The Alphas Queen

Honey I’m home!

“How is he?” Gemma asked as she hugged herself

“Not good” Jon said “Dr Stine has put him into a short term coma. Losing his mate could kill him, but this was the only way we could think of to save him”

Gemma sobbed, nodding her head. Cindy walked over to her and hugged Gemma, not as her Vo-Suie but as her sister who was hurting just as she was. When Max gripped Ben’s shoulder, Ben cleared his throat a few times, his eyes glassy. It was three days after the fight and a day and a half since they had buried Carrie and the family still struggled to make sense of everything.

After Carrie had died, her body was brought back to the UK to be buried as Kyle took on the responsibility of preparing his mother’s funeral. It was Kyle who had found a way to keep his father alive when the book told him to put his father in a short term coma, helping his father to recover from the loss of his mate.

“A...and Kyle?” Ben asked his alpha

“Being the keeper he was meant to be” Jon said with pride sadly “I’ve posted extra guards around the house and each level. I need you all to be extra careful”

“Dad, I’m thinking of taking-” Max started

“No Max. You and Gemma can’t go anywhere” Jon insisted as he weirdly sat down on the spare seat in the hallway.

After the burial, which took place around the packhouse; everyone had gathered indoors where even the warriors and the council followed them to and everyone had made adjustments as Kyle had performed some kind of spell; allowing the house to multiply the rooms within its walls without extending outwardly too much. Heather and Jon had done their duty as Luna and Alpha; but with a heavy heart as they discovered the truth about Carrie and her involvement. Heather walked back into the room with the doctor, Kyle and councilwoman Serena. When she saw the dejected look of her mate, she made her way to him and sat on his lap, nuzzling him

“Well?” Jon asked the doctor

“We have done all that we can. We need to keep Liam like this for another five months at least. This coma will allow him to feel the loss of his mate at a very reduced level. As if he has been slowly going away from her.The pain won’t ever go away, nor will his desire to follow in death to her….but it won’t be a severe desire” Dr Stine said

“There’s no guarantee dad will want to stay live after, but there’s a better chance of it because of the spell i’ve used” Kyle explained. “I just hope that once he is awake, he will understand what and why we have done what we did. I’m hoping that we can convince him to live for us”

“Oh Kyle” Gemma whispered before going to her brother and hugging him

Kyle stiffened in her arms for a few short seconds before his body folded into itself and he hugged her back, his body shaking quietly as tears flowed freely. Ben took a deep breath and walked over to them along with Cindy as the siblings took comfort with each other. Max felt Maddie come beside him and he hugged her as she cried, her heart breaking for what her friend and mate were going through. Heather got up and showed the doctor to his room while Jon walked up to the Henderson children and hugged each one, his arms providing the parental touch and his presence comforting them through his alpha vibes.

“Kyle, you and Gemma spell-” Jon started

“It’s already done” Nait said, appearing before then

“Nait!” Gemma sobbed, running into her brother’s arm’s

“What the hell?” Ben shouted out

Maddie gasped as she looked at Max. Cindy and Kyle’s mouth dropped open when they saw the affection between them.

“Gemma?” Jon said, his voice a shocked whisper

Sobbing, Gemma hugged Nait tighter as he whispered words of encouragement to her, his aura projecting a soothing low frequency vibration to her. After a few minutes, Gemma sobbed for the last time, and used the handkerchief that Nait gave her to wipe her tears. When she looked around the room, she gasped before look at an equally shocked Nait

“What happened? What did you do?” Gemma asked him

“I didn’t do anything. You did” Nait said, looking at all the still people

“What did I do?” Gemma asked incredulously

“You froze time” Nait said, his eyes big “You must have felt the need to not need anyone to interrupt your time with me and froze them so they all wouldn’t erupt in confusion”

“I could do that?” Gemma asked in shock

“I guess so” Nait said, shaking his head in wonder. “Guess we are still learning about all your powers. Make me wonder how powerful you really are”

“How do I unfreeze them?” Gemm walked around as she looked at the still figures

“You should only be able to reverse a small amount of time. Not freeze them. I’m going to have to consult father time” Nait said

Gemma chuckled,until she caught the sombre look on Naits face and her mouth dropped open, her heart rate escalated

“You’re serious? He exists? As in a real person?” Gemma said “Like a real, REAL, actual person?”

“Yes. How do you think you got the gift of time. He granted you part of your powers. As did Gaia” Nait explained

“WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!” Gemma shouted “Are you telling me father time and Gaia...mother earth goddess...Gaia....are real?”

“Of course” Nait nodded his head

“Where? How? Oh my god! like...like...WOW!” Gemma exclaimed

“How do you think you’re FAE powers allow you to control the elements. It because you were blessed with them by her” Nait explained

“B....but why didn't you or mum say anything before?” Gemma asked with a frown

“Because it wasn’t the right time” Nait chuckled at his own pun

“So question” Gemma put her hand up “one, have I frozen everyone or only those in the room and two; will I ever meet them?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I only saw them both twice in my life. The day I turned into the seer and the day you and Lily were born” Nait smiled “as for the time part...let’s find out shall we?”

Within seconds Nait and Gemma whizzed around the packhouse and the grounds before darting back into the hallways of where Liam’s room was. Standing there, the brother and sister laughed, talking animatedly as they spoke about her powers and what else she could possibly do. Suddenly she quietened and Nait watched her change

“I wish mammie and pops were here to see this” Gemma whispered “and mum and dad”

“It’s going to be ok Gemstone” Nait said with a sad smile

“We have to tell them Nait!” Gemma demanded

“Tell them what?” Nait asked

“About you. Who you are to me….about mum and dad being alive” Gemma said

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. About me, yes. But don’t disclose your powers about time nor about Malakaie. But about mum and dad….” Nait sighed “I don’t think it’s a good idea yet”

“Why not?” Gemma asked, folding her arms

“Because we don’t know who else is the traitor among us” Nait gently advised

“Oh” Gemma deflated, her heart sad

Immediately, the frozen time restarted and everyone started talking at once until Cindy gasped

“How’d you get there?” Cindy asked with narrowed eyes

“Oh my god Gem’s” Maddie said “How did you go from hugging Nait to being beside Max?”

Max looked at Gemma, his eyebrows raised. Gemma sighed and held onto Max’s hand, clasping it tightly as he encouraged her. She looked at Jon with serious eyes

“We need to talk”

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“I’m so shattered” Gemma said

Lying down on the bed, she sighed as she felt the crisp, cool soft sheets on her back and snuggled down with a long sigh of contentment. Max lay beside her, his arms coming around her shoulders as he pulled her to him, their legs intertwining. Moving her head to rest on Max’s bi, bulky shoulder; Gemma took in her mates scent and allowed it to centre her

“Not surprised since it’s almost four bloody am!” Max grumbled

“I couldn’t just leave everyone hanging. They all had questions” Gemma replied, closing her eyes

“Not for six bloody, solid hours Gemstone!” Max sighed

“I think our group was more shocked than anyone else about Nait” Gemma said quietly

“They’ll get over it. They have to” Max said

Cuddling into her, he kissed her forehead; already sensing she was almost asleep. Maxsius growled, wanting Max to mate with her; but he pushed back. Gemma was exhausted. He could feel it through their mate bond. She could barely keep her eyes open and even now, he could hear her heartbeat slow in a peaceful rhythm

“I need to figure out a way to release my dad” Gemma whispered with her eyes closed

“We will Gemstone. We will get him out” Max agreed, his eyes closing

“I’m talking about tomorrow” Gemma whispered

“What?” Max asked, his eyes flying open.

He sat up, causing Gemma to slide off him before sitting up too, her eyes blurry with tiredness.

“I have to Max” Gemma said

“You can barely keep your eyes open. You’re exhausted and need rest. We still have traitors amongst us who are playing behind the scenes and Liam is in a coma. You don’t think that is enough?” Max asked, shaking his head

“I just feel like it’s important. Like, urgent kinda important Max” Gemma yawned “His life and immortality depends on it” Gemma said

“Ok Gem’s” Max sighed “But how about a compromise. We give ourselves two days...Ah..hear me out. Everyone is still fragile and hurting. They need some rest, some time to be with their loved ones and time to grieve. I’m sure even Nait would agree. Then, we go to your mother and from there, we go help your father. Ok?”

“I guess you’re right but I really feel like I need to do this tomorrow” Gemma argued back

“Gemstone, it technically is tomorrow already. You need some rest. Please my mate; I can’t lose you or have you weak and I can feel how tired you are remember?” Max caressed her face

Nodding, Gemma kissed him, her lips grazing his. He tilted her chin up for a deeper kiss and she pushed him away, chuckling.

“What happened to being tired?” Gemma asked

“I’ll never be too tired for this, for you” Max wiggled his eyebrows “i’d have to be de-”

Gemma covered his mouth with her hand, her eyes watering as she thought about losing Max. Max took her hands away from his mouth and then placed a sweet kiss on her knuckles

“I’m sorry Gem’s. That was a stupid thing to say” Max whispered

“It’s ok. I just can..t....can’t….” Gemma swallowed

“I know. Come on” Max said

He lay back down on the bed, pulling and arranging Gemma with him and against his body; making sure she was comfortable. He adjusted the bed covers and when Gemma sighed with contentment, Max’s heart soared. He kissed her forehead and was pleased to see that without much coaxing, she had already started to fall asleep and her breathing evening out. Closing his eyes, he sighed as he thought back to how everyone had reacted to finding out about Nait. But it was his dad that he worried about most because his reaction hadn’t seemed genuine

Or maybe he was just tired and couldn’t think straight. His dad seemed to be struggling with Carrie’s death and Liam’s coma situation worse than he thought he would have. It was almost like his dad retreated into himself yet still projected an aura of power. His eyes seemed to have dulled. Max yawed loudly before settling down, his eyes closing as sleep claimed him; his arms tightening around Gemma securely as he held her to him once more.

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“That fool” She shouted aloud

She walked towards Chris’s table. She moved her hand across the table and threw everything onto the cold, hard floor. Throwing her hands up, she used her magick and called the electricity from the lights and the fire from the scones to her hands and threw it around the room in anger, destroying the furniture, books and ornaments

“Well, that brightened up the place”

Looking at him, she sneered before composing herself again, her eyes closing to clear away the red rims from her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked at him and her eyes cleared back to her brown eyes

“Took you long enough to come here” She said

“I ran after I saw Goine fall. I couldn’t be caught. They only knew about Conner, they don’t know about me being the second son” He said

“Arron, listen to me. We only have a few days to complete the transaction! Nait….Sebastian is alive! All these years! This changes everything” She cried out

“Of course it does and that is why we have been losing for so long. If Chris had waited a few more days, we would have found out more” Aaron said, his elfin ears twitching

“We have one month. One more month before everything goes in our favour. We have waited too long, worked too hard for this to not work” She said as she pulled at the strings of her black and red cape open and whipped it off, draping it behind the chair

“Goine knew of me and he and I worked with Chris on the side. Carrie didn’t know thankfully. Lucky that, really. But we can’t let any more of them progress. I am trying to get the last ingredient for the Grand One. But its proving to be near impossible” Arron said with a sigh

“Why?” She asked

“Because, it’ grows in Nait’s garden at the academy” Aaron said quietly

“f**k!” She shouted out, electrocuting the desk once again “I take it there are wards on his place?”

“It’s not just that. His garden moves around as does his home. Only his blood family can find it and enter. Even Max can’t do it on his own and he is her mate” Aaron explained

“s**t! That is all we need” She muttered

“If no-one else knows of the ingredient, then surely we can do witho-" Aaron was cut off

“It’s needed for it’s potent strength. For what it can transform someone into or to enhance their powers” She said

“I will keep trying my lady. It is just you and I. I have taken over Goine’s kingdom and they bow down to me” Aaron chuckled

“Make sure you keep it that way!” She said, her heels clicking as she walked to the bookshelf, looking through the title

“Our main players are dead. It’s going to be harder to attack” Arron said as she watched her

“Did you forget my talent?” She asked him, her face changing to Carrie's face, Cindy's then Serena's. After showing him some random peoples face's, she smiled when her own replaced them all

As her finger continued to graze the books, her nail stopped on a thick paperback book. Taking it out, she opened it and walked with it to the table

“But they will be more aware of deception” Arron raised his eyebrows

“But not of who the deception will come from” She put the book down with a thud

Muttering a spell, the wind picked up a little as the edges of the pages fluttered in the wind. Aaron looked around as his long blonde hair flew around him. It only lasted a minute but when the wind died down, she picked up the cloak, her heels clicking as she tied it around herself once again and threw a blue portal ball into the air, a doorway opening for her

“Find him and do what you have to to get him to agree. You should be able to enter the garden with him” She said as she walked away, her powerful aura clogging the room

Walking to the table, Aaron looked down at the book, whipping his head back up; his eyebrows raised

“Impossible!” Aaron said “He’s alive?”

“Yes” She said with a smirk, her red lips tilting up

“How?” Did Chris know?” Aaron asked, shocked

“He was so hell bent on revenge! Had he worked smarter, we could have used this pawn a long time ago.” She said with a side look at Arron

“How long have you known about this?” Aaron asked

“Since the day she became the Astrid. Now...stop wasting my time with these senseless question and do your job” She said with steel in her voice

Pulling up her hood, she became obscured once again before her long, slim legs walked through the portal and to the other side, Aaron shaking his head as she looked at the face in the book before him.

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