This thought had been nagging in the back of my head since the minute Alexander told me I had six months before taking the throne. It was like an internal clock started ticking and all my concerns rolled out in a lengthy list, topped by this one. I didn’t expect him to follow me. I knew how much being Alpha meant to him, and I couldn’t ask him to give it up. But a long-distance relationship with a whole ocean between us would be challenging.
“You want to have this conversation now, Mackenzie?” He eyed me.
“Well, when do you want to have it? The day before I leave?” I said sarcastically.
“Don’t be a smart ass.” He rolled his eyes. “I was just trying to say it’s late, and that maybe we could wait until tomorrow when we’re rested to talk about this.”
My stomach was in knots. “Why would I need rest? You can just tell me now. The answer will obviously still be the same now or in the morning.” I could hear myself getting agitated and defensive. I needed to calm down.
Bash tried to keep from laughing.
“This isn’t funny!” I pushed his shoulder, which only made him laugh out loud.
“No matter how tough you act, Mackenzie, you’re scared.” He caressed my cheek. “I like seeing your vulnerable side. You don’t show it often.”
How wrong he was. I felt like I had open wounds everywhere for the world to see and throw salt at.
“Mackenzie, don’t you understand how much I love you?” he said, those clear blue eyes staring deeply into mine. “I’ll go anywhere you go.”
“But what about—”
“I plan to give up my position as Alpha.”
My jaw dropped. I could catch flies with my open mouth.
“Sebastian!” I gasped. “I can’t ask that of you.”
“Good thing you’re not asking me. This is a decision I made myself. I knew the time would eventually come where I’d have to choose between you and being Alpha, and the choice was painfully clear. There was no doubt in my mind who won that battle.”
“You … you would give up your title, everything … just to be with me?” I couldn’t understand it. Even if we were together, he couldn’t be King; he’d be a Prince consort with no real power. If I hadn’t freed the Lunas, this might be a very different story.
“I don’t care about that, Mackenzie. I’ve been Alpha for a long time and I’m ready for the next chapter of my life. And that includes you, not the Brooklyn Pack.”
I covered my mouth with my hands, clearly surprised. “Charles won’t be happy about that. Who will take your place?”
“I’m grooming Jackson,” he said as if he’d been planning this for some time. “He is aware the time is coming near.”
“What about Amy? Doesn’t she have to be a Luna?” A million questions raced through my mind, but I would never forget how V always reminded me how she’d be the Luna’s Alpha.
“Yeah, there are some things we need to find workarounds for,” Bash chuckled. “But that will all come with time. No need to stress about it now.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay. So, we’re doing this. All of it. Marriage, mating, moving to Scotland. All the M’s.”
“Yes we are.”
Damn. Have I lost my mind?
A couple days passed without a break on the case. Cas was trying to get in contact with the owners of the two other objects that had been stolen. In the meantime, I had familial obligations. Sebastian lent Ollie his SUV and we were pulling into the driveway of our childhood home in Cold Springs, New York with Alexander sitting in the backseat. It was a comfortable drive, consisting mainly of Alexander telling Ollie about Lycan stuff while I let them talk it out, staying out of it. Mostly because I knew I’d have to engage when I got to my parents’ house, and I needed to reserve all my energy for that. This was going to be interesting.
“Okay, Alexander, remember they’re totally human. They don’t know anything, so don’t be weird, and remember they don’t know about Ollie, and—”
“Darling,” Alexander placed a hand on my shoulder, “I’ve interacted with humans before. Don worry.”
“Relax, sis. Everything’s going to be fine.” Ollie put an arm around me and grinned. We walked up to the front door and knocked.
After twenty long seconds, my father opened the door. “There you are! Joyce, they’re here!” he yelled over his shoulder. “Come in!”
We walked inside our small childhood home that led straight into a living room where my dad’s old raggedy recliner was perched, right in front of the TV. The house was warm and welcoming, and I could smell the food all the way from the door. My dad hugged Ollie, then me.
“Dad, I want you to meet my biological father, Alexander MacCoinnich,” I introduced the two and Alexander extended a hand with a bright smile. He was dressed in an immaculate suit and it was obvious he was over dressed, but he wanted to make a good impression. “Alexander, this is my father, Thomas Grey.”
“It is a pleasure to meet ye, Thomas,” Alexander said, and you could hear the absolute joy pouring out of him. He really was excited to meet my parents.
“Likewise.” My father shook his hand and gave him a tight smile, unsure about him just yet. “Please, join us in the dining room.”
“Thank ye,” Alexander said and followed him further into the house.
My father was acting very reserved, so I grabbed Ollie’s wrist and gave him a look that said, Shit! Dad doesn’t like him.
We entered the dining room where my mom was placing dishes on the table. “Oh!” She seemed startled and ran her hands down her apron, smoothing out the wrinkles.
“Hey, Mom,” Ollie greeted as he went over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I followed and gave her a hug.
“Mom, this is Alexander MacCoinnich, my biological father. Alexander, this is my mother, Joyce Grey,” I said, introducing the two. My mother looked flushed as she looked over Alexander. Oh, sweet baby Jesus.
He gave her a winning smile and I rolled my eyes. “A pleasure.” He shook her hand delicately.
“Please have a seat,” she said, a little out of breath. “I placed you and Mackenzie together.”
“Thank ye,” he said in his thick Scottish brogue, to which I thought I heard my mother giggle. Gross.
We all took our seats, my parents sitting at each end of the table, me and Alexander on one side, and Ollie seated across from us.
“So, is this your first time in the United States?” my dad asked, beginning the conversation as we all started to build our plates.
“No.” Alexander shook his head. “I’ve been here plenty of times.”
“But you’re just now seeing Mackenzie?” my dad said sharply.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Dad!”
Alexander tapped his hand on my knee. “It’s okay, darling, these questions are to be expected.”
“But not right out of the gate,” I huffed.
“To answer yer question, Thomas, I didn’t know about Mackenzie until not too long ago. When I did, I invited her to stay with me in Scotland, and of course I came to see her here. She is always welcome in Scotland.”
I looked down at my plate and avoided my parents’ stares. I never told them about Alexander being here during the war. Of course I didn’t –we were at war. It wasn’t like I could casually let them know and invite him over for dinner back then.
My mother cleared her throat. “How long are you here for?” I peered over at her.
“For as long as Mackenzie will have me.” Alexander smiled at me and I smiled back.
“Do you not work?” my dad blurted, and I felt my face get extremely hot.
“Oh my God, Dad,” I muttered, wanting to hide under the table. “Stop being so rude.”
Alexander took his napkin and dabbed the corners of his mouth before setting it back on his lap. “I’m a multi-millionaire, and I have many businesses. I also have the luxury to take whatever time off I need.”
My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. Was he really? We neve
r really talked about money. Alexander started sending money each month, and at first, I didn’t accept. Until I noticed my bank account was slightly larger than I expected. When I checked my statements, I saw multiple deposits from Alexander. He’d been sneaking in small amounts so I wouldn’t notice. By then, I just stopped fighting him. He only wanted to help me, even though I was a self-sufficient adult and didn’t need his financial support, but whatever. It came in handy when I was put on administrative leave without pay at work.
“Well, isn’t that nice?” my dad grumbled and started to shovel food into his mouth.
The uncomfortable silence that followed made my skin crawl. This was not how this dinner was supposed to go. Was my dad jealous? He couldn’t be!
Ollie nudged me under the table. I jerked up and glared at him. Then he kicked me hard in the shins. His eyes widened and he nodded at our parents. He was telling me to start a conversation, to smooth things over with them.
Before I could say anything, Alexander cut into the quiet.
“I would just like to say that ye both did a wonderful job raising Mackenzie. I’ve never met a better human being than her.” I felt heat cover my cheeks. “I don believe I would have done a better job. She was with who she was meant to be with. Ye both are her parents.”
My mother’s eyes glistened and her bottom lip wobbled. She clutched the front of her shirt and smiled at Alexander. “Thank you,” she said.
My father’s tight grip on his fork loosened, his hand trembling, and he set the fork down and nodded. “That is very kind of you, Alexander,” he said. “We love Mackenzie very much.”
“I know I can never replace either of ye,” Alexander said. “I’m only trying to be a part of her life now, as much as she’ll let me. But I know I can never take yer place.” He looked specifically at my dad. “I hope ye understand.”
The tears started to flow freely for my mom, but they were happy tears. Hearing Alexander’s words was a relief for them both. I guessed seeing him in person, especially with how Alexander presented himself with that Alpha aura could be a bit intimidating, and they were hesitant. But now all their fears were put to rest.
The rest of dinner went by smoothly. My parents regaled Alexander with stories of my childhood. From my first soccer game, to when I ran away at the age of eight with only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Capri-sun, and my Gameboy, and hid in the treehouse at a neighbor’s house. Alexander enjoyed every second of it and I felt a comforting warmth in my gut as I watched him listen to my parents. There was a sense of pure happiness that I hadn’t seen in him since we met, and it made him look years younger. But I could also see how much he wished he’d been there, and a part of me wished he was.
After dinner, I offered Alexander a tour of the town so he could see where I grew up. I didn’t have to do much to convince him. He picked up his blazer from the back of his chair, which he’d taken off mid-dinner, and shrugged it back on.
“Ma, we’ll be back!” I yelled into the kitchen and hurried out with Alexander trailing behind me.
When we stepped outside, I looked to my left and saw my ex-boyfriend James’s house. The lights were on and I didn’t want his family to see I was home, so I quickly walked down the driveway and onto the sidewalk.
Alexander walked side-by-side with me in silence, and after a couple blocks, he nudged me with his shoulder. “I had a great time, lass.” He grinned, his gray eyes sparkling in the night. “Thank ye for the invite.”
I smiled. “Anytime. I’m glad you were able to get along with my parents. They mean a lot to me.”
He hummed. “I see that. And ye mean a great deal to them. I’m understanding yer human connection much more after today’s visit.”
“Well, now you know the back story of my childhood,” I laughed. “I hope you won’t tell anyone about me decapitating my Barbies,” I winced.
He chuckled. “Yer secrets are safe with me.”
We made it to Main Street and I showed him around, explaining about the Christmas parade the town put on every year and how we helped, and how my mom made biscuits and sausage gravy for the holidays. We were passing Angelina’s Pizza when we both tensed.
Alexander grabbed my wrist, halting my steps. “Do ye smell that?” He sniffed the night air.
I did the same and nodded. “Blood.” I started toward where the scent was the strongest, but Alexander took the lead and shifted me behind him to shelter me. I wasn’t in the mood to argue, especially when there was danger in the area, so I let him. Technically, I should have been protecting him. He was the King, after all.
We inched past a couple of storefronts and turned into an alley, where we saw the body. A human was lying on the ground completely torn up, as if ravaged by an animal.
“This wasn’t a wolf,” I muttered as I stared at the gashes. “What could have done this?”
“Do ye have animals in this area? It could have been an actual animal attack,” he said. “Not everything is supernatural.”
He was right. I was so paranoid now, looking for a supernatural problem to everything, that I never stopped to question if maybe, just maybe, this could be a human atrocity.
“I guess I should call the police, then,” I said as I went to pull out my cell phone. I turned away from the body when I saw a figure at the entrance of the alley.
Their fingers started to glow and spark this yellowish-gold color at the tips, which morphed into a ball a split second before they launched it toward Alexander’s back. Without thinking, I jumped in front of it. “Watch out!” I yelled as I absorbed the force of the magic burst. I was able to repel the magic ball, but the energy knocked me into Alexander.
“Lass! Are ye okay?” I rolled off him and he quickly sat up and checked on me.
I rubbed my chest where the magic hit and grimaced. “Yeah, I’m good. I have a tattoo that stops harmful magic, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the brunt of it sometimes when it’s super powerful.”
He looked up at the figure and morphed into a half shift in the span of a blink. His eyes glowed silver and his canines slipped out with a growl that roared into the otherwise silent night. Alexander launched, his claws scrabbling on the asphalt, and went into full-on attack mode, effortlessly swerving the magic spheres that were lobbed his way. His speed was beyond supernatural, almost like vampire speed. I’d never seen anything like it. This was why he was Alpha – because he was an unstoppable force. He reached the figure and they sailed into hand-to-hand combat, while I just laid on the ground like a dazed idiot.
I finally stood and sprinted toward them, but honestly, it didn’t look like Alexander needed my help. When I got closer, I saw our assailant was a guy, and Alexander was clawing at him, making him bleed out. The man was slowing down and I couldn’t tell if he was a warlock or fae. When his fingers sparkled again and he reached for Alex, I snatched his hand and twisted it back in an unnatural way. He screamed.
“That’s a no-no.” I shook my head and tsked. “No magic. Let’s play fair. Now tell us why you attacked and if you were the one who killed that human.” With magic, he could have easily killed the human and made it look like an animal attack. “I don’t hear any talking,” I taunted as I twisted his hand further.
He screamed again and I worried we’d draw attention. “You won’t get anything out of me, Curse Breaker,” the man snarled.
Alexander’s clawed hand went for his neck and he dug his claws in, puncturing skin. “Answer her questions or I’ll rip out yer throat,” he growled.
“Okay! Okay!” he gurgled as blood seeped out of his mouth. “I killed the human … to lure you out!” he grunted.
“Why?” I asked, tightening my grip on him.
“There’s a bounty on your head in the black market. I didn’t know you were immune to magic.”
I laughed. Of course there was a bounty on my head, because I couldn’t just live a normal life. Someone always had to want me dead. It would be abnormal if they didn’t.
“W
hy aim for Alexander instead of me, then?”
“Everyone knows you protect those you love,” he said, defeated. “If you let me live, I won’t bother you and I’ll give you a piece of vital information.”
I snorted. “You’ll tell me regardless. Spill.”
He grimaced. “The person who set up the bounty is human.”
My eyes widened. Well, then, that’s new. I didn’t think I could be shocked until now. I didn’t think I’d pissed off any humans lately, but maybe I had.
“Rip out his throat, Alexander.” I turned around just as I heard the man’s screams cut out.
10
I looked down at the two bodies on the ground and sighed. This was going to be a pain to clean up. The nearest SIU team was back in the city, and by the time they got here, I was sure we would have garnered some human attention. Which meant we had to bury the bodies ourselves. I texted Ollie for some help.
“This is nae good, darling,” Alexander said as he went through the pockets of our killer. “Yer nae safe in America.”
I snorted. “I’m not safe anywhere. At least here I can figure out who’s trying to kill me.”
Alexander frowned as he dug through the man’s back pocket. “I think I found something.”
I squatted on the other side of the body and waited for him to retrieve it. He pulled out a cell phone. A flip phone, at that. Super old school.
“That could be a burner,” I suggested as Alexander handed it over to me. I opened it up and looked at the call history. There was only one phone number listed. “I think this is where he communicated with our mystery human.”
“Let’s call them.” Alexander nodded toward the phone.
I shook my head. “Not yet. We’ll spook whoever it is. I’ll send the number to the SIU and have them do a trace so we can get a general location of where that number is. Then when we call, we do another trace and get an exact location.”
Just then, Ollie turned the corner and slipped into the alley. “Holy shit,” he mumbled, jerking to a stop at the gruesome sight. “What the hell happened?”
Stolen Relics Page 9
