Page 6 of Hayden's Haven
MILA
Mila watched as Hayden shifted into a gorgeous white wolf. Hayden’s shift was wicked fast. Three times she had seen him shift, and each time was an amazing and impressive display of strong shifter genes. She had never seen such a fast shifter, except for Vance, but he was an enforcer and enforcers’ strengths and skills often rivaled those of an alpha. On the other hand, her alpha, Truman, couldn’t shift that fast despite how good a fighter he was. Neither Vance nor Truman could hold a candle to Hayden’s strength and speed, not from what she had seen of him.
She still couldn’t get over the fact that Hayden was awhitewolf. White, of all colors. . . She would simply have to get past her fears, push them aside instead of letting them prejudice her against him. After all, he had never done anything to her, aside from being a bit demanding.
Each time she watched Hayden shift, she had the desire to sit back with a bowl of popcorn and simply enjoy the show. And it was a show. . . a tantalizing, hold-onto-your-panties show. His shifts were a thing of beauty, as was that deliciously muscled back of his. She had yet to see his front, not that it was polite in shifter culture to stare at a nude shifter before or after a shift. She’d been taught from an early age to keep her eyes on the shifter’s face at all times until the shifter could dress.
Maybe Hayden had thought her uncomfortable with the idea of having a naked male nearby outside of the safety of a pack. He always turned his back to her when he stripped and shifted, though she couldn’t imagine he was modest. Most male shifters had no problems with being naked in front of women, some even made a point of flaunting their manhood, even when not erect. Yes, indeed, that eyes-on-the-face social grace didn’t always come into play, at least not among single, adult shifters.
From what she had seen of Hayden’s muscular, well-formed backside and powerful legs, she couldn’t imagine he had anything to be ashamed of. Corded muscles covered every delicious part of him. She’d love to let her hands glide across his broad shoulders and down his back until she reached that very fine ass of his and squeezed.
Mila shook her head. Her thoughts would get her in trouble like the last time she had admired a shifter’s body. Getting involved with Vance had definitely been a mistake, one she wouldn’t be repeating with Hayden.
As soon as Hayden bounded into the woods, Mila got to work starting another IV line on Kate. She only had one bag of antibiotics left, but it would have to do until they got to a town and she could find a medical supplier or a hospital. She hated stealing supplies, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. In the past, she had sent funds after the fact. Stealing still felt wrong though.
“How long?” Kate asked, her voice raspy.
Mila smiled down at her patient. It wasn’t the first time Kate had passed out in the two weeks Mila had been treating her for sepsis following the knife wound to her kidney. “Maybe ten, twenty minutes this time. You’re pushing yourself and your wolf too hard. You shouldn’t have shifted.”
“But Hayden said—”
“And if he said to jump off a bridge—pardon the cliché—would you? He’s just a second.” She hated the words even as they spilled from her mouth. She knew she shouldn’t be pushing her feelings about Vance on Hayden. She hardly knew Hayden, but still. . . white wolf.
Kate’s expression dimmed. “You don’t think much of Hayden, do you?”
Mila had met enough shifters like Hayden to know he wasn’t her type. “He’s pushy, unreasonable,anda white wolf.”
“I’ma white wolf,” Kate said, looking offended. “I still don’t understand what it is about white wolves that makes everyone look like they want to run and hide.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. I should have specified the males. You don’t count because you’re female.”
“Yay, girl power,” Kate said, her tone dry.
“That’s not funny,” Mila said, her jaw tightening. Kate couldn’t understand. White wolves didn’t prey on their own. “It doesn’t matter which birth pack a female shifter comes from. It’s not like we have a lot of power compared to the males. And white wolves are. . .” Mila took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Violent. Quite violent. ”
“I don’t know what made you so jaded against white wolves, but you can’t assume they’re all bad based on one.”
More than one.
“And Hayden’s not like the others. At least I don’t think he is.”
“You don’t know him well, do you?” Mila asked.
“Honestly, no, but he’s easy to get along with. He’s always been fair to me.”
“He looks so much like that asshole Drake.”
Kate closed her eyes, looking relaxed again. “That explains your dislike of white wolves. My cousin doesn’t have a good reputation, with good reason, though I don’t think anyone gives him a fair shake half the time.”
“Cousin?” That startled Mila. She knew there were very few white wolves left in the world, but even so, to be Drake’s cousin. . . How unlucky could a shifter get?
“I found that out last month when I discovered I’m half-shifter. I’m still learning to shift. Sometimes it happens fast, other times I feel like I’m trying to pick up a wet beach ball with one hand.”
“Ahh. That explains a lot then.” Mila smiled at Kate, which was easy to do. Kate was quite likeable. At twenty-six, she was only two years younger than Mila and had been fighting to survive, although in a different way than Mila.
Mila couldn’t imagine what it would be like to find out in her mid-twenties that she was half-shifter, let alone related to one of the most vicious alphas she had ever seen.
“That explains what?” Kate asked, the worried look on her face deepening. Making Kate feel bad about having a psychopath in the family while she was already stressed about Callen wasn’t the way to keep her patient calm.
