Mate Bound

  Table of Contents

  Mate Bound (The Alpha Legacy #7)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  There's More!

  The Dragon Born Trilogy

  The Abnormals Underground Series

  The Alpha Legacy

  Book 7

  By Holly Hook

  Mate Bound

  The Alpha Legacy #7

  By Holly Hook

  Copyright Holly Hook 2019

  Chapter One

  Remus, sword drawn, watches as his twin's Savage Wolves parade his mate, a young woman with dark hair, across the field and towards where he and his twin stand. The woman, despite the Wolves snapping at her ankles, holds her head high. Though dark-haired and olive skinned, she robed woman has Aunt May's nose. Her strong cheekbones. She walks with the grace of any Noble Wolf. I almost feel like I'm staring at an ancient version of my aunt.

  And that pumps terror into this vision. Though I can't feel my pulse in this state--I'm more like a floating ball of consciousness--the sense of dread chokes me and makes darkness swirl at the edge of my awareness.

  Terror fills the Noble King's bright blue eyes and his jaw slowly falls as his armored brother, who stands just feet from him, smiles. The Savage Wolves, hackles raised, spread through the weeds behind the woman, cutting off her escape. Two dozen of them glare with eyes like pits into an underworld. The woman, hearing them cut her and her mate off, bites her lip in fear but masks it a moment later. She's strong. Tough. Maybe even willing to die without a scream.

  "Remus," she calls. She injects as much meaning into that one word as anyone can. Don't fight for me.

  "Allia!" the Noble King shouts. Sweat glistens on his temples, plastering his dark hair to his head. There's no hiding his terror.

  Just behind Remus, Romulus, also in iron armor and a helmet, smiles and narrows his dark eyes. He planned this moment. He wants to goad his brother into fighting so he can kill him.

  What else can he do? These Wolves will tear the two of them apart no matter what they try. They're outnumbered with no other Nobles to help them. Deep red lurks in all the Savages' eyes. The air must reek of decay. These creatures don't care about life, human or Wolf. They only care about dominance and the hunt. This is fight between the best and worst parts of nature.

  Remus turns to his brother, fist clenching around the handle of his sword. A tremor overtakes his muscular body. Though I float no more than two dozen feet away, I can't do a thing. A helpless feeling sweeps over me as Allia stops near the edge of the worn ground, a place stomped down by warrior feet where the brothers may have sparred hundreds of times. The Savages have formed a ring, the edge of an arena, and they still and lower to the ground, waiting for the bloody outcome. Allia's pinkish robe snaps back in a sudden breeze, pressing against her torso, and I see why Remus is so protective. She's expecting.

  Remus says something to her in Latin, and though I don't know the words, I get the meaning. He loves her more than anything. He'll fight to the death. She'll survive, with or without him.

  Allia shouts something that must mean no.

  I try to do the same, but can form no words.

  Remus turns away from her as a growl rips from his throat. He drops his sword, training hatred on his twin. His form begins to pop and shift as the surrounding Savages watch. A chorus of growls rise from the field. In just a couple of seconds, a dark Wolf with bright blue eyes forces himself out of the armor and faces the twin he suckled beside as a baby. Romulus remains in human form, digging his blade into the dusty ground, and smiles. He's goading his brother. This is all according to plan.

  The surrounding Savages all yip at once, as if to signal the start of the fight.

  Remus, now a huge dark Wolf, leaps at his brother, whose smile only grows as the first Noble Wolf closes the distance to him.

  "Brie. Karina's finally awake."

  The ancient world snaps away as I open my eyes. Sucking in a breath, I blink and force my eyes to focus on the blurry form above me. Cayden stands above the couch I lie on, his hazel eyes like that of a forest god's. His scent, the forest and all the best parts of nature, wash over me. I take another drawn-out breath, remembering that I'm not in some field in the Roman Empire. I'm safe with my mate.

  "Sorry to wake you," he says in a soft, reassuring voice. "I know last night will haunt us for a long time."

  We're all still in Olivia's mansion, trying to figure out what to do now that we've disposed of Edwin. Last night, we killed the old warlock once he revealed he betrayed my parents to the Savages. We buried him and then we returned to the house to recover from the whole experience.

  "No kidding. What did you say right when I was waking up?" I'm disoriented from the vision. After the meditation session that Edwin led, I hadn't expected to have another. "Something about Karina?"

  Cayden forces a smile. "Yeah. Brett's ugly sister? She's awake and the rest of the pack have her restrained. It's not pretty. She's going to be harder to bring around than Brett."

  "That's nice." I shudder as I continue to lie on the couch. It's Olivia's guest den. Yes, she has a guest den. I eye the window and see the pink light of early morning pouring through a crack in the checkered curtains. "Sheesh. Why can't we just lay together and enjoy a sunrise for once? We're always getting up to do something."

  "Well, there's not enough room on this couch, so will this help?" Cayden leans down and kisses me. His lips mold into mine and I rise off the sofa, wrapping my arm around his shoulder blades. I dig my fingers into his muscles, feeling the contour of his body. He brings me back to reality, chasing the battle away. Cayden lets out a small groan that sends good tingles down my spine. Even though I'm half asleep, my heart races in response to our close proximity. Our connection crackles. I can't get enough of him. I taste his lips and the godly, wild nature within them--

  "Get a room, you two."

  Everly. She's sharing the guest den with me. Crap.

  Cayden and I break apart and I join him in looking over to the other sofa, opposite me, where she's lying. Everly sits up and casts her blanket off herself, giving us her best fake glare.

  "I thought you were still sleeping, sis," Cayden says.

  "Well, I was sleeping, until I just heard everything," she says.

  "I'm glad something's normal," I say, which gets a pillow thrown at me by Everly.

  Cayden hurls it back at her. "Yep. It sure is."

  "You're in a good mood today," I say to him, sitting all the way up. Like everyone else staying at Olivia's mansion overnight, I've slept in my clothes. I can smell a faint mustiness on them. Sure, I showered last night like everyone else and jacked up Olivia's water bill, but my clothes need a trip to the washing machine.

  "Well, Brett went out for a walk and I've been practicing that whole shield thing Edwin told us to do," Cayden says. "It's helping. And Brett's been trying not to draw energy from others. I think he made some progress after we got his sister back, but there's no telling how long he'll be able to keep it up."

  "Oh." I had been hoping Brett learned overnight how not to suck energy from people. He's trying, but not getting very far, and his sister treating him the way she does could set him off
all over again. When he's in a foul mood, poor Brett sucks the life from everyone he's around without being able to help it. The more I'm around him, the more I feel sorry for him. "Well, at least you're not feeling as bad now. That's a plus."

  "No kidding," Cayden says, helping me off the couch like a perfect gentleman. "The guy's been staying outside most of the night so he doesn't affect us as badly. He's out for a walk right now. But when he gets back and realizes his sister's awake he might take a turn for the worse again."

  I'm fearing that, too. Everly and I exchange a look of pure seriousness as she gets off her sofa, leaving a bunch of ruffled blankets in her place. Outside the guest den, people shuffle around. And in the basement just below our feet hangs an ominous silence I don't like. The rest of the pack took Karina down there while she was still in the throes of turning. They used the same silver chains we used on Brett when he turned.

  I gulp. As the alpha, it's my job to order Karina around now. I have to face her. Sure, I have plenty of influence on the pack members, but my authority isn't absolute and if someone hates me enough, they can force themselves to go against me. It's going to be war.

  "Brie? None of us are looking forward to going down there." Cayden extends his arm and I let him wrap me up in it. His fingers caress the bare skin of my arm, sending tiny waves of electricity just under the surface. "She's horrible."

  "Yes. She's even more horrible than I am," Everly says with a pale smile.

  "Ha, ha," I say.

  Everly pretends to advance on me. "I hear what you say when you think I'm not listening. Debbie Downer. The fun killer."

  I don't care about that right now. My stomach turns over as my thoughts turn back to Karina and then the vision I had in my sleep. "Right before you woke me up, Cayden, I was back in ancient Rome. Or some place in the Roman Empire. I was in that field where the twins were about to fight to the death."

  "You were?" Cayden asks, eyes widening. Our faces hover just inches apart, but now isn't the time for love.

  "It was the same thing I saw last time. They were about to fight, Romulus was goading his brother, and Remus's mate was standing there. And she was pregnant, which makes the whole thing ten times worse."

  Cayden pales. "I don't know much about magic and spiritual stuff, but what if you're seeing something real? Something that really happened?"

  "It could have been a dream," Everly says.

  "It felt just as real as this room," I say, waving to the TV on the wall and the game consoles meant for parties that Olivia never touches. "I was there. Maybe it's connected to when I contacted Remus's spirit before. He could be trying to tell me something. Something about the fight is important."

  I wait for Everly to snort, but instead, she marches to the doorway and out into the hall. "It could be. Come on. Let's get the bad part over with."

  Cayden and I exchange a look of shock. I'd expected Everly to be skeptical of the vision, like Remo probably would be, but she's not. I'm glad we've all been around the Russells and Brett, who have proven the existence of magic and spirits.

  "We have to find my aunt," I say as Cayden and I walk down the hall to the huge living room.

  "We will today," he promises with a kiss to the top of my head. It's a protective kiss, a fixer kiss. I want Cayden to be the one to find her. He needs that, too.

  "The Hunters still have her," I say.

  "They won't hurt her. They see her as too valuable." He chooses his words with care.

  We find Noah and Olivia in the living room, sitting on the couch and in each other's arms. Noah has his arm around Olivia, and though she leans into him and strokes his chest, she looks at Cayden, Everly, and I with discomfort. I can't blame her. She smells of natural makeup and metallic nerves. She's hosted a whole Wolf pack and two dark magicians under her roof overnight while her mother's gone. The fact that a man died just outside her back yard must be unnerving, too.

  But at least Noah's holding her with his injured arm. He's healing.

  "Hey," Noah says with a faint smile.

  "When does your mom come home?" I ask her.

  Olivia rolls her eyes. "She's at a conference for the rest of the week, so I'm on my own." I can tell she didn't want to tell me that information.

  "We'll clear out of here as soon as we can. Promise," I say. "I know it's been a ride and I'm sorry."

  Olivia softens and exchanges a look with Noah before speaking to me again. "I hope you can find your aunt."

  "Thanks." The basement door, which is positioned between the living room and the spacious kitchen, waits. Everly's already vanished through it and closed the door behind her. My stomach turns over again. I'm not even sure what to worry about first.

  Karina, I decide. She has the power to call other cult members to her and even the Savages. While Brett's turned into a monster who can suck the life from everyone around him, she's trained to kill.

  So I swallow as Cayden releases me. "Ready?"

  He nods and gulps. "Ready."

  We walk down the basement steps together. Here we go again.

  Brett's still not back and I don't blame him. I smell the wild scents of the rest of the pack in the basement, and when I reach the bottom of the steps, I find Everly, Remo, and the Colling Wolves surrounding Karina. The witch has been bound to a wooden kitchen chair someone dragged down to the basement. Silver chains bind her ankles and wrists, which someone has wrapped around the chair's legs and Karina's lap. As if she's in for an interrogation session, someone's placed her chair right under a hanging light bulb. Perfect. Don stands aside as I glance at him, giving me a curt nod.

  "She's ready," he says, moving back to stand beside Nan.

  "Thank you," I say, approaching the light in the middle of the basement. Though most of the Colling Wolves stand at the periphery of the basement, in the shadows, silence falls. Remo wraps his arm around Leonora, who I've forgotten also stayed here overnight.

  Karina faces the floor at first, wrists and ankles bound by the same silver chains that held Brett in Edwin's basement the other day. Her dark hair hangs in her face, hiding her eyes, but I don't miss the way she flexes her fingers and grasps the arms of the chair with hatred. This girl tried to kill her brother. And if she gets the chance, she'll kill us. Karina reeks of acrid poison, which mixes with fresh leaves. A strange scent. She's something that shouldn't exist.

  All the spit leaves my mouth as I near her, but I force myself to swallow and step under the glow of the light bulb. I have power over her. I have to believe that.

  "Look at me," I order Karina.

  She snaps her gaze up at me, making me jump/ I see nothing but darkness and boiling hatred in her eyes. All her vulnerability has turned into this raging storm.

  I sniff. Adrenaline washes off Karina, and I suspect it's anger rather than fear. Her whole scent is strange.

  I gulp and reach for the authority within, and I find the sense of strength that courses through my limbs. "You will die if you call the Savages to you now," I say. "Do you understand me? They'll take one sniff and rip you apart even if you try to help them. This means you can't go back to your precious Romulus cult. Ever. There is no cure for becoming a Wolf."

  Karina opens her mouth and purses her lip before I can react. Spit flies and Cayden pulls me out of the way. She's faster now, faster than a human. The spit lands on the basement floor with a disgusting splat.

  "She's taking it better than I thought," Cayden says.

  A few people laugh. But the mood in the room stays in the toilet. The air gets thicker and harder to breathe. Mustier. I flex my arm and the sense of strength remains. It seems Karina doesn't use the art of sucking the life from people, but she doesn't have to. Her expertise is elsewhere. Just the glare she keeps on me is cringe-worthy.

  "The first thing you are going to do is stop treating your brother like shit," I say. "That's an order. And you will not harm anyone in this pack or anyone I know. That's my next order."

  "Why do you care about Brett? He's ju
st an idiot," Karina says. Each word is a blade.

  I ball my fists, wanting nothing more than to deck Karina across the face. I breathe out, forcing myself to hold back. "He cares about you. I'm sorry he has a black hole for a sister."

  "All he does is abandon people and he doesn't care about what anyone else is going through. Don't bother with him." She glares into my eyes. Karina's bold. I have to give her that. "He breaks promises so whatever he promised you is a lie. Don't believe it. What did he do? Tell you he was going to lift your curse and fight the Savage King? Good luck. You can't fight him."

  The vision roars back into my head and I see Remus ready to leap at his brother, but I shake my head and cast it away. Does Karina know about the fight or what I've seen? And how it ended? "That's none of your business. You do what we tell you now and maybe things will be okay. And Brett didn't abandon you. Realize that, please. And if you choose not to listen to me, we'll make sure you can't call on your dark forces." I'm making everything up because I have no plan for that.

  Karina goes silent. She glares at me as the quiet drags out and everyone watches the showdown. Then she smiles and speaks my worst fear. "You won't win against Romulus. Fight, and you'll turn dark. Stand down, and he will destroy you."

  Chapter Two

  "Brie, she could be screwing with you," Leonora says once I've downed a glass of water in the kitchen. After Karina said that crap to me, Cayden pushed in front of me to stare her down. And I, in a moment of weakness, came back upstairs.

  "I know that, but she just spoke what I've been worrying about for months," I say, pushing my back to the counter and leaning over it. Even the water leaves a bad taste in mouth, like nothing can wash my fears away. "But what if she's right?"

  Remo comes up the basement steps and enters the kitchen. "What a witch," he says. "And I didn't believe in them before. Can I have your permission to knock her out?" He looks right at me.

  "Knock her out? I almost did that myself. And we can't kill her. Do that, and Brett leaves. How's Cayden holding up against her?" He's stayed down there with Karina after motioning for me to leave the basement. Not an alpha moment, but he needed that, too. The last thing I want is for Cayden to feel useless again, which will drag us both down into darkness.