to Damien and Tess’s house. The voices had ceased. No doubt they’d heard him approach.

  Hayden walked right in. This was not one of those time to knock and look subservient. Inside, were two male shifters he didn’t know, and Callen was standing at the base of the steps. His enforcer had his hands at his side, loose, as if he were relaxed, except Hayden knew better. Callen’s relaxed stance tended to be a foot bent behind him, flat against a wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. This here. . . this was Callen seconds from shifting. Yellow eyes shone brightly and never moved from the two shifters standing near the kitchen table.

  “Drake?” the middle-aged shifter with gray streaks in his hair said, staring at Hayden. The younger one, a blond shifter in his late twenties whose muscles rivaled Callen’s, seemed preoccupied with the balcony above them. Hayden strained to make out the whispers up there. Sounded like Damien and Tess arguing, given the fast exchange back and forth.

  “Drake’s pack is due south of here,” Hayden said.

  “Ah, I see it now. You’re slightly taller, not as broad. But there’s a remarkable resemblance.”

  “And who are you?” Hayden took a few steps in.

  “Truman. My pack is up in Montana. I’m here by Damien’s invitation.”

  A quick glance to Callen said otherwise. Oh, the shifter was probably who he said he was, but Damien hadn’t invited him, or if he had, whatever was going on here wasn’t amicable.

  The alpha walked toward the steps, as if testing Callen. Callen didn’t budge, and he wouldn’t. “Damien,” the alpha called up the steps. “You have company. One of Drake’s people.”

  Callen chuckled at that, his mouth quirking up, quickly grounding Hayden. This was Hayden’s pack, his brother standing guard at the base of the stairs and his alpha upstairs. Let this Montana alpha think what he wanted. Hayden didn’t need to prove himself to him.

  Damien barreled to the balcony and leaned over, quickly scanning the place. His eyes met Hayden’s and then quickly glanced back from where he had come. That’s when Hayden sensed something more than marital fighting was going on. He raced past Callen who leaned to the side far enough to let him pass.

  The moment Hayden reached the second floor landing, he smelled Mila. Damien caught him by the arm before he went any farther. “She’s fine.”

  “You won’t keep me from her.”

  “No, but you need to know what’s going on before you go in there.” Damien dragged him into his bedroom to talk. “That’s her alpha down there. He has another twenty shifters waiting beyond our borders. He’s saying you and Callen kidnapped her and you killed three of his shifters in the process. He’s demanding I hand her over to him.”

  Hayden lost control of his wolf and plowed into Damien. The two crashed into a dresser, nearly toppling it. Damien had his hand wrapped around Hayden’s throat and pinned him to the wall. “What the fuck, Hayden! Get your shit together! I’m not your enemy.”

  “You can’t send her back there, Damien. Banish me if you want, but let her stay. They’ll kill her!”

  Damien released him. “I still don’t know what’s going on, but keep this up, Hayden, and I promise you you’ll wish all I did is banish you.”

  Hayden lowered his eyes. Eight years he had been with Damien, six of those as his second. They’d been as close as brothers, closer considering Drake had never been a brother to him, not since Logan had taken him away.

  Damien had saved Hayden’s life, welcomed him into the pack, and yet lately Hayden had lost faith in him, questioning so much of what the alpha did, especially when he excluded Hayden from top-level meetings. He had been questioning for some time if Damien had lost confidence in him or simply never trusted him when it came to any business involving Drake.

  Perhaps Damien was right to question Hayden’s loyalty. Hayden had been questioning it himself. He couldn’t give up on Drake, even when his brother risked every shifter that Hayden had come to love and respect here, even after what Drake had done to him before he’d escaped. The truth was becoming clearer with each passing day. Hayden wasn’t worthy of being Damien’s second. All these years of faithful service meant nothing if Damien couldn’t count on him when the stakes were the highest they could possibly be.

  “Is she okay?” Hayden asked. He’d step down as Damien’s second later, after they settled whatever was going on with Mila’s alpha. Hayden had to ensure her safety.

  Damien released Hayden. “She’s fine, for the most part. Tess is with her. I was trying to find out what’s going on. Truman and his second arrived an hour ago. When they levied their accusations against you and Callen, and said you’d kidnapped her, I had Tess bring Mila here to prove she was well. I messed up, Hayden. I had thought it was a big misunderstanding and that Mila would clear it up. The moment she entered and spotted them, it was clear something was wrong. She wouldn’t talk. Not to me, to Tess, her alpha, no one. That’s when Tess and I brought her upstairs, to speak with her in private, but she won’t talk to us.”

/>   “I don’t know the entire story, Damien. But she’s not going back. I’ll fight you if you try to send her back.”

  Damien growled. “After all these years. . .” He punched the wall, leaving a sizeable dent. “Get the hell out of here, Hayden, before I release my wolf.”

  Hayden locked eyes with him, not trying to challenge him exactly. Hell, he wasn’t sure what he was doing, only that he needed to see Mila. Hayden broke away, averting his eyes, not caring how weak it made him look. Hayden tore across the hall to the only other closed door.

  “Hayden,” Damien said from behind him. Hayden was almost afraid to turn around, fearing Damien would throw him out before he could see Mila. “Why are you back so early? What did Liam say?”

  “We got there too late. Agent Sloan from the DSA is holding Liam’s pack hostage. We have one week to hand over Drake and the virus.”

  “Fuck!” Damien rubbed his hand over his face and drew a deep breath. “Aloe. Is she okay?”

  “I didn’t see her, but Liam said there were no injuries, yet.” With that, Hayden knocked on the door. Tess opened the door and flashed a smile as she squeezed by and rushed into Damien’s embrace.

  Hayden closed the door behind him. Mila’s scent was strong in here. Lilac and morning dew, except her scent was dark, tainted by fear. She was sitting on the floor, in the corner, holding an iron curtain rod. He glanced over to the window. On the floor lay a puddle of dark red curtains with tiny bits of plaster on the floor. She had ripped the rod right out of the wall. Now she held it across her chest, two hands fisted at either end, ready to swing and protect herself. She was staring at the floor, at his feet, as if she was afraid to look higher. The scent of fear intensified.

  “Mila, sunshine.”

  Green eyes rose slowly, moving up his body until they focused on his face. “Hayden?” With the loud clattering of the iron rod hitting the floor, Mila launched herself into Hayden’s arms.

  Nothing ever felt so right as holding her. He had to swallow back the shakiness that would come out if he spoke too soon. Hold her. That’s what he needed to do, just a while longer.

  “Are they gone?”

  “No,” Hayden paused long enough to clear his throat, to force some strength into his words for her. “And we have to go down there, so you can tell your alpha that we didn’t kidnap you, that you’re fine here.”

  “Please don’t make me, Hayden, I can’t.”

  “I won’t let them touch you. I promise.” He bent his head down, seeking her eyes. She was staring down again. This behavior wasn’t like his brave ray of sunshine, but then again, confronting one’s past was never easy. He knew that better than anyone.

  “Just keep your eyes on me, or Tess or Damien or Callen. You’ll be surrounded by shifters who care and will protect you. Okay, sunshine?”

  She shook her head. As they got to the door, she leaned her forehead against him. “I’m sorry, Hayden. I never meant to cause any trouble. I just. . . I can’t go back.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Damien won’t make you go back.” In truth, Hayden wasn’t sure what Damien planned. He and Damien hadn’t been seeing eye to eye lately. Not that it mattered. Hayden wouldn’t let anything happen to Mila, even if that meant going up against an alpha, his enforcer, and an entire pack.

  * * *

  MILA

  Never had she been so scared as when she entered Damien’s home and saw Truman and Vance there waiting for her. Both look congenial and calm, the perfect guests, especially Vance who could pull off that innocent little boy look better than anyone. Truman, well he was oblivious as ever.

  Hayden and Damien expected her to talk to Truman, convince her alpha that she hadn’t been kidnapped. If she failed to convince her alpha, he and Truman would never leave, or worse, they’d take her back. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—go back.

  Hayden slipped his arm around her shoulders, allowing his scent and strength to calm her. He wouldn’t let them take her away. He had said as much, and she trusted him. For the first time in her life, she trusted another shifter to truly be on her side, not just in words, but deed as well.

  Vance’s voice reached her from downstairs. They’d only made it half-way down the hallway when her legs stopped moving. Hayden’s thumb caressed her upper arm and he followed up with a squeeze, reminding her she wasn’t alone. Nor did he rush her. Confronting her alpha and Vance was something she had to do. With Hayden at her side, she could do this.

  Mila started walking again. From the second she reached the steps, Vance’s eyes were on her. Callen blocked the bottom of the steps. He was there too, to protect her. A slight smile crept onto Mila’s face. She wasn’t alone here. Two shifters to protect her.

  “Glad you’re feeling better and can join us,” boomed Damien’s strong voice from the center of the great room below. Three shifters. Mila straightened her posture. Never show weakness. That was practically the credo of weak shifters everywhere. Weak of body didn’t mean weak of mind or spirit. Show who you are on the inside.

  “I’m good, Hayden,” she whispered, with a tiny shrug of her shoulders to shake off his arm. Hayden nodded, pulled his arm away, and fell in step behind her as she descended the steps.

  “Water or beer, Mila?” Tess asked from the kitchen. Four shifters. Four fabulous shifters who supported her, Mila Evans from Montana, the weak shifter who nobody thought would—could—amount to anything special.

  Tess caught her eye. She was smiling, confident, strong. The shifter Mila always wanted to be. Hayden’s hand fell to Mila’s lower back, not coaxing her forward, just a simple touch, a connection that sent warmth and love through her. Smiling and confident she could do. . . maybe not as well in this moment, but in time. Strong. That was out of her control. Two out of three was still good though.

  “Nothing for me,” she answered Tess, surprised her voice didn’t crack but came across steady, strong. Maybe strong was possible, just a different type of strong.

  Mila walked over to Truman, ignoring Vance who stood only a few feet away. She could sense Vance’s anger that she hadn’t acknowledged him, even though it was proper to acknowledge the alpha first.

  “I apologize for rushing out of here earlier,” she began, keeping her eyes locked on Truman. “I was surprised, and my mind was elsewhere. Damien tells me you thought I was kidnapped, and you came here to rescue me.”

  “Yes. We sent trackers after you. His shifters killed three.”

  “To start, you should know that I left voluntarily, and didn’t even meet his shifters until I was in Wyoming, helping an injured shifter. Kate, the shifter who paid for my medical education. She had contacted me, and that’s why I left. I owed her.”

  “You didn’t tell anyone. I would have given you permission to leave, especially to help another shifter who’d helped you in the past.”

  Truman had always supported her desire to educate herself. It wasn’t that Truman was a bad alpha, he was simply weak when it came to certain things, like Vance.

  “I guess I wasn’t thinking straight. She was in bad shape. I was rushing to get to her as soon as possible.”

  “You took your research. Vance noticed it gone.”

  She hadn’t taken that much that he should have noticed anything. Especially since he never went into the back room of her house where she worked. He avoided it, except to drag her out of there when she didn’t run to him fast enough.

  Mila contained her shudder. Her focus was slipping. The mere mention of Vance would do that. Hayden’s hand returned to her lower back. It was a slight touch, nothing more, but it meant the world.

  “Step away,” Truman growled at Hayden. “This is private. And since your alpha won’t allow me to be alone with my packmate, the least you can do is step back and not pressure her.”

  “He’s not pressuring me,” Mila spoke up even as Hayden opened his mouth to protest. “And he’s fine where he is.”

  “Hayden, back away,” Damien ordered.

  Appearances. Al
ways a pissing match when it came to alphas. Mila reached to her left, gave Hayden’s hand a slight squeeze. “I’m fine.”

  Except she wasn’t, for she caught Vance in her line of sight as she retrained her focus on Truman. His face held no emotion. All others would think him neutral, standing by while his alpha took care of business, but she knew better. He was raging behind that cool façade, planning her punishment for the second they were alone. She had to make sure being alone with him never happened. Which meant giving Truman the answers he needed so he’d leave.

  Hayden stepped away from her as ordered, but curiously didn’t move toward Damien or Callen. In three strides he stood in front of Vance. Arms crossed and blocking her line of sight so Vance couldn’t intimidate her. Mila smiled as she turned back to Truman.

  “The shifter, Kate, was from Damien’s pack. I knew this at the time.” A slight lie there, but she could sell it, which is what she had to do. Sell her story.

  “I was hoping I might have a chance to confer with the doctor here when I helped Kate back to her pack, so I grabbed my notes and a few samples of SEV2. We need a vaccine that will work, Truman, and my research wasn’t going anywhere. I was too isolated. That’s why I didn’t think to tell you or leave a note. My mind was racing, trying to take advantage of an opportunity to confer with the doctor who devised the original vaccine.”

  “A vaccine that didn’t work for us.”

  “No, it didn’t. Because the virus mutated by then. But he still had a head start on understanding the virus and just because we were hit once didn’t mean we can’t be hit a second time.”

  “Seriously?”

  Truman looked shocked and worried. He hadn’t considered the possibility that the virus could return, wipe out dozens more shifters while leaving those who survived broken and unable to shift.