The Werewolf Wears Prada (Entangled Covet) (San Francisco Wolf Pack) (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Charging into his bedroom on the opposite end of the fifteenth floor, Hayden went right for the nightstand and pulled out his special-made Glock. He attached the silencer, loaded it with heavy silver bullets, and popped the top on a spare ammunition box.

“What happened?” Gabriel asked from behind him.

“I’m going after them on my own.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard right.” Hayden dumped the entire box into his pocket, and then shoved a Taser into the other. If bullets couldn’t bring down the rogues, volts of electricity would stun them until he could get the upper hand. Spinning around, he faced his only friend. “The council is afraid to stand against the rogues.”

Melina’s familiar feminine scent struck him as she brushed past Gabriel and entered the room. Her scent warmed him from the inside out. He steeled himself against the feelings stirring inside his chest. He had to stay focused, had to remember why he was doing this.

The only way to keep Melina safe was to bring down every last rogue wolf in the city.

“Where are you going?” Worry tainted her tone. “Hayden? Talk to me.”

He hadn’t realized he’d been standing silent, the Glock resting against his side.

This was where it all began,
Hayden thought. Where Gabriel had first told him the pack had hired Melina to write the article on him. At the time, he would’ve given his right arm not to have her follow him around. Now, he’d give his life to keep her safe.

“I’ve got an appointment,” he said simply.

Her brows rose. “Oh yeah? Where?”

“Bernal Heights.”

As realization set in, she covered her mouth with her hand.

“How many guards are going with you?” Gabriel asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“None.” Hayden left the room before it closed in any more. “Just me.”

They followed him out. He could feel their gazes trained on his back.

Melina brushed her hand along his. “But you said turned wolves can’t shift unless there’s a full moon.”

“You’ve got one hell of a memory.” He punched the elevator button as doubt pricked the hairs on the back of his neck. “Anyone ever tell you that?”

“It’s suicide.” Gabriel met Hayden as the steel doors opened. “I’m coming with you. You should have at least one wolf at your side.”

“No.” He spun, putting a hand up to stop Gabriel from joining him in the elevator. “I need you to stay with Melina. You’re the only person I trust to protect her.” He gripped his friend’s hand tight and shook. “I’ll be back in two hours. If you don’t hear from me, use the secret elevator key, take her down to the basement and out the Alpha’s escape tunnels. I don’t know what’s going on with the pack, but someone on the inside has to be giving information to the rogues. They’re getting too strong, too fast, and the council is too hesitant to act. Something doesn’t sniff right.”

Gabriel nodded as if he understood, his blue eyes blazing bright. “Make those bastards howl for mercy.”

Hayden smirked, anticipation singing through him. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

“You expect me to wait here like a good little girl?” Melina planted her hand on her hip. “Don’t you know me better than that by now?”

“I do know you better than that.” He roped his arms around her waist and dragged her against him. And then he bent her back and kissed her, infusing her with the light and hope and radiance she’d given him the last couple weeks. “And I’m so incredibly sorry.”

“For what?”

“This.” He pushed her off him and backed into the elevator, punching the button for the door to shut behind him.

“No!” She jolted forward, but it was too late.

Milliseconds before the doors hissed shut, he blew her a kiss through the opening. The elevator had never run so slowly. Each floor he descended felt more and more like he was farther away from heaven and closer to hell. When he reached the basement, Hayden jammed the elevator key into the lock near the buttons and turned. No matter how many times Melina punched the call button now, the elevator wouldn’t return until Gabriel used his matching key to call it up.

Hayden sprinted through the basement to the doors leading to the parking garage, and then slid into his Bugatti. He tore through the city at breakneck speed, using the stop signs and red lights as general suggestions. Once he made it to Bernal Heights, he slowed to a crawl.

As he neared the corner of Valley and Church Street where he’d rescued Melina, he rolled down his windows and used his heightened senses to search out the stench of a rogue. The morning marine layer plumed over the street, and entered the car, shrouding Hayden in fresh fog. He breathed deep, praying it’d bring something—

There.

He swerved to the curb, killed the engine, and got out of the car, patting his pockets to double-check his weapons. Although he couldn’t shift on command the way the rogues could, the bullets would slow them down and the Taser would stun them. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d get a chance at Asher and find out who he worked for.

There were people out at this hour, strolling down the street, coming in and out of the myriad of mom-and-pop shops. He stalked past a pharmacy and liquor store, keeping his pace quick and sure. Darting across the street toward the English Gothic church, he glanced up at its massive granite spires, and ran around the back.

The door was unlocked.

Turning the handle, quietly, carefully, he let himself in.

The scent of werewolves was everywhere, nearly overpowering the aroma of Old English oil and aged wood. If Hayden didn’t know better, he’d say they were surrounding him. Everywhere. In the stained-glass windows and walls. In the intricately arched ceiling.

They were still here.

Excitement hummed through him as he snaked through the pews, around towering beams that split the church in thirds.

Movement caught his eye from the back of the church.

Wolves. Three of them. Burly and dark haired. They stalked through the aisles, the ridges of their backs raised in agitation. Sliding the Glock from his pocket, Hayden took aim. He could get one shot off. Maybe two. With his other hand, he gripped the Taser and pointed both weapons toward the wolves.

Growling reverberated from all around him. Damn acoustics in the church were blaring. Taking a step back down the middle aisle, Hayden watched as the wolves prowled, one up the middle, two on the sides.

Where’s Asher?
He projected through mind-speak.

The wolf coming at him curled his lip in defiance, revealing a set of hideous teeth.

Someone needs a teeth cleaning.
Hayden pushed out the thought with a laugh.

Snarling into a howl, the wolf charged. Hayden crouched, fingers on both triggers. Without warning, the wolf skidded to a stop moments before he leaped. His eyes glazed over and his ears bent back.

The wolf was listening to something, and it wasn’t him.

The wolf had pledged loyalty to another.

Hayden spun, searching out the leader of the new pack, the one who commanded the rogue.

“Hayden Dean,” a gruff voice said from behind him. “Pleased to finally meet you.”

He turned, ready to pop off a few shots. The werewolf was tall—over six-foot-six from what he could tell—with jet-black hair cut close to his scalp and a nasty scar slicing across his cheek. Hayden had never seen him before, but from his stature and menacing presence alone, he’d guess the werewolf was a former member of the guard.

“Asher, I presume,” Hayden said, moving so that his back faced the wall.

“She said you would come, but I didn’t believe her.” Asher strode closer, his hands hidden behind his back. “What kind of an idiot do you have to be to come here knowing you can’t defend yourself against us?”

“I came to talk some sense into you before it was too late.”

Asher barked out a laugh. “You came to talk? Oh, now I’m intrigued.” He perched on the edge of a pew, the leather pants stretching taut over his legs. “Go ahead, son of Angus, the Alpha who’ll never be. Enlighten me. Tell me what I’m doing wrong and what you’re doing right.”

Hayden watched the wolves carefully as they inched closer.

“You can’t possibly think the council is going to sit by and let you get away with starting a new pack in the city,” Hayden said. “The guards will come for you eventually.”

“You think I’m scared to stand against them?”

No, Asher didn’t look scared. He looked ready for war.

“I’m not worried about the council.” Asher patted his pocket. “I’ve got them right here.”

Hayden sensed more wolves surround them. Whether they were outside or mobilizing in another part of the church, he couldn’t be sure.

Things were about to go from bad to worse.

“Who do you work for?” Hayden spat, pulse spiking.

The silhouette of a woman appeared near the altar. “Me.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Damn it, Lydia!”
He should’ve known
. “What the hell are you doing?”

Lydia traipsed down the stairs at the front, her hands clasped in front of her. The wolves bowed, their muzzles brushing the floor. Asher craned his neck over his shoulder to glare at her before returning his attention to Hayden.

“I’m taking control of the pack,” Lydia said simply. “Both packs, actually. Puts me in a fine position, doesn’t it? Don’t look so surprised. You didn’t seriously expect to rule after Angus died, did you?”

He stiffened, fury striking through his veins.

“You did?” She laughed. “Then it’s true what they say: beauty or brains, but never both.”

Asher chuckled as the wolves closed in. Two more, smaller and sleeker than the first group, emerged from behind the altar and fell behind their leader.

How fast could he fire off every round and reload? He could use the Taser on Asher, and drop a wolf or two before bolting to a better position…

“You were never going to rule.” She paced in front of him like a lion in a cage, anxious to pounce. “Dean blood doesn’t stream through your veins. You’re not the leader Angus was. And you’re inherently weaker than every born wolf in this room.”

Her words stung, piercing through the wall Hayden had built up around his pride. But she didn’t have to say any of it aloud. Those remarks had been on a permanent auto-loop through his mind from the day Angus took him in as his son.

But Lydia was wrong. That simple. Born wolves were no different from turned wolves with the exception of the timing of their shift. And he could take a few of these wolves down if the fight was one-on-one.

“You’re a born wolf,” he said, nudging his chin at her in defiance. “If you’re stronger than I am, let’s go a round.”

“Oh, there was a time when I would’ve jumped at the chance to go a round with you.” Licking her lips, she closed the distance between them and eyed him with heated intensity. “We could’ve been amazing together.” She stepped back as he shivered in disgust. “But that was before Asher made me realize turned wolves are beneath us. They’re not natural.”

His finger tapped against the trigger as he took aim at one wolf before another…and then another.

“I’m just as natural as you are.”

“No,” Asher interrupted. “You’re not. God made us this way. He linked us to the moon and blessed us with the ability to shift into these glorious creatures.” He motioned to the rogue pack. “But you were born of an attack, a random act of violence. We were blessed by the Creator, and you were created from evil. Don’t you see?”

“I see you’re sick as fuck,” Hayden snapped, fury shrinking the skin over his bones. “Holding on to this prejudice is going to break our society.”

“No,” Asher growled, “getting rid of the waste is going to make our society purer, and stronger.”

“The only thing born from hate will be more hate.”

“He’s not getting the picture,” Lydia said, kinking her neck toward Asher. When her gaze returned to Hayden, it was filled with fiery determination. “Listen up, wannabe. Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to be tortured in front of the pack during the next full moon, as an example of what will happen to turned wolves if they don’t leave the city.”

“The hell I am.”

They wanted war, they were about to get it.

Letting the anger whipping through him take over, Hayden pointed the Taser at Asher and took a shot. He dodged, but the prongs caught him in the shoulder, dropping him onto his side. Hayden fired two quick rounds with his Glock—one at Lydia, the other at the wolf stalking in front of him.

Lydia dodged the bullet aimed for her, but the other hit square in the wolf’s chest.

With a howl, the wolf leaped, canines bared. Anticipating the move, Hayden knelt and fired a second bullet into the wolf’s belly. He dropped like a stone while Lydia disappeared behind a group of charging rogues.

He lost sight of her.

Jumping to his feet, Hayden reloaded a Taser cartridge and dropped the next wolf to charge his way. The dark-haired wolf fell to the carpet, twitching in agony. Hayden hurdled the nearest pew, and fired off the final rounds in his Glock. He couldn’t tell which wolves he hit, and which he missed, but when the front doors to the church flew open, time stood still.

The wolf pack’s guards had arrived, with White and Mad Dog leading the charge. Hayden counted twenty guards behind the councilmen, the ridges of their backs towering over five feet.

Victory sang through him.

His pack had come to join the fight.

Hayden’s backup circled the room, corralling the rogues in the center. They snapped and charged, only to be driven back by the line of experienced guards.

Surrender,
Mad Dog spoke through his thoughts, as he stalked the group of rogues.
Or we’ll rip off your legs, skin them in the gutter, and feed you the bones.

Damn.
He was crazy intense, but they didn’t call him Mad Dog for nothing.

Asher shook into full wolf form in a blink. Coarse dark fur flattened over his skin and muscles erupted where they weren’t there before. He charged Hayden, his wide paws striking the floor like anvils. Thinking fast, Hayden charged right back and ate up the space between them. As Asher leaped, Hayden slid, just like he was sliding over home plate. He fired two quick rounds in Asher’s chest, making sure the silver hit true.

The wolves in his command howled in distress as if they could feel the wound.

The split-second distraction was all the guards needed to surround the wolves completely and pin them to the ground.

As the guards took complete control over the rogues, Hayden scanned the church for Lydia. There. Sprinting down the main aisle toward the altar.

He took off after her, reloading.

“It’s over,” he shouted, keeping her trained in his sights. “If you give up now, you’ll be tried for treason and rogue behavior, but you’ll live to see another day.”

“You think you’re the only one who can give an ultimatum? I’ve got one better for you.” Reaching the altar circled with stained glass, Lydia laughed in a string of wicked giggles that didn’t suit her. Rays of sunlight slanted over her face, making her skin glow a devilish shade of orange. “If you disappear, your precious Luminary will live a happy, fulfilled life. If you remain on the path you’re on, I’ll kill her myself.”

“You’re hardly in a position to make a threat.” He froze, finger twitching and ready to fire. “You’re not in control over the council anymore, now that they know what you were plotting behind their backs, and you’re not in control over the rogues.”

Her attention shifted over his shoulder, where the rogues were shifting back to human form and being placed under wolf-pack arrest.

“I may have lost my grip on a few things, but I’ve got my hand in others,” she whispered. “I’ve offered Melina the job of her dreams at
Eclipse
, as the sole editorial director of the fashion column. She was quite thrilled when I gave her the first assignment.”

He rushed up the stairs. She backed against the altar, hands extended.

“I don’t want you to mention her name, not ever again,” he said, gripping her by the wrist. “You’re under arrest for treason…”

She grinned from the side of her mouth before he could finish reading her rights. “Don’t you want to know what she’s going to write about?”

“I don’t want to hear another word.”

“Werewolves in the city,” Lydia said. “Well, one werewolf in particular…You.”

Panic latched onto his windpipe. “She wouldn’t work for you and agree to that.”

“Oh, she would and she will. It’s already done.” Lydia flicked her tongue over her teeth. “She’s already accepted the position. I’ve got the contract she signed in my coat pocket. You can see for yourself, if you don’t believe me.”

“I’d have to be crazy to believe a word that came out of your mouth.” Wrenching Lydia’s arms behind her back, he dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a small envelope. “Is this it? The alleged contract?”

She nodded slowly. “I’ve made all of her dreams come true. You’ll see.”

Keeping her hands clasped together so she couldn’t escape, Hayden shook the papers out of the envelope, and then nudged them open.

Eclipse’s contract.

Melina’s signature beside Lydia’s. And today’s date.

“Told you.” Lydia twisted in his grasp. “She works for us now. I’ve given her everything. And for that, she’s going to expose you to the world.”

If he wasn’t staring at the contract with his own eyes, he might not have believed it.

Working for
Eclipse
might’ve been her dream job, but she wouldn’t expose him as a werewolf, would she? He forced his heartbeat to slow, and for confidence to remain in his heart, but doubt managed to wedge its way in. If she wrote an article exposing him, would people laugh it off as satire? Bizarre, unbelievable news? Or would she dig deep enough to be able to really prove it?

“I can see the doubt in your eyes,” she whispered. “You know how much this means to her.”

Yeah, he did.

He dragged her to the floor. She fought against his hold, but didn’t shift. Putting a knee in her back, he swung her other wrist around and pinned her in place.

“With her position at
Eclipse
, Melina will be happy. That thought alone should be enough for you to leave the city and never look back,” Lydia said, her face smothered against the carpet. “If you don’t leave, every rogue in the city will be out for blood.”

I could protect her.

“The hell you could.”

He hadn’t meant to project the thought.

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” he seethed into her ear, “your rogues are on lock-down.”

She pushed out a maniacal laugh. “You think these rogues are the only ones out there? We’re everywhere; working undercover as guards, interning at the law office. I’ve gotten to more people than you know, and we’re
very
patient. We’ll simply wait for the right time to strike. When your back is turned or when you least expect it. As your mate, Melina will always be a target. And you won’t always be there to protect her.” The words resonated deep, hitting him like a low blow. “You won’t know who to trust.”

She was right. Of course she was. The rogues in the church tonight weren’t the only ones in the city. Not by a long shot. These were the only ones who happened to be in the vicinity when he showed up.

You won’t always be there to protect her…

With a growl escaping from his throat, Hayden jerked Lydia to her feet and led her down the steps to join her rogues. He handed her off to Mad Dog, who dragged her out back as if he was taking out the trash.

White approached Hayden’s side, his hands on his hips as he took in the scene. “Quite the party.”

“Yeah.” Hayden’s chest squeezed. “Thanks for coming to back me up.”

“We didn’t only come to back you up,” he said, leading Hayden out front. “We came to show loyalty to our Alpha.”

As they pushed their way out the front doors, at least fifty packmates stood silent, in human form, bowing their heads.

Hayden felt his face scrunch. “But I’m not—”

“You
are
Alpha. Or at least you will be.”

“I thought I wasn’t worthy.”

“Do these men look as if they think you’re unworthy?”

He scanned the bowed heads, and the humbled gazes. “What changed? Lydia?”

“No, it was
you
who changed.” White patted Hayden on the back, his touch warming through Hayden’s coat. “Your father waited his entire life to see you put the pack’s interest above your own.” He paused, and covered his heart with his hand. “There is no greater sacrifice than putting your life above your brothers’.”

Hayden’s throat burned with the threat of tears.

“Your father would’ve been proud of you, Hayden.” White nodded and smiled, and Hayden imagined his father doing the same. “As far as the San Francisco Wolf Pack is concerned, it doesn’t matter if you were born or turned. It’s what’s in your heart that’s important. And in
your
heart, I find selfless love.
That,
my son, is the true heart of an Alpha. Now, kneel before the members of your pack to accept the position you were destined for.”

His insides knotted. “The Alpha induction ceremony isn’t scheduled until the next full moon.”

“Now that you’ve proved your worth to the pack,” White spread his arms wide, to the crowd of wolves surrounding them, “there’s no need for a council vote. We’ve been waiting for this moment.”

“But…” Inadequacy niggled in Hayden’s gut. “…I’m not in wolf form. The induction ceremonies usually happen when the entire pack can be present as wolves.”

“We can wait until the next full moon, if that’s what you insist.” White leaned in close. “But the men present today feel it’s a sign of respect. You came here, defending the pack in human form. They want to bow to you in the same.”

Heart in his throat, Hayden kneeled before his father’s friend and stared at the concrete.

“Hayden Dean, son of Angus, and rightful heir to the San Francisco Wolf Pack throne, do you solemnly swear to always have the pack’s best interest at heart?”

“I do,” he breathed.

He’d never meant any words more.

“Do you vow to protect the pack, honor its laws, and obey its customs?”

“I do.”

“With the power vested in me,” White said, “by the former Alpha, Angus Dean, I pronounce you the reigning Alpha of the San Francisco Wolf Pack.”

Applause and hollers rang out from all around them as Hayden’s packmates welcomed him as their leader. Something warmed in his chest, and sent chills scattering up and down his spine.

This was the moment he’d been dreaming of for the last year. He should’ve been thrilled, over the moon, ready to conquer the world.

But there was one thing missing…

“Melina.” Lydia’s words rang through his ears.
You won’t always be there to protect her.
“I have to go,” he said.

As he took off down Church Street with the contract in his back pocket, Hayden had the sickening feeling Lydia had one more trick up her sleeve.