ALPHA (Mackenzie Grey #3)

by Karina Espinosa

  I craned my neck up and took stock of the high vaulted ceilings covered with color and a story I was trying to decipher. Wolves ran across the ceiling, all in different colored furs, coming over and around vast green hills, chasing after—

  “Mackenzie,” the King’s voice echoed as he stood, his seat screeching against the marble white floors. I curtsied again but he waved me off. “Nonsense. No need for formalities.”

  “Aye,” I mimicked awkwardly. Ranulf guided me to the seat at the left hand side of the King, Jonah sat beside me, with Bash following. The Queen sat across from me, at the King’s right hand and I smiled weakly at her. She was beautiful. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a stylish bun, with bangs forming a loop over her forehead. Plump pink lips were spread into a sincere smile beneath her glossy brown eyes. I expected her to feel threatened or at least disapproving of my arrival. Who in the world would want to see the bastard child their husband made—definitive proof of an affair? But she appeared excited to see me. I would have been pissed, screaming “off with her head!” if given the chance.

  “Ye look absolutely stunning, dear, just like yer father,” she cooed from across the table. “We have nae been formally introduced. My names Ivana MacCoinnich.”

  “Mackenzie Grey,” I said, trying to smile at her. “But you knew that,” I muttered.

  She chuckled, its sound playful and musical to my ears. I was having a hard time finding something wrong with her. “Aye, he spoke of yer beauty, but he didnae do ye justice.”

  I blushed. I freakin’ blushed!

  “Thank you.”

  “Your highness,” Jonah began.

  “Call me Alexander. No need for such formalities, please, I want ye all to feel at home,” the King smiled.

  “Alexander,” Jonah corrected. “I’m sure you can understand our decorum. We were under the impression that we were flown over for a trial for our…crimes.”

  “Aye,” Alexander nodded. “Ye are, but it does nae have to be right now. What was done cannae be overlooked but I understand the circumstances. A punishment will be dealt.”

  “Yes sir,” Jonah nodded and looked away. He reminded me of that one kid in class that has a heart attack because he got a B+ on an exam, destroying his perfect academic record. It was downright depressing on a grown man.

  “Please accept my condolences for the loss of yer Lunas, a travesty I hope we can remedy together.”

  “Speaking of,” I interjected. “Have you made any leeway on who it might have been?”

  “Unfortunately no,” he said. “The men sent to execute the order were all killed in the massacre.”

  “So how do you expect to fix it?”

  “Mackenzie!” Jonah kicked me under the table. Chocolate eyes round as he gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gazed over to Alexander and Ivana. The Queen also appeared a bit taken aback by my line of questioning but I wasn’t going to be skirting around the truth. I wasn’t good with subtlety and if I wasn’t a prisoner then I had no qualms speaking my mind. If I needed an answer, I was going to be upfront, no sugarcoating.

  The quiet of the dining room as everyone waited with baited breath for the King’s reaction was interrupted by the doors opening.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Drew said as he strutted in, hands inside his pant pockets. “I could barely get back into the castle with the amount of security swarming the place. Ye’d think the bloody pope were here.”

  He walked up to Ivana and gave her a peck on the cheek, followed by a pat on the back by the King. Drew then took a seat beside the Queen, across from Jonah.

  “Are ye not going to introduce yeself, lad? I taught ye better than that!” Alexander hollered.

  “Calm down, Da, I already met my lovely sister,” Drew responded and I choked on nothing but air. Bash and Jonah’s chairs both screeched back as they began to stand and try to help me. I put up a hand to stop them, clearing my throat and reaching for the goblet in front of me that was filled with water. Unladylike as I was, I chugged half of it as my eyes drilled holes into Drew. The sneaky bastard—well I was the bastard, but whatever!

  “You told me your last name was Duncan,” I said once I was able to speak.

  “I said my name was Andrew Duncan—Duncan being my middle name,” he grinned. “My full name is Andrew Duncan MacCoinnich.”

  “Yer such a trickster, Drew,” Ivana playfully slapped his arm, laughing off the exchange. The tension between us making everyone else uncomfortable.

  “Aye, but he should have told her the truth,” Alexander said firmly.

  “Anyone else I should know about?” I asked, tearing my gaze away from Drew.

  “No, it’s just the three of us. Now why don’t ye introduce me to yer friends,” Alexander motioned to my semi-quasi Pack.

  “Right,” I cleared my throat, shaking off the nerves. “Sebastian Steel and Jonah Cadwell, the Alpha and Beta of the Brooklyn Pack.”

  “Quite the threesome ye have going on,” Drew wiggled his eyebrows. My face heated.

  “Andrew Duncan!” Ivana screeched, her cheeks turning rosy.

  He leaned back in his chair, glancing over to Bash and Jonah who were ready to rip his throat out.

  “It was a joke, Mum,” Drew grinned.

  “Enough,” Alexander interrupted. “Yer tribunals will be in ten days’ time. The European Summit has already been contacted and are flying in to oversee it. Leniency will be granted but will nae be an excuse to let ye off the hook.”

  “In other words, we have ten days to find the asshole who murdered my friends,” I deadpanned.

  “Mackenzie,” Sebastian gritted between his teeth.

  “Ye will watch how ye speak. We do nae tolerate such behaviors,” Alexander commented.

  I ignored him and leaned forward on the dining table. “When can we begin investigating the death of the Lunas? I would like to start as soon as possible.”

  The King tapped the table with his pointer finger as he pondered over my request. “Ye want to be involved?”

  “Yes. I’m a cop by trade, it’s what I do.”

  “A cop?” he tilted his head in confusion.

  “Po-po? Five-O? The donut patrol? Any of these ringing a bell?” I joked.

  “A policewoman,” Jonah explained.

  Alexander reddened, and Ivana clutched at her chest, startled. “A female officer? That’s dangerous!” he exclaimed.

  “Yes, it is,” I grinned, wanting to laugh at their reaction. This wasn’t what I thought would shock them. There are policewomen all over the world.

  “Ye let her do this?” Alexander glared at Sebastian. His steely blue eyes traveled to me and I could see his annoyance.

  “When we found Mackenzie, she was almost done with school and working with our local police department,” Bash said.

  “Yer aff yer heid! Ye could have pulled her out. I’m sure yer Pack had an open position for her,” he demanded.

  “They did,” I interjected. “But I’m not part of the Brooklyn Pack—or any Pack for that matter.”

  He cleared his throat. “Why is that? Because of the St. James boy?”

  “No,” I snapped. “I’ve never wanted to be part of a Pack—it’s not for me. I prefer my freedom.”

  “Freedom?” Alexander repeated, looking perplexed. “Ye—”

  “I think you’ll learn that Mackenzie is quite free-spirited,” Jonah interrupted, laughing it off.

  “Aye,” the King muttered, stone faced.

  “This should be interesting,” Drew smirked.

  “Well,” Ivana cut through the tension. “I think yer Da—Alexander would love to spend some time with ye,” she said to me. For everyone’s sake, I hoped none of them called him the F-word. I had one father and that was Thomas Grey. No one else.

  “Aye,” Alexander snapped. “I was thinking of taking ye out to the stables tomorrow morning. Have ye ever been horseback riding?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Wonderful!” Ivana exclaimed. �
�Ye’ll love it!”

  Right. I couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Seven

  Ranulf escorted us to the Guest Wing of the castle. The place was so big, there was no way I was going to be able to figure it out. I’d have better luck at Hogwarts than this joint.

  After the uncomfortable dinner with the King, Queen, and their creep of a son, we politely asked to be excused due to such a long flight—jet lag and all.

  When we arrived on the second floor of the Guest Wing, our bags were already awaiting us. Each one in front of a different door.

  “This is the common room, if ye need anything, ring the bell on the end table and Helena will assist ye. Yer rooms have already been assigned,” Ranulf turned to me. “I will escort ye to the stables at eight in the morning. Donae keep the King waiting.”

  The guard did an about face, and went down the stairs—leaving us to our own devices.

  “If no one’s going to say it, I will. Today has been awkward as fuck,” I said as I looked to my friends.

  “I second that,” Jonah sighed as he plopped down on one of the sofas. Its floral pattern reminding me of my great aunt Bertha’s living room. “Your brother’s weird, Kenz.”

  “He’s not my brother,” I glared. “The guy gives me the creeps. I could have sworn he had been flirting with me at the party.”

  “That’s twisted.”

  “Yes, some Game of Thrones type of shit and I’m not down with it. Now what the hell are we going to do? I can’t go horseback riding tomorrow. It’s not why we’re here!”

  “Isn’t it?” Jonah said. “He brought you over for a trial but what if he wants to protect you? The American Summit would not have let us get away with what we’d done. Death should be our punishment. I think this is his way of keeping you safe and bonding with you, Kenzie.”

  “When did you get your Ph.D in psychology?”

  “I’m serious, Kenz. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we should feel out the situation before we start jumping to conclusions.”

  “I don’t care, I’m here to get justice for Blu and the rest of the Lunas. He can keep his protection.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Kenz. I hate to say this but maybe the leech was on to something,” Jonah said. “Things are different here. Everyone is so politically correct, we’re not going to be able to find what we need by normal means.”

  “You have to go tomorrow,” Bash interjected. He’d been fairly quiet.

  “Oh wow, you talk now?” I rolled my eyes.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he growled. “I’ve come up with a plan.”

  “Tread carefully, Bash. We don’t know who could be listening,” Jonah suggested. My skin crawled at the idea of someone watching us like we were a reality TV show.

  “I know,” Sebastian rumbled, “but it’s a risk we must take since this is foreign territory. It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation. Each one of us has a role to play before the trial if we want to find out who ordered the hit on the Lunas.”

  “The King said he’s handling it,” Jonah said as he gazed at the both of us.

  “Don’t be so naive, Jo,” Bash sighed. “He might be looking into it, but no one—including the King—is going to put as much effort into finding out the truth as the ones who actually give a damn.”

  “So what? We’re going to go against the King—the leader of our people? Are you disowning your Pack?” Jonah blanched. His features turned pale white as he stared at his best friend in disbelief.

  “I’m not disowning anything, but we cannot sit idly by. Don’t you get it?” Bash said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Whoever targeted our Pack, is here within these castle walls. Who knows how close they are to the King. Can we trust him?”

  Jonah didn’t say a word. His chin fell to his chest as he gave up on trying to convince us in leaving everything in the hands of Alexander. He wasn’t alone. I wanted to believe the best in the King but he was a stranger and I couldn’t afford to trust him—not now.

  “So what’s the plan?” I asked.

  We huddled around the coffee table in front of the sofa, the room quieting, and our breaths the only sound as we waited for Sebastian to speak.

  “The best way to find out the truth is to infiltrate the royal court ourselves,” he whispered. “The minute we stepped out of that helicopter, we’ve been swarmed and welcomed with open arms, albeit being here for murder. For our people, being invited to Castle MacCoinnich is a privilege—an honor—so being suspicious and anti-social is not how we should behave. They’ll know we’re up to something.”

  “What do you suggest?” I quirked a brow.

  “We have different talents that could be of use while we’re here. Jonah, we all know how well you handle the politics of the Lycans having grown up with Charles. If you can penetrate the Kings Council, we are bound to hear whispers about the attack and our potential sentencing.”

  “Are you insane?” Jonah exclaimed, his chocolate eyes widening to golf balls. “If I’m caught, they’ll rip out my heart before I take my next breath.”

  “Then don’t get caught,” I chuckled. “What else?”

  “I will get close with the guards. They see and hear everything within these castle walls—they are our best resource.”

  “What about me?” I asked. “I can infiltrate the guards with you.”

  Bash shook his head. “No. Everyone will be watching you—the Princess—you need to bond with the King. Play the part of the long-lost daughter and no one will suspect a thing.”

  “The hell they will!” I scoffed. “You can’t expect me to go horseback riding, and have dinner with Pops like we’re family. Do you not remember who I am? I’m the last person who can pull this bullshit off.”

  “I don’t know, Bash…” Jonah grimaced. “We’re playing with fire. The odds are against us and we already have a mile long list of crimes to repent for. I don’t want to add to it. I’d like to go home with my head.”

  “A-ha! I knew it was an ‘off-with-their-heads’ type of punishment!” I jumped up.

  “Shut up and sit down, Mackenzie,” Bash pulled me down on the sofa. “Jonah, if they’re going to kill us either way, then what’s the point? We might as well spend our last few days seeking justice for our Pack.”

  “It is pretty genius,” Jonah mused.

  “You were just against this! I’m switching sides, I’m with Jonah, this is ridiculous,” I stomped my foot like a petulant child.

  “He has a point, Kenz. We’re only going to extract information, and if we all play our parts right, we might be able to pull it off before our trial,” Jonah said and I wanted to scream.

  “So while you both are in on the action, you want me to play Princess?”

  “You are the Princess,” Bash shrugged.

  “Illegitimate Princess, a bastard—bastardette? I have no claim to anything.”

  “Regardless, the people here love you, judging by the party. We can use that to our advantage,” Bash said. “Head into town, mingle with the townsfolk, get to know them. It might come in handy for the trial.”

  “I’m going to bed. You’re all nuts,” I cursed and trudged to the bedroom door with my luggage in front of it. I snatched my bag with more force than necessary, took one last look at my friends and gave them the middle finger before slamming the door. Assholes.

  The bedroom was massive—bigger than my measly nine hundred square foot apartment. To my right was a canopy style bed that fit more people than a bed should hold and a little too much pink for my taste. A balcony with the doors opened was beside it, letting in a breeze that fluttered the sheer curtains into the room.

  I dropped my bag and shuffled further into my new home for the unforeseen future. I almost felt like my worn out sneakers would stain the white floors. Everything was polished and in pristine condition. I would have to talk to Alexander about some of the paintings and vases that decorated the room. If they had any value, he might want to secure them someplace else before I do
any damage.

  To the left of the bedroom was a sitting room with two doors on either side. I opened the left one first and it led me to a large walk-in closet, like something a celebrity would have. I kicked off my sneakers to walk over the plush carpet as I passed rows and rows of clothes lined across the walls. A backless, circular seat sat in the middle of the mini-room, near shelves filled with an array of high heels.

  Boy did this King not know me. I couldn’t wear heels even if I wanted to. It’s scientifically proven that ten times out of ten I will trip over myself and fall flat on my face.

  Towards the back wall was an armoire with a mirror on top. I opened the top drawer and it held an abundance of jewels and stones in the form of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings. I gently shut the drawer, afraid of even breathing on those priceless objects.

  Were these people clinically insane? My room was worth millions of dollars, and they were letting me sleep in it. I was bound to break something.

  I exited the closet and went into the next room that led me into the bathroom. Like everything else, it was posh and Clorox white with dual sinks, a shower that I could sleep in, and a bear-claw tub that caught my attention. I wasn’t a big fan of baths—I mean who wants to sit in a pool of their own filth? But I’d never thought I would encounter one of these types of bath tubs. I itched to give it a try. It’s golden tap called my name.

  Alas I caved, and plugged the drain to turn on the water. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here. Spending my last few days in style. Who knows? Maybe pretending to be someone else would ease some of the pain. The invisible scars that covered my skin as small voices within me screamed for help—for anyone to just see me. I hated that voice.

  I peeled out of my clothes, not caring as they rumpled into a mess on the bathroom floor. When the water was high enough, I checked under the sink and found some bath salts and towels. Grabbing a hair tie from my jeans, I pulled my hair into a messy bun and laid a towel beside the tub. A chill caused goosebumps on my arms as I dipped my big toe into the water before fully stepping in. Once I felt it was warm enough, I submerged myself and sighed as the tight muscles of my shoulders and neck relaxed. My head fell back onto the border of the tub and I shut my eyes, exhaustion catching up with me as I slipped into a heavy slumber.