by Cheree Alsop
A huff of victory told Alex that Sid had reached the platform. Alex was caught between the obstacle and the werewolf at his back. Pack Torin barked and howled below, anticipating Alex’s fall. He couldn’t turn around and face Sid, and he couldn’t take his time reaching the next platform. There was only one choice that would alleviate his instinct’s demand to keep an opponent from his exposed back. He gathered his legs.
Alex leaped from one platform to the next without giving the wood time to pivot on the poles. He heard the grunt of disappointment from Sid as his target escaped. Alex concentrated on landing squarely and jumping again. He hit three, four, than five platforms. At the sixth, he heard a yelp. Alex landed on the next rise and looked back in time to see Sid fall to the ground.
Sid hit the snow with a yip and a thud. Pack Torin swarmed him, nipping at their Second in their disappointment. His cries turned to growls and the pack backed off. Angry green eyes met Alex’s. He stared back at Torin as the Alpha waited below now clothed and in human form. The Alpha’s anger was clear. Alex had no doubt Sid would feel Torin’s wrath when they reached the Academy.
Alex crossed slowly up the final ramp to the top of the obstacle. He watched the pack below with a surge of joy. He had done it. He had conquered the obstacle course and gotten away from Pack Torin. He lifted his muzzle and let out a howl of victory.
“You’ll pay, Alex,” Torin shouted as the echoes of the howl faded away.
Alex wanted to be snide and ask what he was supposed to pay for, but he was in wolf form which was probably a good thing; his mouth had a tendency to get him in more trouble than when he started.
Torin shook a fist in the air. “You’ll have to come down eventually, and when you do, we’ll be waiting!”
Alex rolled his eyes. Torin needed some serious help with his trash talk. Pack Torin wandered away. Torin was the last to leave. He studied Alex silently, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
“She’s too good for you, Alex,” Torin said. He didn’t raise his voice, knowing that Alex could hear him perfectly well. “You take her for granted.”
Alex wanted to point out that a term ago Torin had barely known Kalia existed. Alex and Cassie had been her only friends. Now, Torin felt like he could come in and demand her attention and she would be fine with it. It was his duty as Kalia’s friend to protect her from the Alpha, or was it? He paced the top of the course, torn by his emotions.
“Let her choose, Alex. You know it’s not your place to decide for her.”
Torin’s last words haunted Alex.
He watched the Alpha leave, listening to the faint crunch of Torin’s footsteps in the snow long after he was out of sight. Alex turned his attention to the sun as it rose above the mountains, casting the trees around him in shades of dark green with gold caught between pine needles and bare branches. He wished life was like the sunrise, starting fresh and new with each dawn; but it wasn’t. Choices and experiences hung like the snow trapped in the branches, weighing a person down and reminding him that the consequences to actions left marks on more than just the body. At that moment, Alex’s soul felt like it was made of scars.
Chapter Twenty-four
“Finally, you’re here!” Trent exclaimed when Alex reached Pack Jericho’s quarters.
Alex looked around in surprise at the anxious faces of his pack mates. The seven Lifer members of the pack waited in the common room. Tennison and Cassie sat on the couch, Trent and Terith worked on something at the table, and Amos looked up from the economics book he and Von were sharing to give Alex a huge smile. It felt strange without the Termer members; Jericho’s absence was especially noticeable. But the Lifers had grown up together within the Academy walls. It was their home.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked.
“We’re going to war,” Trent proclaimed. He stepped to the side to reveal his and his sister’s project.
Alex suddenly recognized the scent of plastic that filled the room. “Water balloons?”
“You better believe it!” Terith told him.
Alex fought back a smile at the girl’s enthusiasm. “Do I dare ask who we are going to war against?”
Cassie spoke up this time. “The professors.”
Alex chuckled. “I like this idea.”
“So you’re in?” Tennison asked.
Alex nodded. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
The skinny werewolf gave an innocent smile. “I just know how hard you try to keep on good terms with everyone around here. You don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side.”
Alex tipped his head. Trent answered his request by tossing a blue water balloon to him. Alex caught it and threw it without hesitation.
Tennison tried to dive out of the way, but the water balloon clipped his shoulder and burst, spraying water over both him and Cassie.
“Hey!” Alex’s sister protested. “We’re supposed to save those for the teachers.”
Tennison laughed. “I was asking for it.”
“But I wasn’t,” Cassie said. She jumped over the back of the couch and made a run for the water balloons.
Alex picked up the laundry basket that was filled to the brim with different colors of balloons and held it out of her reach.
“You said we need to save them for the teachers,” Alex pointed out.
Cassie jabbed at his ribs. “I owe you one.”
Alex winced, dancing back out of her reach. “You really don’t. I was just doing you a favor. Don’t you feel refreshed?”
Cassie’s eyes narrowed with mock anger. She was about to tackle her brother to the floor when Trent stepped between them.
“Let’s have a little common sense here. The professors want us to fight among ourselves and leave them alone, but if we do, they’ll have no idea the assault they survived because we couldn’t keep from waging war in our own quarters.” Trent rubbed his buzzed head. “I say we hit Jaze first.”
“What about Vance?” Von suggested with his customary finger up his nose.
“Yeah,” Amos laughed. “Get Vance wet.” He followed the sentence with three deep chuckles.
“You know Vance will be the first to retaliate,” Trent pointed out. “And he’s not known for retaliating nicely.”
“How about we just hit the professors’ lounge and see who’s there?” Terith suggested.
Alex nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He met the other werewolves’ gazes. “Everyone agree?”
“Agreed,” Cassie said.
Alex lowered the basket with a careful eye on his sister. If she made any move to grab a balloon, he was prepared to throw the entire basketful on her.
Cassie pulled the door open. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked with a twinkle in her gaze that said she knew Alex was worried about a counterattack.
Alex edged around her, careful to keep his back against the opposite door frame. He was almost through when a flash of color caught his eye. He glanced back in time to get hit in the face with a yellow balloon, compliments of Tennison’s accurate arm. The water splattered across his face and shirt.
“That’s cold!” Alex exclaimed, fighting to keep from dropping the basket in shock.
“Tell me about it,” Cassie replied, rolling her eyes. She and Tennison gave each other a high five.
Alex pretended to be appalled. “Seriously? Now you’re working together against me? I knew this was going to be no good,” he said, pointing with the basket at the two of them. “Together you two are trouble.”
“You better believe it,” Cassie said with a laugh.
“Alright, alright. Put your sibling rivalry aside long enough to get this war started,” Trent said.
“Yeah, no fight here,” Amos seconded.
“You’re right. Let’s get going,” Alex agreed.
He followed the rest of his pack down the stairs. Trent ran on ahead to ensure that there were indeed professors relaxing in the lounge at the end of the classroom wing. He came back with breathless enthusiasm.
“Where’s baby William?” Cassie asked.
“No sign of him,” Trent said. “Maybe he’s sleeping.”
“Good,” Cassie replied. “We don’t want any innocent bystanders in this war.”
The excitement on her face filled Alex with joy. It was great to see his sister so happy. She held Tennison’s arm and had a hand on the basket as she practically dragged both Tennison and Alex down the hall.
“Come on!” she said.
Her eagerness spread until Alex found himself running with the rest of the students. His pack mates grabbed balloons from the basket and Trent threw open the door. Shouts of alarm and dismay filled the room as the professors inside were peppered with water balloons.
“We’re under attack!” Jaze shouted. Water balloons landed all around them. He pulled his wife behind the couch and gave her a pillow for protection. A purple water balloon bounced off the pillow and popped against Jaze’s chest.
“That backfired,” he said with a laugh.
“I got it!” Nikki yelled.
She caught a balloon that sailed toward Jaze and threw it back. It hit the door next to Alex’s head and showered them with water. They retaliated with a dozen more water balloons.
“Save yourself!” Gem shouted from beside the fridge.
“No one will be left behind,” Dray replied. He held a frying pan lid and a wooden spoon. He was using the lid as a shield and attempting to cut down water balloons with the spoon before they could hit his wife.
Professor Mouse and Lyra hid beneath the table. Water dripped down from all sides. A red water balloon hit the floor near Lyra’s feet and splattered all over them. In a sudden act of heroism, Mouse rolled from beneath the table and grabbed the faucet hose at the sink. Turning it on full blast, he shot water at the students.
“Fall back!” Trent shouted as he was drenched. “Fall back!”
They scrambled out the door and reached the hallway laughing and dripping all over the thick carpet.
“They’re tougher than we thought,” Tennison said, out of breath.
“We’re almost out of ammo,” Terith pointed out.
“Give up?” Jaze’s voice called from the doorway.
“Never!” the Lifer members of Pack Jericho called back.
Nikki spoke up next. “What if we negotiate terms?”
The students looked at each other.
“What terms?” Alex asked.
A few seconds of silence followed, then Nikki spoke up again, “Jaze just confirmed with Cook Jerald that there is a chocolate mousse pie available to be eaten based on amiable surrender from both sides.”
The students exchanged glances. Alex grinned at the nods that surrounded him.
“And if we refuse?” Alex shouted. Terith and Cassie shoved his shoulder.
“Then no pie,” Jaze called back.
“Come on, Alex,” Cassie pleaded. “It’s chocolate pie!”
“But what about our war?” Alex teased.
“Who needs war when there’s chocolate?” Terith said.
Alex looked at Tennison. He shrugged. “I’m with the girls on this one. Chocolate mousse pie sounds fantastic right now.”
Alex rolled his eyes dramatically. “You’ve all been bought.”
Cassie arched one eyebrow. “Are you going to continue this battle with,” she glanced in the basket, “Two full balloons and one that is leaking the rest of its water as we speak?”
Alex glanced down to confirm. One orange and one green balloon remained in the basket while a yellow one in the corner was getting smaller by the second.
“Your move,” Jaze called.
Alex blew out a breath. “I would say never surrender, but I think my pack’s given up.”
Terith nodded and pushed past him. “All in the name of chocolate.”
“Chocolate good,” Amos confirmed, pushing past him as well.
“Fine,” Alex called needlessly as the professors and students met each other laughing and soaking wet at the door. “We give up.”
“You negotiated,” Jaze pointed out. The front of his tee shirt was soaked, though it looked like the pillow had saved his wife from the worst of the attack.
“Negotiation for chocolate is honorable,” Nikki said, smiling at Alex.
“And just in time,” Meredith said, coming from the medical wing. “I was ready to pull the fire alarm.”
Everyone looked up at the white sprinklers set inconspicuously in the ceiling tiles.
“Remind me not to go to war against you,” Jaze said, chuckling.
“Next time, you’re with us,” Alex told his mom.
Meredith laughed and put one arm around his shoulder and the other around Cassie’s. Cassie held Tennison’s hand with her free one. Together, they led the way to the Great Hall where Cook Jerald had the pie ready.
Chapter Twenty-five
“Alex, wake up!”
Sleep faded immediately at the urgency in Jaze’s voice. Alex sat up in the dark room.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“Kalia’s gone.”
The dean’s words sent a knife of ice through Alex’s heart. He stood up and reached for his shirt.
“What do you mean?” he asked as he pulled it on.
“Her car was stopped on their trip home yesterday. Boris was shot with a silver tranquilizer and Kalia was kidnapped,” Jaze told him.
Alex’s mind raced. “Who did it?”
Jaze’s words confirmed Alex’s fear when he answered, “We have reason to believe it was the General.”
Alex hurried out the door. “I need my team.” He paused in the hallway with the realization that Jericho and Pip were gone while Kalia was the victim of the attack. “We’re a few short.”
“It’s okay,” Jaze told him. “My men will fill in for your missing teammates. I already have Gem and Dray waking your sister and the others. We’ve got to get going.”
Cassie appeared with Terith close behind. Alex could hear Dray talking to Trent a few rooms away.
“Do we have any leads?” Cassie asked.
Tennison appeared and Cassie’s hand slipped into her boyfriend’s as though she needed the reassurance of his touch. He pulled her close to his side and gave her a small, worried smile.
Jaze led the way to the door. “We’re heading out to speak to Kalia’s father. Alex, you’re with me. You’ve met him before and a familiar face might help ease his anxiety.”
“Is there a problem?” Trent asked, reading Jaze’s tone.
Jaze nodded. “Unfortunately, we’re not the first organization Adam Dickson went to. Apparently, he has his own form of security.” He glanced at Alex. “You know what that means?”
Alex nodded, thinking of the guards that patrolled the house and followed the Dicksons everywhere. Only once had Alex seen Mr. Dickson without his hired thugs, and that was when Alex had found himself acting at the criminal defense lawyer’s security instead.
Jaze continued, “They’ve done all they can and haven’t been able to locate her. We’ll talk to the driver and Mr. Dickson to see if we can find any leads.”
Jaze’s team was already waiting in the cavern beneath the school. Alex entered the Wolf Den and walked straight to the weapons table. Caden, Brock’s cousin, stood behind it. His hair was extra spikey from being pulled out of bed at the early hour. Despite that, he seemed to be in a very good mood.
“Everything has been tripled checked. I assumed you wanted the Glock, so I loaded a few extra cartridges in the belt,” Caden said, handing the objects to Alex.
“Thank you,” Alex replied. He strapped the belt on and slipped the gun into the holster. He helped Cassie put on her bulletproof vest, then strapped his on as well. The familiarity of the extra weight calmed the way his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. If anything happ
ened to Kalia, he didn’t know what he would do. He vowed over and over again that he would bring her back safely.
“Let’s move out,” Mouse called.
Brock waited by the helicopter. “Be careful, you guys. Don’t take risks,” the human told them as he handed out ear pieces set to the Wolf Den’s signal. Each werewolf could communicate to Brock by pressing the small button on the earpiece, and Brock could talk to each person individually or to the entire group. It was reassuring to know that Brock had their backs.
“We’ll be careful,” Alex told him, slipping the piece into his ear.
Alex’s pack followed him into the helicopter. Jaze climbed in with them. Dray, Chet, and Vance followed.
“Where’s everyone else?” Alex asked over the intercom.
“Hopefully meeting us there, but we’re having trouble reaching the GPA and the Black Team’s on a mission up north. We might be short-handed on this one,” Jaze replied.
The look in his eyes let Alex know just how worried the dean was about Kalia. Alex was glad that no matter how many students were at the Academy, Jaze took the safety of each and every one to heart. Together, they would bring Kalia back.
Alex studied the ground as they lifted past the greenhouses and took off above the forest. He couldn’t help feeling that Kalia’s kidnapping was somehow linked to him. He had stayed at Kalia’s house the previous Christmas. Maybe whoever had stopped the car had hoped he was doing the same thing this year. Perhaps they took her because they knew he would go after her.
Alex gritted his teeth at the thought of their last argument. She only wanted to go to the ball. Why couldn’t he have just said yes? It wouldn’t make a difference in the current situation, but Kalia would have known that he cared for her, even if it wasn’t the way she wanted him to.
