by A L Fogerty
Conquest
The Last Alpha Queen: Book Two
A.L. Fogerty
Copyright © 2019 by A.L. Fogerty
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Introduction
In a world consumed by darkness, death is not the end. Ghosts replace those who’ve been lost, turning entire cities into wastelands. When the dead take up residence, the living have no choice but to run and hide.
Shifter queen Kayla Redclaw is bound by blood and prophecy to the five Blackfang brothers, and two very different men have become her mates.
After rescuing the Blackfangs’ pack from vampires, their village needs far more then repairs. Dangerous ghosts haunt the streets of Mist Valley, leaving yet another pack member dead. As Alpha, Kayla must find a way to rid the land of ghosts or the pack will be forced to leave.
Riddick Blackfang is the lovable rogue who stole Kayla’s heart in a witch’s prison cell. While on a mission to save the village, their spark of attraction bursts into flames.
When Kayla discovers she’s pregnant, she knows its Riddick’s child. But the with the pregnancy, Kayla experiences changes far greater than the child growing in her womb-- changes that could spell disaster for her baby, her mates, and the entire world.
Can Kayla finally claim her light, or will her family be destroyed by the darkness she has vowed to obliterate?
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Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
About the Author
Also by A.L. Fogerty
Prologue
“Did somebody say they had a ghost problem?” a young woman on a white horse asked.
Mackenzie wore a black leather skirt, boots, and a pink silk cape. Her wild red hair stuck out in every direction, and she had a streak of mud on her cheek. Slipping from her horse, she started toward Kayla Redclaw, Alpha of the Mist Valley pack.
Willa ran from the pack lodge, sprinting toward her girlfriend. Mackenzie threw herself into Willa’s arms. They held each other tightly, sobbing and kissing.
“You made it,” Willa wept. “You really made it.”
“Of course I did,” the necromancer said. “Did you doubt it?”
“I was worried. It’s been weeks since your last raven.”
“I had to be careful. My parents were watching me like hawks. I think they got wind of the first raven I sent, and I couldn’t send more after that. The back door out of the city was closed. I had to find an excuse to go through the front gate. But I’m here now. You look well. The tan suits you.”
“The sun hasn’t been as kind to you.”
“I forgot to pack sunscreen,” Mackenzie said with a laugh.
“I can help you with your sunburn,” Quinn said.
“Are you hungry?” Willa asked, taking her girlfriend’s hand and leading her toward the communal kitchen. “Kayla took down a boar this morning. It should be finished roasting by now.”
“I’m starving,” Mackenzie said.
Kayla and Quinn followed Mackenzie and Willa to the kitchen. They all sat down together over plates of barbecued ribs. Mackenzie took a big bite and groaned. “This is the best meal I’ve eaten in ages. Oh, that reminds me. I have news from Dark Haven.”
“What sort of news?” Willa asked.
“Your sister, Veronica, sent a message. She and her army of darkness are looking for recruits.”
Chapter One
Kayla crept through the forest, on the trail of a three-pronged white-tailed buck. Her feet padded lightly over the soft ground, wet from recent rain. Bane, her wolf familiar, trotted at her side, stalking the buck on silent feet.
Brilliantly colored autumn leaves fell all around in a torrent of yellow, orange, and red, and the invigorating scent of ozone and decaying leaves filled her lungs.
Kayla nocked an arrow into her bow and drew a breath. She stood and aimed at the buck’s heart. With her exhale, she focused her alpha magic into the arrow and let loose her shot. It flew straight and true, sinking deep into her prey.
Bane charged into the clearing and lunged at the buck. Kayla hurried to her kill as it fell. She pulled the single arrow from its hide. Standing, she returned the arrow to her quiver.
Glancing up, she looked into the face of a man she had never seen before. She hadn’t heard him approach and could not make out his scent.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“You do not belong here, Kayla Redclaw.” With each syllable, the man’s voice raised in pitch, growing frantic.
“I demand your name,” Kayla said, gripping the hilt of her sword.
“You bring nothing but death. We demand you leave.”
The man shifted before her, transforming into a large gray wolf. He bared his teeth with a threatening growl. Bane snarled in response. The hairs on the wolf’s neck stood as he hunkered low to the ground.
Kayla lifted her palm, shooting her alpha power at the shifter. She’d hoped to give warning, but her magic did nothing. Kayla had never met a creature who was unaffected by her magic. The wolf snapped, and Bane launched herself at the threatening beast.
Before Kayla could command her to stop, Bane charged at him with her mouth open, snarling. The much larger wolf snapped at Bane, biting into the back of her neck. It shook her and threw her aside. Kayla shouted, nocked an arrow, and shot at the large gray wolf.
She missed.
The wolf stared at her with glowing red eyes. Blood dripped from his snarling lips and cruel, sharp teeth. Kayla reached for another arrow, but the wolf lunged at her before she could take aim.
Kayla turned and launched into a sprint. She hurtled over the underbrush and the fallen trees. Her feet sank into the mud as she rushed away, the wolf right on her heels, its lips curled back to show its fangs.
Kayla ran desperately, using every bit of her strength to escape the relentless shifter. She had no idea who the man was or why he was chasing her. She was defenseless against him. Her heart thumped in her ears as fear trickled into her blood. She reached out to Bane through their mental link but felt nothing.
She slipped on a muddy patch near the bank of a shallow creek. The wolf lunged at her leg, grabbing hold of her pants. She fell hard on her chest, her palms smashing into sharp stones. The wolf
tugged her backward, snarling. Her exposed flesh raked over the pointed stones, cutting a hundred tears in her skin.
She turned onto her back, kicking at him. He yanked her harder, and she missed. She kicked again, her heel smashing into his eye. The wolf let her go, and she flipped over on all fours, scrambling to her feet.
Before she could stand, the wolf pounced on her back. Sharp fangs sank into her neck. She screamed, but the sound was cut off by the pressure of his teeth. She fell, her body crashing into the jagged gravel.
Kayla woke with a start and sat up in bed. Sweat dripped from her brow and down the crevice between her breasts.
“What’s wrong?” Jagger asked from the other side of the bed.
“A bad dream.”
“What happened?”
“A wolf shifter was chasing me. My magic had no effect on him. He hurt Bane and was trying to hurt me—kill me. He told me I don’t belong here.”
“It was just a dream.”
“Yes,” she said with a sleepy sigh. “Just a dream.”
She slipped from bed and grabbed the lantern on the way on her way out the door. Hurrying down the stairs, she crept into the night to use the outhouse. After relieving herself, she tiptoed back toward the house.
The light from her lantern reflected in a glinting pair of eyes at the edge of the forest down the lane. She padded toward the trees, her bare feet freezing in the cold night air. Her heart raced, as she followed the glinting eyes.
She reached the edge of the village and held her lantern high, peering into the darkness of the forest. A transparent wolf stepped from between the trees, its teeth bared in warning. Its eyes gleamed in the lamplight, and Kayla gasped. Dropping the lantern, she turned and sprinted back to the house, slamming the door behind her.
“I saw it outside,” she said, climbing into bed next to Jagger.
“What did you see?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.
“The ghost wolf from my dream.”
“We’re covered in ghosts. You know they can’t hurt you. Just go back to sleep.”
“Right,” she said with a sigh. “They can’t hurt me.”
Unable to sleep, Kayla lay awake deep into the night. Bane jumped onto the bed beside her and snuggled into her side, warming her as she shivered under her furs. Jagger snored softly beside her, his feet colder than her own. When she finally drifted off, she fell into a black and dreamless sleep.
When her eyes opened, she found Jagger pulling on his leather pants. She sat up in bed and swung her legs over the side to rest her feet on the cold wooden floor.
“Good morning,” she said, yawning and stretching.
“Hurry and get dressed. We have a lot to do today.”
“I didn’t sleep much last night. I’ll meet you downstairs in a minute.”
Jagger nodded and disappeared out the door. Kayla pulled on her leather pants, slipped her leather vest on over her hemp undershirt, and strapped on her boots and weapons. Downstairs, she found Jagger and his brothers in the dining room. The teapot sat in the center of the table beside a plate of boar chops and balls of honey-toasted oats.
Sid had his plate piled with meat. Riddick slowly sipped his tea, raising an eyebrow. Felix had his nose buried in one of the many books he’d collected on their journey. Kayla sat and helped herself to breakfast, pouring tea into a porcelain cup.
“Jagger said you had a bad dream?” Quinn asked from the other side of the table.
A scream resounded through the village, vibrating the window glass. It pierced Kayla’s eardrums, the sound sinking deep into her very consciousness. She and the Blackfang brothers shot to their feet and charged out the front door.
A dozen people gathered, staring and screaming at the pack lodge across the gravel street. Large birch logs had been raised just a few days before to replace the old roof. One side of the new roof had broken free, and the logs had rolled to the ground.
“Jamie is under there!” Betty Lark screamed. “Help him!”
The crowd rushed in. Kayla grabbed log after log, using every ounce of her alpha power to lift them quickly and carefully away. Finally, they uncovered Jamie Lark, a farmer who had worked tirelessly to get the pack’s oat crops back into production.
Quinn knelt beside the bleeding man, placing his fingers to his neck. Moving quickly, he began blowing into Jamie’s mouth, trying to get him breathing again. After several moments, he checked the pulse again. Quinn called down the magic of Wolf Mother, his patron goddess, and prayed for healing.
Kayla could see the light surround Quinn and the unconscious farmer. Quinn knelt in prayer for several long minutes and finally opened his eyes. He turned to Kayla, a deep frown etched on his face. He shook his head slightly, indicating that there was nothing left he could do.
“Save him!” Betty screamed.
Quinn stood, dusting off the knees of his robe. He shook his head again and sighed, his lips in a tight line. “I’m so sorry, Betty. He was already gone when I got to him. Wolf Mother cannot bring back the dead.”
“No!” she wailed, turning to her father. She threw herself into his arms.
Kayla looked up at the roof. The logs should not have fallen. They’d had their best builders on the project, and Felix was the best engineer the pack had ever seen. Something glimmered in the sunlight. Two glinting eyes stared down at her, and an outline of growling teeth appeared and slowly disappeared. Kayla’s mouth dropped open as she watched the transparent teeth fade into the deep-azure sky. She grabbed Jagger’s arm and pulled him aside.
“What is it?” he asked as they stood out of earshot of the crowd.
“I saw the ghost wolf up on the roof just now. Still think ghosts can’t hurt us?”
“It’s a well-known fact that ghosts can’t affect physical objects,” Jagger said, crossing his arms.
“Until they can,” said Mackenzie, walking up beside them.
The necromancer’s red hair was braided over the top of her head in a long plait, giving her the look of a warrior. She looked much different from when she’d first arrived in Mist Valley, sunburned and wearing a silk cape. Willa stood beside her, her mouth a hard line, holding Mackenzie’s hand.
“What do you mean?” Jagger demanded.
“I performed a spell last night. I’d hoped it would finally free the trapped spirits. But I was unable to release them. I fear I’ve only made them stronger in this world.”
“Are you telling me we aren’t any closer to getting rid of the ghosts than when you first arrived a month ago?” Jagger barked.
“She’s trying,” Willa said.
“Willa, Mackenzie, we’re so grateful for your help,” Kayla interjected. “But now the haunting has become dangerous. It’s concerning.”
“I know,” Mackenzie said. “I’m working on it.”
“I’m sending a raven to our friends in Dark Haven today for advice,” Willa said. “We’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.”
“I just hope you figure this out before someone else dies,” Jagger said. “We can’t risk another incident like today. If this territory is lost to dangerous ghosts, we’ll need to move before winter sets in.”
“I’ll fix this,” Mackenzie said, slapping her fist into her palm. “I won’t let you down.”
Willa and Mackenzie disappeared into the forest at the edge of the village. Jagger raised an eyebrow at Kayla, his lips pursed.
“Last night, the wolf told me I don’t belong here and that all I bring is death.”
“It’s killed a member of our pack. I don’t think this is about you.”
“What do you think it is about?” she asked as they walked back inside.
“I don’t know.”
Quinn, Riddick, and Sid had gone to help with Jamie, but Felix had returned to the kitchen table. “What don’t you know?” Felix asked, settling back into his chair.
“The ghost problem is intensifying. I had a nightmare about a ghost wolf last night, then I saw one when I went to
the outhouse… then again this morning, on the roof, after Jamie…” Kayla shuddered, thinking about the death of another Mist Valley pack member. The sorrow was too much to bear. All she could do was try to keep a cool head and find a solution. “The wolf shifter told me last night that I don’t belong here. I thought he just didn’t like me being alpha. But now—”
“Mackenzie botched a spell last night. Now the ghosts have greater power in this world,” Jagger added.
“I see.” Felix scratched the patch of hair on his chin. He was determined to grow it into a full beard, but it was just a patchy goatee. “Ghosts can be territorial. Perhaps it isn’t just you they don’t want here. Perhaps it’s all of us.”
Chapter Two
Quinn hurried up the ridge trail and ducked into the cave where he kept his ritual tools. Inside, he lit a candle and hurried to the trunk at the far end of the small space. He found bundles of sage, salt consecrated by Wolf Mother, and packets of spices and herbs he’d collected in his travels around Mist Valley.
He added a packet of moonstone he’d bought in Dark Haven and the statue of Wolf Mother he had retrieved from the same vendor. He had been sure when he’d found it that it was the one that had gone missing from the altar in his bedroom. The rose quartz carving of his goddess was his prized possession, handed down to him from his mother and her father before her.
