Blood Legacy (Wolf Moon Academy Book 2)

by Jen L. Grey

  "It's going to be okay." Simon walked over and held the knife in his hand.

  She whimpered and tried jerking away from him but with no luck whatsoever.

  She thinks he's threatening her. Simon wasn’t the comforting type.

  “He’s not going to hurt you.” Liam lifted both hands in the air as if he was proving that Simon was trying to be helpful.

  "Shh. Be quiet," Simon hissed as he went to work, sawing at the ropes. "You two are going to alert the house that we're here." He’d finally cut in through the first rope, and she had one arm free.

  As he moved to the rope holding her leg down, she used her free hand to rip off the tape.

  Her eyes widened as she took all of us in. "Who are you?"

  "We're here to save you." He released the rope from that leg and moved to the other side to work on freeing her other leg and arm. "The less you talk, the better."

  "Okay, but we need to hurry. His beta and third in command come in here frequently to check on me. They're due any second now. I’d thought you were them." Her voice was low, but it was filled with so much damn hope.

  A tingle ran down my spine. Do you hear anything? It was as if her words made the air seem different.

  It'll be okay. Liam tried to reassure me, but his words fell flat. It’s just our nerves.

  In what was probably only seconds but felt like minutes, Simon completely freed the girl, and she jumped onto her feet. “We have to hurry now.”

  She rushed past us as she rubbed her wrists and headed to the door. When her eyes landed on Evan, she came to a complete stop.

  Simon ran toward her and grabbed her arm. “He’s with us. Let’s go to the back door.” He mouthed the words as he pointed to the back door.

  He kept his hold on her and tugged her out the back door as the rest of us followed close behind. When he turned to shut the door, the living room light turned on, and one of the idiots caught our scent. He looked right in our direction, locking eyes with Simon.

  "Shit, go," Simon growled as Micah jumped to his feet, rushing to the gate with the five of us.

  Liam hurried forward and threw open the gate as we all ran desperately to the forest.

  A loud howl filled the air, and the back door flew open with a crash.

  We weren't getting out of here without a fight.

  Chapter Twenty

  You take Sherry and run. Liam's voice was a loud command in my head. You two get down there and in human form; mix with the crowds. They won't be able to get you then.

  That was the one most important rule of any wolf shifter and the shifter world. Humans weren't allowed to know of our existence.

  "Simon, let her go with Mia." Liam glared at his friend as if daring him to disagree.

  "Fine." He took a deep breath and looked at Sherry. "Go with her." He pointed at my wolf. "I'll follow the others to you."

  The girl paused for a second as she looked at him. "I... I don't want to leave you."

  "It'll be safer if you go." Simon's body sagged as he stepped into her. "I promise I'll be there as soon as possible."

  You’d better run with us. I didn't want to leave Liam. Not here. We all need to run together.

  The girl took in a deep breath, and more wolf howls filled the air. She took off after me as the guys followed several yards behind.

  As we ran through the trees, I could hear several footsteps getting closer and closer. They knew the woods and had the advantage. I didn’t think we were going to make it without joining the fight.

  A brown wolf appeared to my right, his eyes locked on the girl we'd saved. A deep growl emanated from his chest, and his entire focus concentrated on her, not me. He dug his paws into the ground and jumped, obviously hoping to sink his teeth into her arm. He wasn't trying to kill her, just capture her.

  I stood on my hind legs and steamrolled him directly in the side, causing him to fall hard to the ground and roll over.

  A loud howl filled the air as his focus moved to me. He bared his teeth at me, and saliva dripped from his mouth. He crouched low on his legs and began to sprint straight at me.

  Considering how fast he was moving, he was hoping to dominate me with his strength. I had to counter his move but couldn't immediately or he'd have time to fix his aim to my chest. At the last second, I jumped back, making him stumble and fall at my feet.

  The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, but he was already scrambling to get up.

  I had to prevent him from getting to Sherry. I jumped on his back right before he stood and sunk my teeth into his shoulder.

  He started bucking, but I held on tight, sinking my teeth in as deep as they would go. He rushed to a tree and stood on his hind legs, knocking my body hard into the bark. My breath left me.

  Mia, I'm on my way. Liam's voice filled my head, and I could feel his panic through our bond.

  A light blonde wolf flashed before me and raced for the wolf that was smashing me into the wood. It took me a second to comprehend that it was Sherry.

  Her teeth sunk into the wolf's uninjured shoulder, and he landed back on all fours.

  I dropped to the ground and took a deep breath, which hurt like hell. I must have bruised a rib or something. As I took in a smaller breath, I realized the brown wolf was now going straight for her neck.

  Dammit. I forced myself to my four legs and launched onto the asshole's back. I clawed his back, trying to cause him pain. Hoping that somehow, he wouldn't be able to focus on attacking her neck.

  The wolf groaned as I thrashed his skin with my nails. Blood seeped from the wounds, coating his fur.

  He started backing up to a tree again, obviously hoping to make me release my grip on him once more.

  Sherry rammed him hard in the side, making him stumble and hit his head on a thick branch.

  He collapsed to the ground and passed out.

  Now that she and I both were in animal form, we couldn't communicate. I took a deep breath and jerked my head in the direction we'd been heading. We're fine. He's passed out.

  Good, then run. A few more are heading your way. Liam growled through our bond. I'll be there as soon as I can.

  Sherry and I took off again, running as fast as we could through the woods. We were making good time until pain broke through Liam’s and my bond.

  I stopped in my tracks and turned around. I couldn't keep running away when my mate was injured.

  It took a second for Sherry to realize I’d stopped, but when she did, she turned around and caught back up. She motioned with her muzzle in the direction we'd been running, but I shook my head no. I couldn't keep going.

  I heard growls and picked up the scent of blood. They were getting close. I took off in the direction of the smell, and it only took a few minutes before I came across the four heirs fighting six wolves. Now Liam and Simon were both in their wolf forms. However, they were outnumbered.

  My heart slowed some when I saw that Liam was fine. He was fighting a wolf almost as large as him and was holding his own. One of the wolves that had been fighting Micah turned and focused on something behind me.

  The wind had shifted, and Sherry's scent hit me before I even turned my head. No, she'd followed me back here.

  The wolf left Micah and growled, alerting the other five to Sherry's presence. One of the two that had been fighting with Evan wandered over too. They growled as they approached her, focused only on getting her back to the city alpha.

  As the first one struck, I launched myself at him and made him tumble to the ground. He rolled over quickly and got back to his feet.

  Mia, what are you doing? Liam glanced over at me; his eyes full of fear. Go to the end of the cliff near where we were dropped off.

  No, you guys are outnumbered. There was no way in hell I was going to leave him like this.

  Something sharp bit into my previously injured shoulder, making my eyes water. The second one had attacked me while I'd focused on the other. A whimper left me as blonde fur appeared next to me, biting into the
neck of my attacker.

  The wolf's mouth slackened, and I was able to free my shoulder without too much damage. Blood dripped down my leg, but I ignored it as the one I'd knocked over began to circle me.

  He lowered his head to the ground as he tried to make me feel like prey.

  Little did he know; I wasn't falling for it.

  I glanced around, and now each one of us was fighting one of the wolves. At least it was a fairer fight.

  The wolf charged at me again, but when he was only a few seconds away, I lowered my body to the ground. He stumbled over me, and I quickly lifted my front half up, making him hit the ground hard.

  Sherry still had her wolf by the throat as he tried bucking her off him.

  The wolf I was fighting stood back up and narrowed his eyes.

  Instead of allowing him to be the one to attack, I decided to go all-in. I ran toward him and noticed that his eyes flickered to his left. He was going to try to dodge the blow. At the last second, I turned my body to the right and bit into his shoulder, jerking my head left and making a large gash.

  He whimpered in pain but took advantage of my neck being wide open and latched onto it. His teeth sunk in, and blinding pain coursed through my body.

  I fell to the ground when he didn't let up on his hold.

  Mia, dammit. Liam's voice was full of fear, but I couldn't even turn my head to look for him.

  Something crashed into us and Liam's scent hit my nose. The wolf's grip loosened on me, and I remained on the ground as I struggled to catch my breath. Liam's teeth dug through the wolf who'd been hurting me, but unlike them, he jerked his head, ripping the wolf’s throat out.

  The wolf collapsed on the ground and didn't move again.

  Are you okay? Liam whimpered as he sniffed around my throat at the blood.

  I moved my neck around, and even though it hurt, I could feel my healing already kicking in. I'm fine. Already starting to heal.

  Good. He licked my face.

  Sherry whimpered not far from us, and Simon turned in her direction.

  The other wolf had her pinned down so she couldn't move.

  Liam rushed over and knocked the wolf away from Sherry's body, allowing her to move out from under him. Liam growled as he lowered his body, pushing his head underneath the wolf and throwing him at least twenty feet away. When the wolf hit the ground, it was with a loud thud, and his head hit a thick branch, knocking him out.

  As I turned my attention back to the three other heirs, I realized they were all still fighting, but as Liam, Sherry, and I approached, the other three city pack wolves began backing away. They were outnumbered and severely injured.

  Evan growled and charged with Simon and Micah flanking both sides. As they attacked the wolves, they fought for their lives, but the heirs were just too strong. It wasn't long before they turned and ran back to the alpha’s house.

  As the six of us looked at each other, Liam nodded his head back to the landing. We need to hurry; they are probably getting others to come back them up.

  I hadn't even thought of that. The six of us ran hard, rushing to safety.

  We had to split up between two taxis on the way back. I'd thought the drivers might call the cops when they saw the state we were in. It was a cool night, so we were able to hide most of our injuries with our clothes. However, none of the cab drivers gave us a second look, and we made it back to the hotel with no issues.

  Since we were all in an injured state, we took a side door into the hotel and went straight to our rooms.

  As we walked into my and Liam’s room, the tension was thick amongst the six of us.

  “Why did you save me?” Those were the first words Sherry had spoken since she’d escaped the house.

  I stayed silent since her eyes were only focused on Simon.

  “I...” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Well, this was going well. “Because what he was going to do to you wasn’t okay. It was the right thing to do.” He had to realize that they weren’t their fathers.

  “But why and how?” She glanced around the room, taking it all in. "Who are you guys? You do know he'll come for you?"

  "It's not possible." Simon's arrogant tone had already slipped back into place. "And you have to know who we are."

  Why is he being that way? He couldn't even blame me for coercing him to go. He was already there by himself. "We..." Shit, I almost slipped my secret. "They are the heirs of The Blood Council, so he really can't do much."

  Remember how I struggled with our bond? Liam worriedly glanced over at my neck. It was beginning to scab over but still hurt. I guess it's his turn.

  Well, I supposed that made sense. Liam was an ass at first too.

  "That doesn't make any sense." She shook her head and worried her bottom lip. "Your father hasn't been concerned with our well-being for a while.”

  “How would you know that?” Evan’s eyes narrowed.

  “Because my dad was the city alpha before that asshole took over a year ago.” She shook her head and snorted. “My dad was no saint, but he didn’t treat his pack members like they were property.”

  “Really? Where is your dad? Did he step down?” Micah’s golden eyes widened as though he was scared.

  “No, that prick killed him right in front of my eyes.” Sherry’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears. “That’s how he took the position.”

  Evan stiffened as he glanced at the door.

  What’s wrong? Whatever she said had caused alarm amongst them all.

  In order to be promoted above your station, you aren't supposed to kill the alpha but let the council decide. Liam pulled his phone from his pocket. That means that Simon's dad gave him the blessing, which also puts us at risk for Simon's dad to get involved and make us give the girl back. The farther and quicker we take her away, the better.

  "I'll take care of the flight." Evan hurried out our door and toward his room. "We should be ready to take off within an hour."

  "Let's get packed and head out." Liam glanced at Micah and then Simon.

  "But... our grandparents forbade it when they were on the council." Micah shook his head. "They said we were more civilized than to let our beast take over and inflict pain. It's supposed to be a council decision."

  "And who do you think approved it?" Sherry faced Micah; her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Mr. Green approved of having that asshole kill my dad and take over the pack."

  "But why?" Something seemed to break inside Micah, and his tone was full of angst.

  "We just need to get the hell out of here before Dad gets involved." Simon headed to the door but paused and looked at Sherry one more time. “I won’t be long.” He took a deep breath and walked out the door.

  Once the two other heirs were gone, Sherry turned to face both Liam and me. "I don't know what to say. You two are the main reason I'm here." She blew out a breath and tilted her head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you."

  "You're welcome." I smiled, trying to put her at ease.

  "Well, I know who those four are, but who are you?" Sherry arched an eyebrow. "Other than his mate."

  I liked her. She was direct and to the point. "I'm Mia."

  "I'll get out of your way so you all can make it home." She headed to the door. "Thanks again."

  "Wait." Did she think we were leaving her behind? "You need to come with us."

  "But I don't have any money, and my ID is back with the pack." She shrugged.

  "You don't have to worry about any of that." Liam nodded at her. "We'll take you back with us. Get this resolved and figure out the next steps from there."

  "If you don't want to stay with us after we get things calmed down, you'll be free to go." The last thing I wanted for her was to feel trapped.

  "And you have my word that we'll help you through whatever decision you make." Liam's eyes glowed with his wolf, sealing his words with a promise.

  "Well, okay." She blew out a breath.

  Now we ha
d to go back and face the council. I had a feeling they weren't going to be happy with the results from the trip.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The six of us entered my dorm room, staying away from the men's. All four of their dads had been ringing their phones nonstop once we landed back in town. They'd been notified that their personal plane left early and was headed home. It was after ten in the morning when we finally got back, and Liam figured that their dads would have someone at their doors, waiting upon their return.

  They wouldn't expect all four of them to be in my dorm, at least not at first. So we stopped to get Sherry situated before they came knocking on the door.

  "After all this time, I'm finally here." Sherry's face was losing some of the bruising, which made her look a lot healthier.

  "What do you mean?" She must have wanted to attend Wolf Moon like my brother had.

  "With my dad being the Los Angeles city alpha, I was pretty much guaranteed a spot here." She blew out a breath and huffed. "But when he was killed, my future vanished before my eyes."

  I hadn't even considered how not only had she lost her father but her future too. "Well, maybe there is still hope." If Simon didn't reject her, she'd be a shoo-in here.

  Liam's phone began ringing again. "Would he just leave us alone?" He pulled his phone out and almost hit REJECT.

  "You might as well answer it." The longer they put it off, the worse it would be. "They know we're here." The guard had checked us in.

  "Fine." He pressed the ANSWER button and put the phone on speaker. "Hello."

  "Liam, it's about damn time that you answered." Mr. Hale's voice was angry with possibly an edge of hysteria to it. "You and the others are to report to the council room here on campus at once."

  "Fine, the four of us will be there soon." Before he pressed END, his dad cleared his throat.

  "Son, you better bring her too." Mr. Hale's voice was full of hate. "She's the problem anyway." The line disconnected.

  "You're not going." Liam shook his head as he headed to the door.