In response, his cell phone started vibrating in his hand.
He immediately picked up the call.
“Gregory.”
“We have him,” Riley said. “We can get to his location in about twenty minutes.”
Gregory closed his eyes. “Please hurry, Riley. What if Hayden hasn’t got twenty minutes?”
“I think he’s safe for the time being. Dean isn’t going to do anything to Hayden until he knows you’ve done what he asked. He’ll want confirmation that Jared is dead.”
“Unless Hayden provokes him,” Gregory said. “And, knowing Hayden, he’s likely to do just that.”
“I agree.” Riley sighed. “Dean’s location is close to the Crazy Horse—you’d get there quicker than we could, but you need to be careful. You can’t go in there guns blazing.
“I don’t have to tell you that you could do more harm than good.”
Gregory’s reply was sharper than he intended. “Give me the location, Riley,” he ordered his superior.
“I haven’t got time to listen to you telling me how to do my job.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Hayden cradled his face.
The sharp throb of pain was familiar and something Hayden had hoped never to experience again. Dean had made good on his promise and slashed Hayden with his claws, giving him a mark on the right side of his face that felt nearly identical to the scar on his left.
The wound was deep and the blood trickled through Hayden’s fingers and ran down his arm.
Hayden seethed with anger.
He had to do something.
Dean could not get away with his blackmail attempt. Hayden couldn’t live with himself if someone were to die because of him. He couldn’t let Gregory kill Jared to save him. He eyed Dean warily as the wolf hung up the call and stuffed the cell phone back into his pocket.
“It seems Gregory has more sense than I gave him credit for,” Dean mused. “Although threatening a shifter’s mate usually inspires that level of obedience.”
Dean turned his back to upright the chair he’d knocked over when he’d attacked and Hayden saw his chance.
It was now or never.
He might not get the opportunity again.
He sprang to his feet and used his last reserve of energy to charge at Dean and knock the large wolf to the floor. Dean screamed out his frustration. Hayden ran for the door only to find it locked, but he wouldn’t let that stop him, he couldn’t. He was dimly aware that Dean had recovered from his shove and was rounding on him.
Hayden nimbly sidestepped the wolf and ran for the window. Shielding his face with his arm, he crashed through it. The sound of the glass breaking was loud and surpassed only by Dean’s roars of outrage at having lost his captive a second time.
The glass had cut Hayden quite badly in several places both on his arms and his head, but he ignored the fresh wave of pain and stood up on shaky legs.
He didn’t have a lot of time.
Dean was already climbing out of the window after him. He took a look at his surroundings for the first time and realized they were in a wooded area. Dean’s truck was parked at the front of the cabin but there were no other vehicles in sight.
The property seemed fairly cut off and sat at the end of what looked like a private road. It was some sort of hunting lodge, probably one that Dean himself owned.
Hayden didn’t pause for thought.
Following his instinct, he ran for the only visible road and followed it, pushing his feet to work harder, ignoring the sting from his various cuts, the throb in his cheek and the pounding of his head. As he ran, Dean kept pace behind him.
Hayden knew what he needed to do.
It was the only thing he could do to ensure his survival.
If Dean caught him, he would kill him.
Hayden had to shift.
He veered right, into the line of trees, and snaked his way through the large elms, brushing branches aside that got in his way. He twisted and turned through the dense woods, constantly changing direction in the hope of losing his pursuer. When he’d been running for what felt like hours, but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, he chanced a look over his shoulder.
Dean was nowhere in sight, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t there, watching, waiting for the right time to attack.
Hayden had to shift right away.
He couldn’t wait any longer.
His body shook with anticipation, his cat exultant and excited at its release. Hayden stripped off his clothes, paying careful attention to the surrounding area. He used his cat senses to scan the woods for any indication that Dean was near. But he didn’t pick up on any sounds or scents from the wolf so he continued undressing.
When he was finally naked, he took a deep breath then got to his knees. The shift was going to be difficult and it was going to hurt. Hayden tried hard to focus his mind, to concentrate on the shift and nothing else, and eventually, his cat rose within and began to take over.
He stretched out his limbs and, as they began to elongate, his bones broke only to realign. His eyes shifted and incisors tore from his gums. His claws ripped through the skin on his knuckles. He tried to ignore the pain and focus on the process of his shift. His cat snarled and hissed as the change continued, as his body accomplished the thing denied to it for so long.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
After long, excruciating moments, Hayden lifted his head and looked around him with the sharp vision of his jaguar.
He scented the air and growled.
There was a wolf nearby.
A fully shifted wolf.
Hayden snarled. He took a tentative step forward and continued to scent the air, to find out where the wolf was hiding—and he was hiding, of that Hayden had no doubt. He was waiting for him, wanting him to make the first move.
It was then that the fog cleared in Hayden’s mind and he knew who the wolf was.
Dean.
Dean had shifted to his wolf form.
Hayden followed the scent. The wolf appeared to be moving back towards the road. Hayden followed. He wasn’t sure where the wolf was leading him, but he was happy to oblige. When the road came into sight, Hayden lost the scent of the wolf.
He froze and listened, waited.
He caught a movement to his right in the corner of his eye and spun around, but he wasn’t in time. The wolf careened into him, knocking him off his feet, huge jaws snapping inches from his neck. Hayden managed to use the force of the impact to his advantage and rolled to his side, throwing off the large wolf, but Dean recovered almost at once and came for him again.
The second time, Hayden was ready for it. When Dean pounced, Hayden dived out of the way and slashed out with his claws, slicing along the wolf’s throat. Dean threw his head back and howled. The sound was loud at first, but then it turned into a spluttering, choking gurgle.
The wolf fell to his side, trying to turn his head to get at the wound in order to clean it, but he couldn’t reach. He whined, the sound low and mournful. Hayden watched, still on high alert, as the wolf lay there, panting, blood seeping from the open wound. Hayden looked around him, trying to get his bearings.
They were right next to the road.
He left the wolf’s side, keeping Dean in his peripheral vision and went out onto the road. Hayden looked both ways, trying to determine the best way to get away, to escape. The wolf didn’t look healthy enough to follow, but if his injuries weren’t life-threatening, he could heal from them.
Hayden was still deciding which direction to take when the low rumble of an engine reached his ears, its tires crackling on gravel. There was a car heading their way. Hayden thought it best to hide. He couldn’t afford to show himself to humans.
He was just about to duck back into the tree line when the wolf landed on his back and sank his canine teeth deep into Hayden’s neck. The bite was excruciating and Hayden’s cat yelped.
Hayden was aware of the heat fr
om his blood as it ran down his shoulder. He tried to move, but the wolf had him pinned to the ground. He was going to die like this, with Dean the victor, able to carry on with his reign of terror unchallenged. Hayden felt bad that he hadn’t been able to stop him. But his biggest regret was not seeing Gregory one last time, not being able to tell him how much he’d come to care for him—that he was falling for him despite their bond or maybe in spite of it.
But it was too late for that now.
He was dying.
Energy seeped out of Hayden’s body along with his blood.
When he thought about Gregory, Hayden hissed, infuriated at having to leave his mate. He roared and, with the last vestige of energy, managed to throw the wolf off him. He lashed out with his own claws at the same time the wolf went for him.
Dean caught him again and this time Hayden knew it was bad.
He laid his head down, trying to catch his breath, and his eyes grew heavy. Just as he gave in to the need for the sleep his body craved, the headlights of a truck raced towards them.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“There he is!” Gregory shouted.
The sound was loud in the enclosed space.
“Kelan, stop the truck!”
Kelan slammed on the breaks, but Gregory was out of the door and running before the pickup came to a complete stop.
“Hayden! Oh, God.”
Gregory ran to his mate’s side.
Hayden was lying in the dirt in his human form, naked and covered in dried blood. Gregory knelt beside him and assessed his injuries. Hayden was breathing, but his breath was shallow, labored. His eyes were closed and his long eyelashes were flickering as if he were dreaming.
Hayden had a few small cuts and welts on his face, neck, and arms but none that looked life-threatening. They all looked as if they might have been worse but had already begun to heal. The scar on Hayden’s cheek had all but disappeared.
Hayden had shifted.
Gregory finally allowed himself to take a breath.
He’d never felt more relieved.
“Hayden, can you hear me?”
A low moan tore from Hayden’s throat but he didn’t speak.
“I’m here, Hayden, you’re safe now. You’re going to be okay.”
Kelan stepped up next to them. “How is he doing?”
“Good. He’s sleeping. Whatever happened to him must have used up his energy reserves, but I think he’s going to be fine.”
“Any sign of Dean?”
“I hadn’t even thought to look,” Gregory admitted, finally looking up from his mate’s face. “You think he’s still around?”
“I think so… Look.” Kelan indicated a spot on the ground a few feet away from them.
Gregory followed Kelan’s finger to a patch of blood in the grass that trailed off into the woods.
“He couldn’t have gone far,” Kelan said. “I’ll follow the trail.”
Gregory wanted to stay with his mate to make sure he was going to be okay, but a fury unlike any he’d known consumed him. When he thought about what could have happened to Hayden, what nearly had happened to him at Dean’s hands, he wanted to tear the wolf apart. Wanting revenge might make him little better than Dean, but he didn’t care.
Dean had gone too far.
He would pay for what he’d done to Hayden and for the other mates he’d killed, for the families he’d destroyed.
“Will you stay and take care of Hayden for me?” Gregory asked.
“Gregory, I don’t think that’s—”
“Please, Kelan. This is important. Not only is it my job, it’s something I have to do.”
Kelan nodded. “Fair enough, but be careful. Dean is a powerful wolf and even injured he’ll make a formidable opponent.”
Gregory nodded. “I know. When Hayden wakes up, tell him—”
Kelan shook his head. “Oh no, I’m not telling him a thing. Hurry back and you can tell him yourself.”
Gregory nodded solemnly.
He bent to kiss Hayden’s forehead then got up and followed the trail of Dean’s blood into the woods. The first twenty yards or so the trail was clear and easy to track. Dean had lost a lot of blood. But then the blood on the ground disappeared altogether, indicating that Dean had shifted.
Gregory wasn’t sure if he had changed into a wolf or back to his human form.
He pulled his gun out of his shoulder holster and listened carefully, concentrating on the sounds of the woods. He couldn’t hear anything that indicated Dean was nearby, so he cautiously walked deeper into the wood.
Gregory’s heightened hearing wasn’t picking up any unusual sounds so he used his other senses to try to discover the wolf. He focused on the smells in the wood, hoping to catch a trace of Dean’s scent. His eyes followed every leaf blowing in the wind and every beetle scuttling across the ground.
He didn’t notice anything at first, but then rustling behind him caught his attention and he spun around and pointed his gun.
He wasn’t fast enough.
Dean knocked him from his feet and landed heavily on top of him. In the tussle, the gun fell from Gregory’s hand and landed on the ground, just out of reach. Dean roared and tried to get his hands around Gregory’s neck, but Gregory’s lighter weight made him more agile and he was able to grab Dean’s arm, twist it and throw him off. He made a dive for the gun, but Dean grabbed him around the waist and dragged him back before he reached it.
They scrabbled on the floor, each trying to gain dominance over the other. Gregory wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out against the much larger shifter. Dean’s weight was heavy on top of him and, even though it was clear he was not in full health, he was still incredibly strong.
Gregory managed to pull his arm back and throw a punch that landed right where he wanted it to. He heard Dean’s nose crack under the pressure, broken. Dean growled and fell back, holding it gingerly and trying to stem the flow of blood.
Dean’s retreat lasted long enough for Gregory to stretch out and grab hold of the gun. The second Dean realized what he’d done, a low growl tore from his throat and he shifted his hand into a claw. Gregory had just managed to point the gun when Dean struck out with his claws, aiming them at his face. Gregory didn’t have time to think before he reacted. He squeezed the trigger and shot Dean, the bullet hitting the wolf in the center of his forehead.
As Dean fell backward and hit the ground with a thud, Gregory felt nothing but relief.
“That’s for Hayden,” he whispered. “And for Ashton and for Tania and for everyone else that died because of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Baby, wake up. Can you hear me?”
Hayden cracked his eyes open and tried to focus on Gregory’s face.
His mate leaned over him, wearing a worried expression.
“Hey,” he whispered hoarsely.
Gregory’s features relaxed into a relieved smile.
It took Hayden a moment to remember where he was and what had happened to him, but when his memories finally returned, his eyes widened and he sat up abruptly, searching the woods around him.
“Dean…he got away.”
“It’s okay,” Gregory soothed, stroking Hayden’s cheek with the back of his fingers. “Dean is dead. I killed him. He can’t ever hurt anyone again.”
“He’s…” Hayden couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “He’s dead? You mean, it’s all over?”
Gregory nodded. “Yes, it’s finally over.”
“Where’s his body?” Hayden asked, nervously looking past Gregory into the trees beyond. “I mean…are you sure?”
Gregory’s face softened and his lips curved up into a tender smile.
“You’ve been asleep for nearly two hours. The council has already been here to take Dean’s body. Kelan got a lift back with them, but he left his truck so we can get home. I didn’t want to wake you, because I knew your body would need the rest in order to heal, but when you didn’t wake on your own, I start
ed to worry.”
When Hayden’s hand lifted to his face, Gregory nodded, confirming,
“It’s healed. The scar is gone.”
Hayden closed his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath, tracing the now smooth skin of his cheek. “Then you’re right. It is finally over.”
He opened his eyes and met Gregory’s gaze. “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought—”
“Shh.”
Gregory pulled Hayden into his arms and crushed him in an embrace.
“I’m here.”
“You’re here.” Hayden echoed.
He pulled back, took hold of his mate’s face and pressed their lips together gently. The soft kiss was meant to ease his mind. To reassure him that they were both alive, both safe, but as soon as their lips touched, the relief and tension poured from his body only to be filled with an insatiable, almost primal need.
When Gregory grabbed Hayden around the waist and hauled him closer, deepening the kiss, Hayden gasped, the sound somehow lost in the depths of his mate’s mouth.
Their bodies melded together, Hayden reached up and grabbed a fistful of Gregory’s hair, holding on tight as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded. The kiss became frantic, a wild frenzy of teeth and tongue, of nipping and biting, licking and sucking. Hayden was so lost in the desperate need that filled him that he nearly missed the sound of Gregory tearing at the button and zipper on his jeans. But there was no way he could miss the cool air that hit his ass as they were pulled down his hips.
Gregory wrapped his hand around his rock-hard cock.
“Fuck me,” Hayden said against Gregory’s mouth. “Please.”
Hayden nearly groaned when the hand on his cock disappeared, but when he broke the kiss and looked down, he saw Gregory fighting with his own jeans and his heartbeat skyrocketed. His eyes had shifted to their cat form and immediately Hayden’s shifted to match, his incisors scratching at his gums.
“Hurry,” Hayden pleaded.
Gregory pulled his jeans down and began stroking his cock, but when his hand stilled and he met Hayden’s gaze, there was disappointment in his eyes.
Gregory's Rebellion (2019 Reissue) Page 12
