N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

Isaiah smirked. “You might not get a chance to meet the younger Brodys. When I left, Donovan was headed for the compound with blood in his eyes.”

“Damn it. That’s my job. They challenged me.” He knew his friend would handle the problem, but he would pay a terrible cost. It wasn’t easy to have to kill a member of your own family, even if it was an extended member. “Which Brodys are involved?”

“His younger brother’s children.” Joshua knew they were all young males, ranging from the ages of twenty to thirty-five. Old enough to know better and young enough to be stupid. “It has to be the influence of the boys’ maternal uncle. Their father is mated to a Carlos, isn’t he?

Isaiah nodded.

It all made sense to Joshua. All those young men thinking they could destroy the fabric of the werewolf society and take over. What they didn’t yet realize was the very survival of their race depended on that same society and the rules that were in place to protect it.

“We have to get going.” James prowled forward. “The deaths of Ian and Patrice must be avenged. Then we will deal with the Brodys.” He didn’t wait for the rest of them, but moved off on his own.

The rest of them followed quickly. They knew the pain James was feeling. They’d all experienced it at one time or another. It was never easy to lose family.

Alex trudged forward. Each step was bloody painful. She wanted to ask if they were almost at the Wolf Creek compound but couldn’t muster the energy. It had to be close.

She was so intent on just staying on her feet that she didn’t realize Joshua had stopped until she plowed into his back. She grabbed onto his waist for support and managed to stay on her feet.

She could see the worry in his eyes when he gathered her close to him. “I’m okay.” She patted his chest, loving the hard feel of it beneath her palm. She could tell he wasn’t convinced, but there was nothing either of them could do about it right now so there was no point in talking about it.

“I wanted to show you something.”

She heard it then, a loud rushing sound just beyond the trees. She was shocked she hadn’t heard it before now. Stepping beside him, she let him lead her off their original path. The trees seemed to part suddenly and her breath caught in her throat.

About thirty feet in height, the rock wall reached to the sky. Cascading over it was a shower of water, wild and fierce. Plants of all sorts grew along the banks of the river. The lush green was peppered with a splash of red and white as some flowers and berries flourished. A fine spray of mist shimmered along the top of the pool that formed at the base of the falls. It was completely untamed and absolutely breathtaking.

Joshua’s arms came around her from behind. His chest was nestled up to her back and she leaned against him, careful not to put much of her weight against his injured chest, but wanting—no needing—the contact with him. His fingers slid beneath the fabric of her shirt and rested lightly on her stomach. “This is part of Wolf Creek,” he whispered in her ear and she understood why he didn’t speak aloud. There was something about this place that seemed almost magical and certainly awe inspiring.

“It’s beautiful.” Her words were totally inadequate to express what she truly felt, but she sensed he understood what she was trying to say.

His lips skimmed the curve of her ear. “When this is all done, I’ll bring you back here and we’ll swim in the pool.”

“Really?” She tilted her head back against his shoulder. Reaching down, he brushed a lock of hair off her cheek as he skimmed his finger along her jaw.

“Absolutely.” His lips curved upward. “I think it’s something we’d both enjoy.”

His smile was filled with such promise she forgot all about her aches and pains, forgot all about his injuries. When his head dipped toward her, she leaned upward to meet him. His tongue skimmed along her bottom lip and she gasped. Heat flooded her body, pooling low in her groin. A gnawing restlessness grew within her, goading her onward. She wanted this man, wanted his hardness within her. Thrusting. Claiming.

Joshua pulled back, his eyes closed as he sucked in a deep breath. “Not now.” His eyes opened and the heat in them almost singed her flesh. “But soon.”

It was a promise she planned to make him keep. “Soon,” she echoed, returning his vow. He growled low in his throat as he took her hand and tugged her away from the majestic falls and back on their trail.

They hurried their pace until they’d caught up with the others. His brothers looked at them, but didn’t say anything. Her father glanced her way and smiled, but it was a sad smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

The tension mounted as they moved closer to their home. They stopped and waited several times as three of the men slid soundlessly into the brush only to reemerge a short while later with their fists clenched and their faces set in anger.

Finally, the entire group came to a halt behind a stand of rocks. From here, Alex could see a ten-foot-tall wooden fence that surrounded a group of houses. The large gate in the front was open as if in invitation. This had to be the compound.

Levi and Micah stepped forward. “There were two scouts in the woods, but we left them alone.” Levi shook his head. “Honestly, one of them is barely twenty. The Brodys managed to coax two of the young Tallant pups into joining them.”

Joshua shook his head at the foolishness of youth. “We’ll catch them later and leave them to their uncle.” He knew Grady Tallant very well and his nephews would rue the day they’d ever got involved in this mess. The Tallant family was much like the Striker family and prided themselves on their loyalty to the pack.

James stepped forward. “It’s time to end this.” He glanced behind them. “I don’t trust them not to bring in more hunters. This might be our territory, but with so many traitors in our midst it would be easy for them to slip through. They might even take the opportunity to attack our women and children.”

Joshua noticed how easily James used the word “our” and not “your”. It seemed his pack loyalty was there full force. But he was no longer their alpha. “You’re absolutely right. That would be a major coup for them and something our young hotheads wouldn’t consider.”

He turned to his brothers. “I’m going in to face the Brodys. Protect Alex.” He ignored the outraged feminine gasp and focused on the protesting men. “It is my right as Striker. It is me they are challenging.”

“No.” Isaiah said no more than that, but that one word said it all.

James pinned him with a steely glare. “I owe them for my brother and his mate.”

Alex turned to Joshua. “If you think I’m going to let you go in there alone, you’ve got another thing coming.” It seemed it didn’t pay to ignore a woman. Alex was currently trying to drill a hole in his stomach with her finger. He caught her hand to keep her from poking further at him. Her gray eyes were the color of a winter squall with all the fury that it brought.

Joshua wanted to laugh. Most of his life he’d felt alone, distant even from his brothers. His job had demanded it. Or so he’d believed. It was the way his father had done things, but Joshua was beginning to believe his father had been wrong. There was strength in family, in sharing the burden. Not that he’d allow any of them to put themselves in danger, especially Alex, but it was nice to not feel so alone.

“Are you smiling?” Alex poked him with her other hand. “Honest to God, Joshua Striker, if you’re smiling I’m going to pop you one.” She curled her fingers into a fist.

He rubbed his hand over his jaw, covering his mouth in the process. “No, I’m not laughing.”