The Hybrid Queen Unedited

The throne room was crowded, the same way it had been when Reid had been captured on the Manor grounds. The room seemed abnormally bright and cold when we walked inside. Elijah still holding my hand, Sophie walking slowly behind us. Once Elijah waited for me to be seated on my throne, he took his seat and waved at Collin and Cal, who were standing by the doors we had just come in. They both nodded and stepped outside for a moment, only to return with Amilia and Summer. A buzzing whisper erupted from the bystanders in the throne room. “Silence,” Elijah ordered as Summer and Amilia came to a stop before him. Summer bowed before us and Amilia followed suit. “Your Grace, Your Majesty. Summer has returned with some bad news,” Amilia began, glancing at Summer. As I sat there, watching her, I realized just how bad she looked. Her skin was ashen looking, her hair was pale and she was sweating. She looked horrible. Elijah sighed. “It had better be good news otherwise you returning to court would have been a bad idea Summer. What information do you have,” Elijah demanded. Summer raised her head. “We were attacked at the Black Tower,” she said, her voice soft. Everyone in the room was able to hear her. It was easy to even hear a cricket outside by the edge of the forest. I leaned forward a little, my eyes on her face. Something was wrong with her. I waved for a maid and she hurried over to me, leaning down. “I would like you to get Summer a glass of water and a chair please,“I said under my breath. Elijah leaned over to me. “What are you doing?”I shook my head. “Something is not right with her,” I answered. Elijah sighed and leaned away now, waving for Summer to continue. “When we arrived back at the Black Tower, there were Hunters waiting for us there. They were prepared as if they knew we were coming,” she mumbled. I watched her swae a litte. “They took us... tried to get us to talk... they killed him... but I didn’t say anything... he is looking for a way to get to her,” she mumbled. Elijah leaned forward. “Do you know who sent the hunters?” he demanded. “Who was killed? Who is looking for who?” His voice filled the room, the power of the Alpha. Before Summer could answer, her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell face first into the polished stone floor. I jerked up from my chair and rushed over to her. I turned her gently and checked her pulse. It was weak and hard to feel. “She barely has a pulse,” I said loudly. Amilia was next to me, lifting up Summer’s shirt. There was a large wound on her side. Amilia touched it lightly and sniffed the blood on her fingers. “Wolfsbane!” she hissed under her breath. I shuddered, remembering how the poison had affected me when I had been shot. I looked up at Elijah who was on his feet now. “Take her to the infirmary. I want updates on her every hour until she wakes,” he said to a tall, grey haired man who bowed and proceeded to gather Summer into his arms and vanish down the hall. “Cal, Collin!” Elijah called and the two men appeared at his side. I was not surprised to see Amilia at Cal’s side now. They were holding hands and Amilia looked worried. When she caught my eye she forced a smile on her face quickly. Elijah sighed when he saw his sister beside Cal once more. He should have come to terms with them being Mates by now. “Cal, Collin, I want you to go to the Black Gate and figure out what the hell happened. Call me as soon as you find anything,” he said. Both Cal and Collin nodded and turned away from him. Cal turned to face Amilia and scooped her up in his arms. “I will be back as soon as I can, my Love,” he told her. Amilia nodded and tried to put on a brave face, however it was hard for her. Her Mate was leaving on a dangerous mission and it was unclear how long he would be away. I looked up at Elijah and knew we would not be going to his family cabin anytime soon. The day was still early, not even midday yet. With Summer back in the Manor and Cal and Colin leaving to see what they could find at the Black Gate I knew she would be freaking out. If it had been Elijah, I knew I would be a hot mess and freaking and stressing out the entire time he was away. I looked up at Elijah and sighed. “Is it wise to send them?” I asked Elijah. He sighed and turned to face me. “What do you mean?” he asked me, pulling me to his chest. I leaned into him, the smell of him filling me. “Summer just returned here, poisoned from wolfsbane. She said someone was killed? Where is her father?” I asked him in a hushed voice. There was a quiet hum filling the room now, members of Elijah’s guard and other Pack members were talking now. Some of them glaring at me and others straight up throwing daggers, looking to kill. I knew what they were thinking, of course and it made me feel even more unwelcome then before. To them I was nothing more than an outsider. How many of them would speak up before Elijah and I took to the throne for good?I sighed and shoved the thoughts aside. There were more important matters to attend to. “They will be fine. Cal and Collin know how to handle hunters,” he said as we sat down on our thrones. I glanced around the room again. People were standing around the room, in huddled groups, talking. If what Summer had said was true, she would be in danger and would not be able to leave here until this threat was dealt with. I wondered if Elijah knew this. I stood and turned to face him. “I am going to check on Summer,” I said and leaned down to press my lips to his cheek. The whispering in the hall grew louder. I forced a smile on my face “Why?” he asked me. I sighed and shrugged. “She is here and she is sick. She is for now, still part of this pack,” I said. Elijah shook his head, looking away, out into the room. “She was banished,” he reminded me. I nodded. “She was. Yet you did not order her dead as soon as she arrived here,” I reminded him in turn. Elijah sighed, frustrated and stood to his feet and walked over to a table for some wine. “No,” he admitted. “I didn’t. However she can not stay here. I know of how she has treated you, the things she has said. And the attempt on your life,” he answered me. I folded my arms and shrugged. “I am a forgiving person,” I said. Elijah laughed. “I know you are. Perhaps too forgiving,” he said. He nodded to Amilia and she appeared at my side. “Go with Faye to the infirmary. She wishes to see Summer,” he said. Amilia turned to face me. “Why?” she demanded. Elijah set his wine glass down. “Because I said so. Now go,” he ordered. I looped my arm through Amilia’s and dragged her away from her brother. “Come with me,” I hissed at her. Amilia glanced back at her brother before following me. We were about halfway down the hall when I noticed something. There was a knocked over vase, shattered on the floor by the corner of the hall. “How did that happen?” I asked, walking forward. Once I reached the corner I did my best not to scream. Sophia lay there, blood leaking from her lips, her skin pale and she breathing shallow. “Sophia!” I yelled, kneeling down beside her. Amilia rushed forward and propped her mother up on her chest. “Mom!” she whispered. “Mom, can you hear me?”“Guard!” I screamed. “Please, someone help us!”Elijah was the first one out of the throne room, followed by other pack members. Once he saw his mother his face became grim and closed off. That is when I knew that he knew her time was coming. The death of his father was killing his mother. I stood and gripped his hand. “Take the Queen Mother to her chambers,” I said. Elijah seemed speechless. He had to have known this was coming. It was a proven medical fact that his mother was dying. The best doctor in the world, Mortal or Immortal, was no longer able to help Sophia. Her body had given up the will to live. Once Sophia was in her chambers, we all stood in the hallway, waiting for the docton to come and tell us the worst news we all knew was coming. Elijah stood beside me, looking out the window, his face blank and his eyes too far away for me to try and reach him now. So I stood there beside him, holding his hand. Every once in a while, he would sigh and his thumb would run the length of my wrist and hand. I was unable to bring myself to speak. There were no words for me to speak that would bring him comfort now. I looked around the crowded hallway. Everyone was here. Amilia and Cal stood at the end of the hallway, Amilia’s face streaked with tears. Cal was unable to take his eyes off of her. Everytime a tear leaked from the corner of her eye, she was quick to wipe it away. At least Sophia had lived long enough to see all of her children find their Mates. Now there was no choice but for me to step up and be queen. I sighed when I thought of that. I knew I was not ready and yet this fate was being thrust upon me and there was nothing I would be able to do. I forced my eyes away from Amilia and Cal, looking around the hallway now. Lily and Tay were standing by a window, both of them leaning into each other, speaking in low voices. When they saw me looking at them, they both leaned away from each other and returned my stare with a glaring scowle. I heard Elijah growl beside me and I looked up at him to see him watching Lily and Tay. They both bowed their heads and did not look at us again. “What was that about?” I whispered in a low voice. I spoke softly. No one else here would hear us. Elijah sighed. “It’s nothing,” he answered, but his face and eyes told another story. I stared at him, waiting for him to answer me. Elijah sighed once more and broke his glare from the two girls across the hall. “They are wondering if they should leave the Pack. They think our end is coming.”I felt my face go blank. There was only one reason why they would feel that way. Everything had been normal before I had come here. Beside the attack on my Pack House last year that resulted in the death of Elijah and Amilia’s father, I would be the only reason they felt unsafe. I suddenly felt ill. I was casing everyone away. I was destroying this Pack from the inside. A sob hitched in my throat. Elijah looked down at me, his arms going around me. “No tears, Love,” he whispered. “This has been a long time coming and my mother has come to terms with her death a long time ago. She will be at peace and no longer in pain.”He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand that Reid had caused his father’s death. His love for me was blinding him to the fact that I was bad luck. I was bad juju. Perhaps I was cursed because I was a half witch. Could he not see that I was the one that was causing all of his strife? Could he not see that I may not be the perfect match for him? The thought of that made my heart break, the pain of it ripping through my middle. I wrapped an arm around my middle as if it could keep me together somehow. A small growl erupted from Elijah as he turned to face me. “What is it?” he demanded. “Are you hurt and not say anything?” I blinked, the pain easing some. He had felt that? He could feel my pain? How was that even possible? We were not even mated yet and he was able to feel the emotional pain I did? Elijah reached for me and examined me, his hands gliding over my arms and shoulders. I sighed and shook my head. How would I have gotten hurt? I hadn’t been in a fight or anything. I pulled my arms away from him, but Elijah refused to let me go. The sensation and tension I was getting from him was throwing me off. It seemed to throw him off as well. He was towering over me now, leaning in. Before he could do anything then glare at me, the door beside us opened. The doctor sighed and bowed before us before she spoke. “It is not good, your majesty’s. She is in her last minutes. You should say your goodbyes,” she said in a low voice. She then bowed before us again before vanishing down the hall. I watched her go. That was it? That was all she had to say? I sighed and turned to face Elijah who was giving Cal instructions about The Haven. A shiver went up my spine. The Haven. The place we took our dead to rest, a place of peace and darkness. I wondered about my mother. As much as I despised her at the moment, it was hard for me not to wonder if she had made it to The Haven. I wondered about the rest of my Pack. “Faye?” Elijah’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and I turned to face him once more. He had his hand held out for me and I took it eagerly. I knew he was in pain. I could see it in his eyes. He did a good job of keeping from everyone else. I however, knew better. Suddenly I could not handle it and it made me feel even worse. I could not handle the fact that yet another parent was dying. I could not handle the fact that Elijah did not seem to understand that Orais was responsible for his father’s death and by extension so was I. Pulling my hand from his I came to a stop outside Sophia’s bedroom door. Elijah let my hand go and it fell to my side. “You should go. You and Amilia. She is your mother and you need to say goodbye,” I told him. Elijah watched me, his eyes tight at the false tone in my voice but he sighed and turned away from me. I knew what he was thinking. I could catch small pieces of his thoughts. He was worried. He felt that I was pushing him away again. Perhaps I was. Perhaps I was ruining what we were supposed to have. He would come looking for me as soon as Sophia was gone. He would need me. And I would be there for him. Full of guilt and shame.

Elijah...

The days following my mother’s death seemed to be shrouded by darkness. It was not at all like it had been when I had found out my father had died when he went to see his friend and Faye’s father. That day had been full of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky had been seen. Today was more fitting. Today we mourned a Queen. Rain drummed against my office window and thunder rolled across the sky. I sipped my scotch and wondered why Fay had been acting so odd the past three days. Every time I was around her, all I could sense was a feeling of remorse and a feeling of regret. I passed it off as her mourning however now I was beginning to think it was more than that. She had requested nothing from me. She had not come near me willingly since my mother had passed. She did not go and say goodbye to her like I had hoped she would. What was wrong with her? Had I upset her in some way? Or did she blame herself for my mother’s death? That thought, even with my mind being quick and fast understanding, took me by surprise. There was no way she blamed herself, was there? That was just silly. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Amilia’s number. “Yes?” she answered. I set my scotch glass on my desk. “Come to my office please,” I said. I heard something in the background and assumed it was Cal. It bothered me little now that they were Mate’s. However I did not trust him around Fayemuch. Amilia cleared her throat. “What is the matter?” she asked me. I sighed and flexed my wrist and fingers, my anger pulsing through me. “Now,” I snapped at her and ended the call. I knew, deep down I was being a dick, but Faye had refused to speak to me at dinner and I needed to have her at my side now more than ever. If she was suddenly having second thoughts about being my Mate, I would just have to convince her otherwise. I needed her. I needed her here, right now, but she had refused to come, saying she wanted to train by herself. I had asked Collin to keep an eye on her without being seen. So far she has been to our room and the gym. I sighed again and wondered why she was so distant. I reached and refilled my glas with more scotch when there was a soft knock at my door. “Enter,” I said at once. My office door opened and Amilia walked in, my Guard closing the doors behind her. Amilia, like the rest of us, was dressed in black. She was in a floor length strapless dress, her blond hair almost silver in the pale light of the room. I sighed when she stopped before me. “Yes?” she demanded again. I raised an eyebrow. “Where is Faye?” I asked her. Amilia rolled her eyes. “Am I Faye’s keeper?” Amilia snapped at me. “Whatever is going on between the two of you-”I cut her off quickly. “Has she said something to you?” I demanded. Amilia shook her head. “No, but clearly she is upset about something and you obsess for God’s know what is getting annoying. Talk to her! Preferably before the service. The Haven will be here soon to collect mother so make sure you are all ready,” she said and stormed from the room. I sighed and followed her, however she was already gone, having vanished down the east hall. I drew out my phone when it rang. It was Collin telling me that Faye was on her way back to her room. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and hurried to our room.I would only ask her once. And I would demand she tell me why she refused to speak to me. If my previous thought was correct, I knew I would be the one on my knees, begging her to forgive me for ever having made her think I was angry about that. When I reached my room, I stopped. I could hear the shower running and I was reminded of our morning in the shower together. She had been so bold and willing. She had surprised me. I had been so ashamed to have even asked her to shower with me that I had told her to forget it all together. She had come to me anyway, knowing full well I would not be able to keep my hands off of her for long. I sighed and shoved the door open. The water was still running and I could hear her sigh under the steaming water. I walked to the bathroom and stood there a moment. I wanted so badly to open the door and join her. However until I was sure what had her upset with me I knew I would not be welcome. I heard the water shut off and I backed away from the door quickly and walked to my dresser. “Elijah?” she asked, her voice coming from the bathroom door now. I turned and saw her standing there, in the doorway, wrapped in a towel. Her face was flushed with blood and her hand clutched the towel to her chest. She looked tiny and fragile standing there. “We need to talk,” I admitted. Faye nodded and she took a seat on the bed. It surprised me she didn’t want to dress herself first. It was quite cold in the room and the rain outside was making the temperature drop. I watched her shiver, goosebumps raising on her wet skin. I swallowed loudly. It was hard to stand here and not touch her. I had been so close to her just the day before, her body against mine, skin to skin. Faye watched me cross the room and come to sit beside her. “I am sorry I have not been communicating,” she said before I could speak. I smile and shake my head. “I am sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t talk to me,” I admitted. She was shaking her head before I had even finished. I waited for her to speak but she remained silent. I sighed and reached and took her hand in mine. “Faye, you have to tell me what you are thinking. I only get bits and pieces from you. I can not see onto your mind like I can everyone else’s,” I reminded her. She sighed and her face became troubled once more. “Whatever is bothering you, I am sure I can help!”Faye shook her head at me. “Only you can’t, Elijah,” she said as she pulled her hand from mine. “You do realize your father is dead because of me, right?” she demanded. I sighed. We had been through this once and I had thought we would not have to revisit this conversation, however Faye did not seem reassured one bit. I should have spoken to her about this sooner. How could I have not seen it? I smiled at her. “Feye, you are not to blame for my father’s death. Or my mother’s,” I answered her. She shook her head again and pulled her hand free from my grasp. With her face still troubled she stood to her feet. The pain on her face made my heart ache. “I am. And for that I am sorry,” she answered. I let my arms fall to my lap and shook my head. “How?” I asked her. She blinked at me. “How what?”“How are you responsible?” I clarified.Faye twisted her hands and looked at her feet, biting her lip. “A man who I believed to be my father all my life turned out to be not my father. He is the man who killed my father. I will never know him. I will never know if I am anything like him. All I know is that I am like Reid-”I stood to my feet quickly. “You are nothing like him!” I snapped at her. Faye stepped away from me as I walked toward her. She bumped into the bed and sat back down, looking up at me. I must look terrifying to her right now, with her exposed and vulnerable. I sighed and dropped to my knees before her. “This has not changed the way I feel about you, Faye. I still love you and I still wish for you to become my Mate. My wife,” I reminded her. She had to understand that this news did not change a single thing about my feelings to her. She was my world and I would never let her be hurt by anyone. Looking down at me, her face even more flushed than before, I noticed the fierceness in her eyes, the strength behind them that I had not seen in her before. “I want that too, Elijah...” she whispered to me. That was all I needed to hear. I knew we would be OK if we could overcome the fact that she had been deceived into thinking that Orais was her father. I reached up to her, my fingers brushing her shoulder. I pulled her in and pressed my lips to hers. Faye sighed in content and her arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me to her. We fell back against the sheets, my hands on either side of her head. I did my best to keep myself from losing control. She had said she wanted to Mate. Yet I still felt she needed more time. And now was definitely not the time. My hands wandered over her shoulders and through her damp hair. She was becoming strong. Her muscles flexed under my fingers and it made me happy to know she was taking care of herself now. I needed her to be healthy. We both broke apart when she pushed me away, her face flushed. I watched her, wondering what she was thinking. “Elijah, we need to get dressed,” she reminded me. I nodded, my head sinking to her neck. Her mark was still there, faded, but still visible. I pressed my lips to her skin and marveled in the feel of her. A shudder rocked tnrough her and I smiled. “When The Haven leaves, we will go. I am done waiting. I am done not being able to have you. We will make the trip to my cabin and have a romantic weekend away with each other,” I murmured against her skin. Her hands wandered through my hair and I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. “That would be great,” she answered. I leaned away from her now, pulling her up with me. “Go get dressed. I will wait here for you,“I told her and turned to face my dresser. She smiled at me and skipped off to the bathroom. I was not sure if she was playing with me. She seemed all over the place to me. The Haven would come, perform the service and then take my mother’s body away, officially making Faye my queen. I sighed. I knew this weekend would not be possible for us to get away. I would officially crown Faye Queen and she would rule with me for many years to come. I reached into my dresser and pulled out a black beaded dress shirt. It was the same one that I had worn when The Haven came to take my father. I pulled it on and turned to face myself in the mirror. Only I didn’t see myself. I saw Feye. She was dressed in a floor length black, beaded long sleeve dress, her raven hair tied into a braided knot. I turned to look at her now. She smiled a little when I appraised her. I yearned to touch her now, in ways I knew would lead to actions that would never allow us to leave this room. I sighed. There was one more thing that was bothering me now. “Faye...” I began but stopped, suddenly not sure how to continue. Since when had I become so speechless around her? Was it because of the impending coronation? No. I was ready to see that crown on her head, I was ready to see her sit on that thrown. I was ready to call her mine. “Yes?” she asked when I didn’t speak. I sighed and took her hands. “After today, things are going to move pretty quickly. We will be crowned by the end of the week,” I told her. I watched her face go blank with shock for a moment. She saw my worried expression and composed herself quickly. “That’s OK,” she said, her voice a little breathless. “I mean, I was hoping to have a little time to prepare for it but I understand,” she ausre me. I cupped her face in my hands. “Do you?” I asked her. She nodded quickly and smiled, reaching up to touch my face. “I do. I am here and with you now. I have decided to let the past be the past. Reid is my past who is coming back to haunt me. I am not afraid of him. I never really have been,” she answered me. I was not sure I really believed her and I hated feeling that way. I knew Reid had to be dealt with. Sooner rather than later. He was a risk to us all. A shifter wolf, teaming up with Hunters and Warlocks. I wondered if Faye knew he had help from other warlocks and witches. “Where would you like to go for our honeymoon?” I asked her. Faye looked up at me, surprised by my question. “Oh,” she said, and then shrugged. “I’m not sure. Why don’t you surprise me?” she asked.I sighed. It was hard to get things out of her. I wish I knew a way other than trying to pry the things out of her that I wanted to know. It should be easy to read her face or even get a glimpse of her thoughts, however it was like she was on FM and I was on AM. “How about you think about it and let me know when you think of something?” I suggested. She was going to tell me what she wanted, one way or another. This was the best way to do so. I would leave the decision making up to her. Before she could respond, Faye suddenly jolted up off the bed, her face turning to the window behind her, almost as if someone had called her name. I knew better, though. I knew no one had called her because I had heard no one myself. I watched her, her face had gone white and her eyes were locked on the window. “Faye?” I asked, getting to my feet. “What is it, Love?”She didn’t get a chance to answer. There was a loud sharp knock on the door and it opened before either of us could answer. Collin and Amilia were both in the doorway, looking out of breath and flushed. Amilia looked worried, her eyes locked on Feye. Collin however was only looking at me. He bowed his head for a moment. “Forgive the intrusion, You Magesties, but there is a matter in the Throne Room that requires your presents immediately,” he said. This made Faye move. She was almost running to the door. Amilia caught her hand and ran with her. That is when I could feel everyone’s fear and surprise. What has happened now? What could have possibly happened to have my whole Court in a damn frenzy? I sighed and followed Collin, who did not speak as we raced to the Throne Room. The grim look on his fave said all I needed to know.

Reid.