Book of the dead: The rise of the Necromancer

A helping hand

Maisie, Stew, and Rufus look at the map and decide to drive to Denver. They will stay there overnight then go further the following day. Maisie is still pissed that the map has brought them up here and is now sending them back to their home. She is worried that Darius and his pack will be mad at her for killing his brother. They will know Maisie killed him once they see her wearing the ring. They will have to go through the Dessert Wolf Pack's land even if they take another road. The Dessert Wolf Pack has extensive territory. She can not remove the ring from her finger. Maisie does not know how to remove it as it is shrunk and is now stuck on her finger. To the surprise of the three young wolves, Dora is up early today mumbling something about a boring place with no bloody bar. The three look at her as she eats breakfast with them for the first time. Usually, she would start drinking when she wakes up. It does not take her long to start drinking, though. They put all their stuff in the truck and get ready to leave. As they walk to their vehicle, they see about twenty wolves waiting for them. They are in human form, but Maisie and the rest, including Dora, know they are wolves.

"What are you doing on my territory, Alpha?" The old wolf asks as she and the three of them walk closer.

"Good morning, to you too, Alpha, " Maisie says sarcastically. He should know she is not a pushover.

"Sorry, Alpha, where is my manners. Good morning Alpha," To his pack members surprise, the rude old Alpha apologises to Maisie. Maisie is a bit surprised as well.

"I am sorry we trespassed. I did not know there was a pack around. I did not feel when entering your land," Maisie says, knowing very well this is unclaimed land. As they stand there and look at each other, another younger Alpha comes walking to them.

"This is not your land, old man! The land belongs to my pack," He says, looking angry. He also has about twenty members with him. Maisie knows now why she did not feel the border of another pack. This land is no man's land, and that the two packs are fighting over this land. That is why the wolves only noticed them this morning and not yesterday.

"You wish you arrogant young fool! This land is mine and my pack's!" The older wolf shouts at, the younger wolf. Maisie looks around to see if there are any humans around. This matter can put them all in danger.

"Enough! Both of you! What kind of Alphas are you to put your packs in danger like this by fighting in the open?" She growls, and to everyone's surprise, the two Alpha both bow their heads. She is correct, but usually, any Alpha will be angered by another Alpha talking to them in such a manner.

"Sorry, Alpha!" Both of them say. What is going on? Rufus and Stew look confused. Their pack only have three members and a drunk witch. Why would these Alpha's talk to Maisie with so much respect? Maisie is surprised. Where did she get the guts from to speak to two Alphas with such authority? She looks at the ring. The ring, maybe, or do they know that Markus Blackwell is her mate?

"Do you know who I am?" She asks to see if they know that Markus is her mate. If they know her name, she will know it is Markus' doing.

"No, Alpha, sorry we did not introduce ourselves. I am Alpha Watson of the Forrest Wolf Pack, and that young i***t over there is Alpha Luckas of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Pack,"  Watson says, looking at the young she-wolf that radiates power.

"I am Alpha Maisie from the Full Moon Pack. My beta, gamma and I are travelling through the States. We do not go into any pack territory without contacting the Alpha of that pack first. This land is no man's land. I felt no border as I pass into this territory. So why are you fighting over this land?" Maisie asks.

"Well, my pack has grown over the last few months as we took in a lot of orphans and widowers from packs in our territory. There are mighty groups of ruthless wolves attacking this area in the last few months, leaving many orphans and widowers behind with nowhere to go. These orphans and widowers have no home," Alpha Watson says.

"We are having the same problem," Alpha Luckas says.

"Why don't you work together and destroy this Alpha, take his land, and fighting him will solve this issue?" Maisie asks. She is concerned about the orphans and widowers as she, Rufus and Stew are also orphans.

"Together, our packs can defeat his pack, but you know one of us will have to fight him Alpha to Alpha. Not one of us is strong enough to take him on," Alpha Luckas says.

"Then I will!" Maisie says, and Dora almost gets a heart attack on the spot. "

"No, you won't!" Dora shouts at Maisie. Her lovely little buzz that was building up is all gone now.

"We are talking about innocent orphans and widowers here, Dora! You know how I feel about that," Maisie says.

"I can not let you put your life in danger, Maise," Dora says, now close to tears.

"Dora, I will be okay. Trust me! Please, believe in me," Maisie says as she walks over to Dora and hugs her.

"Okay, but me and Rufus and Stew are coming with you!" Dora says still not happy, but she must trust Maisie. She knows Maisie needs this trust from her.

"So tell me more about this ruthless Alpha," Maisie says, turning to the two Alphas in front of her. They are looking past her, though, at the old witch that is downing a bottle of vodka, their mouths hanging open in disbelieve. For such an old fragile old witch she has can drink!

"Don't worry about Dora. Her power gets stronger the drunker she gets," Maisie says, laughing at the two Alpha's faces.

"Well, then okay! Alpha Morgan was a beta before he got an object so powerful it made him crazy. His mind was not strong enough to withstand it. The object is made for a Beta and is supposed to make him clever and stronger to support his Alpha, but Beta Morgan has gone crazy, and his Alpha could not handle him. He killed his Alpha and took over the pack. No, he is the Alpha Morgan," Alpha Watson explains to Maisie. Maisie looks at her finger with the ring on it. She thinks she looks at Stew. He has a powerful mind. He might be able to handle an object like that.

"I will help you on one condition. If I beat Alpha Morgan, I want that object. We can not let it land in the wrong hands again," Maisie says. The two Alpha's agree. They can not put their packs at risk with an object like that. They don't want to put their own lives and those of their families at risk as well.

"Deal!" Alpha Luckas says. They know this young Alpha standing in front of them is powerful, more potent than Alpha Morgan.

"You all go ahead. I will follow you. We drive straight to this Alpha's pack. I will challenge him, and if he is crazy as you say he is, he will accept my challenge," Maisie says.

"This object is it a bracelet with a book engraved in it?" Dora asks as they all start walking to their trucks.

"Yes, it is. How did you know?" Alpha Watson asks Dora.

"I am a wise old witch. I know a lot. It is the braclet of wishdom. A strong-minded and clever Beta can only wear it. A weak, stupid beta will go crazy if the bracelet does not accept him and thinks it is more clever than the beta. It will suck all knowledge out of his brain and then start to destroy his mind," Dora says. She does not say anything about the skull ring. She does not want other greedy Alphas to know about Maisie's ring and try to challenge her for it. She knows like all species, wolves like to gossip, and soon everyone will learn about the skull ring, and all strong Alpha's will come to challenge Maisie. Her old heart will not be able to stand it. It is enough that Maisie wants to fight a crazy old beta. They drive off in silence. Dora looks worried, and she does not like to put her pups in danger! She loves them like her own. Soon they reach a border, and the two Alpha's warriors are waiting for them. They see Maisie and start mumbling among each other as the car stops. Maisie knows what they think. She is young and a she-wolf. How can she challenge Alpha Morgan and not their Alphas as they do not have Alpha blood in their veins? They can not feel the power she radiates. She smiles and walks into the territory of Alpha Morgan. Soon his border patrol stops them and asks them their business.

"I am here to challenge your Alpha," Maisie says, and the Border patrol starts laughing.

"Who do you think you are to challenge our Alpha?" One asks.

"I am the Alpha of the Full Moon Pack, and my mate is Markus Blackwell," Maisie says. Everyone goes quiet. They all know Alpha Blackwell. He is the most powerful Alpha in the Americas. His Red Moon Pack is famous.

"Come with us," The border patrol says, still looking at Maisie. She had to use Markus Blackwell's name to get them to respect their challenge. She knows they have already mind-linked their Alpha and told him the news. As they step into the clearing, Alpha Morgan is waiting for them. He has a grin on his face. He is looking forward to this challenge. If he mates with Markus Blackwell's mate, Markus will become heartbroken and weak, and he will take over his pack and become the most powerful Alpha in the Americas.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here, the mate of the big bad Alpha Markus Blackwell. Well, sweetheart, if I win this fight, you will be my mate! I will take you as my own, and Markus Blackwell will be destroyed!" He says. Maisie's wolf growls at him. He knows she has Alpha blood in her, and he can not take her on in wolf form.

"You first have to beat me, beta!" Maisie says, his anger flicker over his face. He tried to anger her by talking about her mate, so she refuses to call him an Alpha, which angers him.

"Alpha Morgan, sweetheart!" He growls at her.

"Whatever, you are just a weak-minded beta in my eyes," She mocks him to anger him even more. She knows angry wolves does not fight with their brains and wants to use their brutal strength.

"You will regret those words as you lie in my bed tonight! I will make you scream my name all night long until you can not take it anymore," He says, but Maisie smiles. She can see he is angry.

"You have wild dreams. My mate is ten thousand times stronger than you, beta. In my eyes, a murderer can never be called an Alpha as he does not have the power of a true Alpha," Maisie taunts him more.

"We will see who is weak, you b***h! You bloody mutt! Carrier of flees!" He screams at her. Maisie smiles. That is where she wants him. The other Alphas admire her for staying calm and collected and making the Alpha so mad that he is even weaker because of his anger. They know very well, an Alpha has to keep his cool to fight at his or her best, but this ruthless, mindless, weakling of a Beta can not control his anger, and it means he will fight with brutal strength only and not with the few brains cells he has left. This is an excellent technique from Alpha Maise, the mate of the most powerful Alpha in the Americas.