The Alpha's Queen

Chapter 8: Questioning the Goddess

Beckett

Everybody's transition was different. The stronger the wolf, the longer it could take, but no one in history had ever survived a transition that took longer than four days. It had been six since Devany was bitten.

I leaned against the door frame and watched her sleep. Every breath she took was labored, and all color had leached from her skin. The medical staff changed her bedding every hour because she sweated so profusely. After day three, they stopped washing her hair and braided the long, purple strands.

Some whispered it would be a mercy to euthanize her, but I refused to give up hope. That's why I had her moved from the medical bay to my house and paid for her care out of my pocket–not the pack's. Jack, of course, had thrown a fit, but since documents hadn't been signed and money hadn't been transferred before the accident, he had no legal recourse.

"Excuse me, Alpha," a demure voice whispered.

I stepped aside to allow the petite nurse to pass. Violet, I think her name was. She went to the bed and pulled the covers down, revealing the girl's thin frame. No matter how much nutrition we pumped into her, she kept losing weight.

"Alpha, it's time for her bath."

"Oh." I jerked away from the door, cheeks threatening to flush as I caught her wordless request. "Of course. Please come get me when she's done."

A dozen different tasks waited for me. Civil disputes to be heard. Documents to sign. Land to oversee. But it could all wait.

No matter what others might try to tell me, the pack's daily functions could go on with or without me. I'd picked very capable wolves to handle most of what I called busy work. So many of the expectations that were placed on Alphas were rooted in tradition and rituals that I found to be outdated.

I headed to Pria's room. A friendly face might lift a few burdens from my shoulders, and it would also protect me from my stepmother. Despite her initial approval for our mate bond, she avoided Pria whenever possible.

"P," I called out, opening her door without knocking when I saw it was ajar. "You in?"

Lusty moans reached my ears, and I froze mid-step in her sitting room. If I hadn't been lost in my thoughts, I would have heard them halfway down the hall. A human could've heard them, and I hastily turned around and pushed the door shut to muffle a bit of the noise should anyone else pass by.

"Yes, right there!"

That was Pria. A shuddering intake of air followed her shout, and then she screamed. I arched a brow. The scents coming from the bedroom suggested her pleasure wasn't exaggerated, and I debated slipping out now in case they were interested in a second round.

But that chance was lost when Pria stepped out of her room. She tied the belt of her robe around her trim waist and padded to the minibar. Fixing two drinks, she handed me one before sitting in one of her matching purple armchairs.

"Is this how the future Luna spends her days?" I asked, swirling the amber whisky in the crystal glass before taking a swig.

"She does when her Alpha is too busy for her."

The door opened again. I smiled and raised a glass at my mate's lover. "Hey Allie."

"Hey Beckett." She winked at me, kissed Pria soundly, and waved goodbye to us both as she left the room.

"You have the worst timing, you know. We were practicing some of our favorite tantric techniques, and she had the entire afternoon blocked off for it."

"Well, by all means. Call her back. I don't have to stay."

Pria rolled her eyes and ran her hand over her sweat-dampened hair. "I will, but you rarely come by during the middle of the day unless you need a break."

I ran my finger around the rim of my glass. Trying to lighten the mood, I joked, "It would be a lot easier if we could just indulge in an afternoon of sex to take the edge off."

"Fuck," she choked on her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You're preaching to the choir, but you don't want me anymore than I want you."

"What the hell was the goddess thinking when she picked us for each other?"

Pria's features twisted, and her eyes darkened. "I think about that all the time, and I've never questioned it more than now."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"Because everything inside of me says the girl laying in the bed downstairs is your mate."

"P." I threw back the rest of the drink and poured another. That one went down just as quickly. "Why would you even say that?"

"Because it's true." She got on her knees and watched me while I paced. "I've given you permission a dozen times to sleep with anyone you want, and you never once took me up on it. Until her. You threw an Alpha Heir into a wall to get to her, and you've been a wreck since she was bitten."

"Well–"

"I'm not done. Because the craziest thing of it all is that if you just count the amount of time you've spent with her, it's been less than a day. You're not that guy, Beckett. You don't get attached like that."

"You were there the day the goddess revealed our bond. So were a hundred other people. Devany can't be my mate. It's just old-fashioned lust and guilt. Because if I hadn't walked in her bar, she might still be walking around thinking she was human."

"Bullshit. You're the one who is always bucking tradition. Which one do you think is more plausible? Being given a lesbian mate that you have zero interest in fucking when the mate bond is all about primal urges? Or that somehow Devany is the girl for you?"

"I hope to the goddess it's the first because otherwise, the woman I was meant to be with is going to die. And I can't do a damn thing about it. Hell, I'm standing here wondering if I'm being cruel by not putting her out of her misery!"

Crystal shattered against the wall. I hadn't even realized I'd thrown the glass. Pria got up and pulled me into her arms.

"I'm holding out for a miracle. By all accounts, she should have died already."

"It's been six days, P. No one has ever..."

"It's not been recorded." She lowered her voice and put her mouth close to my ear to ensure no eavesdroppers could hear. "But you and I both know what is in the history books is not completely accurate."

A sudden uproar downstairs drove us apart. Pria was just steps behind me as I bolted out of the room and down the stairs, instinct pushing me toward Devany's room. Violet stood in the hallway, pale faced with blood dripping down her chin.

"What is going on?" I demanded, looking her over for further injuries.

"S-she started convulsing. I-I-I tried to pin her down, but she was flailing about. She was so strong. The tremors wouldn't stop."

Tears welled up in Pria's eyes as they met mine. Neither of us had missed the use of past tense, and bitterness threatened to drown me. Had I really been such a fool to believe Pria might be onto something?

"I told you–"

A low, rumbling growl cut me off, and I spun around, arms going out wide to put a barrier between myself and the women. There, standing in Devany's doorway, was a massive silver and white wolf with glowing lavender eyes.

Devany's eyes.