by Cheree Alsop
“Thank you, Alex Carso.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Alex and Terith stood out the Dickson mansion at sunset. Kalia and Mr. Dickson waited beside them.
“Are you sure this was a good idea?” Mr. Dickson asked.
“Definitely,” Alex replied.
Boris let out a breath of defeat. “He’s wrecked it for sure.”
Kalia shook her head. “You should see him fly a helicopter.”
At that moment, the roar of a well-tuned engine caught Alex’s ears. He straightened.
“What?” Mr. Dickson asked. “Do you hear him?”
Boris nodded. Alex and Kalia exchanged a look. At the sound of things, the Ferrari was going well over a hundred miles per hour.
Trent had the good sense to slow down before he reached the road that fronted the mansion. He turned into the driveway with the biggest smile on his face that Alex had ever seen.
“There will be no living with him after this,” Terith said with a shake of her head.
Alex grinned. “I promised him he’d drive a Ferrari.”
Mr. Dickson held out his hand. “So we’re even?”
Kalia rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Dad? Letting Trent drive the Ferrari is how you repay Alex for saving my life?”
Alex chuckled. “Don’t worry, Kalia. You’re worth every penny.”
Kalia blew out a frustrated breath and slugged Alex’s shoulder. She then stormed off into the mansion.
Boris leaned over to Alex. “I hear Siale’s coming to school next term.”
Alex’s heart skipped a beat, but he gave a small shrug, careful not to let his feelings show. “That’s what Jaze said.”
Boris crossed his arms with a huge grin. “You’re lucky you missed the dance, but you can’t avoid my sister forever. This next term is going to be great. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Trent climbed out of the car and tossed the key to Alex. “That was amazing!” he exclaimed.
Mr. Dickson took the key from Alex before the werewolf could get any other ideas.
“Like I said, a promise is a promise,” Alex told his friend.
“Ready?” Jaze called from where he waited with Mouse near the helicopter.
“Ready,” Alex said. He shook Mr. Dickson’s hand, then jogged with the others to where the dean waited.
“Can I fly it?” Trent asked as the others climbed into the helicopter.
“I’ve got this,” Mouse said.
“I think we could get some more power out of this engine if you’ll let me tamper with it for a bit,” Trent said encouragingly.
“It flies just fine,” Mouse replied. He paused, then handed Trent the headset for the other seat.
“Really?” Trent asked in shock.
Mouse glanced back at Jaze. The dean shrugged. “You’d probably do better than I do.”
Trent jumped into the front seat with a huge grin. “This is the best day ever!”
Alex set a hand on the werewolf’s shoulder as he climbed into the helicopter. “You deserve it,” he said.
He sat back and watched the details of the ground get smaller and smaller. Next term was going to be interesting. He tipped his head back.
“Everything okay?” Jaze asked.
Alex smiled at the dean. “Everything’s great.” He closed his eyes and listened to the whirl of the blades as they turned toward home.
The Werewolf Academy Series
Book 4- Taken
By Cheree Alsop
Chapter One
Alex ducked between the buildings. His breath fogged in the crisp winter air as he crouched with his shoulder against the bricks. His ears strained to catch the first whisper of footsteps through the snow.
It had only been two days since the battle against General Jared Carso beneath the mall. The directions Alex had given the General led to the park in Greyton where Alex had learned how to play his first game of soccer. He regretted that it had been the first location to come to his mind, but he couldn’t take it back.
Motion caught his gaze. He studied Trent crouched in the alley across the park. His friend’s eyes were wide, but Alex knew the werewolf would cover his back no matter what. Cassie and Tennison were across the street to Alex’s left. The slight whisper of snow brushing from the roof told of the werewolves waiting above. Jaze’s pack, the Black Team, and Pack Jericho, the pack Alex belonged to, hid in strategic positions around the square the park occupied and on top of the building across the street.
Brock’s contacts had informed him that the General’s men were headed in the direction of the park. Alex’s hands clenched and unclenched. He wanted to make the man pay for the fear he had seen in Kalia’s eyes. It didn’t help that the General was his father. Alex fought back a growl. Sharing blood definitely didn’t make the heart any fonder.
A laugh caught his attention.
“Kids are coming this way,” Dray said into Alex’s earpiece.
“We need to get them clear of the park,” Brock answered.
“We can’t blow our position,” Chet replied.
Five students came into view. Alex’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized Cherish and some of the other students he had played soccer with over the summer. Cherish wore a red bandana instead of a green one over her long black hair, and she was bundled up in a huge coat and a green scarf. Tanner and Sarah walked hand in hand, while Jen ran on ahead and scooped up a snowball to throw at Josh. Jen’s red hair was a bright counterbalance to her gray coat.
“I know them,” Alex said quietly.
He felt the attention of every werewolf hidden around the park lock on him.
“You know them?” Cassie repeated in shock.
Trent spoke up. “Are they the ones you met on that trip?”
“Yeah,” Alex answered. He wasn’t sure what to do. The thought of the General’s Extremist army and hounds reaching the park while the humans were there sent chills down his spine.
“You need to get them out of there,” Jaze replied, his voice commanding. “The General’s men have arrived.”
At that moment, four black SUVs pulled up to the curb that fronted the park.
“Go, Alex,” Trent urged. “You don’t have any time.”
Alex ran through the snow toward the students. They slowed at the sight of his approach.
“Alex?” Cherish said in surprise.
Sarah grinned. “I didn’t think we’d see you again.”
“Yeah,” her boyfriend Tanner said. “I thought you went to some faraway school or something.”
“You guys have got to get out of here,” Alex told them. He grabbed Cherish’s arm. “You’re in danger.”
Cherish stared at him. “In danger?” Doubt laced her voice. “Here?” She looked around pointedly, and her gaze locked on the men filing out of the SUVs.
“You mean them?” Josh asked, his curly brown hair visible around the edges of his beanie.
“Yeah.” Alex kept his voice steady despite the way his heart thundered in his chest. “They’re not here to talk.”
The men pulled guns from the vehicles.
Alex heard sharp breaths of surprise from his friends.
“I think we should go,” Jen said, clutching Josh’s arm, her eyes filled with fright.
“I agree,” Sarah echoed, her face pale at the sight of the weapons.
“There’s no time,” Alex told them as Jaze said the same words into his earpiece. “Follow me.”
The students ran across the park in Alex’s tracks. He led them to the alley he had left and herded them to the big garbage containers at the end. There was a gap behind them that would work as a temporary hiding place.
“Keep low and stay here,” Alex said. He was grateful when they listened.
Tanner pulled Sarah against him, shielding her with his body while Josh did the same for Jen.
Cherish was the closest to the fence that made up the end of the alley. She stared at Alex.
“Just don’t move,”
Alex told her. “I’ll keep you safe.”
Gunshots erupted in the park. Alex drew his gun and shot two Extremists as they darted across the mouth of the alley. He ran to the opening and fired, taking down two more headed for Trent’s hiding place. Other shots rang out, echoing against the buildings as Extremists and werewolves tried to take each other out.
Someone let out a yelp of pain on the rooftop above Alex. More Extremists were massing across the park. Apparently the vehicles on the street hadn’t been their only means of transportation. Men in black and gray swarmed from one of the buildings. Alex lost sight of Trent.
Taking careful aim, Alex took out three more men near the vehicles. Another hid behind what remained of a snowman. Alex’s breath sounded harsh to his ears. He let it out slowly and squeezed the trigger. The man grabbed his shoulder, then fell to the ground as the tranquilizer took effect.
Bullets hit the wall near Alex’s head. He ducked as dust from the bricks peppered his hair.
“Alex, be careful!”
Alex looked back to see Sarah peaking around the corner.
“Are you crazy?” Tanner said, his eyes wide as he pulled her back. “You’re going to get yourself shot!”
Alex glanced back at the park in time to see four men taking advantage of his distraction to rush the alley. He fired four times. Three of the men stopped in their tracks while a bullet from the fourth tugged at Alex’s sleeve. He shot the man in the chest. The Extremist crashed to the ground and his gun clattered across the sidewalk. Alex turned on his knee and shot three more men crouched near Trent’s alley.
There were so many Extremists. They hadn’t expected so many. The amount of men Alex had taken down was nothing compared to the Extremists who continued to flood into the park from the streets, the alleys, and the building adjacent to it. Alex didn’t know if the men enjoyed being shot by tranquilizers or if the General had them brainwashed like his hounds to do anything he asked. Whenever one was shot, there were two more to take the Extremist’s place.
Jen screamed behind him. Alex spun to see three Extremists climbing down the fire escape near the middle of the alley. A fence and the garbage containers blocked off the back; his friends were trapped between the Extremists and any chance of escape.
Alex thought quickly. Two men at the mouth of the alley; two more by Trent. Three by the vehicles and one by the snowman. Four men at the alley, and then another bullet for the one that went wide. Three more by Trent’s alley. The Glock held fifteen bullets in the clip and one in the chamber. He was out.
The Extremists pointed their weapons at the students. Alex needed speed and strength. He had no choices left.
Alex tore off his shirt and phased. His paws hit the ground twice before he leaped. He slammed into the back of one man and jumped as the man hit fell. Alex grabbed the second man’s gun hand and used his body weight to drag the man to the ground. He released the man’s arm and barreled into the third Extremist before the man could bring his gun up. The man hit the wall and collapsed. Alex spun back around in time to see the first man reaching for the gun he had dropped.
A growl rumbled from Alex’s chest and he bared his fangs. The man froze with his fingers inches from the weapon. He met Alex’s fury-filled gaze and slowly withdrew his hand. Alex moved to the middle of the alley, placing himself between the Extremists and his friends. He met the men’s gazes one at a time with his low growl resounding through the alley.
Alex didn’t want to tear their throats out. Shooting men using tranquilizers bullets was a lot different than ending their lives with his fangs. He had killed enough to know the consequences. The alarm on the Extremists’ faces ate at him, but he would do what was needed in order to protect the humans behind him. The fear that wafted from his friends filled him with resolve. He placed one paw forward.
“I’ve got them, Alex!”
Three shots rang out. Cries of pain followed and the men in front of him collapsed. Alex lifted his gaze to Trent who leaned against the alley wall, his eyes wide and chest heaving. A sheen of sweat showed through the small werewolf’s buzzed hair.
Alex realized that the sounds of gunfire had stopped. A glance past Trent revealed the park, its snow broken by the bodies of Extremists Jaze’s pack and the Black Team gathered up. Chet helped Dray to one of the vehicles. The professor had a bandage around his leg but still had the strength to smile.
“Told you we’d get home before dinner,” Dray said.
“It’ll be a close thing,” Chet replied with his usual frustrated tone. “I hope Cook Jerald didn’t feed everything to those vermin.”
“And by vermin, you mean the students,” Dray replied as they passed from Alex’s view.
“Who else would I mean?” Chet growled.
Relief filled Alex. The firefight was over. From what he had seen, the General had kept out of sight, but the werewolves had taken down a significant number of Extremists. It would be up to the Global Protection Agency to take care of them and they would be unable to hunt werewolves any longer.
“A-Alex?”
Alex’s relief snuffed out like a match dunked in water. For a brief second, he had forgotten the human students he had protected. They had trusted him and treated him like one of their own. They had given him something invaluable, the feeling of fitting in when the rest of the world regarded his kind with only fear. He had never felt like just another person, but the day he played soccer with them and ate breakfast at the diner, he had forgotten he was different. Now, he had lost that gift.
Alex turned slowly and faced the five students. They stood close to the garbage containers as though debating whether they were truly safe. All eyes traveled from the downed Extremists to Alex. He knew he looked formidable. Werewolves maintained the same weight when phasing since mass couldn’t just disappear, and a hundred and sixty-five pound wolf was huge. He wondered how they would look if they saw Vance phase.
“I have your clothes,” Trent said quietly. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
Alex turned away from the scent of fear and the eyes wide with disbelief. He held his head high, though he felt like dragging it on the ground. The Extremists had taken everything from him; it was just one more brick on his shoulders.
Alex phased in the SUV and pulled on his clothes. He sat for a moment contemplating what had happened, reliving the cool metal of his gun in his hand and the way the targets fell as each bullet hit. He pushed his finger through the hole the bullet had torn through his sleeve, grateful it hadn’t clipped him. Werewolves healed fast, but bullet holes still hurt.
A tap on the glass jerked him out of his haze of senseless thoughts. He realized that his hands were shaking. He rubbed them together with the understanding that even though he had gone through numerous rescues with Jaze and fired his gun dozens of times, he was still experiencing the effects of shock. Perhaps one never got used to the feeling of shooting another person, no matter their intentions.
He shook his head with a wry smile and pushed the door open.
“What do you—” Alex stared at the five humans waiting beside Jaze.
The dean gave him a smile that said he understood the werewolf’s surprise. “Your friends wanted to talk to you.” Jaze’s emphasis on the word friends made Alex look at them again.
None of the five students looked scared now that the attack had passed. Jen and Sarah were still pale, but Cherish gave him a smile.
“Who would have thought?” she said in her straightforward way.
Tanner pushed his blond hair off his head. “Seriously. I don’t think I would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.”
“There was that fight with the gang,” Josh pointed out. “We should have known.” At Jaze’s surprised look, Josh took off his beanie and studied the ground.
“Fight with the gang?” Jaze asked.
Alex put on his most innocent expression. “It wasn’t a gang, really. There were three thugs who wanted my motorcycle. I talked them out of it.” He shrugged. “It wa
s civil, really.”
Tanner and Josh both smothered laughs.
Jaze rolled his eyes. “Somehow, I don’t believe you.” He gave Alex a small smile. “The police are on their way; the GPA can’t stall much longer. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Got it,” Alex replied.
The humans watched Jaze walk over to several men in black with the letters GPA on their backs.
“That’s really him, isn’t it?” Cherish asked quietly.
Alex was surprised by the look of awe on their faces. “You know Jaze?”
Josh put his beanie back on. “Everyone knows about Jaze Carso. He’s a legend, even with us.”
Alex felt the distance the words immediately put between him and the five humans. He was a werewolf; he wasn’t one of them. He wondered why it hurt so badly to be reminded of it.
“Have dinner at my house.”
Everyone stared at Cherish. Alex couldn’t force down his shock when he realized she was talking to him.
“What?” he asked even though he had heard her clearly.
“Have dinner at my house,” Cherish repeated. She looked at her friends. “You saved our lives, Alex. If you hadn’t done, well, what you did back there, we’d be dead right now. I saw the way those men looked at us.”
Sarah cringed as though reliving the memory. “Cherish is right. We owe you.”
Alex shook his head without meeting her eyes. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“We do,” Tanner said.
Alex kicked at a clump of dirty snow. “Don’t feel like you owe me any favors. I’m a werewolf. You shouldn’t associate with me.” Saying the words aloud made him feel the distance even more. He shoved his hands in his pockets so he would stop balling them into fists.
Cherish touched his arm. Alex met her gaze unwillingly. “Come over on Sunday,” she said, her expression earnest. “My mom always cooks something amazing. I want you to be there.”
Alex couldn’t deny the sincerity of her tone. He glanced at the others and saw that they were watching him expectantly. Tanner nodded, encouraging him to accept. Alex let out a small breath. “Okay.”
