The Irishman (A Legacy Novella) (The Legacy Series Book 7)

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “Did you fight a lot in Glengarriff?” he asked as they began their slow walk back to the forest.

  Somehow, he expected the familiar pangs of homesickness to pierce through Dustin’s chest at the mention of his old town. But the memories didn’t come connected with that same sadness like it had before. Instead, he was able to remember his boyhood days of romping around in the street, fighting just as those two boys had the day before his wedding. Only back then, there was no one to stop him pounding his friends into the dirt road.

  He caught himself smiling when he thought of his mother cleaning away the blood from his chin and how his father had tried to shout some sense into him. It never worked.

  “Yes,” he replied. “I’d say I fought a lot.”

  Darren looked to him, almost in an approving way as if he knew the change that had taken place in him. He could remember Glengarriff, remember Ireland, remember his family, and not want to shut himself out from the rest of the world until the aching passed. Was this the slow, gradual healing that John had spoken of the other night?

  “I will caution you against fighting here,” Darren said. “Not only does John frown upon it, but Gregory would make sure you don’t get back up for at least half a day after he’s through with you.”

  With their accelerated healing, that was a promise he couldn’t ignore.

  “Is that it, then?” he questioned after a moment of silent walking.

  Darren only nodded. “Yes, that’s all. I can’t say I would have done the same in your situation, but I could understand why you did it. I observe more than you may realize and you may not see it now, but you’d make a fantastic beta.”

  The idea of holding some sort of rank within their pack of two neither upset nor excited him. It was more of the complimentary way that Darren stated it that made Dustin’s heart rise in his throat. “A beta? Really?”

  The alpha nodded. “I can see that you have the kind of nature that is required of betas. They are the first line of defense for a pack. You aren’t afraid to defend yourself and others if it is required of you.”

  Now came the rush of feeling that Dustin had expected earlier, and all because he thought of Cassandra. He felt his chest tighten as he remembered those final moments he’d spent at her grave before he left Ireland. Her bright blue eyes taunted him. He couldn’t allow Darren to pay him such a compliment when he didn’t know the truth.

  He stopped on the path and peered ahead to see how far away the rest of the group was. They weren’t necessarily out of earshot, but they didn’t seem to be paying attention to the two of them anymore.

  Darren only came to a halt a short distance and turned back to gave him a puzzled look. “What is it?”

  The honest, heartfelt words John had spoken the night before came back and twisted that knife that had lodged in his gut. He couldn’t continue keeping secrets from his alpha anymore. And if Darren knew the truth that he hadn’t spoken to a single soul, then he wasn’t showing it.

  Telling him what he had done, why he could never return to Ireland, why he left his blessed homeland altogether, might forever ruin what esteem he held for Dustin. But it had to be said. The truth had festered in him for long enough, rotting out his soul with the unbearable load. It wasn’t Darren’s to share, but he had to tell someone. And hopefully, speaking the words aloud would bring him some solace just as it had when he talked of Glengarriff with Lucy.

  “I have to be honest with you,” he began, dropping his voice so the others might not hear him. What would they all think of him after hearing that he was a murderer? None of the boys had shown a particular interest in getting to know the Irishman, but if they knew everything, he’d be friendless the entire time he stayed at the chateau.

  Darren fully faced him, thumbs slung in his trouser pockets. “Is this about Cassandra?”

  A cold knot developed in the pit of Dustin’s stomach. “Do you…”

  “No, I don’t know what happened, but I have my theories.” He glanced over his shoulder to the rest as they disappeared from view. “I didn’t plan on forcing you to confide in me about whatever it was that happened to make you leave Ireland. It was never my intention to make you uncomfortable or demand you to tell me something that you weren’t ready to speak of… You’ve done the same for me.”

  Dustin knew exactly what he was talking about and nodded his appreciation. It took him a long moment before he could order the words in just the right way so Darren could fully understand.

  “I loved Cassandra as far back as I can remember. She was always there for me and I was there for her… We were married for less than a few hours before… before I turned.” He swallowed back the lump in his throat. “I didn’t know what happened until the next day. I woke up miles away from Glengarriff and when I came back, they were burying her. It wasn’t until I talked with my sister that everything came back to me. The blood, her scream…”

  He didn’t have to say any more. Darren took a few steps forward, but Dustin retreated in just as many. His jaw tightened and he felt the tears come up again, but he demanded composure of himself before continuing.

  “I knew I couldn’t stay in Ireland. If anyone found out what I did, they would have killed me. I suppose I deserve it.”

  “No,” Darren interjected. “You don’t. You didn’t know what you were doing. You didn’t have another loup-garou to look after you as I did the other night. Your wolf didn’t want you to kill her either. It’s just the nature of the untamed beast.”

  “I can’t justify my actions so easily. I can’t just blame it all on this…” He couldn’t call it a curse, but it wasn’t a blessing either. It was his condition, his existential affliction. A tear slipped from his eye and chilled his hot cheek. “I couldn’t allow you to say those things to me, about being a natural beta, without telling you about what I had done. I’m not a protector.”

  Darren took him by the shoulders and claimed his attention away from his building loathing of what he had become. “I’ve known loups-garous who had done exactly as you did when they turned and felt no remorse. The fact that you grieve over Cassandra, not just because she died, but because you believe yourself to be at fault, is another sign that you are a beta. You can be a leader and take responsibility for a loup-garou pack. You feel deeply for those you care about. That is the mark of a true beta, or even an alpha.”

  And Dustin could see that quality in Darren as well, which explained how he could take on the role so seamlessly. He hadn’t cried in front of another man since he was a boy. Back then, his father had told him to have a stiff upper lip and keep his chin high. But facing his alpha and hearing all that he had to say, Dustin couldn’t hold back the tide any more.

  He bowed his head and wept for Cassandra’s memory one more time and he didn’t carry this sorrow alone. Darren pulled him into a brotherly embrace and he could feel their pack bond hum with their united despair over all they had lost.

  John peeked over Ginnie’s shoulder as she sliced through the slab of beef. He sighed and picked up one of the thick cubes. “These must be smaller,” he told her. “We have fifteen loups-garous to feed and only so much food to spare.”

  Ginnie, just barely into her fifteenth year, bowed her head and meekly nodded her acknowledgement of his gentle reproof. She had been a personal recommendation from Helaine, and if the similarity in their noses and slant of their eyes were any indication, he suspected they were related in some way. Taking on more help than they needed might have been an imprudent decision, but with Irene chasing after Noah all day, he knew she would appreciate the help in managing the chateau.

  Sensing her unease, he lifted her chin up and gave her a smile that would hopefully convey his sincerity. She was still learning and hadn’t served at the chateau for more than a month. He didn’t expect her to know everything when Helaine was often busy with washing and cleaning, and he had to make such understanding known to her.

  Ginnie’s thin lips twitched into a smile and he let her return
to her task. The boys were on their way back to the chateau and would be wanting food soon enough.

  John exited the kitchen, but stopped in the servants’ corridor when he heard the pounding hooves of a horse coming up the lane. By the added sensation, he knew the coming guest was loup-garou. Though his scent wasn’t strong, there was only one man he knew of that owned a horse that could tolerate being in the presence of so many predators.

  He hurried out onto the front terrace just as Fermin dismounted his brown mare and raced up the stone steps to meet him. The boys, led by Johannes and Gregory, were just emerging from the forest and many quickened their pace to hear what news the omega of Albi had to bring.

  By the distressed look in his eyes, John knew it couldn’t be good.

  “Come inside,” he ordered, ushering his former pupil into the study where they could speak in relative privacy.

  At one time, John had thought Fermin would be an excellent alpha. But due to his complete lack of dominance, he was destined for the life of an omega. Contrary to what anyone might have believed of wolf pack structure, the omega was just as important as the beta when it came to internal affairs. Since they possessed no dominance, they were of no threat to any other member of the pack and could keep a clear head when it came to disputes. They could be mediators, messengers, or vital tools in keeping the pack safe and unassuming while hiding in plain sight amongst the humans.

  “Hunters,” he finally said, his voice deep with the severity of the situation. “At least thirteen of them. In Albi.”

  John took his arm, hoping it not to be true. “Are you sure of this?”

  “My own grandson saw them,” Fermin replied with conviction. “They met at the inn by the Tarn. They have a map that marks where the chateau is.”

  Heat plumed through John’s core at the thought that hunters had finally come to Albi. He wondered if this had any connection with what had happened in Bordeaux. If that was the case, not only was Nicu’s pack in danger, but so was the chateau.

  He heard the others enter through the foyer. Many of them fled for the study door, but Johannes – who had remarkable hearing – must have known what they spoke of and steered them away. Darren and Dustin were not among them and he found himself thankful for it. After what they had endured in Bordeaux, they didn’t need to hear this.

  “What else do you know?” he whispered, unsure of how long he could keep this news a secret from the others. Hunters were no longer a distant threat, or some nightmarish creature designed to scare young loups-garous. They were real and they knew where the chateau was.

  “Nicu ordered us to gather as much as we could about each of them. We know where they are staying across Albi and we have some names, but not much else.”

  John was glad that his old friend did not do as some alphas did. Many would learn of the danger and order an evacuation, which almost always turned out disastrous in the end. The hunters could be stirred into a frenzied panic to catch up, but they were too perceptive for that. The loups-garous could be cornered and executed all the same. Learning about their enemy’s whereabouts was the best tactic, and Nicu knew that. The old gypsy was far older than John and showed himself to be just about the wisest loup-garou he knew.

  Gregory’s scent passed under the door and John called for him to enter. If anyone would be valuable in eliminating this menace, it was him. The former German wolf hunter entered the study and closed the door behind him.

  “Hunters are in Albi,” John informed. “I’m leaving to consult with Nicu.”

  “And you want me to babysit,” he assumed with a sneer.

  Gregory had been with the chateau for almost one hundred years, but he’d never forgiven John for what he had done. At the time, it seemed like a just punishment for killing one of their kind. He had hoped that with time, Gregory could learn to embrace being on the other side of the gun. He had once remarked that it was a fate worse than death, but he gave no indication of truly hating this life. Except for his snide comments here and there, and the obvious resentment he felt toward training the young loups-garous, Gregory had proven himself to have both the dominance of a beta and the fierceness of an alpha. If only he could channel his hatred into something meaningful, then maybe John could release him from the chateau. But while he retained this conceited, arrogant nature, Gregory couldn’t be trusted to function well within society outside of the pack.

  “No,” John replied. “I want you to come with me. You understand their minds. I need your opinion on how to deal with them.”

  He wasn’t sure who was more surprised, Fermin or Gregory. Only one was stunned speechless.

  “When do we leave?” the German asked.

  John let out a long breath. “Let me speak to my wife and Johannes. I don’t expect we will return until the morning. Fermin, ride ahead and let Nicu know that I am coming.”

  His former student nodded and after casting a wary glance to Gregory, quitted the chateau and mounted his horse.

  “What do you plan to do?” Gregory asked when they were alone in the study. “Scare them away with one of your lectures?”

  John looked away, a hard decision pressed upon him that he could neither ignore nor disregard. Thirteen hunters and only eleven loups-garous in the Albi pack. Perhaps with John and Gregory, they had a chance. Stealth was the only way. Anything less would cause a panic.

  “We will do what is necessary to keep the pack and the chateau safe.”

  “What about Darren?” he offered. “Will he come with us?”

  John shook his head. “Darren has had enough of hunters. I don’t want him to know about any of this and I’ll make that clear to Johannes. If he knew, he might try to seek revenge for his wife and daughter.”

  Gregory’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think these are the same hunters from Bordeaux?”

  “I’m not sure, but we can’t take any chances. If they could kill Gustave Couture’s pack, then these must be experienced hunters. Gustave was in almost every inner circle of French society and if he could keep his pack concealed while still maintaining a reputation like that up until now, then these men must have known what to look for. They’ll have all of Nicu’s pack mapped out within a week at the most. And it won’t take them much longer to come after us here.”

  Gregory blanched when faced with his own annihilation. John could see his worry and grabbed his shoulder to bring him out of it. “We’re going to protect this pack. Do you understand?”

  A bit of John’s calm filtered through his touch and the powerful loup-garou seemed to gain a hold of himself. He nodded. “Whatever is necessary,” Gregory repeated.

  Albi, France

  Tobias leaned against the cold brick and stared up at the flickering candlelight from a high window across the lane. Hidden in the shadows of the alleyway between two buildings, both he and Oliver could watch the house of the Albi alpha. The infrastructure shielded them from the moon’s pale light as night settled over the city.

  On orders from Phillip, they were assigned to take notes on the alpha’s daily routine. When he was home, when he left, who visited him and for how long. They didn’t have a name yet, but once they followed one of his associates, they would learn quickly.

  Oliver rubbed his hands together and breathed into his cupped palms. Winter was well on its way and if everything went well, they would find out Dustin’s location within the city and be back in Ireland well before the snows came. They just needed to learn more about this alpha. For all they knew, Dustin was inside that building right now, eating by a warm fire with Darren. The alpha’s home would be the perfect place for two fleeing werewolves to take refuge.

  If they had no sense at all, he would have stormed in and killed them all right then and there. They had the bullets. They could do it. But Phillip’s repeated threats reminded him that they couldn’t operate the same way as before, not unless he wanted to sabotage the master plan to take out the entire pack.

  Tobias sighed and gripped the handle of his pistol that w
as still holstered on his hip. At this point, he didn’t give a damn about Phillip, his team, or any other werewolf in Albi. He just wanted Dustin. He’d still bring the beast back to Glengarriff alive, but he couldn’t guarantee he’d be in one piece. With all the trouble he had caused them, Tobias knew he’d have to restrain himself from killing the monster the moment they found him.

  The candlelight was snuffed out and a curtain was drawn over the window. Tobias took note of the time, but he didn’t leave the alleyway. He stared at the front door, and then the three stories of darkened windows. Few citizens were out at this hour and the rest of the houses on the lane were just as quiet and dormant as the alpha’s. If they could just slip inside…

  A soft tap on cobblestone sounded from behind them.

  Oliver and Tobias turned, but saw nothing down the alley except the moonlight that lit up the street beyond the end. It was an open breezeway only blackened by the deep shadows. There was nothing to hide behind, no abandoned crates or barrels to conceal an intruder.

  After a moment, they saw a cat, as black as the shadows it had been crouching in, dash out into the street and they released a breath in unison.

  Before Tobias could face the alpha’s house again, a hand gripped his throat and pinned him to the wall. He pulled his pistol and fired, but his wrist was captured and snapped backward. The bullet was wasted. The tiny bones in his wrist must have shattered and he bit back a cry of pain. The gun fell from his hand by the time he was finally able to make out a pair of golden eyes gleaming in the darkness.

  The werewolf’s grip tightened over Tobias’ throat until he couldn’t breathe. With his good hand, he fumbled for the knife at his belt and slashed wildly at the beast’s arm. The werewolf finally let go with a growl and stumbled backward before Oliver had time to unsheathe his own silver knife.

  Now thrown into a patch of moonlight against the opposite wall, they saw the incensed, twisted human face of the werewolf. His curly dark hair and equally dark beard masked much of his strong features, but Tobias couldn’t think that it was Dustin. Even if their target had grown out his hair during the last month, Mr. Flanagan’s description of Dustin didn’t match the creature that snarled at them now. Meaning, they were free to kill him.