Chapter 9
After Calder left, Hayley decided to heed the Alpha’s advice of spending some time in town. She threw on something more fashionable and less mountain hag, pulled her hair into a messy bun, and headed into town. Their conversation was fresh in her mind as she made her way down the winding, narrow roads into the small town. A smile spread across her face, her heart and soul feeling lighter than they had in ages.
Being back where she had been born and raised felt natural, like home should. It eased her soul—something Hayley had not expected to feel.
“Are you really considering staying?”her wolf asked in her mind.
“Yeah, I think so.” It was crazy to give up everything that she had worked so hard for. The apartment, the job, her life as she knew it. But when it came down to it, Hayley knew none of it meant anything without a community around her. Not only that, but her wolf also needed her pack—something Hayley had ignored for far too long.
She pulled into Cam’s Diner and threw the rental car in park. The sun broke through the clouds as she stepped from the vehicle and closed the door. An old pickup truck caught her attention. Her heart skipped a beat, and a smile spread across her face. Stepping inside the diner, the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee enveloped her, making her stomach growl.
“Welcome back, Hayley.” The owner, Cam, greeted her with a warm smile.
“Thanks.”
Cam’s nose twitched, the grin on her face growing even larger. “Will you be sitting by yourself, or do you want to grab a seat next to Jackson?” She pointed to the row of seats at the counter where Jackson was perched, looking at her with a hopeful face.
“Um… I’ll sit with Jackson. He’s the only one here that I know.”
“Stick around long enough, and you’ll get to know everyone here. You probably don’t remember, but I used to babysit you when you were little.” Cam turned to lead Hayley to the counter.
“Really? I’m sorry, I don’t remember.”
“Yep. You were only about a year old. I was in high school, and my mom was friends with your mom. I’d help out where I could, and the extra money was nice. I’m sorry about what happened to your family.”
“Thanks.” Hayley offered a weak smile when Cam turned back around to face her. She set a menu down on the counter for Hayley.
“I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu.” Cam placed a comforting hand on Hayley’s shoulder. “It’s nice to have you back where you belong,” she said before walking away to greet a couple waiting to be seated.
“Hey.” Hayley grabbed a seat at the counter next to Jackson and flipped open the menu.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Jackson asked, finishing up his breakfast.
“I did. It’s amazing how the fresh air here affects me—calms me and my wolf.” Hayley scanned the menu, quickly deciding what she wanted to eat.
“What can I get you?” Cam asked after she quickly refilled Jackson’s coffee.
“I’ll have the country omelet with two sides of bacon and pancakes.” Hayley wasn’t even worried about her appetite. It was a shifter thing. Back in the city, she would’ve had to have halved her order for fear of getting ridiculed for eating too much. Normal—human men tended to frown upon a woman with an actual appetite.
God, how she had truly missed being around shifters.
“This is my favorite place for breakfast,” Jackson said.
“Nice. I’m starving, and it sure smells good in here.”
“You won’t regret it. I promise. I hope you don’t mind, but I want to hit up the hardware store for a few things I need to keep the project going at the cabin.” Jackson threw some cash on the counter and stood.
“Not at all. I’ll see you later.” Hayley smiled up at Jackson as he brushed past her, fighting the need to drag him close and kiss him goodbye. She had no idea where that desire had come from, but it had hit her like a fucking brick. Damn, that man smelled hella’ good. She wanted to wrap herself in his arms and soak in his mouthwatering scent.
Jackson’s eyes flashed as he caught her scent. She kept forgetting he could smell her desire.
“Later.” The single word came out of his mouth as more of a growl than anything else. Hayley knew it was a promise for what was to come. A promise that sent a chill up her spine and made her core ache. Memories of the night before flashed through her mind again, stirring her desire even higher.
Her breakfast arrived a few minutes later, and Hayley dug in, the taste exploding in her mouth.
“Is everything okay, hon?” Cam asked as she filled up Hayley’s coffee cup.
“It’s amazing. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time a meal tasted this good.” She admitted before taking a sip of her coffee.
“You’ve been spending most of your time as a human, right? Not shifting?” Cam asked.
“Before coming back to Twisted Tail? Yeah. I live in the city, it’s hard to find a place to let my wolf out to run free. What few parks are nearby are pretty damn sketchy, even for a wolf.” Hayley felt guilty even saying the words. Shifters were supposed to live in big open spaces so they could let their wolves run free.
“It’s because you’re back home and more in touch with your wolf than you probably have been in years. She’s been let off the leash you kept her on, so to speak. Because of that, you’ll find all of your senses, whether it be your sense of touch, smell, taste, and more.” Cam winked at her, causing Hayley to nearly choke on the bite of eggs she had in her mouth.
Hayley thought about what Cam had said. She did feel more alive than she had in years. She chucked that up to her ability to shift and run. So that probably had something to do with it. Allowing her wolf to be more than just a voice inside her head was the key to all of it.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A woman snarled at Hayley, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Can I help you with something?” Hayley turned to face the woman. She was beautiful with short blonde hair and chunky black streaks. Her black eyeliner had been drawn far too thick around her dark brown eyes. She was tall and thin and wore a nasty scowl that somehow suited the brief glance of the ugly personality she oozed. Her wolf rose in the back of her mind, pressing forward and urging Hayley to let her deal with the situation—begging, really.
She pushed back on her animal, knowing not a single person in the diner would appreciate her wolfing out. Well—maybe a few of the guys, but that would be about it. As it were, she wanted to make a good impression. However, she wasn’t sure why that was so important to her.
“Yeah, you can help me by going back to wherever the fuck it is you came from. You don’t belong here, bitch. And you do not belong with my man.” The crazy woman seethed.
“I think you must have me confused with someone else because I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Hayley turned back to her coffee, intent on ignoring the psycho wanting to cause an uproar.
“Please, I can smell him all over you. Stay the fuck away from Jackson. He’s mine. I won’t tell you again!”
“I don’t know what the hell you think you are doing here, Sherry, but you need to leave.” Cam set her tray down and marched over to face off with the local troublemaker.
“Stay out of this, Cam. It has nothing to do with you. It’s between me and this fucking whore,” Sherry growled.
“Excuse me?” Hayley snarled and rose to her feet, going nose-to-nose with Sherry. She could feel her magic swirling around her, pushing her wolf forward.
“Are you fucking deaf, bitch?” Sherry’s eyes began to glow. Her animal was barely contained.
“Enough!” A loud voice boomed through the diner.
Hayley could feel her magic dashing away as fast as it had begun to swirl around her. The Alpha’s timbre sent her wolf cowering in fear, needing to obey his command.
Pushing between the two women, Calder turned his attention to Sherry. “I’m sure you’re aware that interfering between mates is punishable by death.” He didn’t mince his words. His meaning was crystal clear to anyone listening to the conversation.
Hayley had hoped to keep that whole mate tidbit under wraps until she had made up her mind whether or not she was staying at Twisted Tail or if she was going back to her city life.
“You are no longer my Alpha. You have no authority over me.” Sherry’s voice trembled. She tried her best to hold her own, but she didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell, and she knew it. Not when it was the Alpha standing in front of her.
“You’re right. I’m not your Alpha. It’s a good thing, too, because you know you’d be stripped of your magic and cast out. However, when you come to my pack looking to start a fight between mates, I won’t be as kind as I would be to another pack member. You will not leave with your life if I see you here again.”
A shiver washed over Hayley. She heard the truth in Calder’s words. His threat wasn’t an empty one. He would end her with a flick of his hand. It would be as easy as that.
“I suggest you leave now. Get out of this diner and out of my territory.”
Sherry didn’t bother with a reply. She did turn to give Hayley a glare that said, this isn’t over.