ALPHA
(Mackenzie Grey #3)
Karina Espinosa
ALPHA Copyright © 2016 KARINA ESPINOSA
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Cover design by © Laura Hidalgo
Copyright 2016 by Karina Espinosa
ASIN: B01M3V1519
Table of Contents
Contents:
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
Epilogue
Dear Readers,
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Karina Espinosa
Mackenzie Grey: Origins series
SHIFT
CAGED
ALPHA
Sins of the Fallen series
Sins of the Fallen
Greed
Lust
To my best friend,
This is a true testament to how far I’ve come—and it’s all thanks to you.
Chapter One
In the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
I never thought I would be able to kill the man who gave me life, but here we were. Those words fueled my need to push forward, to aim my finger at the screen and threaten his life, because I couldn’t let him get away with what he did.
“I’m coming for you next,” I growled.
Gray eyes stared back at me with mixed emotions: shock, confusion, and…tenderness? His face morphed to stone as he watched my every move. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes smoothed, and his sharp jawline ticked with unspoken words.
Sebastian, Jonah, and I were surrounded by the American Summit since we had barged in on their meeting. We were soaked in blood from head-to-toe and I didn’t care that we ruined the carpet. The Plaza Hotel could bill the King—it was the least he could do for the blood that was already on his hands.
“This is a private gathering!” one of the Alphas across the room exclaimed. He was younger than most of the other Summit leaders, average height with a beefy build—his neck red with a thick vein pulsing. “You are out of control! This is why we have laws for lone-wolves. They cannot be trusted or civilized!” he yelled. The others around him nodded in agreement.
I gave a hysterical laugh—the kind of laughter that escapes when you’re at the brink of losing your goddamn mind. I was running on pure adrenaline. The moment I stepped foot in New York City, I’d been hunted by other Packs, accused of murder by the humans, and attacked in a manner that gives me nightmares. Too much happened in the past few days and I hadn’t slowed down, not once.
“I’m out of control?” I said and looked to Bash and Jonah on either side of me. Their stares were full of concern for my outburst. “You’re damn right I’m out of control,” I glared at the Alpha who questioned me and took a step toward him. “You think you can come after me and my friends, slaughter them like cattle, then expect me to be civilized? You’re crazy!”
“We didn’t kill the Lunas!” the young Alpha yelled.
“Then who did?” Sebastian barked, his blue eyes ice-cold. The hurt of what had been done to his Pack was clear on his face. The flare of his nostrils, the creases on his forehead, and the trembling of his upper lip—he was attempting to keep his inner wolf at bay. His disheveled ink-black hair tainted with splotches of dried blood.
“Yer absolutely stunning,” the Kings voice heavy with an accent and full of wonder. “Ye look just like her. It’s uncanny,” he whispered. King Alexander MacCoinnich stared in amazement and it distracted me from the real issue at hand. My relationship with my adopted father wasn’t strenuous. I didn’t have any childhood horror stories, yet there was a distance between us that I could never pinpoint—either way, I knew he loved me—that I never doubted. But as I stood there, looking at the live video chat with King Alexander, it was the first time I’d ever felt that warm feeling in my gut I never had with my father. A strange urge took over, and I wanted him to like me—even though I was probably having the opposite effect at the moment.
“Sir, I understand she is your…spawn, but what she has done cannot be overlooked. An example needs to be made of her to keep lone-wolves and Lunas in check,” an Alpha to my right said. He was older with such striking features, I couldn’t help but stare. He had a neatly trimmed black goatee and piercing black eyes that drilled me with pure, unadulterated hatred.
“There will be. No one,” the King glared at me, “will be excused from the law.”
The Alpha smirked. “Death is the only punishment I see that fits the crime.”
“I will decide what is fit!” the King roared.
“But—”
“Shut yer geggie, Malcolm. The only example I’ll be making is of ye if ye keep at it. Yer comments have been noted.”
I turned to Jonah and whispered, “Why does he sound like a leprechaun?”
He snorted. “Your father is Scottish, not Irish. Don’t let him catch you saying that. They’re real sensitive about it.”
“Noted,” I murmured and looked back at Malcolm. I could see steam coming out of his ears. “Not a fan?” I asked him, more serious than sarcastic.
“Not at all,” he glared. “You’re careless, crass, and everyone around you dies because of it. How many others will you infect before you realize you’re an abomination?”
I was struck silent. The fierceness behind every word he spoke was a stab in the gut. Something deep within me—no matter how ridiculous it sounded—had me questioning myself. All those Lunas died because of me. It was a truth even I knew better than to bury. My rash behavior since I returned to New York City caused a chain reaction of events that could have been avoided if I had only listened. My desperation and fear got the better of me and I was now left to deal with the aftermath.
“Bite yer tongue, Malcolm!” the King exclaimed. “This goes for all of ye, I will nae stand for disrespect or plans for action unless I command—”
“She killed my son!” Malcolm yelled.
All the pieces fell into place.
“You’re Logan’s father…”
“And Alpha of the Mid-west,” he snarled.
My chest heaved up and down in rapid motions, at the brink of an anxiety attack. I’d never had one before, but I was certain this was what it felt like. My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides, try
ing to keep them from wrapping around his throat.
“What your son did to me—”
“You deserved!” he slammed his fists on the conference table.
The pounding stirred me into action as I leapt onto the table, but before I had a chance to attack, Malcolm gripped me by the neck, slamming me down on the glossed oak. My head bounced against the wood and my vision dimmed. He had me pinned as I stared into obsidian eyes that now looked all too familiar. I shook. The growls cut through the hammering of my heart and I was able to recognize Bash and Jonah’s snarl.
“Malcolm!” the King roared but his grip on me tightened.
“You killed him and Vivian—my only two children. They’re dead because of you!” Malcolm cried, his eyes wild with hate.
“They deserved it,” I choked out. If he was going to kill me, an apology wouldn’t be my last words.
I gasped for air as he was ripped off me, his claws scraping the sides of my neck. I clutched my chest as I sat upright. Sebastian restrained him against the wall, his canines snapped at his face—a warning and a threat. Jonah was at my side, helping me off the table.
“You alright?” he asked as he tucked me under his arm.
I only nodded. I couldn’t speak, not without my voice shaking.
“Henry,” the King called out. “Escort Malcolm out of the room and seize control of his Pack until further notice.”
“Sir!” Malcolm exclaimed.
“Enough! I am King—ye listen to me!” Even with thousands of miles apart, the fierceness of an Alpha—a King no less—thundered throughout the room.
Malcolm stilled, his face paled as he stopped thrashing against Sebastian. His pitiful eyes fell on The King and then to me.
“You’re a cancer,” he blanched.
“No, yer an eejit for defying my orders.”
Henry, one of the quieter Alphas hanging in the back, took hold of Malcolm who didn’t resist. He motioned another Alpha over to help escort him out of the room. I didn’t give Malcolm a second glance as he passed. He spat at my feet but I didn’t dare look at him. I wouldn’t let another person in the St. James family affect me ever again.
“As for the rest of ye, no one lays a finger on her, unless I say so. Understood?”
“Yes sir,” the Alphas murmured, giving the King a slight bow.
I glanced at the King who was once again watching me. On his dark suit sat a gold pin with the Celtic triquetra—an exact replica of the tattoo on my right hip that shields me from harmful magic. I fidgeted, confused by the rage within me and the swell of emotion from his protection. I couldn’t care for him, I didn’t know him. He was a stranger and a monster in my book and I needed to tread carefully.
“Now what to do with ye,” he tapped two fingers on his chin as his steely eyes roamed over me. “I cannae let ye go after what ye done. Why did ye kill Malcolm’s boy?”
I frowned as I looked up at Bash. He nudged me to answer but all the confidence I had when I stormed in had waned. My throat closed up and I wasn’t able to speak with the man on the screen.
“Your highness,” Bash began, his voice a rumble of dryness, “Mackenzie has been attacked by not only wolves, but the Fae as well. They had been contracted to obtain her.”
The King ran a hand through his black hair that stopped just above his neck—one unruly strand curled over his forehead. “I asked about Malcolm’s boy—an Alpha—not anyone else.”
Sebastian’s nostrils flared, his upper lip snarling. I could only sink into him, knowing that he too felt the hatred that was consuming my soul—a darkness so damning, I feared what would become of me if I let it spread.
“He attempted to violate your daughter in the worst way imaginable,” Sebastian gritted through clenched teeth. There was a pause in the room as the Summit avoided looking our way. I glanced up at the King, angry that I was such a coward for feeling ashamed and tarnished. It didn’t matter if he looked at me any different—I shouldn’t have cared, but all I saw was the flash of silver in his eyes as they fell on me, trailing over my body as if he could see any evidence of the claims being made under the coat of dried blood on my skin.
“That wee ol’ lass killed Logan?” he asked, the sternness in his features unreadable.
The Summit nodded. “With the help of the Lunas, she killed him and a few of his Pack members.”
“Aye,” the King murmured. “Were ye meeting today to place punishment?”
Everyone looked around the room for an answer but they all seemed stuck, as if scared to tell him the truth.
“Yes,” I croaked. “I was supposed to receive sentencing for my crimes…until last night’s massacre.”
His eyes narrowed as he observed me. “And ye think it was me, aye?”
“They were your men. What do you think?”
“I didnae order this atrocity, but ye have my word I will find out who did.”
A renowned sense of confidence enveloped me and I took a step toward him. “Your word means nothing to me.”
“Miss Grey!” one of the Alphas scolded. I snarled in his direction, flashing my silver eyes. The Alphas gasped, taken aback by my brashness. Lunas weren’t allowed to establish dominance—but I wasn’t like most Lunas.
“Mackenzie,” Jonah warned. “Don’t take such liberties.”
“Yer lack of respect for our laws in unacceptable,” the King said. “Where are my guards?” he asked the Summit.
Everyone turned to the door as Henry reentered the room. “They’re dead. The guards are all dead,” he said as he walked in with blood on his hands.
King Alexander’s eyes flashed again and I steeled myself for whatever wrath came my way.
“Seize them,” he growled. The Summit encircled us, giving us no way out.
“Another silver cage?” I snarled. I didn’t care anymore. If I was going down it would be in a blaze of fury avenging the deaths of my friends. If the King didn’t lock me up, I was sure Charles Cadwell would.
The King paled. “What? Who put ye in a silver cage?”
I turned to The Summit. “You’re looking at them.”
The Alphas winced as I tattled on them. If I hadn’t been locked up, I could have saved my friends.
“S-She killed an Alpha! Started a rebellion! We were following your laws, your highness,” a Summit member exclaimed in their defense.
I rolled my eyes. Even the King knew he couldn’t get out of that one. He couldn’t say I should have gotten special treatment.
“And how long have ye all known she was my kin?” the King cornered them. Checkmate.
Jonah cleared his throat. “Over a year, sir. Our apologies,” he said.
“Who are ye?”
“Jonah Caldwell, Beta of the Brooklyn Pack—son of the Alpha of the Northeast.” His milk chocolate eyes shone against the splotches of crimson across his angelic face. If he smiled, I wouldn’t have been able to see his dimple.
“And ye?” the King motioned to Bash.
“Sebastian Steel, Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack.”
He nodded. “Ye both aided in the massacre of my guards—with a lone-wolf—regardless of yer titles?”
“Yes,” both of them responded in unison, not missing a beat.
“Aye. The three of ye will be flown to Scotland to await a tribunal. Ye will pay for what ye have done.”
Bash and Jonah’s breath hitched as everyone’s attention fell on me. I walked to the screen, no I stomped over to the King. I hadn’t escaped one domineering Pack to be controlled by another.
“No,” I objected. The room quieted. “We’re even. You killed mine and I took out yours. An eye for an eye.”
The Kings gaze narrowed. “If I say run, ye run. If I say jump, ye jump. Ye follow my laws and ye do as I say, lassie. Ye willnae leave this room unless I say so.”
“You son of a bitch—”
“Mackenzie,” Jonah scolded but I ignored him.
“By blood yer part of my Pack whether ye agree or nae, which means I give
yer punishment!”
“Part of your blood,” I corrected. “Don’t forget I’m your illegitimate offspring. And I’m not in anyone’s Pack—ever.”
The King’s face flamed crimson, his embarrassment evident. “Yet my Pack will be the one that decides yer fate. I’d fall in line if I were ye—if ye want to live.”
“I want to find out who killed the Lunas. After that, you do what you want. I don’t care anymore.”
The King nodded and waved to an Alpha. “Escort them to the airport, I’ll have a plane waiting.”
My eyes bulged and alarm took over. Hands clutched at my arms and I slammed into someone’s chest. I thrashed against their hold, Bash and Jonah doing the same but we were outnumbered—by Alphas no less.
“You do this and my human family won’t stop until I’m found!” I shrieked. “You don’t think I have a back-up plan in place? You’re dead, all of you!” It was a bluff.
“Stop,” the King ordered. “What are ye ranting about?”
“I have a messenger ready to deliver the truth about everything if I don’t return. The truth about me, you, this whole shit-show. And it’s all on video,” I smirked. I didn’t have shit, but the one rule all supernaturals lived by was to keep their secret from humans. Maintaining their existence hidden was top priority and blowing the lid was the perfect threat.
“What about a compromise?” Bash suggested and I whirled on him. I wasn’t his to bargain with.
“Are you out of your—”
“Just listen,” he demanded and turned to the King. “Give her time to get her affairs in order, to see her family and assure them she’s okay. Let Jonah and I bury our dead. We may not return, so grant us this one opportunity and then we will do as you say,” Bash said. His eyes pleaded with me to understand. I didn’t know where he was going with this but I’d follow suit. This was the time to stay united.
I swallowed my complaint.
The King contemplated the suggestion and after a brief moment he nodded.
“Aye. Bury yer dead and get yer affairs in order. And donae think about running. I will be watching yer every move.”
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