Desires of a Full Moon (23 page)

Haley peeked around Jayden’s back. Her parents were in the kitchen dressed like they were going to the ballet and addressing the Arkansas Pack Master. Braxton and Damon stood on either side of Barrett in a defensive posture. Her parents’ backs were to her.

Jayden reached behind her holding her still.

“You are in my territory now, lady. And I strongly suggest you get your finger out of my face.” Barrett’s voice was even but the undercurrents of rage were audible.

“Do you know who we are?” Her father, John Stanley Guthrie III, puffed out his chest and moved closer to Barrett.

Barrett glared down at her father and Haley was astonished at the difference in height. She knew Barrett was tall, but she didn’t realize just how tall until now.

“I know who you are. Let’s be clear, that shit doesn’t mean anything here. Here, I am Pack Master of Arkansas. Here, I am the Law. Here, you are nothing,” Barrett growled.

Haley gasped. She doubted anyone had ever spoken to her parents like that.

Everyone turned. For the first time, her parents noticed her standing there.

Their eyes widened and she expected them to run forward and pull her into their arms. She expected them to tell her they were sorry and that they missed her.

“What have you done, Haley?” Her mother turned to face her with a look of utter distain.Haley jumped back, as if she’d been slapped.

“Is it not enough that you ruin yourself with that red wolf? But to publically disgrace our family name by advertising yourself as a whore on Facebook in order to retaliate against us?” Her father’s face reddened and his narrowed eyes made her feel like she was looking at a stranger.

The room got silent. Granny and Ava were standing by the refrigerator with their mouths hanging open. While Barrett and his Guardians were snarling, their teeth bared.

And then there was Jayden. A slow torturous growl emerged from deep in his throat. Her father and mother both jumped back, their eyes wide with either fear or the fact that someone actually growled at them.

“You are both the most pathetic excuses I’ve ever seen for parents.” Jayden pointed at them.

Her parents’ mouths dropped open. Haley held her breath.

“Your daughter was kidnapped yet you blamed her. And when she is brought back to you, safe and unharmed you’re devastated because people will assume she’s been raped and ruined by your definition.” Jayden took a step closer.

“And now when a stalker hacks her Facebook account and spreads vile lies about her, you still blame her. You are both pathetic and if you ever dare say another harmful word to her or about her or look at her wrong, so help me God, I’ll end both of you and no one will ever know what happened to you.”Her father turned to Barrett with a smirk. “Your Guardian just threatened me. I insist on immediate discipline and for him to be removed from his position.”

“You’re going have to file a formal complaint,” Barrett growled. “But before I can render my verdict, I’ll take into consideration how you ignored my direct orders about going to Little Rock and filling out paperwork to request a meeting with Haley. I’ll also remember how you defied my orders of meeting tomorrow in town. After that, I will be sure to wipe my ass with your fucking complaint.”

Ava snorted and clasped her hand over her mouth.

Her mother glared at her but apparently knew enough not to say anything.

Haley fought the urge to smile. She’d never seen her parents so nervous before in her life. They made a habit of making other people squirm and now they were the ones in the hot seat.

“Now, if you want to see if Haley is willing to talk to you, then I suggest you ask, nicely. Otherwise you both can get the fuck out of my house.” Barrett stepped into her father’s space daring him to speak.

“But…” Her father made the mistake of opening his arrogant mouth.

“And Damon and Braxton will be glad to show you the door.” Barrett smiled, his white teeth glinting like shark’s teeth. Braxton and Damon stepped forward.

“Barrett, it’s okay. I’ll listen to what they have to say.” Haley stepped away from Jayden. She felt his hand at the small of her back for support. She gave him a smile.

“And whatever they have to say can be said in front of everyone here.”

“I think it would be best to speak privately, Haley.” Her mother lifted her chin.

Haley shook her head. “No mother. They’re my friends and they have been a better family to me than the two of you. So I suggest you tell me what you want so you can leave.” Her heart ached at how bad things had gotten between them.

“I think you need to tell us what’s going on with this Facebook thing,” her father ordered.

“What is there to tell? Someone is targeting me and has hacked my Facebook account.”

Her father looked stunned. He glanced around the room and nodded at Jayden.

“He said something about a stalker. What is he talking about?” Her father’s cheek muscles twitched and she knew it was taking all the patience he had to control his tongue. Her father was not a patient man nor was he used to people not snapping to attention when he wanted something.

“When I moved here I started getting notes. They started out harmless but became quite aggressive. So I went to Barrett since he is my new Pack Master and asked for his help.” She glanced at Barrett who was still holding his dominant posture. If they so much as touched her she didn’t doubt he would intercede. If Jayden didn’t beat him to it.

“I see.” Still her father showed no emotion.

“Now why don’t you tell me how you found out the address to my house?” Barrett glared at her father who blinked rapidly.

“The Louisiana Pack Master gave it to me. He said he stayed here one time when LSU was playing Arkansas.”

Barrett’s eyes flashed yellow with blood lust. He was clearly surprised that the Louisiana Pack Master had given out that information. Haley knew that whatever business had transpired between the states and their alpha leaders was top secret. But she also knew that Louisiana’s Pack Master was quite manipulative when he wanted something.

“I see. Tell me, how much money did you have to pay him to disclose that information?”

Her father’s face grew red. She knew immediately her father was guilty of bribing the Louisiana Pack Master.

“I’m sorry, Barrett,” she whispered. She had never been so ashamed of being related to her own parents as she was at that moment.

“You have no need to apologize, Haley. Your parents have put you in grave danger by coming here. And if they led your stalker here and endangered your safety I will make sure to exact my punishment as Pack Master of Arkansas.”

Haley’s stomach dropped.

“What do you mean, ‘endangered Haley’? We would never intentionally do that.” Her mother put a trembling hand to her throat, her diamond rings sparkling in the light.

“Don’t worry. I have no doubt that the stalker knows my parents have disinherited me. They would never suspect they have come to see me.” She felt Jayden step closer behind her and she drew her strength from his warmth.

“Whatever you saw on Facebook, you can be assured I did not put it there. So you can tell all your socialite friends it was hacked.”

“Well, what did you expect after that episode in October, when you were...ruined?” Her father’s voice dropped on the last word.

#

That was it. Jayden had forced himself to stand quietly by and listen to Haley’s parents’ bullshit for far too long. He should have shut them up when he saw them.

“Ruined?” Jayden’s entire body trembled with uncontrollable rage. “Is that how you see your daughter?”

“You are so blinded by what other people think. Haley is not ruined.” “Jayden, it’s okay.” She touched his arm and looked up at him. But he knew better, she wasn’t okay. She was crushed by her parents. It pissed him off.

“No, baby it’s not okay.” Jayden looked up and caught Ava giving him a soft look as she cooed as if she were watching a Hallmark commercial.

His gaze landed on her parents.

“What happened in October was never her fault. She was kidnapped and held against her will. And she was rescued and brought back to you unharmed.”

“She was not unharmed.” Her mother’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“Actually I was. Jayden came into the room before that red Were raped me. Jayden killed him.”

“But…” For once her mother was at a loss for words.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” her father demanded.

“You never gave me the chance. I tried to, but you both said you didn’t want to hear anything I had to say. I knew that night I was dead to you.” Her voice wavered.

“Haley, this means you can still marry Anthony. And you can come home to Louisiana.” Haley’s mother’s face brightened immediately with relief.

“Yes. Go get your things and we’ll leave immediately. I’ll call the dean and have him transfer your records back to LSU first thing tomorrow.”

Haley stiffened. And then she pushed his hands away and walked right up to her parents.

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“No. You can come home.” Her mother smiled.

“I tell you what you can do. You can both get in your car and go home. And don’t bother trying to contact me again. If you do, I’ll talk to Barrett and have him put a restraining order on you, barring you both from ever entering the state of Arkansas again.”

“Haley Guthrie, don’t you dare talk to us that way. We’re your parents,” her father snarled.

She shook her head, her face pale and eyes disbelieving. “No, you’re not. Not anymore.” She walked past them, and Barrett and his Guardians parted, letting her through the living room.

“Don’t you do this, Haley. There are no more second chances,” her mother called out in desperation.

Haley turned. All eyes on her. She looked straight at her mother.

“You’re exactly right, Mother.”

#

The room erupted into chaos as Haley walked out the door.

Jayden was threatening to beat her father’s ass. Braxton was trying to keep Jayden from getting within hitting range of the dad, and Damon was looking like he was ready to jump in and get his punches in after Jayden. Even Granny and Ava ganged up on her mother, telling her what a poor excuse she was for a parent.

Barrett blew out a breath just as his phone rang. He reached in his pocket and headed into the living room to answer it.

“Hang on. I can’t hear a fucking thing.” Barrett headed into the back yard.

“Okay. What do you have for me?” Barrett strained to hear what Jaxon was telling him. He frowned as he repeated the information back to him.

He hung up.

He ran into the house and yelled. Everything went quiet.

“Damon, go check and see if CODIS has a hit,” Barrett commanded.

Damon hurried out without a word.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Jayden turned his attention to him.

“Jaxon called. He said there was a picture taken of a guy who tried to enter that building this morning where Haley’s account was hacked.”

“And?”

“And he’s running the tags on the car.” Barrett looked around the room. “Where is Haley?”

“I thought she went out to the backyard.” Jayden paled.

“No. I just came from out there.”Jayden hurried out the front door. A few second later Damon entered the kitchen with a paper in his hand.

“CODIS has a hit.” Damon held out the paper.

Barrett snatched the paper and looked down. He blinked.

“You look like you know him, Barrett?” Braxton slid closer

“This isn’t possible.” Barrett shook his head.

“Who is it?” Damon glanced down at the photo.

“It’s the guy that tried to rape Haley.” Barrett looked up. “But Jayden said he killed him.”

Jayden ran back into the house. “She’s gone.”

Jayden look around at everyone. “What is it? Has there been a hit?”

Barrett nodded and held out the picture of the attempted rapist.

Jayden’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head. “That’s impossible. I killed him. I broke his neck.”

#

Hot tears burned her cheek as Haley ran down the sidewalk. She needed to get away from all the hurt and pain her parents had caused her.

Humiliated and embarrassed, she just wanted to hide from everyone and everything. She glanced behind her slightly shocked and pained that Jayden hadn’t run after her.

She slowed down when she got to the corner and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

She turned the corner.

“Haley!”

She froze as a truck pulled up to the corner.

“Mark. What are you doing here?” She walked over to his window.

“Hey, are you okay?” His concerned voice helped her relax.

“Yeah. I was just out for a walk.” She wiped the tears from her cheek and glanced away. “What are you doing here?”

“Dana’s been trying to call you. She really needs to talk to you.”

“What’s wrong?” Her stomach lurched.

“She wouldn’t tell me. She said she only wanted to talk to you.”

“Okay. Let me go back to the house and tell everyone where I’m going.” She stepped back

“Jump in and I’ll drive you down, then we’ll go over to Dana’s.” He reached across the truck and opened the side door.

“Yeah. Okay.” Haley climbed in.

Mark drove down the street and took a right onto the main road. He gave her a sheepish smile. “I promised to pick up some flowers from the florist before they closed. Then I’ll take you home.”

Haley frowned.

“Just a quick detour. I promise.”

“Okay, but hurry.”

#

Jayden picked up his cell phone and dialed Haley’s number, praying she had taken it with her.

Ava came running into the living room holding a ringing phone.

“It’s Haley’s. She didn’t take it.” Jayden disconnected and shoved his phone back in his jeans pocket.

Barrett burst in from the front door with Damon and Zane right behind him. “I checked the surveillance video from both ends of the street. It looks like Haley got into a truck with a male.”

Jayden snarled. “What did he look like?”

“Hard to tell, he had a baseball cap on and his face was in the shadow,” Damon offered up.