Alexandra's Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alex stood just beyond Joshua’s front porch. Five other homes and various other buildings circled around a fifty-foot clearing. She assumed the large log home belonged to the alpha of the pack. The rest of the homes were compact but cozy and blended in with the surrounding landscape.

She was feeling slightly better, but longed for about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. God, she was tired. But at least she was clean. After watching the brutal deaths in the yard, she’d been only too ready to follow Joshua as he’d led her away. The other men were all watching her in a way that made her both uncomfortable and aroused.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, her body was once again reminding her that she wasn’t totally human. Her skin was tight and confining. Her breasts ached and her nipples were tight buds that brushed against her bra, sending a blast of heat rocketing down between her thighs. The folds of her sex were sensitive and she was consumed with an almost overwhelming need to touch herself. Her panties were damp, a stark reminder of her constant arousal.

Her feet were encased in a pair of soft slippers that Joshua had dug up from somewhere. She suspected they had belonged to his mother. He’d also given her one of his shirts to wear. It was an older shirt with a well-worn, often-washed softness about it. The material was a pearly gray that matched her eyes. Her jeans needed a good washing, but she wouldn’t be wearing them for long. After this meeting, she was going to go find a bed, crawl into it and sleep for about twelve hours straight.

Raising her hand to the back of her neck, she rubbed. She still felt battered and bruised, but the hot bath had helped loosen up her stiff muscles. The long scratches on her arms and the furrow from the gunshot had all been properly cleansed. Joshua had taken the time to rub a healing ointment on it himself. She’d allowed him to do so, knowing instinctively he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he took care of it himself.

But turnabout was fair play. He hadn’t been too pleased, but he’d sat and allowed her to tend to his injuries as well, all the while complaining it was unnecessary. As a werewolf, he would heal much faster than a normal human would. Still, she needed to take care of him in some small way.

Then he’d planted a rough kiss on her lips, told her to stay out of trouble, and stalked off to talk to some of the men who had arrived. Stay out of trouble. None of this was her fault to begin with. Trouble just seemed to follow Joshua around. She’d wandered outside to look around but was starting to get rather uncomfortable with all the covert stares she was receiving from the groups of men and women who were gathering.

She felt very alone and uncertain and she didn’t like the sensation. All these other people knew one another. She was the odd man out, or rather odd woman out. It was because of her those other werewolves had mutinied and died. Alex didn’t think her transition to life here was going to be easy.

She was contemplating retreating back to the covered porch of Joshua’s home when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping it was Joshua, but had to swallow her disappointment when it wasn’t. What was wrong with her? She’d never been the type to need a man around before and she sure as heck wasn’t going to start now. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and went to meet her father.

“How are you?” He stood back and ran his eyes over her body, his fingers tracing the bruise that still bloomed on the side of her face.

“I’m okay. How about you?”

One corner of his mouth kicked upward. “I’m fine.” He drew her into his arms and she rested her head against his solid chest. “I’m sorry this has been so hard on you.” He rubbed his hand over her back, soothing her frayed nerves.

“I know you are.” The last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty. He’d done everything he could possibly do to protect her and, no matter what, he was still the best father a girl could have. But she was also looking at him a bit differently these days. “So what will happen now?”

He released her and stepped back. “That depends.” Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he guided her toward the side of the clearing. The bodies of the traitorous wolves had been carried away while she’d been getting cleaned up and, except for the blood staining the ground, there was no sign there had ever been a fight.

She dug her heels into the ground, bringing them both to a stop. He was evading her question. More than once she’d noticed the way he looked at the forest around him. There was sorrow and longing and so many more emotions mixed together in his face. Alex knew this homecoming was hard on her father, but it was what he needed. She sensed he was more at home here than he’d ever been in Chicago. The wildness of the forest and mountains suited him.

She stared up into his golden brown eyes, wanting him to know that she understood what he was feeling. “If these past few days have taught me anything, it’s that life is short. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want.”

His face was sober, his hands gentle as he cupped her face. “You’re all grown up, aren’t you?”

She smiled at him. “Yeah, I am. You did a heck of a job with me.”

He gave a short bark of laughter. “I guess I did.” His expression once again became serious. “Are you going to follow your own advice? Are you going to fight for what you want?” He stared past her and she followed his gaze. Joshua was standing across the yard, his stance seemingly relaxed, but his eyes tracked her every move. “It won’t be simple, you know. He won’t be an easy man to live with.”

Now that was an understatement if she’d ever heard one. “I know.”

The wryness in her tone made him chuckle. “I see you know what you’re getting into.”

“I do,” she whispered softly.

Her father nodded. “So be it. Stay by my side until the time comes.”

Before she could get him to answer her question about what was going to happen, Joshua stepped to the center of the circle. All the people who had come gathered around. When everyone fell silent, Joshua began to speak. “Our pack has come under attack from the outside and from within.” There were shouts and general mumbling, but he raised his hand for silence again. “Our leader and his mate have been brutally slain by people they trusted. Justice has been carried out and those men are no more.”

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife and Alex stood like the rest, waiting for Joshua to continue. He was a natural-born leader—an imposing figure with his tall, muscular build and his dark, piercing eyes. It wasn’t so much the way he looked, she decided, but more the way he carried himself with complete confidence and composure.

“We all mourn their loss.” Men nodded, while many of the women wiped tears from their eyes. Alex hadn’t known these people, but even she felt their loss.

“But we must have a new leader,” Joshua continued. “The pack cannot be left vulnerable.”

Several men stepped forward, placing themselves in the ring with Joshua. Alex watched, wishing she knew what would happen next. Joshua nodded at each man in turn. She recognized one of them as Donovan Brody, the werewolf who’d had to slay his own kinsmen.

“We will challenge you for leadership.” She didn’t know the man who spoke, but he was tall and hugely built, not like the lean, muscular builds of most of the others.

Joshua shook his head. “I am not challenging for the leadership.” The crowd sucked in a collective breath. Voices were raised in protest. Even the two men standing across from him appeared stunned.

“If you’re not running for pack alpha, then who is?” An older man across from her shouted.

Her father stirred beside her and took a step forward. “I am.” All heads turned toward him. Alex could see the wonder and disbelief on some faces.

“You abandoned that post years ago,” the older man countered.

Her father nodded. “Yes, I did. I was young, I was angry and I was lost. I am none of those things now.” His eyes swept over the challengers. “It is still my right as a member of this pack to challenge for leadership.”

Alex stared at her father, amazed he would do such a thing. But then, he’d always been a protector, she realized. And now that their home and neighborhood were lost to him, he needed someone or something new to focus all those protective instincts on. When she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anyone better for the position, except maybe Joshua.

“What say you, Striker?” Donovan Brody took an aggressive step forward.

Joshua looked toward James. “The Striker family has always supported the LeVeau family. That has not changed.”

“You’re only supporting him because you want the woman.” Another man strode angrily into the circle.

Joshua shrugged, but didn’t deny the accusation. “That is a separate issue, Gavin, and will be dealt with after this one is settled.” The other man glared at him, but took a step back.

Alex’s stomach was churning. What would happen if her father wasn’t accepted as leader? What if he had to fight? What if he were killed? Her breathing was getting shallower, so she forced herself to breathe deeply. She had no idea what a challenge entailed, but it couldn’t be good. These were a brutal people.

Her thoughts brought her up short. She might not know what would happen, but her father did. These were his people. God, she was so confused.

Her hands were clamped into fists at her sides as she watched the drama unfold. A part of her wanted to run to be with her father, but her instincts told her that that would be a mistake.

“Don’t worry.” The words were a mere whisper beside her. She flicked her gaze to her side for a moment and was surprised to see Joshua’s younger brother, Simon, standing next to her. “Everything will be fine.”

“How do you know?” Her words sounded angry and belligerent even to her own ears, but he seemed to take no offense.

“I don’t really know your father, but I remember how things were when he was leader of the pack. I was just a young man when he left. But I do know the legends of James LeVeau. He’s not the sort of man who would start something he couldn’t finish.”

Alex forced her fingers to unclench. Simon was right. She had to trust her father. “Thank you,” she whispered back to him. Simon nodded and they both watched as several men stepped back until only four remained in the circle—Joshua, her father, Donovan Brody and one other man.

The crowd was growing restless as the younger men stared at her father. He stared back at them, waiting patiently.

“What will it be?” Joshua queried both men. “Do you fight or do you accept James LeVeau Riley as alpha?”

The larger of the two men, the one that was unknown to her, nodded at her father. “I will accept James LeVeau. My father always spoke very highly of you.”

Her father nodded back at the man. “Grady.”

Donovan shook his head. “I will challenge.”

Joshua nodded. “So be it.”

Alex bit her lip to keep from crying out as both men stripped off their shirts, tossing them aside. She could feel the growing excitement in the crowd as they began to circle one another. They were both exceptional specimens of manhood, but only one of them was her father. She tried to swallow but her throat was too dry. She twisted her hands in the tails of the shirt, unable to pull her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her.

Donovan lunged first. Her father easily sidestepped him and waited while the younger man gathered himself once again. She wanted to yell at her father. He seemed so relaxed and unconcerned. Then she saw his eyes. His body might be relaxed, but his eyes told another tale. There was death in those eyes. The other man would back down or her father would kill him.

Oh, God. What was happening to her world?

Alex stifled a scream as Donovan attacked again. James met his lunge this time and the two of them grappled, neither able to gain the upper hand. Dust flew around them as people began to chant in a language she didn’t understand.

The fight ended so quickly that Alex couldn’t believe it. In an astonishing display of fighting prowess and strength, her father flipped the younger man, tossing him to the ground. He then jumped on Donovan’s back, hooking his strong forearm around his opponent’s neck and arching it back. One twist and the other man would be dead. As it was, Donovan seemed to be having a difficult time breathing.

“Yield,” her father growled out from between clenched teeth.

At first, she wasn’t sure the younger man would yield. Her skin went clammy and her stomach lurched. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Donovan’s head gave a small jerk. Her father released him and Donovan fell facedown in the dirt, gasping for air. Her father stood beside him, watching and waiting. And when Donovan rolled over onto his back, James LeVeau offered him his hand.

Once Donovan had regained his feet, he nodded at her father and took a step back. Joshua strode forward. “It has been decided. James LeVeau is once again alpha of the Wolf Creek pack.”

Alex couldn’t contain herself any longer. As cheers rang across the clearing, she raced forward and grabbed her father, hugging him tightly. “You could have been killed,” she whispered.

Her father shook his head, gathering her close. “No, Alex. There was never any chance of that happening. Young Donovan wasn’t really trying to beat me. This was more for show to satisfy the crowd.”

Alex pulled back and glared first at her father and then Donovan Brody who was watching her with heat-filled eyes.

“Is that true?”

Donovan shrugged. “I want the man to be my future father-in-law, I’m not about to kill him am I?”

Alex took a step closer to her father. “I don’t understand.”

“Most everyone will easily accept your father as alpha.” Donovan’s tone was gentle. “He was one of the best leaders in the history of the pack. But the tradition of leadership challenge has to be upheld.” Moving forward, he stroked his finger across her cheek. “The real challenge is for the right to claim you as mate.”

Her gaze jerked to Joshua who was standing there with his arms crossed casually across his chest. “Did you know this?” He inclined his head toward her. “So everyone here knew that except me?” Anger coursed through her veins, firing her blood. “It was only stupid, uninformed me who wasn’t aware that I’m supposed to provide the main event in today’s entertainment.”

“Now, Alex.”

She whirled around and scowled at her father. “Don’t you ‘now, Alex’, me. Somebody should have told me. Somebody should have asked me because the way I’m feeling right now, I’m not in the mood to accept anyone for mate. Ever!”

She started to stalk off, but Joshua wrapped his hand around her upper arm, stopping her. “It must be done. That is tradition.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Tradition?” Her voice was soft, but she could see the worry clouding Joshua’s face. Good, he should be worried. Donovan chuckled and she turned on him. “You find this amusing?”

“I find you magnificent and worthy to be my mate.”

“Well good for you. I, on the other hand, don’t find you very worthy at the moment.”

“Alex,” her father cautioned.

But she was beyond caution. The anger and fear of the past days coalesced in this one moment. She jerked out of Joshua’s hold and stepped out from between the men. “Who else here thinks to challenge for the right to bed me?”

“Alex?” She could hear the anger in Joshua’s voice as he pulled her around to face him.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? It isn’t about the fact that I didn’t know until a few days ago that I was a werewolf, or at least a half-breed. It isn’t about the fact that the only life I’ve ever known is gone.” The crowd had gone silent. Once again she tugged away from Joshua and faced them. Strangers all, they watched her.

She saw anger on some faces and shock on others. A few wore expressions of understanding and sympathy, which had tears pricking at the backs of her eyes. She sucked in a breath. She would not let them see her as weak.

“None of you really want me. You don’t know me.” Several men protested and stepped forward, including the one her father had called Grady. “You want me because of some biological reaction that I can’t control. You want me because I’m in heat.” Her face burned as she spoke the words, but she wouldn’t back down. Not now.

“See what diluting the blood lines will do. Disrespectful half-breed.” An older man and woman stepped forward and spit on the ground at Alex’s feet.

Joshua was by her side in a second. “That is my future mate you disrespect, Miles Jenson.”

Jenson just laughed. “She is weak and will breed weak pups that will probably have to be put down.”

Joshua was as still as a stone, but Alex could feel the winds of fury raging through him. He glanced over at her father, who had come to stand on her other side. Some silent communication seemed to pass between them and her father nodded. Joshua turned back to the angry couple. “If you do not wish to live among such tainted bloodlines, you are free to leave.”

The older woman paled. “You would banish us?” Shock was evident in Jenson’s voice. He pointed a trembling finger at her. “She is the one who is disrespectful to our ways.”

“She doesn’t know our ways,” Joshua pointed out. “Three days ago, she had no idea who and what she truly was.”

“Her father should have told her.” The man was totally indignant.

“I hoped to spare her this.” Her father finally spoke. He surveyed the crowd before him. “I knew many of you would hate her, despise her for her human blood. I didn’t even know if she would be werewolf or human, so I waited. Because I knew that just as many of you would want to claim her as a mate. Women of our kind are not so plentiful any longer that a strong, healthy, beautiful one can be overlooked. Even if she is a half-breed.”

Her father turned back to her and smiled. “So I raised her as best I could. Alone. And she is a strong woman. The kind of mate any man would be proud to call his own.” Her heart ached at the emotion in her father’s voice. She wanted to reach out to him, but knew she had to let this scene play out. She knew instinctively both their futures were on the line.

“If you find that kind of woman offensive, then you are welcome to leave.” Her father stared at the couple, who seemed to shrink beneath his gaze, and then he swept his eyes over everyone gathered. “And that goes for anyone else who thinks the same. I am alpha here now and she is my blood. Accept her or leave.”

Alex held her breath. There were rumblings, but no one made any move to leave. Miles Jenson stepped forward and bowed his head low in submission. “My apology.” Alex thought he might choke on it, for it certainly wasn’t sincere, but her father graciously accepted it. She made a mental note to keep an eye on this man and his entire family. There would be more trouble from that corner for sure.

Joshua stepped forward. “That leaves the business of the challenge for Alex unresolved.” He ignored her gasp of outrage. “She is mine.” His voice was hard and brooked no disagreement. “Any who wish to challenge, do so now.”

“Don’t I have any say in this?” She faced him, standing so close that the tips of her slippers were touching his boots.

“No.”

“No?” She poked him in the chest. “I don’t think so. Mine is the only voice that matters.”

Whirling around, she faced the crowd once again. “Before you all beat yourselves to a pulp, you’d best know one thing. I’ll accept who I want to accept and no one else. Anyone who thinks they can claim me better be prepared to get a knife in the ribs.”

“What a woman,” Grady whispered almost soundlessly as he stepped forward.

“And who do you choose?” Brady Donovan’s face was inscrutable, but she thought she caught a glimpse of some softness in his eyes. She could easily have fallen for him if she’d never met Joshua. But she had met Joshua and there was no accounting for taste when it came to love.

Turning, she glared at the man who had captured her heart. Joshua was overbearing, infuriating and sexy as hell. The thought of any other man touching her left her feeling cold. She gave him her back again and sensed his growing frustration. “I will have no one but Joshua Striker.” There, let him think about that.

His large hands came down on her shoulders, turning her to face him. “The challenge must be met,” he gritted out from between clenched teeth.

Alex had finally reached the limit of her patience and endurance. The adrenaline rush that had carried her through the challenge with her father had petered out. The anger that had sustained her was gone, leaving exhaustion in its wake. She swayed on her feet.

“You do whatever you have to do. In the meantime, I’m going to bed.” Ignoring all the stares, she walked toward Joshua’s home. “I’ll be waiting,” she called back over her shoulder. “If anyone other than Joshua gets in bed with me, they should be prepared to be castrated.”

The men all shuddered as they watched her leave. Joshua was torn between laughter and going after her, throwing her over his shoulder and dragging her off to bed. The only reason he didn’t do either was because, like it or not, the issue of the challenge had to be settled.

He watched the sway of her hips and then growled when he realized that half the men there were watching it too. He’d seen the exhaustion in her face and wanted to go and gather her into his arms and hold her while she slept. He wanted to pamper her, see to her needs and then…then he wanted to make her his.

Donovan and Grady watched until Alex let herself inside the front door of Joshua’s home. They both grinned when the door slammed shut behind her. “Now that is a woman worth challenging for.” Grady nodded his head in agreement with Donovan.

Joshua began to strip off his shirt. “Which one of you wishes to challenge first?” A heavy hand on his arm stopped him and he lowered his shirt back down.

Donovan was staring at him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I said she was worth fighting for, not that I wanted to be turned into a eunuch when I beat your sorry ass.”

Grady chuckled. “I like my parts right where they are, thank you very much.”

Joshua was astounded. He knew neither man was afraid to challenge him, nor were they afraid of claiming Alex. What they were doing was showing their respect for her and for him in front of the entire pack.

“You’ve got balls to take on that one, Joshua.” Isaiah slapped him on the back. “But I think she’s exactly what you need.”

James came to stand before him and all the men fell silent. “You accept her choice?”

They all nodded. James smiled and turned to Joshua. “She is unconventional and unused to our ways, but she will make you one hell of a mate.”

“I know.” Joshua had waited long enough. He strode toward his home, ignoring the catcalls and advice being hurtled at him from all quarters. “Isaiah, you’re in charge for the next few days.” Laughter and hooting followed his words. “We’ll have the formal ceremony then.”

He lengthened his stride, all of his thoughts on finally claiming the woman who was his.