(Ace)
Under the mansion there were many old tunnels that had been put in when Ace had claimed the property. They swivelled and swerved, crossed over and under, no one could muster their way out once traveling down their always changing paths. The tunnels had been charmed, and only the person who had cast the spell would be able to walk down their darkened path, without worry of them shifting. The walls were alive. They sensed a presence and had the power of closing in and crushing a person if they wished it. The passageway led to a highly secrete chamber house that had been installed, only those chosen by Ace himself knew where it was located and how to enter it, unfortunately there were spies everywhere. The rulers of the neighbouring regions were always looking for a weakness in his defences, ready to pounce at a moment's notice, it was Ace's duty to make sure that never happened. Becoming the strongest Alpha in existence always came with a price, Ace would forever be paying for his gifts, though by now he had become used to it. The ink upon his skin gave a slight burn, never letting him forget what he sacrificed, for every breath that seeped into his lungs.
Touching his calloused palm to one of the stone walls, he closed his eyes, and exhaled a long cool breath. It flowed over the slab where his hand rested and lit a faint blue, moments later pieces of rubble crumbled around him as the wall collapsed on itself. Stepping into the opening he relaxed slightly, the room was spacious; a large round oak table was in the center with many plush leather chairs, off to the side was a sitting area with a nice couch and a few armchairs around a hearth. It was the only place he could take a moment to gather is thoughts. On the far wall a portal opened and through it stepped Damen and Rachel, along with Zach, Fang, and Livia. They were all members of his inner court, The Shadow Immortals, a group of men and women that had all long ago received the same cursed ink upon their flesh as he had. Ace was the first, the strongest, the fastest, and the heir of the Shadow realm. Azrael had handpicked all his creatures, singeing their flesh with his Infernal Ink, making them into the deadliest forces on the face of the planet. That group had become his closest friends and allies. There was Damen his first in command, often too lively for his own good. Rachel his second, her tongue was sharp and often crass, but her skills with the blade backed her up. Zach and Fang followed up the rear, twin Vampires born to the night, bathed in their mothers' blood. Finally, there was Livia, she was the perhaps the deadliest creature that Ace had ever encountered, a siren from ancient Greece. Those men and women were his only family, the only ones that understood what he had endured under the hand of his Father, and the training with Azrael. They were all bonded by the curse marks they bore; in death and the fires of hell they were forged.
Azrael had long since retired, slinking into the abyss, it had been many years since he had last seen the entity of his master. The being had left everything to Ace, it was now his duty to rule the Northern Territory of Tartarean and the Shadow Realm. Problems were surfacing every which way he turned, it made him uneasy in what was coming, and foreboding twist was in the air. "How goes it lover boy?" Damen asked with an air of arrogant humour, he pulled one of the chairs around and sat in it backwards, "I hear congratulations are in order." He grinned.
Ace bristled at the comment, "Reports." He stated ignoring the man.
"Come now Damen, you should know our Lord better by now," Rachel chastised her companion, "Though you have to admit it is rather curious Ace, that after so many millenniums you have chosen now to take a mate."
"There was little choice in the matter." Ace grumbled shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against the table. Everyone looked at him curiously, so he let out a harsh sigh, "Alexis Darling is my True-Life Mate."
There was a moment of silence, before the room erupted in cheers, "Fuck that is wonderful news! There has not been a True-Life mate bonding in many centuries." Zach stated, he was the more vocal of the twins, his brother Fang rarely spoke.
"How far with the Claiming have you gone?" Rachel asked curiously.
The group each took a seat at the round table, staring holes into Ace, he let out another weary sigh. "We've only the Bonding of Soul's to go."
"Moving fast I see." Rachel raised a brow at him, her all too keen eyes taking in his appearance. "How much does she know about True Mate Bonds and how they work?"
Pushing off the table he paced softly, feeling much a caged rat, his every move under observation. "I do not think she knows much; she is a Beta, she knows nothing of Alpha customs, or how to even properly walk a straight line." The last little bit came out softer than he had intended and had all eyes watching him with surprise. "Regardless, I will need to catch her up on her roles and what to expect being the True Mate of an Alpha Ruler, my Luna."
"What about the other side?" It was the first time that Livia had spoken and even now her words were soft but direct. "You are more than just the Ruler of this waste land, you are the Shadow Lord, your true calling is beyond the veil, your true people." She seethed gently.
A battle they had many times, "I was born a Shifter and I was made into a Shadow Immortal, but my true people will always remain the Shifters." He stated staring at Livia.
A shade of pink touched her porcelain white cheeks, "After what these people did to you, how can you claim them over the people that took you in and cared for you, raised you, and created you into a better person?" she asked in anger, her voice never going an octave over a whisper.
"Enough, I do not need to explain myself to you, you will do well to hold your tongue Livia." He warned, "The next time it speaks on the matter, I shall show no restraint in cutting it off." Livia closed her mouth, her jaws locked down, biting her tongue. Ace turned his head to look at Damen, "Any change?"
Everyone snapped back to attention, Damen stood, holding out his hand palm up in a swirl of smoke a folded-up map appeared. Laying it down on the table he pointed to the Northern regions' boarders, "Our men are stationed at the border, constant surveillance is taking place, so far the supposed attack from the Eastern region has been postponed."
"Why would Alpha Stephon pull back his advances I wonder?" Zach mused.
"How about you do your job and figure it out." Ace snapped shaking his head, "On that note, anyone care to explain why the Beta's have been isolated?" He asked.
The group looked around one another, Damen cleared his throat, "It looks like your mate's village is not the only one going through… a rough patch."
Ace shook his head, "We have Alpha's assigned to all Beta posts do we not?" he asked.
Damen nodded, "We did." He said, "I brought in the Alpha assigned to your mates' village, he claims that he was paid off. Said that someone bribed all the Alpha's you assigned to watch over the Beta villages a hefty sum to basically…stop."
Ace balled his fists in his pockets, "Do any of you realize the danger there? The Beta's now feel as if their King has betrayed them and left them alone to suffer, wither up, and die. The Beta's make up a large number of the pack, they have been ordered to be taken care of, generously. If they got it into their heads that they are being weeded out and are on the verge of extinction, they will ban together and cause a rebellion."
His group nodded, "Yes we are aware of that." Rachel stated, "No one knew Ace."
Ace gritted his teeth, "It is our fucking job to know Rachel, I was blindsided by this news, and I hate surprises. My mate now things I am a monster for letting her village rot and I can not fuckin blame her. I would think the same thing if I were in her position. This whole thing has made me look weak, like I favor the Alpha's over the Betas. I need this situation rectified, go to every Beta village personally, see to it that reconstruction is under way, that trade routes are opened back up. Assign loyal Alpha's to their boarders once again and it is on all of you to check on things once a month, to make sure that everything is running smoothly."
Everyone nodded in understanding. "What would you like us to do with the traitors?" Damen asked.
Ace's eyes burned, "Throw them in the dungeon for now, I will personally see to it that they spill who got to them and turned them against their King."
Rachel stepped around to stand in front of him, "As you wish, so when will we get the chance to meet your mate?" she starred at him with a heated emotion that for the moment he put out of his head.
"In time, leave now, Rachel go with Zach to gather more intel on Alpha Stephon. The rest of you start work on the Beta villages. I want a full report on my desk by the end of the week." He commanded leaving the room.
Walking back to the library Ace found himself finally able to form a collective thought. Since meeting Alexis, he had been so wrapped up in her scent that she had warped his mind. The first moment he seen her, it was if the world stopped around them, she was so refreshing. Her scent was so clean and pure, like the first snow fall of winter. Ace found himself intoxicated, she was not your traditional beauty, her flaming red hair was wild and untamable. It tumbled down her back daring anyone to try and manage it, he found her spirit to be much like her hair, and he enjoyed it immensely. Alexis was unlike any female he had ever met, she was a clutz in every sense but charming at the same time. Wide eyed and innocent, he did not deserve such a creature, for he would surely snuff out all the good in her, if he were a stronger man, he would have let her go. Instead he found himself warning off all the other Alpha's at the auction, threatening them with physical violence if they put a bid on her, just so he could step in and claim her. The way he felt in regard to her should have been a clear indication of what was happening, yet he had ignored the signs, chopping up his insane possessiveness to just not having been with a woman over the span of a decade. Women had all but lost their appeal to him, the motivation to try and engage a female had been boring and unstimulating, so he had just given up.
Alexis Darling had been an unsettling surprise, from the moment she stumbled into his home, to the moment she sank those beautiful canines into his flesh. There was no way that he was going to let her go, he was damned for all eternity, and he would damn her too.