by Cheree Alsop
“I know,” Mr. O’Hare replied, cutting him off without looking at him. “He lost his wife. He deserves to mourn. That’s not why I’m leaving.”
Alex took a step into the room. He made himself ask, “So you’re done here?”
Mr. O’Hare nodded.
Alex pushed down his apprehension and asked, “What will you report? Are you going to shut down the Academy?”
Mr. O’Hare’s movements slowed. He stared down at the book he had just placed in the box. His right hand brushed across one of the cardboard flaps. Alex could hear the minute friction of his fingers against the small fibers that made up the box.
“No.”
The man’s admission came out harsh as though he didn’t want to admit it.
Alex knew Mr. O’Hare had been given plenty of reasons to shut the Academy down. It was obvious Alex was involved in dangerous missions with the professors outside of school, Mr. O’Hare had almost been attacked by a bear, the simplest of searching would reveal that the previous terms’ curriculums contained classes that wouldn’t fit into the Board of Education’s guidelines, and he had almost been attacked by the dean.
Alex let out a slow breath. “Why not?”
Mr. O’Hare glanced at him but didn’t appear to see him. The man blinked, then rubbed his eyes wearily beneath his glasses.
“Jaze was right.”
Alex watched the human quietly but didn’t press.
His patience was rewarded when the man said, “Your dean was right when he said I placed you in danger.”
“It’s not like—”
Mr. O’Hare cut off Alex’s refute that he could handle himself and said, “I’m supposed to be an unbiased representative from the nation to determine whether or not this school meets the guidelines for educating the youth. Instead, I knowingly endangered a student.”
When Alex tried to protest that Mr. O’Hare hadn’t known, the man met his gaze with a steely expression. “Why do you think I asked you along? I knowingly put you in danger. You’re a kid.”
“I’m the Demon,” Alex replied.
Whatever Mr. O’Hare was about to stay was stopped and the man stared at Alex. “What?” he finally asked.
Alex crossed his arms. “You knew who I was when you arrived here. You hated me before I even had a chance to say hello. You knew what I was. Taking the Demon as a bodyguard isn’t putting a student in danger; instead, you endangered your coworkers.”
“You’re a kid,” Mr. O’Hare repeated, but with less conviction.
Alex shook his head. “I stopped being a kid the day my parents were murdered in front of me. I’m the Demon of Greyton, the devil, Drogan’s half-brother. Whatever you want to call me, the fact remains the same. It wasn’t my life on the line when we went to your office. Don’t carry the guilt from the prejudice of your coworkers. You get credit for even daring to come to the Werewolf Academy. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been.”
Mr. O’Hare watched Alex with an unreadable expression. He finally said, “You really aren’t a child, are you?”
Alex shook his head. “There’s a reason I run missions with Jaze to save werewolves and stop Drogan.”
Mr. O’Hare allowed a ghost of a smile to cross his lips. “You’re not keeping any secrets.”
Alex gave a shrug. “You chose to come here without fully understanding what you were getting yourself into. I respect bravery.”
Mr. O’Hare shook his head and placed another book in the box. “All the same, I’m leaving. And no.” He looked at Alex. “I won’t be shutting down your school.”
Alex felt as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He held out a hand. “Thank you, Mr. O’Hare.”
The man stopped him with a look. “Don’t mistake my words as friendship, Mr. Davies. I still can’t stand werewolves. Your dean is right. There are many huge hurdles for you yet to overcome if humans and werewolves are going to get along. I, for one, can’t imagine sharing a bus with your kind, let alone approve of you in our schools as equal citizens.”
Alex felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He watched the man carefully pack the last of his belongings, then sit at the desk again. Alex left him making notes in one of his infuriating little notebooks.
“Are you okay?”
Trent’s voice jolted Alex out of the daze in which he wandered down the hall.
“Uh, yeah,” Alex said, though he couldn’t put much conviction into his words.
Trent’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I don’t believe you.”
“That’s because you know me too well,” Alex replied.
“I was looking for you,” Trent told him. “Come on.”
Alex followed his friend without question. His mind was still on Mr. O’Hare when he realized they had arrived at Alex’s quarters. Trent pushed open the door.
“Oh, good, you found him!” Terith said.
“About time,” Von echoed. “We almost left without you.”
“Left where?” Alex asked. He realized everyone was holding guns with canisters on the top. “Are those paintball guns?”
“They are,” Siale said. She tossed the second one she had been holding to him. “You know you want to do this.”
Alex didn’t know what to say. It was the last thing he had been expecting to do considering all that had happened.
Siale knew him well enough to read how he was feeling no matter how hard he tried to keep his face expressionless.
“Give us a minute?” she asked the others.
“Definitely,” Tennison told her. “We’ll meet you guys by the back wall. Come on.”
Alex watched the pack that had adopted him trail out after Trent and Tennison.
“I’m still not quite sure why they’re staying here,” he said when Jordan closed the door behind her.
Siale gave him a fond smile. “That’s why I love you.”
“You love me?” Alex repeated as if surprised by the fact.
She laughed. “Of course I love you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Why else do you think I’m marrying you?”
Alex stared at her. “We’re engaged?” he asked with mock shock.
She smiled up at him. “I knew there was a reason I felt like the happiest girl in the world.”
Alex ran his hands down her arms that were still wrapped around his neck. He couldn’t believe his good fortunate that he had her. The thought of anything taking her away was too painful to even think about, though that was exactly what Jaze was going through. His smile faltered.
“I know,” Siale said softly. Her own smile faded. “I know. I miss her, too.”
“I don’t think I can go out and pretend like nothing has happened,” Alex said, his throat tight.
“That’s not what we’re going to do,” Siale replied. “With losing Nikki and all the emotions in the Academy, the school feels like it’s closing in on us. Everyone says they’re about to explode. Jericho felt it was time to let off a little steam.”
Alex nodded. “He’s a good Alpha.”
Siale put a hand on his cheek. “You are, too. Come do this with us and help your pack wind down a bit, alright?”
Alex couldn’t deny her anything when she looked at him like that. “Alright.”
She took his hand and they walked out the door together. They found both packs waiting near the wall.
“Hey, Jericho,” Alex said, shaking the tall Alpha’s hand. “I appreciate this.”
“I know Nikki was like a mother to you,” Jericho told him. “We are all going to miss her.”
“Me, too,” Alex said. He fought down a wave of sadness. “Sometimes things don’t make sense.”
Jericho set a hand on his shoulder. “We’re in this together. That’s what it’s all about.” He tipped his head. “Come on. You need this more than any of us.”
“I don’t know if my head will be in it,” Alex admitted.
Jericho shrugged with an easy smile. “It’ll give me the ch
ance to shoot you.”
Alex smiled. “I’ll bet you’ve been waiting for that for a long time.”
The Alpha grinned in reply. “You have no idea.”
Alex hefted his gun. “Let the chaos begin.”
Jericho looked at the two packs. “Pack Jericho, you have orange paint, Pack Alex, yours is yellow. You know what a kill shot is.” He speared them with a look. “And don’t tell me that werewolves can heal. Two vital shots and you’re dead. One headshot, and it’s game over. You have ten minutes to find a place for your pack to defend.” He pushed the gate open. “Ready? Go!”
The werewolf students took off through the trees with grins and laughter. Alex led his pack to the west. They wound along the river to the base of the cliff.
“Keep on your toes,” Alex told them. “Jericho’s fast and he’s got Don as his Second. They also have eleven members against our eight. We could be in trouble.”
Don was a quiet Termer who had turned into something of a trick-shot during weapons practice in Chet’s class. The fact that Jericho had asked him to be his Second when Siale went with Pack Alex meant that Jericho knew exactly what the big werewolf’s strengths were.
“Way to inspire the pack,” Cassie said.
Alex grinned at his sister. “I said we could be in trouble. I didn’t say we were going to lose.” He winked. “I work best when the odds are against me, and we’re going to do the same.” He turned to Trent. “Take Siale, Jordan, Terith, and Von down the river so they won’t smell you and circle back. As soon as you hear the commotion, attack.”
“Got it,” Trent said. He motioned to the others and they disappeared silently through the trees.
“Now there’s only three of us,” Cassie pointed out.
“Are you afraid?” Alex teased his sister.
She met his challenging gaze with a smile. “You wish.”
“What does that mean?” Alex replied.
Cassie hesitated, then shrugged with a small laugh. “I have no idea, but it sounded good.”
Tennison smiled at his fiancé. “If only we could terrify them with catch phrases.”
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “I would say things like, ‘Better run away or I’ll shoot you today!’ or ‘Yellow paint to the head, you’re better off dead! Or ‘Pack Alex rules and Pack Jericho drools!’”
Alex and Tennison exchanged a look.
“Should I tell her?” Alex asked.
Tennison motioned for him to go ahead.
“Cass, I don’t want to break your heart, but those are the worst catch phrases I’ve ever heard,” he told his sister. “In fact, I don’t think you can honestly call them catch phrases.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Just you wait. They’ll be terrified, right Tennison?”
Tennison had been shaking his head, but as soon as she looked at him, he nodded quickly. “Uh, right. They’ll be super scared.”
She nodded. “That’s right. Let’s go hide.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Alex called after her.
Her laugh came back to him through the trees. “I know!”
Alex crouched behind a bush and chuckled to himself. The little girl who had preferred the forest to crowds and followed her brother like a shadow was long gone. Instead, the young woman who joked and flirted with her fiancé reminded him of Meredith and the mother who had raised them. He saw quiet confidence, enthusiasm, and happiness in her eyes, and she looked complete with Tennison at her side as though she had truly found her other half.
A twig snapped to Alex’s left. He almost shot, but after Professor Colleen’s careful training, such a sound could only have been made on purpose to draw him out. He wouldn’t give up his hiding place so easily. His fingers closed around the paintball gun that rested on his knee. The yellow balls in the canister rolled against each other with a hushed patter.
Alex’s ears picked up the sounds of three individuals. He turned his head, tracking their progress through the trees. Whoever had snapped the twig had fallen silent; Alex kept his or her position locked in the back of his mind.
“They must be this way,” a girl said quietly.
“Shh,” another girl rebuked. “They’ll hear us.”
Alex smiled. Pack Jericho’s attempt to send out targets for his team would fail. Thanks to hunting through warehouses and forests after Drogan’s men, they knew better than to assume a target was as simple as it looked.
A paintball hummed through the air and a member of Pack Jericho yelled, “I’ve been shot! They’re in the trees!”
Alex grinned at the thought of Cassie and Tennison shooting down from their hideouts. Footsteps ran through the trees as Pack Jericho locked in on their targets. The slight shushing of water against feet followed as his own pack closed in. The sound of shots being fired reached his ears. Students laughed and others crashed through the trees in an effort to escape.
“They’re everywhere!” Don yelled. “Retreat!”
“They got me,” another boy called out. “Run!”
The sounds of laughter and the splats of paintballs reaching home faded. Alex wondered what the headcount was, but he kept still.
“I know you’re here, Alex” Jericho said quietly after a few minutes. “I can smell you.”
“Your pack needs some work,” Alex answered, following the Alpha’s progress by the sound.
“They haven’t had the same experience as yours,” Jericho replied with the sound of a smile in his voice. “I can’t say I’m sad about that.”
“Me, either,” Alex agreed. He heard Jericho pause near the tree closest to the lake. “It’s good to get out of the school for a bit.” Alex hesitated, then admitted, “I’m not as good at this Alpha stuff as you are.”
He backed up at the sound of Jericho making his way around.
“You’re good at being an Alpha,” Jericho replied, drawing closer. “You’re just not good at the school stuff.”
“True,” Alex acknowledged. “I’ve never been a great student.”
“Too busy off saving the world,” Jericho said. “Somebody’s got to do it.”
Alex grinned, knowing the Alpha was trying to distract him so he could get a good shot. Alex crouched lower, keeping the bush and several trees between them. “Why would you give up half your pack to me?”
“Who says I gave them up?” Jericho asked. “Maybe I was just hanging onto them for you.”
Alex caught himself staring in the Alpha’s direction. “Are you saying you knew during the Choosing Ceremony that they weren’t going to stay with you?”
“Perhaps,” Jericho replied evasively. “Maybe I knew you should have been up there with me choosing them yourself.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
The sound of Jericho’s voice swept to the right. “I didn’t have to. You knew.”
Alex let out a breath. He rummaged for a pinecone beneath the leaves and grass at his feet. “I was in denial,” he admitted.
Jericho fell completely silent. Alex’s senses prickled as he strained to pick up the Alpha’s sound again. A breeze tickled Alex’s nose, carrying Jericho’s scent with it. Alex spun silently on his heels and pressed closer to the base of the cliff. The silence that flowed between them became complete.
The softest crackle of a leaf beneath the ball of a foot reached Alex’s ears. He chucked his pinecone against the tree a few feet away. A brush of grass sounded when Jericho turned toward it. Alex took a chance and dove out from his hiding place. He fired three shots before hitting the ground. The first caught Jericho high on the forehead while the second and third splatted against his chest.
When Alex hit the ground, Don and Marky stepped out of their hiding places and shot him in the back and side.
“Dead!” Don exclaimed. “We killed you!”
Yellow paintballs sailed through the air and hit Don and Marky.
“And gone,” Siale answered, jogging through the trees with Tennison and Cassie behind her. “Pack Jericho is finished.”<
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Jericho looked down at Alex. “You did it again.”
“Did what again?” Alex asked, feigning innocence.
Jericho held out a hand and pulled Alex to his feet. “You sacrificed yourself. You knew there were three of my pack left. If you took out their Alpha, you would draw Don and Marky out.”
“Then the rest of my pack could finish them off,” Alex concluded. “Guilty.”
Jericho shook his head. It was the first time Alex could remember seeing the Alpha truly disconcerted. “Let’s take a walk.”
Alex glanced at Siale. She tipped her head toward the school. “We’ll meet you guys there. I think some of Pack Jericho’s fallen members might be taking out revenge on Trent and Jordan.”
“Let’s rescue them!” Cassie shouted. She took off running and the others fell in behind her.
Chapter Sixteen
Jericho didn’t speak until they were at the top of the small cliff that overlooked the lake. It was one of Alex’s favorite places in the entire forest. A gentle breeze swept through the pines, causing them to stir like ocean waves. A surge of longing tightened Alex’s chest at the thought of the ocean.
“I’m not sure if I’m missing something or if you are,” Jericho said finally.
Alex glanced at the Alpha, but Jericho’s brown eyes were on the darkening horizon.
“What do you mean?” Alex asked.
Jericho gave a slight shake of his head, his gaze still distant. Yellow colored the Alpha’s brown hair where Alex’s paintball had gotten him. “One of us has this leadership thing wrong, and I really have no idea which one of us it is.”
Alex sat on the rocky ground and let his legs dangle over the edge of the cliff. After a few minutes, he looked up at the Alpha. “Honestly? If one of us has it figured out, I put my dibs on you.”
Jericho gave a small smile and took a seat beside his friend. “I’m starting to doubt that.”
Troubled, Alex gave him a serious look. “What’s bothering you? Is it the fact that I’m not afraid of bullets? I’ve felt enough of them that…” At the Alpha’s look, his words died away.
“Alex, I don’t get it.” Jericho ran his fingers through his messed hair and looked at the yellow paint that streaked his hand. “I tried to do what you do. I knew you were in the bushes and if I made a sound, you would shoot me. I knew that your pack was ahead, and the only way to even get a little payback was to bring down their Alpha.”
