by Martha Woods
The Alpha’s Trials
(Book 7 of Werewolves of Boulder Junction Series)
Martha Woods
Contents
FREE Gift For You!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Join Martha’s Exclusive Readers Group!
© 2018 Martha Woods
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
* * *
For permissions contact: [email protected]
FREE Gift For You!
Do you want to receive a FREE paranormal romance book? Well, Martha Woods is giving you a chance to receive a FREE copy of Daywalker’s Stone (The first book in her Second Sight Series). The book is exclusive to Martha Woods’ VIP group.
So, what are you waiting for? Click the button below and receive your FREE copy of Daywalker’s Stone today!
Chapter 1
"Skylar?"
The word cut her to the core, that voice that she hadn't heard in over a month cracking with such emotion that she could feel it. Skylar stepped forward hesitantly, hand stretching out in front of her to take her husband's, both of them trembling with such force they were afraid that a simple gust of wind would shatter them.
Liam could hardly believe she was even real, half convinced that he had finally fallen off the edge of sanity and lost himself to madness, but with her hand in his, the feeling of her pulse underneath his palm and the sight of her eyes swimming with unshed tears, he honestly couldn't bring himself to care. Being with her, real or not, was enough for him, and he couldn't bear to lose that again.
"Liam..." She reached up, swiping a thumb across his jaw and wiping away the tears that had spilled. "Liam it's me, I'm here." She smiled, pulling his hand up to her face and rubbing it against her cheek. "I'm not dead."
"But... How?" He looked at her, scanning from top to bottom but he couldn't see anything to suggest that she was anything other than alive. "We saw you disappear I... I held you while it happened. I... I saw you die."
"She almost was." They both turned their heads to the other woman in the room, strolling up easily in the middle of their moment. "She overused her powers saving you, any more and she wouldn't have come back. As it was she spent an entire week pulling herself back together, I watched over her to make sure that pieces didn't get..." She shuddered, seemingly in the middle of a memory. "Lost along the way."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Liam tried to put himself in between the woman and his wife, but to his surprise she pushed him back, stepping to the side.
"Liam... This is probably going to come as a pretty big surprise, but I think I need to make an introduction." She gestured to the other woman, who mock bowed in response. "This is Leila Manzano. This is my mother."
"And your mother-in-law by all accounts." She stepped forward, taking his hand and shaking it confidently. "Nice to meet you, I'm afraid you caught us at an awkward moment."
"What? Oh." The three of them looked at the still captive hunter, who was sitting stunned at the proceedings.
"You... You're married to this thing? You have any idea what she's done here?" He struggled against his bonds, seeing Cayden still standing slack jawed in the doorway. "Hey, you! What the hell are you doing with this bunch of freaks huh?"
"Winning, by the looks of it." He stepped forward, recognizing the hunter. "You're Tim, right? Tim Mackenzie, fought with me against that vampire clan, right?"
"Yeah, yeah that's me!" Tim's face lit up, seemingly grasping the chance that he might make it out alive.
Cayden turned to Skylar and Leila. "Are you done with him?" At their nods, he drew his pistol. "Good."
He fired a single round into Tim's forehead, the hunter slumping in his seat with his face still wearing that hopeful smile. When Cayden saw the looks they were giving him he shrugged. "What? I didn't like the guy." He tilted his head at Skylar, nodding to her while he turned away. "It really is good to see you again Sky, we all missed you. Christ, I need a drink after this shit, no one else is going to believe this."
Her eyes widened at the thought of how everyone else would react to her being alive, but Cayden's hand on her shoulder stilled her movements. "Hey, don't worry about it ok? I'll go ahead and explain everything to the others, you three... Clearly you three need to catch up together, I think that's more important."
"Thank you Cayden, it... This means a lot to us." She nodded her thanks but smiled at the still bashful expression that came over him even now.
"Don't worry about it, but I'm still gonna need some answers after all this, don't think that you're getting out of that." He wrapped his arms around her side, squeezing down tightly. "I'm so glad that you're back."
She didn't get another chance to speak before he stepped out, leaving her alone with Liam and Leila. The two of them were staring at each other, tension growing with every moment that went by with no words said between the two.
"You probably don't really trust me, do you?" Leila smirked, inspecting her fingernails. "On account of me being a career criminal and all that entails, right?"
"My wife died in front of me, and I come here over a month later to see her interrogating a man seemingly under your discretion. I'm sorry if that seems alarming to me."
"Of course, it was under my discretion, it's not exactly something you can just leap into with no training." She ran a hand through Skylar's hair, smiling at her protests. "She's really doing much better than she's giving herself credit for, she really is my daughter."
"I know you probably have a lot of questions Liam, and I want to answer all of them, but I don't know where to start." Skylar squeezed his hand, placing it against her chest. Liam breathed out slowly, the steady thrum of her heartbeat calming his mind and placing him back in the moment. His issues with her mother could wait, and perhaps he would even get answers from the both of them, but right now knowing what his wife was up to was his number one priority.
"I suppose the most important thing is just... What are you doing here?" He placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes swimming with emotion. "When you came back, when you knew that you were alive, why didn't you come back to us? Why did you let us believe that you were still dead?"
She ducked her head, not able to look him in the eyes as she answered, "I was asking myself that question every single day, but I knew that it was what I needed to do. I want Abigail to grow up feeling safe, and that won't happen as long as Christian is around. I'm so sorry Liam, but I had to do this."
"Before you two let any resentment come between you," Leila said, "I should point out that it was my idea to take her away from you and bring her on this trip. If you are going to be angry at anyone for keeping you in the cold about her survival, it is only fair that it's me."
"No, I didn't... I didn't bring it up just so I could find someone to be angry at." Liam ran a hand through his hair, tipping the dead hunter out of the chair and taking a seat. "I just want to know what has been going on since we were separated. I don't think that you did this to abandon us, I never though
t that, I'm not that selfish. I'm just worried for you, that's all."
"Well, there's honestly no reason to be worried for her, trust me." Leila's face was filled with pride, clearly the two of them had grown close in their time together.
"You've been looking out for her?"
"She's been looking out for herself just fine, I'm just here to help her when she needs it. To stop something like what happened to the two of you from happening again."
"Of course, she has, she's the woman I married. Strong, smart... Overly passionate." He grinned at Skylar's look of offense, before nodding at Leila. "Thank you though, for being there when I couldn't be."
"I figured it was about time I got involved. I made it through over two decades without lifting a finger, it was time for a change." She sighed, "I just wish I had been quicker. An innocent man would still be alive."
"Did you know Andrew well?"
"Briefly, years and years ago. Him and his wife were the best people I could find to take care of a child, including myself. I don't know what came of him in the last few years, but he was a good man when I knew him."
"He still was." Skylar looked away, eyes growing misty when her thoughts went to her father. "He made mistakes, a lot of mistakes, but he still loved me deep down. He could have just sold us out and ran, but he didn't. He stuck with it till the very bitter end." She walked over to the doorway, stepping out. "I'm sorry, I just need a minute."
They watched after her for a second, neither one sure what to say. Leila looked at Liam, eyes searching for some understanding. "You were there weren't you? What... What were his last moments like?" When he raised an eyebrow, she continued, "We hadn't spoken for decades, but once upon a time he was something almost approaching a friend to me. Skylar won't talk about it, which I completely understand but... I just want to know what happened to the man that I used to care about."
Liam was silent while he thought, not sure how to put into words what had occurred that night. "He... Was very brave, defiant even. Sarconi was one of those men who would demand respect from whoever he was trying to intimidate, and he completely denied him that." A ghost of a smile crossed Liam's face. "If I was to go out, Andrew is the ideal I would strive for. Without fear, without regret, he denied his killer the bare minimum of what they demanded and that is incredible."
He turned somber once more. "Right before he was killed all he was concerned about was making sure that Skylar knew that he loved her, that she was everything to him. Even though he lost his way in life, even though our previous meeting hadn't gone well, it was clear that he loved his family dearly. If him dying was the price that needed to be paid to make sure they were safe, then it was one that he paid gladly."
He couldn't see her face, couldn't discern what she was thinking, but he was certain that he saw a tear falling down her cheek. "Thank you, Liam. I... I'm glad to know that he was brave in his last moments." She huffed a laugh, the sound obviously wet with swallowed tears. "I guess he hadn't changed that much after all."
He stood, offering his hand out to her with a nod. "I think that's what I need to know for now. Probably best that we go and introduce you to everyone else as well. I have no idea how that is going to go, but I think it's reasonable to expect some friction at first."
She snorted, "The reasonable reaction to meeting me is friction, so that is nothing new I assure you."
They walked out together, supporting Skylar from both sides while they started their walk out. Skylar couldn't stop looking at the chaos that the building had become and judging by the lengthy stares that she was giving some of the bodies that had been there before, Leila wasn't the only one who had been taking the fight to the hunters. Liam knew all about the feeling that one got when they consciously took life for the first time, if she needed support he would be more than willing to give it to her.
"Alright, here we are..." Skylar said nervously, "Right through this door are all my other friends and family, who have also thought I was dead for the last month." She put her head into her hands, groaning into her palms. "I don't know if I can do this, what is everyone going to think?"
"Hey, you're going to be fine." Liam squeezed her shoulders, massaging the tense muscle underneath. "They're going to be shocked for a little bit, but then they're just going to be glad that you're back with us. And I... Have something else to say..."
"What?" She looked back at him, raising an eyebrow when he looked away. "Liam?"
"We brought Abigail along with us."
"What? You did what? " Skylar turned to him with widened eyes, even Leila looked surprised at the admission. "You brought our daughter to a vengeance trip? Are you insane?"
"We didn't want to let her out of our sight, not after what happened last time." He shrugged, ducking his head apologetically. "And I... I wasn't ready to separate from her, she was the last real thing I had left of you. And I wasn't going to forget that vow that I made to take care of her. Even if this is dangerous, I think she's much safer being looked over by all of us, rather than just given to someone who doesn't realize the danger the both of them would be in."
"Alright..." She nodded. "I get it. I'm not exactly happy about it but you're right, with us is the safest she could be. That's what this whole thing is about isn't it? Making sure she can be safe without us having to watch her like hawks?"
"That's right." He nudged her towards the door. "Now let's stop stalling, let's go and get this over with. I'm sure you've got a few people who want to say hi."
She took a deep breath, then another. Nodding to herself, she placed her hand on the ruined door handle, pushing the door open slowly and taking a breathless step outside. Instantly she was aware of the eyes upon her, not a word spoken while they took in just who had walked out of that building and back into their lives again.
Skylar locked eyes with each one of them, her nervous smile trembling when she saw their eyes growing wet and their lips starting to shake. "H-Hi guys... It's nice to- oof!"
She struggled to stay on her feet as four pairs of arms crashed into her and squeezed down around her, Iggy and Cassandra stepping back with Cayden, Liam and Leila out of the way. They didn't want to interrupt the moment, happy as they were to see her. Even Iggy found himself overcome with emotion for a woman that he had never met and had only recently heard tales of. There were very few words to describe the state the rest of the group was in, other than "emotional" and "mess".
For the first time in a month, Skylar let herself weep freely, letting the weight that she had been carrying finally fall free and allow her grief at having to abandon those she loved be replaced with joy. She pulled them in as much as she could, burying her face in their hair and running her cheeks along their skin, the sheer blessing of being able to touch her family again starting her sobs all over again.
"This is... Very emotional indeed." Leila wiped a tear away, grunting and forcing herself to remain composed. "I should have known it would be."
Cassandra hummed, "They're a very emotional bunch, you get used to it." She turned, tilting her head at the other woman. "You... You look familiar."
"I'm told I just have one of those faces."
"No, it's... Something else..."
"Alright." Skylar pulled back, dabbing at her eyes gently and chuckling nervously, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions you want to ask but... I have someone that I think it's very important that I introduce to all of you." She stepped back, grabbing Leila's hand and pulling her closer towards her. "Everyone... This is Leila, this is my mother."
Once again, the others were struck speechless, but this time it was not so much out of shock as suspicion. Michael and Hayley in particular wore the stoniest expressions, fully aware of who she was supposed to be and the role that she had previously held in Skylar's life. Which was to say none at all.
"You're Leila Manzano?" Hayley asked, eyes narrowed. "Leila Manzano the mobster? Leila Manzano from the Manzano crime family?"
"I should hope so, otherwise there are going to
be a few wise guys who are going to be real pissed off that I've been acting this whole time." Leila crossed her arms, clearly not fazed by the closed off attitude. Liam shook his head, she really hadn't been joking when she said that it was the default response to her. If this was left unchecked it was probably going to lead in a lot of problems down the road.
Leila looked around at the various expressions aimed at her, ranging from guarded to outright hostile. The only exceptions apart from Liam and Skylar were Cayden, who seemed slightly curious, and Cassandra, who looked like she had seen a ghost. "Now I'm not sure what to think here, is all this hostility because of the career criminal thing, or the absentee mother thing?"
"A bit of both." Leah stepped forward, taking a closer look at her. "Where were you all these years when she could have needed you?"
"Being a career criminal. Why? Do you think she would have benefited from my motherhood?" Leila rubbed her hands together. "Oh joy, she could have been picking locks by the time she was six, my own little larcenist!"
"Why'd you show up now? She could have still used your help."
"But she didn't need it. She either had her actual mother and father when they were still around, or she was strong enough to fight her own battles. That was how she was raised, and it wasn't by me." She clicked her tongue, "Also a small word of advice, Skylar and I have already had a conversation about all this. I don't regret giving her up, and she knows that it was for the best anyway. My only regret is that I was late the one time she truly could have used my help, and I'll take that guilt to my grave. Anything else..." She scoffed, "Like I said before, I'm a career criminal. If you think you can manage to guilt me over giving up a child that I wasn't responsible enough to take care of then you're going to be very disappointed."
Before the situation could devolve any further, which was inevitable given the way Farah clenched her fist and Leila began to sneer, Cassandra walked up to her side, taking hold of Leila's forearm and leading her away.
