Werewolf Academy Book 5

by Cheree Alsop

  “Jenkins!” he yelled as the man’s finger tightened on the trigger.

  An explosion shook the building, throwing everyone to the floor. Walls cracked and pieces of the ceiling fell. A crack ran near the humans and their chain pulled free. One side of the cage was smashed. Guards ran for the werewolves, but Alex shoved his way through, careful to keep Siale behind him where the guards couldn’t reach her.

  “Kill the humans,” Jenkins yelled. “I’ve got the werewolves.”

  Guns were lifted. Blue-tinged rage flooded through Alex.

  He crossed the floor in a heartbeat. His claws found one guard, then another. He spun and swiped across the gun hand of a third, then buried his fist deep in the man’s stomach. He threw the guard into two others.

  “Stop!” Jenkins barked.

  Alex glanced back and found the man with a gun pointed directly at Siale. The ground shook beneath his feet from the explosion. Dust filled the air. Every beat of Alex’s heart sounded loud in his ears. He couldn’t reach the man before he shot Siale. Alex had left her alone, vulnerable, like he had promised he never would.

  A shot rang out. Jenkins jerked and when he squeezed the trigger and the bullet went wide, missing the werewolf. Siale punched him in the throat, then the stomach. She followed with a backhand across to the man’s jaw that spun him halfway around. Alex was there to meet him. He slashed Jenkin’s throat followed by his stomach. Jenkins took two steps back, then collapsed to the floor.

  “Siale,” Alex said, his voice deep and gruff from morphing.

  “Protect the humans,” Siale replied. “I’m fine.”

  Alex glanced back to see the remaining guards running for the humans. He grabbed a bar from the cage as he ran past. He swung it and took down three guards. Another swipe caught the last two before they could reach the hostages.

  The surge of energy had cost Alex. His body morphed back to normal. His mind registered that his hand was burning, and he let the bar fall to the ground. He rubbed his hand on his pants in an attempt to wipe away the liquid silver that coated it.

  “Are you okay?” Siale asked.

  Alex nodded, seeing the image of Jenkins almost shooting her again in his mind. The sound of a gun falling to the floor caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder to see the mother of the girl he had saved step away from the gun she had dropped.

  “You saved Siale,” he said, his thoughts racing as he tried to come to terms with what had happened.

  “You saved my daughter,” she replied. “Thank you.”

  Something hit against the door. Alex moved so that he was between the door, the humans, and Siale. His hands clenched into fists. A bang sounded and the door blew inward. Jaze stood in the cloud of smoke. Relief filled the dean’s eyes when he saw Alex and Siale.

  “Let’s get you guys out of here,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “Drogan’s gone,” Chet announced as soon as they cleared the door.

  “No,” Alex said. He shouldered past the Alpha and hurried down the hall.

  “Alex, wait!” Siale called.

  “Stay here,” Alex replied. He forced his body to morph. As he ran down the hall, he realized it was the first time he had been able to make himself morph. His strength was failing with the blood loss. He could feel it as he made his way around debris, following Drogan’s scent. Footsteps ran after him. A glance back showed Jaze catching up.

  “I can’t let him go,” Alex called, his voice thick and low. “He’s taken too much from me.”

  He ducked out of a hole in the wall where Drogan’s scent fled. A forest touched with spring took up the back side of Drogan’s base. Alex’s keen ears picked up the sound of a helicopter. He crashed through the trees and the impartial side of him wondered just how many choppers the Extremist had at his command.

  Jaze ghosted beside him, the dean’s footsteps soundless compared to Alex’s brute smashing through small stands of trees and bushes. He appreciated that Jaze didn’t try to stop him.

  They reached a clearing just as the helicopter rose into the air. Drogan grinned down at them, his mismatched eyes wild and leering.

  “No,” Alex growled. He grabbed a trunk that looked like it had been struck by lighting and tore it from the ground. With a roar, he threw it as hard as he could.

  Drogan’s eyes widened when the tree hit the helicopter blades. Sparks flew, then flames. The helicopter careened toward the ground. It disappeared beneath the trees. The impact shook the forest floor. Jaze and Alex exchanged a look and took off running.

  Smoke billowed from the aircraft. It had torn up trees and lay on its side.

  “Alex, be careful,” Jaze called.

  Alex ignored the flames and jumped onto the side of the helicopter. He glanced at the slain pilot and searched the back seat.

  “Drogan’s gone,” he told Jaze, jumping back to the ground. His knees buckled. Jaze caught his arm, steadying him as the morph faded, leaving him in his human form. Alex pressed a hand to his stomach, trying to staunch the sticky blood that coated the wound. The bandages had fallen off somewhere in his crazed run. He could feel the raw edges of the wound where the silver coated it, keeping it open.

  An impression in the dirt caught Alex’s attention. He dropped to his knees next to it.

  “That’s a wolf print,” Jaze said, crouching beside Alex.

  Alex nodded. “Drogan’s a werewolf.” At the dean’s stare, Alex continued, “He said he phased after I killed his father.” He swallowed, then corrected, “I mean our father.”

  Jaze put a hand on his shoulder. “The General was not your father.”

  “Yes, he was.”

  “Alex, look at me,” Jaze insisted. When Alex finally complied, the dean’s gaze was adamant. “The General may have contributed to you having life, but that’s all. He didn’t raise you, and there is nothing in you that is of him. You aren’t Jared, and you aren’t Drogan. Drogan killed your parents.” Jaze blinked, his eyes damp. “Will and Mindi were your real parents. They were wonderful people, full of the same love and understanding that I see in you. You have Jet’s stubbornness. He could never turn away from those who needed his help and strength. He gave everything to save us.” Jaze’s voice choked off.

  Alex wiped his eyes with the back of his arm. “Drogan deserves to die.”

  Jaze nodded. “I’ve been where you are. When Mason killed my father, I did everything I could to avenge his death.”

  “And you killed him,” Alex said quietly.

  Jaze’s eyes tightened as memories of the past darkened his gaze. “I had a hand in his death. I thought it would help me feel better.”

  “Did it?”

  Jaze gave him a straight look. “No, because the hole was still there. I still missed my father. Mason’s death didn’t do anything to help it go away. My father was gone and nothing could bring him back.”

  “But at least Mason couldn’t hurt anyone else.”

  Jaze nodded. “Yes. In that, there was justice. Drogan has hurt far too many people. We will make sure he pays.”

  “Then go after him,” Alex said, pointed to the tracks in the rich earth.

  Jaze gave him a fatherly smile. “And leave you to bleed out here in the dirt? No way. There will be time to go after Drogan later. We need to get you to the hospital.”

  He ducked under Alex’s arm and was helping him stand when a growl rumbled through the forest.

  Alex saw Drogan at the edge of the clearing. He was in wolf form and his coat was black. “Drogan’s an Alpha,” Alex said quietly.

  Jaze was about to reply when beasts stepped from the forest on either side of Drogan. There were at least a dozen of them. They were misshapen and hulking, huge wolves with patchy fur, human-shaped heads, and teeth sticking out in all directions. Their muscles were colossal and their arms ended in wicked-looking black claws. One in particular towered above the rest. It had black patchy fur and a huge scar that tore through one ear and an eye.

  �
�What are they?” Alex asked. He leaned against a tree, his strength waning. He had pushed his body too hard with the last run and throwing the tree.

  “I think they were trying to create something like you,” Jaze replied.

  “The mutants,” Alex said. At Jaze’s quick look, he explained, “Jenkins told Drogan that the mutants were out of control.”

  “We need to get back to the others,” Jaze said, his voice tight as the mutants advanced on either side of Drogan.

  Alex shook his head. He could barely stay standing. Blood pooled beneath his fingers and dripped to the forest floor. “I don’t think I can make it. I’ll distract them. You go.”

  Jaze tore off his shirt and phased. He raised his muzzle to the morning sky and let out a howl that reverberated through the trees. The great black wolf then turned his attention to Drogan and the mutants. He growled, flattening his ears against his skull. A shudder ran down Alex’s spine at the sheer vehemence in the dean’s voice.

  Drogan gave a sharp bark and the mutants attacked. Even as an Alpha, it was clear the mutants were too many for Jaze. He fought right and left, attempting to push them away from Alex. Alex tried to force his body to morph, but it refused. Spots flashed in his vision. He tried to keep his eyes open.

  A growl sounded directly in front of him. Alex looked up to see Drogan a few feet away. The black wolf bared his teeth in a snarl. He gathered his legs and leaped.

  Alex caught the wolf by the throat. The werewolf’s claws scratched Alex’s chest as he fought to keep the animal from latching onto his throat. Alex’s arms shook as the Alpha struggled to close the gap. Drogan’s weight and strength forced him closer. Alex’s heart skipped a beat. The wolf’s hot breath brushed Alex’s face as his teeth snapped shut inches from Alex’s throat. One of the werewolf’s front paws scraped down Alex’s stomach and caught in his wound. Alex let out a yell of pain.

  A grey and white form struck Drogan’s side so hard the wolf was thrown from Alex. Alex stared at Siale in wolf form as she placed herself between Alex and Drogan.

  There was no way the little werewolf could defeat the Alpha.

  “Run,” Alex said, his voice barely a whisper.

  Siale growled at Drogan, ignoring Alex’s request.

  Alex tried to stand, convinced he was about to see one more of his loved ones slain by Drogan, and this time it would be the love of his life. He couldn’t phase or morph. His body refused to respond either way, but he could throw himself between Drogan and Siale. Maybe it would give her a chance to get away.

  Alex stumbled forward, and suddenly more wolves were there. Cassie and Tennison stood on Siale’s right, with Terith and Trent on her left. Alex realized with a start that the gray and brown wolf next to Trent was Jordan. The impartial side of him noted that perhaps his advice had helped the couple.

  Two more Alphas joined them. Jericho and Torin’s growls merged with the others. Chet and Dray appeared with Vance and Kaynan close behind. The werewolves attacked the mutants with the force of a battering ram, pushing them away from Jaze.

  Drogan took a step back, then another. The werewolf students from the Academy fell back around Alex, protecting him. Drogan gave a low bark. The mutants stopped fighting and rejoined their leader. The Alphas who had fought beside Jaze watched them, their sides heaving and blood streaking their shoulders and chests. For a moment, nobody moved. The mutants were strong, very strong. If they attacked again, the Alphas would be hard pressed to hold them back.

  Drogan would be Alex’s target. He stood, leaning heavily on the tree, his gaze locked on Drogan’s. If the pack fought beside him and the professors distracted the mutants, they could reach the Alpha. They might have a chance.

  As if Drogan reached the same conclusion, he gave another bark. The mutants around him faded back into the forest. Drogan was the last to leave. He glared at Alex, his mismatched eyes narrow and cold. He ducked beneath the trees and vanished with the others. Alex sank back to the ground, happy just to be sitting without mutants or Alphas trying to tear him apart.

  “Hey, Alex.”

  It took most of Alex’s strength just to open his eyes. He found the dean kneeling on the forest floor looking at him. Alex gave the dean a weak smile. “Hey, Jaze.”

  Jaze’s eyebrows pulled together worriedly. “Stay with me, okay.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Alex promised. He leaned his head against the tree.

  A soft nose pushed against his arm. He lifted it and Siale ducked underneath, letting him rest against her.

  “That was crazy, you know,” he told her. “And they say I have a death wish.”

  She snorted as if to say he still did.

  “I guess as comfortable as sitting here is, we shouldn’t wait for Drogan to get more of his mutants and come back.” Alex took a steeling breath and tried to rise.

  Jaze helped Alex to his feet and Vance took the position on Alex’s other side. The huge werewolf carried most of Alex’s weight as he made his way back to Drogan’s building. The going was slow and every step hurt. By the time they made it to the vehicles, Alex was semi-conscious. Jaze helped him inside the first SUV while the others left to phase.

  “You do have a death wish,” Jaze said as he put new bandages over Alex’s wound. The dean smiled. “But so did I at your age. And no fear, apparently. When I think back to the things we did, I wonder how I even survived.”

  “Yet here you are,” Alex said, his words slurred together.

  Jaze nodded, pushing the hair back from Alex’s forehead in a fatherly gesture. “And you, too. We’ll get through this together.”

  “Yeah,” Alex said. He let his eyes close.

  “Get some rest. We’ll drive to the jet and get you to the Academy. Meredith and Lyra are already on standby.”

  “Tell Mom I’m sorry I cause so much trouble,” Alex said without opening his eyes.

  Jaze chuckled. “I’ll tell her.”

  “I get to drive,” Trent called.

  “I’m driving,” Mouse said from the driver’s seat.

  “Don’t let Trent drive,” Terith said. “We might all die.”

  “Have a little faith,” Trent replied.

  “There’s no way I’m getting in a car with Trent driving,” Torin said.

  “I’m driving,” Mouse repeated.

  “Boys.”

  Siale’s voice cut through the haze in Alex’s mind.

  He opened his eyes to see her climb into the SUV.

  “You doing okay?” she asked, her eyes filled with worry as she took a seat at Alex’s side.

  “Better now,” he replied. It was true. With her next to him, his wound hurt less and his thoughts were clearer. He knew it could have been just that he was so enraptured with her that everything else was pushed into the background, but if that was the case, he would gladly stay by her side for the rest of his life.

  She took a rag from Jaze and began to wash Alex’s face. He closed his eyes. The feeling of the clean dampness removing the sticky blood from his body was wonderful.

  “Maybe I should get hurt,” Jericho noted, climbing in the back.

  “I’m sure Cherish would help,” Alex said, glancing at the Alpha.

  A faint blush ran across the older werewolf’s face. “She’s probably had enough of werewolves for now.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Alex replied. He closed his eyes, but not before seeing a light of hope shine in the Alpha’s eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Alex saw the memory as though he was watching it from a distance. A little boy and a little girl climbed down from the bus. They held hands, afraid of the new place filled with strangers. Adults hurried in every direction. The smell of werewolf permeated the air along with the scent of wood and cement, mortar and paint from the construction of the Academy.

  “Don’t worry, Cass. I’ll take care of you,” Alex heard his young self say.

  Someone shoved past them, knocking Cassie against him. Protective anger flooded through Ale
x. He spun with his fists out. The boy was a full head taller than Alex, but Alex swung anyway. His little fist connected with the boy’s shoulder.

  Torin turned, his green eyes flashing. He threw a punch back. It hit Alex’s face. The young boy didn’t feel it through his anger. He swung again and again until arms caught him from behind.

  “Slow down, champ. You don’t want to fight.”

  At the time, Jaze had been an acquaintance to the twins, a friend of Jet’s who visited from time to time. To see the dean protecting him from his first moments at the Academy filled Alex with warmth.

  Jet’s last words to Alex had been to never stop fighting no matter what. Alex had taken those words to heart.

  “I don’t want to stop fighting,” Alex heard his younger self say.

  Cassie touched his shoulder. “It’s okay, Alex,” she said, innocence in her voice. “Uncle Jaze will take care of things.”

  Jaze sat back on his heels. He had tears in his eyes as he nodded. “I’ll take care of everything, I promise.”

  A steady beeping brought Alex back from the memory. He took a deep breath, aware that the pain in his stomach had eased a great deal.

  “Alex?”

  He opened his eyes and was rewarded with the sight of Siale looking down at him, her wavy brown hair falling around her shoulders and her gray eyes soft as she watched him. When she saw that he was awake, her eyes creased at the corners with her smile of relief.

  Alex lifted a hand and touched her cheek. “If I could wake up after every surgery and see you like this, I’d get hurt more often.”

  Siale’s smile deepened. “I’m hoping that someday you’ll realize you have a lot to live for and stop getting yourself into such bad situations.”

  “I fight because I have so much to live for,” Alex replied.

  “Good answer,” Siale said. She leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips.

  Alex’s heart monitor gave a loud beep, skipped two more, and sounded an alarm.

  Siale leaned back. “We really need to get that taken care of.”