Queen Alpha (NYC Mecca Series Book 2)

by Leia Stone

  Closing my eyes, trying to relax, I couldn’t stop the multitude of thoughts crashing through my mind. The most prominent was of a giant, dark-haired, amber-eyed shifter. Kade had said he was going away for a few days, and a huge part of me wanted to know where he was. Why was it so difficult to keep my mind off of him? I should be stronger than this. I should be able to control myself. The fact that I couldn’t was a bad sign. A very bad sign indeed.

  That night, I dressed semi-casual in skinny jeans, gray suede ankle boots, and a red silk sleeveless top. My guess of a poker night was definitely out – Monica had told me to dress for a night out on the town. Her advice had my body thrumming with excitement. I hadn’t been out in forever, pretty much under lock and key since the Summit.

  There was a knock at my door and I had no idea what to expect. When I opened it, I was taken aback by the three handsome shifters awaiting me. Victor, Ben, and Blaine looked stylish and magnetic, each wearing regular civilian clothes, dark wash jeans and nice button-up shirts. Their hair was styled and they were all freshly shaven.

  Blaine offered his arm and I took it.

  “My, my, what a lucky girl I am,” I said.

  Ben winked as Victor grinned and said, “We’re the lucky ones.”

  “So, are you going to tell me where we are going?”

  Blaine just held on to my arm and shook his head. “Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  As he turned to leave the room, I noticed a glint of steel sticking out of Ben’s back pocket. Ben was known for having peculiar weapons; he and Violet often stayed up late designing them. He’d craft the steel in his workshop and the magic born would infuse them with magic. He’d had more than one shifter try to buy a blade from him, but he was very selective about who got one. I had three; they were kept in a box that had been specially constructed for them.

  As we walked down the halls, I whispered to Ben. “What’s your latest creation?” I gestured to his pocket.

  His grin was pure excitement as he pulled out a small and menacing-looking half-circular blade with four round holes on the underside. When he slipped his fingers into the holes, I realized it was some sort of sharp-bladed brass knuckles.

  “Holy crap,” I breathed, and Ben laughed.

  “I also have a serrated wire in my boot – can behead a man in seconds,” he said, all casual-like as we reached the elevator.

  Of course he did. I winked. “I’ll stick close to you tonight, then.”

  Blaine let my arm go as we entered the elevator. As the doors rolled close I had to work hard not to bounce on the spot. I hadn’t been this excited in a long time. Were we actually leaving the royal home? And if so, where were we going? The anticipation was killing me.

  Chapter Five

  A whole new world.

  Twenty minutes later, as my private car pulled up in front of a plain-looking brownstone on the Upper-Westside, I had half an answer. There was no one around, and despite hearing muffled music, I didn’t see any cool raging clubs.

  I looked at my guys. “What’s this? Some house party?” Maybe the boys knew some shifters who lived here and we were doing a poker night?

  Blaine smiled and produced a small, intricately detailed brass key from his pocket. “This, Ari, is apparently the most highly regarded secret in the shifter and human world. We’re pretty much as in the dark as you, but it’s supposed to be an once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

  I looked closely at the key and saw that the head of it was made of swirls that formed an artsy shape of a wolf head. Ben jumped out of our vehicle first, surveying the quiet street before opening my door. Once I was standing on the sidewalk, he leaned in to whisper: “I’ve heard this place is so secret it doesn’t even have a name. The only way to get in is to get a key. They have no bouncers and there is no cover charge. It’s invite only, and it’s owned by some old wolf who has kept the club in his family for generations. Rumor has it that even the Red Queen was never invited.”

  Now all of my dominants were around me and I was staring at the black door in shock. “How did we get a key?”

  Blaine was the one to answer: “Calista. She didn’t say how she knew this old wolf, just that they were friends from the past. Gave us two keys. Violet, Monica, and Jen are already inside, scouting for danger. If there is any trouble, they’ll be at the front door. There’s no way for us to contact them once they’re on the inside.”

  Okay, then. Let’s do this. If there was one thing I really loved, it was top secret, exclusive places. Oh, and surprises. This just happened to be a bit of both.

  Snatching the key from Blaine’s hand, I charged up the stairs for the front door. Victor let out a low laugh as he and the other boys followed me. There was no way to know what awaited me on the other side. Would it be a normal house entrance, or a club with a dance floor, or a bar with pool tables? Whichever it was, I was dying to know.

  Slipping the key into the lock, I twisted once and it clicked. At the same time, a wash of energy descended across us, and suddenly I was staring at an old, dark wooden door that was intricately carved with what looked like magic symbols. We were all blinking; the magical disguise was completely gone and there was a purple haze hovering over the old door, like this brownstone was filled with mecca and it was leaking out. The muffled music that had barely been audible before was blaring now. I placed my hand on the intricate knob, and just as I turned, Blaine’s hand dropped over my wrist, stopping me.

  “Let me go first,” he commanded, and despite the fact I was his queen, I didn’t have a problem with him taking charge then. It was his job after all.

  Blaine stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his as he opened the door. Cold air wafted out from the opening, and two stimuli hit my senses. One: mecca magic was everywhere; this place was crawling with it. Two: there was a faint floral scent, which meant a fae was either here, or had been here recently.

  My boys must have failed to notice the fae scent, because they didn’t mention it as we stepped into the darkened entryway. I also didn’t mention it, because if there were fae in here with my people, I wanted to know about it.

  Blaine went first, a dagger in his hand. Ben, with one set of his bladed knuckles, was on my left. Victor held a small shank on my right. My head spun as we moved further through the house; the mecca was pulsing to the music, surging and falling with the deep drum and bass. My heartbeat was keeping time with it also. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be so overwhelmed by power that I accidentally lost control of the energy inside of me. Using the skills Kade had taught me, I breathed with the power, letting it filter through me. This was the best way to keep the buildup inside to a minimum.

  The entrance hallway was long and dark as we strode along the hardwood floors toward a black velvet curtain at the end. Blaine parted the curtain and looked around. “Holy shifter gods,” he said, letting out a short burst of laughter.

  I couldn’t see, so I shoved my big mountain of a guard to the side and peeked out.

  What the…?

  “Are we still in New York?” I asked, my voice wavering as awe spilled out.

  There was no way this was inside a brownstone building in the city. I had expected a home that had been renovated into a nightclub. Nope … it was a garden. One of the most beautiful gardens I had ever seen. The space looked half the size of Central Park, unnaturally spanning out into the distance. Green grass squished under my boots as we moved out from behind the curtains and into the first part of the outdoors area. The night sky twinkled overhead, and there had to be thousands of tiny string lights draped from trellises. Vines dripped down from trees with full blooms of blue and pink flowers. This wonderland was crawling with magic. How was it possible?

  “Ari!” Violet’s high-pitched shriek came from my left, and I turned to see her barreling toward me holding two pink, glowing drinks. Shifters moved around us laughing and dancing wildly to the beat. The flowers, I now saw, were pulsing to the music.

  My guards made a half attempt to stay aro
und me, but I could see they were at a loss. Their defensive poses were out of place; it was weird, but there was no actual threat, so they weren’t sure what to do.

  Violet reached me and I wasted no time asking her: “What is this place?”

  She seemed at ease here, which was not usual for the magic born, so I was guessing she knew more than me. Monica and Jen appeared then also, both looking less at ease but still relaxed. They joined the formation of my confused guards.

  Violet grinned. “Isn’t it wonderful! I’ve never seen such intricate and concentrated magic in one place.”

  “Magic? Whose magic?”

  Only the magic born and queen could access mecca like this. But there was no way any of the magic born were throwing secret raves. They were far too busy for one thing. So who was this old wolf Calista had trusted enough to lead us into their magical lair?

  “Mine,” a voice said, and everyone but Violet jumped. Ben was in front of me in an instant, both fists raised, blade held at the ready.

  For a second I wondered if somehow I’d managed to drink a few of the pink drinks in Violet’s hand and was already drunk. Is he for real? Standing before me was a handsome older wolf who looked like he could be Violet’s uncle or father. He was pale white, definitely a magic born. He stood about my height, short for a male shifter, but that didn’t diminish his visible power one bit. He wore an old-school tux, with skinny purple bowtie, and a half bowler top hat. His eyes were the usual white-blue, but there were shimmery streaks across them, almost like silver lightning bolts. This was one eccentric, powerful, weird shifter, and he had been under the Red Queen’s nose this entire time. How was this possible? We had only four magic born and he wasn’t one of them. I inhaled deeply. He was definitely a wolf. A wolf magic born who lived in hiding?

  “You think I invite people into my home to harm them?” he casually asked Ben.

  Violet stepped forward, shoving Ben to the side. “Queen Arianna, this is Sir Baladar.”

  A bemused smirk crossed my lips. My best friend wasn’t usually so formal. And what was with the “sir” thing? We didn’t have knights in the shifter world.

  He moved closer and I offered my hand. He took it, kissing the top before gracing me with a warm smile. “It’s my pleasure, Your Highness. Would you walk with me?”

  Blaine and the others were quick to sound their disapproval to this idea, but before things could get out of control, Baladar put his hand up. “If I wanted to harm the queen, I would have already, and the likes of you would not be able to stop me.”

  “That sounds an awful lot like a threat,” Ben said through gritted teeth.

  The man smiled, warmth oozing from him again. “I’m much too old for threats. I simply speak the truth. It’s easier.”

  For some reason I was inclined to believe him, and I appreciated his honesty. If I was being honest myself, I was dying to have a chat with this man and know more about him.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said to my dominants as I began to walk with Baladar. There were no more objections, but my guards did remain close behind us, Violet following as well.

  As we walked further into this weird indoors-outdoors garden, I surveyed everything closely. It was hard to remember, when standing within an area so natural, that we were still in the city. My wolf loved it though; she was howling with joy, trying to get me to shift and run.

  Shifters were everywhere. Some were dancing, others lying in the grass looking at the sky; some were kissing. This place was definitely magical. Baladar walked silently beside me, content to wait until I was ready to speak.

  “So, you’re a magic born.”

  It was a question-statement of sorts. This close I could feel his power, and instinct told me that his would match my own. I trusted that Calista wouldn’t put me in danger, but I also wondered if maybe she had trusted too easily. Here was a very powerful magic born that I had not known of. What if the fae didn’t kill my queen? What if this man did?

  “I’m magic born, yes,” he said. I noticed the music was muffled now so that we could speak without shouting. When he said no more, I figured I was going to have to do all the talking, so I opened my mouth, but then he surprised me.

  “Do you smell the fae?” he asked as he scanned the group before us.

  I hid my worry as best I could. “Yes, from the moment I walked in.”

  He nodded as if he wasn’t surprised by this. “I wonder what they want.”

  This man was very intriguing. “Well, you must have given them a key, right?”

  He gave me a sidelong glance and a half smile. “No, I would never invite a fae and my queen on the same night.”

  So that meant other nights he did invite fae?

  “Who are you? I mean, I know you’re a magic born, but… why does no one know of you?” I might love some secrets, but definitely not ones which could threaten my people. And something told me Baladar could be a huge threat if he chose to go against me.

  He seemed to consider my questions. “I’m the keeper of knowledge. The oldest wolf alive, I suspect. A living library of our magical history, some would say.”

  I stopped walking and faced him. “Why haven’t I ever heard of you?”

  The oldest wolf alive. A magic born. Surely this was a fact every queen should be told. Did the Red Queen know? She’d certainly never mentioned it to any of her heirs.

  His eyes twinkled. “Your Red Queen preferred that I not be public knowledge. She banished me here in her first year of ruling. She and Sabina made it so that I couldn’t leave this place, so I spent my days making it beautiful and inviting people to come spend time with me so that the pangs of loneliness wouldn’t overtake me.”

  My heart clenched at that very honest confession. I was also surprised by his answer. Clearly the former queen had known about him, and she had feared him. I wondered if she had true reasons to be so cruel. Was he a hidden threat?

  If the Red Queen magically banished him here in her first year, that meant…

  “You’ve been here a hundred years,” I noted as we continued walking.

  He nodded. “I’ve had a lot of time to create this oasis as I call it. And found lots of friends to keep me company.”

  This day had just gotten majorly weird.

  “How do you know Calista?” I couldn’t imagine my prim and proper advisor hanging out at this place on the weekends.

  His face changed; his eyes lit up for a second before that sparkle was swallowed by sadness. “She was the love of my life,” he said, his voice low, his face flat.

  My feet stumbled briefly. I hadn’t expected that answer. “What happened?”

  I tried to keep the curiosity from my voice, direct some sympathy toward him. In reality, I normally wouldn’t ask someone I barely knew such a personal question, but I was dying to know.

  “Duty called,” he answered. “Calista was born to be an advisor, and I was unable to leave this home.” I suddenly felt sick. I know it hadn’t been me alone. Calista had been an advisor to many heirs, but the fact I had contributed to her loss of a partner hurt my heart.

  Baladar must have sensed some of my guilt and pain. “You mustn’t worry about it,” he said in a fatherly tone. “It was the right decision. I knew you were special and that Calista could bring you to your full potential as an heir.”

  Great. Sounded like it was her advisor role with me that had ended their love affair. Calista had never spoken of him, but I knew she used to live in Manhattan before I was born. How did I not know about the love of her life? Or was this more one-sided, and Calista had not been hurt the same way as Sir Baladar?

  Speaking of… “Why are you referred to as a ‘sir?’” I asked him.

  His eyes twinkled then, those shimmers of lightning growing brighter. “I’m old enough to have been part of the royal army for her majesty, the queen of England. Before shifters were so segregated from humans, I was honored with knighthood, and have always kept the ‘sir.’ I like it. Gives me character.”


  He winked. Okay … well, he had plenty of character, that was for sure.

  We had reached a secluded part of the garden now. Some shifters were soaking in a natural bubbling spring hot tub, drinking and talking. It looked amazingly relaxing, and I was trying to think of the last time I’d stopped and relaxed like those here in Baladar’s oasis. One thing about being a leader, there was very little downtime. It was not a nine-to-five job.

  When we paused, I faced him fully, trying not to get lost in those mesmerizing eyes. Magic born eyes capture you and never let go. “How is it that you are an information keeper? At your word, you have been exiled here for a hundred years, and yet I feel as if you haven’t missed a single thing in the shifter world.”

  He smiled and gestured to the people around him. “I offer my friends and companions a fun time in a safe environment, and in return they give me knowledge. My powers allow me to discern truth from lie, so I always know what is happening.”

  Just as Violet could. The magic born were great at finding truth in all information.

  Sir Baladar was clearly powerful. Age alone would have provided him with a plethora of knowledge that would be valuable to many. So why would the queen banish him? And if he was such a threat to her, why did she not banish him out of New York City, away from the boroughs so he would not get powerful surges of mecca energy?

  Sucking in deeply, I decided to push my luck. I had already asked him too much for a friendly first meeting, and if this was Calista’s ex-lover I didn’t want to offend him … but I had to know. This man seemed so well connected that if anyone knew, he would.

  “Do you know who killed the Red Queen?” I asked, keeping my voice low so as not to cause an uproar.

  His eyes darkened. “This is not a question I have the answer to. I suspect things, but I do not know, and speaking of it might actually end my life. My instincts tell me that the truth will be revealed in due time.”

  I was shocked into silence, and reminded of Bethany, the Red Queen’s advisor, who I pressed for an answer on who murdered the Red Queen. Bethany had tried to tell us something, and some sort of spell had triggered, killing her instantly. I never did learn what she was going to say either. Damn those fae. They were always one step ahead of me.