Page 56 of Hayden's Haven
“Please talk to me, Hayden.” Two fingers slipped into his hand. Warm, secure. He glanced up at the smile on her face. Happy. His Mila lookedhappy.
“I challenged Damien,” he said, not realizing how good it felt to share that with her, knowing she wouldn’t judge him.
“You what? Tell me I just misheard you.”
“You heard me.”
“But why?” She shoved the shirt aside that he was trying to slip over his head as she made him turn around. “The only scars on you are old ones. Nothing new. You’re not injured.”
“You mean I’m not dead.”
She wasn’t laughing at his joke. Okay, not entirely a joke. He’d never gone up against Damien, but a fight with him could leave either or both of them dead.
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure. We were talking about the government’s demand that we hand Drake over. Damien wants to invade, risking a shifter war. I said it won’t work. Damien wouldn’t listen. Other things were said, and well, before I realized it, I was growling at him.”
“You or your wolf?”
“Me, both. I’m not really sure.” He caught that look. “No, I’m not going feral. At least I don’t think I am. I’m just unsettled right now.”
“Because of me?”
He didn’t want to answer that, but if he didn’t, she’d assume the worst. “Partly. I thought I’d hurt you, Mila. But now. . . we’re good, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” She rose on her toes to kiss him. “Better than good.”
“Really?”
“For a strong shifter, Hayden, you’re low on self-confidence right now. There’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”
Nothing. Everything. My brother’s a horrible shifter, wanted by my alpha, my pack, the U.S. Government, and I can’t hand him over because I’m weak. And I can’t tell you about him either, my Mila, because then you’ll fear me, just as this entire pack fears me.Hayden could hear the taunts in his sleep, he had heard them so many times in all the years he had been a part of this pack.Tainted blood. Crazy like his brother. Bad genes. He’ll turn on us in time, too, just like he turned on his alpha.
“Please don’t keep me in the dark, Hayden.”
“I’m heading to Liam’s pack in the morning to speak with him. I’ll probably be back the day after.”
“And? Is it dangerous?”
“No. I go back and forth a lot, as a middle-man between the two alphas. Though this time I don’t think Liam will like anything I have to say or propose on Damien’s behalf.”
She let out a deep breath. His Mila was worried about him. Hayden didn’t try to hide his smile. “You care, my Mila.”
“I’m not your Mila, not yet.”
“But soon. Soon we can blood-bond.”
She sucked in air, then tried to hide it by coughing. “Excuse me,” she said as she headed to the sink, turned it on, and leaned over for a drink. “It’s a little early to talk blood-bonding, Hayden.” She was looking a bit pale.
“You’re right. Too much going on right now. But after I return, will you move in with me? I mean, you can move in now, stay at my place even though I won’t be there, but I thought you might prefer to stay at Aloe’s while I’m gone, considering how central it is. Whatever you’d like, Mila. I just want to make sure you’re happy.”
* * *
MILA
What does a woman say to that? He wanted to make sure she was happy, but at the same time he was assuming they’d blood-bond eventually. He hadn’t evenaskedher. Not that that was really a problem, or wouldn’t be normally. . . ifshewere normal that is.
“I can’t blood-bond you, Hayden. My bridge is gone, from the virus.”
