Destined for the Alpha (20 page)

"Yes, these are dead alphas that were sacrificed for protection to the forest." Peter replied "when you become unable to fight you either become an elder, or you donate your body to protect the compound"

Catherine rolled her eyes, did these people believe in keeping anyone alive? She could faintly make out a small wooden door at the end of the tunnel. She sped up her walk and hoped they could get out of the catacombs soon, the stench was making her feel sick. She came to the door after a few minutes and tried to remember what she had said before "Pa…pahn…pahntar?" she called out to the door suddenly feeling a gust of air and the door flew open.

Whatever she had expected on the other side of the door it was not what she saw. A large dungeon that was almost as big as the great room where the banquet had been held, damp and musty, there was some lighting from oil lamps on the wall but it was mostly dark, she could hear water rushing but not see it. Catherine saw, on the other end, the outline of a figure. Was it the elders? She rushed down a small set of stairs to the floor.

"A fae? I see why you came to me for protection." a voice called out of the darkness.

"I didn't come to you for protection," called Catherine into the darkness, wondering if this was one of the elders but she heard Peter whine behind her, like a wounded animal

"Catherine, we need to go, forget about the elders, this doesn't smell right" her alpha said backing away from his mate and into the group of people "We have to go. This is not good."

"What?" the blonde fae asked turning back to see the wolves clustering back against the far wall. What was there to be afraid of, the elder council was nothing to be afraid of. They were a bunch of old men who bossed a bunch of wolves around to suit their own agenda.

"You should listen to the dog, Catherine, is it?" the same voice said

"It is, not that it means much to you." she brandished her dagger and tried to make out the figure in the darkness but lost sight of him, the hall was too big and too dark.

"Are you having trouble seeing in such light? I apologize, I do keep it rather depressing in here." she heard a snap and suddenly the room was filled with light, the candles on the wall were consumed in fire.

He was lanky, tall, pale, and dressed considerably well, the elder council were standing next to a small table. She looked around and saw the bodies of men and women hung up on the wall like the crucifixion. His skin was as white as the moon and his lips were red. His hair was black and flowed down to his thighs, it was shiny and limp on him, he was a figure to behold as he crossed the empty dungeon floor at a leisurely pace "I have not met a fae in hundreds of years, and the first one I get is as bloodthirsty as me. However," he sent a glance back at the elder council "I have a good set up here, you see, they bring me food and I do not kill your entire society."

"Cocky, aren't you, what are you? another sage? a wolf that desperately needs to get out?" Catherine was sick of disposing of one obstacle and facing another, if this was truly the end of the line she would get rid of him as well. She stood her ground, no man, no matter how well dressed they were, would scare her off her goal, they would pay, she would make them pay.

"I am the vampire that owns this castle, and these lands. I am the lord of the forest that requires the sacrifice. I keep the forest alive and safe as long as the blood is flowing. The sages and these wolves supply me food. I'm just…leasing it to these wolves, in return for a fee. You understand right?" 

"So you're a vampire landlord. I get it. I'm here to buy the property then." she moved forward and the vampire laughed.

"I like you! Unfortunately this is not a lease to own type situation." he sighed and stopped but a few feet away from her "However it would be a shame to kill a fae, we get so few. The forest, I don't doubt will be furious with me for killing their deity, and property values go down…"

She noticed he had pupils or irises at all, his eyes were just white. She heard somewhere in the back of her mind a quote from an old history class "and the famous quote," her mind rang "don't attack until you see the whites of their eyes which was"

He he gotten close enough for the saying to ring true and she lunged towards the man who grabbed her wrist with ease, tossing her to the ground, causing her to yelp and the silver dagger to clatter across the stone floor

"I had heard that fae were powerful forest creatures, is it true that you are one?" he replied boredly looking down at the girl who was half naked on his dungeon floor.

She scrambled to her feet and began to run across the room to his throne where the elders were hiding in a little cluster next to a wooden throne with red velvet cushions. "Where are you going little girl?" he called as she kicked over the table and grabbed the nearest elder council member, slicing his throat open and causing the other men to scream in terror, "blood accepted," she hissed dropping him to the floor "vlos belbaunin, joros emplaniilid" the familiar rush of power thrummed through her, she felt almost invincible. Catherine turned around to see the vampire walking boredly towards the fae "You are breaking my toys what am I to do with you."

She stepped on the table and yanked a table leg off of it, amazed at her own strength, or perhaps the flimsiness of the own table and cracked it on the floor, splintering it in two, creating a sharp edge. She had watched a few movies on vampires, if a wooden stake could kill him, she would kill him.

"What's your name, vampire?"

"Cain." he stopped at the steps leading up to his throne.

"Pledge your loyalty to me Cain, and I will leave this room without these men."

He looked down at the bloody mess that she had left one of the elders in and back up at the bloody fae who was running out of patience, he had never fought a fae, but if she killed off the only men who knew about him, there would be no one to feed him anyways. "What do I get for this loyalty, my little bloodthirsty girl?"

She was tired and breathing heavily, she pointed at the remaining seven men in the corner "payment upfront, and payment afterwards of human sacrifice, no longer wolves."

"and what does this loyalty reward you?" the vampire looked skeptical.

"This," she gestured to the room "becomes mine."

He looked around and back at the small army huddled in fear of him at the far corner and the short girl who was standing near his throne. "Tch, fae. Let’s take this deal as a day by day basis. I will accept your terms for now bu-"

"Forever!" she replied unable to comprehend that she was in the middle of a fight with a vampire

"Forever, forever." he sighed and bowed dramatically at her "I am but a humble servant."

She tossed the wooden stake on the ground with a clatter that echoed off the walls and walked passed the regal vampire "and if you're sick of the lodging down here, you're welcome to join us surface dwellers." she said as she walked past him "it stinks in here."

"Rude," he replied watching the fae walk out the door followed by a shocked and silent procession of werewolves and sages. It was quite possibly the strangest thing he had seen in two hundred years.

Chapter 18

Philippe yawned and flipped another page, absentmindedly stroking the head of sleeping blonde hair on his lap. George was sitting across from him writing a letter or doing some numbers and the fire crackled in the silent winter evening. Catherine was lightly dozing after a long day of helping out with repairs. It had been a little over a month after the elder council had been abolished and she claimed that Peter would rule over the wolves as king. She did not name herself anything power but instead elected to live a quiet life with her mate, drifting between helping resurrect things that she had broken, or tend to the forest. Fae after all were creatures meant to be unseen, however it was always easy to see where she was as the forest bloomed excitedly in her presence. She yawned and turned over in his lap so that she was on her side and Philippe adjusted himself to the new position and resumed gently playing with her hair. For such a fearsome creature after her changing she seemed to be docile afterwards, electing to spend afternoons when Peter was busy with him instead. The sages visited them every so often and sometimes she would head down to their compound instead of staying holed up in hers. The snow was thick on the ground and the days were growing shorter, the winter solstice was but days away.

"Philippe?" a small voice called from his lap and he took another sip of brandy before responding "Yes?"

"When is dinner?" she whined stretching on his lap before sitting up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

He looked over at the clock, she had slept through dinner already, but "George, go fetch the food." for the forest fae anything could be hers.

George grumbled and got up to rouse the kitchens for a second dinner. Philippe who was wearing a red sweater and black pants handed her the brandy glass and she took a small sip, looking over the edge of the glass at him. Everything was truly back to normal. "Has Peter dropped by yet?" she asked looking out the window onto the snowy forest.

"No, you know he is putting the new skylight in today so we can use that room again." Philippe replied taking the glass from her and setting it back on the side table.

"That glass took a long time," she said laying back down on the other side of the couch, her head on the armrest.

"I don't believe it is easy to find someone able to make a pane of glass the size of a room, ma petit chiot." he chastised her and she huffed.

He continued to read his book in silence while Catherine stared out the window watching the snow pile up on the sill, waiting for dinner to arrive. It was a half an hour later, when she had almost fallen asleep again, that George returned with the meal cart. Setting plates out on the table for his alpha and the sleepy fae. She sat up eagerly and watched as George set the table for a third. "are you eating with us?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I saw head alpha peter on the way out of the kitchens, he'll be here shortly."

She began to eat some chicken and hummed "French food is still the best food"

Philippe laughed and began to pick at some vegetables "The cook is always happy to make meals for someone so important, even if it is at odd hours."

Catherine looked over at the clock, she had slept most of the evening and it was almost eleven. "Oh I didn't realize the hour," she replied, feeling bad for making him cook a meal so late, she felt a hand on her shoulder and a gentle kiss on her head

"Someone is up late, or perhaps only just woke?" Peter said sitting on the floor next to the table and grabbing a huge piece of meat. He was dressed in regal robes, as was usual now that he was head alpha.

"I was tired!" she protested, and the two men laughed

"You're always tired Catherine." Philippe shot back

"It's winter! I'm a creature of nature, I should be hibernating" she said between bites of bread

"Oh and it's more comfortable to hibernate with this dog than your alpha?" Peter asked pointing at the Frenchman who had a mouth full of chicken. The scholar looked offended and pointed his fork at Peter

"She is a lady of good taste to sleep with a purebred instead of some mutt!"

This was the usual now, she reminded herself, laughing as she kissed Peter on the head. She barely thought of the family she left, or the werewolf powers she could never have, as long as people like this could constantly surround her.

After dinner Peter took her hand and bid Philippe good evening, leading his mate through the dimly lit chilly hallways of the castle. "I have something to show you, my Catherine." he whispered as if someone, who she did not know, would hear them.

He opened up a new set of doors that she had never seen before and saw the round room where the elder council used to hold meetings, and she looked up to see a new pane of glass that looked like it wasn't there, the winter moon high in the sky and shining down through a light dusting of snow. "It's complete, everything is fixed. Your castle is pristine."

"
Your
castle is pristine, I just happen to live here." she shot back and the large wolf looked down at the small blonde who was shivering in her small shift dress. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her gently, his lips tracing hers before slipping into her warm mouth. She moaned in response, her alpha was always one for romantics. He growled and pulled her small body against his large warm one, enfolding her in his cloak to keep him warm.

"I waited for you, my mate, and I know why now" he whispered against her lips.

Catherine looked up into his dark eyes, "and why is that?" she asked, snaking her arms around his waist.

"You were fate." he kissed her again, this time with less of his gentleness and more need. She gasped against his lips as he picked her up to his height.

"How touching," a voice said from the other side of the room causing Peter to growl and break the kiss.

"Just because she said you have free range of the castle doesn't mean she meant to eavesdrop on everyone" Peter grumbled setting his mate down on the ground.

"Cain, have you seen the new glass?" Catherine asked pointing up at the skylight

"That's why I'm here, I heard the restorations were complete. It looks better than the last one." He walked over to the couple, his boots clicking on the marble and looked up. "A new era for this castle, ruled by some little girl instead of a nice fearful vampire, how times have changed."

"I don't rule anything," she said, playfully shoving the vampire who acted mockingly hurt at her actions "I just want to live here."

"Oh I see, the bloodlust and murder spree were all so you could give it up to me again?" he asked knowingly.

"You're not using it anyways," she waved him off and looked over at her irritated mate, upset that he had a third party in the room. "Let's steal some brandy from the kitchens then." she walked back towards the doors.

"That wolf is turning you into an alcoholic," the vampire warned following her out. "however I'd be glad to"