Blood Legacy (Wolf Moon Academy Book 2) Read online

  No, we won't, but we do have to be smart about this one. Liam reached over and squeezed my hand under the table. This is Simon's territory, and his dad is crazier than he is.

  Yeah, that sounded par for the course.

  "Oh, she is a pretty one." Mr. Rhodes nodded in approval. "Is this the one you’re considering to bond with?"

  “Yes, but I’m still not quite sure.” Mr. Voss shrugged his shoulders. “It’ll depend on how things go tomorrow, I suppose.”

  A low growl escaped Simon, and he stood on his own two feet. “You can’t beat people and force them into a bond that they don’t want.”

  Evan glanced at him with his brows furrowed.

  I’d never seen this side of Simon before. Maybe we’d finally found a line he wasn’t willing to cross. I had been beginning to wonder if one actually existed. Something is going on with Simon.

  Yeah, I have no clue what it is. Liam stared at his friend with narrowed eyes. I guess physical abuse is where he draws the line.

  That’s not true. Flashes of my brother tied to the tree sprung to my mind. Simon had beaten my brother to lure me after Liam finally submitted to our bond. He had even tried to kill me.

  “I can do whatever I want.” Mr. Voss placed a finger under Sherry's chin and forced her head up to look him in his eyes. "Go take her to the guest room and lock her up. She needs to be in tip-top shape so everyone can see how I break her."

  "Yes, Sir." One of the goons nodded as they forced her back inside the house.

  Simon slammed his hand on the table and took a deep breath. "She’s injured. She needs food and water."

  "No, it’ll help the display tomorrow. Make her even weaker." Mr. Voss sat back in his seat and winked at Simon. "Besides, she’ll be worse off tomorrow than she is today, so if she’s not a hundred percent, it’ll still work."

  The rest of the afternoon dragged on as Simon stayed silent and kept glancing in the direction of the house where they’d taken the girl. For once, maybe he and I would be on the same page. There was no way in hell that alpha was going to touch her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  When we arrived at the Four Seasons, Simon was still preoccupied. He hadn't spoken more than a few words since he saw the girl being abused. He kept chewing on his bottom lip and was jittery.

  As we rode the elevator to the top floor, uncomfortable silence descended among us. Simon had demanded his own room this time, which was odd. He had been the one who wanted to share a suite with the other two, afraid that we might exclude him from something.

  The five of us walked out of the elevator and went to our assigned rooms. Evan and Micah were still sharing one together since they had a two-queen bed option.

  As soon as we got into our room, I took a deep breath as I took it all in. The room felt exactly the same as all of the others we'd stayed at. The sheets were white and the carpet a tan that complemented the dark wood of the table and dresser. A tan couch sat in the corner of the room.

  I made my way over to the couch and sat. "We have to save her." The city alpha was using her as an example, and I could only imagine what would come of that.

  "We will." Liam put our bags on the floor by the dresser and joined me. "Every region is messed up. If these big cities that get a lot of attention are corrupted, there is no telling what we could find elsewhere." He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "If I hadn't seen all this shit with my own eyes, I would have a hard time believing it."

  "How come?" That was something I was struggling to understand from these four men. They grew up with their parents, and hell, it was clear they were assholes.

  "Because we were taught never to question them." Liam chuckled, but there wasn't a smile on his face. Feelings of regret coursed through our bond. "I mean, they raised us to be just like them, and everything made sense… until you." His eyes landed on my face as a tender smile spread. "You made me realize that there was something more to me than some jaded, arrogant man."

  I leaned over and pressed my lips to his. You are so much more than that, and I'm glad you're starting to see it. All four of you are. You don't have to be your fathers.

  I realize that now, and it's so damn freeing. He leaned back and glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. We need to rest so we’re ready for tonight."

  My stomach rumbled as if proving his point. "Let’s get some room service."

  "Good idea. We're going to need our energy tonight." Liam took out his phone and began pressing buttons. "I'm texting Evan and Micah to see if they want in on helping us tonight."

  "What about Simon? Maybe we should mention something to him." He had acted compassionately earlier, so I hated to make him feel excluded. I was learning that it was one of his triggers for acting out. He was very much like a child; attention was attention even if it was negative.

  "He's a wild card, but I’ll call his room and feel him out." Liam wrapped an arm around my shoulders and shook his head. "Sure, something actually may have appeared to bother him today, but one phone call from his dad, and it all could change."

  That's true. Even though we took his cell phone, now that he was alone he could call his father from the hotel or one of the alpha's houses. "You know if we do this and don’t include him, he's going to go crazy for two reasons." I turned my body toward Liam. "First, every time he feels excluded, he gets progressively worse; and two, this is his region."

  "Which is even more of a reason I don’t want to bring him, but given how he’s been acting, you might be right. He may deserve a chance." Liam took a deep breath. "I hate that there is so much between us now. He and I were the closest out of the four of us growing up, but something changed in him. I have no clue what. It's like he's willing to do whatever it takes to impress his father."

  "We all have our secrets." I knew that better than anyone else.

  His phone buzzed with a reply from Evan.

  "Sounds perfect." I brushed my lips against his.

  “Let me call Simon and fill him in.” He dialed the number to Simon’s room and then threw his cell phone on the table. “He didn’t answer, thank God.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me into his chest. We haven’t had any time together over the last few days.

  We’ve been busy. I opened my mouth, letting his tongue slip inside. It felt like ages since we’d been together like this.

  I climbed on top of his lap and relished the feeling of his hardness against my core.

  You’re killing me. He pulled back and grabbed the edges of my shirt, pulling it over my head. He dropped it to the floor, and his eyes roamed over my body. You're so beautiful. He circled his arms around me and removed my bra, staring at my breasts. So damn beautiful. He lowered his lips to my nipples and began to suck and bite.

  My head felt dizzy, and I grabbed his chin, bringing his lips back to mine.

  He growled as he stood up, my legs still around his waist as he placed me on the bed. I slipped my fingers along the waistline of his slacks and unbuttoned them, dragging them, along with his underwear, to the floor.

  Not wasting any time, he unbuttoned my jeans, removing the last two barriers between us before his fingers slipped between my legs.

  “No, wait.” I pulled his hand away, yanking his shirt off him and throwing it on the floor. I kissed his lips, moving down his neck to his chest.

  You’re making me crazy. He grabbed my waist and spun me around so I was facing the bed.

  As I leaned over the bed, he slipped inside me with one hard thrust. Soon our bodies were in sync, and he hit all the right places like never before. It wasn’t long until my pleasure started building, and he leaned forward, placing his fingers between my legs, and rubbed.

  I wasn’t sure how many times I rode the waves of pleasure, but when he began digging deeper against me, I knew he was getting close to his release as well.

  He increased our pace, and soon the friction started building once again. Right when I thought I couldn't take it any longer, we both climaxed as one.

  Wh
en it was over, he kissed my back as I stood and turned toward him. My stomach growled loudly, which caused a huge smile to spread across his face.

  Liam leaned over and kissed me again. "Let me order some room service. We can’t have you hungry."

  Simon had disappeared, and we didn’t have time to wait on him. So the four of us left without him. We took a cab but had them stop a few blocks away from the gated community. We had to act now. Luckily, the gate was only for traffic in and out and did not extend through the actual forest. It made sense that his pack would want to run in the open.

  We had to be careful not to run into any of his pack. Luckily, it wasn't a full moon, so most of them wouldn't be out and about.

  We had been dropped off at a bustling street near the beach where we could shift and run up the huge hill to get to the alpha’s house. A strip mall sat across the street along with several bars. Because of the amount of traffic there was, we decided it would be easier to hail a cab and prevent the pack from chasing us outside the woods.

  Liam took my hand and pulled me toward the trees.

  "We're good. No one is paying attention." Evan's voice was only a whisper, careful not to alert any of the humans to our plans.

  "Let's go," Liam said as we rushed to hide behind the closest set of thick trees.

  Once we were in our natural element and hadn't raised any alarm, my heart began to beat steadily again.

  Liam's eyes glowed in the darkness. “I’m going to stay human since we will need to be able to get through the gate and into the house and still be able to communicate. You three can shift.”

  I looked around as my eyes adjusted and took a deep breath, enjoying the hint of saltwater in the air. I dropped my backpack on the ground and nodded over to a small opening about ten feet away. "I'm going over there to shift." The last thing I wanted to do was get naked in front of Micah and Evan, and it would be a good spot to leave my backpack. I'd packed an extra set of clothes for each of the guys and the girl, too, so that once we got here, she could shift back to her human form.

  Not wanting to waste time, I ran over and quickly removed my clothes, shifting onto all fours. When I ran back out to the others, they were there waiting for me. Micah's wolf was the darkest of the two while Evan's fur had a reddish tint, which matched his auburn hair.

  Liam made his way to me and dug his fingers into my fur. You’d better be careful. I don’t like you being here with us, but it’d have been worse if I left you behind.

  Everything will be fine. He has no clue we’re coming. I couldn’t promise it, but I needed him to calm down and focus on our target.

  The four of us glanced at each other, and we took off toward the houses.

  Has anyone heard from Simon? It shocked me that the heirs hadn't heard from him. He didn’t answer earlier when Liam tried calling, but I had expected to see him before heading out this way. Also, we needed to keep an eye on him, but tonight this had been more important. I only hoped he didn’t mess this up somehow.

  No, it's odd. Evan ran by his room quickly when we were heading out, but he didn’t answer then either. Liam took the lead, moving fast but carefully since none of us knew the surroundings. He let his wolf out just enough to keep his pace the same as ours.

  The hike up the cliff was longer than I realized, but it was nice to run, letting my animal loose. It had been far too long in my human skin, and being in my fur was invigorating.

  The four of us ran together in unison until we noticed the tree line growing a little thinner. Liam slowed the pace as we surveyed what was in front of us.

  Our main problem was that the four of us weren't a pack, which was becoming more and more frustrating the longer I got to know them. Only Liam and I could communicate, but that was due to our mate bond.

  Light allowed me to see someone moving from the corner of my eye and the scent of another wolf shifter hit my nose. We're not alone. I took another deep breath and couldn't believe my nose. The smell was fruity. Uh. It smells like Simon.

  A low growl emanated from my chest as I turned to stare at the one person I hadn’t expected to find. My nose had to be playing tricks on me.

  Don’t move. Liam's voice was commanding as if I would actually listen. I'll be there in a second. There’s no telling why he’s here.

  I trotted over as Simon’s eyes caught my own.

  "Of course, you’d be here." Simon rolled his eyes as he stared at me.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" Liam said in a quiet voice as he appeared beside me. "You're going to get yourself killed."

  "This is my region." Simon lifted his head as he watched the other two heirs catch up in their animal forms. "And why am I not surprised they are here too?" He sighed.

  "Well if you aren't worried, then why the hell are you sneaking in just like the rest of us?" Liam arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

  Simon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Because I'm here for the same damn reason you are. I can't sit back and let him hurt her."

  "Really?" Liam waved his hands toward the houses that we could see in the distance. "Why?"

  "I don't know why." His face scrunched in pain, and he shook his head. "But I can't let her stay in there. Dammit." He ran his fingers through his ash blond hair and pulled at the ends. "It doesn't make any sense, but I need to save her, and that douche wouldn't be willing to hand her over. So here I am."

  "We're trying to get a feel for what's going on and figure out which room she's in." Liam pointed over to the city alpha's house. All the lights were off downstairs, but there were a few rooms lit on the top floor.

  "She's in the corner guest room." Simon pointed at the room that was closest to us, which overlooked the woods. "He has her tied to the bed so she can't escape."

  "How do you know this?" Liam's brows furrowed.

  "When I went to use the restroom while you all ate, I watched his two idiots leave the room and saw her right before the door shut." Simon lifted both hands in the air and shook his head. "She looked so damn weak."

  She's his mate. That was the only thing that made sense. Simon was torn up right now and even more angry at the fact that he was upset.

  Yeah, I think so too. Liam's face remained neutral as the two men stared each other down. "Then, why don't you join the four of us to save her?"

  "I need to stay in human form to remove the rope." He pulled out a knife from his pocket. "But you four can cover my ass."

  Of course, this had to be about him and his ego, but having two people in human form would be a good thing. Sometimes, it was an advantage to remain on two legs.

  "Fine. That way, at least we can all be on the same page, but," Liam said as he narrowed his eyes at his friend, "don't do anything stupid. I'll override you in a heartbeat."

  "I won't. We can't risk getting caught." Simon's eyes, for once, weren't crazed; they were full of determination.

  Liam must have found whatever he was looking for because he nodded. “I’m staying in human form too so we can all communicate.”

  “Fine.” Simon rolled his eyes.

  The five of us were quiet as we carefully hurried through the rest of the woods, bringing us close to the city alpha's house. The closer we got, the slower we moved, watching for anything that seemed out of sorts.

  Right as we reached the edge of the tree line, I glanced around but didn't see or smell anyone outside. The moon hung high in the sky, alerting us to the fact that it was approaching midnight.

  We trotted to the back of the house and ran to the gate that led onto the porch where we had spent the afternoon.

  Simon grabbed the top of the privacy fence and pulled himself over, landing on the other side. Within seconds, we heard a slight click, and the gate slowly opened without a sound. Liam grabbed it and waved the three of us in to join Simon on the other side.

  He quietly shut the gate as we entered the backyard, and all of us paused as we glanced around, waiting for something. The water of the pool rippled with the breeze, an
d the sky was eerily quiet.

  "It's clear." Simon's words were like a faint breeze.

  I could barely hear them. As we all quietly moved to the back door, Simon pulled out a knife and started messing with the lock.

  What the hell is he doing? We were going to get caught. We hadn't thought out all of this.

  No, he knows what he's doing. Liam's eyes met mine. He broke into his dad's car and hot-wired it when we were sixteen.

  That was something I hadn't expected.

  Within seconds, the back door unlocked, and Simon opened it just enough for all of us to fit through.

  “Micah, stay here, and keep an eye out.” Liam glanced at his friend. “Alert us if anything happens.”

  The dark brown wolf nodded his head as he moved to the side of the porch where he blended in with the shadows. His gold eyes were the only indicator he was there.

  “Come on.” Liam waved Evan and me inside the house after Simon. Once the four of us were inside, he closed the door just enough that it appeared shut even though it was still barely open.

  I searched for any signs of someone downstairs, but luckily it was dark and quiet. It sounded like there was a television on upstairs, which I thought may be a blessing to help drown out some of the noise.

  Simon scurried across the living room and turned left, heading into a small walkway with its door shut. He turned around and pointed at the door.

  This is where she is. Liam linked with me.

  I wanted to be a smartass to him, but now wasn't the time. He was only stating the obvious.

  Once again, Simon worked the lock with his knife, and it only took moments before he opened the door and slipped inside.

  Evan stayed outside to guard the hallway as the three of us slipped inside the room.

  I paused when I saw the girl on the bed.

  Her head jerked in our direction, and I noticed that the circles under her eyes had become even darker than when we last saw her. Her legs were tied to the footboard, and her arms were tied to the headboard. The ropes didn't have any slack in them, not even to move an inch. There was duct tape on her mouth, but her jade eyes widened in horror.