The Alpha's Queen

Chapter 9: Taking Control

Devany

Everything burned. Inside and out. I prayed to die, and the few times I was aware enough of what was happening around me, I tried to ask for release from this fiery prison. But no one would answer me.

Beckett was there the most often. He watched me with sadness in his beautiful face, but I didn't want his pity. I wanted mercy, and it never came.

When someone came to bathe me, the water on her rag hissed and evaporated the moment it landed on my skin. By then, I couldn't open my eyes, but I heard her sharp intake of breath. My hands flailed out, striking something hard. Bone, maybe. Again and again, I lashed out, and finally, I heard the tap of her shoes on the wooden floors as she scuttled backward.

Then I exploded.

Intense relief flooded through me. So much that I wept, or at least, I tried. Instead of a sob, a low, mournful howl slipped out. I realized then that not only was I no longer human, but someone else shared space in my mind.

"Hello, Devany."

"What the fu–" I scrambled onto my four legs, wobbly as a newborn and tipped sideways, hitting the bed so hard it slid across the room and crashed into the wall.

"Stop fighting."

I snarled and gnashed my teeth. The woman in the room with me yelped, wiped blood from her forehead, and flung open the door. Watching her run stirred something inside of me...something that caught the attention of the foreign presence too.

"Prey."

With our wills aligned, my legs moved correctly, carrying me across the room and to the doorway. Her scent hung heavy in the air. Flowers and fear. It was the most tantalizing thing I'd ever smelled.

That was until I saw him in the hallway. Beckett stepped in front of my target and another woman I didn't recognize. His arms went wide to protect them, and a fierce growl rumbled in my chest when I saw how he brushed against the strange woman.

"Kill her."

"Ye–"

What? No. I shook my head to banish the command, and it was a command. I could feel the power behind her words driving me forward even as I fought against it. Beckett's eyes widened, and he stepped toward me.

"Devany, you have to take control," he whispered, his eyes glowing bright blue as he crouched before me.

"You don't need to be in control anymore, Devany. That's why you have me. I was born to help you. To be with you."

"You were?"

"I'm the strongest part of you. Made to protect you. Gifted to you by the goddess."

I snapped at Beckett's outstretched hand. He curled his fingers into his palm to protect them, but other than that small movement, he didn't flinch. Power wafted off him, pressing into me and urging me to lower myself to the floor in submission.

"He's perfect for us."

"Yes." I agreed. A whimper escaped as the heat returned to my bones, but this fire didn't burn. There was no pain. Only need.

"That's why you have to kill those bitches for touching what is ours. That's how you can claim him."

"Devany!"

Beckett grabbed me by my throat as I launched myself at the women. Sharp points pressed into my windpipe as he pressed me flat against the floor, and when I looked up at him, I saw that his canines had lengthened over his lips.

"Listen to me. She is telling you lies. They all lie at first. You have to be her Alpha, or you'll be put down. Fight her."

"Maybe he's not so perfect after all–"

"Shut up!"

With Beckett's hand in my fur, I could think clearly for the first time since waking and shifting. The haze and shock drifted away, and my memories returned. Making Jack bite me so I could try to shift. Surviving days of sickness. Nearly giving up every hour as I wrestled with the beast inside me.

I would not lose to her now.

"I am the master. Do you understand?"

In Beckett's eyes, I saw my reflection. My irises burned as brightly as his, and only after my wolf howled and drifted into silence did the light go out. Bones snapped and returned to their familiar places, and I shivered as the cold penetrated my human skin.

Without speaking, he pulled his shirt over his head and draped it over my naked frame. Gathering me in his arms, he carried me back into the room, shouting at someone he called Pria to go get the pack doctor, and then with unexpected tenderness, he tucked me into the blankets.

"Devany?"

I nodded. "I did it."

He sagged against the wall and shoved his hand through his hair. "I can't decide if I want to throttle you for being so stupid or hug you for being so fucking brave. You should have died."

"Death was better than being owned by Jack."

"I'm so sorry," he said, his expression anguished as he sat down on the mattress. His fingers curled around the edges. "I had a plan, and it blew up in my face."

"She's awake!" A large, hairy man who looked more like a talking bear than a human barreled to my side and peered into my eyes. "She's in control?"

"I am," I said as Beckett replied, "She is."

"This should be impossible."

"But it's not, Dr. Adams. She shifted."

"Do you mind, dear?" he asked, gesturing to my body.

Beckett cleared his throat and looked away as I lowered the blanket and t-shirt to allow the doctor to examine me. I'd never been very shy about my body, and it looked like that was a good attribute to have in a wolf pack. But knowing Beckett was within reach while I wasn't wearing a stitch made my nipples stiffen, and I prayed the good doctor thought it was from the cold.

"My goddess," Dr. Adams cried out, grabbing my arm.

Beckett spun. I slapped my free arm over my breasts as the doctor twisted my left arm to get a better look at whatever had captured his attention. Starting at my shoulder and twisting down my upper arm, were black markings that reminded me a lot of the ones I'd seen on Beckett's arm.

Hands shaking, Beckett traced the markings with the tip of his finger. "She's Alpha Marked."