N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

His tongue came out to lick her hand as if in reassurance. “I know that you’re fine, big guy. Just indulge me and let me tend to those injuries, okay?”

He nodded and closed his eyes again. She gave a watery laugh. Even exhausted and wounded, he wouldn’t admit to being hurt and tired. God, she loved him.

A twig snapped in the distance. Oh, shit, there were more of them. Jumping to her feet, she stumbled over to the body of the wolf with the knife still sticking out of its back. Getting a firm grip on the handle, she tugged with all her might. The blade came free and she hurried back to Joshua’s side.

How many of them were there? Joshua was in no shape to fight and neither was she. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she began to pull him back into the woods. She’d have to try to hide them. Joshua stumbled along beside her still in his wolf form, doing his best to help her. The rustling sound was getting closer. Alex stopped and hunkered down beside Joshua who was already getting to his feet. The man was amazing.

Four gigantic wolves entered the clearing. The largest of the bunch was dark brown with patches of black. He padded over to the body of the man and then the other two wolf carcasses and sniffed. His eyes bespoke of death as he studied the clearing.

Oh shit!

Alex swallowed, suddenly more afraid than she’d been since this entire mess began several days ago. This wolf was different from all the rest. Like Joshua, this wolf was lethal.

The other three wolves, all of whom were various shades of brown and black, fell into position behind the larger one. The leader swiveled his head in Alex’s direction and began to stalk toward her. He didn’t growl, didn’t make a sound, and the silence was all the more frightening.

But she had moved beyond fear and was ready to face death. There was no way she could defeat this latest threat. There were too many of them and she was too tired and injured. But she would defend Joshua and herself with every breath that was left in her body.

Slowly, she stood and stepped in front of Joshua. The knife was once again clutched in her hand. She held the blade low and at the ready. “Come on then,” she growled. “What are you waiting for?”

The large wolf cocked his head to one side and stared at her. She stared right back, refusing to flinch from its menacing gaze. Joshua suddenly appeared beside her, his huge black body inserting itself in front of her. He bared his teeth and emitted a low growl. The other wolf growled back.

Alex wasn’t sure what the heck was going on, but she stepped out from behind Joshua to stand next to him. He was her mate, official or not, and she would stand beside him.

A majestic gray wolf suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Muscles rippled as it positioned itself between her and Joshua and the other group. It stared first at one group and then the other.

Alex’s breath caught in her throat. She recognized those golden brown eyes as they swept over her. They showed the same love and concern they had her entire life. The gray wolf emitted a huge rumbling growl when it caught sight of the blood on her arms and the bruise on her forehead and body. He pinned his golden-eyed glare on Joshua and then faced the group of four.

The tension in the air was so great, Alex thought her nerves would snap. Oh, God, her father was going to challenge the other werewolves. She swallowed the lump in her throat, almost afraid to breathe. The largest of the challengers growled and surged forward, stopping just short of her father and crouching low on all fours.

Joshua calmly padded over to stand beside her father, earning a black glare from the challenger. The large gray wolf and the massive black one stood shoulder to shoulder as they faced down the other four.

Finally, Joshua tipped back his huge furry head and howled. The mournful sound echoed around them and was carried away on the wind. The other four tilted back their necks, raised their heads to the sky and howled in return.

Alex blinked, wishing she understood what the heck was happening. She’d be much happier when she finally understood all this wolf stuff. Silence reigned as the group of four wolves all gave her one final look before turning and fading back into the forest. Her father stared at her for a long moment before he too, turned and padded away.

Now she was totally confused.

She dropped to her knees and sat in the dirt as Joshua came toward her. He nudged her face with his muzzle. Then he disappeared behind a tree on the other side of the clearing. She was too tired to move and too exhausted to think. All that mattered was that she didn’t have to fight.

Less than a minute later, Joshua reappeared clad in his jeans and boots once again. He strode over beside her, lifted her to her feet, wrapped his strong arms around her and held her. She buried her face against his chest, appalled by the gouges and claw marks that covered his arms and torso. She didn’t want to see his back, knowing that had to be as bad.

Before she could speak, four men strode from the woods, this time making no attempt to conceal their footsteps. Joshua turned her in his arms until she was facing them. Like they had been in wolf form, the largest of the four stood slightly in front of the rest. They were big men, their hair dark and shaggy and their features eerily familiar.

“Alex.” Joshua wrapped his arms around her as the men moved closer. “I want you to meet my brothers.”

Alex didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was certainly not the first impression she wanted to make on Joshua’s family. She was dirty, bloody, exhausted and she knew she had to stink. And, oh my God, she was half-naked as well. Her muddled mind cleared long enough to remind her that only the thin pink fabric of her bra shielded her breasts. Her coat and shirt were both in shreds.

She didn’t know what to say to these men. She was slightly embarrassed and intimidated by the united picture they made standing with their arms crossed across their massive chests, watching her, judging her and obviously finding her lacking.

She’d raised her arms to cover herself, but dropped them back by her sides, tilted her chin up and glared at them. Who were they to judge her? They hadn’t arrived until the fighting was over. Where were they when their brother was fighting for his life?

The largest one in the front cocked his eyebrow at her, but she didn’t so much as blink. He was even bigger than Joshua and that was saying something. His hair was a deep mahogany brown that hung down around his impossibly wide shoulders. She had a feeling this was the eldest brother.

Joshua gave her a slight squeeze of encouragement. She took a deep breath, hoping no one noticed her hands were shaking, and prepared to meet his family. She opened her mouth to speak, but the men were no longer looking at her. All heads were turned toward the forest and even Alex could feel the surge of power coming toward them.

Her heart leapt with joy as her father stalked back into the clearing. She was so glad he hadn’t left. She automatically took a step toward him, but was unceremoniously hauled back into Joshua’s arms. “It is my duty to comfort you now. Not his.”

Her eyes flew to Joshua’s and she could see that he was deadly serious. All this male posturing was making her head pound. He was her father for heaven’s sake and she hadn’t seen him in several days.

“She’s not yours yet, Striker.” Her father kept coming toward them, ignoring Joshua’s brothers who looked none to happy with this announcement. “There has been no formal ceremony and my daughter is yet unmarked.”

That bit of information made her cheeks heat and she shuffled her feet uncomfortably. She dipped her head down to her chest, wishing her hair was longer so that it would cover her face. Honestly, listening to her father talking about her being marked by some wolf was just too much.