ALONSO
When Lancelot came and told me about the attack at the boundary, at first I was caught off guard because I had taken my time in making sure that security during my wedding was at the forefront of the arrangements.
I know the vampires must have heard about it. There is no way they wouldn’t. It was one thing for a mere pack Alpha to be getting married as compared to the marriage of an Alpha King. Information spread faster than the wind to the four territories comprising shifting creatures and mortals; the werewolves, Vampires, other creatures, and humans.
So I was expecting them to try to invade especially as my mate is their present target, but what I didn’t expect was the shrewdness behind their mode of attack.
When we left the house; Lancelot and I, I tried as much as possible not to garner unwanted attention from those partying downstairs. In fact, I didn’t want them to notice anything was amiss. I would go there, handle the situation, then hopefully by tomorrow I will muster up enough courage to share with the bereaved families about their lost ones.
That was the plan.
Nonetheless, what I wasn’t prepared for was for my Beta to transform on our way there through the forest, into a creature I know very much he is not, which meant only one thing, it wasn’t him in the first place.
I had fallen cleanly into the ambush of my enemies without the batting of an eyelid! As usual, killing the creature wasn’t my problem, but as it seemed, he proved harder to get rid of as he kept eluding me until I got fed up and had to employ the same power I detest to my guts… My vampire’s powers.
I grabbed his head and with that raging anger of what he made me do, scrunched it between my palms until it was nothing but pieces of debris strung about the forest. I growled afterward, my emerald sharp eyes skimming the forest for any further impending enemy to know I wasn’t unaware, then seeing none for a second, I covered the remaining distance to the boundary and met it empty!
I was angry, felt feral, and needed an outlet to disperse the pent-up fury amassed inside me. How could they have been so stupid as to leave the boundary?
I got my answers in a split second when Lancelot-the real Lancelot-linked me to ask me why I had ordered the guards at the boundary to be modified.
I told him what was happening and ordered him to bring the guards back to the boundary while I sped at the highest speed I have ever used as an Alpha King, through the forest to get to my Queen.
These bastards played well into my den and I fell, fell with nothing to hold onto. Not only did they deceive me out of her presence, but they also deceived the guards out of the boundary to give room to their free entrance and exit.
I knew something was wrong way long before I got to the palace. I felt it in my marrow, a certain chill running through my veins, telling me that they had succeeded in their ploy.
And when I got to the palace and raced through the doors in my wolf form- catching those who saw me off guard, I took the stairs two at a time and froze when I saw her two maids laying unconscious in front of her door.
Firstly, I rushed into the room and transformed and quickly donned on a shirt and trousers, my adrenaline rushing to my head and trying to blind me. I failed! I failed her and it’s all my fault! How could I not have noticed? It was there, the scent which wasn’t anything like Lance. Yet, I fell. I took her shawl and perceived her sweet scintillating scent that soothed my rage somehow.
I paused, the knowledge making me race outside once and compelling the two maids to awake. They were astounded as they stood from the floor, each flinching back when they saw me.
“My King,” the one called Mary beckoned as she stood to her feet, her face morphing into deep worry. “Danika,” she called as she made to bypass me but I blocked her.
“You weren’t the ones Lancelot called, right?”
“The Beta?” the other asked in confusion.
I knew without further questioning that it was exactly what I thought. “Fuck! No, no!” I fell to my knees and growled, bunched and unbunched my fists as tears I have never shed for so many years fell down my cheeks. They took her. They finally took my mate!
“My King?” one of the girls called, but my mind was far to respond. I was pained, dejected, and wanted death by all means. Only death can save the man or woman who dared to lay hands on my woman. The humans took my first mate from me and I let it slide. This time, nothing, absolutely nothing can save the vampires from my claws. They want war, I shall bring them a war of massacre!
Feet hurried our way but my heart was roaring in too much pang to care one bit about my position. It was common knowledge that one’s mate was their power bank. To an Alpha King, it’s more like the life bank. Without my mate, I’m as good as dead.
I merely survived dying after I lost Hilda because I was younger and my powers were still nurturing. But now, I don’t know if I can make it past, nor do I want to. Not with everything I shared with Danika. I never felt half of what I feel for her for my former mate, so this time, it is totally different.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I was sinning against Hilda. Danika healed me, brought me hope, and made me a better man. Her smile, her laughter, her obstinacy, and mild diplomacy. It was obsessive!
My body shook, my hands on my lap, quivering.
“Alonso…?” my mother called mildly, maybe for the first time since whenever. “What is going in here?” she asked. “Everyone leave this moment, I need to speak to my son in private!” she ordered which notified me that perhaps there are other pack members around. And instantly the shuffling of feet walking out, confirmed it.
Now they will call me a weak King. And I don’t care. All I care about right now is my Queen.
“You two wait!” she bawled and Danika’s maids hurried back. I could picture them cowering before her in apprehension.
“Take this inside,” she apprised them and they carried Danika’s shawl I had with me when I came out of the room. She stooped to my kneeling height. “What is the problem, son?” she inquired as quietly as if she never spoke a word.
For once I felt vulnerable and wretched. I allowed myself to become the little boy of yesterday with my mother asking me why I was crying. This is something I was never allowed to do in our household since I was a child because my father, the former King, taught me never to show frailty as it demotes the reputation of a King. If only he is here to see me now.
“I lost her!” I mouthed.
“Lost who?”
“My wife, my mate…”
“What! What happened? You left with her!”
“They took her, mother…” I cried, my shoulders trembling.
“Who took he-”
“The vampires!”
“Oh, my….” She stood up abruptly. “Not again!”
“I can’t do this anymore, mother… I’m done. I can’t continue…”
“Stand up, this minute, son!” she gingered.
“I can’t!” I sparked and shook my head.
“Well, I always knew you were a coward, but not like this!” My head spun up from the ground at her. She shrugged. I knew what she was doing. Trying to rile me up enough to act. Over the years she always does that when I’m reluctant to make any decision of Kingdom worth. And it often works. But, now is different. “Prove me wrong,” she said with a wry twist of her lips.
“What am I going to do? If I stand up from here, I-I may have to do the one thing she abhors. I will declare war on them and mother, not even a soul will make it out alive…”
“Then, what are you waiting for?” she urged.
“Danika will not want that…” I drawled, stood from the ground, and dusted my knees and hands.
“So what other decision do you have in mind?” She cocked her brows menacingly.
“I don’t know, mother. For now.” I commenced pacing about.
The two maids exited our room and I faced them and demanded. “Did you see them?”
They nodded and Mary went on to say, “We had come upstairs to check on her after Nadia said she saw you leave the palace, and then we started knocking but she wasn’t responding. Then, we started hearing her talking to some people inside and she sounded agitated. That was when we knew something was off.” She looked at Nadia as though in anxiety and the latter nodded to her, her face still lowered and Mary proceed. “All of a sudden, the door opened and a lady I have never seen before walked out, and looked at us, that was all we remembered.”
“Shit!” I blared. “She made you two sleep. It’s an ability some Hybrid vampires possess.”
Hurried footfalls dashing up the stairs earned our attention at once and when we looked towards the entrance to our hall, Lancelot was hurrying forth, with someone I knew would cause another round of havoc this evening, from my mother.
Mrs. Dolly.
“She has something to say,” Lancelot spoke up before Theresa would blow up. “Let’s hear her out.”
…