Divided Loyalties-epub (6 page)

When she reached the courtyard and looked up, she stifled a gasp at the sight of Hayden. He wore the same clothes he had when he demanded to go on the picnic, but then she’d been too set on avoiding him to pay attention. Now, she noticed.

He wore a white T-shirt that clung to his muscular chest and trim waist perfectly. His dark stone-washed jeans were loose fitting, adding to the sensuality of the wolf within him.

Her skin tightened and warmed the closer she got to him.

Crap, she was done for.

He lifted a brow at the same time one corner of his lips lifted in a half smirk, making him look even sexier. “You’re late.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “No, you’re early.”

He chuckled as she walked past him and tried to ignore his body heat and the low growl that did things to her libido. “Are you up for a little hike?”

“Sure. Where are we going?”

He moved in closer to her, and she felt his warm breath against her neck as he growled, “You’ll see when we get there.”

She fought the urge to jerk away from him. One thing she knew for sure about shifters, especially the predators, was that they loved the hunt. Jerking away from this wolf when he was already in the hunting mood would only make him chase her down harder. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be chased… yet.

Christa walked in silence for several yards into the forest, and when Hayden didn’t show any indication of slowing down, she started to grow impatient. She was about to ask him again where they were going when he stopped and turned to face her, making her run right into his hard chest. He gripped her elbow, and heat rushed over her cool skin.

She held his gaze for several long moments before he turned her and pointed to a small creek. “Look.”

“Oh,” she breathed. Drinking from the creek was a mother wolf and beside her were three pups wrestling with each other. “They’re adorable.”

Hayden stepped forward, and the mother lifted her head in his direction, scenting the air. Christa grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

Instead of stopping, he took her hand in his and tugged her along with him. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it everywhere. When they got within a couple of yards of the female wolf, she growled. Christa felt a spark of warm energy pass through her and Hayden’s connected hands as he let his wolf come to the surface. It didn’t hurt, or feel as uncomfortable as the rogue she’d hunted several years ago that shifted when she’d grabbed him.

The rogue’s energy had been dark, almost heavy feeling. It had felt as though some kind of residue was left on her skin. Yet, Hayden’s didn’t. The power, or magick, or whatever it was that made him shift, was warm, light, and inviting.

She tugged on his hand to get his attention. “She’ll attack you to protect her babies.”

He shook his head and continued forward. Suddenly a second, larger gray wolf jumped in their path, and bared its teeth. Christa froze, pulse pounding in her ears.

Hayden knelt down and offered his palm. The wolf sniffed then eyed Christa with a snarl. Hayden moved between them and growled. The wolf took a step back. Hayden tugged on her hand. Christa tugged back. When he peered back at her, she shook her head.

“It’s fine. They sense my wolf and know you are my mate.”

She frowned. She wasn’t his mate yet.

No, wait. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be his mate.

They moved closer to the water, and Hayden pulled a blanket out of the basket he carried. He sat and patted the place next to him. Christa glanced from him to the wolves then sat.

“The big gray one is a male. Either he’s her mate or the Alpha. I’m not sure.”

Christa nodded and watched the pups yip at each other and bite one another’s ears as they rolled around on the ground. One of them wandered over to her and sniffed the air as he walked closer. The male growled low, but didn’t move. The pup yipped, making Christa jump. Laughing at herself, she peered over at Hayden.

He handed her a sandwich. She unwrapped it, pinched off a small piece, and laid it down on the blanket in front of the pup. He sniffed it then ate it. The other two saw and came over to investigate.

She broke her sandwich into several pieces and laid them on the blanket. The pups instantly started eating. She smiled as she watched them. When they were done, the pups went back to playing.

Hayden handed her another sandwich. “Don’t feed this one to them.”

When she peered at him, she hid a smile at the amusement in his eyes. It was as though he was pleased by her interaction with the wolves. Frowning, she focused on the sandwich in her hand. For a brief moment she’d put her guard down and actually felt comfortable with Hayden.

And enjoyed it.

“Tell me about Ashwood,” she said without looking at him.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him stretch out on the blanket, and damn, it was hard not to turn to him and drink in every yummy inch.

“It’s complicated.”

That made her look at him. His lips twitched, and his eyes still held amusement. She pursed her lips at the realization that he was playing with her, and enjoying it a little too much. Narrowing her eyes, she forced her gaze away from his lean, muscular frame and peered into the stream. The water flowed by with little sound in this area. It was peaceful, and she wondered if that was the reason Hayden had chosen this spot.

“What’s complicated about it?”

“We are two Packs living as one.”

True. Yet, she wanted to know more about it. She’d spent the last eight years working for Shield and chasing rogues as well as raising two shifters on her own. If there was one thing she knew, it was the difference between a rogue and what she believed to be a normal shifter.

Hayden and Tanner, as far as she could tell, were in the normal category. But could she trust them?

“It’s a healthy Pack, right?”

Hayden let out a sigh before speaking. “Yes. At first, there were issues. I mean how often do wolves and the big cats get along long enough to live together?”

“I guess you would be the first.”

He sat up, shoulder-to-shoulder with her, making her heart kick up several beats per second.

Damn female emotions
.

As if sensing her mood shift, and most likely hearing her increased pulse, Hayden chuckled and leaned in to press his shoulder to hers. Heat flooded her system, making her skin tingle all over.

Damn wolf
.

“Yes, Ashwood Falls is the first in our history that we know of to become a merged Pack of two different types of predatory shifters. It’s common for leopards and jaguar Packs to bring in strays or offer sanctuary for other felines, but wolves aren’t so open to outsiders.”

He paused for a brief moment, and she wondered if he was trying to figure out how much he should tell her. She didn’t blame him. After all, they were playing on opposite sides—at least they were until she decided to leave Shield.

Before he spoke again, he turned to her, forcing her to do the same. “The wolves love my mother and would have followed her anywhere.”

“And I bet that love has only grown.”

He raised a hand and gently ran his knuckles down her cheek. “Yes.”

She blinked and moved back a few inches to break the contact. His lips twitched, but to her relief, he didn’t push her further. “I know that Vance is different. I’ve known since the first time I met him. I’ve also questioned his motives for going after Ashwood.”

Hayden drew his brows together. “He’ll be looking for you now.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because you know too much about him and Shield, and from our attack on Shield, he most likely knows that I have you. Or at least that Ashwood has you.”

Vance’s subtle threat streamed through her mind. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew about the twins and Christa’s past. How much, she didn’t know. “I don’t know as much as I should. I mean I’ve studied the behavior of shifters and questioned my sister and her mate, trying to learn as much as I can. That’s why I ran my unit with the knowledge that not all shifters are a threat. That was until Vance came in and changed everything.”

Hayden was silent for several moments. Christa welcomed it, embraced it. The sound of the wind blowing through the treetops was soothing. She closed her eyes and took in the scent of earth, mountain air, and the oddly arousing scent of rosemary and cedar that was Hayden.

Ignoring the way her skin heated and her heart raced just being this close to him, she focused on the forest around them until she felt a little nudge on her leg. Peering down, she saw one of the wolf pups—the smallest one of the three—curl up against her.

Slowly she glanced to the mother as she ran a hand over the pup’s head and down his back. The mother watched, but didn’t make a move toward her.

“That’s a sign of trust,” Hayden whispered into her ear, making her jump. His warm breath over her too-sensitive skin made her shiver.

She hated the reaction.

She didn’t know this man or the wolf that lived within his soul. Yet, somewhere deep inside her, she wanted to know him, and the more she was around him, the more she wanted.

When she didn’t reply to him, he spoke again. “My wolf says you can be trusted. We’ve watched you with the twins and how accepting you are to their nature and the way you don’t hold them back. You do have a pure heart, Christa.”

Her eyes stung, and her nose tingled, but she blinked away the tears before they could make her appear like the emotional wreck she felt she was. Thirty-nine was too old to continue with the blind vengeance she’d held on to for too long.

She was tired. Tired of hiding the twins from Shield. Tired of fighting for something she didn’t believe anymore.

Brenna and Bryce had opened her eyes to the true nature of shifters. And as much as she wanted to run far away from Hayden, she knew he was the only one who could help her now. He could help the twins.

Yes, she was making her decision for the twins and not because of the hormonal imbalance he caused. “I want to help bring Vance down. I also want you to promise that Brenna and Bryce will be safe.”

He lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. “I already told you that they’d be accepted into Ashwood. You, on the other hand, will have to gain their trust.”

She nodded and tugged her hand from his. He let out a soft chuckle as if this was a game to him. Maybe it was. From what she knew, shifters loved to play just as much as they loved to hunt. “I don’t like Vance or the changes he brought to Shield. They aren’t the same people I’ve worked with for the last few years.”

“I’m not sure, but my theory is Vance is using the mutant serum to slowly change the humans and manipulate them in to believing everything he says. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.” He gently gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. “You will have to take a blood oath with both Alphas to be allowed into the den.”

She jerked her head to the side, loosening his hold. Even though he spoke the words soft, she could hear the rough, almost growl undertone of a demand in his voice. The idea of leaving him, Ashwood, Onyx, and anything to do with the shifter world was still nipping at the back of her mind. Yet, the twins needed a safe place to stay, a Pack that could provide them a life she couldn’t.

So she had to stay and work with Hayden to stop the evil, because the thought of not being in the twins’ lives broke her heart.

Taking a deep breath, she dropped her shoulders and absently ran her hand over the fur of the wolf pup snuggled up to her leg. She could do this. She
had
to do this.

Her gut told her Hayden could be trusted and might be her only hope to secure Brenna’s and Bryce’s future. A future with a Pack that could aid them in building their strengths.

Something Christa couldn’t offer on her own.

“Okay, I’ll do it. Whatever it takes to protect the twins.”

When she met Hayden’s gaze again, she saw the wolf peering back at her, proud and arrogant.

God, she hoped she was doing the right thing.

Hayden smelled Cameron and Ana before he and Christa broke through the trees. He suppressed a groan. He was not ready to face any of his Pack. Not yet.

He especially wasn’t ready to talk with Cameron, who could sense his mood thanks to the mating bond to Blaine. Being the mate of the Alpha, she’d know he’d started the mating dance with Christa.

As soon as he and Christa stepped into the open space that used to be Hunter Ridge, Cam turned toward them and narrowed her eyes at Christa. Hayden instinctually took Christa by the arm and tugged her into him.

Christa tried to pull away from him, but he was quicker. He fought a smile at her irritation, which he picked up on her scent and by the low human-like growl she let out. He could imagine her doing that with the twins when they were in trouble, like a mother with her pups. The image of Christa round with his pup came to mind, and he quickly banished it.

No. Way.

Not now.

His wolf perked up at the thought and moved to rub against him where Christa’s skin touched his. The damn beast liked the idea of Christa carrying his pups. The wolf never understood patience. No, the animal within took what he wanted, all be damned.

It was a curse left behind by his father. The Raines bloodline was too pure, their connections to their wolves too strong. From what Hayden knew, all the males in his father’s line either went completely wolf, or rogue.

He’d recently discovered that there was only one Raines male left, besides he and his brothers of course. Hayden and his mom were currently working with Jared to search for that male. What they would find, Hayden wasn’t sure. A part of him hoped his uncle, Rafe Raines, was still sane because it would kill Luna to watch her mate’s twin die. It would be like watching Royce die all over again.

Cam cleared her throat, bringing Hayden back to the present. He stared into her gold eyes and held her gaze until she shifted it to Christa tucked behind him. “She can’t come to the den.”

Hayden set his jaw and bared his fangs. “She’s agreed to a blood oath. It is now up to the Alphas.”