The Alpha’s Mate And The Vampire King (The Alpha Series Book 3)

When we hear the thunderous thuds, Magnus answers the door, ‘What brings us the pleasure of welcoming the Wolf Council?’ Magnus chirps.

‘Alpha Magnus, we’ve come to talk about some fairly serious worries that have everyone on edge.’ Alpha Bennet says.

‘Please come in and join us in the dining room for some refreshments,’ Magnus adds as he opens the door wider. Magnus frowns at the scores of men following them as they enter. ‘Perhaps you could all go to the ceremony hall, where there is more room, and I’ll get you food and refreshments?’ The Alphas signal them to proceed to the ceremonial hall. Magnus was about to close the door when Ryker and Astrid arrived.

‘I’m pleased you’re here, Mum and Dad,’ Magnus says.

‘We want to reassure the wolf council that they have nothing to be concerned about.’ Ryker explains.

While the kitchen staff brings out beverages and nibbles, we take our seats at the table.

‘So, what’s this troubling news you’ve heard that has prompted you to come here?’ Magnus inquires.

Alpha Amir and Alpha Theaton wait for Alpha Bennet to speak.

‘At first, we heard that your Mate and Luna is supposedly half-witch. We ignored the rumours since we knew they were ridiculous, only to then hear that you have initiated a number of witches into your pack? Now we’re all aware that witches haven’t existed for hundreds of years, so please explain why the packs continue to believe these rumours are genuine?’ he says, resting his hand flat on the table.

Magnus squeezes my hand to reassure me before responding to the Alphas.

‘Well, you see, you’re hearing all of this because it’s true. Nina’s grandmother was a witch, and the powers were passed down through her mother’s generation. The witches of the Midnight Coven learned about it and requested to live peacefully amongst us. We decided that the witches would be welcome to join us,’

There is a brief pause before the three Alphas burst out laughing.

‘Skedaddle Dash,’ I hear one of the girls upstairs exclaim. Fern appears in a blink, seated next to us. The Alphas stop laughing and act shocked. Ela, Ria, and Lilac join us at the table, giggling. They ignore the Alphas and continue to converse while the cook serves out a tray of pancakes. Lilac takes half of the stack and places it on her plate, then Ria takes a few, leaving two for Ela to take.

‘I would like some as well, you know?’ Fern frowns.

Ela smiles and waves her wands over her pancakes and says, ‘Spawniate.’ Suddenly, her two pancakes have multiplied into a stack of ten. She joyfully claps her hands and sets five onto Fern’s plate.

‘Thank you, Ela,’ Fern says, smiling.

‘Would anyone else like some?’ Ela inquires, now turning to face the rest of us at the table.

As they observe the four witches eating breakfast, the Alphas have gone quiet and pale.

‘Thank you, Ela. We’re good for the time being,’ I smile. ‘I’d like to introduce you to our rather speechless visitors, Alpha Amir, Alpha Bennet, and Alpha Theaton. The wolf council is made up of them.’

The mention of the wolf council has piqued the witches’ interest. They pause their eating and smile at the Alphas.

‘Hello, my name is Fern,’, ‘I’m Ria.’, ‘Lilac, here,’ she says. ‘Ela, and we’re the Midnight Coven,’ Ela explains. ‘Well, mostly, because Yiselda isn’t here,’ Ela adds.

‘But there haven’t been any witches in hundreds of years. So, how did you end up here, and how do you exist?’ Alpha Bennet inquires irritably.

‘That’s because your grandparents’ generation nearly wiped us out. Fortunately, a few of us, like Yiselda, survived. We learned that the new Luna of Shadow Crest was half-witch and felt we would be safe here. None of you would be here right now if Yiselda hadn’t survived the witch hunt. So it is because of her that the world is safe.’ Fern explains.

‘Huh! Safe! How can the world be considered safe when you dang witches exist?’ Alpha Bennet snarls.

The witches stand up abruptly, now displeased with Alpha Bennet.

‘Well, we dang witches have never caused any issues with the werewolf population. It’s because you were afraid of our magic, despite the fact that we used it hundreds of years ago to heal your species and help your towns develop and prosper. The alphas grew irritated. Everyone came to us for help instead of them, and they began telling everyone that we were using spells against them. Everything was a lie. If you fully understood the ways of witches, you would understand how pleased it makes us helping others of any species. We never murdered any of your kind unless it was in self-defence or when we had no other option. We were always tranquil, and we still are,’ Ela says, fighting back the tears.

‘Let’s all take a deep breath and relax as we absorb all of this information,’ I say.

‘Relax? While there are witches present?’ Alpha Theaton scoffs.

Magnus slams his fist against the table, drawing everyone’s attention to himself.

‘You forget my Mate, and the Luna of this pack is a witch. Even if you are the Wolf council, you will show respect while in my territory and will not speak ill of the Luna or other witches. Whether you like it or not, Fern, Lilac, Ria, and Ela are now members of this pack, and they will be treated respectfully as equals.’

Magnus receives a proud nod from Ryker.

‘Alpha Magnus, my son, is correct. Our pack welcomed them all with open arms. They are now part of our family,’ Ryker says, backing up his son’s choice.

‘Ever since your Mate Astrid murdered our fellow councillor, Alpha Zenith, we’ve all suspected that this pack will be a problem in the future. Speaking of the apple falling far from the tree, we hear Alpha Magnus is also to blame for his grandson’s death, Moss?’ Alpha Bennet fires back.

Astrid’s hands are trembling. With the past being brought up, I can sense she is in anguish. I reach out and take her hand in mine. She offers me a grateful expression.

‘Alpha Zenith kidnapped Astrid and planned to force her to mate with his son. Moss followed in his footsteps and kidnapped Nina, intending to force her to be his Mate. Their killings were justified, and they had no one to blame except themselves.’ Ryker retorts.

Alpha Bennet taps his fingers on the table repeatedly in thought. Finally, he stands up and steps forward, rubbing his chin.

‘Now that we’ve established the rumours are true, Alpha Amir, Alpha Theaton, and I have a lot to talk about concerning this problem,’ says Alpha Amir.

‘But there isn’t a problem,’ Magnus asserts firmly.

‘Perhaps it isn’t a problem in your eyes because they are in your pack. As a result, they may be utilised against other packs.’ Alpha Bennet mutters.

‘Did you not hear a word we said?’ Ela snaps. ‘We simply told you we were peaceful. We weren’t the ones going about annihilating werewolves,’

‘But you did claim you killed some a few moments ago,’ he counters.

‘Because they were about to kill us even though we had done nothing wrong! You don’t understand, do you? You have no idea how important it is for witches to live. Without witches, you would all perish, humans included!’ Ela yells.

The alphas of the wolf council burst out laughing. ‘Well, for the previous hundreds of years or so, we’ve seemed to do just well without you,’ Alpha Theaton exclaims.

‘That’s because we’ve been in hiding to ensure your survival, including the human species, by keeping all your greatest nightmares locked up with spells in Pandora’s Box, you morons,’ Fern exclaims.

They stop laughing, their demeanour shifts, and they lock their gaze on Fern.

‘I believe it would be in your best advantage to tell us more about this Pandora’s Box,’ Alpha Amir suggests.