Un.Wavering (Claimed Series Book 3) (25 page)

As they stepped inside the foyer, the sole of her boot caught a loose floorboard, causing it to creak loudly. Nicolas turned and offered her an apathetic look.

“It’s not like you made a quiet entrance,” she hissed.

“
Silence,
” he ordered.

Cole curled a hand around the nape of her neck, squeezing it reassuringly. Her shoulders loosened at the touch and her frustration eased. She didn’t understand why they needed to be quiet in the first place, especially if they
wanted
to find Troy for answers.

They ventured further into the house, the style typical of a bungalow built back in the late twenties. Quite a bit of dust and cobwebs claimed the corners and woodwork, but it wasn’t as run down as she’d imagined from the exterior.

As she turned into the kitchen, she spied the coffee mug sitting next to the half-empty coffee pot. Hayden sniffed, smelling the faint aroma of coffee grounds. It was still fresh enough to alert her that there was still someone inside the house.

Lights flooded the kitchen as soon as the thought occurred to her.

Whirling around, she spied a werewolf standing in the entrance, a pistol in hand. Cole immediately moved to shield her view, his broad body easily protecting her from any immediate harm.

“Who the hell are you?”

She peered at the stranger from around Cole, noticing his insanely bushy beard and his dark, squinty eyes. He had pale brows and even paler lashes, accentuating the mole-like quality to his eyes. Despite his unique appearance, she was impressed with his ability to sneak up on Nicolas unannounced.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he grunted, lowering his weapon. “The Slayter boys. And you’re even hiding a Crow at your back.”

Hayden grimaced, wondering how it was possible for him to identify her as Logan’s daughter. Surely their similarities weren’t that noticeable.

“I can smell a Crow from a mile away, girl,” the man boasted, as if reading her doubts. “At any rate, you’re the first female in that line for generations. Not impossible to pick up on his daughter.”

Cole looked down at her and gradually stepped aside. She found herself under the full scrutiny of the stranger. As she met his evaluating gaze, she remembered what Marcus had said about this man, this Troy Arnold.

He didn’t like females. The slight curve to his lip suggested otherwise.

“Blonde and lanky, just like the rest of them.” He chuckled. “Stubborn eyes to boot.”

“You’re Troy?” Hayden asked, only because she didn’t know how else to respond.

The man, Troy, grinned toothily, revealing a set of yellow teeth that would rival Fergus’ own. “What gave it away? I presume you’re Hayden.” He ran a hand down his chest-length beard. “Traveling with the brawn and no-brained Slayters, I see. Logan would have a fit if he knew.”

Her eyebrows rose at the bold insult, though his wide grin suggested he wasn’t entirely serious. However, as he looked in Nicolas’ direction, his grin faltered just slightly.

“It’s a pleasure,” Nicolas drawled in greeting, sounding anything but approachable. “I’m afraid we didn’t come for a social visit, but rather for answers.”

Troy heaved a weary sigh and leaned his back against the doorframe to the kitchen. He surveyed each of them individually, gradually becoming forlorn. “I expected as much. I will answer any of your questions as long as it helps you find Logan.”

Shock stiffened Hayden’s limbs.

“Find him?” she repeated frantically. “What do you mean
find
him?”

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? After his disappearance, I tried to make myself scarce. Celeste seized control of our operations. She’s made a mess out of—”

“Logan Crow was murdered,” Nicolas interrupted.

Troy sneered. “If Celeste is still walking and breathing, I find Logan’s death highly unlikely. She’s taken him somewhere, I’m sure of it.”

Hayden stared, trying to make sense of his words. It wasn’t long before the pieces connected. “They’re life mates,” she stated dully. “That… I… They are…”

The werewolf grunted, acknowledging her speechlessness. “That little blond spawn, what’s the boy’s name? Julian! He’s physical proof of their union. For the longest time, Logan refused to finalize his bond with Celeste. I don’t blame the man… not only was she disagreeable, but it’s a fragile and tricky situation.”

His mole-like eyes pinned Nicolas with a hard stare.

“There are more life mates out there than you’d think. The werewolf community spouts tales of life mates as if it’s some
fanatical
chance of fate. But in actuality, the secrecy is used to prevent slimy cowards, like yourself, to take advantage of their vulnerability.”

Hayden sensed the tension in the room as Troy spoke specifically about Xavier and his life mate, Marie. His mother’s blood would always stain Nicolas’ hands, and his reputation. Yet, one look in his direction made Hayden realize that he just didn’t
care.

“From what we’ve heard, Logan and Celeste were always at odds.” Cole stepped next to Hayden. “He even lived a second life with another woman, another child. If that were the case, don’t you think it possible Celeste would have survived his death?”

“Based on what?” Troy grumbled. “Infidelity? An unhappy female? Like those situations don’t happen often. They were life mates, boy. It doesn’t matter how perfect or imperfect their relationship. Neither can live if the other dies. Don’t let her blasé nature fool you. Celeste adored Logan.”

“She must have adored you as well,” Hayden observed. “You’re still alive. And considering you’re the last person
alive
to know about her true relationship with Logan must mean she respected you a great deal.”

Troy sneered at the mere mention of Celeste admiring him.

He pushed off from the doorframe and prowled toward the sink. “Frankly, I don’t know why she’s kept me alive this long. I keep waiting, knowing each day I’m alive is because she wills it to be another day.”

He pulled out a half-empty bottle of clear liquid and unstopped the cork at the top. Hayden smelt the strong, potent scent of moonshine. She watched as he poured a generous amount into a dirty glass and swigged it down in one gulp.

He didn’t even pull a face, but simply poured himself another glass.

“I was against her participation in the first place,” Troy continued, the bite in his tone loosening slightly. “Xavier and Logan were good friends. They were… very influential Alpha men with brilliant minds. They both had good ideals. Very traditional ideals, but good ones.”

Hayden blinked when the man presented her with the glass. The smell tickled the hairs on the inside of her nose, nearly causing them to curl.

“You’ve grown up wonderfully. I can see you keep these two boys in line. Your father… he loved you very much. Talked about you all the time.” Troy nudged the glass in her direction. “Have some hooch, girl.”

His words struck a chord within Hayden. For all his redneck-like slurs and his rough exterior, she couldn’t help but to like the man. She accepted the glass and held her breath, trying to swallow as much as she could in one go.

Her face contorted painfully as the liquid burned down her throat. Her initial reaction was to splutter and cough, yet somehow, she managed to keep that urge muffled.

Troy guffawed, impressed. “That’ll put hair on your chest, eh!?”

He took back the glass and poured another round. She watched him keenly, feeling her limbs relax and her senses slow just a tad. She knew alcohol didn’t have a long effect on werewolves, but she didn’t know the effects of pure, hard alcohol.

“You said you didn’t want Celeste to join you,” she hinted, feeling Nicolas stir restlessly behind her. “What were you and our fathers doing?”

Distinctively, she wondered when she felt comfortable enough to address Logan as her father. Never. She assumed she’d said it out of convenience.

“As I said before, Logan and Xavier had good minds. They were traditional to boot, though. Most of their ideas were met with some resistance, especially from the more modern Lycans.” He sat upon the counter, pressing a possessive hand on top his moonshine. “We killed a great deal of werewolves. You’re standing on top a mass burial.”

Hayden’s eyes widened and she looked at Cole and Nicolas. They weren’t as outwardly surprised, yet she knew they weren’t prepared for the announcement.

“What were your intentions?” Cole pressed.

“I think you three are old enough to deal with the truth. What Logan and Xavier intended was of good intentions, but terrible consequences.” He looked above Cole’s head, peering somewhere far off in time. “Logan had an idea. He wanted to eliminate rogues for good.”

Hayden sensed a great deal of shadows and ghosts around Troy. Whatever he planned to say did not sit well, even with him.

“He came up with an idea to transfer a disease through bite. They’d infect as many rogues as they could with this… this serum we invented. With the sudden rise of rogue numbers, Xavier and Logan wanted to eliminate the threat permanently. If they perfected this serum, we would have kept the rogue situation under control, while keeping the humans oblivious.

“Only, they killed many test subjects before they contacted me for help. They found it difficult to keep the rogue carrier alive long enough to spread the disease. After many failed attempts myself, I was finally able to isolate the disease. In the end, we were successful. Any rogue infected with the serum would kill any human it bit instantly. The increase of rogues would finally come to a stop.”

Hayden frowned, trying to absorb as much as she could.

It was like a backwards theory to Celeste’s ideas. Instead of her three Carriers, who bit humans to create an obedient army, Logan and Xavier had intended
their
carriers to feed innocents with deadly toxins.

Those deadly toxins would instantly kill the prey and decrease the rogue population.

“Celeste argued fiercely with Logan. She didn’t think they had a right to play god.” Troy took another swig of his moonshine. “She thought it was time for the humans to know of our existence, and for us to take an active place as the superior creature. She didn’t think
innocent
humans, bit by rogues, should die just because of consequence. So she killed Xavier by proxy, took the formula, and ran to create her own twist.”

“She has three Carriers, only two now, who infect humans through bite,” Hayden started. “These humans turn into obedient and mindless soldiers. They are… extremely superior to traditional wolves in terms of strength an ability.”

“So she succeeded,” Troy muttered into his glass. “I’m sure she feels rather accomplished now that she’s saved those innocent humans and created a superior creature.”

“But it’s the same thing!” Hayden argued fiercely, a flush rising to her cheeks. “What Xavier and Logan were experimenting with wasn’t right, but neither is Celeste. You haven’t seen these…
puppets
. They are unconscious to everything but their loyalty. They have no personality. They have no freedom. They are completely under Celeste’s control and just as good as dead.”

Troy turned his dark eyes on to her. “You try telling that to Celeste, child. She will not see your reasons, just as Logan did not see hers.”

She inhaled deeply, her mind trying to grasp at something important, but unable to connect the dots. Celeste was in the same position not too long ago. She’d witnessed Xavier, Logan, and Troy create something she did not agree with.

But she’d been able to outsmart them and turn it into something she could support. It didn’t matter what others thought of her work. Celeste possessed the unsupported belief that what she was doing was
right.

But it wasn’t. It was exactly the same thing, but far more destructive.

“She kept you alive for a reason,” Cole intervened. “Can you imagine why that is? Were you friendly to her? Did you support her beliefs?”

“No, no and no,” Troy snarled. “She came to me with her concerns and I turned her away. It wasn’t my
place
to question Xavier and Logan. They paid a pretty penny for my assistance and I tried my damnest to assist them.”

“So it was all about money?” Nicolas drawled in question.

“In the beginning? You’re damn right it was. I needed the money.” Troy fiddled with the bottle of moonshine, no longer enthusiastically drinking. “But I ended up respecting them and supporting their cause. I didn’t want humans finding out about us. I didn’t think rogues should repopulate as quickly as they were… I understood.”

“She kept you alive, because you were the brains behind it all,” Hayden surmised. “If she ever ran into any problems of her own, she could come to you.”

“No, I…” Troy started, but trailed off. He sighed and lowered his eyes. “Yes, I suppose I was the brains behind most of the theory. They were the ones with the visions and I made it happen.”

Nicolas smiled grimly and took a few steps closer to Troy. “Are you sure that’s not all?” he inquired softly. His eyes flashed dangerously as he stopped inches before the man. “I am… unconvinced that a man such as yourself did not find Celeste the least bit tempting.”