Billionaire Quadruplet Alphas

Sunday 27th September, 2020.

Zaya

Star seemed out of it. She had a moment of clarity where her eyes were focused again.

“It’s Noah,” she said. “Noah is trying to talk to you guys…through me,” she said as if she were trying to understand it herself.

“Noah?” Called Jonah loudly.

“Not now, Jonah,” I said exasperatedly. “Before when her eyes glazed over.”

Jonah just frowned at me. Eli was still in wolf form pacing around Star territorially. I wondered if I should shift too.

“He’s coming back!” Said Star, before she trembled a little.

“Star!” I said, rushing to my Baby.

I held her steady as we sat on the floor together. Jonah was on her other side and Eli stopped his patrol to stare at her with worried eyes. She shut her eyes tightly as if she had a migraine. When she opened them, I recoiled a little in shock. They were green! Star’s eyes were usually brown. Now they were the exact shade of green as the rest of us. Noah?

“Noah!” Called Jonah again.

“I’m here,” he said in Star’s voice though I recognised his intonation.

“Where are you?” I demanded.

“Are you ok?” Asked Jonah worriedly.

Is he still in the arena? Asked Eli over mind-link.

“Eli wants to know if you’re in the arena?” I repeated.

Star paused. Noah was rusty. This was something he did not do often. He got it together and spoke through Star again, “No, I’m just outside the arena in the hallway, outside the waiting room. Heath is here. The real one. The Star was supposed to be the right snow globe. Holden warped the game but it’s worth a try. Holden was pretending to be Heath! He’s the guy Hesper was supposed to marry. He’s her cousin!”

“Yeah we know!” I said glumly. “He did the big reveal right after you walked into the dark room!”

“Is it still the right snow globe though?” Asked Jonah.

“It might be,” said Noah through Star. “I think he was willing to let each of us win our tasks before he gave us to the ghoul.”

“I think so too!” Said Jonah. “We’ll try the star snow globe.”

“It’s worth a shot,” I agreed.

It made no sense waiting around for the ghoul to show up to chow down.

“Thanks Noah!” Said Jonah.

Star shivered again. We held her until she calmed down. I watched as her eyes changed from green to a warm brown.

“Hey, Baby, are you ok?” I said softly as I caressed her cheek.

She nodded slowly.

“We need to go ok,” said Jonah, helping Star up. Eli came towards us. I put my arm around his huge furry neck. He was as tall as a man in wolf form. Jonah held the star snow globe.

“This better be it!” I said.

This s**t better work.

Star

I felt the familiar nausea as the portal allowed me to hurtle through the darkness. We found ourselves on a cool marble floor. I got up slowly not daring to believe it had worked until I felt hands on me, helping me up. I knew each of my mates by his individual smell and touch.

“Noah?” I gasped.

“Star!” He whispered, relief evident in his voice, as he hugged me to him.

“Star!” Called a familiar gruff voice.

“Dad!” I squealed, throwing myself into his arms.

“Star! Are you ok?” He asked.

“I’m ok,” I murmured.

“Where is Holden?” Asked Zaya immediately as he got up and grabbed Noah’s shoulders.

“We don’t know,” said Noah.

“We need to find him!” Said Jonah. “He’s working with Mrs Plastique and her…fiancé, the guy she was cheating on Angie’s Dad with, who happens to be Holden’s half brother. He was the fourth person Jamie was walking about. Holden and his half brother have a witch for a Mom and they both have powerful magic!”

It was a lot to digest all at once. I could see it on the faces of my Dad, Noah, Harper and Holly.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Movie Star!” Exclaimed Harper, pulling me into a big bear bug.

“Are you ok?” I asked, cupping his face.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

He nodded.

“Holly?” I asked, turning to her.

“I am well,” she said softly.

“How do we find Holden now?” I asked.

“If I am right about him, he will be in the throne room masquerading as the Queen, pretending like nothing is amiss,” said Holly.

“Seriously?” I said in disbelief.

Holly nodded.

“So what now? We just walk right in there and tell everyone he is an imposter?” I clarified.

“That will make us look crazy,” mumbled Heath. “We’re still relatively new at court. They will believe the so-called Queen over us.”

“Not if they know we are telling the truth,” said Harper, grinning at Holly.

A mischievous smile spread slowly across Holly’s face.

“What do you two have planned?” I asked while running my finger through Eli’s fur.

He refused to shift back until Holden was dead.

“It’s Holly’s plan…I think it’s been her plan all along,” said Harper, looking at Holly in awe.

Holly

The double doors to the throne room where the imposter Queen held court were thrown open. I marched directly up to Holden in his treacherous disguise. I was flanked by Prince Harper and Princess Star. Lords Heath, Noah, Jonah, Zaya and Eli in his wolf form were with us. We still had to locate the real Toby and Asriel as well as the authentic Queen and Hesper. I had not revealed Hesper was alive yet in case Holden had lied about that part. I did not want His Highness and his father to be devastated twice. The Queen sat there, the picture of grace and opulence, dripping in jewels. She was almost too bright to look at with the way her jewellery glittered in the well-lit hall. The court were all assembled at either side of the carpet that led to the throne. I spotted the other imposters in the forms of Lord Toby and Prince Asriel.

“Good day to all,” I said, my voice shaking a little.

“You dare to address the court. You, a commoner, a thief, an Autumn Fae, half-blooded, not even a Winter Fae or a full-blooded Fae,” drawled the Queen listing out my supposed offences.

Being half-blooded was hardly an offence. That was rich coming from Holden, a half werewolf and half wizard but he was playing his role. There was some murmuring amongst the court members at the mention of me being half-blooded. Those gathered did not like the old ways, austere and prejudiced. They were sympathising with me. Good.

“I am a thief. I will admit to that. I stole the Lingering Lotus,” I confessed.

The crowd erupted into whispers. Harper held up his hand to silence them.

“But you took it back, Your Majesty,” I said pointedly.

“It is rightfully the property of the palace and its reigning family,” she said, straightening her back in her chair.

“Then give it to me, please, Your Majesty,” said Prince Harper. “So that I may gift it to my Love to woo her with. It is her heart’s desire,” he said smoothly, making the court coo and simper.

Members began encouraging the Queen to bestow the Lotus upon their Prince. The Queen kept calm under pressure. The protests grew as seconds ticked by.

“Very well,” pronounced the Queen, silencing the court.

She produced the Lingering Lotus in an icy blue flame in her hand. I was afraid she would burn it to ashes.

“Don’t, please!” I cried.

“I am merely preserving it, frozen forever,” said the Queen triumphantly.

She sent it towards Prince Harper through the ear. The court marvelled at its beauty. It was now icy blue and frosty white, frozen solid. Harper held it delicately.

“Give it to your Love,” instructed the Queen with a malice-filled smile.

Harper frowned. “A frozen flower is an omen,” he said simply.

“Thaw it,” he insisted, looking at the Queen.

“Thaw it yourself. My predecessor should be powerful enough to overcome my magic,” said the Queen.

The crowd murmured in agreement. The imposter looked satisfied, thinking that Harper was too weak to thaw the flower with his magic. Harper simply nodded. He levitated the flower and made it spin slowly at first. It went faster and faster. Droplets slipped down its petals as it turned. In a matter of moments, it was fresh and alive, thawed. I breathed a sigh of relief. Harper got down on one knee and held the flower up to me. The crowd was beside itself, grinning faces and flushed cheeks everywhere as they got caught up in the spectacle, the intrigue, the romance. I wanted all their eyes on this moment.

“It is not a ring but the next time I kneel before you it will be,” promised Harper.

The women of the crown clutched their hands to their hearts and sighed. I took the Lotus.

“Let me ensure that my gift works,” I said.

The crowd became agitated, thinking me rude to say such a thing before the Prince.

“Harper loves me,” I said to the Lotus, holding a petal.

It glimmered brilliantly as it pondered the question. The petal remained intact.

“That was a yes,” I said to the crowd, performing my demonstration for those who were unaware of the flower’s properties.

“Harper loves me not,” I said to the flower.

The petal I was holding withered and died, falling to the floor.

The crowd was simpering again.

“It works,” said the Queen quickly. “Now onto other…”

I interrupted her. “Another question!” I insisted eliciting gasps from the crowd at my rudeness for cutting across the alleged Winter Fae Queen.

“The Winter Fae Queen before me is an imposter!” I said loudly and clearly, my voice ringing out through the hall.

The crowd gasped. A few of them shrieked. Several yelled at me in anger until they observed the flower. It glimmered but the petal I held did not fall.

“That was a yes!” I concluded.

“NONESENSE!” Bellowed the Queen, making the room shake a little.

Holden was using his Alpha voice though disguised as the Queen.

“Hesper is dead!” I shouted, holding the petal.

My heart was racing. This question was unplanned but I needed to know for sure. The petal dazzled us and then withered and slipped down to the floor.

The crowd erupted. Fae nobles cried and held each other. Werewolves raised their hands to the heavens in thanks. Comments rang out.

“We must find her!”

“Where is she?”

“Where has she been all the time?”

“Who is that on the throne if not the Queen?”

I could feel Harper trembling beside me. I stood closer to him. Heath’s breathing was shallow. Tears streamed down Star’s face.

“The imposter Queen before me has held Hesper and the real Queen captive for years!” I yelled out, my voice tinged with anger and hurt.

The petal gleamed and remained intact. A roar resounded through the hall, loud enough to drown out the yelling of the shocked crowed. I looked behind me. Heath had shifted along with Harper.

“Wait! I don’t know where they are yet! We need answers!” I pleaded as Heath and Harper leapt across the hall, both lunging for Holden’s throat.