by Cheree Alsop
“Alex,” Cassie whispered.
“I know,” Alex replied as soft.
Boris shoved the suitcase with clothes still hanging out of it onto the top of the luggage and motioned for his sister to continue. She did so slowly, her head hanging and her white-blonde hair hiding her expression from view.
Instead of running up to meet them like Alex expected, Boris and Cassie’s mother merely motioned for the driver to put their luggage in the trunk, then stepped inside the open limousine door. A puff of white air rose from Boris. His shoulders fell before he ducked inside the door. Kalia followed as though it was the last place she wanted to be.
“Maybe the Academy’s not so bad,” Cassie said, voicing Alex’s thoughts.
He nodded. “You like it here, right?”
Cassie smiled up at him. “Of course. This is our home.”
Alex looked at the imposing walls that rose behind them. He felt a little claustrophobic when he repeated, “This is our home.”
Cassie mistook his words for agreement and pulled open the door. “Come on,” she called. “You know they’ll be serving chocolate cake to cheer up all the Lifers who get left behind. It’s the best part of Christmas break!”
She ran down the hall and Alex followed at a more sedate pace. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind of Kalia’s tears. It wasn’t her suitcase she was crying about. It was much more. He wished he knew if it was because of their lost friendship, or because she knew she had betrayed them to something that was worse than death.
He should just ask her. It would make things so much easier. He ran back to the door, but the cars were gone and the last of the buses was pulling out of the gate. Someone inside, probably Brock, pushed a button and the gate slowly closed. The sound of the metal sliding shut reached through the doors. Alex blew out a breath.
“Come on,” Cassie yelled up the hall. “You’re going to miss the cake, Alex!”
Alex jogged slowly after his sister, his heart heavy with both worry and regret.
***
“You sure you want to do this?” Dray asked for the fifth time.
“I’m sure,” Alex replied.
“Just remember,” Jaze told him. “If Drogan tries anything, we’ve got your back. You’re being monitored by Brock at the Academy, and my werewolves will have eyes on you at all times.”
“You’re in good hands,” Brock said over the ear set Alex was wearing. The words were followed by the sound of a wrapper being torn open.
“Thanks,” Alex replied. His heart hammered in his chest. He was anxious to help take care of Drogan once and for all, and had looked forward to this moment since Drogan’s men attacked them in the forest, but now that it was here, he couldn’t brush off the nervousness he felt.
Alex walked slowly through the first store. He pretended to be interested in clothes, but he couldn’t help looking over his shoulder. The way his senses were tingling, it felt like a thousand Drogan Carsos were watching him.
“Breathe,” Dray said with a hint of humor in his earpiece. “You look like you’re ready to destroy anything in your path.”
“I am,” Alex replied softly as he attempted to take interest in a blue shirt. “Hey Jaze, I found you something.” He held up the shirt as if looking at the back of it.
Jaze chuckled at the picture of a pink kitty on the front along with the words, ‘I’m purrrrfect.’
“Pink’s his color,” Dray said.
“Definitely,” Brock agreed.
“Shut up and pay attention,” Jaze told them with a laugh that betrayed the casual way he was trying to observe what a mannequin was wearing near the windows.
Alex glanced around the store. Besides the other werewolves Jaze had brought, it was empty.
“This is a waste of time,” Alex said.
“I agree,” Brock replied. “Go to the grocery store.”
“I’m going to buy groceries during Christmas break?” Alex asked uncertainly.
Brock chuckled. “No one would believe that, but I’ve got a feed off the security cameras, and they carry toys and things. Maybe you could find something for your sister.”
Jaze and Dray left the store in front of Alex. Uncertainty was growing in his chest. He knew something wasn’t right, but couldn’t place his finger on it.
“I think maybe—”
“Hold on,” Brock said, cutting him off. The human’s voice was tight. “Are you sure, Rafe?” he asked.
A muffled voice replied.
When Brock spoke again, there was fear in his tone. “Jaze, you’ve got to get back here. We were wrong.”
“About what?” Jaze asked.
The Alpha was standing about a block north of Alex. He could see tension in the lines of the dean’s silhouette. Dray was across the street. The same frozen scene showed. It would have been humorous if there wasn’t stark worry on both of the werewolves’ faces.
“I think Drogan is here,” Brock replied.
Alex’s heart stopped beating entirely. Jaze moved into action.
“Go get the vehicles,” he said to his men.
“I’ll pick everyone up,” Mouse said into their earpieces from his place in the SUV.
“We’ll meet you there,” Jaze replied.
To Alex’s complete surprise, Jaze tore off his shirt and ran for the alley. Alex and Dray hurried behind him. Jaze broke the rules he had carefully placed for the students and staff of the Academy and phased in the middle of the small city, leaving only a pile of clothes behind. Dray phased, and Alex did the same. He followed the black Alpha and the Gray professor into the forest.
***
The Academy was reached by a winding road through the heavy forest. The closest path was a straight line from Haroldsburg through the thickest, oldest part of the forest to the Academy. Alex’s paws drummed along the soft loam as he followed the two werewolves through the forest. The scent of dew that lingered in the shadows failed to chase away the worry that pounded through Alex at every step.
Thoughts kept rushing over and over in his mind. His sister was at the Academy; the Academy was being attacked. Cassie was in danger. Who knew Cassie had stayed behind? Cassie had told Kalia that both of them were going to Haroldsburg. That meant Kalia wasn’t the snitch. Alex shook his head, clearing the thought away. He didn’t have time to think about that right now. All that mattered was Cassie’s safety.
They reached the school just as a helicopter was flying away. Rafe’s wolves ringed the front of the courtyard, and Vance and Chet stood on the steps.
Chapter Twenty-four
Jaze phased and grabbed something from a tree. By the time Alex and Dray ran out of the shadows, the dean had already pulled on a set of clothes and crossed to the waiting werewolves.
“What happened?” Jaze demanded.
“They cut into the surveillance feed. We didn’t know they were here until it was almost too late,” Chet explained, fighting to catch his breath.
“They must have been dropped a ways back,” Vance said, “Even the wolves didn’t hear them coming. They came in shooting.”
Alex loped past Jaze and the others into the wreckage that was the Academy’s main hall. Glass, broken marble, and sheetrock littered the floor.
“Cassie’s with Brock,” Vance called after him. “She’s okay!”
Alex skidded across the floor; glass and debris proved to give poor footing to paws. He scrambled upright and darted for the closet. It opened just as he reached it.
Brock burst through as though he had been pushed. He looked affronted as Cassie hurried past. Her eyes widened at the sight of Alex staring at them. She dropped to her knees heedless of the mess and wrapped her arms around his neck. “We were wrong,” she said, and he could hear the tears in her voice. “We were very wrong.”
Alex stepped back and looked her up and down to make sure she was alright. Nikki walked out of the closet and Jaze gave her a tight hug. His hand lingered on her stomach.
“Are you alright?” he as
ked quietly.
“Bullet holes everywhere,” Brock said, shaking his head.
“At least no one got hurt,” Jaze replied. “How did you guys chase them off?”
Chet’s eyes narrowed. “They appeared to know exactly where they were going. They took off to the students’ quarters,” he said, pointing up the stairs. “They searched Pack Jericho’s rooms, and we met them as they began to sweep the school. One of Rafe’s wolves took a bullet. Lyra is tending to her in medical. Rafe and Colleen are sweeping the forest to see where Drogan’s men were dropped off.”
Jaze shook his head. He leaned against a marble column. The top broke off and plummeted to the floor. The sound made everyone jump. Jaze looked at it. “We can’t have students back here.”
“We have the funds,” Vance replied. “We can have it fixed before the break is over.”
“The students won’t even have to know,” Brock agreed.
“No.” Jaze looked up from the broken pieces littering the floor. “It isn’t safe. They got through our surveillance and we had no idea they were here until they were in the Academy. Our students would be in danger.” He looked at Alex and Cassie. “We have to find a place for our Lifers, too. Thank goodness they were with Rafe touring the forest.”
Cassie’s hand gripped Alex’s fur.
“Where would they go?” Nikki asked softly. She set a hand on Jaze’s arm. “They have nowhere else, Jaze.”
He gazed down at her. “They’re not safe here, Nikki. No one is. I don’t want you and the baby here, and I don’t need anyone to be killed because of my stubbornness.”
“Your stubbornness?” Nikki replied, a hint of surprise in her voice.
Jaze nodded. He made a small gesture that took in the entire Academy. “Why else is this place here? Maybe it was foolish to think that we could protect everyone under one roof. Maybe werewolves are better off fending for themselves.”
“You don’t really believe that,” Vance answered. The tone of his voice said how he really felt.
Jaze was silent for a moment. He finally let out a sigh and shook his head. “No, I don’t. Wolves stick together as packs for protection. We just happen to have the largest pack of werewolves ever imagined.” He looked around at the hallway. “We have some work to do.”
The vehicles from Haroldsburg arrived out front. Mouse came running in. “Is everyone okay?” he asked. His glasses were skewed and his hair stuck up.
“Everyone’s fine,” Jaze told him. The dean looked at his wife. “Check on Lyra. Let Rafe and me know if the wolf’s condition worsens.”
“Will do,” Nikki replied. She kissed Jaze on the cheek.
“What was that for?” he asked with a smile.
She gave an answering smile. “Because every time you think I’m in trouble, you have the same look on your face. I just wanted it to disappear.”
He pulled her close and held her against his chest for a moment. His smile grew. “He’s a regular little kicker now,” he said, putting a hand on his wife’s stomach.
“You can feel it?” Cassie asked with awe in her voice.
Nikki nodded. “He likes to hear his daddy talk. Come here; you can feel him kick, too.”
Cassie approached cautiously. Jaze set her hand where his had been. After a moment, Cassie gave a little squeak.
“I felt it!” she exclaimed. She looked at Alex. “You’ve got to try it!”
Alex was about to shake his head, but the look on Nikki’s face let him know how much it meant to her. He walked over and set his hand near Cassie’s, expecting not to feel anything. He laughed when something tapped his hand.
“That’s the baby?” he asked.
Nikki nodded. She beamed down at the twins. “I think he’s going to be a handful.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” Cassie asked.
Nikki and Jaze exchanged a warm look. “Just a feeling,” Nikki replied. “I’d better go help Lyra.”
“Be careful,” Jaze said.
She gave him another kiss and hurried down the hall.
“So about our surveillance shortcomings,” Jaze began, meeting Mouse’s gaze.
The little werewolf looked at the floor. “I, uh, think I know where they might have gotten in to blind our feed. I’ll make sure it’s foolproof by nightfall.”
“Will you also give Agent Sullivan a call? I need the Global Protection Agency’s input on this.” Jaze said. “It wouldn’t hurt to request some GPA agents to hang around when the term starts back up.”
Mouse nodded and hurried to the closet with Brock close behind.
Jaze turned his attention to Vance. “About those repairs,” he began.
Vance held up a huge hand. “I’ll start making calls. You know my mom’s just dying to pump more money into something. It might as well be the Academy.”
Cassie and Alex walked up the stairs. To Alex’s surprise, Jaze followed them. Alex’s nose wrinkled at the smell of Drogan’s men that hung on everything. Humans were seldom smelled inside the Academy except for Brock, Professor Thorson, and Nikki. There had been more when the school was being built, but the scent had faded long ago. Now, the scent of human strangers clung to everything.
“We may have to get thorough with bleach,” Jaze noted, pushing the door open.
Pack Jericho’s quarters were in shambles. Apparently, Drogan’s men were not told to be gentle in their search. Alex entered his room to find the mattress sliced and his clothes strewn across the floor.
“They thought I was hiding in there?” Alex asked, disbelief in his tone. “What am I, a weremouse?”
Cassie giggled at the door. “That sounds intimidating,” she said.
Alex rolled his eyes. “Oh, go clean up your own mess,” he snapped, but the heat of his words was taken away by his grin. She nodded and disappeared to her room.
“We’ll get you a new mattress,” Jaze said, picking up a few of Alex’s clothes.
“You don’t have to do that,” Alex replied. He gathered them from the dean.
Jaze nodded. “I know you can do it.” He paused, then met Alex’s gaze. “I shouldn’t have let you go to Haroldsburg today.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me.”
“Yes, I could have,” Jaze replied, his expression stern. “You’re a fourteen year old boy, Alex. I have no right to ask you to be in that situation, even if it had worked.”
“You didn’t ask,” Alex reminded him as he picked up another shirt. It was a gray one that was one of his favorites; perhaps he liked the symbolism. One of Drogan’s men had sliced it with a knife. Alex began to twist the fabric between his hands. “I was the one who came up with the plan. I wanted to find Drogan. I thought it was foolproof.” He ran a hand over his eyes. “But I was wrong.”
At his silence, Jaze asked softly, “About what?”
“About Kalia,” Alex replied, his heart heavy. “I accused her, and I was wrong. I avoided her, and I could tell when she went home with her family for Christmas that it hurt her.” He clenched his hands into fists. “I don’t know how to make up for it.”
The look of understanding that brushed Jaze’s face almost undid Alex’s carefully constructed composure. Jaze sat against the wall, and motioned for Alex to do the same. He slid down among the wreckage that was his room, his attention on the dean.
“Did I ever tell you about the time I accused Nikki of hanging out with me only because she wanted to get back at her parents?”
Alex shook his head, his curiosity piqued. A footstep in the hallway matched Cassie’s gait. The slight tilt of Jaze’s head said that he had heard it, too.
He smiled. “You might as well come listen, Cass. It’s a good story.”
Cassie entered the room with a sheepish look and sat down by Alex. “Sorry for eavesdropping,” she said.
“It’s a little hard not to when you’re a werewolf,” Jaze answered. “But standing in the hallway makes it a bit easier.” His tone made them both laugh.
Jaze’s voice took
on the cadence of one who liked to tell stories. “She was my neighbor; that’s how we met. I found out later that her parents were Hunters, and that was before Hunters and werewolves made their alliance.” A shadow crossed his features. “For as long as that alliance lasted.” He shook his head to chase the emotions away and kept speaking, “We snuck away to a place where there were a bunch of storage sheds that were used for a giant swap meet on the weekends. We used to climb on the roofs and look at the stars. That’s when she told me about her parents.”
He smiled at the thought. “She was afraid that I would laugh at the fact that her parents hunted werewolves. Instead, I was terrified!”
Alex and Cassie laughed at his exaggerated expression.
“Imagine, us moving next door to werewolf Hunters. It wasn’t ideal, especially considering that I was falling in love with their daughter.” Jaze tipped his head against the wall. “My heart was already hers, and that scared me. I tried to chase her away, telling her that the only reason she was hanging out with someone like me was because she wanted to get back at her parents.”
“What did she say?” Cassie asked.
Jaze smiled. “She said for me to take my oh-so-composed self-confidence and shove it.”
Alex laughed. “No wonder you liked her.”
Jaze winked at him. “Just you wait until a girl steals your heart. When you find someone worth fighting for, you won’t let anything stand in your way.”
“How did you win her back?” Cassie asked, excitement in her eyes at the story.
Jaze’s smile deepened. “I let her think my heart was broken. She’s too compassionate to let someone deal with heartbreak on their own.” He grinned. “I used that against her.”
“Heartless,” Cassie said, shaking her head, her eyes sparkling.
“I know, right?” Jaze replied. He grinned. “I apologized for being an idiot, and she forgave me.”
“It was that easy?” Alex asked doubtfully.
Jaze shook his head. “Apologizing isn’t easy, especially when you do it right. It’s got to come from your heart, or else she’ll see right through it.”