The Alpha King (Kingdom of Askara #1)
Victoria Sue
Prologue
I’m dying. Luca barely had the strength to sit up and he wasn’t able to shift. The gaping wound in his side had even stopped hurting, leaving him simply exhausted. The poison had played tricks on his mind as well as his body. He was lost.
Wolfsbane. Even the pups knew to avoid the deadly plant that grew in certain areas of the forest. They were taught the danger as soon as they could walk, taught to recognize the bitter taste, and the acrid smell; taught it was the one thing that robbed them of their ability to shift and heal. It was Luca’s own fault he had got too drunk at their birthday party to notice, or was it? Although no one expected to be poisoned by the one person they should trust above all others, his brother had laughed and filled his glass too many times to count.
Kieran. His younger brother by merely seven minutes. How could he have been so blind? How did he not notice the bitter jealousy caused by being born the younger son and not the Alpha-heir? They had been inseparable as pups. Kieran even had his first shift before Luca, if only by a few days. Then their father had died, and childhood, at least for Luca, had come to an end. At fifteen, he had been thrust into a job he was unprepared for, even if he wouldn’t become Alpha officially for another ten years.
It had been their eighteenth birthday today...or was that yesterday? He had no idea how long he had been laying on the cold ground. He didn’t remember leaving the party, but he had a distinct memory of the hate-fueled expression on Kieran’s face as he stood and watched the gammas hold him upright and plunge the dagger into his side—as he did nothing to intervene.
Luca had no idea where he was. He was wet. The bush he’d woken up by gave him scant shelter from the rain, but at least he wasn’t cold anymore. Just tired...incredibly tired. His eyes drifted shut and his breaths slowed.
“What’s wrong?”
Luca just managed to pry his heavy lids open again at the quiet voice. It was a child. A boy was staring at him. He had dark brown hair but the lightest blue eyes Luca had ever seen.
He licked his dry lips. “I need help. Can—”
But a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth. The boy crouched and shook as he leaned over Luca. Luca barely heard shouts as people ran past. He could have cried as what might be his only chance of rescue was getting further and further away. He didn’t even have the strength left to fight off a child. He swallowed as the hand moved away.
“I’m sorry. They were looking for me, and they will beat me.” The blue eyes deepened as the boy seemed to take in the state Luca was in. “You’re hurt,” he said bluntly.
Yes, Luca thought. “Beat you?” he whispered. Who would hurt a child?
“Why can’t you shift?”
Luca widened his gaze. That had surprised him. The werewolves ruled the humans but everyone knew werewolves healed when they shifted. Coming across an injured man would lead to the assumption he was human. “You know what I am?”
“Of course,” came the solemn whisper, “but I don’t know why an Alpha can’t just shift.”
Luca stared in confusion. He would guess the boy to be about twelve, maybe thirteen. Luca didn’t have the mark on his neck yet indicating his Alpha status; he wouldn’t develop that until he was twenty-one, and as a human the boy wouldn’t be able to smell he was a shifter.
“Don’t die.” The soft command made him smile weakly.
“I may have no choice,” he said. “I was poisoned. I am unable to shift now.” The boy put his head to one side as if considering Luca’s words. “Who are you?” Luca tried to sound less threatening. If the boy felt safe he may be persuaded to get help.
“It doesn’t matter who I am, but you are Luca Hightower.”
Luca’s eyes widened in shock. “You know me?” Luca blinked and took in the too thin frame, the bruises, the dark shadows framing the long dark lashes he knew plenty of she-wolves would kill for. The boy was human—Luca would have sensed his wolf if he wasn’t. “Have we met?” Luca tried again.
“Not yet.” The blue eyes crinkled as the boy smiled.
Luca was so tired. Too tired to appreciate humor. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe the poison in his blood stream had reached his mind. Without the antidote, it would soon stop his heart, anyway. “How do you know who I am?” Luca asked and tried to sit up. He collapsed back, panting and shivering.
“Because I saw your future when I touched you. You are destined to be the Alpha King.” Luca gaped and tried to move. The boy’s words were preposterous. Luca struggled but he still couldn’t even sit up. He fell back, exhausted. “There are no such thing as Alpha Kings anymore,” he gasped.
Luca had loved the old stories his grandfather had told him. The legends of the king who would bring all the packs together, mend their fractured planet, and help to build a future...but that’s just what they were—stories. No adult believed them possible anymore. The days of kings were long since gone.
“Rest,” the boy soothed. “I will summon them back to help you.”
“You said they mustn’t find you.” Luca shivered. He was so cold.
“It is more important that they find you,” the boy answered gravely, and pushed to his feet.
“But—” Luca started. “You said they would beat you. Stay with me,” Luca urged. “I can protect you.”