The Alpha's Call Book 4
Autor:in
Bianca Alejandra
Gelesen
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In a world where half-breeds and witches face relentless persecution, Lyla Green's defiance at a festival sets off a chain of events that thrusts her into a dangerous game of power and survival. Stripped of her rank and thrust into the role of the Moon Goddess's personal guard, Lyla must navigate treacherous political waters, protect her loved ones, and uncover dark secrets that could change everything. As alliances form and enemies close in, Lyla's courage and resolve will be tested like never before.
A Question of Fate
LYLA
âLyla Green! Approach the council,â Cardinal Mercer commanded as he looked down on me from the lectern.
I walked slowly across the sprawling basilica courtroom, where Mercer, the Moon Goddess, and the entire Holy Council sat elevated above me in a single row.
I stood before them; ready to face my punishment.
Iâd caused quite a stir within the Church with my display at the festival, and no one was happy about it.
âYou stand accused of blasphemy, insubordination, and disruptive behavior,â Mercer said, the corners of his mouth twitching as he held back a smirk.
SoâŠmaybe stir was putting it lightly.
I doubted even one member of the clergy would be sympathetic toward me, given all the glares pointed in my direction.
The Moon Goddess wore a stoic, unreadable expression.
âYou have embarrassed the Church and the Goddess with your outburst at the festival, interrupting a sacred tradition,â Mercer sneered at me from his perch. âAs a member of the Holy Moon Guard, this behavior is unacceptable. What do you have to say about your actions?â
What did I have to say for myself?
Iâd better choose my words carefullyâŠ
Because whatever I said would decide my fate.
SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER
As Sebastian impatiently tapped his claws on the kitchen table in his quarters, I could feel an argument brewing.
After the eclipse, I was placed on temporary leave from my Moon Guardian position until my scheduled court martial with the Moon Goddess had decided on a verdict.
Iâd made a huge mess of things and pretty much ruined any good favor that Iâd gained with the Goddess.
Something Sebastian had no issue reminding me ofâŠ
âIâm just saying that if you wanted to put a stop to the tradition, there mightâve been a more tactful way to do it,â he said for the tenth time.
âStop calling it a tradition,â I responded, annoyed. âIt was vile and barbaric. It was public torture!â
I understood his frustration with me. Weâd finally secured the safety of our pack, only to have it ripped away almost immediately.
But I couldnât stand idly by while Adele was viciously humiliated for sport.
âThe Moon Goddess seemed like a reasonable person when I spoke with her before,â I said, massaging Sebastianâs shoulders, trying to ease the tension. âMaybe I can get through to her. We donât know for sure that sheâll go back on her word.â
âLyla, weâll be lucky if they donât run us out of this city with tar and feathers,â he said in a low growl.
âWell, Iâm not done fighting,â I said resolutely. âIâll find a way through this.â
Sebastian sighed, knowing I wouldnât back down. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
âWeâll find a way through this,â he said, admiration in his voice. âYou might be impulsive and headstrong, but I know you made your decision out of the goodness of your heart, and I would never hold that against you.â
I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. âIâm so lucky to have you as my mate.â
âWeâre in this together,â he said, lightly rubbing my back. âForever and always.â
Just like Sebastian said, my decision to protect Adele was from my heart. And I knew it was the right thing to have done.
If I had the chance to go back and do it differently... I wouldnât.
Adele deserved the same rights as everyone else.
All the half-breeds did.
I had voiced my opinion very publicly.
And I stood by it.
SEBASTIAN
Iâd love Lyla no matter what she did. And as much as her decision put our pack in a bad way, she had done it for the right reasons.
That integrity was part of the reason I loved her so much.
But if the Holy City withdrew the support it had only just returned to us...
I was running out of viable options.
There were no more contests for Lyla to prove herself...
There were no more favors left with the Moon Goddess...
So, what the hell were we going to do?
Iâd had a backup plan for a while, but it was the nuclear option, meaning I really, really didnât want to use it.
The very bottom of the well.
The absolute last resort.
My Uncle Arthur.
There was bad blood between us... For as long as I could remember.
My parents and Arthur had cut ties long ago, and because of them, so had I.
Uncle Arthur was a liar...
A cheat...
A dirty, rotten scoundrel.
The family scandal-maker.
And a huge fucking prick.
But he was also filthy rich.
And it just so happened that one of his estates wasnât far from here, in Monaco. Home of the richest of the rich.
Monaco was on the French Riviera, so having a face-to-face meeting wouldnât be impossible, but the problem would be getting him to agree to it in the first place.
Hopefully it wouldnât come to that, but if it did...
It wouldnât be easy.
CASPIAN
The past few days had been especially rough on Adele. Her public abuse at the hands of Cardinal Mercer had shaken her to her very core.
Despite how fucked up it was, she was still expected to show up to work, or sheâd be fired.
It only proved how resilient and amazing she was that she could walk back into the basilica with her head held high and do her job.
But that didnât mean I was happy about itâŠ
After what had happened at the festival, I didnât want to let her out of my sight for even a moment.
So, I spent my days watching Adele in secret while she worked.
Every time a noble talked down to her, or a member of the clergy treated her like shit, it took every ounce of my willpower not to jump out and fight them.
But I knew Adele hated violence.
And I also knew she wouldnât want me to intervene.
I couldnât anywayâdoing so would put our relationship at risk.
For now, all I could do was watch.
And speaking of watchesâŠ
I glanced down at my wristwatch and my eyes bulged out of my head when I saw the time.
Fuck! If I donât leave now, Adele will get home before me, and Iâll have to explain myself!
She usually came over to my quarters when she got off of work, so I needed to get there first.
Luckily, my injuries from the Ring of Combat had finally healed; I didnât need the crutches anymore, but I still wasnât at one hundred percent.
I made it back to my place just moments before Adele knocked on the door. I hurriedly opened it, panting and out of breath.
âHey, baby,â I said, clutching my side and breathing heavily.
She gave me a knowing smirk and came inside. âAre you okay? You seem a little winded,â she said in a teasing tone.
âOh, I uh⊠I was just working out,â I grunted.
âCaspianâŠI know youâve been following me around while Iâm at work,â she said, sitting down on the bed and smiling.
âYouâŠyou knew?â I asked, slack-jawed.
âI love you, but youâre not as stealthy as you think,â she said with a laugh. âSubtlety is not one of your strong suits.â
âAre you mad?â I asked, sitting next to her.
âNo, I appreciate it,â she replied, putting her head on my shoulder. âIt makes me feel safe, knowing that youâre watching over me. I just want you to be careful. If the wrong person found out about usâŠâ
âThat wonât happen,â I said, holding her tightly. âI wonât let anyone tear us apart.â
I kissed my mate passionately, feeling a feverish love for her. She was the most important person in the world to me, and Iâd never let any harm come to her.
Adele fell back on the bed and my body followed along with her. She wrapped her legs around my waist.
My hand reached underneath her skirt, and she let out a little moan as I pulled down her panties and my fingers slid inside her.
My mate may not have been impressed with my stealth skills, but I knew I had other skills that would mesmerize her.
I ducked underneath her skirt and spread her legs apart, dipping my tongue into her wet, warm sex.
She tasted like honey and lavender.
So sumptuous and sweet.
I savored her with every flick of my tongue. Her moaning was uncontrollable now.
She couldnât get enough.
I shimmied out of my pants and pressed my cock into her pussy as her claws dug into my back.
She was tight at first, but after she relaxed, I filled her with my girth completely.
I eased in and out, slowly.
âSoâŠbig,â she moaned.
I could feel her cumming as I thrust in and out with increasing intensity.
âCaspian⊠Oh my Goddess! YES!â
Hearing her scream my name made me feel like a king.
And I was going to make sure she felt my scepter as long as I could hold outâŠ
Eventually my mateâs moans, and the expression of ecstasy on her face, put me over the edge.
I pulled out, but as I was about to cum in the sheets, Adele grabbed my cock and pointed it at her breasts.
âI want you all over me,â she urged.
Anything for you, my queen.
She watched lovingly as I came, my seed cascading down her supple bosom.
I collapsed next to her in an exhausted heap.
âYou have the stamina of ten wolves,â she said, looking equally worn out.
I kissed her forehead and she nestled into my body. âI love you,â I said.
âI love you too,â she replied. âI just wish that we didnât have to hide it.â
As I stared into her eyes, I imagined what our future might be like.
One where we didnât have to hide our love.
âMaybe I can take you away from here. Back to my pack. Where the laws donât matter. In the Blue Moon Pack, we make our own laws,â I said, getting excited by the prospect of bringing my new mate home.
Adele sighed and clasped my hand. âThat sounds nice.â
But there was no excitement in her voiceâŠ
Instead, there was a hint of sadness.
LYLA
Sebastian walked me to the council chamber, but it was as far as he could go.
âI wish I could support you in there,â he said, giving me a tight hug.
It didnât surprise me that Mercer wanted me to feel alone during my court martial, but I was honestly glad I was going in by myself.
I didnât want to see the disappointment on Sebastianâs face if things went south.
âIâll be okay,â I said, pulling away from his embrace. âJust have a bottle of wine ready for me at home.â
âI believe in you,â he said as two Moon Guardians opened the chamber doors.
I was comforted that my mate believed in meâŠ
But would the Moon Goddess?
***
What do you have to say about your actions?
Mercerâs question echoed in my mind.
And I knew my answer.
âI apologize to the Moon Goddess for my brazenness, but I do not regret my actions,â I said firmly. âI stand by my statement that the so-called tradition was barbaric and cruel.â
The council mumbled to one another as Mercerâs lips curled into an evil smile. Heâd expected me to say this.
âYouâve shown contempt for the Church, and I no longer find you fit to serve as a Moon Guardian. You will be stripped of your title and rank at once,â he sneered. Two Moon Guardians approached to take my armor.
Stripped not just of my rank, but of my dignity.
This is how Iâll be rememberedâŠ
Not hallowed in the Hall of Heroes.
Or celebrated on the wall of champions in the arena.
No, Iâll be considered a stain on the Holy Moon Guard, just like my father.
âYour time here is over,â Mercer said, almost gleefully. âYouâll receive a dishonorable disââ
âDIE YOU FUCKING IMPOSTER! YOUâRE NOT A GODDESS! YOUâRE A FUCKING LIE!â
A raggedy, bearded man suddenly appeared out of the shadows, climbing down from the rafters.
He jumped to the bannister of the Holy Sigil hanging above the council, and slid down it, landing on the platform.
His eyes were filled with madness, and his voice with pain.
I drew my claws and climbed the towering lectern as the council began to scream and scatter.
The Moon Goddess tried to run, but she tripped over her elaborate robes. She froze as the assassin lunged at her, brandishing a silver dagger.
Without even thinking, I lunged forward too.
It felt like time slowed down as we careened toward the Goddess, but the fatal question wasâŠ
Who will reach her first?
