by Cheree Alsop
“No,” Jericho corrected him. “You talked and I listened. You never once asked for my opinion.”
“I didn’t feel like I needed it,” Boris replied. “I’m in charge of the night games, and now we’re at night games. Split up your pack.”
At Jericho’s silence, the Termer Alpha leaned closer. Alex heard him say in a lower voice, “Look, man. It’s only a couple of Lifers. I already got rid of Amos.”
Alex followed Boris’ gaze to the Lifers gathered near the gate. Amos towered above them, but he refused to look in Boris’ direction. Instead, the huge Gray stared at his feet, a sulking giant who clearly wasn’t happy about the arrangements.
“If you choose to abandon your pack mates, that’s your choice,” Jericho replied. His gaze roamed over his pack who watched the discussion from near the wall. “But my pack is not splitting up.”
“Do we need to fight about this?” The deadly tone in Boris’ voice said he wasn’t messing around.
To Alex’s relief, Torin set a hand on the Alpha’s shoulder. “Let him take charge of the mutts,” Torin encouraged him. “I don’t want to deal with them, and neither do you.”
“Jericho would be a big asset on a team,” Boris argued.
Torin nodded. “Yeah, but is it worth babysitting the rest of them? They’re worthless.”
Neither Alpha bothered to lower their voice. Alex glanced at his pack. Hurt showed on several faces. There were tears in Cassie’s eyes that she refused to let fall. She and Terith held hands, leaning on each other. Alex couldn’t take it anymore.
“When did students come to regard each other as lesser members of this school?” Alex demanded.
“Alex, no,” Trent whispered behind him. “They’ll kill you.”
“Don’t do it,” Cassie pleaded.
Both Boris and Torin turned to glare at Alex. He felt the full force of the Alphas’ disapproval. It was all he could do to meet their gazes against his instinct as a Gray. He clenched and unclenched his fists. His heart stuttered. He willed his legs to hold.
“You are a lesser member of this school,” Boris said steadily.
“Boris,” Kalia replied, her tone filled with dismay.
Boris ignored his sister. He took a step toward Alex. “You have no family, no one who cares whether you live or die. You have no real pack but the mutts who make up the pathetic group you dare to call Pack Jericho.” He looked out over the students who watched in stunned silence. “We allow you to stay and play your little games, but you are nothing but dust, waiting to be blown away and forgotten.”
Alex wasn’t sure when he left the pack. The next thing he was aware of, Boris had him flat on his back on the top step with a tight grip around his throat.
Alex struggled to breathe.
Boris glared down at him. “You are not an Alpha, Alex. You never will be.” His eyes narrowed. “The sooner you realize that, the better for your health.”
The Alpha hefted Alex by his neck and the front of his shirt. He then threw Alex down the stairs.
Alex hit every cement step on the way down to the courtyard. He lay there stunned for a moment. No one in the courtyard moved. Alex took a ragged breath. His heart skipped, then skipped again. Alex gritted his teeth and willed his body to obey. He pushed up to his hands and knees, then climbed to his feet.
A glance to the side showed his pack. Shock was clear on their faces at the Alpha’s boldness. Cassie met Alex’s gaze. Tears streaked her cheeks. Only Terith’s tight grip on her hand kept his twin sister from running to him. Alex was glad for Terith’s intervention. He didn’t want his sister involved.
He clenched his hands into fists. “I am nothing?” Alex’s voice rang within the walls.
The Alphas had been discussing something from the top step, Alex’s presence apparently forgotten. Only Jericho waited at the edge to see what Alex would do. When their gazes met, Jericho gave a slight nod, willing his Second to continue.
The Alphas turned, amazed that Alex had dared to speak again.
“I am nothing?” Alex demanded louder. He pointed at the statue near the middle of the courtyard. “Jet was my brother.”
Gasps and sounds of surprise ran through the crowd. It was obvious with a glance at the Alphas that only Jericho had been aware of the fact.
Alex speared Boris with a look, his passion fueled by the dark statue that watched over the moonlit courtyard. “If it wasn’t for Jet, none of you would be here. He fought and killed hundreds of Extremists intent on wiping out your families.” Alex’s voice lowered. “He sacrificed his life for you.”
Alex climbed slowly up the steps. His knees ached from hitting the cement, but he didn’t let it show. He stopped a few feet from Boris.
“If anyone doesn’t deserve to be here, it’s a bigot who feels that those who lost family members during the genocide are lesser werewolves.” Alex’s gaze swept over the crowd of students. “We’re not Termers or Lifers.” He glared at Boris. “We’re not students with families or Strays.” He met Cassie’s gaze. Her dark blue eyes glistened with moisture in the starlight. “We each deserve to be here for our own reasons.” He looked at the Alphas waiting on the top step. “I may not be an Alpha, but I’m no coward. I’m not going to stand by while you judge my pack mates as inferior and make them feel less than equal. If that’s the way it is going to go, then we’ll hold our own night games.”
Alex met Jericho’s gaze. It was a bold statement, and would only hold if his Alpha stood behind him.
Jericho gave a small smile. “I agree with my Second. You all know what Jet did. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and the hundreds upon hundreds that he saved will forever be in his debt.” He pointed at the Alphas and then at the students below them. “You are in Jet’s debt. Don’t soil the ground dedicated in his name by defiling the very lives he died for. Jet gave up his life to protect our families from those who hated us because they saw us as inferior. I’ll not stand by and watch you do the same thing here.” He joined Alex on the top step. They began to walk down together.
“Come on,” Alex heard Torin whisper behind them.
“Alright,” Boris muttered. He lifted his voice. “Hold up, Jericho. We’ll make it work.”
Jericho turned. Alex stopped beside him on the step, but refused to look back.
“We’ll work it out,” Boris continued. “It’ll end up best if we’re all together on this.”
The silence that filled the courtyard pressed in as the students waited with abated breaths to see what would happen.
“Fine,” Jericho finally agreed.
Pack Jericho walked over to join their Alpha and Second. Alex was proud of the way they accepted what had happened without a word, though Trent put a hand on Alex’s shoulder, and Cassie leaned against his arm as though the event had exhausted her. He knew how she felt.
“Let’s begin the training,” Boris said.
Chapter Eight
After night games, the Alphas and Seconds met in a classroom to run through strategies. Boris’ new system called for the teams to split so that they would be prepared to face larger groups of enemies if the Academy was ever attacked again. Though the Alpha ignored Alex entirely, the suggestions Jericho gave after listening to his Second had been well received. Secondary leaders were to be trained in case Alphas and Seconds were compromised.
Eventually, Boris dismissed everyone saying that if they stayed much longer, they wouldn’t be any use the next night. By the time Alex fell into bed, he was exhausted.
He had just closed his eyes when a set of familiar footsteps caught his attention. He walked to the door and peered out in time to see Cassie close the door to the hallway. Concerned, Alex hurried after her. She was halfway down the stairs when he reached her.
“Where are you going?”
“Look,” she said, gesturing down the hall.
Alex spotted Tennison near the back doors to the Academy. The werewolf pushed them open and went outside.
“He’s going for
a midnight stroll?” Alex guessed.
“He was asleep,” Cassie replied. At Alex’s confused look, she explained, “We were talking on the couch, and we eventually both fell asleep.”
It was a sign of how exhausted Alex was that he hadn’t even noticed them when he walked through Pack Jericho’s common room. He knew he should be concerned about the fact that Tennison and Cassie were so close, but he pushed the thought aside to concentrate on the matter at hand.
“Then he decided to take a walk?” Alex asked, following Cassie down the stairs after Tennison.
She shook her head. “He sat up, but he didn’t look like he was seeing anything. I asked him if he was going to bed. He didn’t answer, and headed for the door. He opened it as if he was doing it by habit, not thinking about it. And so I followed him to the stairs.”
They left the Academy in time to see Tennison walk through the back gate. Alex could see what Cassie had been talking about. There was something strange in the way the werewolf was walking, as if something was propelling him through the trees, not that he actually saw them. “Do you think he’s sleepwalking?”
Cassie shrugged. “I guess.”
“We’d better follow him.” At Cassie’s glance, Alex shrugged. “If he’s asleep, I don’t want him to get hurt. We need to follow him and make sure he’s okay.”
The twins hurried to catch up to the werewolf.
Alex waved a hand in front of Tennison’s face. “Hey, Tennison. You in there?” The boy’s blank stare was unnerving.
Alex was about to shake him when Cassie put a hand on Alex’s arm. “I’ve heard you’re not supposed to wake a sleepwalker. They can be violent.”
“I’m not afraid of Tennison,” Alex said.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not worried about you.”
“Oh, thanks,” Alex replied dryly.
They fell silent and dropped back a few feet behind Tennison. The Gray took them deep into the woods. The ground rose at the base of a cliff.
“I don’t like this,” Cassie said worriedly.
Alex climbed silently beside Tennison, wondering where the werewolf was taking them.
“Maybe he likes a good view?” Alex hazarded.
They reached the top of the cliff Alex had only been to a couple of times. The forest spread out below them on every side. The small, winding road that was the only entrance to the Academy from the rest of the world showed as a lighter ribbon of gray among the shadows of night. The eastern horizon was lit by a pale strip where the sun had begun its ascent.
Alex took a deep breath of the crisp night air. The scents of evergreens, early dew, and a hint of rain tangled on the breeze.
Tennison had stopped beside him and stood staring out at the dark landscape without appearing to see it.
“Maybe he just likes the exercise,” Alex guessed.
“I don’t think— Alex!” Cassie shouted as Tennison stepped off the edge of the cliff.
Alex leaped after Tennison. He grabbed the student’s shirt with one hand and scrabbled for the edge of the cliff with the other. His hand snagged an outcropping of rock just before the vast empty space led to the trees far below.
Alex let out a grunt of pain as Tennison’s weight slammed both of them into the side of the cliff.
Tennison jerked awake. “Ow, what the—” He stared down at the fall below them.
Alex felt the boy stiffen in fear. “Don’t move,” he forced out. His fingers were slipping, both on Tennison’s shirt and on the cliff. Cassie was trying to crawl down to help, but the cliff was steep to the place where they hung. He wasn’t sure if she would make it in time.
Tennison looked up. “Alex?” he said, his eyes wide with fear.
“Grab my hand,” Alex commanded.
Tennison reached his arm up. The movement pulled the remaining cloth from Alex’s grip.
“No!” Alex shouted as he felt the werewolf slip free.
Tennison flailed. His hand hit Alex’s. Alex grabbed the werewolf’s fingers. Tennison’s hand tightened in his. They hung for a second in absolute silence.
Alex’s heartbeat thundered in his chest. He willed his heart to slow. One skip, and they would both be done for.
“My fingers are slipping,” Alex said in as calm a voice as he could manage.
“Let me go,” Tennison replied.
Alex met the boy’s pale eyes. “Never.”
His fingers were cramping. The rock he had grabbed was crumbling from the strength of his grip. The image of Jet’s statue filled his mind. He wouldn’t give in. He wouldn’t let Tennison die if he could save him.
“I’m going to heave you up,” Alex told Tennison. “Be ready to grab the cliff.”
“You might fall,” Tennison said, his voice close to panic.
“Better one of us than both,” Alex replied, forcing a tight smile.
He was about to swing Tennison up when a hand grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t be stupid,” Cassie said, peering over the edge at them. “Better both of you than one.”
“Cassie,” Alex breathed in relief.
With her holding his wrist, he was able to lever Tennison up. The werewolf grabbed the rocks and pulled himself to the top. Free of the other student’s weight, Alex grabbed the rocks with his other hand and was able to pull himself over.
He lay on the cliff’s edge willing his heart to calm. It skipped a beat. He gave a breath of relief at the timing. He closed his eyes at the memory of exactly when his heart had begun to fail him.
Jet was the one who had saved them the day their parents had been killed. He had taken out the guards. Only Drogan had escaped, but not without wounds. Jet had put a blanket over the still bodies of their parents, then carried the twins away, one in each strong arm. Alex remembered the feeling of his big brother’s tears as they fell on top of his head.
“They’re gone,” Jet had said. “But I’ll be here for you.”
Yet Jet was gone, too. Within the next few days, Alex and Cassie had lost everyone in the world who cared about them; only a gaping hole in Alex’s soul proved that they had once lived, laughed, and dreamed. The day Jaze told them Jet had died was the day Alex’s heart had started to stutter. He had been broken and lost. Only the statue in the courtyard remained of those he loved.
“I knew what I was doing, but I couldn’t stop myself,” Tennison said, his voice breaking through Alex’s memories.
“Why would you try to kill yourself?” Cassie asked.
Tennison was quiet for a few minutes. Alex didn’t press. He knew the werewolf had been through a lot. Those who had seen such haunting things carried it in the depths of their eyes. Alex knew it showed in his.
“I should have saved them,” Tennison said finally, his voice cracking slightly.
Alex looked over to see tears streaming down the werewolf’s face as he looked up at the stars. Tennison threw an arm over his eyes, blocking out the sight.
“When the Extremists came,” he continued, his voice wavering, “We had a plan. My dad was worried every day that they would find us, and so the plan was if anyone rang the bell, we would run to the hideouts.” He sniffed. “We lived on a farm. My parents had hideouts all over our land.”
He took a calming breath. Crickets began to quietly chirp around them, taking up their song where it had been interrupted by the werewolves’ plight.
“I was in the barn when I heard the bell. I don’t know who rang it.” Tennison swallowed. “It rang and rang and rang, then suddenly stopped. I knew someone in my family had died.” He took a shuddering breath. “I hid under the floorboards where the cows walked when we milked them. There was a little ditch Dad had dug. The boards fit back down and you could hardly tell. The cows stood on top, so the Extremists had no idea.”
Movement caught Alex’s eye. He saw Cassie’s hand slip into Tennison’s.
As if her touch gave him courage, Tennison continued, “They killed the cows. It was horrible, hearing them moo in pain and kick out the last
of their life. Blood dripped through the boards.” He stopped talking for a few minutes. Pain colored his voice when he finally said, “I’m not sure how long I stayed in that hole. The blood got sticky, then dried to me, making my arms and legs itch, but I didn’t dare move. Dad told us to wait two days before trying to find each other. I waited for as long as I could. It must have been at least a day because when I came out, it was dark again.”
Tennison closed his eyes. Alex could feel the pain radiating from him.
“It’s okay; we’re here for you,” he heard his sister whisper.
“It was horrible,” Tennison replied, his voice tight with tears. “I made it to the house, and they were there, all of them.” He sobbed. “My mother, my dad, my three brothers, and my two sisters. None of them had survived.”
“That’s horrible,” Cassie gasped.
Tennison nodded. “I didn’t know what to do. I just sat on the floor with their bodies and waited.”
“Waited for what?” Alex asked into the silence.
Tennison’s gaze drifted to the stars. “I’m not sure. I don’t even know how long I was there. The light changed outside, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered after that.”
Tennison sat up slowly. Cassie helped him up the rise where he could sit more securely.
Alex remained where he was. Hearing Tennison talk about losing his family members made the pain of losing his own parents so much more real. Alex remembered the blood, the smell of iron in the air, the way it felt to look at someone you loved and see the light leave their gaze. He shut his eyes tight, forbidding the tears to come.
“Jaze Carso found me,” Tennison said softly. “I don’t know how they knew, but I heard sounds. When I looked up, Jaze was there with a blanket. He set it over my family, and helped me walk away.”
“Where did he take you?” Cassie asked.
“To a safe house. I stayed there until school was ready to begin. He felt it would be easier for me to start with the rest of the students. He said I could begin a new life.”
“It doesn’t work that way, does it?” Alex asked. He sat up slowly and found both of them watching him. “You can’t start over, not with that hanging over you.”