The Would-Be Alpha King

6: Foxfire Coven

Eve

I arrive at the coven around three. The iron gate creaks open. It still amazes me that this old building has managed to stand so well. It’s a four-story Gothic Revival styled mansion. Smoke can be seen from all the chimneys in each wing. This coven houses about fifteen hundred vampires or more. I’m not sure of the exact number but I know it’s a big Coven. Every window is covered with black curtains to keep the sun from shining in. Each window and door has the classic pointed arch. I swear this building was built in the fourteenth century or something. It’s the only one like this in the state.

The vampires are choosy about who they interact with but you’d think they’d at least hire a gardener to get rid of all the dead weeds and grass everywhere or at least send someone out here at night to clean up the place. The mansion is shadowed by a small mountain which helps protect the vampires from daylight. They don’t need much protection. I swear it’s always cloudy here. The dark exterior of the mansion doesn’t help either. It’s quite depressing honestly. I pull into the garage. I make my way to the door. When I walk through it, I am greeted by several vampires bowing at me. I don’t know half of these people’s names because I only come once a month. Even still, they revere me.

“Welcome, Princess. Amelia is expecting you in her room on the fourth floor of the tower. Let us know if you need anything.”

I ascend the stairs. There are black crystal chandeliers to help illuminate. The building may be old but the decor is classic Victorian with a slight modern touch. Despite how old the exterior looks, they do keep the interior up pretty well. It seems fresh tiles were installed recently and there’s a fresh coat of red paint on the walls. I see portraits of all the kings and queens of Foxfire. I see my grandfather, Draco Andretti. I never met him but he sure was a handsome man. His hair was short but it was slicked to the side. He was very proper. He had thin lips, tiny ears and a big nose, yet it worked perfectly for him. His eyes were dark green and he had a small amount of facial hair. He fell in love with a human surprisingly, but she died giving birth to my mother.

My mother, Eliza’s portrait is beside his. She had the most beautiful fair skin. She had my grandfather’s dark green eyes. Unlike my grandfather, she had a cute petite nose and full lips. Her brown hair was wavy and long. Every time I come here, I have to admire my mother. I hate how soon she was taken away from us. Daddy was never the same after she died. I deeply exhale as I continue to ascend the stairs.

I get closer to Amelia’s room and I hear her singing. I knock on her door and she immediately runs straight to me and hugs me. Amelia has a small nose and full lips like our mother. She’s skinny and a lot paler than our mother so she fits right in with the other vampires. I took more after our father, except for having greenish blue eyes. My skin isn’t too much darker than Amelia’s and I’m no way as skinny. We both have black hair and a similar hair texture; curly. Amelia’s hair is curlier but mine is thicker and wavier. I guess the melanin of our father was more prevalent in me.

“Evy,” she smiles, “I wasn’t sure if you were still coming today.”

“I always come. I was held up briefly by Erica and the snow by the packhouse, but I made it.”

“Why did you choose to stay? The council members think that you belong here. They want you as the queen. They won’t even consider me because you’re the eldest and their first choice.”

“Daddy needs me. He wasn’t the same after mom’s death. I know he appreciates having me around.”

“How is daddy,” she asks.

“He’s good. He shaved his head last week and he’s growing a little facial hair. Now his age is really starting to show more than it did before he went bald. His wrinkles are starting to show but he still looks good for his age. He’s becoming an old fart. He misses you. You should come to see him.”

“I’m sure it’s his melanin that keeps him looking younger than what he is. And as far as going to see him, there’s no way I’m stepping foot back into that packhouse. Especially with Erica still there,” she gripes.

“He sends his love to his little Bunny, by the way.”

“Ugh, I hate that nickname,” she says as she rolls her eyes. “He calls me that because I look like a bunny.”

“No you don’t,” I laugh. “If that’s the case, he calls me Bambi because I look like a baby deer.”

“Well you don’t look like a baby deer,” she laughs. “Maybe it’s just a pet name after all.”

If I’m being honest, she does look like a little bunny but I won’t dare say that to her. It probably is the reason he calls her that. Her hair is in a bun but I notice she has some highlights in her hair.

“Millie, what did you do to your hair,” I ask.

“I got a little ombré,” she says as she flips it.

“It looks nice. It suits you.”

“You should do the same to yours,” she suggests.

“Nah, I like my black hair,” I say as I fluff it.

I sit on her bed and pat for her to sit beside me.

“So what’s new, Millie? What has you up here singing like you were? Did you finally find a mate?”

“What? No! No mate yet,” she screeches. “What about you?”

“No, no mate yet either. I’m hoping to meet him soon. I’m 23 and when I make my decision to either be Alpha or Queen in two years, I would love to have my mate with me.”

“You have to make a decision. You can’t do both. If you choose to take over Blue Ridge, I’ll have no choice but to take the throne here.”

“I wish I could do both. Why do you care so much about it? You want to be queen or something?”

“Truthfully Evy, I do. And if I do become queen, I will show those filthy wolves that vampires are the supreme beings.”

“Amelia, our father is a wolf. We are half wolves. It is because we are half wolves that we can survive in the sunlight. You can’t be serious right now.”

She mentioned that the council won’t consider her because as the firstborn, I’m the actual heir. It won’t go to her unless I die or give her the crown. She’s not ready to be queen. The way she’s talking, she doesn’t even need to be queen. Using her power and authority to cause war on a species that she’s half of isn’t something that should happen. I might have to take the throne anyway. I knew she disliked being a wolf but I’ve never heard her talk like this. Does she actually think that vampires are the superior beings?

“Millie, I don’t know where this is coming from but attacking wolves won't solve anything. It'll create more problems and may even cause a war.”

“The wolves have caused nothing but pain to this coven. They killed our grandfather! They killed our mother! I heard Glacier Run is trying to kill us! Evelyn, they need to be dealt with and the only way to do that is to kill them all!”

Her eyes shift to purple, which happens when she shifts to her vampire form. When she embraced her vampire form for the first time, she scared both dad and me. She only shifts when she’s angry or very emotional. This visit sure took a turn I wasn’t expecting.

“Okay Millie, I need you to calm down. I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be angry but I don’t think your method is right. Slaughtering wolves isn’t the answer. I’ll be back in a bit after you cool off.”

I pick my bag up from in front of her door and take it to my room. It is painted rich brown; the texture looks to be wood. My chairs, bed sheets, and curtains are velvety wine and accentuates the colors of the room. There’s a small but bright round crystal mini chandelier above my bed.

Even though I don’t come here often, they treat me so well here. They always ensure my room is clean. They give more care to my room than they do to the entire mansion. That’s one of the perks of being royalty that I love the most. It sucks that the wolves of Blue Ridge don’t treat me like this. After I let Amelia cool off, I’ll see if she wants to go to have a night on the town in Lynden. It’s about twenty miles from here and I’m sure there’ll be a festival tonight because that town has a festival for everything. Now I’m really starting to question if staying at Blue Ridge is a good idea. I don’t need my sister causing genxcide. This just made things so much more complicated. I lay on my bed confused.

Phoebe, what should I do?

Don’t ask me. Your sister just boldly declared her hatred for my kind. If I had a choice, I’d bite her head off.

It’s a good thing you don’t have a choice. Seriously, do I stay with daddy or take over here?

Your sister is going to cause mayhem. You may not have a choice but to accept the crown here.

That’s what I’m afraid of.

I let out a great sigh as I continue to think about everything. Why do I have to make a choice? Why does everything have to be so complicated? My head begins to hurt as I continue to deal with my various inner thoughts. I’ve got a couple of hours before nightfall. I’d better take a nap.