The Werewolf Academy Series Boxed Set

by Cheree Alsop

  ***

  Siale was already at the cliff when Alex reached the base. He could see her standing at the top. She hurried down to meet him, the smile on her face so big she practically glowed. As soon as she cleared the last boulder, Alex wrapped her in his arms.

  “I’ve missed you so badly.”

  “Me, too,” she replied, holding him tight.

  After a moment, he realized he was shaking. Siale seemed to realize the same thing. “Alex, are you okay?” she asked, stepping back to look at him.

  Alex couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes. “I don’t know, Siale.” He turned away from her. “I’m not sure about anything anymore.” He swallowed and said the next words past the knot in his throat. “Since Kalia was killed, I feel like I’m trapped in the body pit again, only this time I’m alone and no one is coming to rescue me.” Tears welled in his eyes. He blinked hard, refusing to let them fall. His voice cracked when he said, “I can’t shut the memories out. There’s no escape.”

  Siale’s warm hand slipped in his. “Come with me,” she said softly.

  Alex followed her numbly to the edge of the lake. He was surprised when she kept walking, leading him in the cold water until it was to his waist, then his chest.

  “I want you to trust me,” Siale said quietly.

  Alex watched her. One part of him, the part that was vulnerable and broken from his experiences, balked at the thought of letting his guard down. The other part of him was caught by the warmth of her gaze and the heat that ran up his arm from the brush of her hand. That part of him was ready to give up everything for her.

  “Can you do that?” she asked, her voice soft.

  Alex hesitated, but she was his one. He couldn’t deny her anything. He nodded.

  “Good,” Siale said. She put her hand gently over his eyes. “Lay back,” she whispered into his ear.

  Alex did as she instructed. He let his lungs fill with air and tipped his head back. She lifted him gently with her hand at the small of his back.

  It was a surreal sensation, floating in the water with Siale’s hand as his anchor. She kept her right hand at his back and lifted her left one to his hair. With a touch so gentle shivers brushed across his skin, she began to trace little circles along his forehead and cheekbones. The water pushed against his body, making him sway gently up and down while she kept him in place.

  A sigh escaped from Alex. All he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat. It was steady for the moment, a strong double whoosh that forced away all of his fears and memories. For the moment, under Siale’s administrations, Alex was able to just be, to breathe, to float, and to exist as merely the heartbeat that pulsed life through his veins.

  “You’re shivering,” Siale whispered, breaking through the silence after a long while had passed.

  Alex opened his eyes, lifting his head. “I can’t help it.”

  She moved her hands, letting his feet lower back down to the silty lake bottom. “Werewolves don’t get cold.”

  Alex gave her a small, wry smile. “I told you I was broken.”

  Her eyebrows pulled together. “How do you feel?”

  Alex thought about it for a moment. “Better.” For the first time since he could remember, he could think without agonizing thoughts trying to overwhelm him. He took a deep breath and let it out with a nod. “Much better.” His head cocked to the right. “How did you do that?”

  She smiled at him. “A werewolf I know once helped me find my escape from memories that threatened to consume me.”

  “He must have been a smart guy,” Alex replied.

  Siale gave a soft laugh. “He was.”

  They walked hand in hand up the bank and sat on the grass. Alex couldn’t fight the chills that racked his body.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Siale asked worriedly.

  Alex nodded. “Better than I’ve felt in a long time.” He gritted his teeth to keep them from chattering. “This is nothing.”

  “I think I can help,” Siale replied. She leaned over without warning and kissed him soundly on the lips.

  When she sat back, Alex’s shivering had stopped.

  “See,” she said with a pleased smile.

  Alex made a show of shaking again. “I think I might still need your help.”

  “Happy to oblige,” she said with a light, musical laugh.

  They eventually left the lake and the grass and walked together back toward the Academy.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come inside?” Siale asked.

  The warm light that spilled out the windows promised a welcome homecoming, but Alex shook his head. “I can’t. Not yet.” Thoughts of facing Boris and Torin and of walking halls that would still contain Kalia’s scent twisted his stomach. “I’m just not ready.”

  “I understand,” Siale said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I just want you to know that there are many people there who love you. We’ll be waiting.”

  Alex hesitated near the gate. Jericho’s words lingered in his mind. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Siale’s smile faded just a bit. “It’s not the same without you. Sometimes I wonder why I’m here.” She held up a hand before he could voice his concern. “Just promise me you’ll come back. All of this is worth it. I want you to know that.”

  “I’ll be back,” he promised. “I can’t stay away too long with you waiting for me.”

  “Good,” she replied with a smile. “Be careful.”

  “I’ll try,” he promised.

  Chapter Nine

  Alex couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Jet’s statue before he went back to Greyton. The familiar form of the metal wolf filled him with peace. He put a hand on the silver seven emblazoned on the wolf’s shoulder. The matching tattoo on his arm gave an answering throb. It still burned from the silver mixed with the ink. He welcomed the pain as a reminder that his brother would approve the things for which he fought.

  He smiled at the sound of footsteps.

  “Trent mentioned I could find you here,” Jaze said.

  Alex smiled at the dean. “I had to visit Jet before I returned to Greyton.”

  “So you are going back,” Jaze noted.

  Alex nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to meet the dean’s gaze. “I have to. I can’t stay here. Not now. Not after...”

  “I’ve been there.”

  Alex looked at Jaze, caught by the dean’s tone. “You have?”

  Jaze leaned against Jet’s statue and crossed his arms. “I know what it feels like to blame yourself for the death of others. I made decisions that cost lives.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and the expression of pain that crossed his face told Alex how true his words were. “My mother, for one.” He opened his eyes and looked Alex. “It’s not easy to live with.”

  “No, it’s not,” Alex said quietly.

  Jaze put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I understand if you don’t feel ready to come back. I won’t push you because I’ve been there. I know what it means to search for acceptance inside yourself, to have to come to terms with what happened.” He met Alex’s gaze, his own steady. “But I want you to know that this is your home. This is where you belong. This is your pack, your family. We’re here for you.”

  Alex let out a slow breath. “I won’t stay away forever. I just feel like if I go to school and pretend like nothing happened, I’ll go crazy.”

  “Living your life isn’t pretending like nothing happened,” Jaze said, his tone kind. “You have to still exist, Alex.”

  “Every minute I’m here reminds me that Kalia no longer does,” Alex replied quietly. “And I’m worried about Torin and Boris. I don’t think I could handle their accusations right now.”

  “You think the Alphas will gang up on you?” Jaze asked. “I can keep that from happening.”

  Alex shook his head. “I’m not worried about what they’ll do to me.” He hesitated, then admitted the truth. “I’m worried if they do, I’ll kill them.”

&n
bsp; Jaze was quiet for several minutes. When he spoke again, his attention was on the statue. “Dray and I have been talking about what happens when you morph. He said the strength you experience is something far greater than even an Alpha.”

  Alex nodded. “I’m so full of anger. Fighting gangs in the Saa at Greyton and protecting the citizens gives me focus. I don’t dare come back until I have better control.” He clenched his hands into fists. The tendons stood out along his arms in rigid lines. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.”

  Jaze gave him a fatherly smile. “You’re seventeen, Alex. My whole life was turned upside down at your age also. I know what it’s like trying to find your path again. Until you do, you’re doing a good thing protecting those people. Jet would be proud.”

  “I hope so,” Alex said.

  Jaze squeezed his shoulder. “You come back when you’re ready. Until then, Meredith and Cassie are keeping track of your studies. You’re not far behind.”

  “Thank you,” Alex told him, grateful for the space he needed so badly.

  He pulled his motorcycle from where he had hidden it just beyond the gate. Pulling his helmet on, Alex pressed the button for the headset.

  “Trent?”

  “Did the dean find you?” Trent asked.

  “Yes, thank you.” Alex listened to the hum of the tires on the road for a moment before he said, “I left something for you on your workbench.”

  “You did?”

  Alex smiled at the surprise in Trent’s voice. He listened to his friend make his way from the Wolf Den up the small tunnel to the secondary vehicle storage room the werewolf used as his private workshop.

  Trent laughed. “A box of Twinkies?”

  Alex grinned. “I heard you won a bet and Brock didn’t pay up. Keep those for yourself.”

  “Oh, I will. That human would eat them all in less time than it would take for me to open one. If he so much as smells them, they’ll be gone.” His voice took on a musing tone. “And I’m beginning to suspect he has a better nose than most of the werewolves here. I ate a roast beef sandwich the other day an hour before going to the Wolf Den, and when I got there, he asked me if it had spicy mustard or regular without me even mentioning the sandwich!”

  “Maybe being around werewolves so much has worn off on him,” Alex guessed.

  Trent laughed. “I doubt it. He’d shower more if that was the case.”

  Alex chuckled in reply and turned his attention to the night. Trees rushed by on either side of the road, dark shadows that stood out in stark grays through his wolven eyesight. The stars overhead softened the contrast, giving him a landscape in so many shades of gray it was beautiful to behold. He smiled at the brush of moonlight along the grass. It looked like Siale’s eyes, soft and full.

  He realized with a pang of relief that thanks to Siale, he could smile again. Just being with her had soothed the edges of the pain he held so close. He could breathe without the ache reminding him of Kalia’s death. Floating with her in the water had been better than any therapy. Under her touch, he had found a way to survive again. Thanks to her understanding, he could think.

  He wouldn’t forget Kalia. Instead, he would use the time it took to heal from her passing to make sure those who lived in fear in Greyton knew someone cared about their circumstances. He would embrace the Demon.

  ***

  A shadow Alex had been watching detached from the alley across the street. Alex followed the man’s progress, noting the flash of a blade in the light of the overhead lamp.

  “Give me your money,” the man said in a gruff voice.

  “I-I don’t have any money,” the student he held up answered.

  “Show me your wallet,” the thug demanded.

  The student pulled his backpack off and withdrew a cloth wallet from one of the pockets. The sound of the Velcro being pulled apart was loud on the quiet street.

  “Two dollars?” the thug said in disgust. “What a waste of time.” He threw the wallet down and pressed the knife against the boy’s neck.

  “Let him go.”

  Fear showed in the thug’s eyes when he turned, but at the sight of Alex with the hood of his black hoodie pulled low and his hands shoved in the pockets, the thug scoffed. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Alex slugged him in the stomach, then caught his knife hand. He ducked under the man’s arm and jerked up, throwing the man onto his back on the cement. Alex knelt on the man’s chest and pressed the knife to his throat. “The Demon will be there the next time you threaten someone in Greyton.” Alex let the wolf show through for the briefest moment and his eyes flashed golden in the lamplight.

  The thug’s eyes widened in true fear.

  “Get out of here,” Alex said to the student.

  The boy grabbed his wallet and backpack and took off running down the street.

  Alex stepped into the alley and was gone before the thug rose.

  He made his way across the city closer to the Saa. The graffiti tags from the gangs became more prominent on street corners, store fronts, benches, and signs. Though Alex could hear the sounds of families in the apartment buildings, nobody dared to travel the streets. Alex studied the windows above him as he walked down the middle of the road. He wondered what kind of lives were lived inside the rooms, if the people were happy with their circumstances, or if they longed for peace and freedom beyond the fear of streets ruled by gangs.

  A scream caught Alex’s ear. He searched the street quickly, scanning the buildings for signs of distress. The scream sounded again. Alex ran to the building on the right and threw open the door. Inside, a small corridor gave way to stairs. A door on the second landing was open and he could hear sounds of a struggle coming from inside.

  Alex vaulted up the stairs and reached the room in time to see two men with black masks rifling through the apartment. A woman and two girls huddled near the wall. One was close to Alex’s age and she held her sister behind her to shield her from the men.

  “You’ve got to be hiding more around here somewhere,” one of the men said. He had long black hair caught back in tangled dreadlocks.

  “Nothing, honest,” the woman replied, her voice pleaded. “Just take what you have and please leave.”

  “We’ll get what we want one way or another,” the dreadlocked man said. He grabbed the older girl by the throat, pinning her against the wall. Her sister screamed and began to cry.

  “Leave them alone,” Alex growled.

  The men looked at him in surprise. The first man dropped the girl. Her sister and mother held her tight.

  “What are you going to do about it?” the man with the dreadlocks demanded.

  “Whatever I need to,” Alex replied.

  He walked down the apartment hallway, placing himself between the women and the man with the dreadlocks.

  “You’re either brave or stupid,” the man said, his gaze shifting between his man and the girls.

  “Funny. I was going to say the same thing about you,” Alex replied. He let the wolf come through enough that his eyes flashed golden beneath his black hood. “Because the Demon’s found you.”

  The dreadlocked man swore and scrambled backwards, stumbling over his companion in his haste. The man ran to the back window and threw it up. Alex knew the alley below the fire escape. There was nothing to soften the man’s fall if he jumped.

  “Tell your friends that nobody is safe. If you mess with the citizens of Greyton, I’m coming for you,” Alex said in a low growl as he pursued them across the apartment.

  The first man climbed out onto the fire escape. The second was about to follow. Alex grabbed his shoulder and spun him back around. The man threw a wild punch. Alex blocked it with his right arm and slammed his elbow into the man’s nose. Blood flowed down his lips.

  “Mercy, man,” he pleaded.

  Alex grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall like the man had done with the girl.

  “Were you going to show them
mercy?” Alex demanded, pointing at the mother and two daughters who watched the proceedings in fright.

  “They owe money to Taden.”

  Alex recognized the gang leader’s name. “Why?” he demanded.

  “P-protection,” the man forced out from his constricted throat.

  “So you can storm into their home and ransack it for money? That doesn’t sound like protection.” Alex could feel his rage getting out of control. Blue began to show at the edges of his vision. He willed his racing heartbeat to slow and pulled the man close. “Tell Taden that if he comes looking for protection money from any of Greyton’s citizens, I will come for him personally.”

  “Okay,” the man replied, struggling against Alex’s tight grip.

  Alex let him go and he fell to the floor. The man hurried to the window and climbed out. Alex listened to the footsteps on the metal fire escape followed by the pounding of feet through the slush and garbage lined alley.

  “Thank you.”

  The sound of fear in the mother’s voice chased the ice from Alex’s veins. He turned slowly. The terror on the faces of the girls ate at him. “It’s wrong, what they do.”

  The mother nodded. She held her daughters close to her, keeping a careful eye on him.

  “We need their protection,” she replied. “They keep us safe from the other gangs.”

  Alex shook his head. “Not anymore. Taden is going to learn the hard way that he’s no longer in charge. Don’t pay them. I’ll keep you safe.”

  “How?” she asked, her voice small. “You’re just one person. How can you take them all on?”

  “You’ve seen the news about the Demon?” Alex asked. At her nod, he gave a grim smile. “I’ll give them a Demon they don’t dare go up against.”

  Alex left their apartment with mixed emotions. He had been able to stop the gang members from robbing the small family, but he knew better than to think they would be safe from retaliation. He had to do something to stop the way the gangs treated the town. Taking them on one at a time would take forever. He needed more help.