Save Me Mr. Alpha

“Yakunda is your father?” I whisper.

“Yes. No. Biologically, yes.” Tyson sighs, leaning back in his chair and placing a hand on his face. “It’s a long story.”

I pull my legs up into the chair and cross them, pulling a lone throw pillow into my chest as I wrap my arms around it.

“I’ve got time.”

“Are you sure? It’s not exactly a pleasant story.”

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“You said he killed your father. What did you mean?”

He sighs and begins.

“Being the Alpha King is more than just a title and some extra power. It comes with a great deal of responsibility, with a lot of history, and in my father’s eyes, a curse. The workload is of course overwhelming and the monarchy isn’t like traditional ones today, it’s more like medieval times. The Alpha King has direct control over all the packs and typically the monarchies are fighting to gain more and more land and territory from the others.”

“Monarchies?”

“There’s of course the werewolves, the Fae, the Vampires, and the Witches.”

“Oh.”

“When my father was in control back before Yakunda, he was a fair King, he only fought with the others when they instigated the battle and he hated bloodshed. That was until he met a witch by the name of Coral. Coral had insisted that the witches were looking to overturn the werewolves and start up a feud again that goes back to practically the dark ages. She lured my father into her web of spells, quite literally, and after a while, she had complete control over him. The mate bond he had with my mother was mostly severed and mom couldn’t talk any reason in to him before he decided to attack the witches.

“We were at war for nearly four years. I didn’t really understand what was going on, I was in Alpha training and all I knew was that we were at war and my dad seemed a bit strange. He started calling himself Yakunda and wanted to rename the monarchy pack. Then one day he hit my mom and my sister and called them “worthless, vile beasts” and a bunch of other names. I don’t really remember what happened next, all I knew was that my wolf took over and at the end of it, my father was relinquishing control to me over the pack and I exiled him.

“According to witnesses my wolf had demanded he relinquish his rights as king and I had nearly killed him until he submitted. After I became king, I submitted myself to the witches and begged for them to create a new treaty with them after I explained what had happened. Coral had apparently been a bit of a problem for them as well so they agreed. We now have a treaty with the witches and the vampires as well and they helped us defeat the rogue pack that was made up of all kinds of creatures. We declared war against the rogue pack and when we did, I renounced my father publicly to all 4 kingdoms and he officially went from King Trenton to Rogue Yakunda.”

“We battled the rogue pack for nearly a year. Even as rogues they were still powerful and they had amassed support from some hunters who wanted werewolves extinct, even if it meant partnering up with a few to kill the whole. After a year, I killed the Beta of the Rogue Pack and had my father in my grip once again. I was going to lock him up but my mother insisted on banishing him. Having him in the pack prisons was too close for her to be near him when she could still feel the bound. So I wounded him and the witches put a lock on him so he can’t shift. I believe Coral was killed in the battle, serves her right for hexing my father, and since then we’ve lived in peace up until our pack was attacked here.”

“I moved away from Montana with the entire pack so we could escape the mass graves that only served as a reminder of all of the unnecessary bloodshed and death. The monarchy used to be based around Northbrooke before more and more humans had settled so it was moved to Montana about a hundred years ago and now we’re back which is how I found you. I was fresh off of a war, the scars only a year deep when I found you and you met Beta Webster and everything else happened. Now it’s been four years since the war and we exiled Yakunda. It seems he’s up to his old tricks or someone in his name is at least.”

I sat in silence as I absorbed everything Tyson had told me regarding his father and the werewolf monarchy.

“Will you ever move back to Montana?” I ask once I get my thoughts in order.

Tyson sighs and lets out a subtle shrug, “If my pack needs me to I will. The castle is there and it has better defenses than our pack house does here.”

“Castle?!” I say surprised.

Tyson chuckles, “I am a King after all.”

“I didn’t know Montana even HAD castles.”

“It’s hidden from the humans. The witches enchanted it to be hidden from anyone who wasn’t aware of the four kingdoms, so unless you truly believed that one of the kingdoms really existed you’d have no idea. You’d be surprised how many human kids swear to their parents that they see a castle on the mountain and in a few years once their belief has worn off, kind of like Santa, it disappears.”

“You said the castle has better defenses?”

“Yes. It was designed for easier defensive strategies. There are several magical boundaries around it to help eliminate threats, and of course there’s the natural defenses like the mountain and the cliffs surrounding it to help prevent people from scaling the walls on the east side.”

I cross my hands, popping my fingers as I continue to think about the entire situation.

“I’d like to go and see the castle.”

Tyson’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Why?”

“If we’re about to go into war, I think we need to have the best defenses and offense we can. I want to see the castle and decide whether it would be better for the pack to move back to Montana and start preparing for what looks like war there, where we have better chances than the open plains of Northbrooke.”

Tyson sighs, “if that’s what you wish my Queen, that’s what you’ll have.”

I scrunch my name at the nickname, but nod. “That’s what I want.”

“I’ll let Webster know that he’ll be in charge of the pack for a few days. You start packing for the trip, about five days worth of clothes, and we’ll head out to Montana.”

“No one else will be coming?”

“The less people that know that we are gone from the pack, the better. With you and I gone, the pack is at risk for being seen as weaker and being attacked.”

I swallow, my resolve for leaving for Montana weakening.

“Don’t worry Cassie, the pack will be fine while we are gone. This is for the best.”

I look at him and catch his bright hazel eyes and see the certainty in his eyes.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The necessary preparations for our trip were quick and we left in the night to avoid pack members seeing us depart. Tyson told me privately that he would always be worried about a potential mole in the pack until Yakunda was dead, which simultaneously worried me and made me suspicious of people standing outside at the late hour. Border patrols be damned.

Kidding of course.

Sort of.

“This trip will take about 12 hours to get to the castle grounds, another to get into the castle.”

“I see.”

“I’ve already contacted the caretaker and staff to let them know we’re on the way.” I let out a hmm in response as my eyes start to slowly close as the last few days’ events exhaust me into sleep. The last thing I think of are Tyson’s words haunting my dreams as I fall asleep, ”I will give up everything for you if it means that I get you.”

Tyson shook my shoulder awake and after blinking my eyes and adjusting to the light I realized it was morning. After taking a look at the clock I realize I’ve slept half the day away.

“We’re almost there,” Tyson murmurs. He pulls the car to a stop and pulls me outside of the car. We stand by a large tree and he takes my hand. I flinch at the action and he winces.

“This is gonna hurt a tiny bit.”

“What is--”

Before I can finish, Tyson has dragged a small blade across my thumb and squeezes, dripping blood on the ground at the foot of the trees sprawling roots.

“HEY!” I cry out, shocked at his actions. “Why would you do that?”

“It’s part of gaining access to our lands now. As the Queen Luna you need to be able to see it.”

“See what--” I stop as a fuzzy feeling drops over my eyes and then it clears, showing me exactly what Tyson is talking about.

A beautiful pearlescent wall is in front of me going up as far as I can see.

“What is this?” I ask. I reach forward, but Tyson stops my hand.

“Don’t touch it by yourself,” he warns. “It’ll burn. You’re my mate which is why you’re allowed to see it, but until I mark you it won’t recognize you as an individual, just as the mate to the King and it will be just as dangerous to you as it is to intruders.”

I knew what marking was based on my online “research” aka reading corny, cliche werewolf novels online. I knew it was something mates did, but Tyson made it sound so formal and contractual.

“Mark me.” I repeat, mulling the words over in my mouth. Tyson closes his eyes and leans back and I can tell he’s struggling to control his wolf from taking over.

“It was a comment not a request.” I confirm.

He nods, taking a deep breath before opening his eyes again.

“You won’t be able to command the barrier until that happens.”

“You mean until I’m marked,” I smirk, enjoying his discomfort.

“Yes.” He says sullenly, understanding my joy was stemming from his pain.

“What do you mean command it?”

“The barrier is basically a living organism. It responds to the king and queen as its owners and will follow their commands and theirs alone. Anyone who has ill intent towards the monarchy won’t be able to get in. Those few who can conceal their ill will who do manage to get in will feel extreme pain in their body if they do anything against us. Imagine your heat going through your body without ever ending.”

I snort, “it already does that. It just simmers for a bit instead of boiling over.”

Tyson stares at me, confused.

“What?”

“What?” I ask in response as he stares at me.

“Cassie, why didn’t you say anything?”

I shrug, “it doesn’t hurt that bad and it only happens every now and then to boil over which I can handle.”

“But--”

“Are we gonna go in the barrier or not?”

Tyson sighs, “Get in the car, I’ll drive through and as long as you’re holding my hand while we pass through you should still be able to see it.”

I nod and do what he says without argument.

Once in the car he holds out his hand and I place my hand in his without hesitation. We pull through the barrier and our hands remain together momentarily, the comfortable sparks tingling up my arm and down my body. I pull back once I realize what’s happening and Tyson lets out a sigh.

We drive for another hour before we pull up a winding gravel road to the front of a beautiful building that looked like it had been pulled out of an Italian countryside.

I hop out of the car and stand outside of the beautiful building and admire the castle’s elegant features, noting the shimmering barrier wall that encases the castle and the surrounding land like a dome.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.

“Welcome home, My Queen.”

A/N: Eeeeeeeeeee!