The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

  Wolf or no, I can't miss classes. That's another point Lawrence will bring up against me.

  “Well, we accomplished nothing,” Everly says as we pay using the money we borrowed from Lawrence.

  “We all got on the same page,” I say once out of the building. “I need to order the pack the attack the cult, so these rituals stop. It won't stop the Savages, but maybe with Romulus gone from the world, they'll start weakening. If there aren't any Savage Royals walking around.”

  “They eventually become pure animal,” Cayden reminds me. We link hands and more electricity flies as we step back onto the trail. “And those Wolves don't last long. They're found by—”

  Air cuts and whooshes as something flies toward us. I pull Cayden out of the way as an arrow—no, a bolt—thunks into the tree trunk beside him.

  “What the heck?” Cayden asks, eyeing it.

  "Get back!" I sniff the air. Just pine and sap. No Lawrence, and besides, his cabin is still a mile off.

  But then I catch the acrid smell of wolfsbane, wafting from the bolt that still quivers in the tree trunk.

  "Brie—" Aunt May starts.

  A twang sounds from the trees ahead. A shape blurs towards me. Panic explodes. I wrench Cayden down to the ground. Dead pine needles fill my vision as the bolt zips overhead and plows into the trail behind us.

  “They're shooting at us,” Remo shouts, dodging behind a tree.

  “Hunters!" Cayden yells, rising.

  Hunters are only supposed to hunt Savages. Right?

  I lift my head. The trail slopes upward. We're at a disadvantage. But at this angle, the shape of a wooden platform reveals itself halfway up a tree. It's nestled inside the thick branches. The shape of a man shifts on top of it. Though the wind blows from his direction, he's masked in pine scent. The Hunter is prepared.

  A cord pulls back.

  “Run,” I order. “Run. Now!”

  Cayden slaps my back. I rise and shove Everly back down the trail. We all bolt as the Hunter pulls his bowstring back. I jump over the second arrow, now lodged into the ground, as a third flies. My hearing traces a path inches to my left, to where Cayden runs, and I shove him into the trees. The arrow zips past him—

  —and strikes Remo in the arm with enough force to make his flesh quiver.

  He cusses, looking at his injury. The bolt swings, lodged into his skin, as blood forms around the sleeve of his borrowed sweater.

  “Remo!” Everly shouts.

  He seethes, but Remo's a trooper. He pulls at the arrow shaft as iron fills the air. Blood coats it. And an acrid smell mixes with the iron.

  Then I remember with an explosion of panic.

  The wolfsbane.

  It's toxic enough to take down bears.

  Lawrence broke pack tradition and hired someone to kill us.

  "Remo!" Together, Cayden and I shove him into a thick group of trees—the only shelter—while Aunt May and Everly follow.

  "It hurts." The tip is still in his flesh.

  Everly leans close to the wound along with Aunt May.

  “We have to pull it out,” Aunt May says. “If the tip stays in his skin too long, it might kill him.”

  I'll trust her. She knew my mother, a Hunter.

  “It really hurts,” Remo seethes, leaning against a tree.

  Cayden looks at her. Do something, it means. He saved Remo's life and can't bear to lose him.

  “Don't move,” Aunt May says. “Let me pull it out. I know about these weapons. Brie, watch for any more Hunters.” She rolls up Remo's sleeve, breaking the wooden bolt shaft and revealing a twisted flower of blood with a silver center. The stench of wolfsbane constricts my throat.

  “D...dude,” Cayden says.

  Aunt May plunges her finger into the wound, drawing another seethe from Remo. Despite her telling me what to do, she has a point. I do the hardest thing I can and turn away, peeking around a huge tree trunk to where the hunting platform hangs. The Hunter's outline remains, crouched, waiting for us to exit the thicket. He's a patient man, not daring to climb down.

  Or a coward.

  Remo seethes again. “Don't move,” Aunt May whispers to him. “Breathe slowly. Don't get your heart pumping too fast. The slower, the better.” A squishing sound follows. “It's out. You're already healing.”

  “I hope,” Remo says.

  “You're strong,” Everly says. “And you're the biggest. Your body might be able to handle it.”

  “It depends on the dose,” Remo says. A question hangs on his last word.

  “Well, at least you're acting like yourself,” Everly says.

  “I still don't feel good. Dizzy.”

  Taking a breath, I eye the surrounding trees. In this part of the woods, the trees stand well apart, giving the Hunter a good vantage point the second we leave this thicket. He must have a limited supply of bolts, because he's saving them for when we emerge again. He's just a couple hundred feet away, highly trained, and a killer.

  “Sit down,” Aunt May tells Remo.

  “We can't stay here forever,” he says, echoing my thoughts. “I'm interested in knowing how this happened.”

  “Come on, man,” Cayden says. “Brie. What do you see?”

  “We have to hunker down," I say, exhaling, but my pulse still races. “He's waiting for us. Aren't we more vulnerable to poison in Wolf form?”

  “Yes,” Cayden says, stepping up beside me. His eyes shine with terror. And it's not just for us.

  “I'm not going to let the pack get any more hurt,” I say, eyeing Remo. He looks at the tree above him as he sits up against the trunk. He's paling and he smells of chemicals. His best hope is to get him out of here. "I've got the best chance of reaching the Hunter."

  I'm going to kill Lawrence.

  “No. I'll go. The Russells have their spirits protecting me now," Cayden says. "Let me. Please."

  “Cayden, that's—”

  But he's off before I can finish.

  I reach for him, but close my fist on air. Every instinct tells me to run after him, but Aunt May grabs my shoulder, yanking me back. Cayden tears across the trail, drawing the fire of the Hunter. Another bolt flies, but Cayden's too fast, and leaps over where it lands. Then my mate plows into the trees, running, leaving us alone as he draws another arrow. It cracks as it strikes a tree, missing him by inches.

  "Don't move," Aunt May says.

  "Let go of me!"

  Her hand shakes as he struggles not to obey. But she releases me, and by then, Cayden's circling the tree stand. Unhit. Unhurt. The curse isn't hitting him at all. But it should be.

  I should run after him, but shock roots me to the spot. And then I remember. Remo. It's my job to protect him, too.

  We have to take the chance. “Everyone. Get Remo out of here!"

  Everly and Aunt May nod, leaning over and letting Remo put his arms over them. Together, they lift him with ease. He's shaking and his cheeks are turning green. He turns his terrified gaze up at me, and it destroys me inside. I have to do this for Cayden.

  “Out,” I instruct, peeking at the trail again. The Hunter fires a third time, and I listen as the arrow zips through underbrush and strikes dirt. Cayden continues to run. His footfalls are strong. Confident. The Cayden I know. He's protecting me and he's not going down.

  Is the curse gone?

  Aunt May and Everly drag Remo, who tries to help by walking, over to the open trail. “Where?” Aunt May asks.

  “Back to town. I'll block the way. Go!”

  Breaking into a run, the two drag him towards town, and I run behind them. The Hunter could shoot me next, but I'm most likely to survive.

  But he continues to fire at Cayden, who bounds in a large circle around him. Cayden's amazing. Despite the danger, it reminds me of the time we ran through the woods together, when he picked me up and broke into a full sprint.

  The sun comes out as we drag Remo out of the trail and into an empty lot full of mud and melting snow. Cayden bounds back towards us, break
ing out of the underbrush—and he's not keeling over from pain.

  “Go,” he says. “He almost hit me three times. We need to get out of this town.”

  “What about Remo?” Everly asks.

  “I'm fine,” he lies.

  Then I really look at him. He keeps giving off that chemical smell, and he's paler than ever. The green's overtaking his cheeks like the poison is eating him from the inside out.

  “You are not fine,” Everly says. Tears brim in her vision. I want to kill the Hunter. Balling my fists, I tremble, but Cayden grabs my arm, snapping me out of my murderous rage. “Don't,” he says. “This could be another one of Romulus's tricks.”

  His words spread ice through me. We run across the empty lot and back onto the street. A Hunter won't try to kill apparent humans in the middle of this town, right?

  Behind us, the Hunter descends from the tree. Bark peels and falls.

  He's either leaving or coming after us. Cayden turns his head and listens, too. The whole pack can hear it, even over Remo's breaths. They're getting labored.

  But if I kill that Hunter—

  A human—

  I'll fall into the trap.

  So I force myself to follow Cayden, even as the protective instinct sweeps over me and compels me back to the Hunter.

  He runs through the woods now. Though human, he's athletic, jumping over logs and dodging shrubs. Boots crunch twigs. He's trying to run around us, as if he knows Remo is hurt. This man's a predator in his own way.

  “He's circling,” Aunt May says, lifting Remo again.

  Cayden maintains his grip on my arm. I could break it, but the look he gives me melts that instinct to attack the Hunter. They're not supposed to attack Nobles. Only Savages. Or maybe not all Hunters work with Nobles. This one could have taken payment from Lawrence.

  Together, we bolt down the main street of this hostile town. The door to Maggie's Eatery pops open, and the waitress pokes her head out. I open my mouth to beg for help, and ambulance, anything.

  But something's wrong. Her look is hard. Determined.

  “Stop,” she orders, raising a crossbow and pointing it in our direction.

  Chapter Five

  A Hunter served us breakfast.

  A pink-clad, short, dishwater blond Hunter. We talked about Wolf business in front of her.

  We all stop. The point of the arrow aims at my heart. The waitress—Callie—has muscle. Her lip twitches and her gray eyes ignite as if she's finally found her purpose. And behind her, the restaurant's empty. The cops have left. Great.

  “We're Nobles,” I say, raising my hands. I jump in front of Cayden, determined to put myself between her and the rest of the pack. There's no way he'd dodge a shot from her.

  Aunt May utters a syllable of protest, but I put my hand up. Pack order. I'm getting used to my position.

  The waitress maintains her grip on the crossbow, and it's loaded with twelve bolts. An arrow tip that must be pure silver aims at my heart as she shakes, holding me in her brown-eyed glare. The wolfsbane smell follows. Callie bites her lip, steely and terrifying.

  "Nobles," she says like she doesn't believe it.

  These Hunters think we're Savages.

  “I swear, we're Nobles,” I say. My mind connects pieces. “I get it if you thought we were Savages when you served us. We're not. And if you know Lawrence—”

  I stop there. Maybe they hunt all Wolves and are after him, too.

  “Lawrence doesn't welcome other Wolves,” Callie says.

  I breathe out as Remo continues to suck in whistling breaths. Focus, Brie. Maybe this is just a big misunderstanding. “I have news,” I say. This could make her shoot, but she has to know the truth. “I challenged Lawrence. I'm alpha now. We're all one pack.”

  Callie snorts. I'm still a short blond girl with no hope of defeating a near-bodybuilder dude. “Get out,” Callie orders. “Burying bodies isn't something my husband and I like to do—”

  “Please,” Cayden says, stepping in front of me. “We're not here to hurt anybody. My brother needs help. Look at him.” He eyes Remo with terror. “Give him that, and we'll—”

  Cayden gags and seizes his chest. Shadows dance at the corners of my vision, and even Callie jumps in shock. She lifts an eyebrow as Cayden bends over, wrapping his arms around his ribs. I can almost feel the searing agony spreading through his lungs. He tried to protect me. The curse isn't gone after all.

  “Cayden!” I wrap my arms around him, trying to shield him from the dark spirits as I did before Romulus. But as soon as the pain attack came, it's gone. I press my cheek to Cayden's, not caring about Callie and her crossbow for a precious two seconds. He's warm. My mate breathes out in relief.

  And Cayden mutters, “My theory was right.”

  I can't ask him what he means. I look up at Callie as the footfalls of the man approach from behind us. Her gaze softens and she lowers her crossbow. “Earl,” she calls over our shoulders. “They're Nobles. Savages wouldn't protect each other like that. We made a mistake. Let's get them inside and fix this guy up.”

  * * * * *

  A misunderstanding. I can live with that. But I can't live with Remo possibly dying.

  "Help him!" I shout once we're in the empty restaurant.

  Callie and Earl—the Hunter who shot at us—run into the kitchen, bows lowered. I count my breaths, struggling to keep my anger down. I don't feel too nice right now, not with Remo still struggling to breathe while Aunt May and Everly guide him to a table. Cayden topples chairs and shoves two of the tables together. Ketchup splatters on the floor as he swipes the contents away.

  Callie runs out from the kitchen while Earl remains inside, shuffling around. She flips the sign from open to closed.

  “That's in case ordinary people try to stop in,” Callie says. “Doesn't happen often, but it happens.”

  “Fix Remo,” I demand. “You didn't have to shoot him.”

  "I didn't shoot him. My husband did," Callie says.

  "You get my point!"

  Remo lies down on the set of tables. He's still green and dark circles hang under his eyes. Cayden stands over him, wordless.

  “We didn't know you were Nobles,” Earl says, banging through the double doors. He's a big guy and dressed like a lumberjack. “We just knew you were Wolves, and we swore to Lawrence's pack we'd help protect town a long time ago. Callie said the secret words to me and I jumped into action. I have a cure for your alpha."

  "I'm the alpha," I say. Of course these people would assume it's Remo, since he's the biggest.

  Earl reaches into his jeans pocket. At least Remo might be okay.

  I unclench my fists. "How did you know we were Nobles?"

  “Savage Wolves don't protect their own if it's detrimental to them,” Callie says. "A Savage wouldn't have jumped in front of his mate if it was going to hurt him. And you wouldn't have leaped on him if it would have made it easy for me to shoot you."

  “I guess the curse came through?” Cayden asks with a smile. He squeezes Remo's shoulder.

  "Please help," Remo begs.

  “Oh. Yes,” Earl says, focusing on his pocket. He won't look at us. Guilt keeps his gaze away. I stride over to Earl and hold out my hand. I have every right to be sharp with him. He can stew in guilt for a while.

  He shot at Cayden.

  “You need to inject the antidote,” he explains, voice shaking. “We keep it on hand in case of an accident.” Earl draws a vial of clear liquid from a deep pocket and a capped syringe. “So long as you're not squeamish about needles—”

  “Hurry,” Remo begs, struggling to lift his head. “So sick.”

  I flip the cap off the syringe and plunge it into the soft top of the vial. The needle slips through the rubber and I draw out the liquid. “How much?” I ask.

  “Two CC's,” Earl explains. “I can do it if you don't feel comfortable—”

  “I feel comfortable,” I snap.

  He backs away. Remo's eyes start rolling up into his he
ad as I tremble, struggling not to shove Earl across the room. My anger boils. Earl deserves to feel like this—

  Let me in.

  I close my eyes as Aunt May calls my name. Cayden runs over and wraps his arm around me, holding me close. His body heat melds with mine, but pure darkness spreads inside me, consuming every bit of light once there. Pressure crushes my skull, threatening to shatter my bones under the weight of a vile mountain.

  It's Romulus.

  He is bound to me. The rite started and he's here to finish it.

  “No,” I shout, dropping the vial.

  “Got it,” Cayden yells, releasing me for a second. “Brie! Brie! What's wrong?” He shakes me and I open my eyes. “We need to help Remo.”

  I lock onto the hazel color of his irises, diving into them to escape the pressure. It eases as I eye Remo on the table. I'm here to help the pack. Help, not hurt. Cayden closes his fingers around the vial of cure. I still hold the syringe of clear liquid Earl claims can save Remo. I'm shocked I haven't shattered it.

  I wanted to hurt Earl, a human, and that almost opened the door.

  To get away from Earl, I storm away from him and ready the syringe. Remo needs me. I hold onto that thought.

  And it's easy now that he thrashes on the table.

  “It hurts,” he shouts. “The chemicals are doing something to my nerves—”

  “Hold him down,” I order Cayden.

  But Everly and Aunt May react, too. Cayden holds down Remo's legs as his adopted brother seethes and his eyes pop wide open. It's almost like Matthew, dying all over again. I won't look at Earl. Not until Remo is better.

  I jab the needle into the crook of Remo's arm. He's so lost in pain and sickness he doesn't notice. I push the piston down, injecting the clear fluid. “Callie. How long will this take to work?”

  “It should start neutralizing the poison right away. Your friend's body will take care of the rest. We'll have to give him water so he can flush it out.”

  Remo nods. Already his face relaxes, though he keeps balling his fists. “Thank you, Brie. Thanks, Cayden.” He eyes his friend turned adoptive brother and nods. “Cayden, you've done a lot for me.”