Page 1 of Hayden's Haven
Chapter One
HAYDEN
Four men, clad entirely in black, moved down the street, darting between doorways and alleyways. Mercenaries perhaps, but they only had handguns, no rifles, or tactical gear. Hayden glanced back at Kate and Mila. The three of them, along with Callen, had been stuck in the outskirts of Medicine Bow, Wyoming for four days while Kate continued to heal. Her injuries and subsequent infection had taken a toll on her and her wolf, leaving her weak and not ready to travel home.
Hayden still couldn’t believe his cousin was alive, that she had escaped the WSSO, the World Shifter Suppressor Organization. Presently, she was sitting on the floor, slumped over, her head resting on her bent knees. Dr. Mila Evans, the beautiful green-eyed shifter from Montana, had saved Kate’s life, for which Hayden would forever be grateful. Maybe one day he could thank the lovely doctor without her trying to bite his head off.
The men were closing in. Hayden no longer had a choice. “Time’s up, Doc. We have to move,” he called over his shoulder in a half-whisper.
“One more minute,” Mila said, as she flew by, rushing to the back of the abandoned storefront to finish packing up her medical supplies.
The scent of lilac,herscent, washed over him for at least the sixth time in the last hour. He and his wolf were already on edge, and now Mila’s scent wrapped around him, distracting him. He had to get both women out of there and back to Damien’s pack.
With his foot, Hayden nudged Kate’s calf to get her attention. Her skin was pale and sweat moistened her brow. The damn infection. Sepsis. Mila had had it under control until this morning.
“Hey there, kiddo. Ready to go?”
Kate flashed him a weak smile. “Not a kid. I’m a full-grown woman. Just ask Callen.” The ends of her mouth lifted despite how shitty she felt.
Despite the short pixie cut and those large, expressive, dark eyes of hers, his cousin was indeed very much a full-grown woman. “Yeah, well, I’d rather not think about that, if you get my drift. You’re like the little sister I never had.”
His cousin had already been to hell and back. Running from a few mercenaries was nothing new to Kate. She would do whatever Hayden asked of her, though from how she slumped against the wall and closed her eyes, he would probably end up carrying her sooner rather than later. He preferred having his hands empty in case of attack, but he’d do whatever was necessary to get them to safety.
Mila’s bright green eyes caught him. She had returned with a heavy backpack weighing her down. Another woman who was as stubborn as she was beautiful, Mila with her long dark hair and large expressive eyes grabbed hold of him every time he spoke to her. As for those luscious lips that he desperately wanted to taste, they hid the tongue of a viper when he pushed her the wrong way.
He had pushed her the wrong way several times already. He wasn’t even sure how precisely, not that pushing her was a bad thing. When he irked her, her eyes grew wide and defiant, showing a fire within that challenged him, made him want to get to know her better. Then again, she had a barrier around her that he couldn’t seem to get past. Even after four days in this abandoned space, he knew very little about Dr. Mila Evans.
Mila dropped the bag with a definite thud. Green eyes practically challenged Hayden as she waited for him to protest. They had already argued over the bag.
“It’s still too heavy,” he said, as he leaned back against the desk, arms folded across his chest. That was to keep his hands to himself. He didn’t trust himself at the moment, not with how her defiant gaze stirred him.
“It’s not your problem. I’ll be the one carrying it.” Mila cinched the top closed and hoisted it over her shoulder, schooling her features. Anyone could see it was too heavy for her.
“Dump eighty percent of the weight.”
“I’d rather dump you.”
He inhaled sharply, mockingly. “Harsh. And here I was considering carrying it for you.”
“I don’t need any favors from anyone, especially you.”
Hell, this conversation wasn’t going the way he wanted. He sounded like he hated her. So much for being good at talking to women. Then again, it’s not like the women at camp had ever been attracted to him. None of them understood him, or his needs. They only saw him as Damien’s second, a strong shifter who could give them two things; social status and the chance at becoming stronger for the shifter he’d blood-bond one day. In turn, the women he dated often gave him what they thought he wanted, sex. There was more to life than sex. And she was standing in front of him, bright green eyes, a body that was made for him, and a wit that challenged him like no other.
“Not a favor,” he replied. Not really, but he’d dug this hole already, so he might as well carry on. “You can help with Kate while I carry the bag. I need to be able to shift fast and I’d rather drop the bag and not Kate.”
Mila glanced down at Kate. The doctor’s worry for her patient pulled at Hayden. This was a woman who genuinely cared about others. He wanted toknowher.
“That will work. Just say when,” she said, rather civilly, nice in fact. Not even the slightest bite to her words.
Hayden threw her a smile, not one of his usual ones meant to charm the ladies. That would have felt disingenuous, especially considering the situation. He smiled just enough to ease her worry. He and Callen could handle the mercenaries in a fight if need be.IfCallen was okay, and there were only four assailants out there.
Callen was late, which wasn’t like the enforcer at all. He had every incentive to return. Not only would Callen never abandon a packmate, he had blood-bonded Kate, and he’d do anything to ensure her safety. That was what worried Hayden. If Callen had taken an unnecessary risk. . .
Hayden shook his head. This wasn’t the time to think about it. He had to stick to the plan. Callen would catch up to the three of them when he could. The enforcer wasn’t easy to take down, in either his shifter or wolf form, though a gun could certainly do it.
Hayden subconsciously rubbed the slight scar near his heart from where Kate had shot him six weeks ago. His wolf had fully healed him, but the area still felt tight.
“Sorry,” Kate whispered. She had seen him rubbing his chest. Mila’s eyes moved from Kate to him, brows furrowing in confusion.
