by Jen L. Grey
Blood Legacy
Wolf Moon Academy Trilogy
Jen L. Grey
Copyright © 2020 by Jen L. Grey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
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About the Author
Also by Jen L. Grey
Chapter One
"Are you sure about this?" Kai's face was a mask of indifference, which wasn't normal. Instead of his brown eyes twinkling and wearing a smile on his face, it was as if I was nothing to him.
I'd hurt him in ways I wished more than anything that I could take back, but he wasn't my true mate. No matter how hard I had tried to forget about Liam, it never worked. Though, to be fair, Kai knew exactly what he'd been getting into. "Yes, they hurt my brother this past weekend, and Simon attacked me. I was barely able to defend myself." The four heirs to The Blood Council were a force to be reckoned with. When I first met them at a party, I had challenged them, and it was something that the four of them couldn't let go of at first. Simon was the main one still holding the biggest grudge against me, for not only the challenge but also for Liam completing our fated mate bond.
"Well, maybe if you didn't solidify your bond with Liam, you wouldn't have had that problem." His eyes flashed with hurt. "Things could've been different if you hadn’t left the party with him."
"What did you expect me to do?" For the very first time, he was annoying me. I understood he was hurt, but he was being unreasonable. Liam's wolf had been in control, if I hadn’t stepped in the way I had, things would've gotten much worse. Besides, there had been a group of humans in the house, watching everything go down. "Let him beat you, my brother, and Nate into a bloody mess? You know he still would've demanded that I go with him."
"That's the thing. You're stronger than you realize." Kai's voice got louder, and he paused, glancing around the gym.
"Maybe I didn't realize it because my trainer was holding me back." I'd been asking him when the physical training part kicked into gear. Even Coach Riley said something a few weeks ago, but Kai swore up and down that I wasn't ready, which also meant Gertrude got held back with me. "How could I have challenged Liam when I don't know how to stand strong against him?"
"He wouldn't have hurt you." His eyes widened as he realized what he’d just said.
He admitted that Liam cared, which was opposite of the point he was trying to drive home now. "Kai, I didn't mean to hurt you. You're one of my closest friends." I wanted to say if Liam wasn't in the picture, things would have been different. Somehow, I stopped myself. That wasn't fair to him or Liam. At the end of the day, Liam is who and what I wanted, and he now felt the same way about me.
"Stop." His eyes flashed with warning or hurt. At the moment, I wasn't entirely sure. "We aren't doing this here,” he said in a low voice as he pointed around the gym.
I glanced around the rows of free weights and various machines used for all kinds of exercising. To the left was a room filled only with mats where the coach was training Tripp and Barry.
"Doing what?" Gertrude came out of the girls’ locker room and walked past a few people who were using the machines, lifting weights.
Kai had been assigned as our trainer over the past month and a half for our Tuesday and Thursday Shifter Endurance class, but he wasn't pushing us hard at all. After Simon had attacked me and my brother this past weekend, I realized that I needed to focus on fighting as well. If there was one thing I'd learned since coming here, it was that the heirs were out for themselves and they'd take out anyone they felt was a threat or got in their way.
"She's wanting to skip weights and learn combat." Kai ran a hand through his messily styled hair and sighed.
"Oh, I'm down!" She clapped her hands as she bounced on her feet, making her blonde hair bob. "Those other two," she said as she pointed at the room with all of the mats and the other guys doing their training, "have been doing that since day one. It's about damn time we get in on some action."
Wow, I didn’t think I'd ever seen her smile before. "See." Kai and I had to act normal now that Gertrude was here. "She wants the same thing."
"Fine, but let's go outside to do it since they already claimed," Kai emphasized the word, "that room." He pointed to the room that really only had space for one set of fighters.
Yeah, that was a low blow. He might be trying to be subtle. Though he obviously had to be alluding to the fact that Liam and I solidified our bond this past weekend prior to Max being taken hostage. I had to be the bigger person and rise above his snide remark.
The three of us headed outside and neared the woods that surrounded most of the school. Kai frowned as he stopped at a grassy area that was about fifty feet from the gym and a hundred yards from the academics building. He then turned to face us. "I guess first, we'll need to practice blocking."
"Really? Blocking?" Gertrude rolled her eyes. "We need to focus on offense, not defense."
"Look, do you want to learn or not?" Kai's voice had a little bit of a growl in it.
He most definitely wasn't acting normal.
"The reason you aren't getting trained properly is because of coddling." A deep, sexy voice sounded from behind me.
My heart began to race, and I turned around to see my handsome mate heading my way. His blue eyes were almost as dark as his short dark brown hair, and his muscular build seemed more tense than usual. He wore the customary Wolf Moon uniform with a blood-red polo shirt and khaki pants.
The intimidating eastern heir to The Blood Council flanked him as they swaggered in our direction.
"Holy shit." Gertrude looked at me and then back to Liam. "I knew you smelled different, but I didn't realize it was due to him."
Before I could respond, Liam pulled me into his arms and kissed my lips. You're always around him.
Behave. I pulled back, trying to keep our displays of affection limited so they wouldn’t hurt Kai further. He's a good friend.
He wants to be more than that. His jealousy filtered through the bond.
It never would've been like that if you’d manned up in the very beginning, so stop. I stepped out of his arms and glanced at Evan. "What are you doing here?"
"Liam has asked me to step in and train you." Evan's skin was pale, which was rare among shifters, and his gray eyes were so light they could easily be mistaken as white. Between that and him being built like a freaking Ford truck, he was scary as hell. He took off his school jacket, revealing a Wolf Moon Academy standard silver tank top paired with blood-red shorts. The muscles in his arms were almost as big as his head.
"She's mine to train." Kai's jaw clenched.
"Not anymore." Liam wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "She'll be trained by one of our own."
"Our own?" Kai arched an eyebrow and chuckled without humor. "So, now she's good enough to be an elite? You do realize my father works for you, so I'm technically ranked
higher than her."
Shit, they were having a pissing match. What are you doing? I have a class. You can't come in here and just pull me out of it.
Actually, I can. He nodded to Evan. "He's training her from here on out, which means blondie here is all yours." He pointed at Gertrude. "It'll be good for you to focus all of your attention on her anyway."
"Let me guess—you got Daddy's approval for this change." Kai closed his eyes and shook his head. "I should've seen it coming."
"Maybe it wouldn't have happened if you’d actually trained her. Plus, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt." Evan's voice was deep and rough.
"What injury?" Some of the gusto seemed to leave Kai.
"I feel so lost." Gertrude cleared her throat and took a breath. "I'm going to run and get some water." She headed back toward the gym.
When no one answered, Kai took a step toward me and looked me over. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm almost healed." I unconsciously rubbed the shoulder that Simon had sunk his teeth into.
"What happened?" Kai’s eyes landed right where my hand touched. He approached me, holding out his hand to touch me.
"No." Liam stepped in between Kai and me. "Don't touch her."
"Really? How the hell do you expect him," Kai said as he pointed his finger at Evan accusingly, "to train her without any touching, especially if she's his only student?"
"Because he won't be around to watch." Evan's voice was deep and commanding.
"Like hell, I won't be." Liam turned around and glared at his friend.
Oh, dear God. "He's right." Liam couldn't be there, and to be honest, I was surprised that he wanted to be. I had a feeling that training was going to be rough and hands-on, and we were newly mated. As newly claimed mates, we were still getting acclimated to the bond. Since he’d fought ours so hard at first, it was taking an even harder toll on him. It didn’t help that he was used to always getting everything he wanted, but this time he was going to have to let go. I needed Evan.
"See, I knew she'd want me there." Liam's cocky grin spread across his face.
"No, Evan's right." I turned and faced Liam. It was going to be a stand-off. "You won't be around."
"Now's not the time to try to be funny." Liam scowled at me.
"I'm not being funny." Every ounce of me knew I needed this even if it was going to be difficult and painful. This past weekend, I’d learned that my biological father was the Overseer of the original Blood Council and had been killed nineteen years ago. I was raised by a man who treated me as his own. Hell, I had always thought I was his blood; that’s how damn good he was to me. Despite that, he didn't have elite status. "You weren’t there that night to protect me, and it could happen again. I need to be able to not only stand my ground in a fight but win."
"She's right, and you know it." Evan nodded his head, and, dare I hope, just maybe I saw approval shine in his eyes.
"So, you're okay with this?" Kai pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "He's going to beat the ever-loving shit out of you."
"No, I won't." Evan glared at Kai. "But I won't treat her like she's weak because she's a female. When she's in a fight, a male isn't going to go, oh wait. I won't kill her or hit quite as hard. They won't give a fuck, just like Simon."
Kai's shoulders deflated, and his forehead creased. "To be with someone who will always make you a target? To have to learn how to fight and defend yourself? To never know who is really friend or foe? That’s what you want?"
The problem was that, even if I didn't want all that, fate had other plans. What no one except Liam, Mom, Dad, and Max now knew was that I was the rightful heir to the overseer position, which was essentially the same as the President of the United States in the shifter world. If that wasn't enough, fate had decided to make Liam, the heir to The Blood Council's north member seat, my true mate. I had no choice but to accept my role before someone tried to kill me again. "Yes … I need to be able to rely on myself. Sometimes, we have to be our own saviors."
"She's already made her choice, so leave it alone." Liam's voice was raspy as he tried to rein in his wolf.
"You kind of forced her into it." Kai frowned as he looked at me. "Mia, I hope you don't regret this."
"I’m not sure how much clearer she can be unless you meant that as a threat." Liam narrowed his eyes at Kai.
Quit it. Right when I thought things might calm down. He added more fuel to the fire.
"Of course not. I'm not you." Kai spat the words.
"Is there a problem?" Mr. Hale appeared right behind our little group.
The four of us turned in his direction.
Liam's father stood there, wearing a suit that fit his trim figure perfectly. He looked like an older version of Liam. The more council members I saw, the odder it was. They all appeared to be so much younger than they actually were. Yes, shifters had great genes, but it was like theirs were on steroids. They looked more like older siblings than parents.
"Nope, we were just informing Kai of the trainer change." Liam crossed his arms as he glanced at Kai. "It's not going over well."
"Didn't think it would." Mr. Hale chuckled. "That's why I'm here." His blue eyes, only a shade darker than Liam's, glanced at me. "Ms. Davis, you sure do seem to cause a lot of problems." His mouth spread into a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
He must still be annoyed with me. "Never intentional."
"But trouble all the same." Mr. Hale pointed at Kai. "Get back inside and train the others. I'm sure Coach Riley could use some help."
"Yes, Sir." Kai huffed and glared one last time at Liam before jogging back to the gym.
"He's going to cause trouble too." Mr. Hale tsked and shook his head. "Which is a shame. I'll have to call his father."
"No, he won't." Kai was a good person, just hurting. I hadn't been able to see him prior to today with my brother being hurt by Micah and Simon plus getting him settled back in at home to heal. Max had stayed at Wolf Moon Academy’s dorm all day Sunday. Monday, we took him home to our parents where he found out the whole truth and why he’d gotten hurt. Luckily, he’d felt the same way as I did. We were still a family, and knowing who my real father was didn’t change anything even though both of us were conflicted. So, Kai hadn’t been a priority. "He's just... going through things?" I didn't mean for it to sound like a question.
"Well, he better figure it out sooner rather than later," Liam grumbled as he took my hand in his.
"You need to put him in his place." Mr. Hale arched an eyebrow at Liam before his attention turned back to me. "So, Mia, as you probably have heard, you are now being trained by Evan."
I nodded and took a gulp. I was kind of scared of what kind of training Evan would put me through, but it was something that needed to be done.
"Evan’s the strongest, at least physically, of the four heirs. You two run off and start." He turned his attention to Evan. "I need to talk to Liam alone.”
"Yes, Sir." Evan bowed his head ever so slightly and walked over to me, touching my shoulder. "Let me see what your wound looks like."
Liam growled.
"Stop being an ass." I moved my shirt so he could see my skin. It was pretty much healed, but it was still sore and scabbed over from where Simon had sunk his teeth in.
"I think we should wait until Thursday to begin." He dropped his hands and took a step back. "It's still not healed enough for extensive training."
"That's fine." Mr. Hale waved him off. "You two head on out.”
“She can stay here if she wants.” Liam stood tall.
“No, she can’t.” Mr. Hale lifted his chin, and power rolled off his body. “I’m still in charge, not you. At least, not yet.”
It’s fine. The last thing I wanted to do was to come between him and his parents. Meet me back at the dorm when you’re done.
It won’t be long. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.
Mr. Hale sneered as he watched his son’s actions toward me. “Oh, and Ms. Davis, I’ll be expecting
to see you tomorrow in the restaurant for coffee at noon. Don’t be late.” The animosity in his voice was clear.
If I had thought he might have been accepting of me, all that hope vanished. He looked at me with pure disgust. Mr. Hale was the reason I was at Wolf Moon. Bree had told him about how I stood up to the heirs at a party and that there was something about me. He’d paid for my first year here for two reasons. The first was that he didn’t want anyone to have any effect over Liam, and two, he was intrigued by my wolf’s strength. At first, he was ecstatic about me being here and even mentioned mentoring me for a city alpha position. Despite that, when he learned I was his son’s fated mate, he wanted me gone. The closer Liam and I became, the more Mr. Hale’s dislike of me grew.
It couldn’t be a good thing when a council member wanted you gone.
Chapter Two
When I walked into the dorm, I found Bree on the sofa, crying, her long dark brown hair cascading over her shoulders as she cried into her hands. Her face jerked up, and her blue eyes widened when she saw me there. "What … What are you doing here? You have class."
I was just going to ignore that since she was deflecting. "Hey, what's wrong?" I hurried past the first hallway on the left, which led to my bedroom, and sat down next to her.
The dorm was the nicest place I’d ever lived. Our room was on the top floor, which was reserved for the council’s family. The walls were painted the silver of our school’s logo, which made the rooms feel larger. The room was furnished with a recliner on either side of the blood-red leather couch and a huge flat screen on the wall across from the sofa. Our kitchen was in the corner of the room with partial walls that kept the rooms somewhat separated.
