Chapter 59 - The Alpha King and His Second Chance

Sierra

"I can't believe he did that! I can't believe he is one of them!" I growled, breathing hard through another contraction.

"Take it easy." Abby said, encouraging me to sit down. She seemed oddly okay for someone who was just betrayed by their own mate.

"Standing is better right now." I gritted my teeth.

"What are we going to do?" Abby asked, panic in her voice.

"I need to get this fucking collar off, I can't use my magic with it on." I said, pulling at it for the hundredth time since I got here.

"Let me see." Abby stood and looked over the metal ring around my neck. "It looks like there is a screw here...if we can find something to unscrew it, we might be able to get it off."

"There is nothing in here." I groaned, another contraction hitting. I learned over the years that the more pups you had, the quicker they seemed to come. There wouldn't be much time before I needed to start pushing. "Talk to me Abby, I need a distraction." I practically begged.

"Remember that time we had a girls' night? Ella, Lauren, you, and me?" Abby asked, immediately jumping in to try to distract me.

"Ha, you mean the first time Ella and I left the pups with our mates?"

"Yeah, my brothers wouldn't stop linking you two. They even came by twice to 'say hi'." Abby laughed.

"Edward had a blowout diaper with both twins." I laughed, my contraction subsiding.

"I loved spending that time with you guys."

"Life was a lot easier then."

Even our hard days were easier than this. I had no idea what was going on at the palace, but I knew it couldn't be good. I could feel Edwards' wrath and pain, lots of pain. I probably didn't help matters, going into labor as soon as I got locked in a cage in a test lab somewhere that can't be found. The goddess had better have something up her sleeve.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Abby asked, looking over the cell.

"I don't think we will."

- - - - - - -

Edward

Edmund lept over three more of King Bruno's warriors, taking two down on his descent. We were absurdly outnumbered, but that wasn't going to stop us from fighting to protect our family and kingdom. Our men were well trained, skilled in war tactics, but there was only so much training could do when we were outnumbered at least one to five. I passed through a sea of dead bodies, some his men, most mine. This wasn't going well. We needed more help. Edmund was on a mission for blood, seeking out King Bruno. As king, he should have been on the front lines with his men, but I didn't see him anywhere. Coward. If I could just find him, I know I would win in a fight against him. Edmund weaved through the crowd, a line of men forming in front of us. I turned to go the other way, another line forming.

"King Edward! I do believe it's time for you to surrender," King Bruno announced.

I looked around, those who were left of my army were being held with silver blades pointed towards their necks, two of his men for every one of mine. The rest of his army formed a circle around us, ready to strike. King Bruno was completely unscathed, having not participated for even a moment. I shifted back, ready to go after King Bruno with everything I had left in me. I was bitten and stabbed a few times, apparently. I could tell from the blood dripping out of my flesh and down my naked body. My adrenaline and unbridled rage had done its job well, I hadn't felt a thing or even noticed I was injured until now.

"Over my dead body," I growled.

"Grab him." King Bruno barked.

I was soon surrounded by ten men, all fighting to get me to my knees. Even as an Alpha, ten strong men against one injured wasn't a fair fight. Two men were holding each of my arms, two standing on each leg, cutting off circulation, and two with knives pointed at my throat. King Bruno smugly skulked his way over to me, drawing his sword. Bastard couldn't even have enough respect for our kind to use his wolf to kill me apparently.

"Any last words?" He smiled sadistically.

"Fuck you!" I spat.

King Bruno punched me square in the nose, the familiar iron taste filling my mouth. "Dont worry, I'll take good care of your mate and pups." He lifted his sword, ready to strike. I only blinked, and King Bruno was suddenly on his back on the ground, the wind knocked from his lungs.

"What the hell?" I said to myself and Edmund.

I watched closely, only catching a wisp of color flashing by, running over King Bruno again and taking down four of the men holding me.

"What is that?!" One of my opponents yelled from the ground.

"Vampires." Edmund growled.

"Goddess, I cant handle a third army!" I yelled back, feeling like all hope was gone. Another flash went by me, taking down the rest of the men holding me. I sprang to my feet, ready to fight the bloodsuckers.

"King Edward. We are here to help." Cyrus said, appearing before me with a group of fifty or so vampires. I had only met him a handful of times over the years. He was Sierras' mentor many years ago.

"Why? How did you know?" I questioned, looking around at King Brunos' men, who began moving closer to us.

"For Sierra." He nodded, "And you might not know this, but my home is close to here. I'd like to have somewhere to sleep tonight. So we will fight." He shrugged.

"Great, but even with your help we don't stand a chance! We are fighting two armies!" I barked, hating the words as they left my mouth.

"What is that noise?" Cyrus asked, his ears twitching.

"What noise?!" I growled.

In the distance, a faint trumpet sounded, and drums. War drums. I looked to the west where the noise was coming from. On the horizon stood three men. Who was that? They had a flag with them...King Carson maybe? Could we be so lucky? The trumpet sounded again, hundreds of warriors surging forward towards the battlefield.

"King Jesse!" William yelled. He, being closer to the fast approaching army, could see their flag before me.

"Attack!" King Bruno yelled. While he retreated away from the fight.

I took off after him, refusing to let him get away. My body ached, it bled, and tore, but I was not going to let that stop me. King Burno was going to die today. His men tried to stop me. Cyrus and his vampire friends did their best to clear a path, getting stuck in battles themselves. I fought my way through what felt like a never-ending sea of enemies, King Bruno getting further and further away.

"Get back here you coward!" I yelled, sending a right hook into someone's jaw, causing them to tumble to the ground, getting out of my way.

"Stay back, he's mine." Prince Derek roared, a small group of warriors wearing mismatched armor stood by his side, blocking King Bruno's path. He is much older looking since the last time I saw him. He no longer looked like an abused teen, malnourished and frail. He looked like a grown man, fierce and powerful.

"Traitor! I should have killed you the moment you were born!" King Bruno sneered.

"Well, now is your chance. Fight me!" Derek said darkly.

"Grahhhh!" King Bruno swung his sword, Derek narrowly missing his wrath.

I fought off more of his army while trying to keep a close eye on King Bruno and Derek. If Derek lost the battle, King Bruno might get away. I wasn't going to let that happen. He threatened my pups, he is attacking my pack, threatening my kingdome, and is just a rotten son of a bitch who needs to die.

"You are a pitiful excuse of a man!" King Bruno yelled, swinging his sword.

"Maybe I am, but I learned it from you!" Derek sneered, using his own sword to counter his father's assault. He seemed equally matched in skill and strength too.

"Alpha! Its King Jesse!" William linked me, panic in his voice.

Shit. I looked around, my eyes landing on King Jesse who was surrounded by a dozen of King Brunos' men. I shifted and took off in his direction. The closer I got, the more time seemed to slow down. I watched helplessly as King Jesse succumbed to his adversaries, taking a sword to the chest, falling to the ground. King Brunos' men continued along, looking for their next victim, while I came to a skidding stop in front of King Jesse. I shifted and leaned him back, his breathing rapid and shallow.

"King Jesse!" I cried out.

"Dont waste time with me, go..kill..that..bastard.....my men...are yours..." King Jesse said with his final words, his body going limp, his eyes unmoving.

Fury reigned down upon me, I could see King Bruno and Derek still going head to head. I would not let King Jesse's death be in vain.

"Derek! End this!" I commanded, grabbing a sword for good measure from a fallen warrior on my way to them.

"With pleasure...Aahhhh!" Derek swung his sword, sweeping King Bruno off his feet, his sword aiming at his father's throat.

"You wouldn't kill your own father!" King Bruno declared, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He looked to be in rough shape. Derek didn't hold back.

"You killed my mother, this is for her." He said, plunging his sword into his father's throat, leaving King Bruno gurgeling while he stood over his dying body. He waited until King Bruno was officially dead before withdrawing his sword and cleaning it in the grass.

"Thank Goddess, you can stop this mess!" I sighed, knowing the title of Alpha and King would now fall to him.

"No, I cant." He sighed. "These men are evil. They wont listen to what I have to say, Alpha or not. They must all die."

- - - - - - - - -

Ella

"Something is wrong, I can feel my mate, he is hurt." I said in a hushed tone to Rachael and Sylvia, who were with me in the safe room with our multitude of pups.

"Its not safe to leave." Rachael said sadly. Her mate was out there too. I had no doubt that she was feeling the same as me.

"I cant just sit here. I have to go." I said, standing up.

"If you open the door, someone might see you. We can't risk it," Sylvia said.

"We can get you out." Two identical voices said.

I looked over to see Levi and Xander staring in my direction, waiting for an answer.

"How?" I asked skeptically.

"We can open a portal for you." They answered together. It always freaked me out when they did that.

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. I knew the twins had some training with magic, but had no idea to what extent or if they had any control over it. Sierra and Edward were very quiet about what the twins knew regarding magic, even from us.

"Its easy." Levi shrugged.

"Uncle Jackson needs us," Xander added cryptically.

"Okay, but let's do it away from everyone." I nodded, heading over to the corner of our safe room where there were no pups.

Levi and Xander followed me over, they held hands and, with their free hands, they flicked their wrists, similar to how Sierra did. The portal they opened was much smaller than what Sierra typically did, but it did the trick. I looked through the shimmering image, I could see a few bodies on the ground, one of which looked like my mate. I awkwardly stepped through the portal, looking around for any enemies before I rushed to my mate who was gasping for air.

"Jackson!" I cried. He looked pale and had a large dagger in his abdomen, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Ella..." Jackson managed to get out, a shaky hand reaching to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"It's okay, you're gonna be okay." I sobbed, any chance of me hiding how badly this looked went right out the window.

"I..love...you.." He coughed.

"I love you more. You have to hold on for me."

"Aunt Ella? We can help." Levi said.

"Goddess! You weren't supposed to follow me!!" Dread came over me. If anyone found them, it would be game over. "You need to leave!! Go back to the safe room!!" I whisper-yelled.

"But Uncle Jackson needs us." Xander said, yanking the blade out of Jackson's flesh. My mate groaned in pain, holding his injury.

"Xander!!" I exclaimed. He was only going to make this worse.

Levi joined Xander's side, one eye glowing purple from each boy. "Mom does this for us when we get hurt," Levi said. He and Xander touched Jackson's wound while chanting some spell. My mind was racing too fast to even comprehend what they had said. Jackson quivered, his wound glowing purple, the same shade as the boy's eyes. When they removed their hands, I carefully wiped away the blood that stained my mate's skin. The once deep puncture wound was gone, his body healed.

"Goddess..." Jackson said in amazement, floored by the miracle.

"How do you feel?" I asked, my attention on my mate.

"Better, weak still, probably from all the blood loss. But I don't feel like I'm on death's doorstep anymore." He chuckled, trying to stand to his feet.

"You could probably use some blood." I added, helping him to stand. He shook like a leaf, his body might have been healed, but it needed more blood to function properly.

"What are you all doing out here?" Seth asked, appearing out of nowhere. I jumped, startled by his sudden presence.

"Jackson needed help. The boys weren't supposed to follow," I interjected.

"They saved my life." Jackson added, his face still pale looking.

"Are you good now? Do you need medical attention?" Seth asked skeptically.

"He could use more blood, but we can't leave the boys." I shook my head.

"Here, get to the hospital. I'll get the boys back." Seth offered, opening a portal to a hospital room.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Absolutely, go." He nodded.

"Wait, have you seen Abby?" Jackson asked from the other side of the portal. "We haven't seen her."

"She is being taken care of," Seth answered, closing the portal. That was good enough for Jackson. He visibly relaxed at Seth's words. I was happy to know she was okay too. She was supposed to be in the safe room with us but never showed up. We had to shut it before anyone found us.

"Lets get you to the blood bank." I said, grabbing the door handle. I immediately retracted my hand, the handle feeling hot. "Ouch!" I yelled.

"What happened?" Jackson asked. The smell of smoke began filling my lungs. He reached for the handle, retracting just as fast as I had. "Oh shit..." Jackson said, his eyes going wide.

"What is it?" I asked, panic in my voice.

"The hospital is on fire."