Page 101 of Hayden's Haven
Hayden could smell Lars’s fear.
“Welcome back.”
Lars was welcoming him back? Hayden was the shifter who had nearly gutted him over Mila. “Ah, thanks. Where is everyone?”
“Mock Running of the Moon. I’m here to repair Damien’s generator. We’re going to need a new one soon. The thing is on its last leg.”
That was probably the most Lars had ever said to Hayden in the eight years he had been with Damien’s pack. “Need any help?” What possessed him to say that, when all he wanted to do was to see Mila, was beyond him, but he meant it. Lars wasn’t a bad shifter. They’d just never gotten to know one another.
“Thanks, but I’m good. I think your girl’s down at the lake with Anna, helping organize the kids.”
“Thanks, Lars,” Hayden said and headed toward the lake.
It was already the Spring Equinox. Twice a year, the pack held a Mock Running of the Moon for the kids who hadn’t shifted yet. They conducted the Run during the height of the day, despite the run’s name. In the weeks leading up to the run, the kids entered various competitions to determine which kids would lead the run. Everything from races to who braided hair the best. Hayden still wasn’t sure how that last one had been pushed through as an official event, but he had a feeling it was Tess’s doing. No matter. It had gone over really well with the girls and even the dads.
Hayden found himself intensely curious as to who the kids had chosen as their mock alpha and his or her second this year. On the day of the big run, those two kids led the run. If Hayden had to bet, he would guess Charlotte and Evan. The ten-year-old girl was younger than most, but boy did she know how to push the others around. She definitely had the making of an alpha. On the other hand, Peter at twelve was rather sneaky and had a way of showing up the other kids in school without getting anyone mad at him. He was a regular charmer with that smile of his.
As Hayden reached the lake, he was amazed at how many shifters were standing about, waiting for the run to start. He smiled, glad he hadn’t missed it. Even the babies and toddlers participated, being carried by older teens or parents. Everyone, except border patrols, showed up to watch. That explained why Frank and Mac were on duty when he had crossed over. Those two usually took night patrols, but the single shifters took over for the guards with kids, so the dads could watch their children run.
There at the front, leading the kids as their alpha and second for the day. Charlotte and Aaron. Okay, that was unexpected. Aaron was on the quiet side, never said much to anyone. Then again, being second wasn’t a popularity contest. Hayden knew that better than anyone. Aaron must have proven himself in the games. Good for him.
“Hey, Hayden! Welcome back!”
He turned to see Abbie waving at him. Hell, he hadn’t really talked to her in months, since he had put their date on hold while he went up to Wyoming with Callen. Then he had been seeing Mila, not that he had planned any of that.
Abbie wasn’t alone. Benji came up behind her. The shifter’s face was neutral, but he gave a respectful nod to Hayden. That was different. Hayden nodded back.
“Mila’s down near the rocks,” Abbie said, with a sweet smile. She wasn’t mad at him. That was good.
“Thanks,” Hayden said as he worked his way through the crowd. There were a few other ‘welcome backs’ and other cheery greetings, all of which had his wolf on edge. His pack wastalkingto him.
The scent of lilac reached Hayden before he spotted Mila through the crowds. She was sitting atop one of the large boulders, sharing a bowl of popcorn with. . . Hell. Finley.
The male was whispering in her ear as he reached into the bowl in her lap and grabbed a handful of popcorn. She was laughing and chatting away as they watched Charlotte and Aaron shout out to the crowd, “Ready, set, go.”
The kids were off and running, with the parents carrying the infants and toddlers right behind. The rest of the pack cheered them on. A lot of cheering, a few howls, and a lot of laughter.
This was a healthy pack. The place to raise a family.
The crowd thinned considerably, leaving very few shifters between Hayden and Mila. The wind shifted. She stopped laughing and suddenly turned her head toward Hayden. Bright green eyes met his and then widened.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Hayden said as he shifted and bounded away. It was a coward’s move, and he knew it. In all the times he had envisioned his reunion with Mila to go, he had never fathomed he would find her with another shifter. He hadn’t even considered she might move on.
It had only been three weeks, but he hadn’t done as he had promised. He hadn’t come back, he hadn’t sent her a note, nothing. All the chances he had had to communicate with her, it hadn’t occurred to him that he should. She had said she loved him, and he had promised to blood-bond her.
He hadn’t been there for her when she needed him. He hadn’t helped her through any trauma or even been there to celebrate her big accomplishment with the vaccine. He had assumed his pack would take care of her, and they had, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t have been there for her.
Hayden charged into the woods. His thoughts were racing in a million directions and he couldn’t focus. Had he lost her? Should he warn Finley away from her? Was she happier with him? What if she was happier with Finley? The shifter was certainly safer than Hayden had been. He worked maintenance. The biggest risk Finley had was dropping something heavy on his foot. He didn’t have Drake for a brother. He hadn’tlefther to stay and help that brother and a pack that most here thought needed to be put down.
Damien could help him figure this out. Except Damien was another issue. He had sworn an oath to Damien, and Hayden was about to break that oath. Oh, God, he hadn’t thought any of this through. He couldn’t bring Mila back with him, to a pack that was fractured and full of danger. No, she needed to stay here. It had to be her choice. Had she already chosen Finley? Fuck.
Hayden sank to the ground, with his head on his knees. Sick, he felt sick. He couldn’t lose her, he couldn’t, but it wasn’t his choice. It was Mila’s, and it looked like she had already chosen.
Chapter Twenty-Three
MILA
The second she scented Hayden, her heart had practically stopped. All sounds, sights, everything around her had ceased to exist. Hayden’s glorious scent became her world, overshadowing everything else. At first, she thought she had imagined that scent of his that reminded her of spring water. Oh, how she missed him.
