“It’s not your fault.”
“Then whose is it?” he countered angrily. “It is our responsibility. My responsibility.”
“You have to let it go, Joshua.” Her fingers tightened around his. “You were doing what Ian asked you to do, what your alpha commanded you to do. You were fulfilling your duty to him and the pack.” Alex scowled at him. “We’ve had this discussion before. You’re not omnipotent.”
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease some of the tension that rested there. The gashes on his arms, back and chest pained him, but it was the ache in his heart that hurt the most.
“Give it time.” Her voice was low and soft, a balm to his battered soul.
He knew Alex was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. All any of them could do was go forward and face whatever lay on the path ahead of them. They were almost at the compound.
Alex stumbled and he caught her easily in his arms. She had to be close to collapsing, but she never uttered a complaint. Her face was chalky, her lips pale. Dark circles ringed beneath her eyes and the bruise on her face was a sickly yellow and black. He knew her body was battered and bruised as well and that her arms and feet needed tending.
He pulled her to a halt, picked her up and placed her on a tree that had fallen across the path. “Rest.” She didn’t like his order and made to stand. “We need to wait for Isaiah. It won’t do for us to go into this blind. We’re less than an hour away.”
“Oh.” She settled back on the log and sighed. “I guess that makes sense.”
Joshua fought back a grin as he watched her. “Glad you think so,” he added wryly.
The others came up alongside them with James in the lead. “How much longer until Isaiah gets back?”
“Not long.” Joshua knew his brother would be back as quickly as possible.
The words were barely out of his mouth when Isaiah appeared from between two trees. He didn’t waste any time, shifting back to his human form immediately. He launched straight into his news. “Ian and Patrice are dead.” The news was as stark and blunt as his voice. “Luther and his brothers took them unawares. They didn’t make it.”
Joshua flicked his gaze toward James. The older man stood there, still as a statue, and absorbed the blow. His brother and sister-in-law were both gone.
“What about the others involved in this betrayal?” Joshua turned his attention back to Isaiah.
“Some of the younger pups of the Brody family are waiting at the compound.” An unholy smile lit Isaiah’s face as he took his clothing from Simon and pulled on his jeans. “Seems they want to challenge you, brother. They think they can defeat the Striker.”
Joshua swallowed back his anger. So much loss. So much death, and all of it unnecessary. No wonder their kind was dying out. They couldn’t stop this incessant fighting amongst themselves. He felt Alex’s hand at the base of his spine. The heat from her palm, the contact between them, soothed him. “They are welcome to try.”
He felt Alex’s fingers jerk against his skin, but she said nothing, made no protest. She’d faced nothing but violence since she entered his world. He honestly was afraid she wouldn’t want to stay with him in Wolf Creek. And who would blame her? Certainly not him. At this point, he wasn’t sure he wanted to stay any longer. He was tired. Tired of all the fighting and death. And what was it all for?
Alex leaned into his side, her softness nestling against his hard body and he swallowed back the surge of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.
This is what he fought for. For the chance to have a few moments of peace. To protect a special woman like Alex. For a chance to rebuild their society.
He wanted to howl, to change into his wolf form and run free through the woods with Alex by his side. He wanted to curl up after a long hard day with Alex in his big bed and spend all night making love to her. He wanted to fall asleep with her curled in his arms and wake in the morning with her still there.
And he would have it too. Determination fired him again, pushing away his fatigue. “What about the elders of the family. Donovan Brody isn’t a stupid man.” The Brody loyalty had never been in doubt until this moment and Joshua found it disconcerting. Donovan was not only a good friend, but also a man whose opinion he respected.
Isaiah smirked. “You might not get a chance to meet the younger Brodys. When I left, Donovan was headed for the compound with blood in his eyes.”
“Damn it. That’s my job. They challenged me.” He knew his friend would handle the problem, but he would pay a terrible cost. It wasn’t easy to have to kill a member of your own family, even if it was an extended member. “Which Brodys are involved?”
“His younger brother’s children.” Joshua knew they were all young males, ranging from the ages of twenty to thirty-five. Old enough to know better and young enough to be stupid. “It has to be the influence of the boys’ maternal uncle. Their father is mated to a Carlos, isn’t he?
Isaiah nodded.
It all made sense to Joshua. All those young men thinking they could destroy the fabric of the werewolf society and take over. What they didn’t yet realize was the very survival of their race depended on that same society and the rules that were in place to protect it.
“We have to get going.” James prowled forward. “The deaths of Ian and Patrice must be avenged. Then we will deal with the Brodys.” He didn’t wait for the rest of them, but moved off on his own.
The rest of them followed quickly. They knew the pain James was feeling. They’d all experienced it at one time or another. It was never easy to lose family.
Alex trudged forward. Each step was bloody painful. She wanted to ask if they were almost at the Wolf Creek compound but couldn’t muster the energy. It had to be close.
She was so intent on just staying on her feet that she didn’t realize Joshua had stopped until she plowed into his back. She grabbed onto his waist for support and managed to stay on her feet.
She could see the worry in his eyes when he gathered her close to him. “I’m okay.” She patted his chest, loving the hard feel of it beneath her palm. She could tell he wasn’t convinced, but there was nothing either of them could do about it right now so there was no point in talking about it.
“I wanted to show you something.”
She heard it then, a loud rushing sound just beyond the trees. She was shocked she hadn’t heard it before now. Stepping beside him, she let him lead her off their original path. The trees seemed to part suddenly and her breath caught in her throat.
About thirty feet in height, the rock wall reached to the sky. Cascading over it was a shower of water, wild and fierce. Plants of all sorts grew along the banks of the river. The lush green was peppered with a splash of red and white as some flowers and berries flourished. A fine spray of mist shimmered along the top of the pool that formed at the base of the falls. It was completely untamed and absolutely breathtaking.
Joshua’s arms came around her from behind. His chest was nestled up to her back and she leaned against him, careful not to put much of her weight against his injured chest, but wanting—no needing—the contact with him. His fingers slid beneath the fabric of her shirt and rested lightly on her stomach. “This is part of Wolf Creek,” he whispered in her ear and she understood why he didn’t speak aloud. There was something about this place that seemed almost magical and certainly awe inspiring.
“It’s beautiful.” Her words were totally inadequate to express what she truly felt, but she sensed he understood what she was trying to say.
His lips skimmed the curve of her ear. “When this is all done, I’ll bring you back here and we’ll swim in the pool.”