Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
“Okay, no touching.” I stepped back. He laughed at that, then walked over to the pack. They started talking, heading towards the boat on the dock. He helped each one of them in, waiting until they were before helping the alphas in.
I was surprised they let him.
“They can’t get on themselves?”
“It’s a respect thing. By me helping them onto the boat, I am giving them permission to be on it. If they get on without my touch, they will be thrown overboard and the lake will hold them there for me until I release them.”
More information that intimidated the hell out of me.
“Those rules I asked you about earlier, Atticus? This kind of thing was what I meant.” My hushed whisper was pointless, but I was frustrated.
And a little nervous. They respected him so much that everything behaved with his authority. It was an interesting dynamic and one I wasn’t sure I could follow.
It was a submissive setting, and I wasn’t prepared to be that way after being captive for so long.
Atticus pointed to the small building up in the reeds aside the lake. “The pack that need to cross wait there for me until granted permission.”
I gasped, “They’ve been waiting a whole week?”
He nodded, “They’d wait a year if that’s what it took.”
“But there were children,” I frowned, looking around at the pack on the boat. Its ornate wooden carvings were impressive to me, but the others were focused on the bay across the lake, the main one on the center island–the one we were heading to.
It looked like there was a receiving party there too.
“There is food, latrines, wash basins. They are cared for.”
I nodded, then went with Atticus as he led us over to the side of the large boat. It had sails, and we floated on the water, picking up speed.
Zachariah stood on the other side of me, his hand dug into the wooden railing. A woman on the other side of him came over with a mug of something.
She smiled up at him, “For your sickness.”
He begrudgingly took it, his face pale. Atticus laughed and nodded to dismiss the woman. She smiled and curtseyed back, then left.
Zachariah emptied the mug. “Shut up, Atticus.”
That had the entire pack tensing, but Atticus laughed. “Seasickness, my friend. It happens to the best of us.” He clapped Zachariah on the back, then turned to Dorian, who was staring out at the sprawling land of canals and villages.
“You have humans here too?” he asked with a frown.
“Some. We have better trading on this side of the lake. Better markets, so I do allow humans to wander during the day. Not nighttime, though.”
“Why not the night?” I asked, looking out to where the other two were.
Atticus sighed and leaned on the banister. “Well, Fox. Dorian’s pack may not respect him like mine do me, but I will admit, I envy the control they have. No human incidents, no accidental shifts, no full moon breakouts. No winter escapes.” Atticus looked over his shoulder at his pack, then back out at the water. “My pack cannot say the same. They try, and I appreciate that. I respect them too for the effort they use to withhold themselves, but sometimes, they lose that battle. So humans have a curfew.”
“I understand,” Dorian nodded.
I did too. To an extent. I had heard the vampires talking about how bad the winter was for wolves–that they didn’t shift for the entire season because the moon disappeared.
I went to say that, but suddenly Zachariah snarled. I spun to him, but he yanked me behind him and shoved Atticus onto the banister with an impressive strength I hadn’t expected.
“Zachariah,” I whispered. His eyes were wild and glowing, his claws on Atticus’ throat.
His pack was ready, spears already aimed at Zachariah. Tears stung in my eyes. I had no idea what was happening or why, but I didn’t want either of them to die.
“What can I do for you, Zachariah? And speak quickly, my pack is going to spear you if you don’t let go of my throat.” Atticus was outwardly calm, but I didn’t believe it.
Dorian moved to me, pulling me aside–out of the way of the spears.
“You should have warned her. You should have told all of us,” Zachariah spat in a rare show of intense emotion.
Atticus’ eyes went to me, an apology in them. Then he shook his head at his pack. They lowered their weapons and took a single step back.
“I was waiting until we were inside.”
“Told me what?” I asked, my voice shaking.
Zachariah looked over his shoulder at me. “There are vampires here.”
I sucked in a breath, panic seizing my chest. Dorian growled and pulled me behind him.
Atticus pushed Zach off him and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know. I should have said something, but they are not allowed to harm in the city. They wear a pendant too. If they do any harm, it will break and poison them.”
“You should have warned her.” Zachariah shoved him back and then came over to me. He pulled me to him and wrapped me in his cloak, kissing the top of my head. I couldn’t stop shaking.
The vampires were connected. One look would be all it took for Silas to know exactly where I was.
“Fox–” Atticus reached for me, but Dorian stepped between him and me. He shook his head.
“They can’t see her, Atticus. You know that.”
Atticus nodded once, and his eyes glazed over. I peered at him out the side of the cloak. Atticus stood still for a few moments before he turned to me. “They are being escorted from water territory, Fox. They won’t see you. I was going to show you the castle first, then take you out once they had left. They have an hour in the city to sell their elixirs; that is all.”
“You tried to hide it?” Zachariah scoffed.
“No. Just ease into it. Later.”
“She doesn’t feel very at ease,” Zachariah muttered. I was still shaking. I cleared my throat.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry. I just got a shock,” I tried, but the lie was easy to hear even in my own ears.
“I am truly sorry, Luna. If you are to stay here, I wanted to explain the roles the vampires have in our economy before you choose to have them banished. Their elixirs are of a different magic, one that helps healing. They are expensive, and our kind donate our blood in return. It is a transaction. That’s all.”
I nodded. I understood. I just couldn’t get past the Silas thing. He was allowed in this territory. He could come for me.
Atticus’ chest rattled with a growl before he turned to the others. “Tell the vampires they are not to come back for the week. Our markets are closed to them.”
The captain steering the boat nodded. “I already put the order out, Alpha.”
He nodded in thanks, then met my eyes. “Come here, Fox. Let me fix it.”
I went to him. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled my lips for a kiss. In that kiss was his apology. I accepted it and kissed him back.
He pulled away, and when he did, the boat stopped. We were at the dock.
The greeting party had dispersed, and I had a feeling that was Atticus’ doing. I was about to step off the boat when the wind blew past, and with it, a soft whisper on the wind. A singing melody that had my heart aching. My throat went hoarse, clogging with the breath I tried to take.
“Fox?” Atticus asked, holding his hand out for me from the dock. I narrowed my eyes around me, trying to find the source of the sound. It was a peaceful melody that was so quiet, I wasn’t sure it was real.
Nobody else seemed to hear it. I was probably going crazy.
I shook it off, instantly missing the sound when it floated away. It had felt familiar, tugging at a longing in my mind.
But I couldn’t risk even bringing it up. Especially not here.
So I took Atticus’s hand and stepped onto the dock. He helped all of his pack from the boat, then the alphas.
He led us to the land where there was bright green grass leading up to a huge white palace.
I looked up at it with a grin.
“This is amazing.”
“Wait until you see inside,” Atticus wiggled his eyebrows and then led me inside.
If I had been in awe before, going inside pushed that beyond anything else. My jaw dropped and I turned in the lobby, spreading my arms wide. There were archways and open doorways into communal areas. A sprawling kitchen, a hobby room that was all filled with the pack coming and going.
It was so different from the solitude of Dorian’s home.
The pack nodded as they passed. They went up the spiral stairs, up to the turrets, and wherever they led.
“Are we upstairs too?” I asked.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?