ALAIA
I stepped away from the mirror waiting for Zack to come through. A few minutes passed and I started to panic. I'm not sure why I would care. I hated Mirja and hated my brother even more. If they died it wouldn’t bother me, right? I started pacing back and forth, shooting glances at the mirror from time to time. If they weren't back now, then they had to be dead. Finally, the mirror warped and my brother fell through with an unconscious Mirja.
“What took you so long? What happened?”
He was linking someone before he looked at me confused. “What are you talking about? I broke the necklace like you said right when you disappeared. That was only seconds ago.”
“That’s impossible. I’ve been waiting here at least ten minutes.”
Zack shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. You’re the one with the powers.”
Bronx came through the door smiling until he saw me. His face dropped and I just rolled my eyes. I never liked him. He was too playful for me and tried too hard to be like James. Like he could even get close.
“Alaia. I would say it’s a pleasure but you know,” he said.
“Oh I do know, Bronx. It would be like if I thought you were a great fit as Beta of Blue Moon,” I snapped back.
“Cool it, children, or I will send you both to your room.”
Bronx glared at me before noticing Mirja on the floor. He looked at both of us, then back at Mirja.
“You do know this is not what normal brothers and sisters do for fun, right?”
“Just take her to the dungeons and be as discreet as possible.”
“Right because carrying a banged up, unconscious woman won’t bring any attention at all,” Bronx said sarcastically while picking Mirja up. “You know there are more humane ways to get girls, Alpha,” Bronx joked.
Zack growled, making Bronx quickly run out the door. “You should get back, Alaia. Rest. You’re looking a bit tired.”
Was he rushing to get rid of me after I just helped him? Not a ‘Thank you’ or ‘You’re the best.” So ungrateful.
“Right. Isaiah might get worried if I’m away too long,” I said, turning to leave. Before I walked through the portal, I heard Zack say ‘Thank you” and that actually made me smile.
On my way back to see Isaiah, I heard him talking to his father in his office. I didn't want to interrupt, so I turned around to walk away when I heard Zira’s name. There was a crack in the door so I was able to hear a little bit of their conversation.
“All I’m saying, son, is there’s going to be a white wolf in our lineage again. There is no way he or she is not going to be Alpha.”
“Dad, I promise Alaia that our child will have a claim to this position first. It was the only way to make this whole situation bearable.”
“I understand that, Isaiah. I do, but having a white wolf as Alpha will take this pack to the next level. Surely Alaia will be able to see this as a good thing.”
“Dad…”
“Isaiah, this is a white wolf we’re talking about. Not just a plain Alpha wolf, but an Alpha with powers like the Goddess. This is a blessing and you will waste it giving the position to someone else.”
I quickly have to block myself from Isaiah or he will be able to feel the anger coursing through my body. I left before I heard anything else. Plain? He called my child ‘plain’. Of course, when I think I have a leg up, she always finds a way to outshine me. No matter what I do, this girl always gets the upper hand. Without even trying. That was it. No more Miss Nice Alaia. It was time to turn the odds in my favor. Her child has to go along with her. Then we’ll see who’s plain. I walked to my office and pulled out the grimoire.
Plain? My children would never be plain, I thought to myself. As if reading my mind, the voices greeted me.
“I need something powerful. Something no one will be able to detect. I need to take a life.”
A life for a life, the voices said.
I thought about the useless people in my life right now. One of them could potentially be a good sacrifice. Maybe start with that stupid Omega Mary.
No, the voices yelled. You.
“Me? That makes no sense. How can I cast a spell if I’m dead,” I asked.
There are more ways to give life a voice. Especially something so plain and easily attainable for you.
I thought about what the voices were saying and I thought about what Mirja said. What am I willing to sacrifice? I stepped away from my desk and the grimoire. My thoughts were driving me insane. What the hell am I thinking? Maybe this is too far? You’ve come this far already. But how far are you willing to go?
“I’ll do it,” I heard myself say. Not even sure I actually said anything, but the grimoire glowed. The promise of power tingled at my fingertips as a vial rose from the pages. It was small and filled with a dark, purplish liquid. I reached out to grab it and it hesitated as a voice rang through my head.
Don’t! Elena yelled over the voices in my head. You’ve taken this too far, Alaia!
It’s been a while since she has said anything. It was refreshing to hear another voice besides my own.
Our child will never have power, Elena. They won't have a chance with Zira and her child in the picture I said to her. Is that what you want?
It doesn’t matter, Alaia. As long as Isaiah is by our side. Nothing else matters Elena pleaded with me.
But it does, Elena. Power means more than you know and our children will never see it because of her and her spawn.
Please, Alaia. Just think about this. This hatred you harbor seems to have more power over you than you do. This will only end bad for us. Let’s just enjoy what we have.
I thought hard about what Elena was saying. True, I could lock away this grimoire and forget everything I’ve done for the past four months. I could just let go and be satisfied with what I have, but that’s just the thing. I wasn't satisfied with what I had. It’s not what I really wanted.
I want my powers back, I want James to be my mate, I want to hurt all those who hurt me, and I want the family I deserve. I want to be able to get all those things so I’ll settle for what I can get, and that’s squashing my little bug.
I stared at the vial in my hand. Couldn’t believe this little bottle was the answer to all my problems. What did this cost? I shook my head. No time to go back now. Time to change the odds to my favor. I made my way to the kitchen. It was empty at the moment but I knew soon Omegas will be filing in to prepare dinner for the pack house.
Although she's welcomed to dine with us, Zira takes her food in her room. I assigned Omega Lisa to her room to keep an eye on her. She's been the only person I can trust to do my bidding. I linked Omega Lisa and she appeared within minutes.
"Good afternoon, Luna. How may I assist you?"
I looked and noticed a new bangle on her wrist. It was one from my collection. I grabbed her wrist to inspect it. She panicked a bit. Probably thinking I forgot that I told her she could take something of mine.
"You picked a good one," I said while dropping her arm. "I see you have a taste for finer things."
Omega Lisa bowed and kept her head low. "You have an impressive collection, Luna. So that compliment belongs to you."
Oh she was good, real good at sucking up.
"Am I correct in believing you would like more things like this," I asked, gesturing towards her wrist.
She looked up at me for a split second with an excited face before casting her gaze back down. "If you believe I deserve such a thing."
"Of course I do. I like to award those who do things not only for the pack but for me as well."
I smiled. Materialistic girls like her were easy to please. Just dangle something pretty or expensive in front of their faces and their basically puppets.
"With that being said, I need you to do me a favor. If you do this, you can have anything you want,” I watched her face light up. “Within reason, of course.”
“Of course, Luna. I will do anything.”
I put the vial in Omega Lisa's hand. She looked at it, then at me. “I need you to add this to Zira’s food. I don’t care much about her and I know you share the same feelings, but I need her baby to be strong. Do you understand?”
Obviously, it was a lie but she didn't have to know that. Omega Lisa stared at the bottle and back at me.
“I understand.”
“Good.” I felt a presence behind me and turned to see nothing. Then Isaiah’s scent filled the room, letting me know he was near. “Let’s keep this between us. In the meantime, give your duties to Omega Mary and keep a close eye on Zira.”