Hayden drew in a shuddering breath and continued. “Ramon said he was picking up a load the next day and that he could take me as far as Denver. I’d travelled with him from Indianapolis, and I didn’t like him. There was something…off about him, but I couldn’t work out what it was. He was quiet for the most part but he had these black eyes and when he trained them on me, they left me feeling cold. I was pretty desperate to get back to Independence, though, so I said I’d go with him.”
“Independence?” Gregory questioned.
Hayden attempted a wobbly smile. “I used to like to shift and hunt in Kings Canyon, but…I never made it there.”
Hayden felt tears sliding down his face, but he didn’t acknowledge them. Gregory leant forward and pressed a kiss over his scar and Hayden couldn’t help flinching in response. It was an involuntary action that would take a long time for him to overcome. If Gregory had noticed, he didn’t acknowledge it.
“If this is too difficult for you, you can tell me another time,” he offered.
“It’s okay,” Hayden shook his head. “I’d rather get it over with.”
Gregory nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“I left him that night so I could shift and hunt then met up with him the next morning. We headed south to Kansas City, which I thought was an odd direction to take but he said the I-70 was a better road to travel on than the I-80. I didn’t know shit about roads so I went along with it. Not like there was much I could have said anyway—he was the one driving. Anyway, we got to Kansas City, and when we pulled up in the truck stop Ramon said he needed to call a friend and to wait for him outside the store.
“When he came back there was an even darker glint in his eyes and his mood had changed. He seemed…excited, I guess. He said he hadn’t seen his friend in a while and that he was going to meet up with us so we could grab a drink together. He knew how old I was but he said he knew a bar where the owner wouldn’t ask any questions and he’d buy me a couple of beers. I didn’t like the idea all that much but I didn’t have anything better to do so I agreed to go.
“His friend showed up and he seemed all right, at first. His name was Mario, but I didn’t catch his last name. To be honest I didn’t have any feelings about him one way or another. We went in his car. I thought we were going straight to the bar, but Mario said he needed to stop at his house because he’d come straight from work and he wanted to grab a shower and change his clothes.”
Gregory raised his eyebrows and Hayden nodded. “I know. I can’t believe I was so stupid, so naive. As soon as we got inside the house, I knew something was up. It was obvious they’d planned it all along. Mario started making comments about me to Ramon, saying things like he thought I was pretty and that he’d always liked twinks. The comments were harmless enough at first but they started to get more lewd. He said he hadn’t been laid in ages and maybe I’d like to help him out.”
“Why didn’t you leave?” Gregory asked. “As soon as you became suspicious?”
Hayden hung his head. “By the time I realised what they had planned, it was too late. I started backing out of the room but Ramon was blocking the door and then Mario pulled a gun out of the drawer and pointed it at me. I guess I could have still run—I knew that if I got shot, chances were I’d heal from it—but it took me by surprise. The next thing I knew Ramon hit me over the head with something. It must have knocked me out cold because I don’t remember anything after that except waking up in a chair with my hands tied behind my back.”
“Oh, God,” Gregory breathed. He took hold of Hayden’s hand again and held it firmly in his own. Hayden could feel the suppressed rage inside Gregory. His hand was trembling violently, his jaw set tight.
Hayden wished there was something he could say to help Gregory’s unease, but he didn’t even know how to do that for himself so he ploughed on.
“Mario had a knife and he was waving it about while he and Ramon talked. It was all stuff like how they had a real pretty one this time, even if I was a lot older than they usually liked.”
“You were, what, just turned eighteen?”
Hayden shook his head. “Seventeen. Hadn’t had my birthday yet.”
A low snarl tore from Gregory’s throat and Hayden’s hand was squeezed in an iron grip.
“Ramon started groping me through my jeans while Mario began rubbing his own cock. He was hard, they both were. He used his other hand to trail the knife down my face but he didn’t cut me, not yet. I was out of mind scared, but the more I whimpered and pleaded with them to let me go, the more they seemed to get off on it. By then I knew what they had in mind. They made it pretty clear that they were going to rape me and then kill me afterwards. Said they’d done it before. They were real cocky about it, actually, about how easy it had been to get away with because they always chose kids that no one gave a shit about, that wouldn’t be missed.”
A single tear fell down Gregory’s face but Hayden didn’t have the energy to lift his hand to brush it away.
“I was so scared that my eyes and teeth shifted before I could stop them. It frightened them—they’d obviously never come into contact with a shifter before. They started shouting at me, calling me a freak. I guess I lost it after that, got pretty vicious. Ramon grabbed the knife from Mario and said ‘Let’s just kill the freak’. I fought against the ropes but I couldn’t get loose in time and he stabbed me.”
Gregory sucked in a sharp breath. “He what? Where?”
Hayden let go of Gregory’s hand and lifted his shirt to reveal the small pink scar on his stomach. It had lightened over the years to a pale shade of pink but it hadn’t disappeared. Gregory reached out with tentative fingers and stroked them over the raised skin. The light touch made it tingle.
“What did you do then?” Gregory asked.
Lowering his top, Hayden sighed and continued his story. “I shifted my hands into claws and managed to slice through the ropes they had tied around my wrists. Everything after that is blurry. We were all shouting, fighting. Mario had the gun again. I made a grab for it and wrestled it out of his hand but Ramon was coming for me with the knife. He tried to stick it in my chest but I managed to get out of the way and he stabbed Mario instead.”
“Did he kill him?”
“I didn’t know right then. Ramon and I started fighting and struggling and that’s when he cut my face. The blade was so close to my eye I was sure I was going to lose it. I think that’s what he was aiming for, but he missed. Well, as you can see, my face got cut pretty bad.”
As he spoke, Hayden remembered the white-hot sting of the cut, remembered his blood creating an ever-expanding patch on the front of his shirt. Gregory’s hand came up to cup his face and stroke him gently across his cheek.
“We were wrestling on the floor when the gun went off. Mario was still alive. I think the shot was meant as a warning to break us apart, because he was afraid he might hit his friend, but Ramon didn’t stop fighting—he kept coming for me with the knife and I lashed out. I cut his throat with my claws, and I knew as soon as I did it that he wouldn’t heal from it…there was no way.
“His wounds were deep. But I was practically crazy with rage by that point and I didn’t even care. I was glad. I wanted him dead. I wanted them both dead. I pushed Ramon off me. Mario screamed and wailed and shouted when he saw what I’d done and he turned the gun on me again. I didn’t stop to think. I lunged for him and slashed him across the face, just like Ramon had done to me with the knife.
“But that didn’t stop him. He kept pushing and pushing, struggling for all he was worth as I tried to get the gun off him. And then it went off again and he fell backwards. While we’d struggled, I must have managed to turn the gun and it went off, got him in the chest. It killed him—I killed him. I sat there for a couple of minutes, in shock I guess. When I finally got up and went to check on Ramon, he was dead, too. He’d bled out from his injuries.”
When he finished speaking, Hayden slumped forward in his seat. Reliving the painful m
emory he’d spent three years trying to forget made him feel weak, tired right through to his bones.
“No one could blame you for doing what you did, Hayden. Those men would have killed you. It was self-defence.”
Hayden shook his head. “Don’t you get it? I was glad. I was happy they were dead!”
A low hiss tore from Gregory’s throat. “I’m happy they’re dead. Because it means you’re alive. They were rapists, murderers. God only knows how many other young boys you saved that day. They wouldn’t have stopped, Hayden. Men like that never stop.”
“I was so scared I was going to get caught, so I ran. My shirt was soaked through with blood, so I took one of Mario’s and then I… I stole the money they had in their wallets so I could get out of the city and I ran. It was still light out and Mario lived in a busy neighbourhood so I couldn’t change into my cat. I just ran, and ran, and kept on running until I’d made it out of Kansas City. I had to stop eventually, of course. I was tired, and still bleeding, even though the stab wound in my stomach and the gash on my face had begun to heal. I knew they wouldn’t heal properly until I shifted, but I was so angry and upset and disgusted with myself for what I’d done, I was too scared to shift.
“I was afraid to set my cat free, afraid that he would be wild, infuriated. I was afraid of what might happen. What if he hurt someone else? So I didn’t shift.”
“What did you do when you got out of the city?”
“I caught a bus, but I didn’t go to California as planned. I left Kansas, went south to Oklahoma, and then made my way across to New Mexico. I spent some time in Arizona then after a year of struggling to get by—begging, mainly, and…well, you know about the rest—the next obvious place was Las Vegas.”
“And you still didn’t shift?”
Hayden shook his head. “No. The knife wound in my stomach had closed up and the slash on my face had healed to the scar you see now. But by then, I’d left it so long I figured my cat would be angry at me for keeping him contained for so long. It was like a catch-twenty-two. The longer I left it, the harder it became.
“Besides, I didn’t want the scar on my face to heal, not really, because it was a reminder of what happened. It was a reminder of the things I’m capable of. I never want to forget—I don’t want to become complacent. I can’t afford to forget, Gregory, because what if I do then something like that happens again? I know they were bad men and maybe they deserved punishment for what they’d done, but I killed them! I took away their lives! I don’t ever want to forget that.”
Gregory leant forward and wrapped his arms around Hayden, pulling him into his chest and holding him close.
“You don’t have to forget,” Gregory whispered against the side of his head. “But you do have to forgive yourself. It’s time for you to let go, time for you to start living again.”
“But I don’t know how,” Hayden said softly.
* * * *
Gregory pulled his car into the dirt drive of the Crazy Horse and killed the engine. He’d spent the last half hour holding his mate, trying to comfort him and reassure him. He understood how difficult it must have been for Hayden to disclose his secret, but he didn’t blame him. It had been self-defence, pure and simple, and under the same circumstances Gregory would have done the same thing.
It made him angry to think about what had nearly happened to Hayden, but all the more determined to ensure his mate never be put in a dangerous situation like that again, even if it meant lying to the council and putting his own life in jeopardy.
“You ready to meet everyone?” he asked, reaching across the seat to take hold of Hayden’s hand.
Hayden chewed on his bottom lip. “Are you sure they’re okay with me staying here?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Kelan wouldn’t have agreed to it if he didn’t want you here. You’ll like him. He’s a good alpha and a good man. You’ll like everyone here, matter o’ fact. They’re good folks, all of them.”
They got out of the car just as Kelan and Pete were coming down the porch steps to greet them. Kelan’s lips were set in a tight line, but Pete merely looked amused.
“Hayden?” Kelan asked, reaching out and shaking Hayden’s hand. “Howdy. I’m Kelan. I’m the alpha here in Wolf Creek and this is Pete, one of my betas.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Hayden said quietly. “Thanks for letting me stay here.”
While he shook hands with Kelan and Pete, Hayden turned his face away, clearly trying to hide his scar. It troubled Gregory that his mate felt the need to hide, but he’d quickly learn that no one on the Crazy Horse would judge him.
Kelan smiled warmly. “Anything to help out a friend.”
“Hayden knows about our bond now,” Gregory clarified.
“Well then, I guess congratulations are in order.”
“My regards to you both,” Pete said brightly.
“Thank you.” Hayden smiled back shyly.
Gregory was pleased that neither Kelan nor Pete had mentioned Hayden’s scar, even though they must have noticed it.
“Come on, I’ll show you where you can sleep,” Kelan said.
Gregory nodded and placed a hand on Hayden’s shoulder as they started to follow Kelan across the yard.
“Kelan!”
When Gregory turned, Kelan’s mate Jake was running down the steps of the porch.
“What is it?” Kelan asked.
“I’ve got to go to the airport to pick up Tony. Just wanted to say goodbye. I’ll see you later, okay? Hi, Gregory!”
Gregory thought he heard Kelan growl but when he looked at the alpha he was smiling, his eyes giving nothing away. Pete snorted.
“Hi, Jake,” Gregory said. “I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Hayden. Hayden, this is Kelan’s mate, Jake.”
Hayden reached out and shook Jake’s hand but he took a step closer to Gregory’s side as he did. “You’re human,” he blurted out.
Jake chuckled. “Yep, last time I checked. Don’t hold it against me, will you?”
Hayden’s face turned bright pink. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Who’s Tony?” Gregory asked.
“Tony’s my friend from New York. He’s coming to visit for a while,” Jake replied.
“Tony’s his ex,” Kelan said morosely.
Pete rolled his eyes. “Kelan’s jealous.”
“Am not.” Kelan huffed, but the frown on his face contradicted his words.
Jake grinned and wrapped his arms around Kelan’s waist. “I don’t know why—he has no reason to be.” He placed a kiss on Kelan’s lips then pulled out of the embrace. “I’ve got to get going or I’ll be late. It was good to meet you, Hayden.”
“You too.”
Gregory waited until Jake had got into Kelan’s truck and pulled out of the yard before he questioned Kelan. “His ex?”
Kelan grunted.
“Apparently Tony’s in love with Jake,” Pete supplied.
“And you don’t mind him coming to stay here?”
Kelan shrugged. “I trust Jake. But if that weasel so much as lays a finger on him, I swear to God…”
Gregory and Pete both chuckled, but when Gregory looked at his mate, Hayden’s eyes were blinking rapidly and he was staring at Kelan with something bordering on fear. He leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Kelan’s just sounding off. He wouldn’t hurt Tony.”
When Kelan snorted, Gregory thought it best to let the subject drop.
“I’ve got to get going,” Pete said. “I’ve got to open up Jessie’s.”
“Pete manages the bar in town,” Kelan told Hayden.
“Has there been any more trouble there since I left?” Gregory asked.
Pete shook his head. “Nope, nothing to speak of. The place has been quiet since Neil and his friends were arrested.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Sure is. I’ll catch you all later.”
Gregory and Hayden followed Kelan to the bunkhouse and the do
or opened as they climbed the porch steps. Cary stepped out.
“Hi, Gregory!” he greeted enthusiastically.
Gregory nodded. “Cary. I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Hayden.”
“Hello,” Cary said, smiling shyly. “Kelan told me you’re going to be staying here with us. It’ll be nice to have another cat around. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with the wolves,” he added quickly, glancing at Kelan.
Kelan merely chuckled.
“Where’s Aaron?” Gregory asked.
“He’s gone into town with his father. They shouldn’t be long. Come on in.”
They followed Cary into the bunkhouse and through to the kitchen.
“Feel free to use anything you find in here,” Cary said. “Come on, I’ll show you your bedroom. Where are your bags?”
“Oh, they’re in the car,” Gregory replied. “You go on ahead, I’ll go back to get them.”
Hayden looked over at Gregory with wide eyes.
“Don’t worry,” Gregory said, placing a kiss on his mate’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
Hayden chewed nervously on his bottom lip. He looked hesitantly at Cary and Kelan and then nodded. “Okay.”
“Through here, Hayden,” Cary said.
Gregory walked back through the house and out into the yard. He doubled back to his car and retrieved Hayden’s bags from the boot. He was about to make his way back to the bunkhouse when his cell started to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered the call. “Gregory.”
“Gregory, it’s Dean. Where are you?”
Gregory looked across to the bunkhouse and pursed his lips before answering. “I’m in Wolf Creek,” he said, cautiously. “What do you want?”
Dean chuckled. “Someone’s been a bad agent. How is that little cat you kidnapped holding up?”
Gregory’s stomach lurched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come now,” Dean said. “Let’s cut through the bullshit. I know you have him. The store near Hayden’s condo has CCTV.”
Gregory's Rebellion Page 7
