by Holly Hook
“Why did you save me?”
I step forward. “Because I'm Noble. Because Abigail is wrong about me. I'm not going to kill people and no heritage can make me.” The world lightens as I speak. Warmth blooms in my chest, more than I've ever felt, as if I've held a match to a bunch of kindling for the first time.
"Now what?" Callie asks.
“We need to get Alex to the hospital,” I say. “Tell them he was fishing and fell through. They don't need to know about this.” I face Callie as the warmth overtakes my whole body. It's pure light, but the protective spirits are still with Cayden. I don't understand. It's like the opposite of the Savage King—
Remus.
But with a blink, the feeling's gone, like the first Noble has returned to a centuries-long slumber.
“Brie?” Callie asks, pulling out her cell phone. “Are you okay?”
“I'm definitely okay,” I say. “Call an ambulance. Tell them we'll meet them in Colling. If Alex can walk, take him there. I have to find Cayden.” I'll explain it all to Callie later. Now's not the time. Alex still shivers and his teeth clack together. I don't know for sure if he'll leave us alone after this, but the chances are good. He looks at Callie with regret and even a hint of warmth.
“I think I can walk,” Alex says.
“Just stay bundled up. And lose the daggers,” Callie says. She helps him stand, and Alex leans on her for support. He's in no shape to fight. Callie's safe for now. “I'll take you back to town and get you help. Shouldn't take too long. Walk. Just move and get your blood flowing.” She smiles at me, bringing back a bit of the warmth.
I can't wait to tell Leonora about this. She'll excuse me for being late to the meeting.
But I can't now because I'm sure my phone is ruined.
Instead, I dart through the woods, in the direction Cayden chased Abigail. My feet tingle as my nerves finish coming to life. Behind me, Alex and Callie climb the hill and out of the crater. Satisfied they made it out, I listen for Wolf feet and once I'm a few hundred feet from the pond, I hear them running towards me. A sniff confirms it's Cayden, racing towards me with worry. And Abigail's not chasing him.
He emerges from the trees a few minutes later. The black Wolf runs through the sun, red highlights shining. He jumps, landing on me, and we both go down as Cayden licks my face. Though I can't hear his thoughts when we're not in same form, I know what he means all the same.
“Hey,” I say when he's done. “I'll tell you what happened, but as you can see, I'm soaked and still cold. Plus my phone doesn't work.” I turn my head as Cayden subjects me to another round of Wolf kisses. Sounds like he has good news for me, too.
Is Abigail dead?
I rise and follow Cayden back towards his ripped clothes. Inside his jeans pocket (which have escaped pretty unscathed) his phone buzzes over and over. People are scared and texting us. I'd forgotten that Cayden told someone the deal. The black Wolf looks up at me, and I can read the worried expression in his hazel eyes.
“I'll deal with the texts and calls,” I say, fishing out the phone. “You just change back so we can get back to town. Lawrence is still out there.” I sniff the air. “Abigail's gone. You drove her out of the territory, didn't you?”
There's not much blood on Cayden's muzzle. Had he killed her, there would be more. He nods. Yes.
Being driven out isn't something a single Wolf can come back from.
But we still have Lawrence to worry about.
In the distance, Alex struggles to walk, aided by Callie. I don't want to leave her alone with him, even if he's in no shape to fight. Regretting sparing his life might send me straight to the darkness. "We need to help Callie."
Cayden eyes his ripped pants. This is going to be awkward, but necessary. He shifts back, hair retracting into his perfect form. Cayden stands bare before me, and though I've seen him before, his beauty isn't lost on me. He looks like one of those perfect Roman statues. But now's not the time to enjoy it.
"Here we go," he says with a grimace. He pulls on his ripped pants, leaving the side of his thigh exposed, and his torn shirt, which has a matching tear down the same side. "We can joke about this later."
Now that I've taken a breath, I can sense the spirits around us, warring light and darkness. "How's the curse been?"
"The pain got me a little a few times, but I managed." Cayden cups his hand over his ear and listens. "I hear a couple of people, but I can't smell them. Hunters, right?"
"Callie's taking Alex to the hospital. He has hypothermia. Don't kill him, Cayden." I grab his arm and face him, drilling my order in. "I think I sensed Remus. It didn't last long, but I can't think of what else it could have been. And it happened when I spared Alex's life."
"Brie, what?" Cayden's mouth falls open. His look of shock is adorable.
"I'll tell you about it later. We need to give Callie a hand. I'll watch out for Lawrence. He's still out there in the woods."
"Got it."
Chapter Twenty-One
We find Callie halfway back to Colling with Alex leaning on her shoulder. Both smell like pine now. Alex's special spray is still working despite his dip in the pond.
I won't kill him. I'll show him mercy, even if he won't show me any. Alex looks at me with wonder as I appear by his side. And Callie looks to me with relief.
"Let us give you a hand," I say, sniffing. I can tell a lot about a person's health from smell, and the pine spray makes it impossible. Alex still shivers which I guess is a good sign. His body hasn't given up. "Callie, let me and Cayden carry Alex. Call the ambulance right now and tell them to meet us in front of the restaurant. We can carry him a lot faster than you can."
She nods and lets go of Alex. He stumbles, and there's nothing fake in his movements. I extend my hand and wrap it around his middle, despite the silver pieces decorating his hat and the fact that he still hides daggers under leather. I want to get him away from Cayden. My protective urges are still there.
But the warmth of Remus doesn't return. I feel as if I've woken a thousand-year-old spirit who closed his eyes again.
This is going to take work.
Cayden takes Alex's other shoulder. Together, we walk him towards Colling so fast that Callie, as athletic as she is, can barely keep up.
I'm carrying a man who tried to kill me.
And as I do, Alex keeps his gaze on the ground.
We reach Colling and pull him through the empty lot. Callie holds open the door to the now-closed Eatery and we pull Alex inside. In a twist of fate, we lay on the same table Remo occupied after his encounter with wolfsbane. Alex pants. And then he looks at Callie.
"I bet Earl's going to kill me."
"I'll try to stop him," Callie says. "Don't know where he is, but I might convince him not to strangle you." It's a threat and I realize what she's doing. If Alex tries to hurt her, she's going to make sure she gets people on her side. Callie's not stupid. She knows how to play this game.
"And Alex," I say, standing over him as he shivers.
He faces me but flicks his gaze down to his Hunter coat. "Yes?"
"I have the pack on my side. Your conspirator is gone now. I'm alpha and you have no authority over them. Got that?"
Alex swallows. "Got it."
Callie goes to call an ambulance. I smile, knowing Alex is about to take an expensive ride to the hospital for an even more expensive stay. But I eye Cayden and feel my smile falling away. He mouths, Lawrence.
We have to talk, then. I leave Alex on the table as Earl walks back into the restaurant to join Callie. Two guys I've never seen before walk behind him, and though they're both about his age, they walk with experience and purpose. Both wear long leather coats and I glimpse the handle of another dagger on a belt. One man who shares Callie's narrow nose nods at me. More Sterlings. More relatives who can never know who I am. I pray Callie's threat hangs over Alex enough to keep him silent to these guys.
"Looks like Earl has been calling more former Noble Order Hunters," Cayden s
ays once the door closes behind us.
"Lawrence is still out there," I say, eyeing the trees. "We should drive him out, too."
"He did something stupid," Cayden says, fighting against my influence. "His grandmother duped him. I can't believe it."
"Well, she's old and she'd know the real history of the Order better than any of us," I say as another car pulls into the dirt parking lot of Maggie's Eatery. I smell more humans inside and spot two men and two women, all also dressed in leather, inside. The Hunters are gathering. Alex was just the first.
"That's why I drove her out," Cayden says.
"Can she come back?" I lean close and whisper in his ear.
"Once you're exiled, that's it. Coming back means death."
"Lawrence. We need to find him, now, before he blabs about me to anyone else. And then we need to figure out a way to explain to the new pack members why we drove them out. We're going to have to lie." Lawrence might have been duped, but he's still dangerous. And he'll maintain contact with his grandmother.
Cayden grins. "That's where acting comes in."
* * * * *
We run through the forest as Wolves again, since our senses pop in our wild forms. Everly, Remo, and Aunt May join us, summoned by Cayden's worried texts earlier. They also sprint as Wolves, past the thawing pond where Alex fell through. As the ambulance sirens go off in the distance and then cut out as they reach the restaurant, I bolt around the crater, determined to leave the memory behind me, and lead the others into the woods.
Mostly, I want to get away from the Colling part of the pack before they realize something's off. We're entering the most dangerous part of this fight. With the Order gathering, one wrong move could destroy me and everyone else.
It takes us a long time to cross the forest between Colling and Breck, even running at full speed, and though Lawrence's scent still lingers on the ground where we confronted him two hours before, one sniff tells me it's stale and he's fled to the south.
Follow him, I think.
The scent trail stays faint—Lawrence fled in human form—and remains so as we follow leaves, branches, and underbrush to the southern edge of our territory. I stop when I reach our scent border, revolted that Abigail's scent is still on the trees here. She was ready for the coup. Now that I see her intent, I nod to Cayden.
I'll take care of that soon, he says with angry hazel eyes.
We all will. Everly walks up beside me and glares at the tree that carries her scent.
I eye the woods ahead, at the neutral territory. Lawrence has fled, just as Matthew had on that terrifying night.
Cayden stands beside me. I don't know if he'll come back. We didn't drive him out.
I swallow. He left on his own. Lawrence can meet his grandmother again. She'll tell him my full secret. And then he might be free to come back when the Order is all together again. The scent trail leading into oblivion tells me he's going to be the worm that eats us from the inside out.
* * * * *
We all head back to the Lowe cabin, change back, and dress. I hate to leave my ransacked house in a mess and my box somewhere out in the woods, but a horrifying thought hits me as I step into the kitchen where the others stand around the table, waiting for my next decision. Abigail dropped my box of mementos out in the woods, including the Wolf Men book with my mother's name inside.
But as I open my mouth to say this, Callie hits Cayden's phone with a text. He hands it to me.
Got your box of stuff. Uncle A at hospital. We took his weapons so he 'wouldn't get in trouble.' :)
I grin. Callie and I are going to get along well.
"One problem's solved," I say with a sigh of relief. I hand Cayden his phone.
"She's awesome," he says. Even in human form, my hearing picks up the undertone of his words. He's still worried about Callie. We all are. And he's worried about me. I still have to tell him about Romulus's attempt to return to me in the woods. And we still have yet to go through Brett's little book.
"Cayden, you still have Brett's book?" I ask.
"Sure do. We'll take it to the Russells with us."
"Making sense of ugly symbols isn't your strong suit. Maybe it's the only thing you're bad at." I wink at Cayden, drawing a welcome smile.
Everly rolls her eyes.
Cayden must see it from the edge of his vision, because he wraps his hand in mine and squeezes. Electricity flies as he rubs his thumb on the back of my hand. My body craves another break from all of this and it will be painful to wait. But we're almost there and I can't wait to tell the Russells what I discovered at the pond. That just maybe, Remus is with us and needs a bit more coaxing to return.
"We're late to Leonora's get-together," I mutter.
Cayden frowns. "We'll take the book. They'll be able to help us with it."
"And I'll tell them what I experienced. I'm sure Leonora will forgive me after that."
"Oh. Remus?"
I kiss Cayden on the cheek to be awarded with another eye-roll from Everly. Remo just grins and holds an envelope in front of her eyes while Aunt May stifles a laugh.
"I'll tell you more about it we get to the Russells'," I say. "Getting the Order back together is a must. We'll just have to worry about everything else later. Like right after we get everyone to meet." I'm glad Earl and Callie are helping and we have Alex and Abigail out of the way. For now. But the danger will return.
Cayden returns my kiss. "Well, let's go and gather all our people and our pack. Princess."
END OF BOOK FIVE
Soul Bound
The Alpha Legacy #6
By Holly Hook
Copyright Holly Hook 2019
Chapter One
“Are you sure I'm going to be okay?”
Callie looks up at me as the chains that connect her to the forest ground dangle from her wrists. My heightened senses let me see every drop of terror in her eyes. As if she knows I'm seeing it, my Hunter cousin looks own at the pair of concrete blocks we had poured last week. Silver chains hug her ankles, too.
“You should be,” I say. But my voice box trembles.
Fading light peeks through the tree trunks. We're alone out here: me, Cayden, and Callie. She didn't even want her husband Earl here just in case things hit the fan and she turns out to be infected by the Savage Wolf. The full moon rises soon. Then we're going to see the truth, whatever it is. Callie's metallic adrenaline fills the air. I don't want to sniff and see if the rotten wood smell's coming off her, as it did with Matthew right before he turned, but the fear in the air's so strong it would drown it out anyway.
“Brie, she should be fine,” Cayden says, slipping his hand into mine. He sends me a small smile. Lately he's been casting off his broody suit and I'm not sure what to think.
And we're alone. It's just us and the trees. No one will hear Callie way out here if she does turn. In fact, we're so far out in the woods we're near the border of our territory.
“Will you attack me if I turn?” Callie turns her eyes up at me.
“We won't, even if you do,” I say, mouth dry. “Even if you were to turn from a shallow scratch, Cayden says you wouldn't go completely bad right away. Well, you would be in Wolf form, but not in human form for a while.”
Callie looks at me and Cayden like we're idiots. “But I'm descended from Romulus, and you said that one guy Matthew was too. He went bad fast. They all become pure beast, and as a Hunter I believe it.”
Cayden shakes his head. “He was a bad human already. And it felt good shoving him down.”
“You're not making me feel much better,” Callie says, standing all the way up. Four sets of chains bind her to the concrete under her feet. “You wanted to attack him before he even turned, Brie.”
“Well, I haven't wanted to attack you yet. If you were going to turn, I would have sensed it by now.” I hope I'm telling the truth. Things changed since I took over the pack. First for the better, and then for the worse.
“I know you haven’t. But there could b
e other reasons for that,” Callie says. She eyes the fading light between the trees. “I’m probably all right.”
“Those chains are silver,” Cayden says. “I’d know, because neither me nor Brie want to touch them.”
“Consecrated silver, too,” I say. “The Russells did some magic rites with them to put their protective spirits on them, or something.”
But Callie’s grimacing.
My heart stops.
She eyes the sky, pupils widening, and bites her lip so hard it bleeds. The smell of iron joins fear.
“Are you okay?” I blurt, but my question falls to the ground.
She coughs like she has something stuck in her throat, and at the same time, horror blooms in my chest. “I think I’m fine,” she says. “I think I’m okay. Just got something caught—“ She coughs again and puts her hand over her mouth like she’s trying to mask something else.
“Callie, you have to tell us right now if you’re okay. Cayden and I will need to leave if you’re not so we don’t hurt you.” My heart’s racing and I’m breathing heavily. Great. My own panic dam is cracking as two weeks’ worth of water is gets ready to burst through.
Callie trembles. “I'm fine!”
And Cayden, as if sensing my distress, grips my arm so tight he cuts off my circulation.
“We need to go,” he says, dead serious. “Now.”
“Callie, look at me!”
She does. The darkness within her irises looks ready to expand and swallow her. “If I am infected, go! Just leave me alone!”
My paralysis breaks and I turn away, holding back a choking sob. I don't understand. Callie doesn't smell Savage. But she grunts with building pain, with terror and grief, as she begins to endure a Hunter’s worst nightmare.
“Come on!” Cayden shouts, pulling my arm. Now it doesn't matter if he’s below me on the social ladder. And I don’t care, either. I want to stay and comfort Callie, but this is something she has to face alone.