ALPHA (Mackenzie Grey #3)

by Karina Espinosa

  Scarlets hand went for my wrist and she squeezed. “Don’t, Mackenzie. I think these are Highlanders. They’re rumored to be wild, lawless Lycans. They aren’t governed by your people’s rules. They’ll kill you.”

  I peered over to the witch and could see the stress on her face. She was scared no doubt, but she was also worried for me. I barely knew this girl, why the hell did she care about me?

  “I’ll be fine,” I pulled one finger at a time until she released me. “I’ve faced worse.”

  She groaned, and let me go with reluctance.

  The Amazon put her thumb and pointer finger between her lips and whistled. The rest of the Lunas put down their spears and another Amazon came forward.

  “This is Sileas: our most ruthless and deadliest warrior. Defeat her and we’ll believe ye—if nae, then ye know…” the woman licked her lips and stepped aside. Letting Sileas come forward.

  Twigs snapped beneath my feet as I crept toward Sileas, meeting her half way. Her tattered clothes and wild hair was a stark contrast against her incandescent yellow eyes. The grime smeared on her angry face a reminder of what she was…what I’m supposed to stay away from. Cannibal MacCoinnich killers.

  “Yer kind is nae welcomed here,” she bared yellow teeth and growled. “I can smell the blood that courses through yer veins. We kill yer kin around these parts.”

  “And I’ll kill you,” I smirked and squared my shoulders—preparing for a fight.

  She licked her canines as her claws slid out. The beads in her knotted dread like hair glinted against the sun that peaked through the tree lines. The forest was quiet as her people waited for the first one to strike.

  “MacCoinnich blood spills tonight!” she roared and the woods erupted in shrieks and howls as she charged toward me. I stood still and waited as the thump of excitement for my imminent death loomed over me. Their howls didn’t frighten me. Nothing did anymore. That scared me—I wasn’t afraid to die.

  I went into a half shift, my muzzle protruding in an unnatural way, my canines snapping as I bellowed an animalistic scream.

  I ducked at her approach and slashed her mid-section with my claws. My wolf was wide awake and ready to spill blood—the lust a lingering feeling that I wasn’t sure would ever go away.

  Sileas didn’t flinch or yelp, she only whirled around and back handed me. Her knuckles were wrapped with something and I felt the force of it a lot more than intended. I fell flat on my face, my vision flickering in and out. Damn what the hell was that? I didn’t have a chance to pick myself up. She snatched me by my hair and dragged me to the middle again. She dropped me and began to kick my stomach. Kick after kick—I heard my ribs break one after another until she kicked me in the face and I flew back. I spewed blood like a fountain and almost choked on the metallic liquid. Dirt and soil flew into my mouth and I had to spit multiple times as I scrambled backwards, trying to get away from Sileas.

  They weren’t kidding when they said she was ruthless. She didn’t give me a single break and she wasn’t even worn out. Fuck me.

  I groaned as she came toward me and I barely missed her hand. This time I was able to see what was wrapped around her knuckles—bones. Ew.

  I crawled away and jumped to my feet, my equilibrium threatening to knock me over again but I shook out the dizziness.

  “That all you got?” I slurred. I could hear Scarlets cries but I had to tune her out. Her fear would distract me.

  “Ye must be praying for death,” Sileas grinned.

  I had one shot, and I had to make it count. If I missed, I was dead.

  She ran on all fours toward me, only a few feet away when she leapt off the ground, her hand pulled back for the final blow. I wavered as I saw her coming closer in slow motion above me. As soon as she was within reach, I extended my clawed hand forward and thrust it right in her chest. I gripped her still beating heart, her eyes widened in shock, her gasps in sync with her heartbeat.

  “Amen,” I muttered as I pulled my hand back and she collapsed to the ground—her heart in my grip.

  Caledonian Forest was dead quiet, you couldn’t hear a single breath as I stared at my hand covered in crimson—the texture alone made me want to vomit.

  “Is this proof enough?” I asked as I raised my hand to the Highlanders.

  Scarlet had tracks of dried tears streaked down her face but she seemed fine. They hadn’t hurt her.

  One by one, each and every one of them dropped and took a knee. Their fisted right hand pounded on their chest as they bowed their heads. Only Scarlet and I stood there awkwardly, wondering what the hell was happening. They knew I was a MacCoinnich, but did they know I was the Princess? They seemed so alienated from society. Maybe they had Wi-Fi.

  “What are you doing?” I gritted through my teeth. “You’re supposed to want to kill me!”

  The Amazon who had spoken earlier stood.

  “My name is Ailios,” she put a palm to her chest. “We’re honored to be in yer presence.”

  “Uh…is it because I’m a princess?” I sounded ridiculous.

  I could hear the catch of breaths as they raised their heads and stared.

  Ailios took a step back. “Yer the illegitimate daughter of King Alexander?”

  I crinkled my nose. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m his daughter…more like—”

  “Yes she is!” Scarlet jumped into action. “She is the daughter of King Alexander MacCoinnich.”

  “B-But how?” Ailios said, startled. “Yer everything we’re against. How could the fates be against us,” she whined.

  “Oh cry me a river,” I rolled my eyes. “I’m the one with the raw deal here.”

  Scarlet hustled over to me, interlocking her arm in mine. “She started a rebellion. Gathered a bunch of Lunas and killed the Alpha of the Chicago Pack. It’s why she’s here!”

  I glared at the little witch. That was nothing to boast about.

  “Then yer The One,” Ailios said.

  “Sure,” I shrugged. Not wanting to get into it with her again. They could believe what they wanted, I knew the truth. That’s all that mattered. “I’m sort of over that revolution phase. What I need now is to find the Sisters of the Sight.”

  “Anything, Princess. We’ll take ye there ourselves.”

  “Sure…just don’t call me Princess, okay?” I felt like I had whiplash. One minute they wanted to kill me, the next they worshipped me. I needed to get out of this forest.

  ****

  Ailios and a band of Highlanders escorted us further into Caledonian Forest to the temple of the Sisters of the Sight. Had we used the map to find our own way, we would have never found the temple or the entrance back to the village.

  “Does the King know about you and the Highlanders?” I asked Ailios.

  “Aye. We have a treaty with the MacCoinnich’s. They leave us alone and we don kill them,” she grunted.

  I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t imagine Alexander being okay with this.” In other words, shit wasn’t fair. How come I had to have a trial?

  “It was nae a deal we made with yer father, but the previous King. As long as we stay hidden within the Forest, they’ll pretend we donae exist. The villagers believe we’re the Lochness Monster,” she laughed.

  “That’s…awesome,” I chuckled.

  “It has nae always been,” she sighed. “If we step one foot into Sheunta, they’ll burn the forest down. Many of us want to go home, rejoin society, but we cannae.”

  I frowned and my heart cracked for these Lunas. They were quarantined and herded like cattle—this was low even for the Lycan. No matter how cuckoo for cocoa puffs these chicks were, no one deserved to live that way.

  We moved through the forest in pleasant conversation and Ailios said they would wait in the outskirts of the temple to take us back inland. I didn’t argue with her because one, I knew we’d get lost again, and two, because them Lunas were crazy and I was not trying to stir that nutso pot.

  Scarlet and I walked out of the
forest and into an opening that led to a small pond. Behind it was a ruined pyramid. Its cement blocks demolished in some areas and covered in vines. The place looked like a damn haunted house—monk style.

  “I guess this is the temple,” I mumbled and craned my neck back to get a good look. “It looks like shit.”

  “It’s supposed to be sacred,” Scarlet said. “Be careful what you say. Oracles have exceptional hearing.”

  “So do I,” I scoffed.

  “You don’t get it, Mackenzie. Oracles are blind; their hearing is way stronger than yours.”

  “They’re blind?” I exclaimed.

  Scarlet appeared taken aback. “Do you know anything?”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  She huffed. “Read a book.”

  I rolled my eyes and started walking toward the temple. The soil was wet and mushy under our feet and I imagined my converses would be a disaster after this trip.

  “Let me do the talking,” I said as we went up the small steps and knocked on the door using the ring handle in the center.

  “This is creepy,” Scarlet shifted, peering over her shoulder like a paranoid spaz.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be some big bad witch? You should be into this weird stuff.”

  She blanched. “I play video games. I’m not necessarily your average, neighborhood witch.”

  “You don’t say,” I muttered as I banged on the door again. “Hello! Anyone home?” I yelled.

  “It looks abandoned, maybe no one’s here,” Scarlet said just as the door opened a few inches.

  “You were saying?” I smirked as I pushed it further and slipped inside.

  “It opened on its own and you just go right in?” she shrieked.

  “Semantics,” I shrugged as we walked into what appeared to be an arena of sort. Stone bleachers encircled the whole room and in the center was an altar.

  The temple was filled with Oracles.

  They were waiting for us.

  Scarlet clutched my arm and I was surprised she didn’t climb on top of me.

  “Virgin sacrifices,” she whispered loudly in my ear and I swatted her away.

  “Well I’m safe,” I said and sized her up. Her face paled and she gulped. “Oh god, don’t even tell me,” I groaned.

  “I’m just waiting for the right guy…”

  I waved her off. “I don’t need details.”

  “What business do ye have here?” the Oracle by the altar asked, interrupting our side conversation. She was an older woman, gray haired with white eyes—she was blind.

  I cleared my throat. “My name is Mackenzie Grey—daughter of Adaline—and I want to know why you’re trying to kill me.” If I pretended to know that they did it, maybe they would confess. It was worth a try.

  There were no surprised gasps, or collective breaths—nothing. Can’t say I wasn’t disappointed. I was used to shocking everyone, that this introduction just fell flat.

  “We donae kill,” the Oracle said.

  I scoffed. “Of course you don’t. That’s why you get others to do it for you. First the Pixies, and then someone inside the castle? I’m not stupid, you’re the only ones holding a grudge.”

  “Who said we’re holding a grudge?”

  “Well…you killed Adaline!”

  “Says who?”

  “What?” I shook my head as my face contorted in confusion. “You’re the only ones—”

  “Come back when ye have proof,” the Oracle shut me down. The temple door opened and sunlight streamed inside. None of the Oracles sitting on the bleachers moved or said a word.

  “I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers!” I demanded.

  “Goodbye,” the Oracle turned her back to me and the rest stood in unison.

  “Mackenzie,” Scarlet pulled me backward. I tried to slip away but she was chanting something, and her grip tightened on me. Damn witches and their spells.

  “I know you’re behind this! I know you killed the Lunas and you’re trying to kill me! You won’t get away with this!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  As soon as we passed the threshold and were outside, the door to the temple slammed shut on its own and Scarlet released me.

  “Damn it!” I kicked a rock. “That was total bullshit! They tried to confuse me with their weird monk nonsense. I swear, I will rip every single one of their throats,” I growled as I picked up another rock and threw it at the sealed door.

  “We’ll figure something else out or we’ll come back. The Highlanders could help,” Scarlet suggested but I didn’t want to hear it. I wanted a solution before my trial.

  I plopped myself on the ground and lifted my shirt. A large bruise had formed on my side from earlier and I was having a hard time breathing.

  “Let’s go back. I have some salve that can help with that in the shop,” Scarlet offered.

  I nodded. I didn’t want to speak. I was so angry and frustrated, I could cry. That only infuriated me more.

  Scarlet helped me stand, and quickly placed her warm hand over my abdomen. “Sana, sana,” she chanted over and over again.

  “What the—” her hand grew warm and a tingle started to spread across my skin until it became numb. I could no longer feel the bruise and my lungs cleared. “How did you do that?”

  “It’s a temporary fix. It’ll wear off in about an hour so we should get you back so you can properly heal.”

  Before she walked away, I grabbed her wrist. “What about your mom?”

  Her doe eyes glistened and she frowned. “We’ll find her. We have to.”

  I nodded. I would do whatever I could on my end to find her mom.

  We were almost to the tree lines when I heard muttering and shuffling of feet.

  “What the hell?” I turned around and saw a girl coming toward us. She appeared to be Scarlets age. Only difference was that her eyes were completely white. She couldn’t see.

  The young Oracle came toward me, her hands outstretched as she continued to mumble rapidly. Once she was at arm’s reach, she touched my face, feeling the different indentions and lines as if memorizing it. I stood still, scared to move.

  “False eyes tell lies that break blood ties. False eyes tell lies that break blood ties. False eyes tell lies that break blood ties,” she repeated.

  “What?” I asked but she only reiterated the same phrase. I turned to Scarlet who was just as perplexed. She pulled a piece of paper and pen from her backpack and began to write it down.

  “Alright, we got it,” Scarlet said once she was done writing it.

  “False eyes tell lies that break blood ties. False eyes tell lies that break blood ties. False eyes tell lies that break blood ties.”

  “Okay, I hear you. What does it mean?” I moved out of reach.

  The Oracle stopped. “You will know soon.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  “That chick is cray,” I sighed as Amy placed an ice pack on my abdomen. “Ouch!” I yelped at the cold. “Gentle, please.”

  “You’re such a baby,” she giggled. “If you hadn’t gone all half-cocked and waited, maybe you wouldn’t be looking like a bruised plum.”

  “A plum is already—” Scarlet started.

  “My point is,” Amy interjected. “You could have avoided this situation. How are you going to explain this to the boys and the sperm donor?”

  I shrugged as I readjusted myself on the bed in Lucian’s guest room. The walls were painted blood red on adjacent sides and it was making me feel some type of way. Vampires and blood are not a good mix. Maybe his guests found this soothing, but as a non-vampire, it freaked me out.

  “Does it matter what they think? They’re just going to lock me in my room again. I had to at least meet these Oracle chicks—even if it was a waste of time.”

  Amy bit her lip. “Kenz…how certain are you that the Sisters killed Adaline?”

  “What?”

  “I’m just saying, we don’t know for sure. This is all based on rumors, and it could
be completely unrelated to what’s happening now. We might be dealing with two separate bad guys.”

  “If no one on this side of the pond knows what I’ve done, who the hell would even care about me? Something in my gut is telling me that it has something to do with Adaline. Even if the Sisters aren’t to blame, them psychos know something,” I pondered on the riddle the young Oracle kept repeating. False eyes tell lies that break blood ties. What the hell did that even mean? I didn’t like my vision quest and I definitely didn’t like this.

  A banging on the front door jerked us out of the bed, making me spasm in pain. “Shit,” I muttered as I grabbed the ice pack that had fallen.

  “This is the Kings Guard. Open the door immediately!” a voice barked from outside. I shriveled back into bed and under the covers hoping they wouldn’t notice me.

  “This is a private residence. What business do you have here?” Lucian’s voice rang. He hadn’t opened the door.

  “Lucian, its Sebastian. Open up.”

  “Oh what a nice surprise, but unfortunately I’m entertaining at the moment and am unavailable. Come back later,” Lucian whistled. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity. If they thought I had sass, Lucian had me beat.

  “We know she’s in there. I can smell her,” Bash said quietly.

  “H-How…” Lucians gaze snapped to the open doored bedroom I was in. Our eyes locked and there was something he was trying to tell me or ask that I couldn’t decipher. “You didn’t…” he whispered.

  I quirked a brow. “What?” I mouthed.

  Lucian charged toward me like a parent about to give their kid a lashing. “You slept with Sebastian Steel?” he gritted through his teeth.

  “You slept with Bash!” Amy exclaimed and then slapped her hand over her mouth.

  “Shhh! It’s not that big of a deal,” I looked away.

  Lucian’s eyes widened. “It is a very big deal, Pet. If you ever have to run, he will find you. He will always, find you.”

  “Open this door, now!” Ranulf barked. We ignored him.

  “Then I won’t run!” I threw my hands in the air. “Seriously, chill out.”