Alpha’s Second Choice

Lucy watched the exhausted Siren leave the ball. She looked extremely exhausted to say the least.

‘What the f. uck is she doing here?’, a familiar voice scowled at her.

It was her lifelong bully. Gina.

‘Hey, I asked you something, you little’, she charged at her.

But Lucy dodged Gina’s slap and grabbed it quickly, twisting her hands and making Gina’s body turn 180 degrees.

‘Ouch, let me go. Someone help!’, her cries fell on deaf ears.

‘Keep your pretty hands to yourself’, Lucy shoved the bully out of her way and excused herself to head out of the exit.

Jayden looked like he had lost all of his interest in her. His gaze was now bored and dull. This is what Lucy feared the most. He now knew Jo had been his mate all along and not her. Shit.

‘Goodnight Lucy’, her mate yelled from behind.

‘You too. Although I am surprised you watched and did nothing when someone almost raised their hands on your mate’, Lucy paused and asked her doubtful mate.

‘My mate is a bloody Lycan. That she wolf, Regina did not even stand a chance against you’, he replied, leaning against a big pillar. Looking sinfully handsome. His silver haired was glistening under the full moon.

Lucy ended up laughing at his response. ‘I really hope that was the real reason and not because you were scared of ‘RE-GINA’!’.

‘What-‘

‘Goodnight Alpha’.

.

.

.

Next day

Dante adjusted his collar shirt and tried to stand still. But everything was irritating him.

He was just informed this morning that Jo was attacked by a spear. Where was he when all of this was happening?

Dante cursed at himself for even going outside to the gardens. After kissing Jo, his Alpha wolf was stirring inside him again. It took him a lot of elemental powers to calm Theo down.

‘This is because of you, mutt’, he spitefully told his wolf.

‘Ya alright. Blame all of your primal instinct on the big bad wolf living inside your mind’, Theo snickered.

The king sighed heavily. Theo was right.

Dante was also partly to blame as well. He craved for Jo like she was a fresh breath of air.

He punched a big piece of log in the training grounds, venting out all of his frustration on the log as it spilt into two pieces. And to top it all, that Alpha Jayden was here as well. He sometimes wished Olivia informed him before doing things.

She never understood him from the start.

Yes, as a wife, she took care of all of his needs. But there was always this one big void. Something, that was always there but he did not know what it was exactly.

His heart yearned for someone who would understand him with just one simple gesture. Or a simple nod. Maybe he was being too ambitious hoping for all of that in one person.

‘My king, we are ready’, one of his men tried to grab his attention.

Dante simply nodded and walked to his car outside. He needed to go for an important meeting with the current Vampire leader.

Now that, he was sure about the Demon realm being responsible for all these deaths. He needed allies before he could go accusing the hot-headed Demon King.

Luckily, Tyron was a sensible and civil man. He had easily agreed to help Dante. Also, partially due to the past history between the vampires and werewolves.

During the great rebellion, the werewolves won the war and pardoned the lives of the vampires who surrendered. Although the ruling vampire leader then, Denver was killed mercilessly by none other than his mother, Sarah.

Denver was responsible for thousands of deaths back during his parent’s times. Almost half of the werewolf packs were erased and so many innocent lives were lost.

His parents, Sarah and Ian were now in retreat touring the world. They come back to the kingdom a couple of times in a year but no one really knew when exactly. They just rocked up whenever they felt like it.

Once Dante was seated on the smooth leather of his white Rolls Royce car, he relaxed a little.

As the engine revived up, his thoughts wondered off to Jolene again. Sometimes, he felt too tied up to his duties as a king. He wished he could just forget that the forbidden book ever existed and be selfish just for once. Just for once, if he could do what he liked and what he wanted…

*

Few days later

Jo stood under the scorching sun fanning herself with the long hanging sleeves of her modest knee length dress. They were still being made to wear dresses only due to the dress code of the royal kingdom, apparently made by Olivia. Typical.

The poor siren had not even slept a wink for the last few days, thinking about who could have possibly wanted to hurt her. Luckily, her reflex was fast enough to dodge the attack. But she might not be so lucky next time.

Lucy and the two fairies refused to let her sleep alone after the incident. So, all of them crashed on Jo’s tiny single bed. And Mina’s snoring definitely did not help the situation.

But she was not here to complain, their intentions were good. And for the first time ever, she had genuine friends who did not have any ulterior motives.

‘This line is not moving at all’, Daya whined. She had beats of sweats forming continuously on her small forehead.

‘Tell me about it. It’s so weird, I thought we were special guests of the Alpha King but they are making us stand in the line for a blessing ceremony I don’t even want to attend’, Mina echoed her friend’s frustration.

‘Probably because the king is away on some business or something. And this ceremony has been made compulsory by the beloved werewolf Queen’, Daya replied, wiping the sweat with a small pink handkerchief matching her hair.

‘Girls, speak softer. No one here will tolerate us speaking badly of the Queen’, Lucy warned them. They were standing in the female’s line which led to the temple ceremony. It was located next to the mansion, near a small pond.

‘Fine’, both the fairies grunted in unison.

The girls continued standing for nearly three hours, grunting and whining about the long line.

‘Oh, hi there, Jo’.

Everyone started bowing to the Queen who was wearing a big rosy hat and a light lavender casual gown. Even while surrounded by her minions, she was without the doubt the most-eye strikingly beautiful one of the group.

‘Greetings, my queen’, Jo bowed a little.

‘You look terrible Jo, out here in the sun. I know you are a special guest but what can I do? It’s a tradition that everyone needs to stand in the line for the ceremonial blessing except for the royals, of course’, Olivia’s face deepened with worry. It could fool anyone really. But Jo was not a fool.

Before the siren could reply, she was cut off by none other than Gina.

‘Don’t be silly! They are all a bunch of omegas and past slaves. Why should our kind-hearted queen make any exceptions for them?’, Gina rolled her sharp nasty tongue.

‘I really wish I could make an exception. The sun is very scorching. I am so sorry, ladies’, Olivia bowed.

‘Ridiculous. They should be the ones apologising for expecting any special treatment. My queen is too lenient’, Gina intervened again.

‘But we literally did not even say any-‘, Daya was cut off quickly by Jo.

‘We apologise for making you worried. You are too kind for your own good, dear Queen’, Jo forced the words out, plastering a fake smile.

Olivia just nodded slightly and walked past the line along with her little entourage of noble ladies, lengthened by Gina and her little sisters. Even their bloody mother, Linda was here.

Jo was confused at what was going on but she was too tired to care.

The queen easily ascended the stairs and entered the temple, where there was ample of nice cool shade.

The line finally moved and they progressed along the line little by little, the wait felt like an eternity.

Once they finally got to the top of the stairs and were only a few steps away from entering the temple, they were stopped by one of the guards.

The huge muscular guard waved the two fairies in but when it was Lucy’s turn. He called her to the side to check her properly.

His filthy hands went first on her shoulder and then slowly traced her waistline. He then groped her breast and fondled it very harshly making her squeak a little.

Lucy flinched remembering the past abuse and indecent advances.

Jo saw red looking at her friend reliving those memories with every single touch. Before his hands could go down to her private area, Jo grabbed the strong muscular hand.

‘Be careful of things you cannot afford to touch’, in a spilt second, Jo kicked the guard right in his balls, making him groan in pain. The brave siren tried grabbing a dagger off from his armour belt but she was soon held down by the other guards who were surprised at her strength.

Jo was quickly made to bow down, soon more guards emerged from other lines as well. She smiled at the crying guard who had his hands over his private areas.

‘You are welcome’, she mouthed at him.

*

Olivia sat impatiently on the high chambers. The king’s throne was empty because Dante was away. But hers was right next to his and she felt like the most powerful person right now.

That cursed omega made a scene, attempting to attack one of the royal guards. It was as if moon goddess wanted to make things easier for her. Attempting to harm a royal guard on duty was a crime punishable by execution. Olivia could not have figured of a better way to bring down her foe.

At first, she just wanted to humiliate Jo by making her stand in the line and show her where she belonged. But this incident, this was perfect.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the noise of shackles dragging the vinyl floor. Everyone started whispering amongst themselves, throwing the omega a dirty look.

To offer a fair trial, Jo would be allowed to speak for herself. But Olivia already had plans for her. And they were not good at all.

‘What is the meaning of this? Let her go’, an angry voice erupted in the room.

It was Alpha Jayden.

‘You can’t chain her like she is an animal’, he angrily blurted out again, trying to advance near Jo but he was quickly stopped by other guards who had almost the same physique as the angry Alpha.

‘Alpha Jayden, please honour the royal kingdom’s tradition and let the queen decide the trial. She is of the highest rank here’, one of the elderly subordinates wearing a white robe spoke.

Jayden hesitantly backed up a little bit, his eyes never leaving Jo.

‘This is a trial for Jolene, an omega who has been staying in this royal mansion due to the benevolent king’s gesture. However, instead of being grateful, she attacked a royal guard on duty for no apparent reason’, the same elderly man spoke.

A bunch of elderlies seating in rows of seat on the right side of the trial hall agreed in unision,’ Hear Hear’.

‘So, tell me Jolene, why did you attack a royal guard? Were you sent by someone to spy on us?’.

‘He was touching my friend in a not so appropriate manner and deserved to be kicked. It was a wake up call for him’, the siren replied nonchalantly, as if her reaction was the most natural thing to do.

‘Pure insolence. Our highly trained guards would never engage in such acts’, Von voiced over, throwing a quick glance at Olivia who gave her the approval nod. ‘You did it just out of pure spite. Just because you were made to wait in hours under the sun. Did you expect our queen to make special exceptions for you!’.

Jo sighed at the course the trial was heading at. Her case was completely being misdirected and did not make sense at all. Speak about a shambolic trial.

Spy? Spiteful because she was standing in a line for too long? Were werewolves really that dense or just plain stu. pid?

‘My friends are my witnesses’, Jo commented.

‘Your accomplices cannot speak on your behalf’, Von added, making it more complicated.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

‘My queen, if you may, we do have one credible witness. The other guard from the second line witnessed the whole ordeal. In the investigation, he stated the omega in question, Jolene initiated the attempted murder out of the blue. She even went to the extent of reaching out for his dagger for moon goddess forbid what intention’, the white robed man spoke again.

The crowd at the trial started generated curses and hisses at Jo who was already used to all this. It did not bother her, one bit.

‘My heart aches to know this because I believe there is good in everyone. But I need to act as a queen and set a firm example for this kingdom’, Olivia announced. She paused for some time as people looked at their queen with admiration thinking she had a heart of gold.

‘Under the werewolf law, I subject you, Jolene to a public execution for an attempted murder of a royal guard’, the queen finished the last sentence very painstakingly as if it hurt her.

Everyone started cheering as Jo was then taken away. She swore she saw a glimpse of a smile on the queen.

This was far from over.