Alpha King's Daughter Book 3
Auteur
S. J. Allen
Lezers
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Hoofdstukken
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Reign
Alpha King's Daughter Book 3: Reign
REIGN
To become a queen, you have to give up playing the princess…
“This is preposterous! I won’t allow it! A female as alpha! It is unheard of! It is—”
“I believe the word you are looking for, grandfather, is groundbreaking.”
I sat behind my father’s old desk, hands clasped, looking up at his father, my grandfather, spluttering in outrage about the fact that I am now alpha of the Blue Moon Pack.
Something historical, something groundbreaking. If this were the human world, the phrase “broken the glass ceiling” would be thrown around.
I am the first female alpha in history, and it seems my first line of duty is pulling a previous alpha into line.
“Reign, this is ridiculous. We all understand you have suffered a great loss and a tragic few months, but surely you are not really considering this!
“Being an alpha is a male job! It is no place for a woman, let alone a child.”
He stood in front of my desk, clenching his fists in anger, borderline shaking with rage, as if I were four years old and he was scolding me for breaking something valuable.
My mom and my pops sat on either side of me. I’m pretty sure Pops was the only reason he was not actually shouting at me.
He may be my grandfather too, but he wouldn’t dare raise his voice in front of the king.
“Jason, please, this is ridiculous. Many years ago, you demanded an heir to the pack. We gave you two, shut up and be happy.
“Reign is very capable of doing this job. She was born for it,” Mom stated flatly, her arms crossed, clearly bored with this conversation.
Grandfather scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms this time.
“Born for it. Do me a favor, please, Gianna. Axel was born for it. He is the firstborn. It is your mother who raised him to be a weakling not worthy of the title.”
“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT YOUR QUEEN THAT WAY.” Pops was on his feet, spitting in rage. The color drained from Grandfather’s face so quickly that I thought he would faint.
“Pops, please sit. I can handle this.” I motioned gently for him to sit back down. Thankfully he listened. Mom gave me an encouraging nod.
Standing up slowly, I leaned forward, resting my palms on the desk. I licked my lips, allowing the alpha energy coursing through my veins to flow from them.
“Jason.”
He stepped back, shocked that I would use his name for the first time in my life.
“The position of alpha was challenged. My brother did not want to accept the challenge, as he was in no fit state and overall rejected the title of alpha.
“Therefore, I stepped in, fully intending to take the position should I win. The stakes were a fight to the death for the position of alpha. I fought. I won. Fair and square.
“Now you can stand there all day and complain about how barbaric you think this is and convince us of nothing more than your pigheadedness and willingness to remain in the past.
“OR you can shut up, stop questioning your new alpha and allow me to do my job!”
Jason bowed his head, more so because he had no choice. My tone and power commanded him to. “Yes, my alpha,” he muttered darkly through gritted teeth.
“Dismissed.”
He turned on his heel, but just as he got to the door, Mom shouted out, “Brings back old memories, Jason, doesn’t it?”
His face and neck flushed a bright pink. He shut the door sharply behind him.
I turned to face Mom and Pops, both of their faces beaming with pride. Mom pulled me into a tight hug.
“You handled that wonderfully, darling. I am so proud of you, and I know your dad would have been too.”
Her eyes were glistening with tears threatening to spill over.
I wiped my own eyes, ridding them of my own tears. “Thanks, Mom. What did you mean ‘brings back old memories?’”
She waved her hand through the air. “Oh, nothing, darling, nothing. Just many a time ago, another Gray female reminded him of her birthright and power.” She winked at me.
“Badass, Mom.”
“Reign, dear. I couldn’t be prouder as your Pops to watch you step up for the pack. You were born for this. As your king, you have my blessing, anything you need.
“Anyone causing you any trouble you can’t handle, you let me know.” Pops pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.
“Thanks, Pops, but you’re crushing me.” He released me from his bear hold. I bowed my head dutifully to my king. He bowed his in response.
A knock at the door interrupted our family moment. Rita, my secretary, popped her head in the door, only opening it a crack. “Excuse the interruption, Alpha—”
Aaaaah, what a sound. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.
“No interruption. What is it?” I motioned for Rita to enter the office. She bundled through the door quickly, her curvy form filling out her floral dress.
She wore yellow flat pumps. Her red hair was tucked up into a bun. She had cat-eye-shaped glasses resting gently on her nose. Her arms were full of notebooks and journals.
“It’s the matter of assigning positions in your circle. Apparently, some of the current members are not happy about…well, you.” She looked sheepish from behind her glasses.
Pops snarled behind me. I held my hand up to gently shush him.
“Call an urgent meeting, Rita. We will deal with this today. Thank you.”
She half curtsied as she exited the room. Slight overkill, but I’ll allow it. Mom clutched my shoulder. “It appears you have work to do, Alpha. We’ll leave you be.” She pulled me into a half hug.
Grabbing Pops by the arm, she led him out of the office before he exploded with rage. How he lasted so long without ever having a heart attack is beyond me.
Perks of wolf healing.
I sat at the desk again, looking around the room. The desk was large and mahogany. Across from it sat two chairs. In the far right corner stood a long table with several chairs positioned around it.
As his council grew, he made alterations to the meeting space.
The window to my left gave me a view of the grounds. To the right were bookcases filled with books and journals. Dad documented everything. Maybe I can find guidance from beyond in his writing.
I walked from behind the desk over to the bookcase, feeling the spines of the books. Tears welled up in my eyes. “I miss you, Dad,” I whispered softly.
I will do you proud.
I will do this pack proud.
Rita knocked on the door, popping her head through again. “Your council is here to see you, Alpha Reign.”
That was fast.
I brushed down my black dress, removing any fluff and flattening out any creases, checking my hair was still in its neat bun.
My heels clacked on the floor as I took my seat back behind the desk, taking one last comforting breath to ready myself. “Yes, Rita, send them in. Thank you.”
The door opened wide, allowing four frowning men and Beta Jordan to enter.
There was no denying why these ferocious men were on Dad’s council, some of the most honorable men in the pack, men who had vowed to lay down their lives for the pack.
They stood about a foot away from my desk, hands held behind their backs, standing in a semicircle. They glowered at me.
Had I been raised differently or stood at a different ranking, I would’ve been shaking in my paws at the sight of these men standing in front of me.
I smiled sweetly, but my eyes dared them to challenge me. Two shifted uncomfortably, looking at their feet.
Beta Jordan stood close to my desk, having already assumed his previous role with pride and honor.
“Gentlemen, I hear we have a slight issue with the new alpha in town. Let’s discuss, shall we?”
