The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

  Run.

  Cayden's voice pops into my head. Just the tone tells me everything. He's coming back to Breck right now and he doesn't care what Lawrence thinks.

  "Callie," I say. If Alex is going to be stubborn, we have to let him. He'll figure it out soon enough. I wave to her and we bolt to the tree line, running together. Callie might want to fight Savages, but people are different.

  One of the cult members shouts, "Intruders!"

  They've spotted us.

  Callie and I run across the yard, stopping on the gravel trail as a black wolf and a huge blond Wolf step out of the trees to meet us.

  Callie gasps and raises her weapon. Remo growls and backs into the tree, curling his tail.

  "Everly and Remo," I say, grabbing the bow and shoving it down.

  Callie seethes as I push the bow against her thighs with force. She whirls and lowers her weapon. If she feels bad about her mistake, she doesn't show it. "Alex," she whispers.

  He stands near the house, pointing the bow at the cult. The robed members stare him down from far across the yard. One of them backs into the woods, while others hold burning cloth bags at the ready. They expect Wolves. Not a Hunter.

  Everly growls, ready to fight.

  "What is he doing?" I ask, slipping into the trees. An urge to protect sweeps over me. Alex is related to me somehow. Family. He's not a Wolf, but he's still human. My skin burns as fur tries to poke out, but I tremble and hold it back. Attacking the cult is suicide. I'll hand myself to Romulus.

  "I don't know, but we have to help him," Callie says.

  Everly growls. I know what it means. Stupid idea, and she's right.

  "He can get away," I say.

  Remo pushes in front of me, waiting for my order. I'm not sending them out to the cult. We're outnumbered. A tall member in a hood—Brett, because he has sunglasses—steps forward and stares Alex down. Brave, looking into a crossbow like that. It's clear he doesn't know what to think.

  They're stunned.

  "Alex!" I shout.

  He remains unmoving, aiming as if he has a deer in his sights. And then he fires.

  The bolt flies, taking a straight path to Brett. The click echoes off the house and bounces off the trees. Brett dodges, and following his lead, the cult splits, but not before a man jolts from impact and grabs his leg. The bolt now pins the robe to the man's leg, and the wind carries the strong scent of blood to me.

  You are a coward. Romulus and Alex speak together, voices merging into one.

  Coward.

  He's goading me for standing here. I take a breath and back into Everly. The sight of Cayden's twin reminds me to reach for him.

  He doesn't speak, but I know his intent. He's coming back to take care of this for me, even if I am in charge.

  "We can't just stand here," Callie says.

  "We have to leave him," I say, facing Everly and Remo. "Come on. Before the Savages—"

  I smell rotten wood and death.

  The cult must have alerted the Savage pack, and now they're closing in from the direction of the border, cutting off our escape. I suck in a breath as Brett's book pushes against my ribs. If I shift, I lose it.

  Brett bolts forward and throws a burning mass at Alex. It lands beside him, exploding and giving off acrid smoke.

  The wolfsbane fumes work on Alex, too. He coughs and backpedals into the house, covering his face with his leather jacket. Only vines and shrubs protect him now. As Alex struggles, Brett draws a dagger from his robe and charges him.

  "No!" Callie shouts, running to the only piece of her heritage she knows.

  I whirl in a circle, heart racing, struggling to decide. Everly and Remo wait for my word. The Savages close the last five hundred feet between us and them, crunching up the gravel trail. They're crossing the road and the sigils. Darkness also dances at the edges of everything. The dark spirits are back. We're trapped. Everly growls in fear and lowers herself to the ground, looking up at me with hazel eyes. I have to decide what to do because of Alex's stupidity.

  "Callie!" I need her to hold the book, because my best chance of surviving depends on me shifting. I snatch the book out of my jeans and from under my shirt, throwing it down. Pulling my shirt off, I let the animal take over.

  Fiery explosions fill my being as the world stretches and laughs. But the pain ends in just a second, and I stand as a Wolf on top of my clothes. My clothes. The cult could use them against me—

  Two light gray Savage Wolves charge us through the trees, and I leap in front of Everly and Remo. We can take them. We have to fight them before we help Callie.

  Rot joins blood. I charge the Savages, growling a warning, and despite my size, one stops. A female. She looks to the male, who snaps a warning at us. And then he charges me. The new alpha. He's not Matt. I can take him.

  We collide, going down in a ball of snapping fur and claws. I scratch at him, and he closes his teeth around my ear. The pain's distant, the blood dripping into my eye in another world. Protecting Everly and Remo means everything. The Savage pins me down before I buck him off. The Wolf's breath is revolting, like he's eaten vile carrion, and the dark spirits swirl in his presence. He shoves me against a tree, but Remo jumps on him, and though the Savage rolls onto his stomach and claws at the massive blond Wolf, I leap and sink teeth into his throat.

  Romulus has never been more distant.

  The new alpha struggles, makes a gagging noise, and goes still under my teeth. Blood fills my mouth. The female snaps at me, helpless, as she watches who might be her mate die to the cruel nature he loves so much. I lift my head and look into harsh gray eyes. My guts turn over and rage sings in my ears. She's one of the Wolves who helped to kill Cayden's parents.

  Everly growls and leaps on her, and the two go down to the background of bolts clicking and things exploding. A human fight takes place a hundred feet away.

  Remo and I leave the bleeding, now-dead Savage Wolf on the ground as a paw begins to curl and fur creeps back into skin. Like all dead werewolves, he's reverting to human form. I turn away and join the fight against the female. I've never fought with this much intensity before. Getting Romulus out is everything. I've got to expel any Savage...

  The Savage bucks Everly off. Ramming into the female, I throw her against a tree. A bone breaks. She yelps, but no sympathy rises in me. Not for a Savage who cares nothing for human life. But Remo beats me to the deed. He closes in, closing his jaws around the back of her neck. I back away, giving my permission.

  He closes his teeth, snapping the Savage Wolf's neck. She goes limp as he drops her. She lands like the Lowe parents to decay beside her mate.

  But more Savages approach.

  And this time, ten sets of paws hit the thawing ground. They're a half mile away and will be here in no time.

  More! I think.

  Even with my strength, we'll never fight off ten Savages. They'll make me watch as they kill Everly and Remo. Pushing me into the night won't help me resist the Savage King.

  We need the Hunters, I add.

  I shouldn't. But I must. It's our only chance. Bolting onto the grounds of the mansion, I listen as Everly and Remo follow. We have just a few minutes to free up Alex and Callie. Both press against the house, using a tall shrub as cover, while the cult stand on the other side. Burning remnants of bags lie on the ground, and only one member, a woman, still holds her weapon. Alex coughs but he's still standing.

  I stop. What do I do? The bombs affect me more than they do the Hunters.

  Everly and Remo also stop, waiting for my orders.

  If I attack, the guilt gets me.

  If I let Remo and Everly endanger themselves, the guilt gets me.

  But I know what's less likely to destroy me.

  Attack them, I think.

  Remo and Everly charge, and the woman throws her poison bomb. It flies, and the two Wolves split, letting the bag land on the ground. It explodes, sending sparks and smoke everywhere.

  I run up to and nudge Calli
e. She looks down at me with recognition. Then I nod to the woods.

  "Savages?"

  I nod again. Yes.

  "We can't move until the cult is gone," Alex says. "Every time they face me, I can't breathe. They're doing something to us."

  The dark spirits. Now that I pay attention, I sense the dark pulses, wrapping around my ribcage. I'm not shocked. But I growl at Alex. He can't stay here.

  Callie gets what I'm saying. She seizes her uncle's coat and pulls him towards the trees. He gasps as he runs into the sight of the cult, but Remo and Everly keep them busy. Feet thud as they scatter and run, two Wolves snapping at their heels. Any one of them could curse my pack mates.

  But I won't think about it. I run after Alex and Callie instead, who raise their crossbows at the trees. Both load more bolts—they fired some at the cult—but I know they can't see well into the trees. The Savages run closer but they could emerge anywhere, costing the Hunters valuable seconds they'll need to aim. I have to herd the Savages to the right place. They'll be furious when they find their dead pack members. Blinded with anger. I'll use that to my advantage.

  I follow the vile scent into the woods. The Savages stop far ahead, hearing my footfalls. I slap my feet against twigs and dirt, broadcasting my location.

  Two hundred feet ahead, three different Wolves growl. Fur scrapes branches and tree trunks as the pack charges me. The Savages might hurt Alex and Callie, but they signed up for this.

  A huge gray Wolf, followed by a pair of tan-brown Wolves, leap over a fallen log and charge me. Three more follow. Six. Even with my Royal strength, I can't deal with them all. They close the fifty feet between me and them, running at a full sprint.

  Cayden gasps in terror in my head, and the sound is enough to send me running back toward the mansion. I skid to a stop in the mud and whirl. One of them snaps at my tail, and I yelp as the Wolf pulls out a few hairs. It's not fake. The pack could tear me apart or hold me down while the Savage King does the worst.

  I run.

  They follow, crashing underbrush and snapping teeth together. The Savages are stupid. They'll tear me apart in a fit of rage, and they're right to. We invaded their land.

  Wind blasts against me as I jump over a small boulder and break out onto the gravel trail. The bodies of the fallen Savages have reverted halfway back to human form. The sight incenses the Wolves just feet behind me, and they send up a fresh round of growls. All six fix murderous stares on me.

  All the fight leaves. My limbs tremble. All I can think of is getting help. I need Cayden, but all I have is Callie and Alex.

  Kicking gravel, I bolt back into the overgrown yard.

  The cult scatters on the far end of the yard, running from the snapping jaws of Everly and Remo. Callie and Alex wait, and I glimpse silver arrow tips pointing at me. But Alex is sharp. He lifts the crossbow as he fires the bolt over my head, and the shaft flies over me and strikes flesh with a wet thud. A Wolf screams and goes down, rolling on the ground.

  Callie shoots.

  Her bolt flies past me and stabs the ground, barely missing one of the Savages. I maintain my pace, closing distance between Callie and Alex. Alex loads another bolt. Callie scrambles to do the same, and I read fear in her eyes. Adrenaline fills the air.

  I stop and a Savage behind me collides, making blobs explode in my vision. I snap at him, sinking teeth into a shoulder as we roll on the ground. She fires again. The shaft zips over us. In another world, a Savage Wolf yelps in pain.

  The Savage writhes away from me and claws me on the side, drawing three lines of burning pain. This is my fight. Around me, Wolves and humans run around each other in a silent fight for survival. Brett curses somewhere. I claw at the Savage Wolf, digging and biting, until at last he backs off, dripping blood from his muzzle. He eyes me with pure hatred and darkness, and I recognize the dark pressure and evil in those pupils. It's the same dark trying to invade me. All the Savages have it.

  I growl and give chase, snapping at the Savage's ankles as he flees towards the trees. Expelling him from my presence eats everything. I ignore two other Wolves as they run towards Callie and Alex.

  "Stay back!" Alex yells at Callie.

  A bolt flies and then her footfalls thud against the ground. With the backdrop of Brett's cursing, growling, and crossbow triggers, I chase the Savage back into the woods where he belongs. He vaults over the fallen log and flees with his tail between his legs. A sense of satisfaction washes over me as I watch him go. I'm still a Noble Royal, and the Savages fear me.

  In the distance, a quad screams as a rider speeds through the woods. It's miles away, but coming from the north...from Colling. It's Cayden. Has to be. He's coming, despite the miles between us. The thought dispels the dark pulses under my skin for a moment.

  Heartened, I turn back to join the fray at the mansion. Four Savages remain, and two chase Callie as she does what Alex warns her not to: run. Her leather coat slaps against her legs, though she still holds her crossbow. Terror's taken over. Alex fires at one of her pursuers, missing by an inch, and drops his crossbow. He's out of bolts. Alex draws a wicked silver dagger from his coat and charges the Wolves chasing Callie, ignoring the ones at his own heels.

  I run at Callie.

  "Brie!" she shouts.

  Cutting behind her, I ram into the tan-gray Wolf at her back, throwing her into the tall grass. She lands on her back, vulnerable belly exposed, but I have no time to finish the job.

  The other Wolf leaps on Callie, claws scraping leather, and she goes down.

  Leaving my opponent behind, I snap at the tail of the other brown Wolf, drawing blood and a sharp cry of pain. The Wolf backs off Callie, turning her aggression on me, and she gets up and draws her own silver dagger. I lock my jaws around the Wolf's muzzle—she's smaller than me—and hold on as Callie raises her weapon. The silver shines in the pale light, and she swings it down between the Wolf's shoulder blades.

  The creature jolts, but she can't yelp, and Callie releases the handle. Blood pools around the weapon, filling my nostrils. I release the Wolf and face the other, who gets up, looks at her pack mate, and flees in the direction of the cult.

  Alex fires. Other Wolves run into the trees. We're winning. The yard's emptying of everyone but Everly, Remo, Alex, and two other Wolves the three are chasing toward the woods.

  Callie gasps and backs away from the dying Wolf. Tears of relief fill her eyes, but the adrenaline remains. She's not going to calm down anytime soon.

  I eye the yard. In the weeds, two Savage Wolves lie dead: Callie's victim and Alex's. Alex stops beside us, panting. I recognize protectiveness. He's spent all his energy making sure his niece gets out of this alive. It's something I would do. He stands there, now flanked by Everly and Remo, as Callie mouths something to me.

  I face her.

  With wide, terrified pupils, she mouths, I'm hurt.

  And then I smell blood. Her blood. Coming from her thigh. And then a trace of rotten wood. The Savage Wolf might have scratched or bitten her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The quad screams again, closer, as the rider accelerates at a crazy rate. Now it just punctuates my horror. Callie and I look at each other with understanding, and though I'm still in wolf form, she must be able to read my expression.

  And I can read hers. Don't tell Alex, she pleads in silence.

  Sickness washes over me as I remember Matthew at the Spooktacular Dance, grasping his chest as the change came over him. My mind spins. Not all bites infect. Deeper bites have a greater chance. Shallow ones, not so much.

  But the risk is still there.

  I swallow, knowing what I have to do. What I should do.

  I have to keep Callie's secret. I owe her one. She's kept mine. I sniff again, but can't tell how deep this wound is. Is it even a bite? does that work?

  Cayden roars closer. I need him. He'll know the answer.

  "Callie," Alex says, pulling a bolt from the ground. "Are you okay?" The soft-spoken man borderline grow
ls now, with pain and worry in his words. I catch hints of a troubled past and turmoil that a regular human can't hear.

  "I'm fine, Uncle Alex. You're right. These leather jackets really do the job. And I killed the Savage. Brie helped!" Callie raises her hand in pride. She's a great actress, so good she's convincing herself everything's okay because the adrenaline smell starts fading. Her nerves calm.

  "I didn't want you to do this, Callie. Things could have gone very wrong."

  "It's my birthright!" Callie ups the act by walking towards Alex like there's nothing to hide. Remo, however, takes a sniff and looks right at me. One of them hurt her, she thinks.

  I know, I think back. We have to get her away from Alex.

  "We need to leave the area," Alex says. "Callie. Are you sure you're not hurt?" As he speaks, he tightens his grip on his silver dagger.

  Callie steals a glance back at me. Her pupils widen as she does. I read veiled terror. We might both be in danger from having secrets revealed. "I'm sure. And you're right. Let me get my dagger and we'll leave." She runs back to the dead Savage, pulling out her weapon. It drips with blood. Iron and rotten wood mix.

  The quad screams closer, and Alex looks in its direction. Even he can hear it now. I listen to the sounds of the cult fleeing in one direction and the Wolves running in another. No one's coming back. With luck, the cult thinks the police are coming. Or a park ranger.

  I have to change back so Callie and I can speak face to face. As people. Nodding to Everly and Remo, I run back to where my clothes lie, close to where the other two dead Savages still revert back to human form. The man, who lies facedown, still has fur covering his back, and the woman has already reverted back to full human form. Bloody flowers spread around them both, and I turn away and let the pain overtake me. Focusing on Brett's book makes changing back more bearable.

  I stand on two legs and pull on my clothes, listening as Remo and Everly do the same in the trees.

  My mission gifted Cayden and might have doomed Callie.

  And you're too weak to destroy her.

  The veil of darkness lowers over me again. The Savage King is trying to goad me into killing a person. That's all. I won't let it work. Callie might be fine. She wanted to come out and hunt Savages. If she got a deep bite she wouldn't have walked away like it was nothing.