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

by Ruby Brooks

  She swallowed hard. “You are very protective of her.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” I muttered. “Shall we?”

  I was impressed that, despite her fear, she still helped me find something perfect for Hayley.

  “There is something else you should know,” she said, as I drove her to the animal shelter. The ring was burning a hole in my pocket as I tried to think of a way to make tonight perfect for Hales.

  “Go on,” I urged.

  “Tristan Steelman had a deal with the hunters.” My hands tightened on the steering wheel and her fear was suffocating me again. “The hunters never dared step onto his land because he would rain hell on them. He also would give them any packless alphas.”

  “He was planning on sending me there?”

  “Do you believe that?” Mo’s voice grew with confidence. “Tristan was doing the best for his pack. When have the hunters ever penetrated his land? We didn’t know about you until you killed your father – we couldn’t come for you because of him.”

  All of those challenges that rose between us, which should have made me packless… my heart tightened in my chest. He dismissed every challenge to protect me from this. I couldn’t imagine how he must have felt when he lost Hayley to them.

  I dropped Mo off in silence and drove aimlessly for hours, lost in my own thoughts.

  Chapter 26

  Hayley

  I was still sick the following morning. I convinced Cole I was fine so that I could try to avoid his further scrutiny, but he still watched me like a hawk.

  We were still working on the pack rules and the overall feedback so far was great. The pack were warming up to speaking to us now and I watched Cole out of the corner of my eye as he spoke to a little boy.

  “Hayley?” Eli’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

  “What? Sorry, I was distracted.”

  “He’s good with them, isn’t he?” Eli commented, sitting on the sofa across from me. I was sifting through the files to do with this pack house, trying to understand who exactly owned it.

  “Yeah,” I felt myself go red when I thought about what a great dad Cole would end up being one day. I needed to stop that thought where it was though, because it was far too soon to be thinking about it.

  “Thank you for letting me join,” he murmured. “I was… yeah, Cole saved me.”

  “What happened?”

  “I was part of a pack, like this one was before, only worse, I think. I ran one day and never looked back. I’m such a coward.”

  “Hey,” I said, leaning forwards to meet his eyes. “No, you aren’t. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to run. Don’t think you have to fight all of the time.”

  Ever since I came round after being poisoned, all I could think about was the people I had hurt. I’d happily stay away from any bloodshed and encourage my pack to only fight when they needed to. Eli shook his head and settled his mask of indifference back in place.

  “Anyway, who is on the patrols today?”

  “Me, actually.”

  “Do you want some help?”

  “No, I kind of want to be on my own for a bit,” I looked across at Cole again who was making the young kid laugh hysterically about something. “Being mated to Cole is great, but I need my own space.” I need to grieve.

  “I understand.”

  We resumed discussing the pack laws and Cole settled next to me to help. His arm was a comforting weight around my shoulder and I was almost tempted to ask him to patrol with me. If he saw me crying though he’d want to fix it, and I didn’t want to be fixed right now. I wanted to feel.

  “I’m going out to patrol. I’ll see you in an hour?”

  Cole was about to speak up but when he saw my face, he stopped. “Sure. Shout if you need me.”

  “Thank you for understanding.”

  He smirked. “You need to give me more credit, Hales.”

  I shrugged on a jacket and kissed his cheek before heading outside. The air was crisp here and I loved the fact I could smell the forest. In Weymouth there was always the faint smell of the sea and it never did quite feel like home.

  The few pack members that were roaming the forest kept their distance from me. I hated the fact they were afraid of the strength I’d gained from all the training at the hunters’ facility. I highly doubted it would be the same had I have grown up with the Steelmans.

  I thought about how different my life would have been. Sure, I wouldn’t have been subject to endless rounds of substances and I would have been safe under Tristan’s rule… but I’d probably still be the weak orphan who hid between her friends.

  I made a mental note to get a phone so I could contact Kian. I knew exactly what he was going through right now and I wished I could have been there to support him.

  A low mewl came from across the boundary line. I knew the surrounding area was neutral, meaning we were going to run into some packless shifters at some point, but this was different.

  I crouched down to the ground and gasped when I saw a small cub making its way over to me.

  “Who are you?” I cooed, scooping up the kitten into my arms. “Why on earth do we have a panther here?”

  I tucked the cub into my jacket to protect her from the breeze. She snuggled into my jacket and I giggled. I couldn’t wait to see Cole’s reaction to this.

  “Gather as many people as you can to sweep the border,” I ordered Jack. I spotted him coming out of the trees after a recent shift and he nodded.

  “Something wrong?”

  “Look what I found. Perhaps the mother is out there?”

  “We don’t have any clans for miles around here, it is just wolves. I’ll get on it now.”

  “Thanks,” I said, flashing him a grateful smile. I chewed on my lip as I made my way back to the pack house. What if she was an orphan? We couldn’t take care of her here, she needed her own kind.

  “What the hell do you have there?” Cole asked, not unkindly. His eyebrows were raised and he stared at the cub.

  “Know any clan alphas?” I asked.

  “I do, actually,” he stalked off across the room to get a phone and I heard Mia on the other end. “Yeah, we have a stray cub here. I think you may want to take her in.”

  They talked too quietly for even my sensitive ears to pick up before he hung up and watched in awe as the cub rolled around, scent marking our furniture.

  “How do you know Mia’s alpha?”

  “I helped get Mia home after a fight at the gym. Hector went on a rampage and it was just after I lost you… I didn’t want Mia to get caught up in crossfire, either.”

  I ignored the irrational jealousy that flared up. “Always so noble, Cole.”

  “I try,” he grinned and I couldn’t help but smile. “I wanted to speak to you about something.”

  “Oh?” I took my eyes off the cub and gave him my full attention.

  “There is a funeral next week for Tristan. I was wondering if you wanted to go?”

  I think I have some kind of post-traumatic stress troubles from funerals. “I’d love to, but what if something happens?”

  “Kian has already sent word that he is happy for us to bring some of our own pack members, if it makes you feel safer. I’m also going to be there,” he stepped closer so I backed up against the counter. His hands braced either side, caging me in, and I felt my heart rate quicken. “I am not letting anyone get near you, okay? I’m back to training twice a day in my human form, followed by another in my wolf form.”

  “Okay. I trust you, Mr Overprotective,” I did. The way he fought for me, the things he did, I believed he would be incredibly possessive next week. “What happened to Tristan?”

  “Kian’s not sure. There was a fire at the holiday home they had and Kian thinks it was arson.”

  “Who would want to kill him though?”

  “Tristan made a lot of enemies over the years. Who knows?” Cole shrugged but didn’t lift his eyes from the floor.

&
nbsp; “Cole, I’m sorry. I know how close you two were.”

  “It’s fine,” he sighed. “It’s life, isn’t it? Anyway, what’s on your mind?”

  I changed the subject. Talking about his feelings wasn’t something Cole often did and this was the best I was going to get.

  “What are we going to do about the hunters? The guns, for example. They must have been going somewhere.”

  “Mo told me that they would be going to another base. Do you want to do something about it?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It’s not our fight, is it?”

  “Only if you want it to be,” Cole pushed himself away from the counter and picked up a strand of my hair, curling it around his finger.

  “No. I just think it would be good to tell the other packs and clans though. It could put us in a good position if we ever need them.”

  He nodded in agreement. “Consider it done.” He lifted the promise ring from around my neck and held it between his fingers. “I promise, I’ll never let you get captured again.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him in for a kiss. “Thank you,” I whispered. His hands slid under my thighs, lifting me.

  “You’re insatiable, Cole Anderson.”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t love it.”

  I giggled against his neck as he carried me. I did love it.

  ✽✽✽

  “I was thinking about the saying Mo gave you,” Cole said, getting under the covers with me that evening. The cub was asleep in a room across the hall and the pack gave her a wide berth. When we explained that she was with us for a week, there were some protests, but Jack reminded them that we were doing it because we cared. I nearly cried when he stood up for us like that and watched how the pack members changed their tune. It was going to take longer than I thought to get them to stop thinking the worst of us straight away.

  “Yeah?” I yawned, curling up into my usual spot in Cole’s arms. He pressed a kiss to my head before sighing. I felt him tense underneath me before he spoke.

  “Hayley Morton…”

  “Hmm.”

  “I’d prefer it if you were Hayley Anderson.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “What?”

  “Hayley…” He pulled away slightly and reached in his drawer, producing a ring box. My palms grew clammy as I watched in awe.

  “I know I don’t deserve you, but I want to keep you all to myself anyway.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my nerves fried.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” a smile was playing at his lips. “I have fucked up so many times, but I determined to make this right by you.” He slid out of the bed and came over to my side, kneeling down. I couldn’t breathe; he couldn’t hide his grin anymore.

  “Hayley Morton, I have known, since the day I laid eyes on you, that I wanted to be with you. Everything I have ever done since that day is because of you.” Tears slid down my cheeks as he continued. “I want to wake up every day with you beside me. Not because you’re my mate, not because of this animal instinct, but because you chose to. I can’t stop thinking about what you said about wanting to claim me. I feel like I have been watching you grow up for years into this incredibly strong woman who knows her own mind, and isn’t afraid to change the status quo. I think that is the thing I love the most about you.”

  “Cole,” I gasped. He smiled broader and I saw his eyes twinkle against the moonlight that shone in our room.

  “Will you do me the honour of being my wife?”

  “Yes!” I threw my arms around him and showered him with kisses. “A thousand times yes.”

  My heart swelled with every touch he gave me and I kept admiring the ring. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

  “We didn’t do the claiming as I’d have liked,” he admitted. “I wanted it to be perfect for you, not because you were dying. You can plan the wedding however you want.”

  “Cole, it was perfect. You came through for me.”

  “I always will.”

  “Is this what you were hiding from me?” I asked, still not taking my eyes off the ring. He had been secretive with me all day and I was planning on calling him out on it.

  “Not exactly. Mo told me something about Tristan.”

  “Oh?” I listened as he explained what they discussed in the car and I threaded my fingers through his. “How are we going to tell Kian?”

  “You think we should?” he asked. “He is going to be furious.”

  “I think… I think we should tell him. He’s going through a lot right now and this will help him see his dad as a hero.”

  “Will it? Only for me. What about the rest of the packless?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know what we should do.”

  Cole pressed a kiss to my temple. “I’m sorry to bring it up now.”

  “No, I’m glad. No more secrets, even on nights you propose to me.”

  “You are strong, stubborn, and infuriating. I wouldn’t change you for the world.”

  I climbed on top of Cole, enjoying the way he admired me. I had become stronger again since leaving the facility with all the training I had done in my final couple of weeks, and I could tell he noticed.

  “I wouldn’t change you either.”

  Epilogue

  Cole

  I held Hayley’s hand tightly as we walked up the steps of the church. Her nerves were palpable and I was torn between helping her through this, or just throwing her over my shoulder and marching her back to our house where I could keep her safe.

  As I stroked her hand with my thumb, I caught the rings she was wearing. Hayley is going to be my wife. We hadn’t planned anything yet, and probably wouldn’t for some time, but I could settle for fiancée for now.

  We spotted Kian at the front of the church, his head bowed as he stared at the ground. I let Hayley go and went to the bench behind him. Hayley took his right side, Mia on his left, and both women wrapped their arms around him.

  I was devastated. Tristan was my father; I knew that deep in my bones, even if we had no blood relationship. He took me in and cared for me, and I would always be grateful to him. I hoped I could have kids of my own one day and, if I did, I’d strive to be even half the man he was.

  “My mum isn’t coming,” Kian sighed. “She won’t even get out of bed.”

  Mia murmured something to him and he rested his head on her shoulder. Hayley met my eyes with raised brows and I gave her a subtle nod. I’d love to know what happened between those two and Hayley was the third wheel right now.

  She came back around to sit with me and I wrapped my arm around her. I could barely hold it together throughout the ceremony. My mind was in overdrive trying to keep ears out for any potential threats, while also trying to get through today.

  “Relax, Cole,” Hayley’s grip was firm on my thigh and I drew comfort from her. Once again, she was saving me and I don’t think she ever realised it.

  My wolf was clawing at me, but settled at her touch, and I could feel her tugging at the bond between us. I noticed a new smell coming from her was hinting at something in me, and I was going to question her about it later.

  “Where do you want to go?” Mia asked Kian, as Dane finished his eulogy. Kian didn’t want to speak and I didn’t blame him. He had to put on a strong front for his pack, and the others who were here visiting. If he showed even a slightest bit of weakness, they would have him.

  “Let’s go home,” he muttered. His face was impassive, but I knew him well enough to detect the anger under the surface. We followed him out and I drove us over to the Steelman house. My old home.

  Kian immediately helped himself to some bourbon, but I snatched it out of his hands.

  “This won’t help, remember?” I poured it down the sink. Kian had done exactly the same to me before and he growled in frustration. Another thing that I had done to him in this very kitchen.

  The women were watching us with a mixture of pity and fear, but it wasn’t what he would w
ant.

  “What’s the ring, Hayley?” Kian asked, trying to change the subject. She tried to stifle her smile when she casually shrugged.

  “Oh, you know, it’s nothing. I’m just going to be Cole’s wife one day.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing is it?” I folded my arms and leaned back against the sink, fixing her with a look. “That isn’t how you reacted the other night and every night since.”

  “Cole,” she gasped. “Not in front of people.” I smirked as her face grew red at the memories of what we had been getting up to.

  Kian let out a strained laugh. “Wow. Congratulations you two. I needed some good news.”

  “I don’t want to take away the importance of today… but I have other news. Great news,” we all turned to look to Hayley and she went even redder.

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted. I felt the whole world fall from under my feet as Mia screamed in elation.

  “Oh, my God. Hayley. This is amazing!” The girls hugged and squealed together, while Kian and I were gob smacked. So, that was the mysterious new smell Hayley had.

  I couldn’t speak.

  “Wow,” Kian said for me, shaking his head. “Wow! This is amazing,” he smiled, a genuine smile which made me crack, too.

  “Are you serious?” I breathed. I braced myself on the counter, staring at Hayley in a new light. Even my wolf was quiet – and he usually had an opinion on everything.

  “Yes,” she smiled shyly. I opened my arms and she stepped into my embrace. “I know we are young, but sometimes I swear I feel older. Oh, and there is more.”

  “How can there be more? I don’t think I could cope with more.”

  “I know you’ll agree with this, which is why I didn’t mention it earlier. Kian, Mia, how do you fancy being godparents?”

  “Hell yes!” Mia threw her arms around the two of us and made Kian come from the other side. It was like some weird four-way hug, but it was all we needed.

  Hayley met my eyes and grinned. “I love you, Cole Anderson.”