Un.Bridled (Claimed Series #2) (10 page)

Distinctively, she realized the omega must be weighed down with a variety of things, from losing his brother to his feud with Blake. Hayden could be upset with him for being blinded by Rachel’s manipulations, but that didn’t mean she could ignore him. Clearly, Fergus needed a solid companion.

She laid a reassuring hand on his arm and he twitched in surprise. “When I come back, we’ll talk about that tree house.”

Blond brows furrowed. “Where are you going? The full moon is just around the corner.”

“I have to go someplace that is very, very important to me, Fergus.” She conveyed the necessary emotion and significance behind her words. “I may not be back in time for the full moon, so don’t be worried.”

Despite her best efforts, he appeared alarmed. “But without Cole and you—”

“Blake will be with you.” Hayden winced, remembering Cole’s confidence in her ability to stay and protect the pack. She was going to let him down, she knew. But this was too important. “This is just really—”

“Important to you.
You’ve mentioned that already.”

Hayden knew Fergus
had issues with Blake, so confirming that he’d be alone with the beta probably wasn’t the best idea. She
did
know that Blake wouldn’t run after her. Unlike Hayden, he would never risk leaving the pack alone on a full moon.

Fergus frowned and moved aside. “I know I shouldn’t let you go, because you always seem to find trouble. Please. Just be careful. I could never live with myself if something happened to you.”

Wishing she had more time to reassure him, Hayden settled for a kiss on his cheek. Before he recovered, she was already out the door, racing through the backyard and toward the property line.

Luckily, she reached Asher without any more obstacles.

“I want to try to convince Shane to stop the Hunters.”

Asher blinked as Hayden raced past him. He scrambled after her, following dutifully as they cut through the woods and towards Shane’s home. “Are you sure? Can he even
do
anything about it?”

“Probably not,” she called over her shoulder. “But it’s worth a try, isn’t it?” 

They jogged onto Shane’s front yard with a cautious step before approaching the front door. Though she didn’t think Shane’s relatives would come gunning them down, she knew it was best to keep a low profile, especially when they were in a hunting frenzy.

“Hayden…” Asher trailed off, standing at her shoulder as she rang the doorbell. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

He did appear a bit pale. If Hayden weren’t so determined, she would have felt just as uneasy. “About standing on the doorstep of a notorious Hunter’s home? Or trying to warn a group of rogues away from potential danger?”

Brown eyes widened a fraction. “
Both
,” he hissed, apparently thinking she was crazy for not considering both issues. He then groaned when she rang the doorbell a second time.

“Then why don’t you stay home?” Realizing she may have sounded too harsh, Hayden backtracked. “I know you were born a werewolf and probably have just as much prejudice against rogues as the rest of the Alphas. You really don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You don’t even know where they are. And besides, I’m not leaving you alone. Someone needs to go with you and I’d rather it be me.”

The door suddenly opened and Shane popped his head out. “Hayden… Asher.” He offered a polite nod to each, his smile strained. “What can I do for you?” Though he seemed genuine in his inquiry, a distinct aura of nervousness cloaked him, as if he knew precisely why they were standing on his front porch an hour away from the full moon.

Seeing as Asher wasn’t about to divulge anything useful, Hayden took the initiative. “I know this may sound… presumptuous, but I was wondering if you could convince your Hunter relatives and friends not to go through with their
hunt
tonight.”

Shane’s face darkened and turned sour. “Hayden.”

“I realize the potential danger the rogues might cause and I understand the fear involved. But they really are just newborns. If we could somehow induct them into our packs, like we should have done a long time ago, then they wouldn’t be a nuisance.”

“Hayden,” Shane said again, this time forcibly. “When it comes to protecting werewolves, my grandfather and I can only vouch for the traditional packs
here
. I have no say in the matter when it comes to rogues.”

Disenchanted, Hayden tried harder. “Maybe if I could talk to them, their leader, then they may reconsider their—”

“Hayden.”

She stopped short when both Asher and Shane called for silence. Her hands fisted and twisted together nervously
. She couldn’t remember being this anxious before, not since her first full moon.

“I agree with you full heartedly,” Shane whispered. “From what I’ve learned, they
are
newborns. But considering their proximity to the humans, they are a threat tonight. The traditional werewolves here didn’t want to take them into their pack because of their unknown origins. So the Hunters took it upon themselves to get rid of the problem.”

An unsettling realization turned Hayden’s blood cold. “The Alphas chose not to execute the rogues themselves because they knew the Hunters would do it for them.” She looked accusingly at Asher. “They figured the Hunters would spill blood in their place. They just pawned off the burden!”

“Not necessarily,” Asher argued lamely. 

“They already left.” Shane motioned to the empty driveway Hayden had overlooked in her distress. “
They left several minutes ago. If you wanted to warn the rogues to scatter, you may still get there in time.”

Inside the house, a hoarse voice called for Shane. The human flashed an apologetic glance at Hayden before retreating back into the house.

Hayden stood motionless on the porch, visibly shaking with unease. “Can we make it?” she asked Asher lowly. “Can we make it in time to warn them away?”

He did a quick mental calculation. “If we run on foot and cross through the woods, we may have a
chance
to get there in time. It all depends on when the Hunters left.” Asher looked at her sternly. “Hayden, they may be just humans, but they’ve trained years to hunt our kind. They knew what they’re doing. I don’t want to be stuck in their crossfire.”

He was right. It was reckless. Going back to the pack and carrying out Cole’s expectations would be the more logical thing to do. In the morning, she would wake up and know she’d made him proud.

But in the morning, she’d also be aware of the deaths of innocents. And they were innocent. They might have been rogues, but they were not
Nicolas’
rogues. If it hadn’t been for Gregory Martin or her status as Cole’s life mate, she would have been in the same position as the werewolves being hunted tonight.

“Point me in the direction and I’ll go myself.”

Asher spluttered. “You’re crazy. Crazy, Hayden.” He stopped abruptly at her hard gaze and his shoulders slumped in defeat. With a clenched jaw, Asher pointed north. “They’re north. If you’re on foot, you can cut through the woods. You’ll be traveling fifteen miles versus the forty miles by car.” 

She nodded, resolute. “Don’t follow me.”

Without waiting for an affirmative, Hayden turned her heel and sprinted north. Werewolves could cross distances faster than humans, but fifteen miles was a jaunt Hayden had yet to accomplish. It might take her thirty minutes, maybe less or more depending on the terrain.

Reaching the rogues before the Hunters was vital, so was arriving before the full moon rose. Sunset was fast approaching and Hayden knew she was competing against time itself. Already, the impending full moon was pulling at her frayed nerves, setting her further on edge.

Hayden cocked her head to the side when she detected the hurried footsteps following her. “I told you not to follow me!” she growled at the persistent male behind her.

“I’m not leaving you alone.” Asher caught up to her. “Let’s add some liveliness to this escapade, shall we?” Keeping stride with her, he motioned to the endless stretch of woods before them. “We should race. Make it a competition.”

Her initial reaction was to reprimand him for thinking so immaturely during such a grim situation. But then her anger fell way to wary amusement. Asher was never one to take things too seriously. It was why she enjoyed being around him.

“Racing.”
She pretended to mull it over. “Alright.”

Expectedly, Asher took off before she fully agreed. Unwilling to waste her energy chastising, Hayden sprinted after him. With the full moon so near, her legs seemed stronger, faster. Although she had enough speed to pass Asher, she deliberately stayed equal with him. They were covering good distance and she didn’t want to get too far ahead. The unknown waited at the end of their destination, it was best to stick together.

The longer she ran, the more she thought about Cole’s reaction. He’d be furious. Not only would he think little of her decision to warn the rogues, but he’d also be disappointed that she left the pack during the full moon. But ultimately, even if she were faced with Cole’s unbridled temper, Hayden wouldn’t regret her decision of saving lives.

“What do you plan to do exactly?” Asher broached the subject after a long stretch of silence. His breathing wasn’t labored, but his words were heavier than usual. “You haven’t really sold me on a clever plan.”

Hayden didn’t have any clever plans. Her only allies were hope and desperation. “They’ve been in the same area for a few weeks, haven’t they?” At Asher’s nod, she continued. “The Hunters know exactly where to find them. If we can warn them in time, and send them running away from town, they can escape.”

“Until the rogues become a problem elsewhere,” Asher pointed out. “It’s an endless cycle, Hayden. Hunters will always hunt them. Traditional Alphas will always be leery of them. And who knows, if you make them scatter, Nicolas may find and recruit them. You can never
save
them totally.”

“Maybe not,” Hayden responded faintly. “But at least I can buy them time and give them a chance.” She veered away from a tree and leaped over a fallen log. “Who knows? Maybe I can bring them home with me.”

The look Asher flashed her was almost comical. “Yeah, and I’m sure Cole would appreciate you bringing strays home.”

“He brought
me
home,” she muttered.

Asher suddenly threw his hand out and stopped her midstride. Expression grim, he slowed to a steady walk with Hayden following suit. Their footsteps were silent as they trekked over the snowy ground and toward the edge of a hill.

Much to her dismay, the forest began to darken and uncanny shadows traveled across the ground, deepening the alcoves and niches nearby. The clouds were thick, but Hayden could feel the exact moment when the moon awakened and reached across the night with a satisfied stretch.

They were too late.

“There,” Asher whispered. He too, struggled to resist the moon’s call. Curling a hand around Hayden’s wrist, he drew her closer and pointed across the endless stretch of trees. “They’ve moved closer since the last scout.”

Relief washed through Hayden when she spied a group of people congregated in a valley below. They were a good distance away, but her sharp eyesight could pick them out clearly. There were about ten werewolves, all varying ages. Dismayed, Hayden even spotted a couple of young children dispersed throughout the group.

Living in the forest for weeks would make anyone haggard, but the group appeared dead on their feet. Their faces were worn and pale, their bodies horribly frail and weary. Some were even coughing throatily, their lungs full of liquid. Two women and three men were lying prone on the ground, not moving a muscle when their neighbors accidently nudged them in passing. Clearly, they’d been dead awhile, otherwise the living rogues wouldn’t be as comfortable with the corpses as they were.

It was an alarming sight.

Hayden knew the rogues were not full-fledged werewolves until they had their first full moon, but she didn’t think werewolves—in any stage of the transformation—should have experienced sickness severe enough to cause death. She gazed down at the prone figures, feeling an overwhelming sense of unease.

As a result of the rising full moon, a few of the rogues began shifting and convulsing. Their transformation was beginning whether they were ready or not.

“Can you hold off your transformation?” Hayden whispered.

Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. Hot flashes swept the length of her body, causing sweat to form at the back of her neck. Her wolf stirred, eager to run, but Hayden forcibly pushed her back down.

Cole had held off his transformation during Hayden’s first full moon, at least long enough until she had transformed fully. Surely she could accomplish the same thing.

“For a little bit,” Asher grounded out roughly. The beta shuffled next to her and peered down at the valley. “They don’t look right, Hayden.”

She didn’t have time to discern what was wrong with them. She knew they would look a lot worse if she didn’t act
now.
“They’re already turning. I have to get down there and lead them away from here. They’ll follow me, I’m sure of it.”