The Hybrid Queen Unedited

It was all happening again. I would lose everyone I knew and everyone I loved. Same time of night, same place and in the same way. The Hunters had come for us. We had run into the woods in an attempt to get away. They would be faster. They always were. They would find me and I would be right back at the Pound. Once there, I wondered if they would let me have at least one phone call. I laughed at myself and shook my head. Who was I kidding? I would never see the inside of a Cell again. I would be taken straight to the wall once they found out who I was. I looked around. I could hear small movements in the woods around me. “Amilia?” I screamed into the blackness around me. Everything was quiet, a thick, black fog shrouded me. I hugged my legs to my chest. What had I been thinking, coming here? We should have known better. I should have known better. I should have listened to Elijah when he said it was too dangerous right now. He had told me that Hunters were everywhere and looking for Wolves. I felt a sob hitch in my throat. I would never see him again. I knew that much. The Mark on my neck tingles at the thought. I placed my hand over it. This would be the only reminder I would ever have of him. Tears welled up and gushed down my cheeks. What had I done? I had thrown away my only chance at ever being happy. It was good that I was not Mated, I guess. Elijah would be able to find someone else, someone he cared for, even fall in love with, and Mate with her before his time was up. That thought made me so angry that tears welled up in my eyes again. I sighed. I had even gotten him killed. I was unlucky like that. The fact that the Goddess had made it so that Mates can not live without each other was baffling to me in some ways. If a wolf lost their Mate, it was only a matter of time. Elijah would waste away and die. His mother was living proof. She still looked young and healthy but that could change quickly. I had lost everything. I sank my head, leaning up against a tree, wrapping my arms around my knees. I would surely die here. Even worse, I was sure I had gotten Amilia killed. How would Elijah ever forgive me for that one? My head sank. This had all happened because I could not repress my need for answers. I’m not sure how long I sat there, rocking back and forth, trying to think of a way out of this when the sound of a snapping twig made me jump. “Amilia?” I called, looking around. There was no answer, however something did catch my eye and it made me lurch to my feet. I stood there, stiff as a board. A bright, white light was coming toward me through the trees, slow and shimmering. Something was pressing into the side of my back, something sharp and jagged. I tried to ignore it so I could figure out what the hell was coming at me. As the light got closer, I could see it was walking on two legs. I growled a small warning at it but he was still coming at me. Steady and slow. I ripped the backpack from my back, realizing I still had the USB from my father’s study in my hand. I quickly put in the pack and looked inside. The picture frame had broken and there was glass at the bottom of the pack. I sighed and dropped it to the ground. The light was about one hundred feet away from me. I could now see that the light was a person, walking deliberately slow, holding up a lantern. She was dressed in a long white silk dress, her dark, ebony hair was loose, blowing in the soft breeze. Once she was a few feet away from me, and I was able to see her face, I felt the blood leave my face and my heart drop.I knew what I was seeing was impossible. I must have hit my head somewhere. Or perhaps I was dreaming. I closed my eyes but her steps got closer, ever so quiet and ever so light. When I look back at her, she is only a few feet away from me, her face smiling and her eyes as bright as the day she had passed. Her face, with sharp edges and curves, was soft and loving, her eyes, as black as they had always been, were looking right at me, waiting for me to speak. Only I could not find my voice. Perhaps I had gone mute now? I found it impossible to form any words. I felt my eyes well up with tears as she held her arms out for me. Without thinking much about it, I threw myself at my mother and was ready to cry for a week, however I passed right through her and landed face first in the dirt. My mother turned to face me. She watched me as I turned back to look at her, her face filled with anguish. “What is going on here?” I demanded. My mother smiled. “You are in The Land Of The Spirits,” she told me. I felt my heart drop. “I’m dead?!” I demanded. Elijah would surely die soon then. If a Wolf dies, her Mate dies with her. The pain of losing your soulmate slowly kills you. Perhaps he would have enough time to put someone worthy on his throne. My mother shook her head. “No, you are not dead, Faye. You Shadow Jumped here. By mistake, I will admit, however you did it none the less. You were meant to come here,” she said. I glared at her. “Meant to come here?” I mocked her. “What does that even mean?”My mother sighed and looked at her lantern. “We do not have much time. He will be here soon and there are things you need to know,” she told me. I rolled my eyes. For some reason I was mad at her. Had she been able to come and see me the entire time? Why was she waiting till now to speak to me. We were of Native American descent. It was in our blood to speak to the dead. “Who is coming? Reid?” I demanded“It is high time You know the truth of your birth, Faye,” she told me, ignoring my questions. I felt my face fall. “The truth about my birth?” I demanded. Larson’s words came back to me and how he had called me a Hybrid. What was this supposed to mean? I was a wolf. That was it. I had no other abilities. Or did I?“I never had the chance to tell you. Too many things got in the way of telling you who and what you really are,” she said as we walked. I watched her now, the feeling of resentment and anger was getting to me. Why was I so angry with her? My mother looked at me. “I know how upsetting this must be for you,” she told me. I laughed bitterly at her. “Upsetting? That is a big understatement,” I muttered. My mother sighed. “I wish I could have come for you sooner,” she admitted. “However it was too dangerous for me. And for you. Had he found out that I was able to come forth from the Underworld, he would have come for me and truly killed me. Killed me in a way that would have not allowed me to come back or be reborn,” she said. I reached for her again, and this time I was able to grab her, make her stop and turn and face me. She looked down at my finger warped around her wrist. “You have been here too long already. We do not have much time,” she said and grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I stood my ground. “I need answers!” I demanded. My mother smiled at me. “You sound like the Queen you were meant to be,” she said. I dropped her hand. “You know of Elijah?” I asked her. My mother smiled and then pointed to my fresh Mark. “Yes, I know,” she said. I blushed and covered it quickly. “Mom,” I said, my voice becoming desperate. “Faye, what I am about to tell you, will shock you,” she told me. “And I wish I could have told you sooner. I wanted to but your father-”I cut her off. “Please, just tell me. It already seems that strangers already know more about me than I do. It is not a nice feeling,” I said. My mother sighed and closed her eyes. “I am not your real mother, I birthed you, but I am not your mother,” she told me. “And Reid is not your father.”I felt the shock of her words rock through me for a moment, followed by confusion. I shake my head, trying to understand. What was she saying? That my whole life, my whole being, my personality was a lie? If that were so, was I even supposed to be with Elijah? I felt the blood drain from my face. “Why are you doing this?” I demanded. “Because, you need to know this before things go to far-”I shake my head and fling her hand that I was still holding away from me. “What is this? Some kind of trick from Reid? He is somewhere nearby, right?” I demanded. “Faye!” my mother shouted at me. No. She was not my mother. She was a stranger. “Reid is not your father either. I was pregnant when I met him. He was a wolf. I am a witch,” she told me. I nodded. So that is what Larson had meant when he called me a hybrid. “So what does that make me?” I demanded. “I could lose everything because of this! Do you have any idea what I have been through?” I demanded. The woman shook her head. “You are asking the wrong questions, Faye!” she reminded me. There was a rustling in the bushes behind her and a small girl, dressed in a small red dress and blond pigtails stepped out. “He is getting close. You are running out of time, Rosalie,” she said. “Great!” I said and threw my hands up. “Even your name was a lie!”Rosalie turned to face me again. “There are things you do not understand. There is a book, in my bedroom under the floorboards, that will tell you all you need to know,” she told me. I sighed and shook my head. “Why should I believe anything you say?” I demanded of her. Rosalie smiled. “Because I am the only one you have right now. No one else will be able to help you the way I will. Not even your King!” she told me. I sighed, trying to think. If I went back to the house, I would more than likely get caught by Reid. If he didn’t get me, Elijah surely would. He was fast. He would stop me before I even reached the creek. I looked back up at Rosalie. She was alone now. She was watching me. “How far away is he?” I demanded. Rosalie shrugged. “Your friend that was with you is already on the other side... she is gone,” she said, as her eyes went in and out of focus.“Amilia?” I squeaked. “Is she alive? Is she hurt?”Rosalie shook her head. “No. However I see her and she is safe for the time being. She is with her Pack. You must go now!” she urged me. I rolled my eyes at her. “How?” I asked her. “How am I supposed to do that?”Rosalie produced a small dagger from her pocket. I gasped. It was the dagger Reid had said that had been passed down from Alpha to Alpha. It was used by the witches. “This is a witches rune knife,” she told me. I looked at the silver blade, gleaming brightly in the moonlight. There were glowing runes on it and it seemed to be pulling me in. I nodded and reached for the dagger. As soon as my fingers closed around it, I felt the forest floor drop out from beneath my feet. I screamed as the darkness swallowed me whole. Has it been a trick? I clutched the dagger in my hand, my knuckles white. When my feet slammed home, I fell face first into a wall, crashing into a framed painting on my mother’s bedroom wall. I heard someone yell from below. I had to hurry. I looked around the room quickly, looking for the spot my mother had described. Then I realized all she had said was that the book was under the floorboards. I crawled as quietly as I could around the floor, looking and feeling for the loose boards. When I found them, they were right beside my mother’s bed. I pried the warped wood apart and reached down into the hole, feeling around for the book. Once I found it, I pulled it out. As soon as I had the book in my hands, I heard a loud shot. First I felt bang. Then pain. I screamed, dropping the book to the floor and holding my side. Something was pinching my side. I looked down to see a silver chain wrapped around my waist, a syringe sticking from my side. I grab it and yank it free. This is the second time in twenty four hours that I have been shot up with Wolfsbane. The hunters were still here. Why had Rosalie sent me back when they were still here? Did she know I might die?“No!” A thundering voice boomed. I knew that voice. “Elijah!” I screamed. But I gripped the book tighter, pressing the book to my chest. No one would take this from me. It was the only thing I had left of my mother. “You shot your Queen!” Elijah boomed as he burst through the bedroom door. He was at my side in a flash, freeing me of the chains and ripping the needle from my flesh. I gasped and felt the darkness wash up over me. “This is the second time she has been hit with Wolfsbane,” Amilia said. “How was she hit the first time?” he demanded. Amilia sighed. “We were tracked by Hunters. We should go, now. It is not safe here!”I heard Elijah growl at her. “I will deal with you later!” he snapped. The last thing I remembered was Elijah picking me up in his arms and heading for the door. “If she dies, I will have your head. I could care less if you are my only sister!”

***

When I woke, the sky was still dark outside and I was in my room, back at the Manor. No. Not my room. Elijah’s room. I sighed, wincing in pain. Breathing hurt. Looking down at myself, I realize my clothes had been removed and I had been dressed in a silk nightgown. Who had dressed me? I doubted Amilia had done it. I could still hear his words ringing in my ears. If she dies, I will have your head. I could care less if you are my only sister!I shuddered. This was not Amilia’s fault. It was mine. I pushed the blanket away from me and got to my feet. The room swirled around me, making me feel sick again. I stood still for a moment, waiting for the room to stop spinning. It took a few moments. I had not heard my bedroom door open. I jumped when the door closed with a sharp snap. I turned to see Summer standing in my room, her arms behind her back. Her blond hair up in a ponytail, sleek andshimmering and her blue eyes were locked on me. “Your Grace,” she said, and bowed her head. I gripped the bed post for support. “What do you want?” I asked her. Summer sighed. “I have been assigned to you by order of his Grace, King Elijah,” she answered. I shook my head. “Amilia is-”Summer cut me off quickly with a small smile she was trying to hide from me. “She will no longer be serving you, Faye,” she said. I shook my head. “Where is she?” I demanded. Elijah must know I was OK. He would not have killed his only sister for something that was my idea, would he? I wobbled over to my dresser to get some clothes. Summer however slammed it back closed once I opened it. “She has been released from her duties to you. Now get back into bed,” she said, her face far too happy. I scowled at her. “She did nothing wrong!” I argued. Summer turned to face me now, her hand still blocking my dresser. “She did nothing wrong?” she repeated. “Faye, you do realize you have been missing for six full days, right?” she demanded of me. I felt my face go blank with shock. “What are you talking about? That is impossible!” I told her, walking back to my bed. I grabbed up my phone and looked at the date. It was November eleventh. Amilia and I had left on the Third, not including our one days trip. I sank down on my bed, my phone lay forgotten beside me. “Six days?” Summer walked to stand before me. “You had Elijah in a frenzy, you know that?” she demanded of me. “He was out of his mind with worry. He was ready to call on all of his Beta’s and the representing Tribes to find you. He knew where you were going, obviously. Your Mark told him where you were,” she said and rolled her eyes at me. “And you are supposed to be his Queen? A Queen that defies her King and goes where she pleases with only a fool of a King’s Guard as protection is no Queen! You are a fool, Faye,” she hissed at me. I glared up at her. “You are out of line!” I warned her. Summer shook her head. “I hardly think so. My job is to protect you, Faye. And I am sure that means pointing out what you are doing wrong-”I get to my feet, a growl ripping up my chest. “I am you Queen and you will not speak to me like a child!” I reminded her. Summer laughed at me now. “Then perhaps you should not act like one then, Faye,” she chided me, leaning against the wall. Behind me, the door slammed closed and we both turned to see Sophie standing there, watching us. I felt myself blush. I was sure she was angry with me as well.“Leave us,” she said to Summer. Summer stood rooted on the spot. “I am her guard now, Queen Mother, I am not to leave her side,” Summer argued. Sophie nodded and then shrugged. “Either you leave willingly or I will have you removed by the Queens Guard,” she said, opening my bedroom door again. Behind the door were the Queen Mother’s body guards. They were both big, brawny men. They looked annoyed when they saw Summer. I could not blame them. Summer glared at me for a moment and then threw Sophie afake, mocking smile and curtsied. “Yes, Queen Mother, as you wish,” she muttered. I shook my head. I knew she wanted Elijah. She did not even bother to hide that fact anymore. I knew she could not be trusted. She was a snake in the grass, waiting to strike. Summer flounced from the room, not bothering to close the door behind her, pushing the two guards out of her way. I shook my head again. I would never for the life of me understand why she acted the way she did. Sophie shook her head and sighed, closing the door herself. When she turned to face me, her face was almost loving. I was confused now. “We were so worried, Faye. I am so glad you are home safe,” she said as she walked over to my dresser and pulled a silk robe from the drawer. “Summer said I was missing for six days?” I asked her. Sophie nodded. “Yes, When Larson got out, we were looking for not just him. Once Elijah realized you were gone for too long he locked the place down and began the search for you. Summer tracked you to the sewers but that is when she lost you,” she told me. I nodded. “We went back to Vancouver. I know no one wanted me to go back there. I understand that. Elijah said it was too dangerous and I know I should have listened to him. I just-... I had to go back and see it for myself, Sophie. And I am sorry that I put Amilia in danger,” I said. Sophie watched, and then sighed. “I am not angry. Amilia is stronger than she lets on. I have seen it before. Elijah will get over his anger and she will have her position at Court as always. What I am most worried about is you. You were missing for six full days. No one was able to track you. Not even Summer,” she told me. I blinked. Summer was able to see people’s scents. Their aura. If she had not been able to find mine... where had I been? I looked around the room, my heart sinking. Where was my mother’s book? When I spotted it on my bedside table, relief washed through me. I turned back to Sophie. I was not sure how much I should tell her. My being a half witch surly changed things for me now. Witches and Wolves were not enemies but we were not friends either. “You said you were all looking for Larson. Did you find him?” I asked her. Sophie nodded. “We did. We found him in the woods, just on the rim of the forest out back. However he was dead by the time we got there. His neck had been broken and...” she stopped, looking at me for a moment, as if she was not sure if she wanted to tell me. “And?” I pressed. Sophie sighed, her face becoming stressed. She was looking a little more sickly these days. I felt bad for having worried her. “There was a hole in his chest and his heart had been removed. He was dead before we ever even knew he was missing,” she said. I shake my head, horrified. “Do we know who is responsible?” I asked although I was sure I knew who had killed him. Sophie shook her head. There was no scent for us to track. Summer was unable to find an aura to follow. That is when he called it on Larson and began looking for you,” she told me. I sank my head in shame. “I am so sorry I worried you,” I said. Sophie smiled and placed a hand on my cheek. “I am just glad you have come back to us, unharmed,” she said. Then she chuckled. “Well, almost. I was told you are recovering from wolfs bane infections?” she asked me. I nodded. “Yeah. There were Hunters outside the Manor. Did Elijah know about that?” I asked. Sophie shook her head. “No. But after the events that have taken place the past few days he is boosting security,” she answered. I nodded again. “I suppose you have me to thank for that,” I said.Before Sophie could answer, there was a sharp knock at my door. “Come in,” I said, hoping it was Elijah. I wanted to see him yet I knew once I did, things would not be as happy and loving as I wanted them to be. I had messed up. Big time. I knew that. Sure enough, once the door opened and I caught on to his scent, I knew I was done for. “Faye,” he greeted me and then faced his mother. “Mother, may I speak to my Mate alone please?” he asked her. Sophie nodded and then smiled at me. She wobbled over to the door and left us alone. I swallowed. I had never feared Elijah. Now, I was terrified to be alone with him.