The Alpha’s Bullied Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #1)

Chapter 16 - Hayden

At the first howl, Hayden rushed to meet the attackers. He leaped from an upper window, exploding into his wolf form as he did so. Spencer howled again and charged over the fence at him. Hayden let out a howl of his own, rushing to meet him. They clashed head-on, fur and snarls flying through the air.

Spencer lunged, his teeth white against his black fur. He feinted to the left, but Hayden anticipated his motion. He lightly leaped to the side and ducked, coming up at Spencer’s throat. Spencer clawed at his flank while the wolves of the pack clashed on every side.

Pain burst through Hayden’s side as his teeth snapped just shy of Spencer’s jugular. Blood soaked through his fur. Spencer grabbed at his ruff, but Hayden twisted himself, rolling. He kicked all four feet into Spencer’s stomach, his claws ripping through fur. He flung Spencer through the air.

Hayden jumped to his feet and took half a second to take stock of the others around him. His team was at the forefront of the fight, forming a barrier between the rest of the pack and Spencer’s wolves. They’d been forced to leave the protected grounds as the wolves who had come to pledge allegiance had left the ring of salt.

Time to worry about that later.

He twisted aside from Spencer’s attack and grabbed hold of the beta’s scruff. As he was shaking Spencer, a deep bellow sounded from the forest. The fighting came to a stop as everyone turned. A chill flashed down Hayden’s spine as the trees bent and swayed.

One by one, beast-demons emerged from the treeline. They were massive, each one identical to the next. Massive, twisting goat horns emerged from their narrow faces. Their bodies were built with the muscle and power of a bull. Each long limb was slightly bent like arms, ending with massive hands with retractable claws. The first one opened its mouth, revealing canines similar to that of a lion. It bugled and charged, arcing around the salt circle toward the nearest wolves.

Spencer howled and turned tail. He raced off, a handful of the other wolves going with him. The other attackers howled in unison with the demon-beasts.

The wolves of Hayden’s new pack seemed frozen in place. Derek sped forward, leaping onto the face of the nearest beast. It flung its head, sending his back paws flying through the air, but he bit harder on its shaggy fur and kept where he was.

Hayden reached out with his Alpha aura, ordering everyone into the protected ground. They fled, automatically obeying. The special ops gathered around him, and he led them toward the beast, now flinging Derek around like a ragdoll.

They surrounded the beast, tearing at its limbs and body. Finn was nearly gored by a horn, but Hayden and Ryder intervened, both of them grabbing hold of one of the horns. They both threw their weight into twisting it while Maverick and Blayke grabbed the other horn, pulling on it.

A snap rang through the air, and the beast dropped, twitching as its eyes rolled. Hayden whirled as a second beast charged. But as the team went for it, it suddenly spun around. The rest of the beast-demons charged back the way they had come, fleeing toward the trees.

Ryder started to chase, but Hayden barked once, stopping him. They retreated back behind the salt line. Hayden twisted, searching the houses.

There, standing on the roof several yards away, Monroe watched. He lifted two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute before jumping from his perch.

Hayden’s jaw clenched. So it had been a test, had it?

How would Monroe—or rather, the demon possessing him—explain the beasts to his followers? Was he going to use them as a way to rally the wolves against Hayden? Whatever his plans were, Hayden had a problem on his own hands—namely, he had to explain to his followers what was really happening.

In the meantime, though, he had questions of his own.

He shifted to his human form, ignoring his nakedness. “Clean up your injuries and refresh the salt barrier around the property’s edge. Ryder, you’re in charge.”

Ryder nodded, then shifted to his own human form. As he was arranging the wolves into teams, Hayden strode for the house. Mica greeted him at the door, armed with a kitchen knife. She glanced over at him, relief in her eyes, then headed outside to help Ryder. Hayden resisted the urge to grab her and kiss her.

He let out a shaky breath, grounding himself, as he headed up the stairs. He stopped in his room for some clothes before heading to Echo’s room. The aura-demon possessing Echo was active in her circle of salt, trying to cross the barrier. When she saw him, a cruel smile twisted over her face.

“How’s Mica? I do hope that she didn’t find herself caught up in a wolf fight. Such a weak little human wouldn’t stand much of a chance, after all.”

Hayden ignored the obvious taunt. “What’s the name of your leader?”

“Monroe.”

“And your name?”

“Echo.” That cruel smile was still in place.

It was expected. No demon that Hayden ever met would admit to their own name. It made him wonder if they had names at all. He originally thought they did it as a way to taunt the loved ones of the people they possessed, but time made him change his mind.

He circled around the demon, looking past the familiar face to the monster inside. “How did the demons even get a foothold here?”

Echo laughed. “Oh, that! Monroe made a deal with an archdemon to bring his dead mate back to life. But the idiot didn’t pay close enough attention to the wording of the deal. He was promised that they would be reunited. And so they shall.”

“But only in death,” Hayden murmured. He narrowed his eyes. “What does this archdemon want with the Bluebell Valley pack?”

“What makes you think that? Perhaps the pack is only ants in our path.” Echo grinned, baring teeth. Her canines lengthened. “Ants which are so delicious to torment and consume.”

Hayden folded his arms. “Then what do you want?”

“I want what my lord commands.”

“This archdemon. He has to have a name, doesn’t he?”

Echo rolled her eyes. “You will never know it if he does. Go prostrate yourself before Monroe, boy. Perhaps if you swear to obey my lord, Monroe will speak to him on your behalf… perhaps sweet Mica will even survive.”

She sat on the floor and turned her back to him.

Frustration welled up through Hayden, but he bit back on the automatic response to lunge at her. If he crossed the salt barrier, he could damage it and put everyone here in danger. Clearly, he wouldn’t be getting more information from the demon. She’d told him just enough to tantalize him, trying to provoke a reaction.

On the other hand, there was one answer clear here. She was stuck. If she could get free, she would have done so during the fight.

“You will tell me what I want to know,” he warned her. “Maybe not today, but—”

“But how will Mica feel when she learns you tortured her mother for information?”

Hayden stalked from the room, unwilling to be drawn into that conversation. He slammed the door behind him, and his wolf growled. Then it slumped down in his chest, head heavy. It whined. Hayden closed his eyes, gathering himself for his Alpha’s duties. Right now, all he wanted was to be with Mica, but he had responsibilities.

The grounds were subdued and quiet. There had been a great many injuries in the brief fight. Hayden sought Ryder out.

“How bad is it?”

Ryder shook his head. “No loss of limb or life. We’ve got a few that look pretty gnarly, though. Mica has ordered that we find room for them in the house.”

“Good.” Hayden quickly found Mica in the crowd; she directed the women as they tended to the injured people.

Her fire-red hair was pulled into a knot at the back of her head, and she moved through the space with a confidence that astounded him. Everyone took her instructions as she gave them. Her shoulders were slumping with exhaustion, but her expression never wavered.

It was amazing. And it was also perfectly natural.

“She takes the leadership beautifully,” Hayden mentioned to Ryder. “Despite all the years of being shunted aside.”

“Mica has always had a stubborn streak,” Ryder allowed with a soft smile. “If she was a wolf instead of a human, she probably would have led everyone in our year.”

If she was a wolf… or if he had given her more support. Hayden watched her, his eyebrows furrowed.

After Echo put a stop to the bullying toward Mica when they were kids, things changed for a while. For a few glorious years, the pack had treated Mica well. The two of them had a small, tightly-knit friend group. The others in school took their cues from the group. And when he thought about it, they were rallied around him more than anything.

At that age, kids naturally have people they follow but it wasn’t as clear-cut as saying he led the group. But he and Mica were considered pretty much a couple. Even though they had never so much as kissed. That structure, their friend group, fell apart after he rejected her.

How different would their lives have turned out if…?

Hayden shook his head as he headed for the porch once more. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

Especially since he had work to be done. Explaining to all these confused, terrified wolves exactly what a demon was. And the stakes of this fight against Monroe.