Rage of the Alpha (Part 2 of the Alpha Queen series)

SABER

It had taken all of two seconds to convince the other Alphas that the ceremony needed to happen as soon as possible. It seemed in-spite of Saber’s embarrassment, it happened for the greater good.

It was incomprehensible to her how the Elves managed the hive-mind. A shudder went through her at the thought of everyone humping each-other’s brains out whenever the Queen felt frisky.

“Are you getting dressed anytime soon dear?” Her mother’s voice pulled her back from her reverie.

“Yeah, sorry,” Saber sent her a smile. “I just can’t believe what happened. Crawling into a hole sounds better than facing the alphas.”

Neall chuckled. “I’m glad. I think your modesty is a good sign. The Fae as a whole come across as arrogant instead of confident because of their lack in that area. Not that I hold it against them,” she added quickly.

“I guess you’re right. It just feels like I’ve proven to everyone how immature I am. I don’t know if I’m ready to lead the Wolves into battle, heck - into war no less.” Saber mumbled while putting on the dress.

Her mother helped her with the bindings of the dress. It was spectacular - a silver sheet flowing straight down her figure with an open back, bound with silver lace in a crisscross manner down to just above her bum. The dress had no sleeves so that there was no barrier when the alphas made their marks.

“You’ll be looking like a goddess when the moonlight hits you. That will be considered a blessing from the Gods, you know,” Neall told her with sparkling eyes, filled with emotion.

“Thank you Mom,” Saber pulled her mother into a hug, “for everything. And for just being here.” Tears were threatening to slip out, but before they could Neall broke away with a subtle swipe of her cheek.

“Time to get out there my Queen,” Sebastian’s voice filled the cavern as he called from outside.

Saber held onto Neall’s hand as they made their way through the watery entrance, keeping them both dry even in the water. It amazed Neall every time to see how her power kept on growing and evolving.

Sebastian led them out of their village toward the meadows. A path cleared as they walked through all the packs that had been gathered. The Alphas were waiting atop a small hill that made a natural stage-area. Neall stopped at the bottom and gave Saber one last peck on the cheek, squeezing her shoulders in support.

As they reached the pack leaders, Saber felt uneasy. Glancing over her shoulder and into the tree line, the feeling turned to caution. It felt as if they were being watched. Her senses told her there were many, many eyes on them, but there wasn’t immediate danger - probably due to all the wolves gathered.

Asher took her hand and whispered, “I believe it’s the rogue wolves. We’re all keeping an eye on them.” He turned to nod at the Alphas who had formed a semi-circle around them. Each leader nodded back.

“I believe we can get started,” said the eldest among them, turning to the crowd who quieted down immediately. When he raised his hands, cheers rose loudly into the night sky and excitement settled all around them.

“We are truly privileged!” Antoine told them. As the eldest Alpha, he had their respect purely from staying in the position so long. It made sense to have him lead the ceremony. Silence crept over the crowd as his words hit their mark.

He motioned to Saber and held out his hand. The power flowing through him sparked all over Saber’s arm, raising the tiny hairs as he turned to the crowd once more after giving her a nod. She let down her walls and let her power wash over the area.

“Saber, Alpha Queen of the Wolves, from now until she takes her rest!” He shouted at their audience and nodded to her again. Saber let go of his hand and shifted to her wolf-form seamlessly. The crowd gasped as they took in her size.

Saber howled and in an instant, all the men and women gathered were turned into wolves too, leaving only children who had not awakened their transformations yet. It hadn’t been something she wanted to do, but it was part of the ceremony to prove her dominance over them all as well as claim them as hers.

Howls of sorrow came from the forest which made nearly all heads turn. Saber mentally commanded her wolves to stand down and make way. In this form she could feel each rogue’s heart. They only wanted to belong to a pack once more.

Letting go of the crowd’s transformations, Saber held the rogues in wolf-form and the crowd parted for them. They seemed countless as more and more came forward. When there appeared to be no more, the crowd was at least three times bigger than before.

“If anyone has doubts about our Queen,” a bewildered Antoine shouted, “now is your only chance to challenge.”

Saber looked over them and spoke into their minds. “I will die before letting harm come your way. As our Gods entrusted me, I will not take your freedom. Instead, I will give you all a choice that I never had. I will ask for volunteers - war is coming, and there will be death. But together, we will survive. Choose now.” She ended with a growl.

“That is not the pledge Saber,” Sebastian whispered while side-eyeing her.

Saber rolled her eyes at him and shifted back, the rogues too, who seemed nervous being surrounded by packs on all sides. She made her way to the nearest rogues. They would be considered outsiders until they were accepted into these packs. But another idea formed as she considered what she’d already felt from them.

“I offer myself as your Queen, as your Alpha…” pausing to let that sink in, Saber went on, “to all the rogues. I offer myself as their leader, as their friend, and as their servant.” Gasps could be heard coming from the gathering of wolves even without their special hearing.

She focused her eyes on the man standing before her. “The Alpha King’s pack was decimated. For over a year there has been no wolf army to protect our kind. Make no mistake, this is a request, not a demand or command from your Queen. I wish to reinstate a pack of my own into the Regia. There will be two branches instead of one.”

“The Legion who will fight beside me, not for me, to protect any who need it. No matter their race. The Gods have seen fit to mate a Wolf to a Fae. Their intentions are crystal clear to me. We are one people just as the humans are one people. To them we are all supernatural. It is time we honor the Gods’ wishes.”

“The Curantis will be our caregivers. Nurturing and supporting any who need it with the same ideals. The Regia pack will be strong and caring to ensure not only the survival of our race, but the survival of our entire realm. War is coming. My mate and I believe that is why our union was needed now.”

Asher stepped forward and addressed them. “We will not surrender to the Deamon race. In the previous war they used the humans by possessing them and turning them against us, resulting in our realm losing half its strength. This time they are coming in their true forms. This time, however, we can exterminate them before they enslave everything in their path.”

Holding out his hand to the man in front of them, he held his breath. This was an unprecedented move. There truly was no way to predict what would happen here tonight. With a relieved look on his face, the man shook Asher’s hand.

“Call me Eli,” he smiled. Turning to Saber, he made a show for the others as he dropped to his knees in submission. “My Queen,” he formally acknowledged for everyone to hear, surprising them all by bowing to Asher as well. “My King.”

Asher shook off the bewilderment he felt. Using his dagger, he drew a line over his left palm and Saber’s right, he then made a cut over each of Eli’s extended hands. Pressing their bleeding palms together, the pack link was created between them. Eli breathed a sigh of relief and quiet elation as he turned to the other rogues.

“That feels good,” he told them, grinning from ear to ear. Soon a line had formed as the others stepped up to be initiated into the Regia.

“Ready,” she told Sebastian after more than an hour had passed. It had taken that long to induct all the rogues into their new pack, creating a link to them all had tired both herself and Asher.

Since Asher was her mate, it was his place to offer up her arms to the Alphas. Sebastian had schooled them on the importance of the marks’ placement and how they should be arranged in terms of power. Closest to her heart (shoulders) should be strongest Alpha, moving down her arms would end with the weaker Alphas.

The positioning was apparently vital so that her own strength would feed them instead of them feeding her. The latter could still happen, but this way it would need consent.

“I love you so much right now,” Asher whispered into her mind. Saber smiled up at him as Antoine stepped into view and took her hand.

“It is an honor, my Queen,” he told her before his canines bit deeply into her shoulder. The effect on Saber was immediate as lust filled her veins in an attempt to bond with such power. Almost from faraway, she felt Asher’s teeth pierce their bonding mark and instantly evaporated all those uncomfortable instincts.

As each Alpha marked her, the waves of lust continued, but Asher was there to nullify it each time.

“I thought it would lessen with the weaker Alphas,” she told Asher.

“We have been sharing power and creating links for hours. Not only has it weakened us considerably, but our weakest Alphas are not exactly weak my love.” Saber could feel his amusement trickling through the mating bond. “You can easily tell by your reaction - if any of them were indeed “weak” they would have repulsed you instead of your wanting to bond with them.”

“And you’re not jealous?” Saber wanted to know.

“Of course I am,” came his reply, “but they don’t pose a threat. Let me prove it to you.”