Wrath of the Alpha (Part 3 of the Alpha Queen Series)

ZARINA

Not even the revelry in the air could calm her nerves. With the way her tummy fluttered earlier at the introduction, an uneasy feeling had taken root in her heart. She kept trying to appease this feeling with promises to her mind that it would turn out alright, but her mind refused to accept the lie it may well be.

It was a certainty that the Houses of Power wed their children to each other. These arranged marriages were forever, and nothing could be done about it – it was inevitable.

The Power had to remain within these bloodlines lest the Remnari hoard was ever to rebel.

Few and far between were the royal offspring though - as the royal women could not be impregnated unwillingly, meaning that if they did not want children, they could not conceive.

Over the years, since the fall of Lur’Khael and Sa’marion, it had led to tension between males and females. There were always unsaid threats hanging over weddings, an apprehension among the gathered few who would attend each ceremony.

This was increased tenfold when the couple would mark each other in front of their witnesses as their individual powers would join and grow exponentially for all to see.

Therein lay Zarina’s fear. The fear of everything falling apart because they were wrong. Anyone can make a mistake, especially fallen Primordials.

How could a girl like me, so uncertain of herself, be mated to the strongest of Lur’Khael’s offspring? Like calls to like, power to power, so how could this be?

If anyone in her family saw her fear, they did not comment on it. It may not have changed anything, but she would feel much less alone in what lay ahead. The ceremony would only last an hour, and thereafter twelve hours were allowed for consummation of their new union.

All royals were tight-lipped about what this would entail; never once slipping up like it was the best guarded secret in the universe.

This unknown was gnawing at Zarina’s insides as she looked at the vision of herself in the mirror. She had mastered her expressionless state quite quickly for someone her age.

Not to mention disguising the intoxicating smell of fear she wore like perfume today; no Remnari would resist that and only her fear of being eaten had the required effect of her conquering it. The irony was not lost on her.

“You look beautiful,” her father whispered from the door. She had been so pre-occupied with her thoughts that this once, he caught her completely by surprise. Zarina’s wide eyes had Sa’marion smiling as he came over and took her by the shoulders.

“Of all my children, I have favored you most. Since you were born, I have not been able to deny you anything. You stole my heart when you looked at me with those big green eyes.”

“Dad,” Zarina turned into a typical teenager in a flash, rolling her eyes. “I am your only daughter. You have only two children! You can be such an old fart sometimes,” she giggled as he chuckled.

The nervousness began to die away as her father hugged her tightly. “I know you’re worried, but you will be safe with Ragon. I poked into his head, and I promise, there was no ill-will toward this union."

"He felt the bond when you were introduced this morning. He does have 500 years on you after all. And he definitely has more sense than his unwed brothers, I can assure you of that.” His voice was having a deliberate calming effect.

“Thanks Dad, I’m missing you already,” Zarina put little effort into making him smile, yet it always had the desired result. He beamed as if she made him the proudest man alive.

“I love you pumpkin,” Sa’marion told her seriously.

“Love you too Dad. Can we go now? I wouldn’t want to miss my own wedding because you got all sappy at the wrong time,” Zarina put on a brave face, but somewhere in a tiny corner of her mind, she wailed at the injustice of being forced to become someone’s wife.

Her fear seemed to be turning to anger, and she needed it suppressed. Anger was more useful, but at the right moment and absolutely not now.

The seven Princes of Tenebris each had their own portion they would rule over once they became of age, which happened to be when they would take their mate.

The male always felt the bond at their introduction, and if it were not present, they would meet the next female the royals had lined up.

Grueling questioning and observations from the girls turned eighteen until their twenty-first birthdays were how they vetted potential mates.

Zarina and Ragon were to marry in his father’s palace, where security was almost too tight to breathe through. Only selected royals mingled with the lower-class Remnari, and none of those dared enter Lur’Khael’s presence. As their maker, one thought of his could kill them, and none were keen on their existence ending.

LUR’KHAEL

Lur’Khael waited for father and daughter patiently. He had no girls of his own, although he had wanted some desperately at one time. That was the reason for his many sons; for he had entertained the notion that eventually he would have a girl and refused to give up.

When the pair entered the gardens through the arches, Lur’Khael came to the realization that he would never have a girl-child. It was plain on Sa’marion’s face, the adoration and love – and the absolute weakness one female could cause in even his most trusted companion.

The gods would never allow that. Not for Lur’Khael, and certainly not for Mi’Khael.

The gods’ most favored – brothers who were destined to square off one day because of humanity. Because of humanity’s flaws they would fight instead of just having a beer and enjoying each other’s company.

Lur’Khael hated them beyond reason for the torn relationship between a father and his sons. Someday, he would relish in their demise. And in the meantime, he would make certain to corrupt those pure souls…

Someone clearing their throat brought the King of Tenebris back from his vengeful thoughts, and he was in time to see Sa’marion hand Zarina to Ragon. Plain as day was the warning in this father’s eyes as they met Ragon’s.

Ragon’s globes flashed as he reined himself in and bowed his head to Sa’marion. Primordial blood was not to be trifled with, no matter the cause.

Not by lesser beings anyway.

Lur’Khael had tried and failed to copy a Primordial’s grace, but in all his experiments he only ever succeeded in creating the exact opposite.

His children had an enormous wealth of power, but it still was not enough to overcome the grace of a Primordial. It was disappointing so far, but he knew they had plenty of time.

The humans were only babies and had a long way to go until they were close to ready to be dealt with.

Lur’Khael’s gaze met that of his first lieutenant, and they grinned at each other. This was a joyous occasion, and the next step toward success.

The bloodline experiment would always continue until they met success. And it was high time one of his sons mated with Sa’marion’s offspring. The result here, today, would be exciting to say the least.

RAGON

“Do you, Ragon of the House of Lur’Khael, take Zarina, of the House of Sa’marion, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?”

He had been so lost in his mate’s eyes that he almost missed the most important question of his life.

“I do.”

“And do you, Zarina of the House of Sa’marion, take Ragon of the House of Lur’Khael, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?”

“I do,” she said without hesitation, staring right back at him. Ragon hoped against hope that she would share his fascination with their bond. He wondered if she could feel it yet.

No, that would only happen when I mark her.

He could tell that despite her shy demeanor; Zarina was made of steel. A true equal for him in every way. A blessing even in this hellhole they called home.

“You may now mark your bride,” came his father’s voice from a distance, as if only the woman in front of him existed as the center of his universe.

Taking her left hand in his, he lay his other hand over her heart and let his power flow into her. Her hand tightened around his as she held his gaze, a luminous glow shone through her irises.

“And you may now mark your husband.” The sound of rushing waves when Zarina let her power flow through his heart deafened Ragon as his dark irises seemed to expand, enhancing his vision so he could revel in her beauty.

Their bond snapped into place as their power combined. Completeness stirred through them both as everything else faded away and only they remained.

Their minds were connected as if they had become one, and understanding, acceptance and peace filled their beings.

While mere moments passed on the outside of their little bubble, a lifetime of hopes and dreams, thoughts and fears passed between them. And when the new energy settled, everything finally felt right – exactly right for them both.

The world around the newlyweds slowly came back into focus, amid cheers and congratulations from all the royals. Zarina and Ragon saw their fathers embracing each other as if a great victory had been won. She giggled at the sight of two of the most feared warriors in creation hugging it out like kids.

Ragon beamed like he had won the lottery when her joy infected him.

ZARINA

The next 800 years were bliss for the couple. They had ruled over Ragon’s part of Tenebris with minimal resistance and relative peace.

Zarina had a certain effect on enemies’ minds, she could make them believe anything she wanted and created whole other existences for them.

They never knew none of it was true.

This was a far cry from her feeble self before their wedding, and she enjoyed it thoroughly. Ragon had the same ability, but his methods were gruesome.

He put his enemies in a loop of nightmares, where they could only exit these harsh conditions once they accepted whole-heartedly that he was their master.

Although their reign was first challenged because of greed, it soon turned into retribution for alliances against his throne that suddenly altered their allegiance in Prince Ragon’s favor.

It maddened their opponents that there seemed to be no way to oust these rulers. It spurned even more jealousy and hatred since no one could tell how they achieved this, and it remained the ruling couple’s secret.

One day, word came from Ragon’s father that his younger brother Caspian was to stay with them “until further notice.” It piqued his curiosity to no end and almost had him wonder why his father would want Caspian dead.

Once a Prince was ruling, their brothers did not dare venture too close for the first millennia.

It only happened once when the first Prince left; the second Prince missed him terribly but was almost killed by his elder brother in a fit of jealous rage – the younger having hugged his brother’s wife and mate.

Seeing as Ragon really meant no harm to befall his younger sibling, together with Zarina, a strategy was implemented so Caspian would never be too close to Zarina.

When the boy arrived, everything went smoothly, just as they planned.

One especially humid day, Zarina was sparring with her husband when Caspian walked in unannounced and all three of them froze.

The bloodline inside both brothers caused Ragon to immediately see a threat to his dominance and mate.

But just as he moved to attack, Zarina was suddenly in front of him, already her hand was stroking his cheek as she made the world around them disappear.

As always when she touched him, their essences became one. She was in his mind as much as he was inside hers.

He realized that he had no control over his blood.

They were the epitome of the Remnari, their royals, strongest among them, and he could not rule this way.

Zarina was influencing him, but it felt right. She was only helping him reach this decision on his own by showing him how it could be.

And he wanted the world she showed him. It was everything they both wanted and worked toward.

His mate truly was his other half. His more violent nature was in perfect balance with her peaceful one. Zarina was Ragon’s undoing every time, but she also put him back together just with her love.

Ragon felt this blessing right down to his core, and it made him proud to be probably the only Remnari to even receive such a thing.

The couple’s power kept growing as millennia went by, the only question was how far their destinies would take them.