Werewolf Academy Book 4: Taken (17 page)

She shook her head. “Keep it. You’ve earned it.” She smiled at him. “Maybe you can teach me how to throw it.”

“I’d be glad to,” he promised.

Siale leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and caught Cassie’s eyes from the next seat. She was snuggled against Tennison. They both smiled at him. Alex tipped his head back and closed his eyes, completely content.

Kalia’s voice penetrated his wall of calm. “You guys all need to get a room. It’s disgusting.”

“I think they’re cute,” Terith replied.

Alex opened his eyes to see Kalia’s annoyed look. “They don’t have to shove it in our faces.”

“If you want to cuddle, I’m available,” Torin offered.

She rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to cuddle with a stinky, small-brained dolt, I’d go find a bear.”

Torin refused to be cowed. “They’re all hibernating right now.” He grinned. “That’s right. I listened in class. Would a bear know that?”

“Yeah,” Kalia replied dryly. “It’s the one hibernating.”

Kalia was leaning against the window with her arm over the back of the seat. Torin put his hand over hers. “I guarantee I’d make you happy.”

“As if,” she said. She pulled her hand away and glared sullenly out the window.

Alex held Siale closer, completely aware that if she hadn’t come into his life, he would be the one sitting next to Kalia.

Chapter Twenty

“You asked for me?” Alex said, knocking on the open door of Jaze’s office.

The dean looked up from the stack of papers he was perusing. “Alex, yes.” He rose. “Please come in and shut the door.”

As soon as it was closed, Jaze opened the hidden panel in the wall and led the way through. Alex walked quietly behind the dean down to the small monitoring room that was Brock’s normal working space when they weren’t on missions. As soon as the door slid open, Brock swiveled around.

“We’re positive. She can’t go back there,” the human said.

“Who are we talking about?” Alex asked. One glance at the surveillance cameras showed exactly who they meant. The Dickson’s mansion appeared solitary and silent on its vast expanse of grass. He stepped closer, peering at the screens intently.

“Kalia Dickson’s home is being watched,” Brock said.

“I see that,” Alex replied.

Brock shook his head. “Not by us. By them.” He pointed at the monitor.

At that moment, a dark shadow broke from the wall and skirted around the perimeter. Moonlight reflected off of the scope of the rifle the form held in his hands.

Alex’s heart sped up. “We’ve got to warn them!”

“They’ve been warned,” Jaze said quietly. At Alex’s questioning look, he explained, “I’ve already spoken to Adam Dickson and he’s increased his security, but evidence says they’re the General’s men.”

“Probably waiting for Kalia and Boris to arrive home for the holiday break,” Brock concluded.

Alex let out a breath. “They have to stay here.”

“Mr. Dickson agrees. I’ll tell Kalia.” Jaze’s tone said the dean knew exactly how Kalia felt about any time she spent at the Academy. Asking her to stay through the break would be like pulling teeth.

“No, I should tell her,” Alex replied. “But she’ll kill me for sure.”

“Better you than me,” Brock told them. He took a big bite of a granola bar. The crunch of the grains sounded loud in the small security room.

“I could talk to her,” Jaze said. “But she might take it better coming from you.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll do it, but if you don’t see me around tomorrow, you might want to send out a search for my body.”

“Will do,” Jaze replied with a sympathetic smile.

Alex wandered down the hallway wondering how to break the news to Kalia and her explosive brother. He rounded the corner and ran straight into her so fast they hit foreheads.

“Ow!” Kalia exclaimed, rubbing her head. “Watch where you’re walking.”

Alex barely kept himself from replying that she could do the same. He gave her a tentative smile. “Actually, I was looking for you.”

Kalia crossed her arms, her expression skeptical. “Why were you looking for me?”

Alex didn’t know how to put it into words. He stood there for a minute trying to collect his thoughts, but there was something in her icy blue gaze that kept him from speaking. He knew what it was, recognized it from all of the hours they had spent together. He knew Kalia well enough to see hope when he saw it. For that brief moment, she hoped he was looking for her for many different reasons than being forced to spend the break at the Academy.

“Kalia, we need to talk,” Alex told her. He took her hand, a gesture that had once sent tingles up his arm but now filled him with a longing to hold Siale’s hand instead. He led Kalia outside away from the prying eyes of the few students who wandered the corridors at night. He gestured to the steps and waited until she took a seat, her gaze still distrustful.

Alex glanced around, making sure they were alone. He caught himself clenching and unclenching his hands, and shoved them in his pockets. “Kalia, I know how you feel.”

The hope brightened. The faintest hint of a smile showed on Kalia’s lips.

Alex shook his head quickly before she grabbed onto something that wasn’t there. “You are not the one for me, and I can’t be the one for you.”

The hope vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by anger. “How do you know?” Kalia demanded. She rose and grabbed his arm. “How can you really know, Alex? You haven’t given me a chance since Siale showed up. I’m invisible.” Her voice wavered slightly. “I feel like you don’t see me anymore.”

“Of course I see you,” Alex replied. “You’re my friend.”

“Just a friend?” Kalia shot back.

“Yes,” Alex said, shaking free of her grasp. “Just a friend. A very good friend. Someone I care about.” Again the flicker. Alex let out a frustrated breath. “As a friend, but no more than that.”

Kalia grimaced. “How can you go from mooning after me last term to pretending I don’t exist this term?”

Alex held back the urge to point out that he hadn’t been mooning after her. Instead, he closed his eyes and squeezed them with one hand in an attempt to clear his mind. “Kalia, Siale is my one.”

The small gasp that escaped her lips broke his heart. He had never said the words because he knew how bad it would hurt her. Watching her shake her head, her eyes wide with disbelief, only made the pain of the truth that much harder to bear.

“I don’t believe you, Alex,” she said. “There has to be a way to show you that you’re wrong. There has to be something I can—”

Without warning, Kalia leaned forward and kissed him. She kept a hand on the back of his head, holding him there as she pressed her mouth firmly against his. Alex could feel her passion, her love, and her desperation in the kiss. He tried to fight it, but her Alpha strength came into play. Alex glanced behind Kalia to the doors. Siale stood there; loss filled her soft gray eyes when she met Alex’s gaze.

Anger surged through him. The blue rush flooded his vision. “Kalia, no!” he said, shoving her away. A glance back up at the doors showed Siale gone.

“Tell me you didn’t feel anything,” Kalia demanded.

“I didn’t feel anything,” Alex replied. He glared at her. “Don’t do that again.”

“You liked it.”

Alex grimaced. “It was like kissing my sister.”

Kalia’s mouth fell open. She tried to talk, but no words came out.

Angry that she had possibly hurt things between him and Siale, Alex pushed past her up the stairs. “You and I are never going to happen, Kalia. You need to accept that.” He looked back down to see tears in her eyes as she watched him. He grabbed a door handle. “Your house is being watched by the General’s men. You and Boris have to stay here for the break.”

He pulled the door open and stormed inside.

Familiar footsteps hurried up the stairs. Alex ran forward in time to see Siale reach the top. “Siale, wait,” he called.

A door slammed before he reached the last step. Alex ran to the end and pulled open the door to Pack Jericho’s quarters. He stopped short at the sight of Jericho and the rest of the pack standing around Siale. She turned at the sound of the door opening. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she didn’t speak.

Jericho’s hand was on her shoulder. He met Alex’s gaze with a stony glare. “Get out of here.”

“I need to talk to Siale,” Alex told his old Alpha.

“Not if she doesn’t want to talk to you,” Jericho replied. “She’s my Second, and I won’t let you hurt her.”

Rage burned through Alex. For a moment, he wanted to attack Jericho and teach the Alpha what it meant to stand in his way. Reason washed away the anger before he took a step. Jericho was an Alpha protecting his Second. The werewolf would have done the same to defend Alex, and he had. Jericho chose Siale after promising Alex that he would take care of her. Alex was just witnessing the Alpha holding up his end of the promise.

Alex forced his muscles to relax. He looked at Siale, willing her to listen. “Siale, please. We need to talk,” he said gently.

It took a moment for her eyes to lift to his. The bare, pain-filled gaze stole his breath. He could only hold out a hand, his expression pleading.

Siale took a step forward. Pack Jericho moved with her in case she needed him. She drew in a steeling breath and stood straighter. “I’m okay,” she said, her voice almost steady.

“Are you sure?” Jericho asked.

At Siale’s answering nod, he motioned for the rest of his pack to step back. Siale crossed to the door. Alex held it open for her to pass through to the hallway.

“Alex?” Jericho said.

He glanced back.

“I’m doing what you asked,” the Alpha told him with a hint of apology in his voice.

“I appreciate it more than I can tell you,” Alex replied. Jericho nodded and Alex gave him a small smile. “I’ll resolve this.”

“You better,” Jericho said. “Because you don’t want to mess with Siale’s Alpha.”

“No, I don’t,” Alex agreed. He stepped outside the door and pulled it shut behind him.

Siale sat on the top step, her head buried in her hands and her hair hiding her expression from view.

“I’m so sorry,” Alex said, crossing quickly to her.

“I can’t believe it,” Siale spoke in a voice just above a whisper.

Alex took a seat next to her. “It’s not what it looked like.”

Siale turned her head enough to peer at him through her wavy brown hair. “It looked like Kalia still has feelings for you and is trying to prove that you have the same for her.”

Alex swallowed the lump in his throat. “Okay, it’s exactly what it looks like.” He touched Siale’s shoulder. “But it didn’t mean anything to me.”

She bowed her head. “Nothing at all?”

“Nothing,” Alex replied.

“How am I supposed to believe that?” Siale asked quietly. “You liked her before you met me. That much is obvious. What if me coming here was a mistake? What if I—”

Alex tipped her chin up and kissed her. She hesitated for a moment, then kissed him back with a fierceness that surprised him. It chased away the feeling of Kalia’s kiss and replaced it with completeness. With a kiss like that, there was no doubt in Alex’s mind where Siale stood. He could tell by the small sigh that left her that she felt the same way.

“You’re my Alex,” she said, drawing back to look up at him. “I’m not going to share you with anyone.”

Her words filled him with such warmth he could barely speak. “I like that,” he replied softly.

“You better.”

They both turned at the sound of Jericho’s voice. The entire Pack Jericho stood at the end of the hallway watching them.

“You okay, Siale?” Jericho asked.

“Yes,” she replied with a small laugh. She leaned against Alex and he held her tight. “I’m just fine.”

Jericho met Alex’s gaze and nodded. Alex gave a smile in return. The Alpha pushed his pack mates back into their quarters. “Let’s give them some space,” Alex heard Jericho say.

Alex looped his fingers through Siale’s hair as she leaned against his side. “You’re my one, Siale.”

“You’re my one, Alex,” she replied.

The smile he heard in her voice made his heart skip a beat. She set a hand on his chest.

“You need to take care of that.”

He shrugged. “I can’t help it if being so close to you makes my heartbeat uneven. You have that effect on me.”

She looked up at him. “You deserve love, Alex.”

He smiled down at her. “I want only you.” He covered her mouth with his and smiled when she returned the kiss.

“I don’t want to leave,” Siale said when Alex leaned back.

As much as Alex wanted her to stay, he admitted the truth. “Your dad would kill me if you skip the holiday break to stay here.”

She sighed. “I know. Telling him I have a boyfriend is going to be hard enough.” Her eyes danced. “And telling him it’s you is going to be even more difficult.”

Alex pretended to be offended. “Red likes me.”

“Yeah,” she replied. “Until I tell him you kissed his daughter.”

“If he kills me, you can tell him it was still worth it.”

“Don’t worry,” Siale said with a warm smile. “I will.”

Alex held her close, dreading the morning when she would leave on the school bus out of his life for the next two weeks.

“My life won’t be worth living until you return,” Alex told her.

“Mine, neither. Maybe I can get Dad to send me back early.”

The thought cheered Alex immensely. “That would be great.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Siale promised.

Alex rested his chin on her head as she held him, her hand still over his heart and the fingers of her other hand tracing patterns on his palm.