Court of Alphas: A WhyChoose Shifter Romance

by Ramsey, River

  “What… what’s wrong?” I ask, trying to remove my wrist from her grasp. Her hold is too tight and her fingers are digging in so hard they’re going to bruise.

  When I finally meet her eyes, the familiar blue glow in them stops me cold. It’s the same glow I saw in Christopher’s eyes that night, but there’s something different about it. Jenna’s face seems frozen in a grimace, and I get the feeling her iron grip on me is involuntary, too.

  The struggle ceases and she lets go, allowing me to fall back into the car. “I’m sorry,” she says in a stiff voice.

  “Wait!” I cry as she shuts the door on me. I try to open it, but it’s locked. As the car pulls away, I see Jenna standing at the curb, watching me with a blank expression on her face. No matter how hard I pound on the door or try to unlock it, it won’t budge.

  “Hey! Open up!” I cry, banging on the tinted partition that separates the back of the limousine from the driver. There’s no answer and as I sink back into my seat, I struggle to come to terms with what’s happening.

  I’m being kidnapped. Jenna sold me out.

  No… I know that look in her eyes. That was magic, and she’s definitely not a practitioner. That means she’s being controlled. Manipulated.

  Her words about Ryland come back to haunt me. She seemed so like herself up until that very moment. Like she didn’t even realize anything was wrong.

  Now I can’t help but wonder… was Christopher being controlled, too?

  I reach for my phone only to realize it’s gone. Jenna must have taken it off of me. Somehow, it’s a comfort to know the betrayal wasn’t her choice, but it leaves me in the same boat.

  Or rather, in the same tinted black car hurtling down the highway at sixty miles an hour toward God only knows where.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Christopher always joked that I could sleep through the eye of a hurricane. I guess the fact that I managed to fall asleep in the middle of my own kidnapping is proof that he was right.

  The car screeches to a stop somewhere off the Interstate and I bump my head against the door I was leaning on, waking with a start. I watch as the shadow of the driver passes around the vehicle and tense up, prepared to shift and run.

  I have no idea how long we’ve been driving. It felt like hours when I finally fell asleep. There’s no way to see the dashboard clock through the tinted partition, so I try to listen to what the driver’s saying.

  His voice is low and he’s definitely speaking a foreign language. French, or maybe something else. Whoever he’s talking to is agitating him enough to pace back and forth across what seems to be a clean stretch of highway and woods.

  The pungent herbs disguising my captor’s scent aside, I know he’s not a shifter. If he’s human, I could overpower and outrun him, but what if he’s a vampire?

  The crest on the only road sign I’m able to see clearly through the window makes that even likelier. Each Vampire Lord marks their territory with their own crest. I don’t know this one from the others, but I get the feeling that finding Aedan might be easier than I thought.

  Now I just have to hope I can find James first.

  “No. You listen,” he snarls into the phone. “I’ve been dodging the royal guard and we’re barely over the line, so you’d better be ready.”

  He’s silent for a few moments, and while I can’t tell what the person on the other end of the line is saying, I get the feeling it’s less than friendly.

  “What?” My captor says suddenly. “Yeah, of course she’s here. Hang on.”

  I duck down suddenly as a plan occurs to me. I pull my limbs down into the space between the seat and the floor and shift. Even though my wolf form is small, it’s still a tight squeeze, but as soon as my captor opens the door to make sure the goods are still inside, I spring out.

  He gives a startled cry and drops the phone in the dirt. My paw hits the screen as I propel myself past my guard and into the woods.

  If he is a vampire, he’s a slow one. I don’t waste any time looking back over my shoulder, though. I keep running until I can’t feel my paws and my fur is full of briars and brush.

  It occurs to me as I squeeze through a rocky pass and hear rushing water in the distance that each step away from the roadside leads me deeper into enemy territory. Whoever ordered my capture already knows who and what I am, and I’m sure it won’t take long for any other vampire I encounter to figure out the same.

  There’s a sound coming from my right that sounds like footsteps, so I take a sharp left and hope I’m not just being penned in. My heart is pounding in my ears and the animal is taking over, turning my panic into adrenaline.

  I have to get away. I have to get away.

  Running isn’t something an omega is conditioned to do. We exist to be captured, but as I think of falling into the hands of some vampire after everything I’ve overcome, the rage drives me onward.

  I have to find James. We have to save Albien. I won’t be caught again.

  The leaves in the trees shift as the vampire, or maybe several, close in around me. A growl rumbles in my chest as I realize they are trying to corner me into a rock wall up ahead.

  Just as I’m about to face the fact that I’m out of options other than turning around to fight, the leaves blown up around me begin to glow. At first, I can only see the faint energy out of the corner of my eye, but it begins to take on a decidedly blue shade. The leaves my running kicked up begin to levitate and swirl around me.

  I come to a stop, backed up against the rock wall, but the monsters closing in take a backseat to the impossible display before me. There are probably a thousand leaves, maybe more, forming a shield around me.

  The first vampire comes into view. A woman with golden-blonde curls cascading all the way down her back. I know she’s a vampire, both from the obvious bondage gear she’s wearing and the silver fang caps that probably cost her a fortune. They definitely have a look.

  She stands frozen, looking at me through the fluttering shield of leaves like she’s not sure what to make of it any more than I am.

  A moment later, a man appears beside her wearing dark leather and the sunglasses typical of a vamp who’s out hunting humans and trying to look discreet. They have all the blood they need, but some just like the chase.

  “The hell is that?” he asks, gawking at the strange sight.

  If only I knew.

  Before the woman can answer, my unsolicited driver breaks through the trees and stops to assess what he’s walked into. He looks at me, then the others, frowning.

  “Back off. She’s mine.”

  “Funny, because you’re on our territory,” the blonde bombshell says, planting her hands on her hips as she saunters toward him.

  “She’s right,” says her friend. “Matter of fact, you’re lucky if we take her as an offering and let you out of here in one piece.”

  “You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” the driver warns. “Lord Aedan will come for you.”

  They fall silent at the mention of his name, and I can see the wheels turning. “Aedan,” the blonde finally scoffs. “Figures the glowing weirdo is his pet.”

  I’d normally take offense to being called a weirdo, but given the circumstances, I can’t really argue. I’m not even sure how to make it stop. At the moment, the less-than-convincing shield doesn’t seem to be at all within my control.

  I decide to make a run for it while they’re arguing and the woman cries, “She’s getting away!”

  They’re close enough behind me that I know I’ll never make it around the rocks, so I leap up onto the nearest one and scramble up to a flat surface. When I turn back, the glowing leaves have attached themselves to the male vampire. He looks like he’s badly camouflaged with leaves sticking to every surface in the outline of a human, but his screams of agony keep it from being the comical picture it should be.

  The other two freeze, backing away from him as he sinks to the ground.

  “Oh, God!” the blonde cries, covering
her mouth. “That smell!”

  The driver grimaces as he takes another step back. I watch in horror as the first vampire’s shoulder caves in and a hunk of rotting flesh falls off him.

  I don’t know how and I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to, but I think the leaves are decomposing him. Forcing myself to swallow the bile in my throat, I try to make it further up the ledge.

  “No, you don’t,” the blonde seethes, lunging after me even though the driver is still on the ground, staring warily at his decomposing rival.

  I yelp as her hand wraps around my left rear leg, but before she can yank me down, something whizzes toward us. The projectile hits the back of her head and a wooden stake protrudes through her forehead. The vampire freezes, her hand still tight around my leg for a moment before she folds backward and falls off the rocks.

  I cower in confusion, looking for whoever shot the stake. What kind of weapon even does that? When I see a man emerging from the woods, I recognize his scent even before his face and those cold green eyes.

  Mace.

  He’s wearing a dark gray suit and his long hair is slicked back from his forehead. He’s carrying what looks like a miniature crossbow draped across his forearm and the driver scrambles to his feet.

  “You came!” the driver cries, clearly relieved. I guess now I know who he was chatting with on the phone. “How’d you get here that fast?”

  “I was in the area. Never trust a fool to deliver the goods,” Mace says, glancing up at me. Without looking back at the driver, he raises the crossbow and fires two stakes into his chest, pinning him to the closest tree.

  The screaming driver struggles to free himself from the impaling objects as Mace casually approaches him. “What the hell?”

  “What did I tell you about letting her out of your sight?” Mace asks, cocking his head as his hand squeezes around the other man’s throat too tightly for him to answer. He snaps his neck before he ever has the chance.

  I gasp, backing away even though I’m trapped on the rock that’s more slippery than it looks, thanks to the wet leaves caked into every crevice. The smell of the blood trickling down the dead man’s nose overpowers his strange cologne enough to reveal his true nature as a vampire, which I already figured. Mace probably just wanted him to be able to get close to me before I noticed.

  “There you are, little wolf,” he says in an eerily pleasant tone. He lowers his weapon as he approaches the rocks and I back up until my tail hits the wall. “Come down. It’s not safe up there.”

  The kindness and concern in his voice are a disturbing contrast to the carelessness with which he just took two lives, even if they were vampires. He waits for me to obey him and when it becomes obvious I’m not going to, he sighs. “The hard way, then.”

  I expect him to come up for me, but when he reaches into his coat, I take a flying leap off the rock. I’ll probably break a leg, but I’d rather have that than whatever specialized weapon he has in store for me.

  Rather than being shot, I feel something loop around my head like a lasso. Mace yanks it and the thick cord tightens, sending me hurtling toward the ground like a lead balloon. He catches me in his arms before I can hit the earth, and all my attempts to squirm free remind me of just how much stronger alphas really are.

  “That’s enough,” he says sternly, pinning me against his chest. I try to call upon whatever gruesome force it is that saved me from the other vampire, but just as I can see the glow forming in the earth around me, Mace slips an all-too-familiar collar around my neck and it fades completely.

  Bastard.

  “There,” he says smugly, pulling the rope over my head. He lets me dive out of his arms, but I’m afraid to try running a single step. I’ve seen what these collars can do and I know I’d be dead before my paws hit the ground.

  Mace watches me with a knowing look in his eyes. “Really?” he asks, as if he already knows what I’m thinking. “You should know by now, I’d never do anything to hurt you, Danica.”

  I watch him in confusion. He sighs, like he’s hurt by my mistrust.

  “The collar isn’t fitted with a blade. It’s just to suppress your power until we reach Aedan,” he explains.

  Aedan. So that’s who he’s working for. I shouldn’t be surprised. Mace has never done anything other than find new lows to sink to, but it’s still unexpected. What the hell is he doing working for a Vampire Lord, anyway?

  More shockingly, this looks like the first time in my life Ryland has told me the truth.

  I’m not sure I’m willing to take his word for it, but I decide running is still my best option. Just as I turn to do so, he says, “You can run… but you’ll never see your brother again if you do.”

  I freeze, slowly turning around. Exhaustion has made it difficult to maintain my wolf form, and I know even if I do manage to get away from him, I can’t keep running for much longer. My paws are already cracked and bleeding.

  Reluctantly, I shift back and Mace walks forward, as if he always knew what my choice would be. To my surprise, he shrugs out of his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders to cover me. He touches my chin and tilts my head up to meet his eyes, wearing a faint, unnervingly genuine smile. “That’s a good girl. You know, you look even better in a collar than you do in that crown.”

  “Go to hell,” I spit.

  He laughs, letting his hand fall. “It just so happens, that’s exactly where we’re headed.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Mace leads me to a car hidden just off the road and secures me in the backseat with a pair of handcuffs before he starts driving. I glare at the back of his head until he sees me in the rearview mirror, and then I glare at his face.

  “I know you’re upset,” he says calmly, turning his eyes back to the road. “But to be fair, you did make this easy. I knew if I watched the castle for long enough, you wouldn’t be able to help yourself.”

  “Bullshit. I know you were manipulating Jenna.”

  “Do you?” he asks boredly. “That’s strange.”

  I know he’s just trying to bait me, but I fall for it anyway. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it? Your boss?”

  He chuckles. “Lord Aedan is a man of many talents. You have that in common.”

  The strange magic that saved me in the woods has never really left my thoughts. I’m not sure whether to be grateful or horrified. I’ve never killed anyone, and the lives that have been taken because of me weigh heavily enough on my conscience.

  “You shouldn’t feel guilty,” Mace says absently.

  “What, are you a mind reader, too?”

  “No, you’re just easy to read. All omegas wear their heart on their sleeve.”

  I snort, leaning against the door since leaning against the seat is uncomfortable with my hands bound behind my back. “Says the alpha running errands for a vampire.”

  I see a flash of green in the mirror as Mace looks back at me. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me. Assuming you even remember how to tell the truth at this point.”

  He chuckles. “Alright. What is it you want to know?”

  I hesitate, knowing I need to choose my question carefully and be even more careful about his answer. Of course, I want to ask where Albien is, but I decide to start with something simpler. “How long have you been working with Aedan?”

  “Interesting choice,” he murmurs.

  “Well?”

  “A long time.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “It’s the only one you’re going to get.”

  I sigh. “Okay. Why are you working for Aedan?”

  I can tell he’s smiling from his eyes. He loves this. Being the object of my interrogation, knowing full well he’s the one who holds all the power. “Now that’s a better question. Lord Aedan and I share similar goals.”

  “And those would be?”

  “The end of the Eternus empire,” he answers without missing a beat.

  “And why would you want that?” I ask,
surprised at his candor. “You’re the one who sold Marok out to Eternus in the first place.”

  “So your father showed the letter I sent as proof of my betrayal. That figures.”

  “He’s not my father,” I snap. “Are you saying that wasn’t your handwriting?”

  “Oh, it was. I just didn’t send it to Eternus.”

  “Then who were you giving instructions on breaking into the outlands to?” His silence tells me I already know the answer. “Aedan? What would he want with some small rebel pack on the border of nowhere?”

  “The same reason he sent me to gain Adam’s trust. You.”

  His words strike a chord and he knows it. “Me? You’re telling me you came to Marok because of me?”

  “As I said before, everything I do is for you, Danica. In the interest of Aedan, but for you.”

  It takes me a moment to process that, but no matter how long I try, it’ll never make sense. “Why? If he knew who I was, why didn’t he just take me from Ryland?”

  “Ryland was a tool and he served his purpose,” he answers. The way he’s speaking makes it sound like he already knows Ryland is dead, which I guess shouldn’t surprise me.

  My blood runs cold. “Are you saying Aedan is the one who hired Ryland to kidnap me?”

  “Poor thing,” Mace says, his eyes smoldering with false sympathy. “Starting to realize just how intricate the bars on the cage are, aren’t you?”

  “My entire life,” I grit out. “It’s all been orchestrated and manipulated. Why?”

  “That, I will allow Aedan to explain to you,” he says, turning down a dark road. The high beams are hardly able to illuminate the path before us, there are so many twists and turns. Mace seems to navigate them all without effort and from memory.

  Is this the same road he traveled with my brother? When we arrive at wherever it is he’s taking me, will Albien be there waiting? The same glimmer of warmth in my heart that tells me he’s still alive doesn’t seem to be burning any hotter, but maybe it’s all a fabrication.