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

She felt hopeless. Not only was Adolf being an immature bastard by refusing to speak to her,
but the pack was still suffering from Devan’s betrayal and Hayden’s relationship with Cole was uncomfortably strained.

Hayden knew things had to change eventually. She
hoped
things changed eventually. Life in standstill never lasted for long.

As she exited her bedroom, she glanced at Devan’s empty room out of habit. After Devan took a bullet for Joseph, there had been no news on their wellbeing. 

Falco’s old pack was left in the hands of an inexperienced Alpha who hadn’t even been beta for more than a few hours. Timothy, the new Alpha of Falco’s pack, had a great deal of werewolves under his care. There were whispers that he wasn’t ready for such a responsibility and Hayden knew they were right.

“It’s nice of you to finally show up,” Nathan remarked, greeting her at the end of the stairs. “Isn’t it convenient you’re home right before Cole?”

Barely giving him a second glance, Hayden brushed past him and into the dining room. Blake and Fergus were already sitting at the table, an exaggerated distance between them. To offset the aloofness, Cole sat at the head of the table. If he noticed the tension between Blake and Fergus, he chose not to comment.

Hayden plopped down on his left, well aware of the thickening tension that flared between them. Naturally, her wolf wanted to be close to Cole, and as a result, any sort of contact or closeness they shared made her hypersensitive. It didn’t help matters that she frequently recollected the kiss they shared in Devan’s room not too long ago.

As if reading her thoughts, Cole made eye contact. She hurriedly glanced away, cursing herself for her act of submission.

“I’m so grateful that everyone is finally together. It’s been too long.” Addie appeared between Hayden and Cole and placed her hands on their shoulders. She smiled at the pack but only received gloomy or disinterested stares in return. Cole’s grandmother frowned before retreating to her seat at the other end of the table. “Let’s hold hands.”

Incredulous looks passed between the pack members. “Since when did we start—?”

“I think we could be a little more thankful,” Addie cut Blake off harshly.

The beta blanched at her tone and hurriedly grabbed Cole’s hand and made a face before curling his hand over the tips of Nathan’s fingers. Hayden reluctantly accepted Cole’s hand, tensing when he curled his fingers around hers, holding her hand with far more intensity than necessary.

“Dear Lord,” Addie began with earnest. Everyone was quick to bow his or her head, save for a clueless Fergus, who needed a nudge from Hayden to follow suit. “We thank you for bringing us together for this meal. By your hands, we are fed. Let us thank you for our
 bread. Amen.”

Fergus snickered. “It rhymed at the end.”

Hayden’s grin turned into a grimace as soon as she noticed Cole’s slow release of her hand. With her heart in her throat, she took back possession of her hand and placed it on her lap. Underneath the table, she clenched her fingers, feeling weak at the prolonged contact.

She was stronger than this.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just order pizza?” Blake flashed a wary look at his chili.

Hayden didn’t blame the beta for asking, however, one look at Addie’s pursed lips held her tongue. She watched the occupants of the table, noticing the men’s collective expressions of mild
aversion as they tasted the chili. Unsurprisingly, Blake was the most vocal.

The beta spit out his chili. “You’re losing your touch, Addie! We’re all going to starve to death.”

Addie was hardly open to any humor Blake might have enticed from her. She slammed her palms on the table, causing dishes and glasses to jump and clatter. Clearly, she’d reached her breaking point.

“Do you think this is easy for me?” She stood up, a hard line to her mouth. “With Devan gone, I’ve been expected to carry a full burden. No one has stepped up and asked if I needed help. You’re all conveniently gone until dinner and then you go to your rooms. Contrary to popular belief, cooking and cleaning for four male werewolves is not a simple chore.” 

Hayden swallowed guiltily, never realizing Devan had been of such assistance.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Addie trailed off, her anger turning way to sorrow. She slumped back to her chair and placed a hand against her face.

“As the other female in the house, you’re expected to step up and help, Hayden,” Nathan quickly pointed out.

“Excuse me?” she whispered coolly.
“Because I’m
female
?” Amber eyes narrowed on an impassive Nathan. “And what is your duty as male? Sitting on your ass all day and having the women serve you dinner?”

“Hey,” Blake complained. “Don’t lump us together in one category. Nathan is an entirely different classification of male.”

Fergus jumped to defend his twin brother. “It’s not like you’ve been doing much around the house. You’re downtown chasing tail all day.”

Hayden’s anger cooled into surprise at both the revelation and Fergus’ uncharacteristic tone. The omega was never cruel and crude like this, especially to Blake.

Nathan cleared his throat and stood up. “I might as well address this now.” He looked at each member of the pack, making certain he had their undivided attention. “I’ve done a lot of thinking these past few days—”

“Lucky us, we get to hear about it,” Blake mumbled.

“I’ve seen the way this pack is regressing. Consequently, I decided I didn’t want to be stuck in my position any longer. I’m tired of being third ranking and being held back from advancing.”

“Fourth ranking,” Hayden corrected simply.

Nathan raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her petty interruption. “Before I make my announcement, I’d like to point out a few things I’ve observed. As Addie already stated, she’s being stretched thin by Devan’s absence. Besides myself, no one has been helping her out. And Blake and Fergus are downtown quite frequently and have slipped on their duties to the pack.”

Here, Nathan turned to a stone-faced Cole. “I understand you need to work, Cole.” He inclined his head submissively under the Alpha’s hard look. “Your father left you with debt, but you should know that your beta hasn’t been taking his job seriously as second-in-command.”

That was news to Hayden. With how large Cole’s house was, she thought he was wealthy. She knew he had inherited a company from his father, but then, just because he owned a company didn’t mean it was profitable. She’d just assumed it was.

“Hayden leaves during the day as well. I have no idea where she’s been going,” Nathan enlightened. “Seeing as she’s an unmated female, I hardly think giving her free reign across town is appropriate. Look at where that got Devan.”

Hayden bit her tongue and endured Cole’s sharp observance.

“Asher?” he asked her quietly with an undertone of threat.

She stared into his dark eyes, feeling the senseless urge to hurt him. “A couple times,” she replied honestly. She watched as his chiseled jaw clenched and the muscles in his forearms shifted. “But I usually just spend time by myself.”

He continued watching her with a deep, fathoming look.

“I’m leaving. I’ve accepted the position as Alpha to Falco’s old pack,” Nathan announced, tearing Cole’s attention away from Hayden.

Everyone stilled at the announcement, unsure whether to take him seriously or not. Blake made a spluttering noise, halfway between disbelief and wicked amusement.

“I know you underestimate me, Cole. I understand that you respect Blake as your beta more than you could respect me. But I feel like I can offer more to the werewolf community and I can’t do that standing in Blake’s shadow.”

“I don’t underestimate you,” Cole reasoned. “I know your potential—”

“But you’d rather have muscles enforcing your orders as opposed to a level head.” Nathan nodded once. “I want a chance to prove myself and this is the only way to do it. Timothy is too young and inexperienced to lead a pack of such magnitude. I might not be up to standards myself, but I had your father, Xavier, as a good example.”

Hayden grimaced at the subtle insult. In so many words, Nathan had just insulted Cole’s ability to lead a pack. She knew Cole always strived to live up to Xavier’s standards; it was a sensitive topic for him.

Looking sideways at Fergus, Hayden wondered if he knew about Nathan’s intentions. Judging from the omega’s crestfallen expression, Fergus hadn’t known either.

As much as she found it hard to get along with Nathan, she couldn’t imagine him not being a part of the pack. They all had their roles within the pack dynamic. Without Devan, they were unraveling, without Nathan, they would unravel further.

She turned back to Nathan, pondering his reasons. Did he really want to prove himself? Or was he still affected by Devan’s betrayal? Hayden knew Nathan had held Devan in a place of endearment. It had been hard on him when she’d left.

“Because Fergus is my twin brother, I want to take him with me,” Nathan continued.

At the proclamation, Hayden jerked, having the crazy notion of jumping on the table and telling him off. She couldn’t lose Fergus.

The omega straightened and looked between his brother and a silent Cole. “I—I can’t betray Cole, Nathan,” he whispered. His face was pale and grey. “This is my pack.
My family. And Cole is my Alpha.” He gazed around the table. “I can’t imagine leaving all of them, especially at a time like this.”

“We’d be down the road,” Nathan insisted firmly. “You can see them every day. You’re my real brother, my real family. I’d appreciate your support in this.”

Fergus shook his head, speechless for a moment. When he finally spoke, he sounded distraught. “But they’re my
real
family, Nathanial. I’m staying here.”

“You’re more than welcome to take the position as Falco’s successor,” Cole began darkly. He gazed levelly at Nathan, challenging the other man with his eyes. Nathan tried to hold the stare, and he did a valiant job, but he succumbed in the end. “But Fergus will stay here.”

“Cole!” Addie stood up. “Tell Nathan he belongs here.” She looked imploringly at her grandson. When he stared obstinately back at her, she turned to Nathan. “We love having you here, Nathan. You’re a wonderful influence around the house. I would like it if you’d stay. We need you here.”

Hayden felt almost ill at the desperation coming from Addie. Next to her, Fergus had his head bowed and his hands were trembling in his lap. Blake was no better. The beta was slouched in his seat, giving off the impression of carelessness, but his eyes were clouded as they studied the table.

And Cole…

The Alpha sat at the head of the table, his curled fist resting against his mouth. He said nothing to sway Nathan’s decision. But oddly enough, his dark eyes were focused on Nathan, glimmering with something akin to challenge. 

Hayden suddenly realized that Cole respected Nathan’s decision and was only stepping aside to let the man accomplish his goals. She wondered if Cole had always intended Nathan to leave and start something bigger.

Cole glanced at her, his gaze confirming her assumptions. He was testing Nathan, she realized. Nathan had the potential to be more. But did he possess resolution?

“I’ve already talked things over with Timothy, Addie,” Nathan explained calmly. He cupped her wrists and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “I will be leaving tomorrow morning. As long as Cole allows it, I will come back to visit. Thank you for everything.”

With an air of aloof professionalism, he nodded sharply to the rest of the pack and exited the room. Addie floundered for a moment before quickly following at his heels, flashing Cole a look that would freeze hell over.

“Excuse me,” Fergus whispered. He hid his face from prying eyes and followed his brother out the dining room.

Hayden hoped Cole knew what he was doing. Whatever he was aiming for by testing Nathan, he was also risking the pack’s shaky stability.

“So…” Blake trailed off, glancing at a stiff Cole and a bemused Hayden. “Garbage pizza for three? Donnie’s?” He held up his hands defensively when Hayden glared at him. “What? Werewolves need to eat, no matter how unfortunate, or in this case, fortunate, the circumstances are.”

“Why do you want to go to Donnie’s?” Hayden asked suspiciously, remembering Fergus’ earlier comment. “Did you want to chase tail downtown before picking up the pizza?”

Blake leaned towards her, his face gradually darkening. “Stay out of it, Hayden. I mean it.” Without another word, he got up and left the dining room.

She sat back, surprised at his defensive reaction to her teasing.

Suddenly aware that she was now alone with Cole, Hayden stood up, intending to leave. Only, his hand curled around her forearm in a vice-like grip, keeping her in place and forcing her to sit back down.

“Stay,” he ordered. “I’m sure there is something here we can salvage.”

With her heart in her throat, Hayden sat back down, though she had little choice. For the second time that night, Cole took his time releasing her, his warm fingers stroking her skin as he withdrew. She tried to suppress the shiver, but her skin prickled with pleasant goose bumps.