Cole (A Wolf Shifter Romance Novel) (The Steelman Shifters Book 1)

by Ruby Brooks

  I grabbed him by his collar and got in his face. “Did you attack her that night?”

  “Uh, well—”

  “Yes or no.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then shut the fuck up, before I change my mind, and kill you right now.”

  He began shaking as I shoved him away. I needed to control these urges, but it was becoming harder every day. My wolf was clawing at me, digging into my core. I needed to claim Hayley before this got out of hand.

  I never truly believed in the alpha curse until I saw Hector and now all I wanted to do was be sick. I was turning into a monster and every day it was getting harder to come back from it. In an attempt to calm myself down, I kept my attention split between my surroundings and Hayley.

  She was the only thing keeping me from the edge.

  ✽✽✽

  “Where are they?” Carl muttered. He had gathered us all in a group around the vehicles. As I had suspected earlier, no one was around anymore, and Carl deemed the mission a failure.

  “They’ve probably moved on already,” I said, shrugging. “Can we go now?”

  “Yeah, whatever. I’m sick of this already,” Carl yawned, stalking off to retrieve the tranquilliser gun.

  “Probably because you’re here,” Andrew said, looking at Hayley.

  “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes. “I haven’t got the patience for your games tonight. Go bother someone who cares.”

  “Don’t speak to me like that,” he seethed. I wanted to step in, desperately, but I folded my arms and watched.

  “Like what? Like you’re twelve? Get over yourself, Andrew. There is nothing here for you to be proud of. It’s a fucking joke.”

  “Not proud of? I’ve spent most of my life here. You—”

  “Don’t care,” she tried to walk away from him, but he grabbed her arm. My vision was turning red, but she had already shoved him to the ground. “I’m sick of fighting all the time. Leave me the hell alone. I have proven to you twice now that I’m better than you.”

  Hayley marched off and jumped into the vehicle just as Carl came back. He didn’t even comment on Andrew being on the ground and shot him with a dart straight away.

  “You’re a genius, Hales,” I whispered to myself, trying not to grin. Carl completely forgot about her and she watched each entrance through half-closed eyes and relayed the code back to me.

  Her eyes sparkled with mischief as we shared hopeful smiles.

  Chapter 21

  Hayley

  Cole insisted on one more day of training before we attempted our breakout. I was growing anxious that I wouldn’t be able to hold back from shifting anymore and we’d get caught. My wolf was picking up on my anxiety, but it couldn’t identify the threat.

  “Relax, Hayley. I’ll be here if anything happens,” he said, reassuring me for the tenth time this morning.

  I threw the knife at the wall and watched as it bounced off the target. “I want to get out of here already. I know the mission the other night wasn’t a success, but being outside again was… magical.”

  Cole had his arms folded as he watched me throw the knives. He wasn’t much better either, so we were hidden in the corner to avoid the other recruit’s stares.

  “What are we going to do about everyone else?” I mumbled, quiet enough that they wouldn’t hear.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know, the others in here. Micah. Mo.”

  “Who’s Mo?” Cole raised his eyebrows. “I was going to come back and torch the place. What makes you think anyone is worth saving? God knows what they have in those labs too, and that is just what we have seen.”

  I grabbed the knives off the floor and handed them to him. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “Fuck that,” he snorted. “What have they ever done except hurt you? I wouldn’t worry about your moral compass here.”

  “I don’t feel comfortable killing people,” I admitted. It was playing on my mind throughout the whole mission we went on last night. I could get angry – hurt people – but I didn’t think I could take a life. All I wanted was to escape this place and put it behind me.

  He gave me a look and his expression softened. “Then leave that part to me,” he acted as though the matter was settled, and I guess in his mind it was. “So, what is up with Micah?”

  I sighed at the change in subject. “Nothing. How many times do I have to tell you?”

  “You’re lying,” he threw the knife and it landed on the target, but too much to the left. “Did something happen between you two?”

  “No. He told me he liked me and I told him I didn’t feel the same. Do not get jealous. It’s not worth it.”

  He shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. “Can’t help it, Hales. At least he’s human. What about Mo then?”

  “Mo… works with Nathan. But she has helped me out a number of times and I guess I feel like I owe her.”

  Cole swore when he missed with the rest of the knives. “You don’t owe her anything. Before you argue, what if she was doing it out of pity? Perhaps she felt bad and so she helped you once or twice. How does that excuse a year of imprisonment and abuse?”

  I chewed my lip. “I guess you’re right.”

  “What are you two doing?” Carl said, coming over to us. “You are here to fight, not to talk.”

  “Why are we doing this, anyway? I would never throw a knife at a shifter, they are too fast,” I said, impatient. I hated being bad at something at the best of times, but this was just embarrassing.

  “Get in front of the target,” he barked.

  “What?”

  “Now, Morton.”

  I looked to Cole in surprise who shrugged. I stood in front of the target, eyeing Carl as he played with a knife. I had the feeling he was planning the best way to throw it so it landed in my throat. This would have been the moment I expected Cole to step in, but he didn’t. He left me to it but didn’t take his eyes off Carl.

  “What would happen to you if you lost your strength? Your speed? Your senses?”

  I stared at him. “I could empathise with you?” I tried. “You’re weak. Slow. Your hearing is poor, and you can’t see in the dark. I think—”

  Carl threw the knife, but I caught it millimetres from my throat. “See?”

  I turned the knife in my fingers. We were going to have to steal some of these before we left, simply so that we had a weapon, in case we couldn’t shift.

  “You bitch,” he spat. He began marching over to me, but Cole held out a hand, stopping him.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said. He sounded bored, but I knew the switch would flip any moment now.

  The group began watching us again. We were often the source of their entertainment and I briefly wondered what they would do without it. No doubt Andrew will run his mouth again about being in charge.

  “I’m not going to be bullied by two of my recruits.” Carl’s face was growing red, furious with us.

  “And I’m not going to be bullied by my instructor. Have you already forgotten what happened the last time you tried to assault me?” I asked, still playing with the knife. I had no intention of hurting him, but scaring him was entertaining for me.

  Carl’s eyes widened slightly. “Just you wait until I tell Nathan about this.”

  I smiled and watched him as he walked away.

  “It’s a good job you already have Nathan in your pocket,” I whispered to Cole when it was the two of us. His eyes were glowing amber. “Hey, Cole. Pack it in. You can’t afford to shift in here.”

  “I can’t… control it,” he gasped and turned away from me, facing the wall. His shoulders were tense and I reached out, massaging them for him. He sighed but didn’t turn around.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked after a minute. I could feel eyes on me, but no one interrupted us, and I was grateful. “People know something is wrong.”

  He turned to face me, his eyes blue again. “We need to get out of here. Tonigh
t.”

  ✽✽✽

  “Going to tell me what happened?” I asked again. We were sat in my room eating, but Cole had barely spoken.

  “No.”

  “Right. I want us to start being honest with each other,” I set my plate aside and faced him, poking him in the knee until he looked at me. “I’m not going back to the way things were before. You kept me in the dark about something big and probably other stuff we haven’t got up to yet.”

  He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I think the curse is taking a hold of me. All I can think about is hunting. Killing. I want to destroy everything. I haven’t struggled with my wolf before as much as I am now.”

  I grabbed his hand and he squeezed. His eyes were a mix between his blue and the amber of his wolf. I felt completely helpless.

  “Tell me what you need,” I whispered.

  “You.” My heart rate picked up as he watched my reaction. “I don’t want to put pressure on you, so I won’t claim you tonight but… when we are out of here, I don’t know how much longer I could cope.”

  “Cole—”

  “I mean it. I’m not claiming you tonight, but if you want honesty, here it is.” He pulled his hand away and continued eating. I had lost my appetite and I tried not to imagine how it would feel for him to finally claim me.

  “When are we going to break out?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “When the final rotation finishes. I have been staying up, listening in the corridor. There is a ten-minute window where no one is patrolling this area. After that, we will be relying on our instincts.”

  I felt a pang of guilt that each night I would simply go to sleep, not planning enough like Cole had. He finished with his food and put our plates aside, lying back on the bed.

  “I’m scared, Cole,” I admitted. “I’m scared we will be separated. What am I going to do without you again?”

  “I’d find you again. I wouldn’t take a year to do it, either,” I felt his shift come on and I straddled his lap. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking your mind off things,” I whispered, leaning down, and kissing him. His hands came to my waist, holding me in place as he kissed me back. I felt his claws prick into my skin and kissed him harder, making him groan.

  “Hayley, what if I hurt you?”

  “I trust you.”

  One hand came up as his fingers tangled in my hair. He drew me in, holding me captive in his iron grip. He kissed me like a man starved and he quickly rolled me underneath him. I roamed my hands over his body feeling his tight muscles and barely contained self-control.

  Tonight may be our last night together.

  As though he thought the same thing, the intensity increased. It didn’t take long for him to rip my clothes off and I was nearly panting at just the thought of him inside me.

  “Tell me,” he murmured. “Tell me what you need, Hales.”

  “I need you. Don’t leave me tonight,” I begged. “Please.”

  “I don’t plan on ever letting you out of my sight again.”

  He grabbed my wrists, pinning me to the bed. I couldn’t move, but I didn’t want to. I loved the fact he was in control, showing me the alpha side he tried to suppress when we were together. He was teasing me with his kisses. I wanted him hard and rough, but he knew that, and was driving me insane with the opposite.

  “My turn,” I moaned against his lips.

  “You don’t call the shots here. Right now, you are mine.”

  I gasped as he pulled away abruptly, pulling off his shirt.

  “What’s this?” I asked, running my fingers along a scar on his stomach. “Wait, was this when we were attacked?”

  “Yes, but enough of that. I’m fine. We are fine,” he pulled off his pants and I swallowed when I looked down at him. He smirked when he saw where my attention was, but swatted my hands away when I reached for him. “I don’t deserve that yet.”

  I scanned his face and caught his eyes. Vivid, beautiful, blue. I was experiencing pure Cole and the idea made me giddy.

  It seemed no matter how many times we slept together, I always wanted more. When he ran a finger down my stomach, my skin broke out in goose bumps.

  “Cole,” I breathed, as he settled between my legs.

  “Yes, Hayley?”

  “I… I love you. I always have, actually, but I wanted you to trust me before I could say it back.”

  He blinked at me, unmoving, as I spoke. I was about to take it back, embarrassed, before his lips crashed onto mine. He gripped my legs, pulled me against him.

  “Tell me as many times as you want, Hales. I’ll never get sick of it.”

  I ran my hands up his chest and through his hair. It was growing long again and I enjoyed being able to run my hands through it. I understood now why he was so obsessed with my hair. He pressed a kiss onto the sensitive flesh on my neck as he slid inside me, taking away all my worries. My body lit up for him as he nipped at my neck playfully.

  “I won’t claim you tonight,” he whispered in my ear making me shiver. “But I will claim you the second I get you in our home.”

  Our home.

  He was gentle with me, so gentle, but I could feel how tense he was. All his power coiled because he was afraid of hurting me.

  “Don’t hold back,” I whispered back, clinging on to the bed frame. “I’m stronger now.”

  “Yes,” he purred. “I guess you are.”

  His grip tightened, but I saw the blue still in his eyes. His eyes locked onto mine, watching my every move. Every gasp. He smirked when I began moaning his name and he increased the pressure.

  “Soon, Hayley. Soon I will be all you can think about.”

  You already are.

  Chapter 22

  Cole

  Hayley was braiding her hair, still wet from the shower when a new alarm sounded. It wasn’t anything like the alarms that woke us in the morning and, when I focussed my hearing, I could hear panic.

  “Panic?” Hales repeated, her voice rising. She threw clothes at me as she quickly pulled on her own.

  “I can’t hear what is happening,” I hissed. I felt my shift rising. It was stifling in the room and Hayley’s wolf was reacting, too. She thought we were in danger.

  “Hey, calm down,” she grabbed my face and pulled me in for a quick kiss, settling me slightly. “We are going to be fine and we are going to get out tonight, okay?”

  I shook my head in response, needing to focus. We finished dressing quickly and ran out to the corridor.

  “Wait,” she said, grabbing my arm. “I grabbed some knives from the training room. They are in the room.”

  “Like we need those,” I shook my head. “Leave them.” I watched her bite her lip in frustration but she still let me lead this.

  “Mo!” Hales called, running after her. She had come out of one of the labs, looking distressed. “What is happening?”

  “It’s probably just a false alarm,” she muttered, barely audible over the screech. “A fire drill.”

  “A fire drill?” I demanded; I could tell I was mere seconds away from shifting and ripping her head off. “It’s more than that. What does that alarm mean?”

  “It means we are under attack,” Mo said, her eyes wide. “Someone is trying to kill us.”

  Bloody hell. There went our plan of getting out of here tonight. I grabbed Hayley by her shoulders and turned her to face me. Her eyes met mine and she was furious, but I scented the underlying fear there, too.

  “Go back to your room and barricade the door if you have to. You are not—”

  “Doing what you tell me,” she snapped. She turned to Mo who was still looking flustered. “Can you get the alarm off? We can’t hear anything with that blaring.” Mo nodded and ran off down another corridor, happy to have some order.

  I took another look at Hayley. Her eyes were blazing and she was in her element, trying to solve the problem.

  “We could use this to our advantage,” Hayley said, gnaw
ing on her lip. “Why don’t we run for it now?”

  “Let’s go.”

  We ran down the corridor into the loading area where we would meet for missions. I stopped, Hayley crashing into my back, but I held her behind me as we watched. The alarm stopped and we both strained our ears to hear what was going on.

  “Soon, son. I need you to keep away from Hayley though,” Nathan said. He hadn’t detected us and Hayley’s eyes widened.

  Son?

  My wolf growled and Hayley shot me a murderous look.

  “Why? She’s a bitch. Now she has Cole on her side, too. Why haven’t you put a stop to it? He stays in her room for fuck’s sake.”

  Hayley wrapped her hand around my arm, her nails digging into my skin as we listened. I was desperate to shift and kill Andrew, but he would have to wait.

  “We need Cole.”

  “No, we don’t. I can lead the group—”

  Nathan laughed. “I have no idea where you have gotten that idea from. Do you not feel the difference with Cole? With Hayley? We need to separate them. I was planning on using you to get closer to her but you have fucked this up for us.”

  “I can try again.”

  “Like she will let you anywhere near her,” he snorted. “I don’t blame her, actually. Now get a move on, these guns aren’t transporting themselves.”

  We heard footsteps coming towards us and I pulled my arm out of Hayley’s grasp.

  “Stay there,” I whispered. She probably wouldn’t listen, but I hoped she would when she saw what I was going to do.

  As soon as Nathan rounded the corner, I grabbed him by the throat and placed my hand over his mouth.

  “Not a fucking word,” I breathed and he nodded. Hayley opened a door to a room and ushered us in. She stood guard at the door, listening out in case anyone came.

  “Who is attacking this place?” I asked, letting go of Nathan.

  “Two packs. We haven’t identified them yet, but we will. I could use you actually to get them.”

  “What was that conversation about with Andrew?” I asked, ignoring his comment. “Where are the guns going?”

  “Nothing,” he waved a hand. “Andrew is just a boy who can’t handle the real world. The guns were already out for delivery. Now, about these packs. I need you—”