The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

  Now I undestand why, despite Brett being near us, I haven't felt the pressure of the Savage King. He was waiting for this. Waiting for Callie to arrive. Now he can spring his trap, knowing I can't resist it.

  The protective urge sweeps over me and I step in front of the others, growling at Callie. You can't come back here. Go back. Get away from me or things will get bad.

  But being human, she can't understand me.

  “Brie,” Callie says, breaking into a full run. “We're coming. We're not letting that dickhead hurt any of you. And why are all these Hunters pinned down? Scott? What are you doing there?”

  The Hunter Cayden's pinned down shouts, “I don't know what's going on, either, but at least they're not killing us.”

  “What have you done?” Edwin shouts, pulling the bolt from his leg. “Alex. You turned against me and everything good.”

  But Alex lifts his crossbow and points it at Edwin's heart. “Your mistake is yours and not everyone else's. I can't go with your plan for any longer.”

  “Mistake?” Callie asks.

  Alex glares at her as she skids to a stop. He walks past her and Earl, keeping his weapon aimed on Edwin. He staggers back, leaving the silver dagger on the ground.

  All I can do is watch. Callie stays back as if she's remembered the danger she poses. Alex must have gotten her and Earl. He left Edwin after the scene at Edwin's house. A warm feeling fills my ribs. Alex does have honor. A life for a life.

  “You're a man of pride and secrets,” Alex says, closing the distance between him and Edwin. “You shouldn't have left your old journals out in your basement, Edwin. You trusted me to guard your home and that's your downfall.”

  Edwin pales. I sniff. Not only does his blood fill the air, but also his terror.

  I growl at Edwin. But his attention is no longer on me. Inside the house, Brett continues to chant in a low voice. Darkness swirls around me, invisible and centering on Edwin. Whatever Brett's doing, I'm going to go with it.

  “So, you sold out the Noble Royals all those years ago to preserve your own life and learn dark magic from the cult,” Alex continues. “And then you blamed your nephew and his girlfriend to cover yourself. Those things shouldn't have been written down.”

  Edwin gasps. “You're lying.” He's grasping for straws.

  I snap at Edwin. He's unarmed. I can kill him now. Every muscle fiber begs for his blood.

  Alex nods at me and his beard quivers as he speaks to us both. “I've had to put down fellow Hunters, my family, because of those Savages he willingly worked with.”

  “No. No, no, no,” Edwin begs, holding up his hand. “I'm not working with them now. They had me surrounded and they were going to kill me if I didn't give them information. So I did and they taught me some tricks and I went on my way.”

  Alex isn't moved. “You should have chosen death. The rest of the Noble Order would have.”

  Don leaves his pinned Hunter on the ground and snaps his jaws at Edwin. The other Wolves gather as Brett continues to chant and the Russells join in. A dark cloud gathers around Edwin as he tries to back away, gasping for life. None of the Hunters move to help him and Callie and Earl keep their distance, watching the horror.

  My lie about him turned out to be true.

  I advance on Edwin. He's the reason I have no family.

  Cayden joins me, but he stays back, as if he knows this revenge has to be mine.

  Alex fires a bolt into Edwin's chest.

  He misses Edwin's heart, instead impaling his ribcage on the right with a sickening crack. Edwin makes a gagging sound and goes down.

  Kill him, I think. If we all participate, I won't have to take the guilt.

  I lead the charge.

  Edwin does not die slowly.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Edwin deserves to be buried and forgotten.”

  We all gather on the back of Olivia's deck around midnight after taking turns changing back, showering, and dressing. Back in human form at last, I lay my head on Cayden's shoulder. Even Callie stands on the back deck, looking into the trees where we buried what was left of Edwin. No guilt plagues me and judging from her lack of problems so far, no guilt plagues her, either. She leans on her husband for support.

  “I feel sick,” Leonora says to her parents. “I mean, I know we did the right thing, but I'm not going to sleep for a week.”

  “Shh,” Remo tells her.

  “What am I going to tell my mom?” Olivia asks.

  “Your mom will never notice a deep grave in the woods,” Noah tells her. “Just stay quiet. And if we need to hide any more bodies, we know where to go.”

  Olivia slaps him.

  I'm shaking. Brett moves to stand up beside me and he leans over the railing. “I didn't think cursing Edwin to generic suffering and pain would turn out this way.” He looks into the woods and the dark under the trees. “I guess it worked.”

  “How's Karina?”

  “Sleeping. I hope it's for a while, still,” he says.

  “We still need to find my aunt,” I say, facing Callie. “The Hunters Edwin tricked into working for him must know where she is. They took off. You can call some of them, right?” As I ask, I search her eyes for any trace of that darkness. There's none. Romulus has backed away from her for now.

  “Alex will be able to call them and we'll find her as soon as we can. They won't hurt her,” Callie says. “I could tell none of them wanted to be there with Edwin.” She smiles. “I never liked that guy.”

  Cayden leans close to me after another pause. “You're doing great.”

  “Huh?”

  “You're not tearing yourself apart about Edwin and you didn't have your...problem.” Cayden eyes the Colling Wolves, who gather on the other side of the spacious deck and rest.

  “That's because he hurt everyone around him and betrayed my parents. He had to die,” I say, gripping the deck railing. It still smells slightly of gas despite Noah and Olivia cleaning it up. Edwin was different than Brett's father. By taking him out of the picture, we made things easier for everyone. I can't find a reason to feel bad about helping to kill him. “Not acting alone helped a lot.”

  Cayden kisses my cheek. “We can all share that responsibility. Not one of us delivered the final blow.”

  “Good point.”

  Then I realize that despite having Brett stand next to me, he's not draining us. He stands with purpose instead, though his shoulders still slump with the weight of things. I face the guy. “Feeling better?”

  “Well, a little. When do I get to start helping tear people apart?” He forces a smile. “It might be a better outlet than I've had so far.”

  “Whenever you want?” Cayden asks.

  Brett frowns. “Karina's not going to like this one bit. So, this Noble Royal graveyard. I'm guessing we have a shot at contacting this Remus guy there. As soon as we find your aunt and make sure Karina doesn't murder us in our sleep, we should go.”

  I look to Cayden and Everly, who now stands behind him. “He's serious?”

  “What? You can't tell from my facial expression, alpha?”

  Yeah. He's feeling better.

  “Well, you're always sarcastic, so it's hard to tell even for me,” I say. “Where's this graveyard place?”

  “Where Remus and Romulus fought for the last time,” Brett says. “In the former Roman Empire. He's buried there. If that place doesn't help you reach him for good, I don't know what will. But first things first. If we survive my sister, I'll show you the way there.”

  END OF BOOK SIX

  Mate Bound

  The Alpha Legacy #7

  By Holly Hook

  Copyright Holly Hook 2019

  Chapter One

  Remus, sword drawn, watches as his twin's Savage Wolves parade his mate, a young woman with dark hair, across the field and towards where he and his twin stand. The woman, despite the Wolves snapping at her ankles, holds her head high. Though dark-haired and olive skinned, she robed woman has Aunt May's no
se. Her strong cheekbones. She walks with the grace of any Noble Wolf. I almost feel like I'm staring at an ancient version of my aunt.

  And that pumps terror into this vision. Though I can't feel my pulse in this state--I'm more like a floating ball of consciousness--the sense of dread chokes me and makes darkness swirl at the edge of my awareness.

  Terror fills the Noble King's bright blue eyes and his jaw slowly falls as his armored brother, who stands just feet from him, smiles. The Savage Wolves, hackles raised, spread through the weeds behind the woman, cutting off her escape. Two dozen of them glare with eyes like pits into an underworld. The woman, hearing them cut her and her mate off, bites her lip in fear but masks it a moment later. She's strong. Tough. Maybe even willing to die without a scream.

  "Remus," she calls. She injects as much meaning into that one word as anyone can. Don't fight for me.

  "Allia!" the Noble King shouts. Sweat glistens on his temples, plastering his dark hair to his head. There's no hiding his terror.

  Just behind Remus, Romulus, also in iron armor and a helmet, smiles and narrows his dark eyes. He planned this moment. He wants to goad his brother into fighting so he can kill him.

  What else can he do? These Wolves will tear the two of them apart no matter what they try. They're outnumbered with no other Nobles to help them. Deep red lurks in all the Savages' eyes. The air must reek of decay. These creatures don't care about life, human or Wolf. They only care about dominance and the hunt. This is fight between the best and worst parts of nature.

  Remus turns to his brother, fist clenching around the handle of his sword. A tremor overtakes his muscular body. Though I float no more than two dozen feet away, I can't do a thing. A helpless feeling sweeps over me as Allia stops near the edge of the worn ground, a place stomped down by warrior feet where the brothers may have sparred hundreds of times. The Savages have formed a ring, the edge of an arena, and they still and lower to the ground, waiting for the bloody outcome. Allia's pinkish robe snaps back in a sudden breeze, pressing against her torso, and I see why Remus is so protective. She's expecting.

  Remus says something to her in Latin, and though I don't know the words, I get the meaning. He loves her more than anything. He'll fight to the death. She'll survive, with or without him.

  Allia shouts something that must mean no.

  I try to do the same, but can form no words.

  Remus turns away from her as a growl rips from his throat. He drops his sword, training hatred on his twin. His form begins to pop and shift as the surrounding Savages watch. A chorus of growls rise from the field. In just a couple of seconds, a dark Wolf with bright blue eyes forces himself out of the armor and faces the twin he suckled beside as a baby. Romulus remains in human form, digging his blade into the dusty ground, and smiles. He's goading his brother. This is all according to plan.

  The surrounding Savages all yip at once, as if to signal the start of the fight.

  Remus, now a huge dark Wolf, leaps at his brother, whose smile only grows as the first Noble Wolf closes the distance to him.

  "Brie. Karina's finally awake."

  The ancient world snaps away as I open my eyes. Sucking in a breath, I blink and force my eyes to focus on the blurry form above me. Cayden stands above the couch I lie on, his hazel eyes like that of a forest god's. His scent, the forest and all the best parts of nature, wash over me. I take another drawn-out breath, remembering that I'm not in some field in the Roman Empire. I'm safe with my mate.

  "Sorry to wake you," he says in a soft, reassuring voice. "I know last night will haunt us for a long time."

  We're all still in Olivia's mansion, trying to figure out what to do now that we've disposed of Edwin. Last night, we killed the old warlock once he revealed he betrayed my parents to the Savages. We buried him and then we returned to the house to recover from the whole experience.

  "No kidding. What did you say right when I was waking up?" I'm disoriented from the vision. After the meditation session that Edwin led, I hadn't expected to have another. "Something about Karina?"

  Cayden forces a smile. "Yeah. Brett's ugly sister? She's awake and the rest of the pack have her restrained. It's not pretty. She's going to be harder to bring around than Brett."

  "That's nice." I shudder as I continue to lie on the couch. It's Olivia's guest den. Yes, she has a guest den. I eye the window and see the pink light of early morning pouring through a crack in the checkered curtains. "Sheesh. Why can't we just lay together and enjoy a sunrise for once? We're always getting up to do something."

  "Well, there's not enough room on this couch, so will this help?" Cayden leans down and kisses me. His lips mold into mine and I rise off the sofa, wrapping my arm around his shoulder blades. I dig my fingers into his muscles, feeling the contour of his body. He brings me back to reality, chasing the battle away. Cayden lets out a small groan that sends good tingles down my spine. Even though I'm half asleep, my heart races in response to our close proximity. Our connection crackles. I can't get enough of him. I taste his lips and the godly, wild nature within them--

  "Get a room, you two."

  Everly. She's sharing the guest den with me. Crap.

  Cayden and I break apart and I join him in looking over to the other sofa, opposite me, where she's lying. Everly sits up and casts her blanket off herself, giving us her best fake glare.

  "I thought you were still sleeping, sis," Cayden says.

  "Well, I was sleeping, until I just heard everything," she says.

  "I'm glad something's normal," I say, which gets a pillow thrown at me by Everly.

  Cayden hurls it back at her. "Yep. It sure is."

  "You're in a good mood today," I say to him, sitting all the way up. Like everyone else staying at Olivia's mansion overnight, I've slept in my clothes. I can smell a faint mustiness on them. Sure, I showered last night like everyone else and jacked up Olivia's water bill, but my clothes need a trip to the washing machine.

  "Well, Brett went out for a walk and I've been practicing that whole shield thing Edwin told us to do," Cayden says. "It's helping. And Brett's been trying not to draw energy from others. I think he made some progress after we got his sister back, but there's no telling how long he'll be able to keep it up."

  "Oh." I had been hoping Brett learned overnight how not to suck energy from people. He's trying, but not getting very far, and his sister treating him the way she does could set him off all over again. When he's in a foul mood, poor Brett sucks the life from everyone he's around without being able to help it. The more I'm around him, the more I feel sorry for him. "Well, at least you're not feeling as bad now. That's a plus."

  "No kidding," Cayden says, helping me off the couch like a perfect gentleman. "The guy's been staying outside most of the night so he doesn't affect us as badly. He's out for a walk right now. But when he gets back and realizes his sister's awake he might take a turn for the worse again."

  I'm fearing that, too. Everly and I exchange a look of pure seriousness as she gets off her sofa, leaving a bunch of ruffled blankets in her place. Outside the guest den, people shuffle around. And in the basement just below our feet hangs an ominous silence I don't like. The rest of the pack took Karina down there while she was still in the throes of turning. They used the same silver chains we used on Brett when he turned.

  I gulp. As the alpha, it's my job to order Karina around now. I have to face her. Sure, I have plenty of influence on the pack members, but my authority isn't absolute and if someone hates me enough, they can force themselves to go against me. It's going to be war.

  "Brie? None of us are looking forward to going down there." Cayden extends his arm and I let him wrap me up in it. His fingers caress the bare skin of my arm, sending tiny waves of electricity just under the surface. "She's horrible."

  "Yes. She's even more horrible than I am," Everly says with a pale smile.

  "Ha, ha," I say.

  Everly pretends to advance on me. "I hear what you say when you think I'm no
t listening. Debbie Downer. The fun killer."

  I don't care about that right now. My stomach turns over as my thoughts turn back to Karina and then the vision I had in my sleep. "Right before you woke me up, Cayden, I was back in ancient Rome. Or some place in the Roman Empire. I was in that field where the twins were about to fight to the death."

  "You were?" Cayden asks, eyes widening. Our faces hover just inches apart, but now isn't the time for love.

  "It was the same thing I saw last time. They were about to fight, Romulus was goading his brother, and Remus's mate was standing there. And she was pregnant, which makes the whole thing ten times worse."

  Cayden pales. "I don't know much about magic and spiritual stuff, but what if you're seeing something real? Something that really happened?"

  "It could have been a dream," Everly says.

  "It felt just as real as this room," I say, waving to the TV on the wall and the game consoles meant for parties that Olivia never touches. "I was there. Maybe it's connected to when I contacted Remus's spirit before. He could be trying to tell me something. Something about the fight is important."

  I wait for Everly to snort, but instead, she marches to the doorway and out into the hall. "It could be. Come on. Let's get the bad part over with."

  Cayden and I exchange a look of shock. I'd expected Everly to be skeptical of the vision, like Remo probably would be, but she's not. I'm glad we've all been around the Russells and Brett, who have proven the existence of magic and spirits.

  "We have to find my aunt," I say as Cayden and I walk down the hall to the huge living room.

  "We will today," he promises with a kiss to the top of my head. It's a protective kiss, a fixer kiss. I want Cayden to be the one to find her. He needs that, too.

  "The Hunters still have her," I say.

  "They won't hurt her. They see her as too valuable." He chooses his words with care.

  We find Noah and Olivia in the living room, sitting on the couch and in each other's arms. Noah has his arm around Olivia, and though she leans into him and strokes his chest, she looks at Cayden, Everly, and I with discomfort. I can't blame her. She smells of natural makeup and metallic nerves. She's hosted a whole Wolf pack and two dark magicians under her roof overnight while her mother's gone. The fact that a man died just outside her back yard must be unnerving, too.