THE LAST ALPHA FEMALE (sequel to Reign of the hybrid)

Chapter 5

The ship was shaking in the winds, the waves were getting stronger than expected at Grace's Coven. After articulating the newly laid down rules by the humans the vampires had immediately started revolting against her. Especially the point when she had openly declared her support to the rules and tried to convince them how they were going to help them thrive as a Coven and restore their legacy as the world's most powerful predators. That they would have reduced war therefore loss of their loved ones and above all build the dream Eric had of a free society to the super humans. The rest of the speech was interrupted by murmurs and curses. Most of them walked away from her. Around two days later the rejection had improved from a cold war to openly. No one listened to what she said only a few who were still loyal to her and the two guards.

As a leader Grace had promised herself not to rule with an iron fist. Neither did she want to rule like Eric with fear. She pitied the werewolves whose leader was using a combination of both. Grace wanted a free and just Coven. She wanted her own legacy not as the Alpha female of a male dominated Coven but as an alpha female who'd have gone down in the history of Green view as among the best if not the only and absolute best. She wanted children two centuries later to read about her in the books at Eric Winston’s academy of children with superhuman abilities. Her silence however did not mean she had no clue how to instill fear in all of them. Grace was smarter than they thought. She had a weapon that could trim their male and female egos as well as pluck them out if she needed. The knife that had killed Kylan, an alpha male by just one stab. She had it hidden safely in the Coven, an insurance policy for a long remarkable reign of the Alpha female. And now they were tasting her patience.

"Guys what do you think about the rules James came with the other day?" She asked the guards.

They hesitated a bit. It was not every day their petite, blonde, beautiful mistress asked for some advice from them. Counseling was not in their job description.

"Okay let's start on a light note, why haven't you turned against me?" She asked curiously. Still there was no response, "Both of you take glasses and pour yourselves some wine now that's an order"

They obediently walked to the cupboard. Each of them picked a glass and they walked back to where she was seated. The poured wine one after the other then they stood there looking lost.

"Now sit! Why haven't you turned against me?" She asked again with traces of anger in her voice.

There was a soft knock on the door. She looked at it. One of the guards got up and let the lawyer in. He had saved them from the impossible. Grace excused them.

"Mr. Lee welcome, any good news for me?" She asked.

"Actually better Grace, your friend James did some abracadabra and we have received a confirmation this morning from the national construction authority to continue", He said showing her the letter.

"That's even better news, I wish my kind could see it the way I do" She said sadly.

"It's not your fault", Lee said leaning forward, "Generally all men feel threatened by powerful women. They have this beliefs lodged in the core of their brains about powerful women. unfortunately, their minds start forcing them to act in a way that can only prove those beliefs true it’s called subjective validation bias, one mistake and they start a revolution",, He Said.

Grace was keenly listening to Lee. He turned out to be more than just legal representation. He was a friend. She needed a friend more than anything. With Amelia gone and vampires tasting her patience and limits she had no one.

"Now that you're here, can you tell me something Lee?" she asked keeping the letter away.

"Sure grace, anything you want to talk about", He said feeling more relaxed.

"This guards won't say a word to me. Am I scary?" She asked in almost a whisper.

It was very shameful of her to say it loud because she was not. Her reign had started with powerful victories. It was a reign of restoration. Lee released a whippy laugh. She had never heard him laugh now she wished that it remained the same.

"No they can't talk, Eric never told you?" He asked his face stiff from withholding another round of the infuriating laughter.

At heart she wanted to rip out his tongue so that he couldn't laugh again. But that would have forced her to look for another attorney and no one was better than him.

“No!” Grace said with a serious face.

Lee was embarrassed. He thought she was joking about Eric not explaining to her why his guards had no ability to talk.

“Am sorry I thought you were joking, although Amelia would explain it better. They don't have tongues", He said.

"You're kidding right?" Grace asked surprised.

"No, just call them in and check. He loved them because they are very obedient. And when he felt like his enemies were closing in on him he asked them not to accompany him anywhere so that they could protect Wayne. Then he died before him now their job is to protect you at any cost", Lee said wrapping up his files.

She didn't need more explanation. He was eloquent which was enough to explain why he was a lawyer. Grace walked Lee to the door as usual. When she came back she asked them to open their mouths. They had no tongues. Whether they were born without or they were chopped off that was up to her curiosity to know much. Now she had the second insurance policy on the table. The third one was the craziest idea she had ever had. She was going to give the Coven what they wanted. An attenuated alpha male. It had been long before she checked on him.

"Sorry but I have to do this", She said to a jar inside her bedside drawer.

***********

"We found something", Shamla said happily barging into Tina's room.

"It better be good", Tina said sliding her well shaven legs into the beside sandals.

They walked together to the library where she was practicing her magic. That day after promising to have a way of finding the magical artifacts Shamla had come up with a way of identifying their location on a map. She had cast a spell that could show where they were anytime someone used them. And two had just been spotted.

"Sky view!" Tina smirked in surprise.

"Yes and the other one in Green view" Shamla said.

"This means if we find this two..."

"We find the others they can't be far", she interrupted happily.

"You're a genius Shamla I will arrange for scouts to patrol the area before we go, latest by tomorrow", Tina promised walking away.

She was happy. There was reason to be happy. Finding all the artifacts was one sure way of ensuring she killed two stones with one bird. The first one was killing grace. Now that an artifact was spotted in Green view there was high possibility she was in possession rendering her dangerous so was the process of retrieving it. The second one was ensuring the witch and the hybrid stayed in whatever realm they were thrown and if it had an expiry date she wanted to be ready to kill them when they came back. It was all she was thinking about. Revenge and restoration. To elevate the pack back to where it was back then. At the very top.

"We have visitors waiting for you in the main house", A guard on duty said approaching Tina with reverence.

"Okay, and what's your name?" She asked staring at him.

Her flattery had no limits. This time she didn't have the excuse of saying she did it for family. Tina needed someone to make forget troubles that had befallen her. And he looked like he could take her fur a one way ride to pleasure Island.

"Ian" He said.

"Okay Ian I would love to see you some time", Tina, said walking briskly to meet the said visitors.

When she entered the main pack house she found them already seated. A beautiful lady and a young man in his late twenties. Their code of dressing and the smell of exquisite cologne could tell who they were. The man was still nursing some wounds on his right arm. She knew him not by name but she was keen enough to know he was the beta turned alpha of their neighboring wolf pack lucky to survive a war that claimed the head of his alpha Damian. Tina’s own father had tried to marry herself and her daughter Aubrey to the pack without success. She bet he was doing it even in the otherworld that had miraculously cut its links with the normal world when Ariella was reborn.

"Morning", Tina said.

"Good morning Tina nice to see you again", He said happily only stopping because of a glare from his Luna.

Either he was phony or Tina was extremely charming than his own girlfriend. It was hard to tell. From past experience Tina knew he was phony. And the girl was calling the shots. As an alpha Male he would have shown up to meet with Tina alone for that their discussion although she had no idea if it was a business visit or a casual one.

"Any beverage?" Tina asked intentionally to confirm her early diagnosis.

"Coffee", the lady said.

She turned to look at the man.

"What the lady will have please", He said confidently.

The patient could now be discharged. There was nothing serious they were going to talk about. The final remarks from Doctor Tina was to solidify the pack and either join them or just run with the wind. She was not hating on women in leadership. She was an alpha female herself. It was only right and fair to say that women, if given opportunities were good alphas. The thing was Tina knew how dangerous it was to have an attenuated leader. One who had control over everything apart from his own brain. It was dangerous especially when the biblical jezebel was behind the wheel. She was once a jezebel herself. Such memories she had locked at the back of her mind thinking they were never going to infiltrate her subconscious started coming up in the middle of a diplomatic conversation.

"Bring them coffee," Tina ordered the cook, "How do you want it?" She asked trying to confuse her own mind from betraying her.

"With milk, two sugars for each" The man said boldly.

It was a battle of atrocity in Tina's mind. She tried talking to the boring visitors but her tongue was heavy. Her head was spinning without moving an inch. She even tried of fantasizing herself with Ian later that evening. Kylan never wanted to kill Veronica so as to get back at Don's pack. It was entirely her idea but she had alienated herself from it when it already turned into action. Now she started feeling the guilt of how their pack crumbled into a heap of worthless debris. But her father’s pack was not like hers. She could see the same thing happening to the two of them. The serpent whisperer filling his head with imaginative fear.

"So...eeh"

"Boaz my name is Boaz and my Luna here is Stacy", Boaz saved Tina the embarrassment of not knowing them.

"Yes Boaz, I keep forgetting your name. Am. Very sorry for your lose. I hope from now onwards we can work together. Consider this a new page", Tina said random words hoping they were making sense.

"We're actually here to say sorry for your loss we heard about your family", Stacy stopped as though she was doing a minute of silence honors, "Woman to woman if you need anything am here for you", She offered.

"Thank you, that's so nice of you... Enough with the formalities. Why are you here?" Tina asked her expression changing from friendly to threatening.

The couple looked at each other. They were probably arguing who was to speak up first. Tina gave them time to resolve their bedroom differences in her own living room.

"Am sorry but we want to break any friendship and business understandings between our two packs", Boaz blurted out.

He almost covered his mouth one would have though the words came out accidentally. If course they did. Tina was unshaken. She continued lingering in her own mind knocking on doors of guilt and Shame. It was hard to concentrate.

"And I assume you have the contract papers of any business agreements?" She asked.

"Yes!" Stacy says passing over some files.

Tina read through them. She saw it coming the moment she met them. As a strategic planner Tina also had her doubts. They both were still fresh from a war that took most of their loved ones. Unlike weather war could not be predicted that easily. What if the same day they got attacked were they counting for her support? Her gut was telling her something fishy was cooking and it had everything to do with territorial conflicts. Damians pack did not suffer a huge blow like they did. They were still strong and vicious as compared to Tina's wounded soldiers. That was enough to send them knocking once all business deals were cut. And she wasn't going to let it happen.

"I see, how about I pass by with this papers in the evening after talking to my attorney?" She asked.

"Fine, take your time", Boaz assured.

"He means by the end of the day, don't you hunnie?" Stacy said with a weak serpent smile.

"Yeah, by the end of the day" He repeated getting up from the coach.

"Sure, no problem", Tina said escorting them outside.

Her first test as an alpha was ready. Was she going to send the pack to a war with their neighbors or was she going to find a way to mitigate and get more from it? A tough task it was. And as for options there were very few. Getting out of the table the longer she declined to sign the papers.

******

The professor and his right hand man had underestimated their enemy thus breaking the first rule of combat. Luckily they upheld the second one by not interrupting the same enemy when he was making a mistake. Guess who reaped the benefits? The unusual team of Don and Hillary. Right under their noses Don and Hillary carried out a plan that confirmed between the two, Steve and Don who was superior upstairs than the other.

"Welcome back council men" Mike teased offering them some water.

"Where are we?" James asked rubbing his eyes.

"Where you were last time you haven't moved that far", He assured.

They passed out with bullets flying past their faces and woke up in a party. It felt like they were still in the dream world. There were a number of new faces in the group. It took some time for James to realize that they were not actually new. His concussion had caused him far more damage than he thought.

"We saved the few we could, around three are dead", Don said raising his glass for toast.

"And where's the lunatic of a beta you have?" James asked getting up his feet.

"Gone"

"You let him leave?" Jefferson asked surprised.

"Numbers professor. You said it yourself before the concussion remember? We were outnumbered", Hillary said smiling.

The two still couldn't understand what was happening. Their guards were enjoying whiskey and fresh berries with the very people they were supposed to protect them from although a lesser dangerous version but still it was a risk. The army men did not know much as James and Jefferson did. Debbie came down with bandages and spirit. With the help of Alyssa they nursed their wounds and gave them some medication for the headache.

"Feeling fresh now?" Don asked asking everyone to keep quiet.

"Yes...now explain why you're in a jubilant mood when you should be reclaiming your pack", James said.

"Okay seats please," Don said, "Let me start from the beginning. This is going to be a very long story I must warn you. When Leon saved Alyssa, Debbie and I with Hillary and Mike he took us to his guardians house in sky view"

"I was there get to the part I don't know", James argued.

"If you keep interrupting him you may never know how it all played out sheriff relax!" Kyle said.

"And who are you?"

"Kyle"

"Okay enough now I have to go way back, so after defeating Eric when Leon excused himself to have some time alone he asked for some money from me and took some from his parents stash. He bought Fabians security firm. Debbie actually did the bidding when we thought Leon and Hillary had kidnapped her..."

"Where is Steve in that story again?" The professor interrupted.

"Okay long story short... Steve came after me with everything he had the very last of his army even the injured. But he forgot to carry Kyle here with him. He was my man on the ground which we expected Steve to find out and he did. With Kyle left in the dungeon, Steve hired Fabians men as the backup security for his palace don't forget the company is Leon's and am the next of kin. While you wasted his time here my men freed Kyle and carried all the pack property papers back here with them. Am still the active administrator of the property” Don said proudly.

"And now he has nothing to pay them and hire mercenaries" James completed the story.

"Exactly, no money no wolves on his payroll no pack" Don said.

It was James and the professors turn to clap back at them.