Chapter 11
Hayley couldn’t shake the sense of dread that washed over her and filled the pit of her stomach. As the feeling crept over her, it left her covered in goosebumps. Something terrible was about to happen. She felt it deep in her bones—almost like a sixth sense. She couldn’t put her finger on why she felt that way. Sherry’s little outburst at the diner had shaken her, but after Calder had settled it, she’d blown it off as a crazy one-off encounter.
Her relationship with Jackson was on solid footing. She didn’t think that had anything to do with it. Their mating had been a little over a week ago, and life had been fabulous with him—like nothing she could have ever possibly imagined. She had talked to her boss several times, and everything was good with her job. Her clients were happy and so was her boss.
The last thing to wrap up in her old life was her apartment. Jackson was going to fly back with her to help her pack it up and make the long drive back to Twisted Tail, where they would hopefully live happily ever after.
The sense of dread swept over her again. This time, the feeling was stronger than before. It was almost as if her guardian angel was telling her to turn around and drive away.
Her wolf was on high alert, ready to push through and claim control at any second as she turned onto her long, winding driveway. Pulling to a stop in front of her cabin, the tiny hairs on her arms stood on end.
“I must be losing my mind.” Hayley rubbed her arms, trying to calm her frayed nerves. She looked around once again, not seeing a single thing that could possibly be a threat. The cabin was miles out of the small, friendly town. She grabbed her keys and her purse and stepped out of her vehicle.
“Let me out,”her wolf demanded.
“I remember you.” The familiar voice called out from a shadowed corner of her property.
Hayley’s breaths hitched in her throat, her heart beginning to race. “Trevor!” she choked out. Never once did she think she’d see him again. He was the one whom Griffin had sent after her. The man she’d run from, hidden from, for years—the scumbag who had murdered her family.
“I see you remember me as well.”
He stepped out of the shadow and into the light of the moon. Trevor looked just as menacing as she had remembered. His greasy hair hung down past his shoulders. His clothes were torn and filthy. His eyes were empty pools of evil glaring at her. He may have seemed calm on the outside—reasonable almost.
Hayley knew better.
He was nothing more than a seasoned killer, simply waiting for the right time to strike. She’d seen him in action. He’d killed her family with zero remorse.
“What are you doing here?” Hayley asked, swallowing her fear, knowing it wouldn’t do her a damn bit of good.
Trevor thrived on fear. He was the sick kind of fucker who got off on it. To show him her fear was the worst thing she could have done.
“I wanted to see if the rumors were true. If you were stupid enough to come back here. I see that Sherry was right. You’re just as dumb as your mom and dad.” Spittle flew from Trevor’s mouth. He had the same horrific look he’d carried on his ugly mug for all the years Hayley had known him.
Something deep inside of Hayley snapped. She was done hiding, done running. She was done cowering to assholes who wanted to destroy her for shits and giggles. They had chased her from her home once. Hayley would not allow them to chase her away again. She had finally met her mate and decided on a life with him. She would not let Trevor or anyone else take that away from her.
She swallowed her fear, wanting revenge for her murdered parents. Rage surged through her until it became unbearable. Twigs snapped beside her, but she didn’t turn her head to see who had joined them. It didn’t matter. She would go down fighting and take a few of the bastards with her.
“Let me out!”her wolf screamed in her mind, wanting to take care of the fucker in front of her. She may not win when it came down to the odds, but she would die trying. She’d longed for this opportunity—to face off with the bastard who had taken everything from her.
“She’s mine!” Sherry snarled. “I don’t care who the fuck she thinks she is. No one messes with my man and lives to tell the tale. Just make sure she doesn’t try to run again.”
Trevor’s men fanned out around her and Sherry, locking them into a makeshift circle. There was no way out. Not that Hayley was looking for one. Not this time.
Her wolf pushed harder against her mind, demanding control of their body, but Hayley pushed back against her beast, knowing she had one shot and one shot only. One chance to take Sherry down before the others were on her.
“Do you see me running?” Hayley asked, trying to keep her voice calm and steady, not allowing the others to distract her from the immediate threat. Once she got past Sherry, she would deal with the others—though she had absolutely no idea how.
A healthy dose of fear raced through her body. She thought of Jackson and how fast she had fallen for him—how a genuine love had blossomed before they had even completed the mating ritual. His handsome face flashed in her mind, helping her to squash the fear and doubt that had crept over her body.
“You should have left when I warned you.” Sherry inched closer to her before pausing to sniff the air around them.
“Like that scent? I’m pretty damn fond of it myself.” Hayley smiled at Sherry, knowing damn well that Sherry was picking up the scent of her mating with Jackson.
“No!” Sherry screeched. “What have you done? Jackson was supposed to be my mate! He was supposed to join our pack!”
“You were never his true mate. You know that. So, why are you acting all surprised?” Hayley knew she shouldn’t taunt Sherry, but she just couldn’t help it. It felt good for others to know that she was Jackson’s fated mate–that he had chosen her above all.
“No! I just needed more time. Jackson would have done anything for me until you fucked it up!”
“From what I’ve heard, I don’t think I had anything to do with your and Jackson”s problems. You fucked things up on your own long before he met me.”
Sherry closed the distance between them. “Sure, we had issues like every couple, but we would have gotten back together like always. I will make him see that he is mine. All I have to do is get rid of you first, which will be easy enough.”
“I’m glad you seem to think so.” Hayley once again worked to keep her voice calm and steady. It wasn’t panic or fear that she felt this time. Rage surged through her body, lighting the blood in her veins on fire. She wanted Sherry to think she had the upper hand—that Hayley was a pushover who would cower to her.
Hayley couldn’t wait to prove her wrong.
Sherry lunged for Hayley, fists first and Hayley quickly sidestepped her efforts, landing a one-two punch to the side of Sherry’s face.
“You fucking bitch! I’m going to kill you!” Sherry screeched.
“If you feel froggy, leap. Let’s go!” Hayley growled. Her wolf was dangerously close to assuming control of their body.
“Patience,” Hayley said to her wolf. “Just a little bit longer. I promise.”
Her wolf growled in response.
“What the fuck, Sherry? Shift! Get her!” Trevor shouted.
The fact that Sherry had to be told to shift was telling for Hayley. She’d heard stories of shifters who’d had problems shifting due to inbreeding and bad genetics. Was Sherry someone who suffered from these problems? Her eyes hadn’t flashed at all—the telltale sign that she was fighting to hold her animal back.
“I’m trying,” Sherry shouted, looking far more pissed off at Trevor than she was a Hayley.
“Having problems with your wolf?” Hayley growled, letting her magic flare around her.
“Why don’t you worry about yourself?”
Hayley felt the draw of Sherry’s magic. It was slow and unsure—much like Sherry seemed to be in this situation. She almost felt bad for her opponent. Sherry didn’t seem to be the brightest crayon in the box. Clearly, someone was pulling her strings, forcing her into one bad decision after another that would ultimately lead to Sherry’s demise.
“Why do you want her dead, Trevor?” Hayley shouted.
“It’s survival of the fittest, or maybe you’ve forgotten that. If she can’t beat a wolf who’s lived the last decade-plus as a human, then she deserves to die. My pack has no room for the weak. You, of all people, should know that.”
“Don’t worry. This pathetic bitch can’t beat me.” Sherry continued to call her magic, shifting slower than Hayley had ever seen. Pain contorted Sherry’s face as the woman worked at keeping her mouth shut and not screaming out in agony.
“Yikes! That looks painful.” Hayley genuinely felt terrible for Sherry, but those feelings wouldn’t stop her from defending herself.