by Cheree Alsop
Alex felt guilty for not telling her the complete truth. He took her hand and led her down the steps to the courtyard. They walked in silence to the big wolf statue in the middle of the grass. Comfort filled Alex when he set his palm against the cool metal. Siale waited near him without question. He appreciated the way she gave him the time he needed to gather his thoughts.
“William says Jet’s statue talks to him in his dreams,” he finally told her.
He didn’t know if he wanted it to be possible or not. Jaze was completely willing to make a decision that affected the entire Academy based on the three-year-old’s words. Alex wasn’t sure what to believe.
“He said Jet told him that the Demons were coming to the Academy. Do you think that’s possible?” he asked, careful to keep his tone level.
Siale studied the wolf statue for a few minutes. When she spoke, her eyes were on the seven emblazoned on the wolf’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s instinct.”
“What do you mean?”
Siale set a hand on the seven. “Maybe what William feels is instinct, and he doesn’t know how else to describe it.”
“That’s possible,” Alex acknowledged. “He said his mom told him to listen to Jet. That’s why we’re evacuating the Academy.”
Siale set a hand on his arm. “It’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
Alex nodded. His words were quiet when he said, “I’ve talked to Jet’s statue ever since I got here.” He paused, then continued, “It helps me clear my thoughts, but I’ve never gotten an answer like that.”
“Haven’t you?”
He met Siale’s gray gaze in surprise. “What do you mean?”
She gave a small, warm smile and said, “Isn’t it Jet that tells you to keep fighting? Isn’t he the one that pushes you to try every way possible to defeat Drogan?” She looked at the statue. “Isn’t it your brother you follow to protect those who are weaker and need your help? At first, it seemed to me like you lived in his shadow. But now I know that the same blood flows in your veins. Jet’s been a part of you since you were born.”
Alex felt the truth of her words as soon as she said them. He shook his head and smiled at her. “You always surprise me by how well you really know me.”
She smiled back at him. “That’s love. The more I know you, the deeper I respect you, and that respect is tied with how very much I love you.”
He kissed her in front of the statue. The sun shone down on their shoulders while the scent of turning leaves and frost in the shadows hinted at the fall that would soon embrace the Academy and the forest. Alex walked with Siale hand in hand back to the Academy. They had a lot to do before the wedding, and the first step was going to be the hardest. He wasn’t sure how the professors would take the news that the Academy was to be evacuated, but he trusted his dean and the little boy who looked at him with the eyes of the woman who had once been the only mother in his life.
Chapter Twenty-four
“It’s so empty,” Cassie said as they wandered through the Academy.
“It feels like ghosts roam the halls,” Tennison replied.
Alex trailed behind the pair. The last of the students had left earlier that day so that they could get home long before the full moon rose. The tremors that crawled beneath Alex’s skin intensified the closer it came to nightfall. Only those students who would be attending the wedding remained, and they had sat as long as they could stand it in the library until Trent suggested walking the halls in an effort to stave off the need to phase.
“Maybe they do,” Terith replied. She looked down the halls they passed as if searching for ghosts.
She and her brother seemed a bit lost without Von and Jordan at their sides. Even though Alex had asked Jaze’s permission for both werewolves to attend the wedding, the dean had denied his request. Worry that Drogan and his Demons would surface meant every security measure had to be taken. The fewer werewolves both the team and the GPA had to protect, the better.
“You believe in ghosts?” Siale asked her.
Terith nodded. “Definitely. Don’t you? It’s like memories walk through the halls. Look.” She gestured into Chet’s empty training room. The evening light spilled through the windows to light the empty mats and wrestling ring. “You can almost see Boris and Torin fighting it out. Their Seconds would be cheating, trying to give their Alpha the upper hand. Chet always had to yell at them for interfering with rank duels.”
Alex leaned against the open doorway. “It amazes me that neither ever won. They could fight the entire class period, and Chet would always have to call it off when the bell rang because they were so equally matched.”
“You beat them both.”
Alex looked at Trent. “Not in here.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Trent replied. He nodded at the empty ring. “Here, in the courtyard, in the forest, it’s all the same. You’re the top dog.”
Alex was about to protest when Siale said, “He’s right. They always wondered who was strongest, but it was you.”
Alex remembered the feeling of defeating each Alpha. He hadn’t needed the Demon to come out on top. Something had filled him with strength. He knew that same thing was responsible for his now black fur when he phased, and the way the other students looked at him when he walked into a room.
“Jericho knew.”
The name Cassie spoke settled over everyone. Alex’s sister nodded in certainty. “He knew what you were. That’s why he chose you at his first Choosing Ceremony. He believed you were more than even you knew.”
Alex and Siale exchanged a glance. Alex gave her a small smile. Their conversation with Cherish had let Alex know exactly why Jericho had chosen him. Alex had kept the same thought at the forefront of his mind during the funeral the day before. Jericho’s decision to honor Jet’s sacrifice in saving his family had impacted Alex’s entire life. When he howled with the others, it was in remembrance of the Alpha who had become not only his mentor, but his friend.
“I learned as much from him as he did from me,” Alex replied, his voice soft.
Silence settled over them. Alex’s thoughts were swept away to the first time he had met the tall, skinny Alpha in the courtyard. So much had changed from the time Jericho had called his name in front of the entire Academy. It was the first time a Termer had ever called a Lifer to be a part of his or her pack, let alone be the Second. Alex would never forget the honor Jericho had bestowed on him that day.
Siale slipped her hand into his. “I can’t believe we’re getting married tomorrow. I’m nervous.” She read the concerned look on his face and hurried to say, “Not about marrying you, but about doing it in front of so many people.”
Alex knew she was worried about Drogan and the Demons more than anything else. Keeping up pretenses with their families had been tough on them both. He was ready to have it over with no matter what was going to happen. He forced a smile and pulled her close. “Me, too,” he admitted. “I can’t believe how much Greyton’s putting into this.”
“You have a ballroom and everything,” Terith reminded him. “I can’t believe the Mayor is the one officiating!”
Trent shook his head. “Talk about making a statement. I’ve got to give the man credit for taking a stand.”
Tennison smiled. “Greyton’s already known for having Alex as their protector. They want to be known as the first werewolf-friendly city on the map.”
Cassie leaned against her fiancé. “It’s all a dream come true, but it feels so fast. I can’t believe it’s tomorrow! I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight even after the full moon.”
“Let’s phase,” Trent suggested. “I can’t stand it anymore. Jordan’s not here. I’ve lost my sense of stability and any reason for control. Let’s go be wolves.”
“I couldn’t have said it better,” Terith replied, throwing her brother a relieved smile. “I feel like I’ve lost my arm or my heart without Von at the Academy. Being a wolf is easier. We don’t have to think about it.”
E
veryone looked at Alex. He realized they expected him to make the final decision. With the others gone, he truly was the Alpha.
Alex nodded. “Let’s go.”
His friends rushed up the stairway to phase. Alex walked up more slowly.
“You’re in your mind a lot these days.”
Alex smiled at Siale. She waited at the top of the stairs with a quizzical expression and her head tipped slightly to one side. Her gray eyes watched him with the knowing look of someone who guessed Alex’s thoughts but waited for him to state them.
“I think I’m starting to realize what it means to be an Alpha,” Alex admitted when he reached her.
“Professor Kaynan would be proud of you,” Siale replied, slipping her arm through his. “Remember his philosophy class? ‘The best Alpha thinks of him or herself last, puts the pack first, and remembers that the pack is only as strong as its weakest member.’”
Alex cracked a smile. “I remember when Torin replied, ‘But if the pack is there to serve the Alpha, what good is it if the Alpha places himself last?’”
Siale grinned. “Kaynan wasn’t thrilled.”
Alex chuckled. “Leave it to Torin to find the self-serving side of being an Alpha.”
Siale pushed open the door to Alex’s quarters. It still amused him to see that the others had chosen his used-to-be lone wolf rooms as their own without so much as asking him. He smiled at the sight of Trent running around in wolf form with Tennison’s shirt in his mouth. Cassie’s fiancé was trying to corner the wolf between the couch and the fireplace without luck while Cassie just watched and laughed.
“You seriously need Jordan here,” she said with a shake of her head.
Trent barked in agreement. Tennison dove at that moment and managed to yank the shirt from the werewolf’s teeth. He held it up with a dismayed expression.
“It’s all slobbery. That’s gross, Trent. Just wait until I phase and chew up your favorite shoe,” Tennison threatened.
Cassie laughed. “Are you a shoe-chewer, Tenn? Are there other bad habits I’m going to have to break you of after we’re married?”
“Just put lemon oil on everything,” Siale replied. “Chewers hate the taste of lemon oil.”
Alex and Cassie both grimaced at the thought.
It was Siale’s turn to laugh. “You two really look like brother and sister when you do that.”
“Alex also screams like a girl,” Tennison replied. “You might have to train him on that.”
Alex threw off his shirt and phased. Before Tennison could escape, Alex snatched the werewolf’s shirt from his grasp and darted out the door.
“Alex, get back here with that!” Tennison yelled.
Trent fell in close behind. Both werewolves huffed in laughter as they flew down the stairs and out the door Siale had thankfully thought to prop open.
A few seconds later, the rest of the werewolves chased the pair through the forest. Alex dodged a tree trunk and threw the tee-shirt to Trent just before Tennison tried to snag it in his jaws.
Trent ducked beneath a bush and darted left around a stand of aspens. Tennison slowed to get around Alex, then used his long legs to lope between both wolves. Alex barely caught the tee-shirt before Tennison got to it. He circled right and followed a game trail down to the stream. To Tennison’s dismay, Alex proceeded to jump into the ankle-deep water. He then gave showy splashes designed to soak any wolf who got within reach of the shirt.
By now the tee-shirt was a sopping wet mess with mud on one sleeve. Alex didn’t know why Tennison bothered to get it back. Taking pity on the werewolf, Alex lowered his head to the water to wash the shirt.
Tennison yipped with frustration. His ears were back and he pawed at the edge of the river like a puppy who didn’t want to get wet. Alex gave a wolfish grin and lowered his muzzle into the stream.
Something bowled him over so hard Alex lost his grip on the tee-shirt. Soaked from head to toe, he staggered back to his paws. Surprise filled him at the sight of Kaynan standing in wolf form on the far side of the river with Grace, his mate, at his side. The crimson-coated Alpha had the tee-shirt in his jaws. Glee showed in his red eyes.
Alex glanced over his shoulder. His pack looked completely surprised by the professors’ appearance. Kaynan gave a bark of challenge and both he and Grace disappeared through the trees.
Alex waved his tail and looked back at his pack mates. He wasn’t about to let the challenge go lightly. It was his pack against Kaynan and Grace. They could handle two werewolves.
Alex gave a bark of command and leaped up the far bank in the moonlight. The sounds of splashing heralded his pack following close behind. They took up a protective fan formation. Shadows trailed them on either side. Alex made out the forms of Dray and Gem on his right with Colleen and Rafe on his left.
Alex caught sight of Kaynan ahead of them. He felt as much as saw Siale close in on his right. She sped up when he did, her ears back and mouth open in a wolfish grin at the challenge. Alex’s paws drummed along the ground. Kaynan’s cedar and clove scent along with the lingering strange chemical smell that colored both him and his sister Colleen filled Alex’s nose.
Alex pushed harder. His pack loped behind him on nearly silent paws. Alex felt a surge of pride at the way they ran in formation, leaping over logs and between the trees as though they were of one mind and thought. Alex felt like an Alpha, a true leader. Even the professors couldn’t match his pack.
He was ready to give the order for his pack mates to split to the right and left the way they used to drill when suddenly Kaynan and Grace, Rafe and Colleen, and all of the others were gone. Alex ran past the last place he had seen the first two, spun on his heels, and circled back. Their scent disappeared completely.
Baffled, Alex watched Siale and Cassie search the same way. Tennison sniffed around the trees while Trent and Terith jogged back to see if they had somehow missed the werewolves in the bushes.
Alex couldn’t believe it. He snorted in disbelief, spinning in a complete circle to see if somehow the professors were playing a trick on him.
A pine branch hit him in the head. Alex looked up. His mouth dropped open at the sight of Kaynan and the others up in the evergreens in wolf form looking down at him. Alex thought of the time he had jumped up in a tree to beat everyone back to the Academy. Wolves and trees didn’t mix well; the balance was off and it just felt completely wrong. He had to give the professors credit for making it work quickly enough to throw his pack off the trail.
Kaynan gave a huff of laughter and let the now soggy and shredded tee-shirt fall through the branches to land at Alex’s feet. Alex snorted. Tennison trotted up and snatched it from the forest floor. To Alex’s surprise, the werewolf then proceeded to worry and shred the shirt himself while the others looked on.
Kaynan and Grace jumped down with Colleen and Rafe close behind. Everyone watched Tennison finish destroying his own shirt. Trent grabbed one of the shreds and raced around the trees. Rafe picked up another. The quiet professor with the golden eyes grabbed another scrap of cloth and shook it. When he let go, the ruined shirt hit Alex in the face. Rafe barked a laugh.
Alex grinned and took off after him. The others fell in close behind. During the night of the full moon, they were just wolves, animals united by comradery, loyalty, and the kindred nature that came from growing up among the trees. The other wolves from Rafe’s pack joined them in their flight through the shadows.
Wolves brushed past Alex’s shoulder, leading them deeper into the forest. Alex and Siale followed. Cassie and Tennison and Trent and Terith ghosted close behind. Besides Tennison, they had been the first students at the Academy. When little more than gangly-legged pups, the professors had ran with them the same way, leading them through the forest and teaching them to love the meadows and glens, valleys and peaks.
Alex ran with the reminder that though life was fragile and could twist in ways that left holes gaping in his heart, there was also stability among the ancient trees and peac
e within the forest depths to counterbalance the pain. The way of the wolf was one of quiet acceptance. His journey as a werewolf was filled with highs that made him feel like he was flying and lows he had survived through sheer determination. Being a wolf helped him place both of those in perspective.
The world continued whether he fought Drogan or not. Trees grew and the sun rose, the rain still fell and the crickets chirped regardless of what he did. The thought made him feel small and filled him with hope at the same time. It took some of the weight off his shoulders and chased away the fear of what would happen if he failed. The way of the wolf helped to remind him that the best he could do was to live for his pack. They were his world, his strength, and they would be at his side every step of the way.
Chapter Twenty-five
Drogan pressed the gun harder against Siale’s head. She winced. A slight breeze toyed with the hem of her wedding dress, wrapping the white fabric around both her and Alex’s half-brother. Alex tried to reach her, but his feet felt like they were trapped in tar. He yelled her name, but it came out as a whisper. A single tear trailed slowly down Siale’s face. It reached her delicate jawline and fell with agonizing slowness to the floor. Alex followed the tear, straining, reaching, and unable to do anything but watch the iridescent drop reflect his own hopelessness.
When the tear hit the ground, it shattered with the sound of a bullet exploding from a gun.
“No!” Alex yelled.
He sat up so quickly the room spun. Reality clashed with the nightmare. He couldn’t clear Drogan’s scent from his nose. Shadows moved out of the corner of his eye, out of place amid the dawn that spilled through the window after their midnight run. Alex turned his head and froze.
Drogan stood in the middle of his room. His half-brother held Siale by the throat. There was a gag in her mouth. Drogan’s right arm ended in a jagged blade attached to the stump where his hand had been. Siale’s eyes widened when he pressed the blade to her neck.
