Return of the Alpha: The Crown (Mackenzie Grey Book 12) Read online

  “Of course, Yer Majesty.”

  Slowly, I heard his footsteps descend the corridor until they were silent. Once Liam was gone, I checked the doorknob to make sure it was locked. “We can speak through the door,” I said. “How are you, Cosima?”

  “I’m well, Mackenzie. Are ye okay? What’s going on? Why all this secrecy?” she asked.

  “Just taking precautions,” William answered quickly.

  “Anything you have to say, you can say it in front of William. He’s my most trusted guard,” I reassured her.

  “Very well,” she murmured. “Remember when ye came to my apothecary requesting a potion to fight against mind control?”

  “Yes,” I said eagerly.

  “I think I came up with something, Mackenzie,” she said. “It’s nae specifically for mind control, but for compulsion. I figured it could work just the same.”

  I grinned. That was genius! Compulsion was almost the same thing as mind control. “That’s great, Cosima! Did you bring it with you?”

  “Aye,” she said, and I heard rustling behind the door. “But we won’t know if it works until we try it against the demon.”

  That was the only downside. Either it would work or it wouldn’t, in which case it would backfire on us and put more of my people in danger.

  “How long will it take you to mass produce this elixir?” I asked hopefully.

  There was a pause before she said, “I can make two hundred vials in a week. Maybe less. It’s a rough estimate.”

  “That’s enough for most of my guards,” I muttered. “Start mass producing. The crown will pay for it. If you need extra hands to make more faster, I can lend you Tavish.”

  “Aye, Mackenzie, I’ll get right on this,” she said. “Do ye want me to make enough for all of yer guards?”

  I shook my head, forgetting she couldn’t see me. “No. I want you to make enough for the entire village.”

  3

  Before leaving, Cosima handed me the vial she’d produced. The liquid that swirled inside was bright green, and when I uncorked it the bitter smell wafted to my nose. The witch cautioned it would last approximately two weeks before another dosage would be needed. The elixir wasn’t long lasting, but at least it was something.

  I hid the vial in the drawer where I kept Adaline’s journal because Bash never went in there. It wasn’t that I was intentionally trying to keep it a secret from my mate, but since I wasn’t supposed to have any visitors, I figured I’d just keep Cosima’s visit to myself for now.

  William stood in my chambers quietly. When I finally crawled back in bed, he offered, “Yer Majesty, Ranulf will be relieving me soon. Will ye be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help.” I smiled brightly. “And remember … this stays between us.”

  William winked. “Of course, Yer Majesty.” He turned on his heels and shut my chamber doors behind him as he exited my room.

  I heard the murmured exchange between him and Ranulf before he left his post, and I counted down the seconds before Ranulf showed up in my room.

  “Five … four … three … two … one …”

  My chamber doors opened and Ranulf entered briskly, a man on a mission. His crisp suit was amazingly unwrinkled, which was a testament to the man’s fastidiousness. “Yer Majesty.” The old guard bowed as he stopped at the foot of my bed. “Are ye comfortable?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Where’s Bash?”

  He cleared his throat and looked away. “Sebastian is dealing with what’s left of the Summits.”

  I frowned. “What’s going on with the Summits?”

  He furrowed his brows, obviously not wanting to answer my question for fear of upsetting me. “They, uh … they’re fighting him on Oliver’s transfer,” he admitted miserably. “They’re blocking his transition to captain.”

  My heart plummeted and I sat up in bed. “When is the fight for the captain position?” I asked carefully.

  “In two days’ time.”

  “Then we don’t have much time,” I mused. “Ollie is going to miss his chance if he can’t compete.”

  Ranulf grunted. “We’re doing the best we can, Yer Majesty. Unfortunately, we’re limited with how much authority we have.”

  My eyes widened slightly. “That’s what the problem is? You don’t have the authority?” Ranulf grimaced. I flung the comforter and sheets away from me and kicked my legs over the bed angrily. Grabbing the robe lying across the foot of the bed, I shrugged it on and cinched the belt.

  Ranulf stared at me with wide eyes. “Uh … Yer Majesty, what are ye doing?”

  “What does it look like?” I hopped off the bed and stomped toward my closet. I hadn’t worn anything besides pajamas or sweats in three months, so I wasn’t confident I could find anything that would fit. “I’m going to the Summit meeting,” I informed him from inside the closet.

  “What?” Ranulf choked out. “Ye cannae go! Yer bedridden!”

  I waved off his concern. “I’m super mellow, and my bump isn’t even that big. I can hide it with an oversized hoodie. You know, the ones you say make me look like a commoner.” I snorted, biting my lip to keep from laughing.

  “Yer Majesty, if ye get upset—”

  “I won’t,” I said breezily. “Don’t worry about me. After three months being locked in my room, I’m hella chill.”

  Sorta. Maybe. Possibly. We’ll see.

  I stormed out of the closet in a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie, and a pair of Air Max Nike sneakers. Though far from queenly, they were the only things that still fit. As I was about to leave my chambers, I snapped my fingers and turned back around. Ranulf’s eyes lit up, obviously thinking I’d reconsidered my decision to head back out into the castle and reveal myself to the Summit members. I walked back into my closet, approached the glass case that contained my ruby-adorned crown, and sauntered back out with it grasped firmly in my hand. I waved the crown at Ranulf and placed it askew on top of my head, centering it alongside my messy bun.

  “You know, to make me look official and junk.” I smirked as Ranulf gaped at me. “Come on, let’s go see those bastards.”

  Ranulf hurried to catch up to me as I made my way out of the Royal Wing and down the corridor for the first time in three months. My body tingled with excitement at my first bit of freedom, even if it was only to go argue with the Summit. We headed down the grand staircase and I was practically running in my haste. Well, as much as I could run in my current state.

  “Slow down, Yer Majesty!” Ranulf whisper-yelled.

  I heard the startled gasps of staff members and guards as they watched me pass by on my way through the castle. They hadn’t seen or heard from me in months and there I was, stomping through the castle in sweats and a crown.

  Once we reached the hallway that led to the throne room, I picked up my pace and hustled to get to the doors with the wolves carved on them. When I arrived, the two guards standing there looked at me as if they’d seen a ghost.

  “Yer Majesty!” they stuttered in unison, sizing me up and down, taking in my strange attire.

  “Open the doors,” I commanded, raising my chin and affecting a royal air.

  “Aye, Yer Majesty!” Without missing a beat, they bowed and did as they were told.

  The instant the doors opened, I saw complete chaos. Bash stood in front of the throne, his face red and his arms held out against ten to fifteen alphas who were shouting and growling so loudly, he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Guards lined the walls of the throne room, but they stood motionless, just watching everything unfold. I made eye contact with Liam and his eyes grew when he saw me, unable to stop the grin that unfurled across his mouth. I winked at him and then looked straight ahead.

  “QUIET!” I yelled. My voice bounced off the walls, making them vibrate from the force of my alpha power.

  Everyone shut up in an instant, some flinging hands over their ears from my shout. Almost as one body, they slowly turned around to the throne room doors and gaped. Several had to do a double take to figure out who the intruder was, since I wasn’t necessarily dressed like the Queen they were used to seeing.

  Walking with ease, the assembled alphas parted and made a gap large enough for me to walk through on my way to the throne, watching in open-mouthed shock as I passed them. I patted Bash’s arm at the foot of my throne, his bewildered look matching everyone else’s. When I reached the throne, I spun on my heels and faced the Alphas of the American and European Summits—the ones who’d obviously decided to stay and cause mischief.

  I narrowed my eyes. “I’m gone for three months and this is how you treat the ones I’ve left in charge?” I growled.

  Grayson, Alpha of the Canadian Pack, stepped forward and straightened. “We don’t take orders from him,” he rumbled, pointing to Bash.

  Bash snarled, but I held up a hand to stop him from moving forward. “As Prince Consort, his rank is higher than yours. Learn your place, Grayson, before you no longer have one.” I flashed my silver eyes, causing the older alpha to flinch.

  “Where have you been, Your Majesty?” Lucas came forward and asked, or more like demanded. His tone was no longer friendly. All pretenses that he was a honey-tongued diplomat were gone.

  I raised a brow and grinned. “And since when do I answer to you?”

  Lucas’s jaw ticked before he said, “You must answer to the Summit! You’ve spent the last three months hiding from your problems—”

  “Oh, is that what I’ve been doing? I didn’t know you had all the answers. Maybe I should be asking you, then,” I smirked. “Tell me, Lucas, what exactly have I been doing for the last three months?”

  He grinded his teeth but wisely stayed quiet, his dark eyes watching me, fighting the urge to flash his eyes at me in dominance. The
thought made me smile. I enjoyed ticking off these self-righteous alphas.

  I nodded. “I thought so. Don’t talk about something you don’t know shit about—”

  “So explain it to us, Your Majesty!” Grayson demanded. “What the hell is going on?”

  I slipped my sweaty hands into the front pockets of my hoodie and slouched like I didn’t have a care in the world. “It’s nothing that concerns you … any of you. But I’m here now, and unless you all want to be reprimanded for not following orders from Sebastian, I suggest you do as he said.”

  Grayson growled, “Your brother cannot compete for a captain position!”

  I shrugged. “Why not?”

  The Canadian Alpha straightened imperiously. “He’s newly shifted and he doesn’t know our rules and laws, for starters.” Grayson looked around at what was left of the Summits and grunted, “And let’s be honest … he’s a bitten wolf. He’s not truly one of us.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Dude, you’re seriously giving me Hitler vibes. And that’s not a compliment, in case you’re not aware.” I steeled my spine and turned the full force of my gaze to him, my expression colder than ice and my eyes silver. “Listen to me carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. Oliver Grey will compete for the position of Captain in the Brooklyn Pack, and that’s final. Anyone who has a problem with that will be stripped of their title and banned from lycan territories.”

  I relaxed my posture just a smidge and swept my calculating glare across the other alphas. “Now … you might think I’m going to extremes, but I’m tired of my authority being questioned at every turn and I’ve had enough. I’ve reached the end of my patience and from here on out, anyone who crosses me will get the full extent of my wrath. I’m not holding back anymore. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yer Majesty,” Ranulf murmured, trying to caution me against rash statements, but I ignored him.

  My gaze remained fixed on the alphas before me.

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” they all mumbled like reprimanded children, the words bitter in their mouths.

  “Good,” I said. “Remember, you can either do as I say or fight me. And trust me, you don’t want to enter a ring with me. You won’t come out of it alive.”

  With that final piece of advice, I stepped down from the throne platform and walked out of the throne room with my head held high, Ranulf following behind me.

  4

  Instead of going back to my rooms, I decided to take advantage of my new freedom and headed for the back door of the castle, plodding across the drawbridge and emerging into the green pastures that led into the verdant forest. I sucked in a deep breath, taking in the fresh air. I hadn’t been outside in months. The sun beamed down on me and bathed my face in buttery warm light. It felt wonderful.

  I crouched on my knees and rolled over onto my back, spreading my arms out wide and luxuriating in the softness of the grass, unconcerned when my crown tumbled from my head onto a patch of wildflowers. I took in a deep breath, smelling the sweet scents of freshly cut grass and squinting into the sun. Within minutes, I started sweating beneath my thick hoodie and sweatpants, but the feeling was so wonderful I didn’t even care.

  “Mackenzie.”

  Bash interrupted my reverie and I opened my eyes, turning my head in his direction. “Yes?” I raised a brow and placed a hand over my belly.

  He gave a long-suffering sigh. “Why are you out of your rooms?”

  I sat up and leaned back on my hands. “I heard you were having a hard time.” I tilted my head and squinted, the sun in my face.

  “I was handling it.”

  I pursed my lips. “Were you now? ‘Cause it looked to me like the Summit Alphas were—”

  “Enough, Mackenzie,” Bash growled. “Go back to your chambers.”

  My head ticked back in surprise at his angry tone. “Chambers …” I muttered. “Feels more like a prison.”

  Bash exhaled loudly, rubbing at his forehead and the headache of which I was surely the cause. “You know this is for your own good.”

  I peered over Bash’s shoulder and saw Ranulf standing quietly behind him, his face a careful blank mask. “My own good?” I turned my attention back to my mate. “Nine times out of ten, I’m stuck in there and you’re never around. I’m almost always alone in my chambers, as you say. How is that for my own good?”

  His nostrils flared and his jaw ticked. “I’m handling things, Mackenzie. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”

  I lowered my head and closed my eyes, trying to control my rising anger. “Is this your idea of a family?” I whispered. “Is this what you dreamed of?”

  Bash sucked in a breath, followed by ominous silence. I waited for his response, but after a few minutes when I didn’t get one, I lifted my head and looked in his direction. All I saw was his retreating back as he stomped back to the castle.

  My claws extended and dug into the grass as fury radiated out of me in waves.

  That’s how he wants to be? Fine. So be it.

  “Yer Majesty,” Ranulf whispered. “I’ll escort ye back to the royal wing.”

  I scoffed and grabbed my crown from the ground. “You think I’m going back there?” I stood and dusted myself off. “Forget about it. I’m done hiding in my room.”

  “But the—”

  “We’ll be fine. We’re fine.” I placed my free hand over my stomach.

  “At least consult with Dr. Harris, Yer Majesty,” Ranulf suggested.

  I nodded. “Set up an appointment, then. I want out of my prison.”

  I sat up and leaned against my pillows in bed, waiting impatiently for Dr. Harris to give his final verdict. He’d been quiet for the last five minutes and it was making me nervous. If the doc said I had to stay on bed rest, there was nothing I could do but accept his medical directive. I couldn’t risk endangering the baby again, but if there was the tiniest chance I could be free, I had to take it.

  Dr. Harris turned around to face me, my medical chart in a clipboard pressed to his chest. “All right, Your Majesty. I have a few questions for you,” he started. “Do you think you can control your stress levels?”

  I furrowed my brows and thought about it for a moment, knowing I had to give an honest answer. Could I actually control my temper? I was able to earlier today with the Summits. In the midst of chaos, I asserted my dominance and kept my cool.

  I nodded. “Yes, I can.”

  “You must stay tension free, Your Majesty. I cannot stress how important this is,” he implored earnestly. “That means you cannot put yourself in any position where you’re exerting yourself physically. That includes fighting,” he added with a reprimanding tone reminiscent of my father.

  I shook my head. “I won’t.”

  Dr. Harris sighed. “Very well. I’ll take you off bed rest. But whenever you feel tired, don’t push yourself. Just rest. Take it easy, Your Majesty. I’ll be checking on you frequently.”

  I nodded my head dutifully, trying to control the elation coursing through my veins. “Yes, doc.”

  After collecting his things, the doc left my bedroom. The minute he was gone, Ranulf entered.

  “Are ye sure about this, Yer Majesty?” he asked warily. “Yer taking an awfully big risk. Sebastian will nae be happy.”

  I rolled my eyes, my irritation at my mate evident. “Sebastian can kiss my ass.” I rolled out of bed and removed the heavy crown from my head, handing it to Ranulf. “When is my next meeting?”

  He cleared his throat uncertainly. “Yer Majesty, are ye going looking like … that?” He pointed his finger up and down at my attire, raising his brows.

  “What’s wrong with my clothes?” I pulled at my oversized hoodie with a smirk, well aware that it drove him crazy.

  “Ye look … fairly comfortable,” he replied carefully.

  “Like … a commoner?” I joked. “Just say it, Ranulf. I know you’re dying to.”

  He growled. “Damnit, Yer Majesty. Ye look homeless!”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Maybe I will be once Alexander sees me walking around the castle!”

  “Don joke like that, Yer Majesty. Ye very well might be,” he grunted. “Yer father is in the council room with Ailios working on the Highlander treaty. Junior is in his rooms working on the African Summit, and God knows where Maria is. She’s all over the place.”