Un.Wavering (Claimed Series Book 3) Read Online Free

as he coldly assessed the carnage. “I’m certain Cole explained to you the importance of Hunters. They must exist if the werewolf exists.” He paid special attention to a photograph on the wall. “Without them, there would be no order. Traditional werewolves can only do so much to eliminate rogues.”
    At her sides, her hands curled into fists. “Hunters are what started all this. They ran us out of Albertville. They destroyed our homes . They don’t know right from wrong, they only know bloodlust.”
    The Alpha male offered Hayden one of his customary smirks. “Come now, Hayden. You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”
    She stubbornly avoided looking at the dead bodies. “I do.”
    Nicolas tsked. “The rogues orchestrated the evacuation of your home, not the Hunters. What was the one thing that would trigger such a reaction from the Hunters? What was their Achilles heel? Or… more appropriately, who was holding their leash?”
    Hayden bit the inside of her cheek. “Red Donovan,” she grumbled out.
    Slowly, the tension left her body as she began thinking rationally. When she was on the run with Rachel, she’d come to the same conclusion.
    Somehow, the rogue werewolves managed to get to Red Donovan, who’d still been recovering from his injuries with Falco. Either the rogues had killed Red Donovan, or they coerced a traditional werewolf from town to kill him.
    Either way, the end result was catastrophic. The flimsy truce between the Hunters and the Albertville werewolves had crumbled.
    “They’re smart,” Hayden commented reluctantly with a hint of unease. “The rogues.”
    “Celeste is an exceedingly smart woman. A very noteworthy enemy. Or ally.” Nicolas grabbed one of the rifles and turned to her. “From here on out, I think it’s best if you forget the stereotypes. Rogues are no longer uncontrolled. Traditional wolves are no longer honorable. Humans will no longer be oblivious. And Hunters are no longer the police force of the werewolf community. Trust very few. If any.”
    She stared.
    It was unnerving to be amongst a dozen of corpses, but Nicolas’ warning somehow made her even more on edge. “That’s ridiculous,” she rebuffed. “How are we supposed to win if we can’t trust anyone?”
    Nicolas abruptly stopped inspecting the rifle and gazed through her. A soft, nearly inaudible scoff escaped his lips. “My dear girl, this isn’t about who wins or who loses. The victor has already been crowned.”
    His words froze her. “Then what’s the purpose?” she asked. “What is it all about?”
    The Alpha flashed his teeth in a wicked smile. “This is about surviving.”
    “Surviving,” Hayden repeated numbly.
    “Yes.” Nicolas replaced the rifle on the rack and grabbed a long sword. “Things will never be as they were .”
    Hayden placed a hand on her chest, feeling the comfortable weight of her throwing knives underneath her coat. “So it’s pointless? Going after Celeste?”
    “To what? Kill her?” The man chuckled. “Quite the contrary, pup. It would be wise to cut off the head of the beast. She alone controls the Carriers, and in turn, the Carriers control the beasts they’ve Sired; a mindless, resilient army. Puppets. ”
    She perked up at his admission. “So we can still win. It—”
    “Killing Celeste will certainly bring with it some incentives.” Nicolas unsheathed the long sword, its silver blade catching the light. “However, while the traditional wolves had their backs turned, oblivious, Celeste was working diligently behind the scenes. There is no way to reverse the damage she’s done. ”
    Nicolas brought back his arm and swung the sword powerfully. The blade cut straight through the neck of a dead man at the table, instantly decapitating the corpse.
    Hayden pressed herself against the wall, immediately drawing the conclusion that Nicolas had lost his sanity. Before she could reprimand him, she heard the slow, uneven heartbeats.
    She turned cold.
    They were