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continued to stare into the fire. “I’m thirty-nine and not getting any younger. The new commander of Shield changed everything. He had the Memphis unit ready to go into Ashwood in a full-on attack.”
    Hayden tensed at her admission. It sounded too close to the vision his mother had. If what Christa said was true, then Vance may already have a backup plan in place. He’d be sure to tell Blaine and his mother to look into other rebel groups. Maybe Blaine’s mother-in-law’s mate, Damian Archer, had information to share. The puma did work for one of the shifter rebel groups and had contacts all over the U.S. Damian and Sarah had moved to Ashwood Falls a few weeks ago after Sarah was targeted by his right hand.
    Of course Christa would have information on the human groups as well, but he’d have to gain her trust first before she’d work with him.
    “My father went rogue.” It was the only admission he could think of that would catch her attention.
    She peered over at him and frowned. “Did you kill him?”
    He studied her features in the glow of the firelight. There was no judgment in her gaze, just a hint of compassion as if knowing that he’d put down his own father saddened her. He looked away from her to watch the flames dance. “No. My mother did.”
    She placed her chilled hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. For both of you and your mother. Is that why she’s Alpha?”
    Hayden nodded. “Knowing my father, he’d figured it’d be the perfect punishment for her. Leave her with the burdens of a broken Pack.”
    He felt her wince beside him before she asked, “Was he abusive?”
    Hayden sighed, and so didn’t want to talk about his father, but he’d opened his big mouth. It was too late to back out now without seeming like a total ass. “Not until he turned rogue, the illness we all fight within.”
    “What illness?”
    “The craving for blood and power. Not always in that order.”
    “Blood? Like bloodlust?”
    He met her gaze and held it for several moments before she looked away. “Shifters aren’t like vampires. We don’t need blood to survive, but we do like the hunt. Those of us who live in a healthy Pack have the support and love of our pack mates, so the risks are low. But the ones with an Alpha that has submitted to his or her animal too much run the risk of going rogue.” He paused to let her soak in what he’d told her.
    “Are there exceptions?”
    He shrugged and peered back into the flames. “There are always exceptions. My mother is one. Because she is the first female Alpha of a Pack, she had to submit to her wolf a little more. However, she is a maternal female at heart. Her soul’s focus, along with her wolf’s, is nurturing and protecting her Pack.”
    She went to say something else, most likely to ask more questions, but stopped. Hayden was out of answers, for now. At least out of answers he could give her without jeopardizing the den. Christa still couldn’t be trusted, no matter how much his wolf wanted to claim her and make her submit to them.
    He stood and stretched. It had been a long fucking day. No doubt it was going to be an even longer night with his mate so close while he ran patrol. “Get some sleep, Christa. We’ll talk more in the morning. You have a choice to make. I hope it’s the right one.”
    He turned sharply on his heels and walked out of the house, away from the female that put his wolf on edge.
     
     

 

Chapter Six
     
     
    Christa had never had a problem with sleeping in odd, dirty places. Hell, it was a job requirement when she staked out homes and other places where rogue activity was reported. Yet, last night she hadn’t slept more than thirty minutes at a time. At least it felt like it.
    It was all that damned wolf’s fault.
    Her mind kept trying to make sense of what he’d told her and what Shield had always said about rogues. Then there was her niece and nephew. They didn’t have a mean bone in their bodies. In fact, they reacted