Chapter 56 Awakening The Alpha Queen
Awakening The Alpha Queen
JESSICA
TWO WEEKS AGO:
Whitemore Plantation
When Joe and Xavier exit the car, they retrieve several bags from the back of the SUV. “What’s all of this?” I ask Joe.
“Sixes will make arrangements to have the rest of your things delivered.” I look around at the bags. Those are not mine.
“Whose bags are these?”
Xavier continues to unload the car. “Us,” he answers, nonchalant.
I turn from Joe to Xavier and back again. “Your bags?”
Xavier nods.
“I don’t understand.”
“We no longer work for the royal family,” Joe explains briefly.
“No. You can’t do that. They need you. You’ve been there for years.”
Joe shakes his head. “Our loyalties lie with Anders. You are Anders’s daughter, so our loyalties lie with you.”
“Joe, I can’t ask that of you.”
“You didn’t have to,” Anders says. “They came here on their own. Why don’t the two of you find a place to set your belongings, and I’ll meet you in front of the pack hall.” he suggests to the two men.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Anders.
He shrugs. “I moved back home.” He lowers his gaze. “I wanted to live near you. I hope that’s okay.”
I tsk. “This place is more yours than mine. You shouldn’t feel as if you need to ask.”
“It’s not mine. It’s yours. It was left to you. And thank you for allowing me to live here. I needed a place to stay, now that I no longer work for the Emerald Guard.”
My eyes widen. “What the hell are you talking about?! Anders, you cannot leave the guard! They need you!”
“My daughter needs me more, and besides that, I hoped that the Alpha Princess would hire me as her new head guard.”
My jaw drops. Did I just enter a crazy town? “Have you lost your mind? Anders, there are no guards to lead! Were you not involved in that argument several hours ago?”
He chuckles. “Okay. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself just a little. Why don’t you come with me?” He motions for me to follow him. Narrowing my eyes, I reluctantly do.
As we approach the pack hall, the entire Whitemore pack and at least twenty-five Emerald guards gather outside, including Sixes.
What’s happening? I ask her through our link.
She smiles. You’ll see.
Miller walks away from the pack toward me. He rests his hand at my back and hurries me along until I stand in front of everyone. He raises his hand for everyone’s attention. They quiet down. Some of the pack members hush the younger children.
“Princess Jessica G. Langhlam,” Miller boasts, “you have been named as successor by our Alpha Agnus Whitemore, the sixth-generation Alpha of the original Quartz Pack, ruler of the seventh territory. Do you accept this position?”
I scan the crowd before me. I must look like a hot mess in an oversized hoodie and yoga pants, not to mention I spent the last two hours bawling my eyes out.
Who in their right mind would want an Alpha who can’t keep their shit together?
We’re doing this? Now? Couldn’t Anders have let me use the bathroom first?
Can you stop overthinking everything and just say yes? Odyssey chastises in my head. I look among the guards and find him with the pack.
What are you doing here?
Answer the question.
Fine! I clear my throat and turn to Miller. “Yes.” I cringe at the intensity of my voice ringing out.
Soft lines crinkle around his eyes in amusement before he nods his approval. “Is there anyone here who disagrees with this decision made by our former Alpha? State your concerns now and rise to challenge.”
I swallow. Challenge? Anders simply stares ahead. After a few moments of silence, no one speaks. No one issues a challenge.
Miller continues. “Very well. If there will be no challenges, for those of you who do not want to live under the leadership of the Alpha Princess Jessica Langhlam, you may choose to leave and live out the remainder of your existence without a pack. Do so now.”
No one moves. Not even the children utter a peep. I continue to survey the crowd.
“Very good. Now swear your allegiance to your new Alpha Princess Jessica G. Langhlam.”
Everyone, from the entire pack to the guards, including Anders, Sixes, and Miller, fall to one knee and place their right hand over their hearts.
With a determined look, they lock eyes with me as I observe each shifter.
Tears begin to well as I navigate the rows.
Friends I formed through my bond with Alpha Agnus.
Pieces of my chosen family. Brothers I acquired through the guard recruitment program.
We trained together, fought side by side.
I would do anything for them, even cross enemy territory borders to rescue them.
My eyes rest on Alexis. His smile radiates pride and reassurance.
In unison, they all recite, “We swear to you our loyalty, faith, and allegiance for as long as you shall live.” They bow their heads in submission.
My heart swells from their unwavering loyalty and love. An electrical pulse begins in my solar plexus. With the next beat, a radiant white light erupts from my core, elevating me slightly off the ground. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, allowing the light to envelope me completely.
Alpha Agnus’s voice echoes in my mind. Welcome home, Alpha Queen of the Lunar Solar Realm, Alpha to the white wolf shifters. Make us proud.
A surge of white light emanates from my hands and my feet, rising up and out through the top of my head. Like a beacon, light shoots skyward.
A clap of thunder erupts, and flashes of lightning illuminate the sky. Raindrops cascade onto my face as more lightning strikes, and the deep rumbles of thunder persists. The wind swirls around me, lifting me higher until I hover above the pack and gently spin in a small circle.
A torrent of varying emotions fill my soul. Memories of ancestors past surge through my mind—love, trust, faith, betrayal, heartache, pain, and death. So much death, so much loss, so much anguish. I silently vow to bring down the leader of the Resistance. The agony will cease with me.
A distant rumble trembles the earth. The raindrops intensify, becoming harder as they strike against my skin and ground. I whirl faster in the escalating wind. The thunder delivers its muted whispers and intensifies in resonant power. Lightning draws nearer, streaking across the sky.
Then, everything halts.
My feet return to the ground. The sun shines bright, blessing everything under its warm rays. The harsh winds return to a gentle breeze, caressing my skin and filling the air with a sweet floral scent. Birds start to sing as if in approval. I drop my arms to my sides and slowly open my eyes.
Wide eyes stare back at me. Looking to Odyssey, I ask, Did that just really happen?
His expression bewildered, he answers, That shit really fucking happened.
Everyone remains in their kneeling position. “Is everyone okay?” I wince at my weak, insecure tone, waiting for them to stand and run for the hills.
Heads turn, back and forth, checking on their neighbors and the children within their clutches. Yet no one stands.
Miller clears his throat. “Princess, uh, Alpha Princess, you need to direct us to stand.”
“Oh, uh…” I think back to the Alpha King, how he commands the room when everyone is around him at conferences and meetings. I square my shoulders, lift my chin, and proclaim, “You may rise.” My voice shakes, but everyone stands.
Miller announces that dinner will take place in the pack hall tonight. Anders rests a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. You will get used to it. Think of it like bossing around a board member in a conference room.”
“I don’t boss anyone around,” I reply.
“No, but when it comes to business, you have command. I’ve seen it.
You’re a natural. This too will come to you naturally.
Speaking of business…” He walks toward the twenty-five guards, plus Xavier and Joe.
“Your new pack members.” He waves toward them.
I raise my eyebrows. “Alpha Princess, these men and women have voluntarily joined your pack, sworn their allegiance to you, and would like a position as members of your guard.”
“Didn’t you swear your allegiance to the Emerald Pack as guards?”
Odyssey and Alexis step forward. “We resigned,” Alexis offers.
Anders lifts a hand to stop my protest. “There are over 300 guards in the Emerald Pack and then some, some training now as we speak. This was their choice. These are the ladies and gentlemen who could be here today. As time goes on, I am sure there will be more.”
My brow furrows in confusion. Sixes was born into the Emerald Pack, and she is a direct descendant of the royal bloodline. She can’t just leave the Emerald Pack. Can she?
This is my choice. I belong with you. Her voice whispers in my head.
Tears prick behind my eyes, and my lungs expel a long breath of acceptance. Okay. Forcing the tears back, I touch Anders’s arm. “As a former head guard, who among here do you think will qualify as the next head guard?” I ask. He quirks an eyebrow at me.
Alexis chokes in shock, startled by my question. What are you doing? Odyssey exclaims in my head.
Relax. I’m just messing with him.
Please don’t. He’s still my boss, and I’ve seen him pissed.
“Oh, I thought you were retiring. No?” I chuckle.
Entwining my arm with Anders’s, we shift to face the former guards of the Emerald pack together. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Quartz pack head guard, Anders Knight. He will oversee your positions within the guard.”
He lifts his chin, and the guards, with a fisted right hand placed over their hearts, dip their heads in respect.
“Shall I leave you to it then?” He nods. Before I walk away, I turn. “Oh, I have one request. I need one of your guards to be my assistant.”
Anders smiles. “Sixes will be your assistant. Joe will be your head of the household. Xavier will be your driver. Odyssey will be the second in command. Alexis the third in command. Does that meet with your approval?”