Page 35 of Hayden's Haven
Nerves, she told herself, when she didn’t see anything or anyone. Then, a low growl echoed all around her. Clouds hid the sun and a fresh layer of snow had already covered her footprints. Mila ran in what she hoped was the correct direction.
Off to her left, a tree branch snapped. Mila ran as hard as her legs could go. Cold air ripped through her lungs as she pumped her muscles harder than ever before. Tree branches whipped against her arms and face as the wind tossed her hair into her eyes, blinding her. She tripped over something and went down hard.
A hand grabbed her by her coat and pulled her up. She unzipped her coat, slid free and ran.
“Mila, stop!”
She knew that voice. There was safety and warmth in that deep voice that pushed all the fear and terror aside. Before she could turn, strong arms pulled her against a hard chest. Why she was shivering, she didn’t know. She had only lost her coat seconds earlier. Hayden’s large hand cupped the back of her head as he whispered something to her. Words that weren’t making any sense. The terror was still too fresh, too real.
He tipped her head back, drawing the pad of one thumb across her freezing cheek. The heat he left behind felt too good to be true, like Hayden.
“Why did you run from me?” he asked, his tone soft. He wasn’t mad, not in the least. It was a pleasant change from everything she had known in her birth pack.
“I didn’t realize it was you. I felt like I was being watched. And then when I heard a branch snap, I ran.”
His thumb stopped moving for a minute as he cursed under his breath. Her body went rigid. Hewasmad.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I just want to go back to camp. Please, Hayden, let me go.” Getting the words out was hard, and the cold was creeping into her bones, making her teeth chatter.
“I’ll take you back.”
When Hayden held her coat out for her, she slipped her arms in and drew the panels closed around her. It was warm but not as warm as snuggling up against Hayden’s body.
They walked in silence for the first few minutes. The snow was already knee-high, spilling in over the top of her boots. Her feet were starting to go numb. She wasn’t a short woman by any means but lifting her legs high enough to clear the snow was tiring her out. Hayden must have sensed her dilemma for he scooped her into his arms. The snow only reached mid-calf on him. Even with her full weight in his arms, he didn’t slow.
She snuggled against his chest as she slipped her arms around his neck. His body warmed her and soon all the fear and tension began melting away. This here felt like home. She didn’t even feel the need to talk. Hayden didn’t either, though he stole a glance down at her here and there. She owed him an explanation.
“I got turned around in the snow, got panicked I guess. My mind was playing tricks on me for some reason.”
“Why were you out here alone? You don’t know these woods and without your wolf to help guide you. . .”
He dropped the subject, but he had made his point. He thought she should have the procedure, to return to the strong shifter he believed her to be. There was merit to restoring her abilities that she had been ignoring this entire time. Had she shifted, she would have navigated the snow easier, not have been as susceptible to the cold, and she could have smelled which direction to go. Or, if all else failed, howled for help. Her wolf’s howl would have carried far in these woods compared to an ordinary scream.
“I was looking for you.”
“Why?” His tone was stiff. Perhaps, she deserved that.
“To apologize.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“You went out of your way to build a lab for me, and I didn’t even thank you.”
“It’s for Anna, too. And it’s not my doing. Damien approved it.”
“But you conceived it. Made it happen.”
“It’s my job to make sure pack members—and guests in your case—have what they need. That shack you and Anna are working in is unacceptable.”
“Try to hide behind your duties all you want, Hayden. You’re not fooling me. You were watching out for me. For Anna and me. It was sweet and I rebuffed you. I didn’t mean to.”
“That’s exactly what you meant to do. I get it, Mila. Short of dealing with me on a professional level, you don’t want anything to do with me. Which is fine.”
He definitely sounded hurt, wounded, and he had every right to, because that’s exactly how she had been treating him. When she had first met him, he had been in human form and they hadn’t exactly hit it off. She had been scared and with both him and Callen demanding answers when she didn’t know who they were, well, she had gone on the defense. She got rather snarky when she got defensive. Then in the woods, when she saw his wolf—hiswhitewolf—it had shocked and scared her. It only took her a few minutes to kick her brain into gear and remind herself that Hayden had never hurt her and that she couldn’t judge him based on looks.
“I haven’t had the best experience with white wolves,” she blurted out. Already her throat felt as if it were constricting. Images of Vance towering over her, backing her against a wall until she had nowhere to run. She gasped for air.
Hayden set her on her feet, making it easier to breathe. Her knees buckled, but strong arms held her up as if he knew she needed him. Yes, she needed Hayden, in so many ways, but she wasn’t sure she could chance getting to know him better.
