The Challenge Two Alphas, One Girl

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Maze's POV

Today was my day with my darling Friday. The Berryndale pack house was all a buzz preparing for tomorrow's arrival of my paternal grandparents, former Alpha Maximo Mason and former Luna Maxine Madeline Mason. My grandmother's first name had been Madeline but Grandfather had insisted she change it to Maxine to be even more similar to his name. My grandparents were suffocatingly traditional and they were from a time when Alphas could rename their Lunas. Usually the Alpha chose a feminine version of his own name or a more eccentric Alpha would choose whichever female name he particularly liked. I was explaining this to Thaddeus who was horrified. This specific custom was frowned upon by the more modern werewolves in Berryndale.

"They did that back in the day!" Said True.

"You're lucky your name already began with T. Otherwise I would have renamed you!" Joked Timbre.

"I'd like to see you try!" She challenged him, pinching his cheek.

The Alpha Dining Room shook with his hearty laughter.

"What would you have called Mom?" Asked Timothy, fanning the fire.

Titus looked up from his breakfast eagerly.

"Timberlina!" Said Timber.

Thaddeus' and Timber's booming laughter was deafening. The twins grinned. True made a face as though disgusted and then joined the laughter.

I could not help but smile.

"What should we name Friday?" I asked Thaddeus realising too late I probably should not have said "we". To my relief, no one reacted strangely and Thaddeus boomed with laughter.

“Boss lady! She'll rename us!" Said Thaddeus. “You'll go from Maze to Monday and I'll go from Thaddeus to Tuesday or Thursday depending on her mood!"

His family erupted with laughter.

Friday sauntered in just then and I saw Thaddeus' face fall instead of lighting up like it usually did whenever he saw Friday. My eyes went to her immediately. She looked crestfallen and exhausted. Her eyes were puffy as though she'd been crying. I grasped her hand and pulled her from the room. I took her to my room. Thaddeus followed. I cupped her face in my hands.

"Baby, look at me," I said softly.

She complied.

"I won't harm your Dad, ok. I can't free him but I won't k!ll him not if this is what it's doing to you, " I murmured k!ssing her cheeks then the tip of her nose and lastly her eyelids. I cradled her head to my c.hest running my fingers through her dark tousled waves.

Thaddeus was massaging her shoulders and back. She cried quietly into my shirt. She seemed confused and conflicted like she wanted to say something but was hesitant.

Friday's POV

Just like that, Maze was offering me my father's life. He would pardon his life but imprison him indefinitely. How could I reveal my father's treachery when it would mean a death sentence? I would be the one sentencing him to die! Maze and Thaddeus and even Malachi had no idea of what my father was capable of, of what he had done. I didn't know how long I'd be able to keep such a secret from my Alphas. I just cried into Maze's shirt. I could feel both Maze's and Thaddeus' hands on me, caressing me and soothing me. I focused on taking a few steady breaths.

"Maze..." I began.

Tell him! Tell him what our father has done to us!

That would sentence him to death!

He sentenced you to death! And our sister! What if the wolfsbane and silver had k!lled us instead of making us stronger. He was willing to sacrifice us. He conspired with vampires.

Instantly, I knew what I had to do. I had to talk to Raelynn. What if she wanted a relationship with our father? I couldn't rob her of that. She'd been robbed of so much already. She deserved to know before I made any definite decisions.

"I couldn't sleep because I had so much on my mind. My father said something strange. He mentioned someone else other than my mom and me who looked like us," I said, being as vague as possible.

"Hey!" Exclaimed Thaddeus. "He said something similar to me when I found him. He was being a drunk a.sshole as usual, no offence, and he insulted your mom. He mentioned you, Friday, and he mentioned 'the other one," Thaddeus made little air quotations around the phrase "the other one."

"Right!" I said eagerly. "So remember the vampire's, uh, predestined?" I said.

"Raelynn!" Maze said, immediately intrigued. "You think she's your father's.....”

"I don't know what I think...I just know I need to talk to Raelynn! Today! It's urgent!" I said, looking back and forth between my two alphas, my eye wide. I pouted a little for good measure. I knew Thaddeus knew Ezra somehow and today was Maze's day. I needed them to both agree.

Thaddeus nodded. "That can be arranged," said Thaddeus.

"Today?" I asked anxiously.

"If it's ok with Maze if it's today..." Thaddeus began.

"Maze!!!" I squealed, launching myself at him. Maze caught me and his face broke into a grin.

"Anything that makes my little Friday happy is ok with me," he said softly and slowly while nuzzling me.

I literally jumped for joy. My alphas smiled. “Let's go now!" I said.

"Breakfast!" Said Maze sternly.

"I'll call Ezra while we eat," said Thaddeus, placating me.

I scarfed down bits and pieces of what Maze put on my plate. Thaddeus made my coffee. It was sweet and milky but I could tell he was decreasing the sugar. I was exhausted! I wanted to curl up in bed between my Alphas but I had to talk to Raelynn.

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"Ezra and Raelynn will meet us at the restaurant Maze booked today!" Boomed Thaddeus.

I jumped up and down again.

He and Maze high-fived. I giggled.

I had never gotten ready so quickly in my life! I wore a black satin dress with heels. It was a sombre occasion. Maze, Thaddeus, Ezra and even Raelynn didn't know it but I knew it. I was in mourning. My father was already dead to me. I did my makeup. I asked Astrid to help me. She constantly referred to the guys now as "Daddy Fang", "Uncle Thaddeus" and "Uncle Maze” no matter what the context. I met Maze and Thaddeus downstairs. Both of their faces lit up when they saw me. I blushed.

The restaurant Maze had wanted to go to was called The Alpha Aquarium. A lot of werewolf places just threw the word "Alpha" in their name because people seemed to like it. The restaurant did amaze me though. I gasped when I walked in. The ceilings were incredibly high. We were surrounded by a h.uge aquarium. All four main walls of the restaurant made up the aquarium. Schools of fish swam by. Crabs and lobsters scuttled across the sandy bottom of the aquarium. Small squids and octopuses swirled about. There was a giant squid gliding around. He was a vib.rant purple. I was obsessed with him. His name was “Alpha” of course. Thankfully, this was not a seafood restaurant and none of the beautiful creatures were on the menu or available for order. I was relieved. I hated to see little critters fished out of a tank and served at restaurants. These fishes could relax. I was happy for them. The restaurant was vegan. Thaddeus was not thrilled.

"Maze, did you know this restaurant was vegan when you booked it?" Asked Thaddeus, leaning back against the booth. We were in a large private booth near the giant squid. I put my hand on the glass where his huge tentacle was. I tried to get his attention but he glided further upwards. I frowned, kind of sad that he didn't notice me. Maze pinched my cheek.

"Yeah, I knew," said Maze, grinning.

Thaddeus grumbled wordlessly. I was sitting between them, leaning over Maze to get to the glass and Alpha the squid. Thaddeus grasped my wa!st and pulled me to him.

"Why are you so adorable?" He growled in my ear. I giggled as he nibbled on my ear and tickled my sides.

"They're here!" Exclaimed Maze.

I looked up. Raelynn looked stunning in a tight-fitting low-cut black dress. Ezra had his hand on her wa!st, gently guiding her towards our booth. We stood to greet them.

"Lord Ezra!" Rumbled Thaddeus, shaking his hand. "Hey, Gorgeous!" He said to Raelynn and kissed her cheek. I was less jealous this time.

Ezra k!ssed both of my cheeks while Maze h.ugged Raelynn gently. The vampire was cold but not in an unsettling way. He smelled good but not as much as my mates. Maze and Ezra shook hands. Ezra and Raelynn sat opposite us.

"I'm so happy you wanted to see me again, Friday," said Raelynn.

I felt nervous and a little self-conscious around her. She seemed a lot more confident than me.

"Likewise. I mean, thank you for agreeing to...meet me...again," I said, fumbling over my words a little. Thaddeus rubbed my back soothingly. Maze ran his fingers absentmindedly through my hair.

Raelynne smiled. Ezra k!ssed the top of her head and then glanced distastefully at the menu. We ordered a h.ug variety of things. The food was actually surprisingly delicious. Even the vegan desserts were so yummy. I kept replaying how the conversation between Raelynn and I would go in my mind during our meal. I also practiced mentally how I would ask for some private time to talk to Raelynn but it turned out I didn't have to ask. "Let's allow the lovely ladies some girl time," said Maze smoothly, k!ssing me on my forehead.

The guys went to stand on the balcony near the bar. I waited till they disappeared from view. Raelynn looked at me expectantly.

"Raelynn," I said.

"Yes," she said softly.

I took a deep breath. "Who do you think your parents are?" I asked. A weird but necessary question.

She smiled knowingly. "I was told by Victor that I was an orphan," she said serenely. "He plucked me from the orphanage ran by vampire nuns on some hill or something," she said, narrating it as though she knew it was bullsh!t or at least partially nonsense.

"Are you a vampire?" I asked.

"You already know that I am not," she said. "Friday, I'm a big girl. Talk to me plainly."

She winked. I bit my l!p.

“Our father..." I blurted out, realising I had not explained that he was our father yet. "My father told me something awful," I said, tears glistening in my

eyes.

She leant forwards a little because I was whispering.

"I went to see you. He's in the dungeons for attempting to k!ll the former alpha Malachi,” I said.

"Maze's father," she said. "Ezra told me," she added, her eyes downcast.

"Malachi and...my mother are mates. My father found out about their affair and shot Malachi but he lived, thank goodness! I went to ask my father some questions, seeing how I could plead his case if he was remorseful. He was not remorseful," I said sadly.

Raelynn was silent, just peering at me, unblinkingly.

"I put my hands on the silver bars of the his cell. They didn't burn. He told me it's because he injected me with silver when I was growing up as an experiment," I muttered.

Raelynn's eyes widened. They looked darker than her usual warm honey brown all of a sudden, almost black.

"That's awful," she said.

"Yeah," I said sadly, shrugging. "He told me about another daughter he had, before me but after the twins," I said, starting to sniffle.

Raelynn was very still. Her eyes were glassy. This is what she had come here for. The wondering. The unspoken question between us.

"He was angry because he thought Mom was cheating and he wasn't sure if this daughter was his. She was born and he told Mom she was stillborn," I said, starting to cry. Raelynn handed me a handkerchief. I took it. It was monogrammed with the initials EV. Ezra Van Der Windt.

"He took the baby girl and gave her to Victor Van Der Windt. There was a convent with nuns who Victor and his vampires had transformed. The nuns used to be vampire and werewolf slayers so when they were bitten they were great warriors. The ones that could accept being vampires I mean. Victor was using it as a part of his plan to raise super vampires and super werewolves. He injected the baby girl with wolfsbane and it suppressed her wolf but didn't k!ll her just like the silver suppressed my wolf until my wolf and I grew strong enough. Victor even experimented on his son," I said.

There was a flash of anger and surprise in her eyes.

"He exposed his son to increasingly intense amount of sunlight until he was able to withstand it easily," I said.

"They call Ezra the Daywalker," said Raelynn, sniffling but smiling.

"Ezra fell in love with the wolfsbane girl," I said, smiling a little. "She still did not have a wolf."

Raelynn fidgeted uncomfortably. "From the moment I saw you, I figured I had found my family," Raelynn said. “I knew I would be from a... dysfunctional family because well I was abandoned." She shrugged.

"I didn't know our father was literally the devil," she chuckled sadly. "And I didn't know he had hurt you too." She began to cry. "I didn't even know Victor had experimented on Ezra. I remembered him injecting me with the wolfsbane. The last time was when I was maybe nine. His son came back from boarding school and was incredibly fond of me. Ezra is a little older. We were inseparable. When I turned eighteen, Ezra told me I was his predestined. That's just the vampire word for mate. I felt it too, faintly though. I heard a little whisper now and then. I knew I wasn't a vampire but the voice said I was fated to Ezra and the voice led me to you at the festival. I told Ezra it was this weird vampire chick Prophetess who told me you'd be

there but that was a lie.

She laughed. I liked her laugh.

"I wish I could have been there for you growing up," she said softly.

I burst into tears. She opened her arms and I rushed over to her side of the booth and flung myself into them. She cradled my heard in her bosom.

“It's ok,” she said gently. "Thank you for telling me everything. I thought I'd be the one to tell you. I was waiting to get some sort of...evidence or something. I didn't want to approach you with my and Ezra's hunches."

She sighed into my hair. She tried to untangle it.

"I hate brushing it," I told her.

She laughed. He laugh was like the tinkling of bells or maybe wind chimes. It was soothing.

"I will brush it for you," she promised.

“I'll.......” I said wanting to offer something sisterly but not having many sk!lls. “I can show you how to make fires from dry twigs and stuff,” I said.

"What?!" She said incredulously and burst into laughter.

"I have to ask you something," I said quickly, fearing that the guys would come back soon before we could finish our talk.

"Mmhmm," she said.

"What do you think Maze should do with our father?" I asked. “Punishment-wise."

She sighed. "I know he's probably sitting on several death sentences for his crimes," she said.

"I haven't told Maze or Thaddeus the awful stuff he did to us yet," I said.

She raised her eyebrows.

"I wanted to tell you first," I explained.

"Maze and Thaddeus only know about him shooting Maze's Dad," I said.

She nodded.

"Maze was gonna pardon him well, spare his life and just let him serve life in prison," I said. "For me. Maze was thinking I'd want him alive."

"You don't want to be the one that reveals him and sends him to his death," she said.

I winced a little. "Well, yeah," I said.

She smirked and c****d her head to the side. She had mannerisms like a high-born vampire, probably from being raised by them and being in an intimate relationship with one. She was fated to the Vampire Prince yet she was a she-wolf. Did that make her a Vampire Princess or a Werewolf

Princess? I pushed those silly thoughts away.

"Just tell me what to do," I said.

She laughed.

"You're the elder sister," I said. "I wanted your opinion."

"Let me discuss it with Ezra," she said. "If you don't mind?"

I shook my head. "No, whatever you want."

"But first," she drawled. "Take me to our darling Daddy."

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