The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

  "The Brie?" Karina asked. "You brought her into Savage territory?"

  "And I'm not going to turn her in," Brett says.

  "What did I get into?" I demand. I watch Karina for any sign of a cell phone she can use to call the warlock, or even Matthew himself. It's clear she's obsessed with making everyone happy and proving herself. The girl is dangerous and Brett wants me to take her into my territory, where she could cause damage. "I don't like this plan. You want me to take your sister, who has a vested interest in seeing me dead and making everyone around here happy, into my territory where she can do something that might kill us all? Heck, maybe the two of you are hoping to make Cayden's curse even worse and maybe even killing him so you can let all the Savages in. I'm backing out of this crappy idea."

  I turn, but Brett stands in front of the door. "I know it's a crappy idea, but hear me out. This is my sister and she needs to realize that staying here isn't good for either of us. They could use her to get to me, and then I'll be dangerous to you. Do you understand?"

  I face him, listening for Karina's reaction. She can't draw the dagger without me hearing and acting. But the chill still runs down my spine. I can't let my guard down around her.

  "Karina," I say. "Make one move and I'll know."

  "Kill her," Brett says, "and I'll make sure you never know how to fix your alpha. I'll never give you any hint of the cure, and your useless witch will just end up doing more harm than good."

  "You're basically blackmailing me."

  Brett gives me an evil grin. "Yes. If you had a sister, wouldn't you do the same to protect her? Wouldn't your alpha do the same for you?"

  There's something in Brett's eyes that makes me melt inside. Real worry. He reminds me of Aunt May and Cayden both, worrying over me and hoping for the best. He's Cayden, crying over me as I lay there, bitten by one of the Savages. But Brett buries his pain behind his tough, obnoxious exterior. As if sensing that I've seen his weakness, he looks away from me and at his sister. "Go pack some things. We'll walk you to the border so the Savages can't reach you. I know you're trying to act tough, but—"

  "I can handle myself," Karina says. I hear the faint whine in her voice. She's the little sister being bossed around by her older brother.

  "I know you can, but this isn't a normal situation. Matt isn't a normal Savage Wolf who will back down without doing a deadly dance first. Had I not had my herbs earlier this morning, he would have killed me. He'll wait for the first opportunity and then he'll attack. We both know that Brie could doom us both."

  "So this is my fault?" I ask.

  "If Matt and the Savages have you, they won't have any need for us anymore. We'll have fulfilled our purpose." Brett turns his hard gaze on me and reaches into his pocket for his sunglasses. He puts them back on as if using them as a sheild. "They'll eliminate the warlocks."

  "I'm that important? You need to tell me just why they're after me and who this king is."

  "The alpha of the purest Savage line," Brett says. "You don't want to meet him. He's even more powerful than Matt, and he knows that you're here. His power trumps that of all the other Savage alphas. Once they have you, he'll descend on this area and then the Savages will spread a new plague through the human world."

  "Why do they want me?" My throat goes dry as Karina stomps up the stairs. Her brother has finally gotten through to her. "What do I have to do with them spreading a new plague? I mean, I can fight well and my senses are better than the other wolves', but isn't Matt good enough?"

  "No," Brett says. "It's not that. There were two powerful werewolf lines that formed thousands of years ago, in the days where humans still lived in caves, and two of them have persisted to this day. The Nobles and the Savages. Look, I'll explain it later." He hardens his voice as if knowing he can use another pawn against me.

  "I hate you."

  "You should. Are you going to help me get my sister out of here or not? Just hide her until this blows over. That's all. And don't give her access to any magical materials, because even though she knows as well as I do that the Savages will turn on us, she still has a weakness."

  "I will," I say. Karina is human. I listen as she shuffles through clothing upstairs. A trunk slams shut. Brett might not be that different from Cayden, who wants nothing more than the protect me and the pack. And if I had a sister, I would do everything to protect her, too.

  Brett might be a jerk, but he's also a person with pain just like everyone else.

  Karina stomps back down the steps a moment later with a trunk in her hands. "Open that," I demand.

  Karina holds me in her glare as she drops the trunk to the steps and opens it. "Are you happy? Did you want to see my underwear?"

  "No," I say. "I have to make sure you're not going to betray me the moment we cross the border. You're a witch. You'll try to magic your way back to the Savage Wolves and then they'll kill you. Let me tell you. If they take over and kill us Noble Wolves, they'll turn on the people who are a threat to them first."

  Karina stares at me like I've lost my head. "I know what I'm doing."

  "Stop trying to keep up a brave face. You know it's true," I say. Once I get her over the border, then I'm going to have to watch her every move.

  "Out," Brett says. "Father will be back in just an hour."

  "From what?" I demand.

  "Meeting with Matthew. The pack. He's planning a new way to get you to come over here. He knows you'll come here, seeking the cure for your alpha."

  "Well, he was right, but I didn't come in the way he thought," I say. Now I'm trying to save face. "Let's get Karina out of here and then you're giving me answers. Right?"

  "Right," Brett says. "The trip might be dangerous but if we get her out of here, it'll be worth it to me."

  "But won't the Wolves hurt you, too?" Karina asks.

  "It will be better if you're gone," he tells her, voice softening. "They won't be able to use you as a pawn. Matt threatened you earlier. If I had a tape recorder, I'd play what he said for you."

  Though the light level is low, I see Karina pale. She's beginning to soften and her wall is coming down, but that hardness remains in her eyes. She'll still turn on me if it benefits her. The Clayde family must all be like that.

  "Okay," Brett says, opening the front door on the icy world outside. "We cross the land quickly, and once you two are at the border, don't look back."

  Chapter Twelve

  We walk across the lawn of the ancient mansion, leaving the place full of dark magic behind. Brett makes Karina walk between us, and I eye her belt where her silver dagger hangs. Taking it from her now would be cruel. When I was still human, my silver knife and gun were the only reassurance I had.

  But at the same time, if she sees a benefit in killing me, she'll try. IF the Savages surround us, she'll stab me to win their favor. Well, for a few minutes. They'll tear her apart afterwards. I don't smell any herbs on her, so she's out here without any other defense.

  Brett, on the other hand, keeps his hand on his leather bag as he walks through the cold. Our breath spirals in front of us as I sniff the air, trying to pick up the weak scents that the cold has suppressed. Snow sterilizes everything.

  "How long is this walk?" Karina asks, keeping her voice low.

  "I don't smell the Savages nearby," I say, "but they're within a few miles. You can talk, but don't make it loud. And don't scream."

  "What do you think I am? A girl in a horror movie?"

  "If you weren't so obnoxious and clueless, I'd probably be friends with you," I say. Anything to win her favor before we take her into our territory. "Brett, are you coming with us?"

  He shakes his head. "I need to distract the Savages for a bit longer to keep them from coming after my sister. They know I don't care so much about my own life as I do hers."

  "Big bad protector," Karina says with sarcasm, though I detect gratitude in her voice. The Clayde siblings care for each other. They hide it with sarcasm and attitude. Maybe that's the only way they k
now how in this environment.

  "The Savages know the way to get to me is through my sister," Brett says.

  "So you'll fight against them once she's gone?" I ask.

  "Yes. I can slow them down."

  So he was just parroting their view of the world earlier. Brett runs on sarcasm. I'll have to remember that. "And don't forget our deal. I get her out of here, and you tell me just why the Savages want Breck so badly and why they're after me in particular." Is my family some powerful line they want to take out? It could be the reason for the silence of Leonora's parents. If I know I'm special, will that endanger me? It's like they think it'll go to my head or something and get me in trouble.

  Maybe they're not that far off.

  "You still said I can't trust you."

  Brett grins at me. "I act based on what I need at the moment. It could always change, just to be fair. You deserve to know."

  "You're an honest guy. Maybe."

  "I wouldn't trust him, either," Karina says. She hasn't taken her gaze off me since we entered the gravel trail, which makes me uncomfortable. She's plotting. It's there in the way her eyes dart around, landing on every possible threat. Plotting is second nature to this girl.

  I sniff, and the Savage smell grows. "Brett, can you do a spell to make us less detectable? You have magical gear on you, right?"

  "So you smell them."

  "The wind's blowing from their direction, and the scent is getting stronger. I think they're headed for the house. And your father's with them. Quick. They'll be here in maybe fifteen minutes, and they'll smell or hear us before that." I can't fight off the whole pack. And Matt will destroy me and drag my body back to Cayden.

  Or worse.

  If I'm powerful, or from a powerful line, they might want me for something else. My imagination doesn't go to happy places.

  Karina pulls away from me. "Brett, if they catch us like this, they're going to kill us." She eyes the trees and takes a step forward, sucking in her breath.

  But I grab her arm. "Yell for them, and I'll break this." It's an empty threat, but Karina doesn't know that. She faces me with terror.

  "You wouldn't," she says.

  "I can," I say. "Shout for them and you doom us all." I sniff again. The scent's stronger. Rotten wood combines with money and dust. The High Priest of the Clayde Coven approaches with the pack. I catch the smell of burning herbs as well. Even while allied with the Savages, he has to defend himself.

  "Over here," Brett says, waving us past the booze barrel. "There's an open spot. Karina, help me. You don't want Brie to break your arm. She can."

  I'm shocked he's helping me, but I sense he knows I won't do it. That a Noble Wolf hates to hurt humans. But Karina eyes me with fear from the corner of her eye as we run into the clearing. She might not realize that not all werewolves want to destroy people. Maybe she doesn't fully realize yet that some want to protect humans. And to protect her, I have to threaten her.

  "Help me cast the circle," Brett hisses at Karina. "The spirits will cloak us. The candles. Now. And Brie, stay in the circle."

  I watch as Brett drops his leather bag and fishes out five candles, each of them black. There's no time to ask for the symbolism. He places each one, forming a circle, or an area where the points of a star could connect. Brett mutters nonsense words in another language, sprinkling salt around the invisible circle while Karina draws a golden dagger from the bag. They're practiced in this art, having memorized every move. Karina hands the dagger to Brett and gets out a bunch of incense sticks, but at least she's not trying to stab me with the silver dagger.

  Flicking a lighter, Brett lights one of the sticks, and a deep herbal scent fills the air. I fear the Savages will pick it up, but I hear no thudding footsteps. Brett marches around the circle as I stand in the middle, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake that lingers around the edge.

  "Spirits of darkness, protect us from those who would destroy us," he says. "Sheild us in the ways of the shadows."

  I draw closer to Karina, to make sure she doesn't shout for help. She opens her mouth and I grab her arm again, keeping her silent.

  Brett paces around the circle once again, casting a second faint trail of smoke with the incense stick. The candles flicker as he passes them. "Cast a bubble of darkness around us in this forest, so that we can dwell in the shadow realm—"

  The stench of the Savages draws closer. Faint footsteps echo in the woods as a twig snaps. The animal within me stirs, growling somewhere under my throat, but I tighten my grip on Karina's arm and hold it back. She faces me in terror. I'm her captor. Her brother is handing her over to the enemy. The Savages are the ones roaming this area and might even be the ones feeding the Haydes. Stockholm syndrome.

  "And protect us with your cloak of night," Brett finishes. He throws the inscense down to the center of the circle and points at it with his golden dagger.

  A tingling feeling sweeps over me. I shake my head. Brett's droning voice has lulled me into another state of consciousness, a sharp one just under the level of terror. Shadows grow long around the trees, but when I blink, they vanish.

  A growl sounds in the distance. The Savages must be less than a half mile away. They're heading to the mansion, but as soon as they get there, they'll pick up the scent trail we left. They'll charge, and then they'll kill.

  "What are you doing?" Matt shouts at someone.

  Another growl sounds.

  "It's just a deer."

  Brett holds his hand up. We're to remain silent.

  "We just hunted," Matt shouts. "No."

  Wolf feet hit the ground and charge after the terrified animal. In silence, it bolts through the snow and underbrush, breaking ice and sticks. Four wolves pursue it. I listen as the creature bolts away from us, around the mansion, and flees for its life. A whiff of metallic adrenaline rides on the air.

  The animal has provided the distraction we needed.

  "Back here!" Matt orders, running after them.

  The wind changes direction as the shadows stretch on the periphery of my vision. I feel as if I'm standing in another world for a moment. I blink, and the full sunlight returns, making the snow sparkle. But the tingling remains over my skin, like a million spirits are grasping at my flesh. A part of me wants to leap out of the circle.

  "Stay inside," Brett says as if reading my thoughts. "Stay inside until they're gone, or we forfeit the protection."

  "Stupid Wolves," the Warlock shouts, also breaking into a run. "It's only a deer. We have business to attend to!"

  I hold my breath, loosing my grip on Karina as the footfalls of our enemy grow fainter. At last, they vanish somewhere deep in the snowy wilderness, well behind the mansion and into a region where human feet never venture. The mountains hang over us as the shadows keep dancing at the edge of my vision, always teasing us.

  Brett looks to me. I know what he's asking.

  "They're gone," I say. "We had better move." I want out of this circle. The shadows inject feelings of dread with the prickling of my skin. This is what dark magic feels like. Is this what Cayden experienced when the warlock cursed him?

  "Not yet," Brett says, raising his golden dagger at me. "If we break the circle before closing out the rite, then we forfeit the protection the spirits have given us."

  I don't want to know what that will do, so I continue to hold Karina's arm and wait. I look at the girl, who holds me in a glare. There's so much emotion behind it that I balk.

  "I hate you," she says to her brother. "Why are you doing this? I told you that I'm better off at the mansion."

  Brett doesn't answer her. In a way, I know what she's feeling. Being passed around like a burden isn't a good feeling.

  Instead, Brett paces around the circle, tracing the border above the candles with the golden dagger. He mutters again, this time about closing the circle and dismissing the spirits. I hope my imagination played a part in the shadows and that the dark spirits aren't a real thing. Leonora said it's all just a play to ma
nipulate our corner of the universe, right?

  As Brett completes the circle, the sense of dread and the prickles vanish.

  Brett nods to me. "We can go."

  Breathing in normal air, I shake my head and turn my gaze to the tree trunks, but the darkness no longer lingers at the edge of my vision. "I agree."

  Brett extends his hand to his sister, but she refuses to take it. Instead, she molds her face into something sad and vulnerable for a second before putting on her tough mask again.

  She's never good enough and she knows.

  "Hey. Maybe you can help us once we get to our territory," I say.

  Karina glares at me. Long shot. But after Brett's display, I'm sure the Haydes could help Leonora learn real, effective magic. This isn't the type she's read about from some crummy new age books.

  The three of us plod through the snow, not stopping. I keep my ears working, listening for the return of the Savages. Then as we approach the border of the Savage territory, towards where the fallen tree provided a hiding spot, a thought hits me. "Did the deer die?"

  "Most likely," Brett says with a grin. "Whenever I use dark magic, something usually does. It's the nature of the beast."

  "Great choice of words." A shudder races down my spine, even though I've helped to kill deer before. But that was for food, and in wolf form. It's different. The Savages had already eaten and the deer probably ran to exhaustion before getting killed for sport.

  "Come on. You've never pursued deer before?" Brett asks, pulling the thoughts from my head.

  "Not for sport and not because I'm an idiot," I say.

  Karina manages a small grin. But as I look at her, it falls away.

  Maybe there's a shot here after all. If I get her to open up and relax around me, we might not have to guard her as much once she's in my territory.

  I up my pace, forcing Brett to almost jog to keep up. "So, you're going to explain why the Savages want me so much."

  "Not before we get to the border and I'm sure you're taking my sister to safety."

  "We're not far. About to cross into the neutral zone," I say. I step over the scent line the Savages have left. It reeks of Matt and the others, as if there's a line of decay stretching tree trunk to tree trunk. Nice. In just two miles or so, we'll reach the line that marks Noble territory. And then Brett is going to give me the rundown. I hope. I don't want to have to threaten him after he saved us with real magic.