Bear Necessities (31 page)

The truth will set her free…or get her killed.

Alexandra’s Legacy

© 2009 N.J. Walters

Alexandra Riley’s day starts out like any other in her
normal, predictable world. Then a tall, dark stranger bursts into her father’s
garage and shatters the illusion. In one shocking moment, she discovers why
she’s been feeling hot, restless—she’s the half-breed daughter of a legendary
werewolf and is a much-sought-after prize.

Joshua Striker, enforcer in charge of protecting the alphas
of the Wolf Creek pack, has come to take Alex home. Nothing more, nothing less.
From the first moment he sees her, she becomes the one thing he can’t afford—a
distraction from his duty. A weakness he doesn’t want—but can’t resist needing.

If only keeping her safe was as simple as fending off males
on the hunt for a mate. Through city streets to the mountains of North Carolina, Alex and Joshua have to evade those who don’t want their pure bloodlines
tainted with human DNA, as well as bounty hunters who think the only good werewolf
is a dead one.

What Joshua and Alex can’t outrun is the passion that flares
between them—or the choice Alex must eventually face. Whether to claim her
inner wolf, or forfeit her chance to claim Joshua as her own.

Warning: This book contains sexy werewolves, rogue
werewolves, nasty bounty hunters, a mysterious vampire and plenty of hot sexual
interludes that will raise your blood pressure.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Alexandra’s Legacy:

Joshua Striker’s heart was pounding, although outwardly none
of his excitement or agitation showed. He’d found her. It hadn’t been easy, but
he’d managed to stay one step ahead of the two roving packs of wolves searching
for her. She was a treasure and they all wanted her.

He could barely see her now, blocked by the bulk of her
father’s body. But the one glimpse he’d had of her had been more than enough to
fire his blood. He could almost feel her long, slender body bucking beneath his
as he thrust hard and deep. He wanted to fuck her until she was screaming with
pleasure, until they were both sweaty and spent. And then he’d do it all over
again.

His cock swelled in anticipation, pressing hard against the
zipper of his jeans. A fine sheen of sweat formed on his skin, making it itch.
His scalp tingled, his muscles tightened. He shook his head to clear away the
haze of lust enveloping him. Now was definitely not the time for this. His job
was to protect her, not to claim her.

The man in front of him issued another low growl. James
LeVeau, or rather James Riley as he called himself now, had disappeared from
the Wolf Creek pack of werewolves in North Carolina almost fifty years ago. At
the time he’d been the alpha of the pack, the toughest and smartest one of them
all. After his beloved wife, Leda, had died in childbirth, he’d simply
vanished.

There had been plenty of rumors over the years. The most
intriguing one was that he’d had a child with a human, a daughter. Now they all
knew the rumor was true and she was a prospective mate for many of the single
male wolves.

The past hundred years had not been kind to the werewolves
and their numbers were dwindling at an alarming rate. The past three decades
had been even worse. Children were far and few between, as were females of
mating age.

Personally, Joshua felt that had more to do with all the
infighting between packs, but the reality remained that they needed children to
expand their population. The fact that she was the daughter of one of the most
powerful, most well-respected wolves in the country was a bonus. Whoever she mated
with would immediately gain in status and standing.

“I come from Wolf Creek. Ian sent me.”

That gave the older man pause, but he didn’t back down or
relax his stance. “Who are you?”

“Striker.” James blinked, but gave no other indication of
what he was thinking. Joshua admired the other man’s self-possession.

“Last I heard Miguel was Striker of the Wolf Creek pack.”

“He was my father.” It still hurt for Joshua to think of his
father. The large man had seemed invincible to his sons, but death had claimed
him all the same.

“Was?” The very stillness of the other man assured Joshua
that he was ready to spring and fight at any second.

“It took four rogue wolves and several humans to bring him
down.” He wanted to tip back his head and howl with the sorrow that was his
constant companion. Instead, Joshua swallowed, refusing to show any of the
emotion beating at him. “He was searching for you.”

“You’re young Joshua.” James’ eyes narrowed as they raked
over the younger man.

“I was. Now I am Striker of the Wolf Creek pack.” Striker
was more than just their name, it was his family’s duty within the pack. The
head of the Striker family was in charge of pack security, of protecting the
alpha pair and the pack as a whole. That duty had fallen to him and he would
not fail, no matter the cost.

“I am sorry to hear about your father. He was the best of
us.” Joshua could not mistake the sincerity and the sorrow in James’ voice. “I
missed him.”

“Why did you never contact him?” The biting question was
past his lips before he could restrain it. Joshua was angry with himself for
letting his emotion show. It was a weakness he could not afford.

“It was not safe. I had too much to lose.” James shook his
head. “In those days they would not have accepted my child. She was not of pure
blood.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Times have changed in the past few decades,
have they not? Back then, they might have killed her, now they want to claim
her.” His features hardened and the alpha warrior was revealed. “I will do
whatever it takes to protect her.”

“Dad?” Her low, lilting voice washed over Joshua like a
physical caress, making it hard for him to breathe. “What’s this all about? Who
is this guy?” He could hear the uncertainty, the question in her voice as she
stepped out from behind her father.

James reached out his hand and wrapped it around her
shoulder, pulling her beneath the shelter of his arm. “This is part of what I
needed to speak to you about.” His gaze never left Joshua’s face. “Lock the
door and come upstairs. We have to talk.”

Joshua turned away from the pair, purposely leaving his back
exposed. Taking his time, he threw all six bolts on the door. When he was done,
he faced them and cocked his eyebrow in question. The older man motioned to a
doorway at the far end of the garage.

He strode past them, trying not to stare at the woman. He
didn’t know her name, but he knew that he wanted her. Something about her
reached deep inside him, demanding that he claim her as his own. With his
preternatural sense of smell, he caught a faint whiff of her scent and almost
moaned. She was close to coming into heat, but not quite there yet. At the
moment, it was just the faintest tantalizing perfume that made his head spin
and sent lust surging through his bloodstream. Layered over that was the clean
scent of woman, her own personal fragrance. It was fresh, like the mountain
wildflowers after a summer’s rain.

And he was obviously losing his mind if he was waxing poetic
when there was a pissed off alpha at his back and danger surrounding them all.
If he didn’t keep his mind on business, he’d never live long enough to have a
chance to claim his woman.

And she was his. She just didn’t know it yet.

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