Page 7 of Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals #5)

Chapter Seven

RYLEY

The slippery sleeping bag that’d been covering me slithered to the floor and a gust of cool air from the open door rushed over my bare legs. I shivered. This was not how I wanted to wake up. Had I even grabbed more than ten minutes sleep?

I scowled at the damn wolf standing frozen in the open doorway.

“ Well ?” I demanded as I rubbed my eyes. I groped around for my glasses. Where had I left them? Ugh . I didn’t have the energy for this.

“ Go back to sleep,” he said. “ You’re safe here.”

“ The doctor warned me you’d try something like this.” I pointed toward the bed he’d been making up, but something wasn’t right. I looked around. Hadn’t I been sleeping in the bed over there? How had I ended up over here? He must have carried me here. Holy fuck a duckle. I must have been wiped right out if I hadn’t felt him move me. I pointed to the bed he’d evicted me from. “ Get your ass to bed.”

“ Just go back to sleep,” Hayden said, easing the door shut a little, but not enough for it to snick closed. The bastard was still planning to escape and thought if he didn’t have to touch the latch on the door, I wouldn’t notice him leaving next time. “ I’m right here. See ?”

“ No , I’ve changed my mind, don’t go to bed,” I said. “ You should shower first. Then get in bed.”

His jaw clenched. He really did have a nice jaw line, probably because he was always clenching his teeth. It was one of those chiseled ones I associated with human celebrities.

“ Go on,” I said, motioning to the bathroom. “ Don’t make me phone Xander .”

His pale blue eyes narrowed. Then he walked into the bathroom without saying a word. As soon as he was out of sight, I got up and pulled the door closed all the way. I turned the lock, so he’d have one more obstacle to deal with before he could get out. I returned to the makeshift bed with the sleeping bags and pulled up the one that had dropped to the floor. Hayden’s bed was a lot more comfortable, but it looked like I was stuck with this one for the night.

Whatever . I was tired enough I could sleep in the middle of a whole herd of flute playing fauns.

I listened to Hayden for a few minutes, relaxing only when I heard him turn the water on. Hopefully a warm shower would make him sleepy like it had me. It also wouldn’t hurt him to clean up a bit. He needed someone to nag his ass if this was how he usually lived .

He certainly seemed fixated on getting back out to the woods, though—so fixated that it’d only be a matter of time before he tried to sneak out again. Thanks to the shifter side of my DNA , I remained alert for threats, even while asleep. He might have thought he could wait long enough for me to fall into a deep sleep so he could try his luck again, but that wouldn’t work. With a smile on my face, I pulled the sleeping bag up to my ears and settled in for another nap.

I didn’t know how long I was out for, but I was jolted from sleep to find Hayden with the exterior door open. Again .

“ For fuck’s sake,” Hayden muttered. “ You were sleeping.”

I grinned at him.

“ Go back to sleep,” he said.

He looked better than he had before he’d gone into the bathroom. His face was clean of blood, and he’d changed out of his gore-stained shirt. This T -shirt fit snugly over his muscular body. Very nice indeed. And he’d traded his jeans for a fresh pair with fewer stains and holes. The coup de grace, though? He smelled delicious.

I sighed. Yep . I’d been right. He cleaned up nicely.

“ I’ll be back in a bit.”

“ Nuh -uh.” I shook my head and shoved off the sleeping bag. I looked around for my pants. Where had I put them? Oh , right. They were beside Hayden’s bed.

“ Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Hayden demanded when I walked toward his bed.

I laughed. “ Hey , that’s my line.”

“ You are not sleeping in my bed. ”

I ignored him and grabbed my pants. I didn’t bother changing my shirt, or rather the T -shirt I’d borrowed from him. If we were going out to the woods again, it might help if I smelled a bit more like wolf and less like prey. I tugged on my pants. Damn it. I wished I had my shoes. I eyed Hayden’s feet. He was wearing work boots, which I supposed was what he wore in his garage. An older, more worn-out pair of running shoes was in a pile in the corner by the bed. They’d be too big for me, but they’d be better than nothing. I reached for them.

“ What are you doing?” Hayden demanded.

“ If you are going, so am I .” I pulled on one shoe and tightened the laces. I wiggled my toes. Yeah . Way too big. It was only a matter of time before I tripped over them and fell on my face. Oh well. I reached for the other one.

“ No , you aren’t.”

“ Yes .” I shoved my foot in the shoe and tied it quickly before Hayden realized he could sprint to his truck and leave me in the dust. Instead , like a true gentleman, he waited for me to finish. He must have been exhausted to let the opportunity slip by, but weren’t we all? I scrambled to my feet, ready to follow the ridiculous wolf wherever he thought he needed to go. A wave of dizziness whooshed over me. I reached for the countertop to steady myself and missed.

Oomph . Thunk . Ouch . Fucking shit weasel.

Hayden rushed over and kneeled at my side. “ Are you okay? What happened?”

Instead of helping me off his linoleum floor, he pried open one of my eyelids so he could lean over and peer into it .

“ What are you doing?” I swatted at him, and he let go of my eyelid.

“ I was checking your pupils. I thought you might have some undiagnosed brain problem. And I heard something hit the cupboard. I thought it might have been your head.”

“ I’d roll my eyes, but you’d probably think I was having some other neurological issue. Do you know what to check for?”

He sat back. “ They’re supposed to react to light.”

“ In other words, you really don’t know,” I muttered. Yes , I was aware that I’d asked the doctor the same thing about Hayden’s pupils. I shook out my hand. It smarted where I’d hit it against the cupboard, but I’d live. Then I held it out to him. “ Help me up.”

He did as I asked, getting to his feet and extending his hand. His hands were larger than mine, and stronger, too. I slipped my hand into his and shivered as his calluses rubbed over my smooth skin. The rough texture felt surprisingly reassuring, somehow. Strong hands like his would be good at keeping a person safe.

And I bet his hands would feel good in lots of different places.

As he hauled me to my feet, the way the muscles in his forearm tightened and flexed mesmerized me. I was such a sucker for a man’s forearm. Honestly . Was there a porn channel dedicated to men rolling up their sleeves? If there was, Hayden should upload some videos. He’d make a killing.

Once on my feet, I swayed again. Most of the dizziness had passed, but I was still unsteady. That’s what I got for not sleeping properly in weeks. And now this damn wolf was keeping me awake even longer.

Hayden’s big hand cupped my elbow as he guided me to the closest seat, which happened to be his bed. He crouched in front of me. His wide shoulders filled the narrow walkway between the bathroom wall and the kitchen counter. His face was right in front of mine.

I couldn’t help but look at him. Really look at him. The injury I’d given him earlier was mostly healed. The swelling had gone down and the mark where my hoof had cut through his skin was fading to a pale pink. Soon , that would be gone too.

And you know what?

He really was handsome, in a rugged way. Even back in the forest when he was grubby, I’d suspected he would be. I’d never been into those outdoorsy, build it, fix it, grease-under-their-nails men before. My typical dates were desk jockeys like me, but I could make an exception for this guy. We could have a little fling while I was here. Nothing permanent. Nothing serious. Just a bit of fun.

“ Do I need to call Doc Roberts ?” Hayden asked. A ripple of magic fluttered through the air, emanating from him. Everyone had called him alpha earlier, and I hadn’t been sure what to think, but the alpha power he was throwing around right now confirmed it. Hayden was all alpha.

“ I’m fine.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“ I’ll be okay,” I amended. “ Nothing serious. I’m fine.”

“ Now I get why everyone was getting pissy with me earlier when I said that,” he muttered. His gaze caught on mine. “ Can I touch you?”

“ What ?” I leaned away. “ You want to feel me up? Now ? I mean, sure, I might have possibly thought about having sex with you, but that’s a weird way to ask.”

Shouldn’t he at least say he was attracted to me first? Something ? We weren’t hooking up in a bathroom stall at a club. We were in his bedroom, such that it was. Maybe he thought if he could jerk me off, I’d fall into a deeper sleep so he could finally sneak out.

“ No ,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “ Not like that. It’s just that some people find comfort from my touch. Just to the back of your neck.”

“ Oh .” I nodded. “ I get it. Because you’re the alpha .”

He grimaced. “ I’m not the alpha. I just…” He rubbed his forehead, like it held a genie who could magic up some other word. “ Fine . I might have some alpha instincts. It is only temporary, until another person steps forward to be alpha.”

I didn’t think magic worked that way. The Eternal Magic didn’t dole out power to people and take it back again when they said, “ Thanks , but I’d rather not.” I might only be a half-supe, and therefore not privy to all the insider knowledge, but as far as I knew, she didn’t do refunds.

“ So ?” Hayden prodded.

“ Yeah , sure. Why not?”

As Hayden rested one hand on my knee and reached for my neck with his other, my heart ticked a little faster. His rough fingertips slipped across the side of my neck, causing a wicked shiver to cascade through me. His mouth opened to reveal a sliver of his white teeth, and I wondered what they’d feel like pressed against my skin where he was touching me.

I shivered, but I wasn’t sure why. Was I scared or turned on? Maybe a bit of both.

When Robbie had bitten me, I’d been horrified. But thankfully, the experience had been short-lived, and I’d survived worse torments in my old herd. So I wasn’t fucked up over it, thank Magic , because I had better things to think about now, like those rumors about wolves being wickedly good fun in bed. All full of biting and knots and awesomeness. I’d never hooked up with a wolf before— I usually just stuck to humans who didn’t have opinions about my hybrid genetics—but I was game to try almost anything once. And I knew, if Hayden bit me, it’d be everything I’d ever fantasized about.

His hand slid around until he cupped the back of my neck. He squeezed gently as he brought his forehead to mine. His scent was all around me. He was all I could see. He was only touching me in a few very PG places, but I could feel him everywhere.

His magic kicked up to the next gear.

Oh . That felt…

I couldn’t think of the word. None of the ones flitting through my head were adequate to describe the sense of peace and belonging and wonder flowing through me.

My eyes fluttered shut as I leaned into him.