by Cheree Alsop
Siale slipped her fingers into his with a smile. “Definitely.”
Alex pulled her close. “You keep smiling like that and I’m going to forget what I’m doing.”
She looked up at him with another smile. “So there’s a purpose to this walk?”
“Perhaps,” Alex replied vaguely.
His answer seemed to satisfy her. Siale walked at his side with her hand on his arm and her gaze on the night sky.
“There’s something so reassuring about the stars,” she said. “Even when it’s cloudy, I know they’re out there.”
“Do you like them more than the moon?” Alex asked.
Siale nodded. “I do, actually.” She gave a smile that held a hint of embarrassment. “I know werewolves love the moon, and I do, too, but it’s ever-changing. The stars are the same, holding their constellations forever even as the earth rotates. It’s beautiful, you know?”
Her voice held a hint of a need for reassurance. When Alex nodded, relief showed in her gaze. “It is beautiful. I’ve never thought of them quite in that way.” He looked up at the sparkling sky. “But I understand what you mean. Life changes so fast sometimes it’s nice to have something that will always be the same.”
She squeezed his hand. “Thank you for not laughing.”
“I could never laugh at you,” he replied.
The way she looked at him was almost too much. He meant to lead her to the pier, but he felt that the time was right, standing on the moonlit beach with the ocean giving its song to the moment. The stars she loved so much blanketed their shoulders, and the ocean breeze danced through her long brown hair, brushing it across her back.
The moment was hers as much as his heart, and he wanted to make it last forever.
“Siale, I love you,” he said. He found the velvet ring box in his pocket and slipped it out without her noticing.
“I love you, too, Alex,” she replied.
He shook his head. “I don’t think you understand. From the moment I looked into your eyes, my heart was yours completely. You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last image in my mind when I fall asleep. I may fight like I have nothing to lose, but in truth, I have everything to lose. You are my stars in the night sky, Siale, you are my constant, my true north, my every hope and dream.”
“Oh, Alex,” Siale said.
Alex dropped to one knee in the sand and opened the velvet box. When he held it up to her, Siale’s hand flew to her mouth. Tears filled her eyes.
“Siale Leanna Andrews, will you make me the luckiest werewolf in the world by becoming my wife?” Alex asked with tears in his own eyes.
“Yes, absolutely yes,” Siale replied. She threw her arms around his neck, laughing and crying at the same time. “Oh, Alex, I’m so happy!”
Alex picked her up by the waist and spun her around. “Me, too,” he said, smiling up at her. He brought her down and kissed her. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it,” he said. “You are everything that’s wonderful.”
She set a hand on his cheek. “You gave me so much to live for when I wanted to just die,” she told him, her voice breaking. “You gave me the chance to start over, you believed in me, and you let me be myself. The ‘me’ I see in your eyes is someone I try to attain. You bring out my laughter and happiness whenever you walk into a room. Holding your hand is the greatest thing I could ever ask for, because it means I’m yours.” The tears in her eyes spilled over when she looked at the ring Alex held. “And now this.”
With shaking fingers, Alex slid the ring on her hand. The seven purple stones glittered in the starlight while the diamond glowed like a star of its own.
“It’s beautiful,” Siale breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I knew the moment I saw it that it was meant to be yours,” Alex told her; relief that she liked it made him happier than he could express.
She threw her arms around his neck again and hugged him. “You’ve made me the happiest girl in the universe,” she said.
Chapter Twenty
When they reached the warehouse, Alex asked Siale to let him talk to Red before she told him the news. He didn’t know how the werewolf would react to the engagement of his seventeen year old daughter. He made his way nervously through the warehouse to the room where Red usually tinkered with the things that had been broken by either rambunctious young werewolves or normal wear and tear.
To Alex’s surprise, Siale’s father was up despite the very early hour. Part of him had hoped for the remaining few hours until dawn to come up with what to say to the werewolf, and so he crossed the room feeling quite unprepared to talk to Red about Siale.
“Problems with the toaster?” Alex asked, coming up to the table Red worked on.
“One of them,” Red replied, glancing up. “Glad to see you’re still alive. I wasn’t sure if I’d have to head out there swinging.”
A power cord wrapped in electrical tape, a bicycle chain, and a hair dryer lay on Red’s other side. Alex realized with a start that the head werewolf of the warehouse had stayed up doing odd jobs in case Alex needed him.
“Um, thanks,” he said. “It went better than I expected.”
Red nodded, keeping his eyes on the toaster as he removed the fasteners.
Alex picked up the power cord. Red glanced at him and he set it back down.
“Something you need?” the werewolf asked.
“You might want to sit down,” Alex said.
Red set his screwdriver on the table and gave Alex a straight look. “I’m already sitting.”
Alex wanted to kick himself. “Oh. Right.” He took a breath to calm his thundering heartbeat. “I proposed to your daughter.”
Instead of the shock Alex expected to see on Red’s face, Siale’s father merely nodded. “It’s about time.” He picked up the screwdriver again and used it to lever the shell off the toaster chassis.
“So you’re not mad?” Alex asked, thrown off guard.
Red chuckled and looked up at him. “I knew you were going to propose when you got here at the beginning of summer. You had that look about you, in love yet totally unsure about yourself. You are both so besotted with each other I don’t know how you function on your own. You two need each other like the surfer needs the ocean. Now that you’ve been out there, you know what I’m talking about.”
Alex nodded. “I really do.” He hesitated. Red began to fiddle with a latch near one end of the toaster. “Thank you, sir,” he finally said.
Red glanced at him, his mismatched eyes creased at the corners with humor. “I expect you to call me Dad.”
Alex’s chest tightened. He blinked quickly and nodded. “Thank you, Dad.”
Alex collapsed into bed thinking of his own parents. It had been ten years since he had called anyone dad. Watching his parents die at Drogan’s hand and holding Cassie with the knowledge that they were next had taken away his youth. Jaze and Nikki’s patient guidance had given them both structure and loving values, yet they had little William, and they were expecting again. He had been entirely prepared to keep a respectful relationship with Siale’s father; Red’s insistence that he be called Dad had changed things.
Alex rose and unplugged the cell phone Trent had sent with him. He ascended the stairs to the top landing, then climbed the ladder that led to the roof. Pushing up the trap door, Alex stepped out. He hit the speed dial, smiling at the fact that Trent had already programmed his number in.
“You do realize that most people are asleep at this hour,” Trent said, sounding more amused than annoyed.
“Only normal people, Trent,” Alex replied.
“Oh, that’s right,” his friend answered. “We’re anything but normal.”
“Exactly.” Alex fell silent for a moment, then said, “I proposed to Siale today.”
“I’m sorry she rejected you,” Trent said with mock sadness. “Do you need a shoulder to cry on?”
Alex chuckled. “She accepted, idiot.”
“Well, congratulations!” Trent exclaimed. “How’d you trick her into it? Chocolate? Promises of riches?”
Alex sat back against the roof with a smile. “She happens to love me.”
Trent gave a snort of disbelief. “Great. How am I supposed to trick Jordan into that one?”
“Oh, come on. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She’s probably already accepted in her head a million times.”
Trent sounded like he was smiling when he replied, “You think so?”
“You just have to work up the courage to ask. I believe in you, Trent.”
“Well, that makes one of us, but since it’s you, I guess it’ll be enough,” Trent told him.
“Good,” Alex said. He turned the conversation to the subject that was bothering him. “So what did you find at the location?”
Trent knew Alex was talking about the place where he was tortured. “You’re not going to like this,” he said, his tone solemn.
“I’m sure of it. Shoot.”
Trent sighed. “It was burned to the ground before we got there. Jaze thinks Drogan did it by the scents still lingering around the place.” He was silent, then said, “Drogan’s gone, and so are his curs. They vanished, and now they’re attacking cities, hurting humans by the hundreds, then they disappear again without a trace.”
Alex let out a slow breath, thinking things through. After a moment, he said, “I need to talk to Jaze.”
Trent patched him through to the dean’s room. Despite the early hour, Jaze sounded wide awake. “Hi, Alex. Trent said he told you what we found.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t sound good,” Alex replied.
“Drogan took revenge against the Extremists who captured him. We shouldn’t be too surprised, except that he also burned the records, computers, cell phones, and anything else we could have used to track down the rest of their group. Drogan and his curs were thorough.”
“Too bad we didn’t catch them in the act,” Alex said quietly. “We could have killed two birds with one stone.”
“Now I’m afraid Drogan’s gone lone wolf on us.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Alex asked, catching the dean’s tone. “Isn’t he more vulnerable alone?”
“It’s the opposite,” Jaze replied. “Lone wolves are dangerous. They don’t have anyone to hold them accountable or to protect. A werewolf without a pack is a loose cannon because it’s unnatural. Our instincts keep us together. Pack hierarchy is important because not only does it give those of lower rank someone to watch over them, it gives the Alpha purpose.” The dean’s voice lowered. “It worries me to think what Drogan’s doing with his curs. People are being hurt and no matter what we do, my team can’t locate them.”
The thought made Alex’s stomach twist. Fighting the curs had let him know just how powerful they were. The thought of Drogan sending them against unarmed humans or werewolves made him feel sick.
“We have to find them.”
“We’re trying,” Jaze reassured him.
Alex shook his head as he thought. “They came to the Academy to find me. What if he sends them there again?”
“It’s protected,” the dean replied. “Mouse has gone over security with the Black Team and the GPA. There aren’t any more holes. If they try to bulldoze their way through with brute force like last time, we now have countermeasures in place.”
“Has he tried?”
“No, he hasn’t.” Jaze paused, then said, “I know that worries you as much as it does me. If he attacked the Academy, at least we could attempt to take the curs out there. As it is, we keep searching, but we have no idea where he is. We have to wait until he surfaces again.”
“Then let’s flush him out.”
Jaze was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’m listening.”
Alex scuffed his toes across the top of the roof, feeling the rough surface as he said, “Use me as bait. We know he wants me, so if we set it up—”
“Absolutely not. Alex, I’m not going to—”
Alex cut him off. “Jaze, Drogan’s out for blood. I left him at that Extremist facility. Now he’s turning his hatred against those who can’t defend themselves. Do you want to wait until he hurts more humans?”
“No,” Jaze replied, his voice tight. “But I also don’t want him to turn the full force of his cur army on you.”
“I’ve accepted that it needs to happen.” Alex paused and let out a breath, willing his voice to calm. “Jaze, we can do it safely. We’ll set a trap. If the curs come after me, great. We’ll be able to capture them or kill them before they hurt anyone else. If Drogan surfaces, even better. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone after all.”
“I don’t like it,” Jaze said. “I don’t like it at all. You’re finally getting the chance to just be a teenager. Are you sure you want to jump back into all of this?”
“If it means protecting others from Drogan? Yes, without a doubt,” Alex told him.
“Where?”
Alex heard the resignation in the dean’s voice. He rubbed his forehead, thinking. “It’ll have to be somewhere believable, or else he’ll know it’s a trap.”
“The Academy’s out,” Jaze said.
“Definitely,” Alex agreed.
“Let me think on it,” the dean told him. “You should probably get some sleep. You sound tired.”
Alex smiled when he remembered what had kept him from sleeping in the first place. “I proposed to Siale.”
“Good for you!” the enthusiasm in Jaze’s voice erased the solemnity of their previous conversation. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Siale’s incredible,” Alex replied. “I can’t believe we’re actually engaged. It’s like I’m dreaming.”
Jaze chuckled. “Then you chose the right one, otherwise it’d be a nightmare.”
Alex laughed. “Definitely a dream, the best dream ever. I never knew anyone like Siale existed until we went in that warehouse.” A smile lifted his lips. “Who knew jumping in that body pit would end up being the best action of my life?”
“You’re lucky Cassie didn’t kill you after that one.”
“I know,” Alex said with another laugh.
“Does she know?”
Alex stood. “Not yet. I’m planning to tell her in the morning.” He glanced at the faint line of gray on the horizon. “Which isn’t too far away.”
“You’d better get some sleep,” Jaze told him. “Knowing the way girls react to such things, you’re going to have a long day ahead of you.”
“You don’t think she’ll be happy about it?” Alex asked in surprise.
“The opposite,” the dean corrected with another chuckle. “They’ll start planning the wedding.”
“What have I done?” Alex said with a dramatic sigh.
“I’ll let Nikki know the good news,” Jaze replied. “Keep us posted.”
“Will do,” Alex promised.
He hung up the phone. Instead of going back to his room, Alex stayed on the roof and watched the sun rise above the distant mountains. It felt surreal to hear the rush of the ocean at his back and watch the way the fingers of sunlight stretched across the land as though reaching for the waves.
The door behind him opened.
“Dad told me I could find you up here,” Siale said.
Alex turned at the sound of the smile in her voice. “I figured I’d make the happiest day of my life stretch as long as I can.”
Siale stepped into Alex’s arms. “You realize it’s a new day already, right?”
Alex shrugged and smiled down at her. “As long as you’re in it, every day is going to be perfect.”
She batted her eyelashes up at him. “You sure you won’t get bored of all this perfection?”
He laughed at her teasing expression. “If I do, I’m sure I can find some trouble to keep it interesting.”
Siale’s smile spread. “Of that, I have no doubt.” She turned in his arms to watch the sunrise, linking her fingers through his. “Brooks aske
d if we’d like to go surfing this morning.”
“Definitely,” Alex answered. He glanced at her. “What about inviting them for breakfast?”
“At the warehouse?” Siale replied. When he nodded, doubt touched her voice. “We’d have to clear it with Dad. I don’t know it if would be a good idea.”
“You know you can trust them,” Alex said. “And they know we’re werewolves. They haven’t turned us in yet. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Siale lifted her shoulders. “Sometimes you don’t know who you can really trust.”
“Yeah, but it’s Brooks and Jerry.” Alex smiled at her. “And Clarice and Reko. I trust them.”
“You trusted Officer Dune,” Siale said, her voice gentle. “Sometimes, you have to be careful rather than take unnecessary risks.”
A thought struck Alex. He stared at her.
At his expression, she said, “Alex, I’m sorry I brought it up.”
Alex shook his head quickly. “Siale, you’re brilliant!” He kissed her. “Officer Dune is exactly who we need!”
“For what?” she asked, confused as she watched him press the call button on the cell phone.
“You’ll see,” Alex answered. As soon as he was patched through to Jaze, he said, “We have to do it in Greyton.”
“Don’t you think they’ve been through enough?” the dean asked with touch of surprise in his voice.
“Hear me out,” Alex replied. “Officer Dune owes me, big time. You said there were tracks from the curs around the school at the prom, so we know the last one drew them there. And after Drogan’s attack on the hospital, I don’t think the citizens of Greyton would balk at the chance to get a little payback of their own. The world knows what Drogan can do. He’s already following in his father’s footsteps. I have a feeling that any citizen who has the chance to help put an end to his reign of terror would willingly jump at it.”
“If we can ensure their safety,” Jaze replied.
“Exactly,” Alex answered.
“Let me think about it.” The dean’s voice was more musing than denying. “I’ll get back to you.”
Alex hung up the phone with a feeling of relief. That relief immediately faded at the look of worry on Siale’s face. He realized his short conversation with Jaze left little doubt what he was up to.
