Alexandra's Legacy

Chapter Two

Joshua Striker’s heart was pounding, although outwardly none of his excitement or agitation showed. He’d found her. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d managed to stay one step ahead of the two roving packs of wolves searching for her. She was a treasure and they all wanted her.

He could barely see her now, blocked by the bulk of her father’s body. But the one glimpse he’d had of her had been more than enough to fire his blood. He could almost feel her long, slender body bucking beneath his as he thrust hard and deep. He wanted to fuck her until she was screaming with pleasure, until they were both sweaty and spent. And then he’d do it all over again.

His cock swelled in anticipation, pressing hard against the zipper of his jeans. A fine sheen of sweat formed on his skin, making it itch. His scalp tingled, his muscles tightened. He shook his head to clear away the haze of lust enveloping him. Now was definitely not the time for this. His job was to protect her, not to claim her.

The man in front of him issued another low growl. James LeVeau, or rather James Riley as he called himself now, had disappeared from the Wolf Creek pack of werewolves in North Carolina almost fifty years ago. At the time he’d been the alpha of the pack, the toughest and smartest one of them all. After his beloved wife, Leda, had died in childbirth, he’d simply vanished.

There had been plenty of rumors over the years. The most intriguing one was that he’d had a child with a human, a daughter. Now they all knew the rumor was true and she was a prospective mate for many of the single male wolves.

The past hundred years had not been kind to the werewolves and their numbers were dwindling at an alarming rate. The past three decades had been even worse. Children were far and few between, as were females of mating age.

Personally, Joshua felt that had more to do with all the infighting between packs, but the reality remained that they needed children to expand their population. The fact that she was the daughter of one of the most powerful, most well-respected wolves in the country was a bonus. Whoever she mated with would immediately gain in status and standing.

“I come from Wolf Creek. Ian sent me.”

That gave the older man pause, but he didn’t back down or relax his stance. “Who are you?”

“Striker.” James blinked, but gave no other indication of what he was thinking. Joshua admired the other man’s self-possession.

“Last I heard Miguel was Striker of the Wolf Creek pack.”

“He was my father.” It still hurt for Joshua to think of his father. The large man had seemed invincible to his sons, but death had claimed him all the same.

“Was?” The very stillness of the other man assured Joshua that he was ready to spring and fight at any second.

“It took four rogue wolves and several humans to bring him down.” He wanted to tip back his head and howl with the sorrow that was his constant companion. Instead, Joshua swallowed, refusing to show any of the emotion beating at him. “He was searching for you.”

“You’re young Joshua.” James’ eyes narrowed as they raked over the younger man.

“I was. Now I am Striker of the Wolf Creek pack.” Striker was more than just their name, it was his family’s duty within the pack. The head of the Striker family was in charge of pack security, of protecting the alpha pair and the pack as a whole. That duty had fallen to him and he would not fail, no matter the cost.

“I am sorry to hear about your father. He was the best of us.” Joshua could not mistake the sincerity and the sorrow in James’ voice. “I missed him.”

“Why did you never contact him?” The biting question was past his lips before he could restrain it. Joshua was angry with himself for letting his emotion show. It was a weakness he could not afford.

“It was not safe. I had too much to lose.” James shook his head. “In those days they would not have accepted my child. She was not of pure blood.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Times have changed in the past few decades, have they not? Back then, they might have killed her, now they want to claim her.” His features hardened and the alpha warrior was revealed. “I will do whatever it takes to protect her.”

“Dad?” Her low, lilting voice washed over Joshua like a physical caress, making it hard for him to breathe. “What’s this all about? Who is this guy?” He could hear the uncertainty, the question in her voice as she stepped out from behind her father.

James reached out his hand and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her beneath the shelter of his arm. “This is part of what I needed to speak to you about.” His gaze never left Joshua’s face. “Lock the door and come upstairs. We have to talk.”

Joshua turned away from the pair, purposely leaving his back exposed. Taking his time, he threw all six bolts on the door. When he was done, he faced them and cocked his eyebrow in question. The older man motioned to a doorway at the far end of the garage.

He strode past them, trying not to stare at the woman. He didn’t know her name, but he knew that he wanted her. Something about her reached deep inside him, demanding that he claim her as his own. With his preternatural sense of smell, he caught a faint whiff of her scent and almost moaned. She was close to coming into heat, but not quite there yet. At the moment, it was just the faintest tantalizing perfume that made his head spin and sent lust surging through his bloodstream. Layered over that was the clean scent of woman, her own personal fragrance. It was fresh, like the mountain wildflowers after a summer’s rain.

And he was obviously losing his mind if he was waxing poetic when there was a pissed-off alpha at his back and danger surrounding them all. If he didn’t keep his mind on business, he’d never live long enough to have a chance to claim his woman.

And she was his. She just didn’t know it yet.

Alex could barely breathe as she climbed the stairs with her father. What was going on? Who was this man? And what the hell did he have to do with her father? She hadn’t understood half of what they’d said to each other, only that her father somehow knew this man. He was obviously part of the big secret her father had been planning to reveal to her tonight. Now that the time had come to find out, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Sucking in a deep breath, she kept her eyes on the stranger—Joshua Striker he’d said his name was—as he climbed the stairs in front of them. She was very aware of her father’s heavy arm wrapped protectively around her. He was incredibly tense and there was a feeling of anticipation, of primal excitement, that permeated the air. It was the same electric sensation that was usually a precursor to violence.

Joshua stepped up onto the landing at the top of the stairs.

“Left,” her father told him. Joshua didn’t even break stride, but kept going. When he reached the door, he turned the handle and went inside.

They followed him and her father paused long enough to close and bolt the door. All this secrecy was making her extremely nervous. As if sensing her growing agitation, her father gave her a quick hug before releasing her and heading straight for the large bookcase that dominated one of the four walls in the living room. Pressing a hidden latch on the side, he waited until there was a soft click and then he pulled the bookcase forward. It slid easily, revealing a small cache of weapons in the secret cubby behind it.

“Alex.” He motioned her forward and she hurried to his side, very aware of Joshua watching their every move. The fact that her father wanted her armed scared her straight down to her soul.

“Impressive.” Joshua did look impressed, she thought as she grabbed two knives and shoved one in each of her boots. Satisfied, she reached for the regular handgun she used for target practice, but her father stayed her hand.

“No.” He opened a small metal box on one of the shelves, reached inside and pulled out a 9mm semi-automatic. Popping the magazine, he checked the ammunition before slamming it home. He handed it to her. “Regular bullets are useless. You’ll need this.”

She automatically hooked the holster over her belt before checking the weapon herself. The ammunition looked different. “I don’t understand.”

Worry etched his face and the smile he gave her was filled with sorrow. “I know you don’t, honey.” He strapped a knife onto his belt while he talked. “Those bullets contain silver. What we’re fighting isn’t human.”

Her mouth went dry and she glanced over at Joshua, who stood silently watching.

“You can’t be serious.” Her father was acting as weird as Divine had this morning. “There’s no such thing as vampires, demons and werewolves. They’re just a myth.”

“Yes, there is.” He tucked a knife in each of his boots. “We’re dealing with werewolves and the only way to kill one is to break its neck, cut out its heart, decapitate it or poison it with silver. Regular bullets will slow it down some, but will mostly just piss it off. That’s why the bullets and the knife blades are coated in silver.”

Oh, God. Her father had lost his mind. There was no other explanation. Divine had been talking more and more about these creatures for the past year, even going as far as to claim she’d seen a vampire lurking in the shadows one night. Werewolves, Divine declared, mostly kept to the heavy woods outside the cities, roaming wild and free. Everyone gave them a wide berth or they paid the price, as wolves weren’t exactly known for being sociable to anyone outside their species.

“Dad?” Alex didn’t quite know where to begin. She wondered if she should call an ambulance. Maybe her father was having a stroke or something. Although he looked as healthy and vital as ever.

James shook his head. “I’m not crazy, Alex. Werewolves are real.”

Wolf Creek pack. Her eyes flew to the man waiting patiently on the other side of the room. Did that mean he thought he was a werewolf? She swallowed hard, trying to grasp the situation. What did he want with her father and her?

Her father stepped back and pushed the bookcase toward the wall where it caught with a soft click. The whole situation was surreal. Alex had only gotten out of bed an hour ago, her life a predictable routine that she enjoyed. It was safe. Now in a matter of minutes that world no longer existed.

Joshua’s eyes were flitting back and forth from her to her father. She could see the wariness in them when they glanced toward her father, but they were filled with something totally different when they fell upon her.

Lust. Pure, unadulterated lust.

She’d never seen that look in a man’s eyes before. At least not directed toward her. The worst part was that it didn’t disgust her or frighten her as it ought to. He was a werewolf for heaven’s sake. Or at least thought he was. She wasn’t quite convinced there was anything to this but deluded madness.

She felt a yearning growing deep inside her, one she didn’t fully understand. Heat suffused her body, pooling between her thighs. She longed to walk up to this stranger and rub her breasts against his muscular chest and grind her pussy against the hard bulge in the front of his jeans.

What was wrong with her?

“Alex.” The bite in her father’s voice startled her and her eyes flew to him. He was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. Part sadness, part determination and part resignation.

“What’s going on?” Enough was enough. Time to get to the bottom of this. She had to know what was going on. Surely it couldn’t be as bad as anything her imagination could conjure.

“Sit down.”

She thought about arguing, but sank down in the plush, purple chair that sat next to the sofa. It was her chair, had been since she was a child. She needed the familiarity and the comfort it offered. Her father sank to his haunches in front of her. She noted that he made sure his back wasn’t to the other man. “Tell me,” she prompted when he hesitated.

“I was married a long time ago.” His voice softened, as he got lost in the memories. Alex was shocked. This was the first she’d heard of this. “She died in childbirth. I lost both her and the child at the same time. It was more than I could bear, so I left my old life behind and started a new one.”

“I’m sorry.” Reaching out, she stroked her hand over his face, wanting to comfort him. His grief was like a living, breathing thing, still fresh after all these years. She wondered what it must be like to love someone so deeply it still hurt after so long.

Her father wrapped his fingers around her hand and held it to his chest. She could feel the steady thump of his heart. “When I found out Charlene was pregnant with you, I was overjoyed, but scared to death.” His eyes seemed to glow pure molten gold as he stared at her. “I couldn’t lose you.”

“You didn’t.” She didn’t question her need to reassure him. For the first time in her life, she finally understood why he was so protective of her.

“No. I didn’t.” He sighed. “But it meant I could never go back to my old life. The people there wouldn’t have accepted you. They might even have tried to hurt you. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”

Now they were getting somewhere. “You mentioned that downstairs. I don’t understand what you mean. You know these people, these werewolves, don’t you?” She couldn’t believe she was actually buying into the whole werewolf thing, but her father was deadly serious.

“Yes.” He closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds and when he opened them again the sorrow was gone and only the determination remained. “I am one of them.”

Alex jerked away, her back hitting the seat cushion behind her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You…” She broke off, unable to continue. Rubbing her damp palms over her jeans, she took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re a werewolf?” The implications were staggering. If what her father was saying was true, her entire life was a lie.

“Yes, I am.” He paused and then took both her hands in his, ignoring her attempt to pull away. “And so are you. Not a pure-blooded werewolf, but a half-breed.”

“What does that mean?” Her voice was little more than a whisper even though she was screaming inside. It was as if she no longer even knew herself. Who was she?

“It means that you will come into adulthood soon. We mature later than humans because we live much longer.”

“How much longer and what do you mean ‘come into adulthood’?” She was very afraid that the last thing had something to do with the unfamiliar feelings she’d been having lately. The late nights spent writhing on her bed as heat consumed her.

“We have a lifespan of about five hundred years or so. I am one-hundred-and-sixty years old.”

Alex heard a buzzing in her ears. Impossible. He didn’t look a day over forty. Her father tensed and swiveled, placing himself square in front of her when Joshua stepped closer.

“He’s telling the truth, Alex.” She could hear Joshua speaking as if from a great distance. She shook her head to try to clear it, but that only made her dizzier. “You are more werewolf than human. I can smell it. I can sense it. You will go through the change after you mate.”

“Enough. Back off, Striker.” Her father’s voice was low and cold, cutting through the younger man’s words. “It is her choice. I will not have that taken from her and I will kill anyone who tries to force her.”

Joshua nodded respectfully and backed away. Alex sensed he was merely biding his time.

“Dad?” She wanted him to tell her this was all a bad joke, that her life hadn’t been one big lie up until now. But from the grim look on her father’s face, this was anything but a joke. This was very, very real. “Change? Mating?” She blinked rapidly as the room revolved around her.

Her father swore and she felt his hand on the back of her head pressing it toward her knees. “Breathe, Alexandra. Just take one slow breath at a time. Focus, honey.”

Alex concentrated on pulling air into her lungs and finally the buzzing in her ears subsided and she felt stronger. She raised her head and met his worried gaze. “Explain it all to me. I need to understand.”

“Females come into heat for the first time when they are in their early twenties. It varies from woman to woman, but it is always within a two-year span from age twenty-one to twenty-three.” He sent a hard glare toward Joshua and the younger man faded back toward the kitchen. “You’ve been feeling restless lately, maybe having sexual feelings for the first time in your life. Your body is yearning for something, but you’re not sure what for.”

Alex could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks and knew she was blushing. This was definitely not a conversation she wanted to be having with her father. The fact that he knew what she’d been feeling these past few weeks was totally embarrassing. All she could manage was a single nod. She couldn’t look at him.

He wouldn’t allow her to hide from him. Hooking his thumb beneath her chin, he tilted it upward until she was facing him. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is perfectly normal. It means you are a healthy, vibrant young woman who is ready to start a life and a family of her own.”

“There’s got to be more to it than just that.” She wasn’t stupid. If it was just a matter of her becoming an adult, it shouldn’t be any big deal.

“Unfortunately there is.” He offered her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “For any species, survival depends upon procreation. To keep the population healthy, mother nature has built in a few extra features.”

She was afraid to ask, but more afraid of not knowing. “What extras?”

“You’ll soon go into heat. Your body will crave a male. You’ll need him, want him with a fierceness that will shock you. It is the time that you will choose your mate. Your scent will draw any unmated werewolves for miles and they will all fight to be the one who claims you.”

“You mean they can smell me?” Her voice grew louder with every word she spoke, until she was practically yelling. She tried to stay calm, but that was impossible. This was unbelievable, like something out of a nightmare, except Alex knew she was wide awake. “They know I’m aroused. In heat like some bloody animal.” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was crazy.

“Yes. It’s called estrus and every female werewolf experiences it.”

“I don’t want this,” she muttered, as her mind whirled, trying to understand everything she’d been told and sort out the implications.

“I know you don’t, Alex. I’d hoped that maybe it wouldn’t happen this way for you. There haven’t been too many half-breeds in our history, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But lately, I’ve sensed the change in you. Felt your wolf waiting to embrace you.”

She swallowed hard. “That’s what you meant when you said I’d go through the change?”

He nodded. “It’s different between males and females of the species. Males come into their wolf when they mature in their early twenties. For the females, it’s the mating process that unleashes the female wolf inside, allowing her to change into a wolf on command.”

“That’s not fair.” Alex was outraged. Males didn’t have to go through what the females had to go through, what she had to go through. Typical. It didn’t seem to matter if it was humans or supernatural beings involved, men always seemed to have it easier than women.

Her father shrugged. “Fair or not, that’s how it is.” He paused. “It’s really a wonderful thing if you allow it to happen and embrace the moment. You’ll be more powerful than you’ve ever imagined even when you aren’t in wolf form. Your hearing will be keener, your vision sharper, your reflexes faster and your muscles will be stronger. You’ll also heal faster if you sustain any injuries.” His eyes narrowed. “Even as a child you never got sick. You were always fast and strong. I didn’t know if that was as much as my wolf blood would give you or if you’d develop as a female werewolf.”

That was all fine and good, and she’d deal with it when she had to. Right now they had a much bigger worry, and he was standing in the same room with them. “But why is he here?” She jerked her head toward the opening between the kitchen and living room where Joshua was lurking.

“That’s what I’m about to find out.” Straightening from his crouch, her father motioned Joshua back into the room. “What’s going on?”

Joshua prowled back into the room, his loose-legged gait reminding her of her father. “Ian sent me.”

“He is alpha?”

Joshua nodded. “He came just after you left.”

“I wasn’t sure he would even though I’d sent for him. How is my brother?”

Alex sat up straighter. Her father had a brother? She had an uncle? Every second seemed to be revealing something new to her. She stared at her father. It was as if he was a complete stranger even though she’d known him her entire life. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling. Anger began to stir deep inside her, shoving aside the swirling confusion.

“He is well, but very concerned about you and about his niece. The pack needs both of you. Times are hard and there is much fighting among the brethren.”

Her father laughed but it wasn’t a particularly pleasant sound. Alex could hear the disgust in his tone. “Some things never change. Killing one another over petty grievances rather than banding together for the greater good. For survival.”

“As you say.” Joshua inclined his head slightly. “But the fact remains that a wolf who knew you from the past happened by your shop a little more than a week ago and saw you and your daughter. He immediately started back to the pack to tell Ian, but he must have told someone else what he’d seen.

“Word spread quickly even though he managed to get himself killed before he could give away more than the name of the city you were living in. By then it was too late. Most of the unmated males from the Wolf Creek pack, as well as the Blue Ridge and Cumberland packs, have descended on Chicago. There may be more. We’ve all been searching. The difference is we want to protect both you and your daughter, the other packs will probably kill you in order to take Alex and they won’t give her a choice in mating. They will fight for her and she will go to the victor.”

Her father’s expression darkened. “You all want to claim her. Do not pretty it up.”

“Of course we all want her. She is an unmated female. Not only is she beautiful, but she is your daughter as well. There are many who want her for that reason alone.”

“Hey!” Anger bubbled to the surface, as she jumped to her feet. “Don’t I get a say in this?” Alex was tired of them talking about her like she wasn’t even there, of discussing her life as if it were a done deal.

Joshua Striker turned to her, his dark eyes boring into her. “Unfortunately, no.” He paused and ran his fingers though his hair. Alex found herself wondering if it was as soft as it looked. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. What was she thinking?

“Actually you do have two choices. Come with me to Wolf Creek and you’ll have your choice of any of the unmated males. Or…” he glanced toward her father, “…you can stay here and have to defend yourself against any other males that come to claim you, putting yourself and your father in danger.”

“What if I don’t want to mate with anyone?” Adrenaline surged through her veins. She wanted to wake up and find out that she was still in bed and all this was just a bad dream. But it was all too real.

She could sense Joshua carefully choosing his words as if he didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. She could have told him he was wasting his time. At this point her world was so far off center it would never go back again. What was one more thing?

“You are going into heat, Alex.”

It was the first time he’d said her name and it sent a bolt of desire shooting between her thighs. She had to resist the urge to squeeze her thighs together to ease the growing ache. She could feel the moisture soaking her panties and was appalled. Could he smell her arousal?

She forced herself to ignore the throbbing and pay attention to what he was saying.

“You will not be able to help yourself. You will mate. It is just a matter of who it will be with.”

Alex found the very concept appalling. “That’s disgusting. I’m not an animal. I’m not.” She backed away from both men, holding her hands out in front of her as if to ward them off.

“Alex.” Her father reached for her, but she shook her head and turned toward the door. She needed to get out of here. She needed to be by herself to think, to sort out all that she’d learned.

But it was too late. Joshua had cut off her escape, silently sliding in front of the door. His arms were crossed against his chest and his legs were spread in a wide stance. No, she wouldn’t be leaving that way.

“I’m going to my old room.” She stalked toward the hallway. She could always climb out through the fire escape.

“No.” Joshua grabbed her arm, the heat from his fingers practically burning her through the material of her sweatshirt as he thrust her toward a corner of the living room. “There’s no time.”

Glass shattered and a huge wolf jumped in through the low kitchen window from the small fire escape that was below it. Several men followed. Another crash came from down the hall and Alex feared that more were coming in through her bedroom window.

Her father crouched in a fighter’s stance, ready to face the threat. “Take her and get out. I’ll hold them off.”

“No!” she screamed. She wouldn’t leave him. It didn’t matter that he’d lied to her, or that her life was coming undone, he was her father. She knew he loved her and had lied to protect her. She’d rather fight and die beside him. Drawing her weapon, she took aim and fired as the first wolf attacked.