by Cheree Alsop
Alex fought back a grin at the sight of Jaze’s pack above them. Of course the dean would know of the trail as well. Alex gritted his teeth. He was determined to help Jericho win the medal.
Caitlyn tried to leap the first big boulder. Alex slowed her with his shoulder before she crashed back to the ground. Cassie had reached the rock above. The rest of the pack scrambled up the path. Jericho was a black shadow on the boulders further up. It was a hard climb for even the larger wolves; there was no way Caitlyn would make it.
Alex grabbed Caitlyn gently by the scruff of the neck again. He was worried about hurting her, but he knew she would be heartbroken if her inability to climb made them lose the challenge.
Caitlyn hung quietly in his jaws as he made the first leap. His claws scrambled for purchase. He found a grip, and pulled himself up. He set her down and gave her a searching look. She gave an accepting yip, her green eyes bright in the moonlight. Alex grabbed her scruff again and jumped. It was easier the second time because he knew how the weight pulled. He set his paws more carefully, studied the rock above, and landed in the center.
By the time they reached the middle, Alex was exhausted. It was a hard enough climb without carrying a werewolf pup. But Caitlyn held still even though he knew his fangs must hurt no matter how gently he tried to carry her.
Howls came down to them from the top of the ridge. A shiver ran down Alex’s spine. It was his pack, encouraging him and Caitlyn on their climb. He couldn’t respond as he carried her, but the little wolf raised her muzzle and howled back. The high, sweet sound almost made him smile and drop her. He reminded himself that wolves didn’t smile and leaped up the next boulder. The howls above him sounded louder.
Other voices mingled with his pack’s. Alex recognized Jaze’s voice among them. Jaze’s pack was howling their encouragement as well. Even though they were supposed to be in a challenge against each other, his pack was cheering for Alex and Caitlyn. Alex jumped up the next boulder, then the next. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, but it was strong and didn’t falter.
He took a deep breath and was about to leap again when a sound caught his attention. It was a high-pitched whining buzz that raced toward them. Jaze gave a bark of warning. Alex glanced over his shoulder in time to see a small object speeding toward them. He ducked to protect Caitlyn.
The missile hit the rock where his head had been. The force of the blow knocked Alex and Caitlyn from the side of the ridge. Alex managed to keep ahold of Caitlyn. He pulled her against his chest as they fell. He hit the ground on his back, the little wolf held tight against him.
Caitlyn’s yips of fear pounded against his ears that rang from the impact of the missile. The fact that they were in danger sounded over and over in his mind. He needed to make sure Cassie was safe, but his shoulder throbbed with pain and he couldn’t move.
Caitlyn huddled against Alex. He could feel her shaking. Her tiny tongue licked his muzzle as she tried to get him to respond. Alex forced his eyes open. When he met Caitlyn’s green gaze, he could see the fear in her eyes. He tried to push himself to his feet. Putting weight on his right paw sent such fierce agony through his shoulder that he collapsed back to the ground.
The sound of paws racing toward them made Alex open his eyes again. Though what had felt like centuries had passed after they hit the ground, it could only have been seconds. He saw wolves leaping down the side of the ridge, graceful shadows in hues of black, gray, and cream that flowed from one boulder to the next with effortless ease. They looked so beautiful in the light of the full moon.
Alex knew he was in shock. He could feel blood soaking through his fur. He willed his thoughts to sharpen through the haze. Someone had shot at them. That someone might still be in the forest.
Alex pushed carefully to a sitting position with his good paw. Caitlyn huddled against his chest. He lowered his head, giving her the wolf equivalent of a hug.
The cadence of paws neared. Alex looked up to see Jaze’s black form burst through the bushes in front of them. He realized they were a short distance from the ridge. The force of the missile had blown them back pretty far. Only Drogan had such a motive, though it had never been stated fully why he wanted to kill the twins. Alex realized that if he didn’t find out soon, the lack of information was going to be deadly.
Jaze looked Alex over quickly. He realized by the emotions in the dean’s eyes that he must be worse off than he thought. Alex’s face stung from the particles of rock that had blown into him like knives in the explosion. He had turned his head and ducked to protect Caitlyn. He could feel similar shards of pain all the way down his shoulder and side, though his shoulder hurt the worst. He wondered if the missile had clipped it.
Cassie ran past Jaze straight to Alex. She whined as she looked him over. She sniffed at his fur and her muzzle came away red with blood. Fear was stark on her face as she looked back at Jaze and whined. The rest of Pack Jericho drew up behind her. Jericho studied the forest around them. Drogan’s men had missed. He wasn’t one to let give up easily. Alex was worried about another attack.
Jaze gave a bark of command. The professors surrounded them. Kaynan scouted the forest ahead, his dark crimson form catching the moonlight like a demonic creature. Jaze lowered his ears back halfway and jerked his head toward the Academy, telling Alex they had to get moving.
Alex tried to rise, but Caitlyn pressed against his chest with a yip of fear.
Cassie crouched in front of Caitlyn. She gave an encouraging whine. Caitlyn’s head rose. She looked surprised that all of the wolves were there. The little werewolf glanced back at Alex. He nudged her gently with his nose. Caitlyn licked Alex’s muzzle. He pushed her again. She ran to Cassie as if she couldn’t reach Alex’s twin fast enough. Cassie led her to the side to clear a path for Alex.
Alex tried to put weight on his right paw. His shoulder gave such an angry throb that a yelp of pain escaped him. He almost fell back to the ground, but Jaze was there.
The dean leaned against Alex, putting pressure against Alex’s shoulder that hurt, but helped him to rise. Alex stood for a moment on shaky legs. Jaze gave another urgent bark. Though Kaynan hadn’t sounded an alarm, Drogan’s men could be closing in. Alex couldn’t let Pack Jericho or the professors put their life on the line for him.
Alex gritted his teeth. He took a step, then another. Jaze walked with him, using his shoulder to keep Alex up when his shoulder threatened to give out. The rest of the wolves fell in around them. Alex couldn’t think past the pain. It blurred the edges of his vision so that even the moonlight was painful. He ducked his head and concentrated on the sound of wolf paws around him. Jericho and Vance ranged just in front of the pair, checking for anything Kaynan might have missed. It was a slow, painful trek back to the Academy.
Chapter Twelve
“Alex!” Kalia called when the wolves reached the Academy gate.
The other packs had found them on their way back from the race and had fallen in around Alex and Jaze. There was no sign of Drogan. Alex doubted the man would dare to attack with so many werewolves ready to fight back.
Kalia quickly pushed open the gate. Professor Thorson followed close behind as they made their way through. The professor didn’t ask questions. The werewolves were captive by the moonlight until the full moon set. He would have no answers until they could phase back.
Jaze assisted Alex to the base of Jet’s statue. Moonlight basked the courtyard in light brighter than the lamps that usually lit it but had been shut off for the games. Alex couldn’t quite stifle a groan as he sank to his stomach on the grass.
A few seconds later, the doors to the Academy burst open. Brock came running out, his face white. An apparently forgotten half-eaten candy bar stuck out of his pocket as if it had been shoved there in his haste. Relief filled Brock’s expression when he spotted Jaze and the other wolves near the statue.
“Drogan is in Haroldsburg! The cameras picked him up and I think—” He stopped talking when he spotted Alex next to the
statue. “Oh, no,” Brock breathed.
Alex lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. The action made him wince. He closed his eyes.
“What should I do?” Brock asked Jaze. “Does he need Band-Aids or a-a rabies shot?”
Jaze gave a snort that contained a hint of humor. Alex opened his eyes to see the dean sit down near the statue.
Brock nodded in understanding. “Oh, the moonlight. I see. Well, I, uh...” He looked around at the students who watched him. He seemed suddenly nervous to be the center of attention for so many wolves. He pointed behind him at the Academy. “I guess I’d better get back to monitoring.” He gave a weak smile. “Don’t want them sneaking up on us unexpected or something. Uh, again.”
Alex closed his eyes and listened to the human make his way back to the Academy. The door shut with a slam. The thought that someone would have to phase again to open it after the moon set made its way through Alex’s hazy mind. He remembered Pip running naked through the crowd of wolf students after the full moon games the previous year. He had laughed then; yet thoughts of all Pip had gone through chased the humor from his mind.
The little werewolf had betrayed Alex and Cassie to save his family. Drogan had held Pip’s parents hostage. The only way Pip could free them was to tell Drogan of the twins’ location whenever they left the Academy. They had survived, and Jaze had freed Pip’s family and united them once again. Alex missed Pip’s enthusiasm. The little werewolf hadn’t deserved to live in fear for his family’s safety. Drogan had that impact on people.
Alex settled onto his side so that his shoulder received the full impact of the moonlight while his back was warmed by the base of the statue. The grass beneath him was comforting and cool. It smelled like hope, he remembered Jet saying. Alex took a deep breath of hope and let it out slowly.
The moonlight pulsed against his skin. It felt like a heat lamp, warming its way through the wound in his shoulder and making it tingle past the pain. Alex could feel it healing, slowly closing from the inside. His face and the side of his neck tingled as well. He could feel the rock shards working free, sliding from beneath his skin. At least if his shoulder was healing, there wasn’t silver in the wound. Perhaps it had only been the damaged from the rocks that had sliced it open instead of the missile. He had no doubt Drogan would use as much silver as possible in crafting such a weapon.
***
The ache in Alex’s shoulder pulsed more strongly as the moon vanished behind the trees. He kept his eyes closed, knowing that any motion could open the healing wound and make it bleed again. He heard werewolves leave, and wondered who had been brave enough to phase and run naked to the door to let the rest of the werewolves inside so they could phase in their bedrooms and change into clothes. He hoped Caitlyn wouldn’t hate phasing altogether after the attack.
Familiar footsteps hurried back to Alex’s side.
“Just stay there with Jet,” Jaze instructed. “Nikki and Meredith are on their way back out with supplies to get you patched up. Lyra went out with Mouse to survey the site. They’ll be back with information soon.”
Alex looked up at him. Jaze gave a half-smile despite the worry that showed on his face. The dean crouched next to the werewolf. “You were pretty tough out there.”
Alex gave a soft snort of denial that rustled the strands of grass near his nose.
The dean’s smile faded, leaving only the worry on his face. “You aren’t supposed to be in danger in our forest, Alex. We’ve got to stop Drogan. I just can’t figure out his motive.” He ran a hand through his blond hair to push it off his forehead. “I have my men scouring the woods as we speak. It doesn’t make sense to me that he is spending so much time and effort trying to kill you and Cassie. He has to have a reason. We need to find out what that is.”
Jaze shook his head. “I hoped that the silence we’ve had up to now was a sign that he had given up. Drogan and the General have been busy down south. We’ve been hard-pressed to keep up with them.”
Alex wondered why Jaze was confiding in him. The dean had never opened up to him about all they were doing to protect werewolves from the hate-filled General who was intent on wiping their entire race from the earth.
Jaze looked up at Jet’s statue. The fading starlight bathed the dean’s face. “We’re trying our best to stop his efforts, but he’s shifty, cunning. He likes pain.” His voice lowered as he watched the statue above them. There was a look on his face as if he wished Jet was really there, that the statue would come alive and talk to him.
Alex knew the look. He had felt that way so many times since his stay at the Academy. He missed Jet as much as he missed his parents; it was clear by Jaze’s expression that he felt the same way. They had both lost a brother the day Jet was slain.
“We keep trying, Jet. Don’t give up on us,” Jaze said. Though the dean’s hand rested gently on Alex’s side, Alex knew in that moment the dean had forgotten his presence. The sorrow that thickened Jaze’s voice as he spoke to his best friend glittered in his eyes. “If you were here, I know we could figure it out together. You were so smart and so selfless. You were always willing to put yourself last.” Jaze blinked and a single tear broke free. “You chose me over you that day. You chose to die so that I could live. You believed I could make something of myself, and of this.” His voice fell to a whisper. “You trusted me.”
Alex eased up to a sitting position. The pressure made his shoulder ache, but he didn’t care. He wished he could tell Jaze the difference he had made in one young boy’s life. Jaze had given him a purpose when everything else in his life had fallen apart. He had taken Alex and Cassie in and raised them as his kids; he made them feel as if they still had somewhere in the world left to call home.
Yet the look on Jaze’s face was one of such loss and despair Alex realized the werewolf he had always looked up to hid his pain well. The hole in Alex’s heart from missing his slain family showed in Jaze’s eyes.
“He should be here for you, Alex,” Jaze said, letting Alex know that he hadn’t been forgotten. “He would be doing a much better job protecting you than I have.”
Alex leaned against Jaze. The dean held onto Alex’s good shoulder.
“Those you love are worth fighting for, Alex.” Jaze looked down at the young werewolf he crouched beside. “There is never a price too dear to pay to protect those you love. It is the way of the wolf, and it was Jet’s way. Help me keep you and your sister safe, because you, Cassie, Nikki, and baby William are my loved ones. I will find a way to protect you, I promise.”
Alex nodded. Even if he could have spoken, his throat would have been too tight for words. He breathed in through his nose; the salt of Jaze’s tears mingled with the cool night breeze that told him of Rafe wolves patrolling outside the wall. Jaze was doing his best, yet Drogan had found a way to attack him anyway. The frustration on Jaze’s face was clear. He blamed himself for Alex’s wounds.
But the wounds were healing. The moonlight had done more than ease the ache in his shoulder; it had sped his recovery. Alex could feel the muscles binding. Fresh blood no longer dripped down his front leg. The stinging sensation in his face and neck were gone. By morning, the worst of the pain would vanish.
Alex rose as the doors to the Academy were pushed open. Nikki and Meredith came running down. Aunt Meredith’s arms were filled with supplies while Nikki carried baby William.
“Oh, Alex,” Meredith said with heartache in her voice for his wounds.
Nikki handed the baby to Jaze; baby William gave a huge smile when his father took him. Meredith spread a clean blanket on the ground and Nikki began to set supplies on it.
Alex gave Jaze a pleading look.
A slight smile touched Jaze’s face. “I think Alex would prefer to heal on his own.”
Both Meredith and Nikki paused in surprise. Alex’s cheeks heated under their scrutiny; he wondered if wolves could blush.
“Let me see what we’re dealing with,” Nikki said in a tone that allowed no nonsense. �
�Then we’ll decide what’s best for you.”
Jaze shrugged at Alex’s pleading. “I can’t argue with her,” he said.
Alex rolled his eyes in a thanks-for-leaving-me-to-the-wolves look.
Jaze merely chuckled. He bent his head and kissed William on one of the baby’s chubby cheeks. William gurgled with happiness.
Alex winced at Nikki’s prodding. Meredith’s face was filled with worry as she looked at his bloody fur.
“It looks like things are healing nicely,” Nikki noted. At Meredith’s doubtful expression, she gave a reassuring smile. “His fur makes it look much worse. There is a lot of blood loss.” She gave Alex a searching look. “I don’t suppose you’ll agree to phasing in the medical wing so we can look you over.”
Alex snorted his disapproval.
Meredith smiled. “If he can make it up the stairs to Pack Jericho’s quarters, I suppose he’s not going to die.”
Nikki shook her head. “You haven’t seen what these werewolves will put up with.” She gave Jaze a level look that said more than her words. “If I counted the times Jaze told me he was fine and he ended up being on the verge of death, I would run out of fingers and toes.”
Baby William grabbed Jaze’s nose in a tight little fist. Jaze laughed. “Sometimes putting up with medical care feels worse than death.”
Nikki slapped him on the leg before she rose. “You’re just lucky your wife knows how to put you back together.”
Jaze surprised her by shifting William onto his hip and pulling her into a hug. “Yes, I am.” He planted a kiss on her lips.
When he stepped back, she smiled. “I’m just glad you know it.”
“Let’s get this wolf to bed,” Jaze said.