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appeared appreciative of Nicolas’ assistance.
    Somehow, while she’d slept, Nicolas had interacted with and manipulated every single member of this group. Hayden knew the Slayter male. He did not do things out of the goodness of his heart. He was playing a game with these men and women… she just didn’t understand why .
    It was also a bit unsettling that the majority of the werewolf community knew of Nicolas Slayter, yet not many people could identify him upon contact.
    “Where… where is he now?” Hayden ventured slowly, still not accustomed to lying. “I expected him to be here when I woke up.”
    She wondered if they believed her false vulnerability and insecurity. Then again, if Nicolas twisted these people in his favor, then Hayden could too. Though, one would argue that Nicolas was far more charismatic and far more cunning.
    The man thrived off pulling strings.
    “While he did help us obtain more weapons, we still could have used more.” It wasn’t Amber Beard who responded, but Jax. “Despite our forewarnings, he traveled further south to get more weapons and possibly more manpower.”
    There was a heavy silence and Hayden grew unnerved.
    Had Nicolas died ?
    “Don’t worry, Nicole.” A hand landed on Hayden’s knee, squeezing reassuringly. “I’m sure he will be alright.”
    “I would greatly appreciate it if you could just spit out what you’re not saying.” Her sharp tone caused the encouraging hand on her knee to quickly retreat.
    The other werewolves stared at her warily, apprehensive.
    “The further south you travel, the higher the population of Hunters. It’s a breeding ground,” someone provided. “There was a risk involved… Cayden seemed hesitant in leaving you, but he knew how much your brother meant to you. He said if he wasn’t back by morning, we should proceed without him.”
    She sat in silence, mulling over the words. They all seemed generally concerned about Nicolas’ safety. Unlike her current company, Hayden wasn’t the least bit concerned for him, as he was capable of taking care of himself, but she was concerned over what he had up his sleeve.
    Why leave now? Why leave when they found an army willing to take down Celeste’s stronghold? It didn’t make much sense to her. As usual, Nicolas cloaked himself in secrecy and it unnerved Hayden completely.
    What was he planning?
    “We move tomorrow?” Hayden asked for confirmation. “And… Cayden told you to move on without him if he wasn’t back by morning?”
    “Are you going to slow us down if he doesn’t come back?” One of the gruff, muscled men demanded sourly. “If you are, you can stay behind and worry for your mate here, in the den. We would extract your brother better ourselves rather than carrying your dead weight.”
    “Stop,” Amber Beard interrupted before Hayden had the chance to defend herself. “All of us need to be ready tomorrow morning. If Nicole doesn’t feel up to it tomorrow, she can stay behind. Otherwise, we would welcome her assistance.”
    Hayden stared at him through lidded eyes. He wasn’t so much a leader as he was a mediator. Although she wanted to give muscle-man a piece of her mind, she held her tongue, realizing there was a time and place.
    She picked listlessly at her venison. Fortunately, she gave off the impression of being worried without trying too hard. Only, they would think she fretted over Nicolas’ return and safety. In reality, she was worried over his intentions and his deceiving mind games.
    All that mattered to Hayden was that Cole got out of Celeste’s hands.
    If that meant she had to abandon Nicolas and team up with this impromptu pack, so be it. All of them appeared capable of handling themselves in a fight. Even the women appeared battle-weary and prepared.
    She supposed having a loved one in danger gave even the most unlikely candidates the courage to fight. Most vulnerabilities and uncertainties were set aside in order to reobtain what was lost.
    Despite