Page 71 of Hayden's Haven
“Everything’s fine, Hayden. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”
She hadn’t said ‘we’.
“As I was about to say,” Damien began. “I turned down Truman’s offer after you left last night. I don’t sell shifters, not even ones who are only here temporarily. I thought you knew me well enough to know that. Apparently not.”
“Damien—”
He held up his hand. Any apology right now would seem insincere, so perhaps it was just as well Damien didn’t want to hear what he was going to say.
“Callen took care of Truman’s enforcer, but I brought guards for Mila, to make sure she’s protected over the next few days.”
“Vance isn’t dead, is he?” Mila asked, looking horrified.
Of course, Mila was concerned. She wasn’t a killer like Hayden was. Despite all that Vance had done to her, it never occurred to her to wish him dead. Meanwhile, Vance’s death was all Hayden could think about. The asshole deserved to die after what he had done to Mila.
Hayden was finally starting to understand Blade’s thirst for Drake’s death, and his growing dislike of Hayden. Hayden was too much like Drake. The majority of shifters here knew it. Hayden had been able to ignore their distrust over the years because he had had Damien, Blade, Callen, Pryce, and Frank in his corner, entrusting their very lives to him when they went on a mission or encountered an enemy. That was all changing. Blade had walked away from him last week, and Damien and he had nearly come to blows, twice now.
“Thank you for the guards, but they won’t be needed,” Hayden said. “I can protect Mila.”
“While you’re here, yes, but—” Damien’s eyes drew to Mila and the alpha looked concerned. “Perhaps we should talk later, Hayden. Come see me after you two have eaten. I’m leaving the guards here. They’ll go wherever Mila goes.”
“I have no secrets from her,” Hayden said. “Just tell me what you want.” No matter what Hayden did, he couldn’t remove the anger from his voice. He hoped he wasn’t scaring Mila.
“We don’t have enough shifters to go in after Drake. Without Liam, it will be nothing more than a blood-bath, on both sides. I want you to go in alone and challenge your brother for the position as alpha of his pack.”
* * *
MILA
Mila couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Damien wanted Hayden to go up against an alpha, Hayden’s brother no less. It wasn’t right on so many levels. This situation with Drake had just turned very real. Before, when it was just the idea of a bunch of wolves invading another pack and taking down an alpha, she hadn’t given it much thought beyond the fact that there would be dead shifters on both sides. Unfortunately, that was a part of pack life, when disputes arose that alphas could not resolve via compromise or mediation.
Drake would tear Hayden to shreds. Hayden didn’t have his brother’s killer instinct, except when it came to defending those he cared about. She’d seen the result of what Drake could do, and the mess he’d left behind at the summit all those years ago still made her shudder. Those kills were notclean, not in the least.
“He can’t go!” she protested, knowing how foolish and selfish she sounded. She thought of the wounds on Hayden’s chest, and how he had received them. Drake wouldn’t hesitate in killing Hayden.
“There’s too much at stake, Mila. Hayden’s our best shot.”
“I’m not saying you should sacrifice the other pack or Aloe.” Mila clung to Hayden. She wasn’t sure what she was suggesting, just anything other than sending Hayden in on a suicide mission, because that’s exactly what this would be. Suicide.
Damien’s eyes softened, returning to their usual gray. “There’s more than Aloe and Liam’s pack at stake here. More than the few hundred shifters of our packs combined. If the Department of Shifter Affairs declares shifters an enemy of the state, this will be an all-out war. No one will win.
Hayden’s expression was odd, almost pained as he faced Damien. “I’m not challenging my brother.”
“We don’t have a choice. I was short-sighted in not contacting any other packs. I was counting on Liam. Now, with Sloan’s threat, there’s no time to muster help from our other packs. The time alone it would take me to travel there and convince them. . .”
Damien’s face tightened. “This is our best option, Hayden. Unless you have another plan.” When Hayden said nothing, Damien looked to Mila for help. She couldn’t give it. She didn’t want Hayden going up against psychopath. “We’ll talk later. Come see me in an hour.” Damien headed out, leaving the three guards outside the cabin’s door.
Hayden closed the door and sank against it. She wished she knew what he was thinking, but he wasn’t saying anything.
“I’m close on the vaccine,” Mila said, feeling horrible the second she said it. Damien was right. Thousands would die. Drake still had the HEV in his possession and he’d use it if threatened or pushed. It wouldn’t matter if she managed to create the vaccine, found a way to manufacture enough dosesanddistribute it to every wolf shifter in the U.S., the government would find other ways to eliminate them if Drake unleashed that HEV to the general population. The innocent humans didn’t deserve that fate either.
“Forget I said that. It was dumb.”
Hayden took her by the back of her neck and drew her in close. The feel of his hand there, one that would keep her from running gave her a sense of permanence she longed to have with him.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “It wasn’t dumb, and I appreciate that you’re trying to find a solution.”
Something was very off about Hayden. That old fear began to creep through her bones. “You can’t go up against him,” she said, her voice low.
