The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

  I've spit my keys and everything else onto the pavement. Grabbing them, I unlock the door, toss in my license and Olivia's medical records, and climb inside. Still aware of the glass windows (and of another car pulling into the ER parking lot) I seize my bag of clothes from the back and lie down on the torn backseat, slipping them on and relishing taking breaths without pain. Once clothed, my confidence returns and I scramble to the driver's seat, catching my breath. Energy flows through my limbs as if pure life is zipping through me. Shifting has made me feel more alive. The past two weeks have shoved the feeling aside as I got used to my new senses.

  All alone, I got Olivia's medical records out of a secured room and got away with it. I should feel horrible at committing a crime worthy of prison, but none of that comes. Having to wait to see if she becomes a Savage Wolf and then letting her do damage is worse. If we find out the worst now, we might help her before she does anything. The pendant might even stop her from changing. It worked on me for the past seventeen years.

  The sirens peak. Red and blue flash in my rearview mirror. I shove Olivia's folder in the glove compartment, curling it. Three cruisers pull up to the main entrance of the hospital, the one I used before everything went down. Officers get out and head inside.

  But one of them is a K-9 unit.

  And the German Shepherd inside claws at the back window, barking in my direction with yellow eyes.

  I cringe as I think of how Cayden got that golden retriever to stand down. Even from within the car, the police dog senses what I am and soon the cops might come over here. Swallowing, I start the Beater and pull out of my spot before the police can come back outside. Nobody has a real description of me and the cops don't have my DNA to check against my clothes, but the hospital now knows the clothing of a teen girl is lying in the elevator a wolf jumped out of, holding a folder. If I'm lucky, they'll dismiss it as a prank.

  But with medical records missing?

  Cayden's still coming, so I can't leave yet. Instead, I pull to the farthest end of the lot. The dog stops barking. But Cayden can't text me now. My phone is password protected, but that won't help for long. The police will crack it, right? My only option is to tell Cayden what I've done.

  I don't know how he'll react, but the thought makes me nervous. He's alpha. That's sinking in and my subconscious can sense the authority he's supposed to have, even if he doesn't like to use it. I still have a lot to learn about my new state.

  I face the woods. Adjusting my top, I sniff, trying to see if Cayden's coming.

  But it turns out he drives here in the Lowes' SUV. He parks beside me. I pick up his forest scent and that of motor oil and gasoline. Cayden gets out of the SUV and climbs into the Beater to sit beside me.

  "I'm glad you waited," he says, leaning in for a kiss. He sends happy tingles down my spine. Then he runs his gaze up and down my body. "Wait. I thought you were wearing black jeans and a white top today?"

  "I had to go in. But mission accomplished," I say, sounding like a secret spy.

  "You went in?" Cayden's jaw falls. "Brie, you smell like fear."

  Great. "And," I say, heart racing. "I got Olivia's medical records, so we'll know for sure whether she got a bite and will be a threat to people in a week. And better yet, I gave her mother my silver pendant to give to her. If it kept me from turning for so long, it has to work on her, right?"

  "Only if she wears it at all times," Cayden says, eyeing the glove compartment as if he can read my mind. Or is it because he doesn't want to look at me? "It's worth a try, but Olivia has to accept the gift, put it on, and keep it on the way you and your Aunt May did. If she takes the necklace off at any point past the next full moon, she'll turn the way you did. And then we must deal with her." His last two sentences are strained.

  "I don't want to kill Olivia. My friend Noah is in love with her. Her death would break his heart. I even told Olivia's mom the pendant was from a secret admirer. I guess maybe she could think it's from Noah--"

  "Brie!" Cayden hits the glove compartment with his fist.

  I jump. "What's the problem?"

  "Olivia isn't into Noah. And if she is, and she gets close to him...it could be bad. He could be in danger."

  A sick feeling blooms in my stomach and spreads through me like a disgusting, algae-choked pond. "You think she'd hurt Noah?"

  Cayden's eyes are wide. "No Savage Wolf cares about human life. I know you don't want to kill her, but you've helped fight them before, and we're different in wolf form. We let go of human issues. We're not afraid of fighting or blood. Even your human side gets used to it after a while. At the full moon, you and I will do what we have to. And we have your fighting ability on our side.

  "Look, I don't know where it comes from," I say. "And there's something else. There was a guy in the ER who said he got a dog bite, and I got a whiff of rotting wood off him. It could have been that he was sitting on a log or something since he was in the woods when it happened."

  Cayden lets his hand slide off the glove compartment. He's wearing fingerless gloves today like a bad boy. They make him look as if he's sprouted fur over the backs of his hands. Fitting. His hazel eyes lock with mine. "Then the Baltic Wolves are finding another way to come back into Breck. It's what I feared."

  "I thought we drove them out?"

  "We did," Cayden says. "And once a pack gets driven from a location, they can't come back in without risking their lives. But that pack can linger around the edges of a territory. Breck is ours, and we've spread our scent a few miles around town to warn the Baltic Wolves out. But there's no rule stopping them from hanging around the edges, or from attacking people who wander out of our protection."

  "Like the guy in the ER?" I ask.

  "Yes," Cayden says, glaring into the woods. "We're not in our territory right now. Savage Wolves could kill or infect anyone they please out here. And if we break the code and hunt them, they might call for reinforcements."

  "What does this have to do with them returning?"

  Cayden breathes out. "If Olivia turns and there are no other Savage Wolves in the area, then her presence establishes a new pack. One we haven't driven out yet. It's the same for that guy you mentioned. For all we know, they could infect multiple people around Breck to get back at us. And if a new pack forms, we're back to driving them out all over again. And again, and again."

  My heart sinks and a chill sweeps over me. "Breck is our home, and if the Savage Wolves will keep launching attack after attack--"

  "I never said it was easy being a werewolf," Cayden snaps. He grips the door handle like he wants to leave. "We're not superheroes. And it's difficult being an alpha when no one even listens to you." His voice drops to a growl with each word he speaks.

  "Cayden," I breathe, feeling as if someone has punched me in the gut. "I had to go in. We had to figure out if we even need to worry about Olivia. It beats sitting around and waiting. I also had to leave my phone in the hospital after transforming, so we need to get it."

  "The police are here," he says, sighing. "You did something that attracted attention. Werewolf issues should stay with werewolves. Getting humans involved never ends well for them or for us. You saw what your mother and grandfather did."

  "Don't bring that up," I say, balling my fists. Savage Wolves took my family and half of Cayden's. I won't let them take anyone else. I can't believe you want to sit by and wait."

  "That's the best option. We have to lie low."

  "Cayden, this isn't like you," I say. "You faced down five Baltic Wolves by yourself and--"

  He punches the dash. "And I got Wyatt killed. I can't let anything like that happen again. Do you understand? I won't lose you, Brie."

  His outburst shakes the windows of the car. "Cayden! I'm trying to make things easier here and stop people from dying."

  Cayden takes a breath, trying to calm himself. "Brie, we're not a bunch of wild animals. Even Savage Wolves have rules. Every pack has an alpha who decides. I don't like deciding for you or an
yone else, but the police being here and your phone being in their hands came from me not playing my role. Hate me all you want, but I won't see you killed or in prison. The rules exist for a reason. My dad might not have made the best decisions for the pack, but I'll do better than him."

  "Excuse me?" I ball my fists. "You're going caveman on me now?"

  Cayden opens the door. "I'm the alpha, and you will have to deal with that. Now, we get your phone away from the police and we get out of here. We'd better hope the hospital didn't catch you on camera."

  "I saw none." I speak to distract myself from the argument but it does little good. Now I'm seeing a side of Cayden he's kept hidden until now. Or a side that's developed after the death of half his family. It hurts to turn over his words.

  His declaration of authority.

  And that I'm supposed to stand down and listen to his orders.

  "Stay here," Cayden says, softer now. "I'll find your phone. Never mind that first part. Drive home. We'll catch up tomorrow and go over the records."

  "And then we'll get somewhere."

  "Please. Just drive home," he repeats. "I'll take care of this. We'll look at the records tomorrow. I'm sorry. But please, promise you won't go on any more adventures tonight. I worry about all of us. And you."

  I swallow. "Fine. I promise."

  Cayden faces me with sad eyes as he gets out of the car. "But other than that, great job, Brie. You have more guts than I do."

  Breathing out, I change gears. The Beater clunks as I pull out of the spot and past Cayden, who watches me leave, and then drive past the K-9 unit with the barking, crazy dog. Before anyone can come out of the hospital doors to check on the noise, I pull out of the hospital and screech my tires as I pull onto the road. I don't know whether I'm fleeing from Cayden or myself.

  Chapter Four

  I don't even greet Aunt May when I get in the door. By now, my thrumming pulse has calmed, but a headache has formed, complete with fists of pain around my eyes. Stress. I hiccup and realize I'm holding back tears. Until now, Cayden has been my equal and we've stayed united by our loneliness. Now he's something different.

  Watching half his family die has changed him.

  Does this happen to all werewolves? Now I understand why my father never allowed himself to turn, why Aunt May did the same, and why my family didn't want me to experience the same fate. Maybe my father married my hunter mother and took her name to further erase the curse of lycanthropy.

  "Quiet tonight," Aunt May says as I open the fridge. She's standing in the kitchen doorway and she smells of meadows and mountain breeze. All werewolves have scents tying them to the wild.

  "It's been a long day," I say without facing her. Instead, I focus on a stack of cheese slices in the refrigerator door.

  "Were you and Cayden patrolling?"

  "Yes," I lie. "We detected none of the Savage Wolves."

  "I fear that girl will become one," Aunt May says.

  I wonder how I smell to Cayden.

  Or if my scent is weak.

  "You know about Olivia?" I ask, closing the door. My acting skill comes into play and I lapse into a Victorian lady, complete with perfect manners and zero outbursts.

  "The Lowes told me." Aunt May speaks with reluctance. She bites her lip during a pause. She's taken these past couple of weeks hard. The werewolf life is one she never wanted. And in her usual fashion, she often skirts around the subject, asking me about school instead.

  The Olivia situation is serious, then.

  "I don't want to kill her," I blurt, backing against and grabbing the stove. "Why am I such a good fighter?"

  Aunt May exhales. "I don't know. Your father and I never spoke about our true nature. That happens when you spend your life trying to avoid it." She faces me when she speaks instead of turning her gaze away. That tells me she's not lying.

  "Were your parents werewolves, too?"

  Aunt May nods. "Our mother was born one. She turned our father to save his life after he got attacked by Savage Wolves. They didn't bite him, but the other injuries they delivered caused an infection that would have taken his life for certain."

  "I thought Savage Wolves liked to turn people?"

  "They often try to kill," Aunt May says. She lowers her voice. "And then eat." She speaks like she wants this conversation to end. "Only those who survive deep bites turn. They ran my father off a steep incline. He broke several bones. My mother and her pack saved him."

  "A pack?"

  "They're gone now. Most died from the same Savage Wolves that almost killed your father. Your father and I would have been all that was left. Now the Lowes form the central part of the pack."

  Maybe I should tell her about the file in my car but I hold back. If it turns out Olivia sustained a deep bite, Aunt May will go along with Cayden's idea of attacking her. Though she hates this entire thing, even she agreed to follow the rules and treat Cayden as alpha. Aunt May isn't a shaker.

  So I don't tell her about Cayden's outburst, either.

  "Savage Wolves have been trying to get into Breck for a while?" I ask.

  "For as far as our family goes back," Aunt May says.

  "Why? I mean, it's not like they enjoy skiing. I know Breck has all this forest and nature around it, but there are plenty of places like this. Do you know the reason?" My thoughts turn to the attic again, and my parents' secrets. But I've already searched it and found only the box with a letter from my mother's father. The Hunter side of my family.

  "I don't know the reason they want this place," Aunt May says at last. "But we can't leave if Breck is important to them. Speaking of that, I have another meeting with the lawyer tomorrow morning, and I can take you to school before I go."

  She's offering to help keep me safe. "Sure," I say, knowing it will make her feel better. "What's going on with the store now?" Maybe she's ready to tell me.

  Aunt May swallows. "It's still up for sale, but no buyers have come forth. I can always take it off the market if things improve, so don't give up hope yet. I might be able to work some financial magic."

  There. She's said it out loud. "Maybe we need to sell candy?" I ask. "Get the local kids in?"

  "Sterling Grocery has had a tie to natural food for a long time," Aunt May says. "Leonora's family have helped us so much. We can't turn our backs on that vision now."

  "We need more business."

  "I know." Aunt May rubs her temples.

  "And thanks for being honest with me."

  * * * * *

  Cayden is, as I expect, sorry the next morning about how he acted the night before. He meets me in the parking lot when Aunt May drops me off. She smiles at me and pulls away to go see the lawyer yet again.

  Cayden stands at the doors of the school and not on the green as he often does. He's beat me here, so I walk up to him, trying not to let my anger hit from the night before. I have Olivia's file in my backpack, and I've decided that we will let Remo help us look through it. He's the one most likely to know what to search for. Then, we come up with a plan on how to deal with Olivia. If she even got a bite.

  "Look, Brie, I'm sorry about last night," Cayden says. "I shouldn't have gotten mad after you did what none of us thought of."

  "You're forgiven," I say, though I can't cast away the feeling that Cayden might get like that again. He has a wound. It threatens to open with every wrong move.

  He brushes his hand through his hair. "We both like to do things without thinking too much first."

  "You mean like facing the Baltic Wolves by yourself?"

  Cayden eyes the brick of the school building as people go inside. "Yes." He swallows and I see his Adam's apple rise and fall. "I don't want you to be as stupid as me. I went against my father when he was alpha."

  "The Baltic Wolves were at fault," I tell him, wrapping my fingers around his arm. "Not you."

  "But he copied me. He did everything I did. I should have known," Cayden says, pulling out of my grasp. Even though I'm strong now, strong enough to
break every gym record and compete in the Olympics, Cayden should beat my strength. He's alpha.

  "I'm not stupid," I say.

  "I know you're not," Cayden says, keeping his back facing me as he enters the school. The warning bell rings. We've lingered outside too long. "I know you want to help and be a part of this, but standing aside sometimes is better than dying." He whirls to face me. Then he grabs my arms and pulls me close. "I don't want to lose you."

  He descends for the kiss, and before I can move, Cayden plants his lips on mine. Since turning, his kiss has taken on sharper flavors: fresh pine needles, mountain breezes, and even disturbed earth. If I listen, I can even hear his heartbeat.

  For a second, I forget our fight.

  But then we part, and the tension's waiting for us all over again. "If Olivia and other people turn into Savage Wolves, more might die. And since Olivia and her gang won't open and Noah's blinded by love, I had to do what I had to do. It's done now. We'll find out the truth at lunch."

  Cayden shakes his head. "Don't risk yourself in front of normal people again." Then he adds, "Please."

  "I'll try not to," I say. But as I speak, smoldering anger growls. No one warned me about this part of my new nature. I understand why Cayden's acting this way. But my animal side refuses to have someone tell me what to do.

  "I also grabbed your phone," he says, fishing my device out of his pocket. "Snatched it from the police as they were talking to the receptionist. Wasn't too hard. The cops would take it into the station and try to see who it belonged to. And the hospital staff have no clue what happened. The biggest rumor was someone's trained wolf went in. Nobody wants to say the truth."