Cole (A Wolf Shifter Romance Novel) (The Steelman Shifters Book 1) Read online

  I shrugged. “She’s just a friend.”

  “Right. Is that why you wanted to rip Tom’s throat out when you saw the drama club’s script?”

  That was why I was angry. I had no right to be though, and the jealousy was unfamiliar to me. I never got jealous of guys, they got jealous of me. I could have any girl I wanted in this place and they would lap up the attention.

  Even if it was only to get closer to Kian. I didn’t really care anymore; I needed an escape from the shitstorm that was my life these days. My own thoughts made me sick sometimes. See, this is why I can’t have Hayley. She is all pure and innocent. A second too long with me and I would ruin her.

  I couldn’t help but search her out in the canteen. I only stayed on at our secondary school for A-levels so I could keep an eye on her, protect her. For some reason, a lot of the girls – and even some guys – openly hated her. I couldn’t place my finger on why exactly, and it was another reason I kept my distance. I didn’t want to add fuel to that fire. I still helped her like she asked, some mild threats here and there… It worked, but she was lonely.

  She tucked her hair behind her ears as she sat down at the table with her few friends. I tapped into my wolf to overhear their conversation and cringed when they talked about Kian’s upcoming party.

  “Please cancel tonight,” I said, as he watched me watch Hayley. He smirked and set down his sandwich to take a swig of his drink.

  “Worried Tom will make an early move?” He waggled his brows and I wanted to punch him.

  Hayley signed up for the stupid play and made lead. I was happy for her up until I saw Tom McCartney also got lead and would get to kiss her.

  Urgh. He made me sick. I used to play rugby with the team before I got too out of control with my wolf and couldn’t hide my strength anymore. Yes, I fooled around, but I was always upfront with the girls I was with. He would string them along with flowers and chocolates just so he could make a public show of humiliating them afterwards.

  Tom got to kiss Hayley, and I didn’t.

  Just kill me now.

  “Ah, you are worried,” Kian continued. He was loving this.

  “Any ideas of how to save Hayley from the public humiliation that is bound to follow?”

  “Nope. You don’t always have to save her, Cole. It’s really none of your business. What are you going to do if she decides to go to university? We are a year ahead of her.”

  “Continue stalking her on campus?” I offered, not even joking. “I can take a gap year.”

  “You’re ridiculous.” Kian slammed his hands on the table, making some students near us jump from the noise. They regarded him as royalty, and quickly adverted their gaze.

  “I want to claim her,” I blurted, and immediately regretted it. “I mean, I really want to. I can’t be in the same room with her unless you’re there. I will lose control.”

  If I claimed her there was no going back.

  “Nah, you won’t.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  A look of hurt flickered across Kian’s face, but left as quickly as it came. “You’re right. She’s your mate, and I haven’t met mine yet. But I think you are over thinking it.”

  I knew Hayley was mine probably the day we met, but it was confirmed the first time I shifted and killed my parents. Everything changed about her, and each time I was with another woman, it was because I was trying to erase Hayley out of my mind.

  It never worked and all it left me with was a hurt mate and a disconnected wolf.

  True to his word though, Tristan never told anyone. Kian had never met my parents, so it was easy to say the family I was living with now were my parents. I hated lying to him, and I’m sure he knew, but he never pushed me to explain.

  “I have an idea,” a wicked grin passed on Kian’s lips and I had never wanted the ground to swallow me up more than right now.

  “I fucking hate your ideas.”

  “No, you’ll love this one.”

  ✽✽✽

  I definitely did not like this idea.

  Not one bit.

  Kian was throwing a party in his house as his was the biggest house in the pack, but also as his parents were out. He had invited everyone who was over sixteen, and even managed to sneak some alcohol from somewhere.

  I didn’t want Hayley to turn up at all, but when she rocked up in the shortest and tightest dress I had ever seen in my life, the glass bottle I was holding smashed in my fingers from my grip.

  “Jesus, Cole. Want to rein it in a bit?” Tom mocked. He caught me looking at Hayley and smirked. I was glad he was a wolf, too, because it meant I could attack him without facing the wrath of Tristan.

  Rule number one in our pack: don’t hurt the humans.

  It was a rule everyone stuck to, morally anyway, but there was the odd occasion it needed reinforcing. Like if a human Tom shoved his tongue down Hayley’s throat.

  She looked stunning tonight. She always did, but in that dress… not much was left to the imagination. Her curves were begging for my hands, and she had grown over the years, now around five foot seven, and has legs for miles. What I wouldn’t give for them to be wrapped around me.

  Pull yourself together, Cole, I told myself, tearing my eyes away from her. I didn’t deserve her, especially the pull that was thrumming between us.

  Tom pushed himself off the counter, dumping an empty can of beer in the bin. He picked up two more and started making his way over to Hayley.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” I made my way after him, intercepting them. “Hayley doesn’t drink.”

  “Hayley can also speak for herself,” she snapped, eyeing my curiously. I loved the fact she was checking me out like I did with her earlier, and I tried not to preen like a bloody peacock.

  “What do you want, Hayley?” Tom asked, his eyebrows raised in challenge. He was enjoying getting the rise out of me and I was an idiot for falling for it.

  “Neither of you.” I could practically smell her lie but I shrugged, watching her stalk off.

  “Damn, she is sexy when she is mad. When are you going to get her?” Tom asked, watching her too.

  I snatched the spare beer from his hand. I wanted something stronger to get me through this night, but I needed to protect her. “Leave her alone.”

  “Nah, can’t do that. She is going to kiss me in the play, you know. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we rehearse it plenty of times.”

  I breathed slowly, keeping my shift in check. I spun on my heel to get away from him before I lost my shit.

  “So, Tom can’t have her, but you can’t either,” Kian commented, as I marched over to him.

  “Why are you still giving me shit? All I have heard today, from fucking everyone, is about Hayley.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something.”

  “Yeah, I need some new friends.” I chugged at the beer in my hand, again unable to help look for her in the crowd.

  She was stood to the side, chewing her lip. I know she loved to dance, and I sighed, making my way over there. When I approached, she rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms, bunching her chest up so I had an even better view.

  “Let’s dance?” I asked, tearing my gaze away from her chest. Jesus, when did that happen?

  “You can’t dance,” she laughed.

  “I can for you. Come on.” I held out my hand and shyly, she slipped her fingers through mine. I tugged her onto the dance floor that we had made up in the living room, and slid my hands to her waist.

  “Thank you,” she bit her lip. “What is your problem with Tom?”

  I willed my hands not to tighten. Hers had come up to wrap around my neck, and the top of her hair brushed my chin. She smelled of the forest, and I knew she had shifted recently. “The fact you two will be getting all handsy in front of the whole school.”

  A flush appearing on her neck. “No, we won’t. It is just one kiss.”

  “Right. Does he know that?” I nodded my head toward
s him. She peeked over my shoulder but ducked her head back when she caught him looking. I could feel his gaze in the back of my head and I wanted to claw his eyeballs out.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  I lowered my head, my teeth dangerously close to her neck. I wasn’t even hearing the music anymore, just the steady beat of her heart. “Want me to get the message through to him?”

  “No, I can take care of myself. Stop butting into my life. I can fight my own battles.”

  This was going downhill very quickly. “Okay, I’m sorry. Remember, you were the one asking me for help.”

  We danced in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. The quiet between us never was and it was something else that I loved about her. I knew she was thinking about that night together the same way I was, and I would look at my phone every night before bed hoping she would text me again.

  She never did.

  “Spin the bottle anyone?” Mike called, breaking up the group. Mike was another pack member and one of the biggest party idiots I knew. Kian was hovering around him and I knew it was his shitty idea. When Kian winked at me, I knew it was a set up.

  Everyone groaned. “What about seven minutes in heaven?” Tom called, grinning with his friends.

  I looked down at Hayley, about to tell her not to join in, until she spoke up. “I’m down for that.”

  There were a few whoops and cheers, and I wanted to slam my face into the nearest brick wall. I dropped my hands from Hayley, following her to the floor where everyone was sitting. How she managed to sit down and keep her dignity in check with that tiny dress was an impressive mystery to me. Most of the other girls failed.

  Fortunately, the people who gave Hayley the most flack weren’t here tonight. Tom was my only problem, and I willed that damn bottle not to land on him with her.

  I also prayed it would land on me with her. I was a coward for relying on a game to put me with her, but here we are.

  A girl I didn’t know the name of stroked the bare skin of my arm. I immediately drew back from her touch and gave her my best get the fuck off me look. She giggled and turned to face the rest of the group. Hayley was biting her lip and I tried not to make a dick out of myself.

  “Ladies first,” Mike said, nudging a girl called Laura to start. Eagerly, she crawled forwards and spun the bottle. It landed on Mike, and he barked out a laugh.

  “I love this game,” he chuckled, helping Laura to her feet. She giggled as she followed him to the room upstairs.

  We couldn’t use a cupboard – too many wolf ears would pick up on what was being said. The rooms here were sound proofed, even if the humans didn’t realise it. The group fell into an easy conversation, and I leaned back as I waited for Mike and Laura to return, sipping on my beer.

  “So, you can drink but I can’t?” Hayley asked, pointing at my can.

  “By all means, Hales, try some.”

  Her eyes flashed at her nickname and she was definitely thinking about that night. She snatched the beer out of my hand and gave me a glare. I knew full well she hadn’t tried beer before and would hate it. It was flat and warm, and she preferred sweet ciders anyway. My thoughts were confirmed when she screwed up her face in disgust.

  “Swallow it, baby,” I chuckled, making her blush harder than before and she nearly choked.

  “You’re a pig,” she commented, giving me back my beer. I downed the rest and tossed it into the makeshift rubbish pile behind us. I knew I’d have to help Kian clean it up tomorrow anyway, so I wasn’t bothered.

  “So?” I shrugged. “Doesn’t stop you hanging around with me.”

  “God forbid I may actually like you.”

  “Like me?” I suggested, laughing at the fact she was blushing harder.

  “Cole,” she snapped, before breaking into a grin of her own. Her smile always made me feel fuzzy, like the sappy git I was around her, and I always wanted to put a new smile on her face. Damn. I thought it about it far more than I should.

  Laura and Mike came back, breaking up the conversations. Laura’s lipstick was smeared, and there was some on Mike’s face too. The fact those two were the biggest sluts in the school, and openly enjoyed it, wasn’t a surprise to anyone.

  “Does this mean I get two turns?” Mike asked, settling back on the floor. His arm was flung casually across Laura’s shoulder and she mixed new drinks for them both. He spun the bottle anyway and my heart almost stopped right with it when it stopped on Hayley.

  Kian was hiding his grin at my reaction, and Mike let out a low whistle. “Spin it, Hayley. I don’t dare get in a room with you. It’s not that you aren’t fit, because you are, but big boy next to you might kill me. I like my limbs attached.”

  The group let out a laugh. I realised with a start the only ones playing were pack members, and I wondered how many others knew Hayley was my mate.

  Did she?

  Again, with a lot of dignity that others didn’t have, and with bright red cheeks, she spun the bottle. I was holding my breath and released it gratefully when it landed on the girl next to me.

  Thank fuck it didn’t land on Tom.

  “Oh, I’m not going up there with a girl,” she said, eyeing Tom instead. “Guess it falls to one of the guys.”

  Mike let out a loud laugh and pointed at me. “Sod off then, lovebirds.” He started chugging the drink Laura poured as she giggled at him.

  Hayley looked like she wanted to throw an insult his way, but I wasn’t wasting this opportunity. I got up and held my hand out for her. She swatted it away and stalked out of the room, ahead of me.

  The conversations in the other room picked up again, and I heard Tom arguing over how that wasn’t fair. Honestly, the bottle was pointing more to him than me, but I wasn’t hanging around. I followed behind Hayley, having an excellent view of her arse, and she entered the makeshift closest.

  It was a tiny room where the family stored things like bedsheets and towels, and when I shut the door with a click, Hayley let out a breath.

  “I’m glad it was you,” she mumbled, rubbing at her temples. “My head is pounding.”

  “What’s wrong?” I reached out to touch her, but I wasn’t even sure if it was warranted. It had been so long since we were alone together like this that I didn’t know how to act.

  “It’s the anniversary soon,” she whispered.

  I wrapped my arms around her, and she sank into my touch. “Do you want me to take you home?”

  “You’ve been drinking,” she mumbled, her face against my shoulder.

  “One beer. I can still drive.”

  “I just want to forget.” She pulled back with a sigh and plastered a fake smile on her face. “So then… what are we doing in here?”

  I took the hint that she wanted to change the subject. One day I will find out what happened that day, but, like usual, she shut down any attempt at the conversation. From experience, it only ended up with us fighting and not speaking for days.

  “What, you never played this before?”

  “Um, no.” She inspected her nails and chewed at one. “I mean, this isn’t really my scene.”

  “That’s always surprised me. You spend a lot of time with me and Kian, and we spend a lot of time partying.”

  “I know all about what you get up to, Cole,” her eyes narrowed and I swear I saw hurt there. It made my wolf restless and I wrestled with control as she continued. “But you two are my friends. Hardly anyone here likes me.”

  “That’s not true. We’re pack, Hales. They have always wanted to defend you at school, but you tell them not to, so they don’t.”

  “Oh.” It was as though the thought had only just occurred to her and I let her mull it over for a moment.

  “Anyway,” I cleared my throat. I traced my finger down her cheek towards her shoulder, watching as goose bumps rose against her skin from my touch. “I’m sure you can imagine what people usually get up to in here.”

  “Hmm. Have you ever done this?”

  “Once. I kissed M
egan Jones in here two years ago, it was quite awful, actually.” Hayley flinched and I tugged at one of her ringlets gently. “What was that for?”

  “I’ve never kissed anyone before,” she blurted, slapping her hand against her mouth. I scoffed before I noticed she was being serious.

  “Really?”

  “Yep,” she squeaked.

  “Wow.” I had assumed she would have, but then who would she have kissed? Kian? Definitely not. As close as those two were, it was strictly platonic. Kian had never looked at her in that way, and I don’t think Hayley ever did either.

  “So, yeah. I have to kiss Tom McCartney at the school play. What if I get it wrong?”

  “Why are you doing the play, anyway? I didn’t know drama was your thing.”

  “It isn’t. Mr Woods is forcing me into doing an extra-curricular and I thought it was the easiest. I didn’t think I would get lead.”

  “Mr Woods is a dick.” He was her form tutor, and I swear he always singled her out.

  “I know,” she rolled her eyes before getting nervous again. The tension in the room picked up and I doubted we had much undisturbed time left in here. “Anyway, can you help me?”

  “Help you?” Her hair was still between my fingers and I let it go.

  “I don’t know if I will do it right. I know what Tom is like, if I do it wrong…” Then she will be the laughing stock like all the other girls Tom has done anything with. She covered her face in her hands, her cheeks flaming red.

  “What are you asking me to do, exactly?” My voice was husky, and I noticed her shiver. It was such a turn on, and I prayed I was reading this situation right.

  “Iwantyoutokissme,” her words came out garbled. I took her wrists gently, and lowered them, revealing her face. She wouldn’t look at me, so I let go with one hand and tilted her chin up.

  “Are you asking me to kiss you?”

  She nodded and whispered her agreement. I couldn’t breathe. I brushed a thumb over her lower lip, tugging it out from beneath her teeth. Her lips parted, full, and pink. I didn’t know who was more nervous.

  I had dreamt about this day since I met her, and I couldn’t quite believe my luck. As I leaned in, I felt her sharp inhale as I pressed my lips to hers. I stayed there for a moment before pulling back, watching as her eyes flickered, meeting mine after a tense moment.