Rise of the First Female Alpha

CHAPTER 4 - FREYA'S TRUE NATURE - PART 1 - FREYA'S POV

As the door shut, I stood up, and wiped away the fake tears, before going to stand by the window. I hadn't cried about my terrible past in years. Now that pain and agony was what fueled me.

I peeked out at the city around the prison and smiled.

Step one, complete.

"Those twins, being our mates, complicates things," My Lycan Nala commented in frustration.

"I know. The plan for them needs to be altered now. We can't very well sacrifice our own mates."

"Do you think we can trust them?" She asked, a hint of hope in her tone.

"I doubt it. You heard Tyrian call that bastard dad," I said in disgust, "But Tristan... he might be easier to convince. We'll stick to the plan, but we won't get them killed. We will, however, pit them against each other, and then get them to turn on the King."

"Should we tell them the truth about their family earlier than we'd planned?"

"No, we still need to build trust," I answered and closed the curtain, "We need to handle the bond first, that's the issue now."

The door opened and Tristan's scent came back into the room, making my stupid heart flutter.

''I have some shirts, pick the one you like.'' He said as he handed them over.

''Thank you.'' I smiled at him, before he turned and left. The moment the door shut, my smile vanished, and I threw the shirts onto the bed.

"Jayden" I linked my second in command.

"Sovereign," He answered,quickly, "How did it go? Are you in place with the twins."

"Yes," I answered, happy my plan to get recognized as the princess by the twins worked, and now I could openly walk back into the capital, "There's just one issue. The twins are my mates."

"Your mates?" He gasped, sounding slightly disgusted.

"I need you to find me a witch, Jenna will do, she owes me," I instructed, "Have her create a spell or potion that will allow me to still feel the bond, but the emotions won't affect me."

"That's a tall order," He responded, "Messing with the bond isn't easy."

"I don't need it to be permanent or one hundred percent. I just need it to put a kind of veil between me and the twins."

"If she can do it, it'll take time."

"It's a long journey to the capital," I pointed out, "In a week's time we'll pass through Rafes pack. If it's ready, leave it in the hidden tunnel behind the Dragon portrait."

"And if it's not?"

"The next pack after Rafes is Silverwood," I answered, "Hide it by the river in that old ruin, somewhere near the back door, and if it's still not ready then, get it to me at the capital."

"Yes, sovereign."

"Is everyone else in place?"

"Yes, we've already infiltrated the city."

"Wonderful. I will see you soon."

"Yes, sovereign."

I cut the link, and smiled. Soon. Very soon my revenge will be at hand. The King will be dead, and I'll be on the throne where I belong.

I touched a small scar on my wrist that I'd gotten the day my mother died, and I frowned angrily when I remembered my mother.

"I will avenge you." I whispered to her. A prayer is said a hundred times before, but now it was actually happening.

Everything was clicking into place, and soon I'd have the King at my mercy.

I walked into the bathroom and ran the water in the tub. I hadnt seen such luxury since I was a child, it would take some getting used to again. I removed my mates jacket, pausing to smell his scent again. I really like it, before slipping under the hot water

As I laid under the water and closed my eyes, I couldn't help but think back to my past. I'd come a long way to get here, and I wouldn't let, finding my mates get in the way of that.

FLASHBACK

"Freya, we have to go," Elara ran with me sobbing in her arms.

We traveled for days, staying in non Lycan inns or hotels, my favourite were the Fae and fairy inns, they were always buzzing with magic, but even the job of them didn't take away the agony of what we'd lost.

I still felt my brother's presence, like a constant heartbeat but Elara forced me to block it.

"If Prince Riley knows you're alive, so will your father."

"He isn't my father," I said coldly, and she nodded, before shutting off the light and letting me sleep.

After months of travelling, we finally made it to my mother's intended destination.

She'd set up a cabin here with hidden stores of gold, jewels and food.

It was enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

There was an older man waiting for us upon our arrival and I cowered in fear against Elara, but she just smiled and assured me we were safe.

"This man is your great uncle, Robert." She told me, "He's the only survivor of your mother's family."

"Hello." I said timidly.

The King had killed my mother's family, though he acted as if it wasn't him. It happened shortly after my birth, but I was told no one was left.

"Hello Freya," He smiled warmly at me, "I have been waiting for you. Come, let me look at you."

With Elara's encouraging smile, I walked over to my uncle, who knelt and touched my cheek.

"You're a spitting image of your mother at this age, except the eyes of course."

I smiled politely and nodded, just as thunder sounded overhead.

"Let's get you inside and fed, before this storm hits." He stood up and offered his hand, "It's going to be a big one by the looks of that sky."

I glanced at it and saw nothing but darkness, a mirror image of my heart since I'd lost my family, my title, my whole life.

Over the four years, my great uncle Robert trained me to fight and block my Alpha aura. We even changed my name to Trinity, though it was taking some time for me to get used to it.

I was getting better and better at fighting, but I was still just a child and couldn't beat him yet.

One night while we were training in the forest, my uncle wanted me to get used to fighting in all kinds of conditions, and times of day and night, we heard a noise from the trees behind us.

We turned to see two werewolves watching us.

I hated werewolves, they creeped me out.

They didn't share their bodies with another soul like Lycans, and they could only shift once a month during a full moon, unless they were attacked and then their instincts would kick in and the shift would happen on its own.

And when they did shift, they rarely had control.

My uncle braced himself for an attack, but to our surprise, the wolves just turned and walked away.

Breathing a sigh of relief, my uncle and I called it a night and returned home where Elara was cooking some after dinner treats.

Little did I know, that the following month would be my last peacefully happy month of my life, because the next full moon they came.

A dozen werewolves surrounded and attacked our happy little home.

My great uncle and Elara tried to fight, even I attempted to help, but it was no use. We were overpowered in minutes and I lost them both, before I was knocked out.

When I woke up, I was shivering from the cold, and I was in damp, foul smelling cell with hay covering the ground.

I immediately sat up and looked around, only to see two men, one standing near a cell door, holding a silver and iron looking mask, while the second was sitting backwards on a chair looking at me.

I shrank back until my back hit the wall and pulled up my knees, hugging them.

"Who are you? Why did you attack us?"

"So, you're the female Alpha, who was rumoured to be killed," The first man said with interest, and my heart began to race.

"I'm not... I..."

"SHUT UP!" The man in the chair shouted, and I fell silent in fear, "Here's what's going to happen. You belong to us now, and when you shift, you're going to fight in the games, and if you don't, your female friend from the cabin will be killed."

"She's already dead. I saw her die!"

The man snapped his fingers and Elara, gagged was brought over. She looked like she'd been beated badly, but she was still alive, and I felt a sense of relief and comfort, though it didn't last.

"Satisfied, your majesty," The man scoffed, "Now, in order for us to keep you, so your dear father doesn't find out. We're going to have to keep you a secret. I hate it when you Lycan dogs take my toys away. We can't have anyone know the Alpha fighting for me is a female."

I frowned in confusion, how would they keep that a secret? But before I could even speak, the second man walked over and held me down.

I struggled but it was no help, as he slipped the mask over my face, and locked it from behind.

The pain was a living thing, a searing, silver-hot vice that clamped my skull, fused to my muscles and bones. The stench of burnt flesh, my flesh, made my empty stomach heave. I could hear nothing but the roaring in my ears and Elara’s choked scream, then the sickening thud of her body hitting the damp straw. Then, silence.

They left me there. Curled on the filthy ground, the mask a cold, alien weight that felt less like metal and more like a second, merciless skull. For three days, there was only the drip of water from somewhere in the dark, the scurrying of rats, and the relentless, throbbing burn where the silver met my skin. No food. No water.

On the fourth morning, I was half-conscious, shivering from the cold, when the iron door screeched open. A boy, maybe twelve slipped inside, his eyes, a weary, guarded amber, scanning the cell before landing on me. He held a chipped bowl of grey porridge and a battered tin cup of water.

"Drink first,” He said, his voice low and rough. "Then eat. Slowly."

I lunged for the cup, hands trembling so badly I spilled the water, only to cry out in pain when the water seeped beneath the mask and hit my burned flesh. The water was lukewarm and tasted of earth and metal, but it was the sweetest thing I'd ever known in day's. He watched, expressionless, until I'd drained it.

"They call me Jayden," He said, placing the bowl beside me. "I know who you are. You're the princess, Carter, the man in charge mentioned you. But he said no one can know who you are, so we have to use a different name. What should we call you?"

"Trinity," My voice was a dry rasp, "Is Elara okay?"

"She's alive, I wouldn't say she's okay, none of us are."

"I see," I nodded, before I gestured to my face.

"Eat and get some rest, you'll need it."

He left without another word. But he returned the next day, and the next. The porridge was always the same, but it kept the hollow ache at bay. On the fifth day, I asked him how long he'd been here. I was used to the constant stinging pain of the mask now, and it was the same whether I spoke or not, so I decided to talk, and gather as much information as I could, it was the only way I'd get out of here.

"Four years," He said, his expression dark, "I've been here four years. I was nine when my step-father sold me," His gaze was fixed on the dark wall behind me. "You fight. You win. You get a better ration, a cleaner straw pallet. You lose badly… you get the whip. You try to run…" He didn't finish. I didn’t need him to.

"So no one's escaped?"

"No. How old are you?"

"Seven, nearly eight."

He nodded, "Alphas usually shift at ten, but maybe females are different. They'll make you start fighting after your shift."

"So they'll keep me in here," I gestured around my cell, "Until then?"

"No, they'll make you work until you can fight," He answered, "Probably in a few days, once they're sure you're under control."

"Oh, okay."

"Come on. I'll show you around."

I wasn't sure I wanted to leave the cell, but I had no choice, I needed to explore and find a way out.

Jayden showed me the dimly lit corridors that were our world, the long rows of identical cell doors, the heavy iron grate that led to the open-air arena pit, the communal latrine trench, the stone basin they called a shower, where freezing water trickled for one minute every third day.

''That's the meal hall,'' He said, nodding toward a larger cavern where a stew bubbled in a vast iron pot over a low fire, surrounded by a shuffling, silent crowd of other fighters, Lycan, witches with glowing collars around their throats, probably to prevent them using their magic, Dragons in their shrunken version, again with collars on, things with too much fur and not enough human left. ''Go late. Get the scraps. The strongest eat first.''

''Who are the strongest?'' I asked, already forming a plan.

If I could get those collars off the witches, they could use their powers to blast an opening in the roof, and if I got those collars off the Dragons, they'd be able to shift their size, and once they were larger, we could fly them out. A riot would help with this plan, but could I get the others on my side to enact it?