ALPHA (Mackenzie Grey #3)

by Karina Espinosa

I blew out a breath and scanned the store for a sign, anything that would help me out of this very uncomfortable situation. “Um…how about we try another store? Is there another one we can go to?”

  She perked up. “Yes! Clare’s Consignment is just up the road and she gets many clothes from Edinburgh and London.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for, let’s go,” I said as I tucked my hands into my back pocket, rocking on my heels. I’d been hoping she’d say no and I would have to order something online. Of course I wasn’t that lucky.

  The crowds parted like the red sea as we walked the cobbled streets—Scotland’s mountainous landscape the perfect backdrop to make it feel like I’d been dropped in a fairytale—or an episode of Outlander. Either way, it felt unreal.

  I’d been sucking in gulps of crisp air, which was a foreign notion in New York City, that I hadn’t noticed the people around us—watching. They whispered to one another and it was nothing like the adoring smiles from yesterday when I strolled the streets with Ranulf. Did they find out what I’d done back home? Alexander’s words came back to bite me in the ass. I didn’t think I’d care as much as I did.

  The townspeople scurried away like rats as we passed and I could only look to Ranulf for confirmation that I had turned into a pariah.

  “Do I have something on my face?” I whispered to Ranulf. “Is it my hair? Did my ass deflate? Am I—”

  “Princess,” he stopped me. “Shut yer geggie.”

  “I’m going to assume you told me to shut up because I have no idea what else that would mean,” I shrugged. “Why is everyone acting weird?”

  He peered up ahead where Ivana walked with her five guards surrounding her and then turned to me. “These are tense times, Mackenzie.”

  “Like?” I urged. “You can’t just leave me hanging like that.”

  “That’s all ye need to know. With me, nothing will come to harm ye,” he said with a confidence I wished I could match. No one was invincible.

  I shivered as Logan’s face crossed my thoughts. I’d been able to avoid him for a few days, but I should have known it wouldn’t last. He’ll always be around, a reminder of how weak I could be. I was silly for thinking that Sebastian could erase him with a make-out session.

  “You guys have a lot of secrets,” I mused. “It makes me not trust you.”

  “We never asked for yer trust.”

  “Believe me, you want it,” I said as I walked into Clare’s Consignment. From the moment I met Alexander, I’ve received veiled threats warning me if I don’t fall in line. But if anyone needs to get in formation, it’s not me, it’s them.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I actually really like it, Ivana, thank you,” I said as we walked out of the consignment shop. After many hours of trying on dress after dress, we settled on one we both approved. It was sort of fun, I guess, but I won’t be in a rush to replicate the experience.

  “I’m glad ye like it, darling,” she grinned. “Now we just need to get ye accessorized.”

  My face fell. “Oh.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her no, so I hefted the dress bag over my arm and trudged along. I’m taking one for the team, sticking with the plan, I said to myself and followed Ivana to God knows where she planned on going.

  I repeated my mantra over and over again, until I noticed that the streets had emptied. Not a single soul was around and it was only three in the afternoon.

  “Is it time for afternoon tea?” I asked.

  “Well yes,” Ivana said, “but it shouldn’t be this vacant. Where is everyone?”

  Ranulf was beside me in an instant as he scanned the streets. “Flank the Queen!” he yelled. Her guards swarmed around her as they half-shifted, their canines and claws coming out.

  “What’s going on?” I gripped the sleeve of Ranulf’s black blazer, the gold Celtic triquetra pin on the lapel. “And don’t tell me I don’t need to know because this is starting to look like a scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

  “Like what?” he did a double take and I rolled my eyes. Silly, outdated wolves.

  “Never mind. Tell me what’s happening.”

  The quiet was soon engulfed by a buzzing sound like bees coming from behind us. We all turned in unison as an object the size of a baseball floated toward us. What started like a few, soon multiplied as they grew closer. The buzz became a loud roar in the empty streets and the baseball developed to the size of a basketball the nearer it got.

  “Run!” Ranulf yelled. He latched on to my arm and pulled me behind him. The Queen’s guards had already picked her up and were a ways ahead of us. “Come on!’

  I pumped my arms as I ran beside Ranulf, never taking a look back. If he said run, I would run. What was chasing us was not normal. I’ve never been stung by bees—especially not by a whole hive—and now was not going to be my first time.

  My sneakers slapped the cobbled ground, each step growing louder and heavier as the buzzing grew. We weren’t outrunning them, they were catching up.

  “Shit!” I exclaimed as I tried to run faster. A breeze blew across my bare neck and I knew they were there, a hair’s breath away—running didn’t make a difference. Whatever it was, it was going to get me.

  I slowed to a jog and whirled around to the buzzing ball. An array of wings flapped at lightning speed—almost a translucent white. They came straight for me. I had just enough time to go into a half shift. My face morphed into half beast, half human—my muzzle protruding, canines sliding out and claws extended as I waited.

  “Mackenzie, no!” I could hear Ranulf scream a distances away.

  I didn't run. It wasn't in my nature. I wouldn't have been able to outrun them, so facing them head on was my only option—I wasn’t going to get attacked from behind.

  The swarm of bees engulfed me from my shoulders and around my head, like I was trapped in a helmet. I tried to swat them away but I only ended up scratching myself.

  I stayed upright but tossed around trying to get a clear vision but I couldn’t see anything, much less hear. There was only the buzz. I was too afraid to open my mouth so I couldn't call for help, but I knew somehow, Ranulf was there. Before he could do anything, a needle punctured my neck and a fiery ice was injected into my veins, seizing my body in irrepressible shakes. I fell to the ground and the buzzing disappeared. The bees flew away leaving me wide eyed and unable to speak. I saw spittle’s of foam shoot out of my mouth as I tried to scream but nothing came out. The ice-fire spread from my neck, down my arms, chest—the panic sending my mind into overdrive.

  “Princess, I'm here,” Ranulf said. He cradled me in his arms and picked me off the ground. “Hold on.”

  I couldn't nod. I was paralyzed. The only thing I felt was a single tear as it slid down the corner of my eye. I was being burnt alive from the inside and I couldn't even tell him, the pain an excruciating reminder of how weak I was.

  Ranulf ran. I bounced in his arms as he went at break-neck speed back to the castle.

  “Open the gate! Open the gate!” he screamed. “Open the bloody gates, damnit!”

  My vision blurred with every pounding step he took. I no longer felt the burn as the fire extended, I was numb.

  “What happened? Is she alright?” I heard a feminine voice I didn't recognize.

  “Don just stand around, get the King, woman!” Ranulf ordered.

  He took me up a set of stairs—we twisted and turned and my mind couldn't keep up, I couldn't stay awake any longer.

  Ranulf deposited me onto a bed. He grabbed the sheets and covered my body. I wanted to tell him no, that I was hot—burning—but my tongue was swollen and I couldn't open my mouth.

  “Ye'll be alright, Princess. Donae worry,” he whispered and brushed a few stray strands of my hair.

  I wanted to laugh. This was the first time he'd ever been nice to me. It just had to be when I was dying—go figure.

  Before I knew it, more voices entered the room, but by then I couldn't keep my mind awake. I shut my eyes against the
many protests from the others and fell into oblivion.

  Maybe now I could rest in peace.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Everything hurt.

  It was as if someone had taken my brain, bones, everything, and thrown it into a blender. Gosh, even my hair was in pain. I hadn't opened my eyes because that too was strenuous. I heard Jonah and Bash going back and forth: “Is she okay, is she not, blah blah blah.” The same old song and dance.

  “Bash, she’s going to be okay,” Jonah said. He held my left hand and squeezed it lightly.

  “What did Ranulf say? What attacked her?” Bash asked.

  “Pixies,” Jonah said. “The Fae are involved.”

  Of course they were. I shouldn’t be surprised. The Fae Queen has had it in for me since the moment we met.

  “I hope you plan on tearing Drusilla a new one.”

  “Bash, you know I can’t—”

  “You can’t or won’t?” he demanded. “You’ve been her lap dog for years! This is Mackenzie we’re talking about, the one we’re supposed to protect!”

  “Don’t go there,” Jonah muttered.

  “What? Call you out on how whipped Dru’s got you that you won’t lift a finger for the girl you supposedly love?” he yelled.

  “Fuck you, Sebastian! You’re one to talk. I didn’t see you stepping in when V messed with Kenz all the time. She had it in for her from the very beginning. You even let her catch you boning—twice!”

  “I didn’t need to! She’s a big girl, Jonah, she doesn’t need us coddling her,” he scoffed. “Dru isn’t V—not even close. If Mackenzie was stung by a Pixie, then this wasn’t an isolated incident. It’s called attempted murder.”

  I should have opened my eyes and stopped the destruction of their friendship but some small and petty part of me was too curious. Everything I ever wanted to say about their extracurricular activities, they were saying to each other. It was glorious.

  “She needs us, Jo.”

  “You don’t think I know that? I spent the whole day with the Kings council getting as much information about our trial as possible,” he whispered. “I’m trying to do everything I can.”

  “And?”

  Jonah swallowed. “We’re getting off the hook. Supposedly they have countless witnesses stating Kenzie has bewitched us. I’m sure this is all my father’s doing.”

  “Of course it is,” I could almost see Bash rolling his eyes. “Charles will do anything for you. It’s what makes him such a great father, but a shitty Alpha.”

  “Yeah well, now we have to worry about the trial. We don’t know how much sway the King will have, if any. We need to be prepared to escape.”

  “I agree. If the trial doesn’t go our way, we need to get Mackenzie out of here,” Bash mused.

  “What are you thinking?” Jonah asked.

  There was a pause. “We need to call Jackson.”

  That was not what I expected. What the hell could the bearded hipster do to help?

  “I’ll call him tonight,” Jonah paused. “There’s something else…I overheard the council talking about the stationary that was used to issue the decree of the death of the Lunas and Mackenzie. Supposedly, the personalized card stock with the Kings seal is kept in his safe.”

  “Who has access to it?” Bash asked.

  “Here’s the kicker,” Jonah whispered. “No one but the King can open the safe—it’s enchanted.”

  They quieted.

  “We have to check it out. Where is the safe located and when can we sneak in?”

  “It’s in his office, and most likely when everyone’s asleep. No one guards his office because anything of value is very well warded.”

  All of a sudden, a door slammed open and multiple footsteps enter the room—halting all conversation.

  “She is not to leave the castle under any circumstances,” the King demanded—his accent recognizably clear—and a little too loud.

  “Once she's better, she won't stand for that—”

  “I donae care what she wants. What she needs is to stay safe within these castle walls,” he said. “She can roam the grounds as she pleases, but she cannae cross the bridge into town.”

  I sighed. “Always with the ultimatums,” I croaked, my voice dry. “Let's see how long those last,” I chuckled.

  “Kenz,” Jonah whispered in relief. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I've been tossed in a blender,” I groaned, “so like normal.”

  He laughed. “No matter what comes your way, you can't seem to lose that sarcasm.”

  “It's the only language I speak,” I gave him a weak smile. I tore my eyes open and squinted against the harsh lights filtering in what looked like an infirmary. Multiple hospital beds lined the walls, but mine was the only one occupied. Lucky me.

  “What do ye remember, Princess?” Ranulf's gruff voice came from behind Bash and I slowly turned my head to him.

  “Well...a swarm of bees tried to eat my face like it was a bowl of honey oats. That's about it.”

  He grunted. “Not bees—Pixies.”

  I grimaced. “You mean to tell me I was taken out by Tinker-fuckin'-bell?”

  Jonah snorted. “In human terms, yes.”

  My horse riding debacle was no longer the most embarrassing incident to happen to me to date.

  “We speak of this to no one,” I said. I tried to come across serious but my eyebrows wouldn't budge—everything just hurt.

  “Pixies are deadly creatures, Princess,” Ranulf stated, confused by my reaction. “Their venom can leave anyone immobilized and spreads so quick that nine times out of ten, the victim dies before a remedy can be administered. Ye were lucky.”

  Yikes. Tinkerbell was a bitch.

  “All thanks to you, Ranulf,” I nodded to him. Whether he liked me or not, I had to acknowledge that he saved my life when it could have been easier to let me die. “I knew you liked me,” I grinned.

  He stiffened, making a weird contorted facial expression—a mix of constipation and a mouthful of Siracha. Ranulf left the infirmary before I could make fun of his face.

  “He'll come around,” I said to the others in the room.

  “Apologies are in order, lass. We donae know how the breach in security happened, but it won't happen again. In the meantime, ye—”

  “Yeah, no,” I shook my head. “You're not locking me up. You had your chance to make me a prisoner when we first arrived. Now you have to deal with people wanting to kill me. No biggie, Alexander, I'm used to it by now,” I winked.

  “I donae care if yer used to it. Yer not leaving the castle grounds and that's final,” his voice echoed in the vast room. “Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal,” I grunted. “For now.”

  Alexander's face turned beet red. A vein in his neck popped with aggravation as his eyes flashed silver. I didn't flinch.

  “I'll see ye tonight for dinner,” the King growled before exiting the room.

  Once he and his guards left, my body deflated. I’d been stiff as a board.

  “Why do you always have to bait him, Mackenzie?” Bash asked as he rested his elbows on the bed.

  “Because it's fun,” I smirked.

  “You almost died, Kenz. Want to tell us what the hell you were thinking?” Jonah asked.

  “Excuse me?” I jerked back. “Uh…I don’t know if you noticed but I was the one attacked. I didn’t have a blinking sign over my head asking to get stung.”

  “No, but you stopped running. Ranulf told us what happened. You could have escaped. Do you have a death wish?”

  I scoffed. “Do you really believe I’m suicidal? You must not know me well enough.”

  Bash’s face hardened. “I know that the strongest people usually are the weakest. The more aloof, are the most depressed. Anyone can fall prey.”

  His blue eyes blazed as he stared me down, making me feel uncomfortable.

  “Well that’s not me,” I muttered and looked away. I didn’t like being shrinked—there w
eren’t any layers to me, I was simple and direct. He didn’t need to read too much into things.

  ****

  The antidote for the Pixie sting had me up and about that same night. Going for a run would have made me feel better, but I didn’t want to roam the grounds. From the looks of things, I’d have plenty of time to do that since I was sequestered. Stupid Pixies and their stupid venom. I swore, if I ever saw the Fae Queen again, I’d kill her. Consequences be damned.

  Jonah didn’t sleep in the guest wing with Bash and I. We asked where he was staying but he wouldn’t tell us. Things were still a bit rocky with Bash. Damn it. I needed to talk to Amy.

  As usual, the stables were busy with the handlers taking care of the horses, and the guards going on patrol. With heightened security, the perpetrator who attacked me yesterday was enemy number one. My dress was safe, to Ivana’s relief.

  “I shouldn’t have to go riding today in light of recent events,” I said as I covered my eyes from the sun.

  Alexander turned to face me once he situated the saddle on Shadow. “Ye rather be locked in yer room all day?” he raised an eyebrow.

  I gave him a “duh” look. “If you guys had Wi-Fi so I could Netflix, hell yeah I would.”

  He shook his head. “That’s the problem with yer generation. Ye don know what it is to enjoy the outdoors anymore.”

  I twisted my mouth to the side. “Says the one who wants to keep me quarantined.”

  “Aye,” he smirked.

  We followed the same trail we did every morning—it was becoming our routine—making small talk here and there; sharing a few tidbits with each other. Perhaps riding in the morning was the only free time he had throughout the day to help him clear his mind and start fresh—and he chose to spend it with me. But the woman who birthed me was still a sore subject that he refused to go near and that bothered me. He was the only one who could give me an accurate account of who she was, if she was even Lycan. He was keeping me in the dark and it wasn’t fair. If Alexander didn’t spill the beans on her soon, I’d find other means, and he won’t like it.

  “What are ye plans for today?” he asked.