by Ruby Brooks
“I don’t even know if I can trust you,” I admitted.
Hurt flashed across his face. “Why not?”
“Because you are one of them. Don’t think for one second that I am not aware that you knew they attacked me the other night. You stood back and you did nothing,” I hissed. “I deserve better than that, human or not.”
I pushed him aside, marching into the training room. “Hayley, I didn’t know. I swear.”
Carl was already there, checking his watch as I arrived. Everyone heard what Micah said after me, but I glared at each of them before they dropped their eyes. Fucking wimps. They would come to my room after hours and attack me, but couldn’t maintain eye contact in the daylight?
I hated this place.
“I’m glad to see you decided to grace us with your presence today, Hayley,” Carl drawled, unimpressed.
“Yeah, well, I needed to rest.”
Andrew and his friends snickered. I levelled him with a look and he smiled at me, showing his teeth. I was going to have to pick them off, one by one. Andrew was weak on his own and his safety came from numbers.
I was going to enjoy it when we were alone.
“There’s no time to rest. We have work to do.” Carl clicked his fingers as Ella came in last, signalling the start of the session. She wouldn’t meet my eyes and I didn’t miss our almost friendship. “You all need to work on your wrestling. Pair up with someone a similar build to you.”
“Andrew,” I called. “You’re with me.”
“He said a similar build, Hayley.” Andrew crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at me. He didn’t hide his pleasure though when he looked me up and down.
“So? You are only a couple of inches taller than me. Or are you a pussy?”
He snorted. “Fine. Guess you want more of my hands on you.”
“Of course,” I rolled my eyes and began stretching. I hated wrestling, but it was good way for me to cause some damage of my own.
We had to go first with everyone watching us.
“I don’t like fighting girls,” he commented, when he noticed Carl watching us.
“Funny that. It didn’t stop you from banging down my door and attacking me.”
“Stop chatting,” Carl barked. “More fighting.”
I kicked my foot out and shoved Andrew to the floor. He landed with a hard thud and I noticed him wince slightly, reaching for his back. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling him against me, and holding him in a choke hold. My grip was too weak to choke him properly, but I managed to hold him in place.
“Sore back?” I commented.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
When Carl told us to switch positions to demonstrate another move to the class, Andrew’s shirt rode up exposing a faint bruise on his kidney. It took a lot to bruise that area on a shifter, and I bit back my smile.
I may not be able to hurt Andrew right now, but someone else had. It also meant his connection to his wolf was as weak as mine, just as I suspected. That meant we would be on a more even keel. I needed to restore my connection to my wolf before he did, if I was to have any chance in taking him down.
“Who did this to you?” I asked, biting back pain from the way he pinned me down while Carl was explaining the ways of getting out of it. I wanted whoever had hurt him as my ally.
“None of your fucking business,” Andrew hissed. “Why would I tell you?”
“I’d want to give him my thanks. Sorry I touched a nerve.”
“Right.” He tightened his grip and I had to focus on my breathing.
We didn’t speak for the rest of the demonstrations, and on the final one Andrew was rougher than he needed to be. I hadn’t healed from the previous night, but I refused to let the tears fall. I knew my face was bruised and my lip was still healing, and I’m sure it gave him satisfaction every time he saw it.
“Hayley, you need to stay behind,” Carl announced, dismissing everyone else.
When the door shut, I locked my jaw, and crossed my arms. “So, you want to sexually harass me again?”
He smirked. “No. Who did you tell?”
“I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Lying bitch,” he stalked over towards me, and I lifted my chin in a challenge. “Snitches get stitches. You may be able to hold your own against one man… but I have a few of my own.”
The door opened again, and the men who flanked the mystery person this morning started coming in to join us. My eyes widened in fear before I swallowed it back.
I didn’t need to fight, I just needed to be fast. The only person who could really come in here and stop this was Micah, but I had a feeling he would be avoiding me after his confession.
As the men formed a circle around me, I locked eyes with Carl. My blood was running cold, but I wasn’t going to hold anything back tonight. They would kill me, I was sure of it.
“Stop,” Nathan ordered, stepping into the room.
My jaw fell open at the sight of him.
“Sir, we were just—” Carl tried to speak, but Nathan held up his hand.
“I don’t want to hear it. Out, all of you. Hayley, Carl, stay.”
I was still gob smacked when the men left the room. I couldn’t figure Nathan out. One minute he was telling me I was useless and was ready to let me die, the next he was defending me.
Whatever Mo said to him about the sexual harassment accusations must have finally worked.
“One of these days Carl, I’ll get you fired.”
“But, today isn’t that day?” he asked, a slight shake to his voice.
“Are you seriously scared right now?” I scoffed at him. “You’re fucking pathetic.”
He narrowed his eyes at me until Nathan cut in, demanding the attention from both of us again.
“Listen carefully. You do not allow any harm to come at Hayley, understand?”
“Wait, what—”
“I know what happened to her the other night. Don’t even think about punishing her for the missed session.”
“But—”
I may as well have been invisible; they were talking about me as though I wasn’t here. I was grateful for the support, but I didn’t want to know what I would have to do in order to keep Nathan happy. What if he was worse than Carl?
I chewed on my lip. This level of vulnerability wasn’t something I was familiar with. If this was happening at home… It wouldn’t. Tristan would have been there. I blinked back tears, furious that I was even thinking about him. Tristan never came to save me and he didn’t deserve my present loyalty.
Carl blanched and left the room when Nathan dismissed him.
“What do you want me to do for you?” I asked Nathan.
“Nothing. Your debt has been taken care of. Get out of here and get some rest.”
I nodded and high-tailed it out of there. Nathan didn’t make a move to follow, he was still surveying the room. With his back to me, I slipped one of the knives off the wall and tucked into my top.
There was every chance Carl could be lurking and, each time I turned a corner, I was preparing myself for him to jump out of it.
I thought things were going to get better for me when I got out of that cell on the promise of field missions. Things were getting worse.
A knock at my door stopped me from sliding into bed, and my heart rate picked up with the sense of dread coiling in my stomach. I knew I pushed Andrew too hard in training and now I was going to pay for it.
Or maybe this was Carl, and this was an opportunity for me to take him out. I would declare self-defence as he came to my door after me, after Nathan had ordered him not to. I couldn’t hear anything from the other side and wished again my wolf was there to back me up.
I couldn’t hide from this though, whatever this was.
With the knife I stole from training hidden under my sleeve, I slowly unlocked the door. The person at the other side didn’t make any move to open it. I yanked it open and launched myself at them, the
knife pressing against the skin of their throat.
They recovered quickly, disarming me before I could even blink. My breath left me in a whoosh as they pressed me against the wall so I could feel every inch of their solid body against my back.
A very familiar body.
I didn’t have a chance to see their face as they disarmed me; they moved far too fast. It didn’t matter though because I knew these arms. I had dreamt of them holding me again.
“A battle cry, Hales? That’s new. Didn’t I teach you how important stealth is?” His warm breath fanned my neck and I wanted to arch my back into him and purr. He buried his nose into my hair, inhaling my scent much like I was, trying to get closer to him. “Although, the knife was unexpected. I liked it. But I don’t like the fact you feel the need to attack anyone who arrives at your door. Tell me who hurt you,” his voice was deeper than I remembered. A commanding undercurrent there that belonged to an alpha and my wolf, still locked away from me, stirred ever so slightly.
“I was wondering when you would turn up,” I ignored his question deliberately because I knew he’d run out there and get payback. I wanted him to myself for a little longer first. Tears slid down my cheeks as my voice shook, and his hands wrapped around my waist. “What took you so long?”
Chapter 18
Cole
“Do you have any idea how difficult you were to find? I had looked everywhere. I upset a lot of packs. I… I got kicked out of the Steelman pack.” She stiffened slightly in my hands at the mention of their name. “But it was worth it.”
I couldn’t believe it. I had Hayley in my arms, my Hayley. I inhaled her scent and it soothed my wolf, my hurt.
I turned her around and tried not to go ballistic at the sight of her face. Her usually flushed skin was bruised and there was a cut on her lip. When my fingers tightened, she winced, and I immediately let her go.
“Show me your ribs.”
“No.”
There was that stubborn woman I missed. “Hayley…”
“Cole,” she crossed her arms and levelled me with a look. Christ, a year apart and her glares still held the same effect, “I said no.”
“Hay—”
“Don’t. I have a high pain threshold, okay? It’s nothing.”
“That’s not the point,” I reached out and cradled her face in my hands. Her eyes were puffy as though she had been crying recently. “Please, Hales. I need to know what they did to you.”
“Fine,” she sighed, throwing up her hands, and stepping out of my grip. “Do you at least want to come inside?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
When we stepped into the room, she immediately nudged me aside and double-locked the door. I raised my eyebrows in silent question, but she shook her head. I knew then exactly what had happened and I was going to take my sweet time destroying Andrew as a result.
“I have been imagining this for a long time, but… it feels kind of awkward, doesn’t it?”
“I know. There are so many things we need to discuss, but right now your wellbeing is my number one priority. Take off your shirt.”
Pressing her lips together, Hayley did what I asked.
“Are these your training clothes? They are fresh. Wait, you sleep in fresh training gear?”
“Yes,” she snapped.
“Why?”
“Because I knew that they would come after me in the middle of the night.” Hayley burst into tears and I pulled her into my arms. Her tears soaked through the material of my shirt, but I didn’t care. I ran my hands over her back, where she didn’t have any marks, in a soothing gesture until she calmed down.
“Why aren’t you healing?”
“I d— don’t have a… connection, anymore,” her voice came out in hiccups around her sobs.
I pressed my lips to her hair, smoothing it down with my hand. “Did they inject you, too?”
“Yes.”
“I can smell it,” I admitted. “It has a metallic smell. I can teach you how to protect yourself from it, if you’d like?”
“It’s too late,” she mumbled, her voice muffled against my chest.
“No, it isn’t. Nathan said that my blood can heal others and I think he may be right.”
“You want me to drink your blood?”
“Yeah, actually,” she pulled back and looked at me with disgust. “What? Don’t dismiss it. Do you want your wolf back, or not?”
“I guess but… it’s weird.”
“No one has to know,” I tucked her hair behind her ear. “Did you pick up the knife?”
“No. It’s still on the floor outside.”
“Want me to get it?”
She nodded quickly and bit her lip. I hated the fact she felt like she couldn’t go out in the corridor. I noticed that there weren’t any cameras down here, thinking earlier that it was a good thing. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
When I picked up the knife, I strained my ears. No one was around and I was confident this corridor wasn’t used often. If Hayley let me stay the night, I’d be able to hear anyone coming.
“Calm down. You have only just seen her, and now you want to spend the night? She won’t let you easily after you failed her.” My wolf had a point.
Hayley hadn’t moved and she watched me with those hazel eyes I had missed. In just her sports bra and pants, I noticed that she had lost a lot of weight since I last saw her. The bruises on her ribs were pronounced and my wolf was snapping at the surface when I looked.
“I look awful, don’t I?”
“No,” I tipped her chin up with my fingers so I could meet her eyes. “You never look anything less than beautiful to me.”
Tears swam in her eyes again and I pressed a kiss to her forehead, hearing her sigh at the contact.
“Are we really doing this?” she asked, nibbling on her lip. I wanted to sink my teeth into that lip and claim it for my own. I squashed down the thoughts and tried to focus on the plan.
“Yep. Sit on the edge of the sink.”
Hayley hoisted herself up and she was eye level to me. I watched her as I cut open my palm.
“You have to be quick otherwise it’ll heal.”
“I know.” I heard the nerves in her voice.
“Trust me, Hayley. I’m not going to hurt you – I would never.”
“I know that, too,” I forced back my wolf’s urge to heal me as I lifted my hand to Hayley’s lips.
When her tongue darted out, I had to suppress a groan. I never considered how intimate this was going to be, especially when she sucked. The motion stirred a primal urge inside me, but I clamped it down. I couldn’t think of a worse time to be claiming her.
“How do you feel?” I asked. My voice was husky and, when she looked into my eyes, I saw a similar desire reflected back at me.
“I don’t know. I think it is working?”
I watched in awe as her bruises began to fade and her cuts heal. I had seen this transformation before, many times, but this time it was different. Nathan was on to something dangerous and I had to stop it before it was too late.
“Cole,” Hayley breathed. “Can we do that again? I think I can feel my wolf.”
“Sure,” I cut my palm again and she took my blood eagerly. Her eyes flicked down to the bulge in my pants as she gave me a knowing luck. Fuck. I could smell her desire, too.
“Is it working?” I asked, trying to take the attention away from that direction.
“You tell me? I can feel it now, the fact you’re an alpha. Christ, I want to submit to you.” She poked me in the chest with her finger. “Do not even think about using that to your advantage.”
I grinned at her. “Would I ever?”
“Yes,” she grumbled but her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“I don’t think I’d need to use it to get you to do what I want.” The tension picked up again in the bathroom. “Let’s forget about the talking, please. Fucking hell, Hales, I need you. Let me love you.”
Her breath hitched, �
��I missed you.” Tears slid down her cheeks and I caught them with my thumbs.
“I missed you, too.”
Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulled me closer. I pushed her legs apart, sliding my hands under her thighs, and lifted her with ease. Her arms tightened around me and I hoped she was drawing strength from me. I wanted nothing more than to protect her.
“You are never leaving my sight,” I promised, laying her on the bed. I covered her body with mine, my lips inches away from hers.
“I never want to.”
When I kissed her, I felt my world right. Her lips parted immediately under me and I fucking devoured her. I missed this. Missed her. I never got a chance to make love to her the way she deserved, and I was going to worship her tonight.
I slowly made my way down her jaw towards the sensitive skin on her neck. I was going to bite her here one day, finally complete the claiming, and it took all my self-control not to do it there and then.
“But she’s our mate,” my wolf protested. I ignored him.
“When I am with you,” I whispered, “I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be.”
“Cole…”
“There’s no pressure, baby,” I pressed another kiss to her neck and grinned when I felt her shiver.
She grabbed my face and pressed a kiss to my lips. Demanding. I loved it and responded with the same vigour. Her hands clawed at my shirt and I pulled it off, groaning as her hands explored my body. Her nails ran down my stomach, lower, and I was losing control.
“Stop holding yourself back,” Hayley ordered. “I’m strong enough to take it.”
I hooked my fingers around the waist band of her pants, tugging them off. Her hips lifted off the bed immediately to help me and I slid my fingers down her stomach, leaving a trail of goose bumps in my wake.
“Hayley… You have no idea what you do to me, do you?” I kissed down her stomach and listening as her heart rate quickened. I’ve been in love with you for years, did you know that?
This was not the time to be revealing it. I didn’t want her to think it was just the sex talking.
When I kissed the inside of her thigh, she jumped slightly.
“Has anyone ever done this for you before?” I whispered.
