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

NEALL

When Asher and Saber had told her and Sebastian what they intended, it was like icy fingers curling around Neall’s heart. Fear and foreboding had melted together to form an imaginary hand that wanted to shatter her strength. She remembered the last time it happened to this extent - the night the Alpha pack was ruined.

Neall had lost nearly everything that night, save for Saber, and she was grateful. Though seeing her beautiful, innocent girl turned into this hard young woman was not easy on a parent’s heart, especially when before Caspian Saber had been so in love with the world and life.

Neall was determined to go with them. There was no way she could let them go while this feeling churned through her insides. I cannot let it happen again. How can I convince them? The two mates had absolutely refused when Saber’s mother informed them of her decision.

They don’t know demons... Heck, i don’t even know everything they’re capable of, but this can’t be the only way. There has to be something... Neall’s thoughts trailed off as she realized they were leaving.

Running outside she was able to intercept them. Grabbing onto her daughter and enfolding her in a fierce embrace, she whispered, “I love you so much. You’ve become so brave. I wish you didn’t have to be so stubborn. Just like your father.”

Tears sprang to life as Saber clung to her mother.

“I’d die if anything happened to you too. Please understand,” Saber whimpered.

“I would’ve been able to save our pack if I had only been there. I promise I won’t be leaving you just when I’ve found you. Please reconsider. I am begging both of you.” Neall could hear the fear even through the tears in her own voice, but she did not care as her eyes met Asher’s.

Asher lay his hand on Neall’s shoulder, trying to relay how torn both him and Saber were. They could certainly use the backup. But, in no small terms, Saber would be damaged beyond repair if something were to go wrong. Her heart might be encased in adamant, but it was incredibly frail even now.

“We need to go Neall,” was all he replied.

“Gods be with you,” Sebastian said from the steps of the pack house. He also did not quite agree with those two imbeciles, even if they were stronger than anyone else. Nobody had any idea what they were actually dealing with except for Neall. She had briefed the three of them on different discoveries over her long life and various ventures into the human realm - which had no effect on her abilities either, same as the wolves, but unlike any other species here.

A dejected Neall approached the steps - probably on her way to her room - when they disappeared. Sebastian tipped her face toward him as she passed him.

“Let’s organise our own back-up plan.” He smirked when her eyes fastened on him.

Neall glanced around and gave him the slightest nod. Sebastian followed her into the house.

LAMIA

On their journey to this hellhole of a fortress, Lola had told her about the strange customs of the Winter Court. It was unimaginable that females had no voice there, but even worse was the idea that they had to disguise their features to look like males.

It tainted her whole view of this so-called Winter King in her mind. It was just idiotic if that man thought it would have no impact on his rule. It did not compute. Not in any way. How can anyone have a preference on what gender they want to rule?

When the last of their small party had been freed, she could not keep the outrage to herself anymore. They were all still in the room where Ferian had been kept when she turned on the King.

“What in the Gods’ name are you trying to achieve with that stupid anti-female crap?” Lamia demanded, slamming a hand against his chest before he could open the door he had waited in front of.

For just a second, he seemed confused, but almost instantly his face turned into a mask. Anyone could tell this witchling was fuming. It made quite the picture when her red eyes began to glow.

“My court has nothing to do with outsiders other than trade. It most definitely is none of your concern how I run things in my own house. I fear you are forgetting yourself in your anger.” He returned.

“And I fear the same of you, kind King. Tell me why and I will spare you any discomfort before your Queen Mab.” Even her red hair was starting to look like fire with the way she was itching for a fight.

King Magnus took in this image before him and made a decision. He was here to assist for his son’s sake. These were his friends and brothers. Prince Asher’s people.

Making a mental note of the other’s open stares, he closed his eyes, took a breath, and blew softly into the air by his shoulder. Miniscule ice particles stacked together in what seemed to be a picture, like a painting was hung against the wall.

It was an image of his wife, her belly huge because she was about to give birth. The image moved and changed much like a play as they all recognized the Elven Queen being assisted into a sitting position. Although she never cried out during the contractions, her eyes would close every few seconds.

After only a few minutes, her mate appeared to hold her hand and give her a kiss when a vague humanoid form encouraged her to push.

“What’s wrong with the image? Why is this other person so distorted?” Lamia asked the King. But he was not looking, he was staring into space like a lost person.

A few moments passed and they heard a cry, then saw the babe. Little Asher had just been born. The King kissed his Queen deeply, conveying the love and joy of the moment. The blurry form turned slightly and snapped it’s fingers, muttering something. Ferian froze as he realized this was the moment the babies were switched.

“Zarina...” Liffin’s whisper was barely audible above the cries of the new infant.

The screaming child caught the attention of the parents, and the King was quick to take their newborn to his mother. But the Queen shook her head.

“Who do you have there Magnus? Stop playing around,” she laughed at his silliness. “Give my Asher to me, he’s probably hungry.”

The moment the King lay the infant in his Queen’s arms, she started shaking. The bed was shaking when her gaze immediately locked onto the blurred form before the bed.

“What have you done? Where is our child?” The Queen demanded to know. Fury caused black veins to stretch along her skin as she cried, “Zarina!”

The King tried to placate his love but before long, he had to grab the infant from her. The image of the other woman cleared only a little, but enough for them all to recognise Zarina - the Fae Queen’s alternative persona.

She acted all fearful as she retreated, arms held up in defence, “Please my Queen, you saw me catch your child. There are no other people in this room,” she cried out as she was brutally blasted against the wall with unseen power, “That is your child!”

The image altered after that, showing other rooms in the castle, strangers to them but inhabitants at the time. The women were first to scream, and first to die as they literally exploded. Pieces of them were flung everywhere and as the men around them began to panic, they too met their fates as the Elven Queen destroyed them all even while they ran.

Blood and chunks were splattered everywhere even as a fine red mist floated eerily in the air. The image returned to the birthing chamber where a desperate King was trying to block his mate’s fantastic power from consuming the four of them.

Within a breath of time, Zarina had vanished and only the two mates and squealing babe remained.

“My love...” He grit his teeth under this new-found darkness spewing from his Queen.

“If we ever find another female in this court, we will kill every last living thing here. Your conscious can believe whatever lies they tell but we will never forgive them.”

Magnus stood in silence while the icy image dissipated as if it was never there to begin with.

“I knew she’d gone dark the moment she said ‘we’. It’s the ultimate opposite of the Elves. This was the moment they melded into one consciousness - her command for their power was never their choice. She let me live...”

The Winter King’s eyes closed of their own accord. Everyone was shaken and horrified at what they witnessed. A staggering truth revealed by the anger of yet another female confronting King Magnus, only this time a pure-blooded witch princess. Ferian just had to be first to reveal this.

“Well King Magnus, I don’t know about you, but I suggest we do not anger any more powerful females today and get the fuck out of here.”

The King side-eyed him and started laughing. It turned into full blown laughter that made him seem so young. He took hold of Ferian’s shoulders and shook him a little.

“Boy, I believe you found yourself a keeper,” Magnus chuckled. “Just don’t mess up like I did,” he told him earnestly.

They made their way through the building, down flights of stairs and were continuously surprised to find the place devoid of vampires. It didn’t make sense that they would be captured and stuck in unlocked rooms without security of any kind.

A sudden boom from outside had them ducking and running down the last set of stairs. Reaching the ground floor had the party emerge in the midst of a war-zone. There were vampires everywhere they looked. At long last Lola shouted, “Over there!

All of them immediately joined in the fray - killing, slicing, cutting, dismembering and even decapitating vampires left, right and centre. They worked from the outside in, to where Lola was steering them. Apparently there was more to her than met the eyes.

Lamia also had not been this focused in a while with Ferian and everything else distracting her. Following in Lola’s footsteps - literally too - she commandeered both a dagger and sword in seconds. But as much as they were killing vampires indiscriminately, they were also blinding themselves.

A thick black cloud hung in the air, and with every downed vampire, blackness oozed from them and settled around them. Lamia tried blasting it away with a wind spell to no avail. very other spell she tried failed miserably. When it became a guessing game and there was just no seeing the opponent, Lamia fought defensively.

Purple lightning flashed through the mass of fighting and Lamia finally knew who came to rescue them. Bodies were set aflame by the lightning and screams from the victims were coming from everywhere. Her mind wanted to shut down from the over-stimulation, but there were still too many enemies.

A sword came at her face and Lamia ducked away just in time. This made her bump into someone else and a jolt went through her arm.

“Saber!” Lamia was grabbed immediately by a pair of shaking arms and pulled down to the ground. She found her sight this low to the ground and took in a bedraggled Saber. She was shaking and crying and all wide-eyed.

“I can’t find Asher! Help me!” Lamia could not reconcile her powerful friend with the hysterical girl before her.

“Please!” Saber shouted in her face. If Saber and Asher are out of the fight, how can we win? Lamia bundled Saber to her side with one arm and with the sword, she sliced anything in her path. Determined to at least get Saber out of here. If they were all to die now, at least the strongest of them would survive and have motivation for revenge. These fuckers need to die.