Rage of the Alpha (Part 2 of the Alpha Queen series)

ASHER

Something felt off. He could not quite put his finger on what it was. Saber’s new technique had worked spectacularly and now these wolves were a true army. Their training had ended a couple of days ago and they only needed to practice with one another.

But there was something disconcerting just at the edge of his mind. He needed to talk to his… other side - the Asher-entity? But he needed some privacy lest everyone around him would think him crazy. They would likely not respect some mad Fae Prince/Dragon-Wolf-King... He had no idea how to view himself.

“I’ve been wondering if you’d like to join me for a bath. What do you say?” Saber wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Asher smiled at the idea and took her hand, leading her to the cave’s entrance - away from the pack house where they had just breakfasted. Moving through the pool at the entrance to their home, he got distracted by the way her clothes stuck to her body.

And apparently Saber was too distracted by him to shield them from the water. They stumbled into the caverns, trying to keep kissing and walking at the same time. By the time they entered her bathing chamber, both of them were already hot and bothered enough not to even notice the water.

“Asher, you need to focus.” The entity inside him intruded rudely. It was a complete turn-off.

“Saber, we need to talk.” Asher wanted to poke his own eyes out for it. It can wait, surely, he thought as he suckled those luscious lips. “Asher!” The entity spoke with much more force than before. This time, Saber heard it through their mind-link. Her eyes widened with surprise or disbelief, he wasn’t sure which.

“Who is he?” she asked with a bit of trepidation. Not that he blamed her.

“The entity was the guardian of my emotions. After you broke the spell on my emotions, he was supposed to vanish. He didn’t and lingered because the spell had been forcefully broken and not undone by the witch who cast it. He is me, but at the same time not quite.” Asher was suddenly insecure. What if she can’t accept this?

“If I may, my Queen?” The entity spoke softly to her - his voice filled with reverence.

Saber cupped Asher’s cheek and looked for confirmation in his eyes. He smiled and gave a slight nod, feeling touched that she would consider him this way. Hugging him tightly, Saber opened her mind to the entity - as Asher called him - and beheld… well… two Ashers.

She giggled as she took in the sight of them. “Twins huh? What will I do with two of you?”

The one wore a pained expression while the other seemed amused. She walked over and took the pained Asher’s hand, turning to face the other.

“It’s good to finally meet you. What can we call you? I hardly think “Entity” is a great name,” Saber teased. Having already been intimate with someone and only being introduced afterwards felt kind of backward.

“Indeed an interesting question, maybe just ‘Guardian’ would do?”

“Too obvious,” Saber laughed. “How about Custos? No, Lares… Yes that’s great! Any objections Lares? You have a much more Roman feel to you.”

“Lares it is, my Queen.” He acquiesced. “There are a few things that need urgent attention. Our first priority must be collecting the Princes. They have been taken by the Vampires. There would be no end to the destruction they could cause if they consume their minds. But the Vampires seem unnatural. I’ve searched through our memories and Prince Caspian had the same… impersonal personality before his life ended.”

“How do you know this? I’ve been having a weird feeling about them for days now. Why didn’t you speak up?” Asher demanded, irritated that he had not been able to identify the weird ball of tension he felt when thinking about them.

“I spoke as soon as I confirmed it. Before it was just a sense. I believe the reason I could confirm what is transpiring to be the fact that Princess Lamia created me, and therefore a connection to her has remained.” Lares knew it to be true the moment he said it.

“How do we get them out and save the vampires? As you said, the only other possessed person we know of was Caspian, and his ‘invader’ had no issues killing him.” Saber wanted to know.

“Trying to save the vampires would be futile. It wouldn’t do to have the daemons’ attention on us. The only course of action we have is getting my brothers and Lamia out…” Asher’s tone had turned cold.

Saber thought for a moment and turned to Lares,“Do you have any power separate from Asher? If you do, is there some way we can combine both? Like - I mean, my wolf and I, we are the same creature, just different aspects. It would make things easier on both of you not to have the distinction of being separate entities.”

“Food for thought my Lady, but we have to focus on more impending matters first, if only because what you suggest will need time to figure out. I can assist with locating the princes while covering your presence and keeping you hidden. But we must hurry. There is a sense of foreboding if we don’t move fast enough.”

Saber opened her eyes and breathed Asher’s new smell into herself. The usual wintergreen had an underlying sandalwood scent. It was peace and contentment rolled into a breath she easily called home.

“Well boys,” Saber beamed a devil smile, “let’s do this.”

LOLA

With her companions having been knocked out somehow, there really was no way to know for sure if she could help them. This made their rescue quite a conundrum - how would one escape with people who had to be carried? She followed at a small distance, determined not to be noticed, but her winter clothing was too heavy for much stealth.

Trying to keep all the excess material tightly wrapped around her hindered her balance, so much so that she kept diving into walls and corners whenever she ducked out of sight. She did not dare take off the only things that helped her blood flow and not freeze. Luckily, there weren’t many people milling about, yet this only raised more questions.

On the third floor of what seemed to be the main nest, Lola’s friends were being deposited into separate rooms. It was too far away for her to peek inside while the doors were open, so there was a distinct possibility of her being caught. She had kept out of the globes’ sight so far - small crystal “eyes” attached to the walls that would give any witch a clear view into these corridors.

The vampires left when their jobs were done, which opened a unknown window of time to get inside one of the rooms before they returned. The nearest door to Lola had the Winter King in it - probably the more powerful among their party - so a good place to start. Walking right up to his door, she tried the handle, surprised when it opened soundlessly.

Do or die, Lola geared herself up as she entered the dimly lit interior. It was cold, just like outside in the halls and the stairs and… everywhere. She guessed it made sense since vampires weren’t bothered by it.

More witchy spheres adorned the walls, but these provided more light the further she went. Bending down, Lola checked on the King’s breathing and found his heart beating as she lay her head on his chest. He looked so at peace that she wondered whether he was dreaming or just knocked out.

The entire room was basically a big open space, having the bed in one corner and a claw-footed bathtub with a small basin next to it. The door through which Lola had entered stood in the opposite corner while two sofas, with a low table between them, adorned the other.

Her eyes moved back to the basin where a wooden cup stood empty. Well, there’s an idea. It was a tiny moment where her servant heart experienced great joy while simultaneously fearing for her life when she filled the cup at the faucet and moved back to the King. Another moment - of hesitation - passed before she flung the cold water right in his face. The smugness turned to ice in Lola’s veins as his eyes snapped open and frost spread over the bed.

She was reminded of a similar situation where Queen Mab had received a note that angered her. Lola remembered cowering against a wall while the anger had rolled off her Queen. Here and now, similar waves flowed from Winter, but this time - unlike with the Queen - Lola stood her ground even with her racing pulse.

Sweat immediately beaded on her brows when the King slowly turned his head toward her. His eyes seemed to flow with ice, leaving a trail of white as they took in his surroundings and settled on Lola.

“I seem to be at a disadvantage here my young friend, can you fill me in on why I appear to be laying down?” The King’s voice sounded amused. Lola didn’t know what to say.

“I have no idea what happened your Majesty. One moment we were running and the next I stumbled over something. When I regained myself, all of you were unconscious. I followed your captors and snuck in here to find you.” Lola kept her methods to herself. It did not seem wise to relay how she had woken him.

Winter raised himself off the bed and wiped the wetness from his face, tucking the wet strands of hair behind his ear. Lola could not look at him for fear of laughing. Then she remembered the cup was still in her hands. Trying to keep it at an angle where he wouldn’t notice it, she moved quickly to the basin, filling the cup once more with slightly trembling hands.

“Maybe they doused you all with something that knocked you out?” Lola sputtered as she handed the water to him. He drank it quickly, looking at her with suspicion.

“It would make more sense if you splashed it over my face in an attempt to wake me,” he countered, ice forming over the cup in his hands.

Lola’s fear suddenly gave way to outrage. “So? What else would you have me do? Drag all of you out of here with this tiny body? Being tall won’t help me with that. I don’t have telekinesis either. So Oh Mighty King Of Winter, what the hell did you expect from me?” She whisper-yelled.

Her outburst came to an abrupt halt when he turned to the opposite wall, walking toward it and placing his hand against it. It was only then Lola noticed everything around her was frozen, same as with the gates when they entered this fortress.

Winter splayed his fingers and the wall crumbled exactly like the gates, revealing a sleeping Witch Princess on the bed.

Looking to Lola one last time before stepping through the gaping hole, he said, “I am not kissing her, you go ahead and do your thing. Be quick about it. We’re wasting time we don’t have.”