The Hybrid Queen Unedited
14

Elijah was a good driver, when he was not zipping down the highway and not taking corners so fast that I was sure it would be a car accident that would kill me. He laughed at me when I told him to slow down. It was not even funny anymore. I did not mind him driving when he kept the speed reasonable. As we drove, I noticed how much more he seemed to relax, be more himself. He became more carefree the further away we drove from the manor. I liked him this way. I liked him when he was serious and demanding. I sighed in content as he reached out, seemingly without thinking much about it, and placed his hand in mine. I held his hand back, his thumb brushing the top of my hand every now and then. I looked up at him. He was relaxed, laid back in the seat, one hand on the steering wheel. His eyes were bright green, the sun cast just right on his face. He looked like an angel. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?” he asked me. I feel myself blush. I should not feel embarrassed about this anymore. I sighed. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. What was the matter with me? I felt so out of place and was acting like a ten year old school girl. I was almost seventeen. Almost an adult. It should not be this hard! Yet it was. We knew we were fated, and we were marked. Being mated was the next step. I paused, suddenly wondering just how much of the Royal standards were in place. “Elijah, I have a question,” I told him. He glanced at me for a moment, seeing the look of confusion on my face. “What is it, Faye?”

I glanced out the window. “I was wondering how-... how the mating process goes? I mean it is before or after a wedding?” I asked him.

Elijah burst out laughing at me. “A wedding?” he asked me. “Who is putting ideas in your head?“I felt a small twinge of annoyance. Was it such a silly question? “No one. Just something Amilia said,” I told him. Then the more pressing matter surfaced in my head. Reid. My father was alive? Or was that Larson just trying to keep his head? I sighed. “Faye, we will not wed until you are ready!” he promised me. I just nodded at him. Elijah sighed and I felt bad for even bringing it up. So I changed the subject. I still needed answers. “Has Larson said anything else about my father?” I asked him. Elijah glanced at me. “He is asking for my protection as King. He thinks Reid will come after him since he let slip he is still alive,” he answered. I nodded. “You know, there is one way to prove if he is telling the truth,” I tell him.Elijah glanced at me as we came to a stop before a restaurant. “I will not allow you to go looking for him,” Elijah said, his tone leaving no room for debate. I shake my head. “No, I can give the proof if my father is still alive or not. I can give you the proof if Larson is telling the truth. There are things back at my old pack house that Reid would have never left behind,” I told him. Elijah nodded. “I see where you are going with this. Things like what?“he asked me. I nodded. “My parents wedding album, there was a dagger that had been passed down to each Alpha of our tribe. I know for a fact that, if my father is still alive, that dagger will be missing,” I tell him. Elijah’s hand was gripping the steering wheel so hard right now I was worried he may snap it in half. “Elijah?”

He sighed and shot a glare at me. “So let me get this straight. You want to go and see if the man accused of trying to kill you is still alive?” he demanded. “Set aside the fact he is your father!”

I blinked. “Elijah,” I said steadily. “Yes, I need to go. I will have protection with me! I can take Collin with me too!” I reminded him but Elijah shook his head. “No, Collin is to stay at the Manor in my stead,” he reminded me. I sighed. “Well, I am still going!” I tell him. “No, you are not!” he said firmly. I glare at him. “Just because my father may or may not be alive? Don’t you think that if he were he would have been seen by now? Someone would have seen him!”Elijah jerked the car to a stop. “If a wolf does not want to be found, he can hide all his life, Faye!”I nodded. “True, but this is my father we are talking about!”Elijah raked a hand through his hair. “Faye, what if you get hurt or he is there and decides to take you away?” he demanded of me. I shake my head and reach for him, placing my fingers on the Mark I had left on his neck. “No one will ever take me away from you. No one. Even if he is alive and he tries to take me away, I can always let you know where I am. We are Marked and Linked for life,” I reminded him. Elijah sighed and closed his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. I just hate the idea of you going back there right now,” he tells me. I lean over and press my lips to his mark. “I know. But you have to be King! I understand that. So let us enjoy the rest of our day and then we can tackle our problems together!” I tell him. Elijah smiled at me and leaned in to press his lips to mine. I melted into him as soon as his lips touched mine. It was a feeling of instant calm and excitement. Suddenly I was out of my seat and he was pulling me across his lap, his lips never leaving mine.

“I am not sure how long I can go without Mating you, Faye. The need for it is so strong,” I he whispers to me. I swallow hard and feel myself blush and suddenly I am ashamed for not having told him this sooner. “Yeah about that,” I started. Elijah leans back, his hands on my hips. “Speak, Love,” he tells me. I sighed and slipped off of his lap. “Look, I know Summer must have been saying things about me. She implied as much the other day and I know she thought I was a Pack Slut before I even got here,” I tell him. Elijah looks at me confused. “What are you talking about?”I sighed. “I am saying that whatever you heard from her or from anyone else is not true!” I say. Elijah sighed and took my hand. “I need you to tell me!” he said. I felt the blood leave my face. “Tell you?” He nodded. I take a deep breath. “Elijah, I am not a virgin!” I tell him. I watch him, but his face is as impassive as ever. He stares at me for a long while. “Why do you think that would bother me?” he asked me. I sighed and closed my eyes. “I thought Amilia would have told you!”Elijah did not speak for a long time. “I am sorry I did not let Amilia send for you sooner!” he said. I shake my head. “What?”Elijah sighed. “She saw you about three moths after the attack. I refused to let her go because I was worried about losing anyone else. It is my fault you were in there that long,” he admitted. Shock and anger washed through me. He knew I had been in there? He knew where I was the entire time? I lean back and look down at my hands, trying to process. His mark tingled on my neck. I suddenly needed to get away from him but I realized I had no idea where we were. “Can we just go home please?” I asked quietly. Elijah did not say another word. He just started the car and drove back the way we had come. Once back at the manor, Elijah jumped from his car and stormed into the Manor. I grumbled. What right did he have to be angry with me? He is the one who had refused to let his sister come for me. It was not like I had many choices there. I had every right to be upset with him. I sighed. I decided I was going to go incognito. I was locking myself in my room.

I stopped at the library first. I grabbed as many books as my bag would hold and then stopped at the kitchen, filling a small plastic back with cookies, treats, apples and chips. No one would be seeing me for the rest of the day. Or perhaps longer. I was not sure yet. I was still leaving for Vancouver whether Elijah wanted me to or not. I would replace a way to get there with or without Amilia’s help. As I reached my room, Collin was standing by my bedroom door, waiting for me. He smiled when he saw me, my hands full of books and food. “You’re camping out?” he guessed. I sighed. “Just for a few days. Or at least until tomorrow,” I answer. Collin’s face went hard. “I came to speak to you about that,” he said. I opened my bedroom door and nodded for him to follow me. “About what?”I hear him sigh as I drop the books to my bed beside my half packed bag. “You will not be leaving for Vancouver tomorrow, Faye,” he tells me. I turn to face him. “The hell I am!” I spit back at him. I was fed up with everyone telling me I should not go. The only one who seemed to support me was Amilia. I needed to replace her. She would help me. She had to. She owed me that much. Or at leas“It is for your own safety and by order of his Majesty, The King,” he said as he turned away to pick up an apple. I sighed and shoved my phone in my pocket.“I am not his yet! I am not yet his mate or his queen!” I growled. “I can still do as I please!” And with that, I turned on my heel and stalked off to my room. Amilia was already waiting there for me and I ushered her inside. She looked at me, her face worried.

“Faye, what is going on?” she demanded of me as she slid her phone into her back pocket. I threw a few more things into my bag that was still sitting on my bed. “I am leaving. Tonight,” I told her. Amilia watched me as I threw the bag of food into my purse. “How soon?” she demanded of me. I turned to face her. She was at my dresser pulling out a long dress. I sighed. “As soon as I can,” I told her. “What are you doing?” I asked as she turned to face me with the dress. “Elijah will be expecting to see you at dinner,” she reminded me as she put the dress on my bed. “If you are not there, he will start looking for you and we won’t be far enough away when he does. He will replace us before we even get to the highway!”I sighed. I was still angry with him but the thought of leaving and not seeing him before I left broke me. I did not know how long the trip would be. Elijah would still be mad at me when I returned. I sighed and nodded. “We may have a problem with Collin,” I told her. Amilia looked at me, but then her face went blank and her eyes clouded over and went pitch black. She gasped and threw her head back, her mouth open, her arms and body going rigid. I took a few steps to her, my hand going out to touch her arm. Before I could touch her however, she gasped again and fell to the floor. I grabbed at her arms before she could hurt herself and lowered her onto the soft carpet. “Amilia?” My voice came out in a small squeak. I waited for her to speak but it took her a moment before her muscles relaxed and she was herself again. She sat up and leaned up against my bed. “Sorry,” she rasped at me. I shake my head. “Don’t be!” I insisted. “What was that?”Amilia closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the back of my bed. “A vision,” she admitted. I gaped at her.

“Are they always that violent?” I asked her.

Amilia shook her head again. “No. Sometimes they are softer then others. This one took me by surprise,” she admitted. I nodded as she got to her feet now.

“What did you see?” I asked her.

Amilia looked at me, her face blank and as white as a sheet. “I saw Larson. Someone is going to kill him. I am not sure who or when but we need to warn Elijah,” she said as she headed for the door. I did not wait for her to say anything. I followed her quickly to the door. She turned back to me, her face outraged. “Where do you think you are going?′ she demanded of me. I looked at her like she was crazy. “You are not going by yourself. And I am not staying behind again. If someone is going to try and kill Larson I am going with you. You never know, it could be Reid!” I reminded her. I had had the feeling all day that he had already been here in the Manor once before. He could be here a second time and if he was, I was going to be the one to face him first. Elijah was not going to have a say in the matter. Amilia nodded. “You do realize, if you are right, Elijah is going to boost security detail on you, right?” she asked me. I stopped, trying to think. “Amilia, we have to leave tonight! Elijah won’t be expecting me to try and leave tonight,” I reminded her. Amilia nodded. “If he says anything about your guards, I will have myself assigned to you. Someone else can cover my duties for the rest of the night,” she said. We both nodded to each other and headed down the hall. Before we could get halfway down the stairs, the whole Manor erupted into chaos. A loud siren was echoing through the halls and people here running everywhere. There were screams and growls all over the place. Amilia stopped, grabbing my arm, her eyes fixed on something. I followed her gaze and saw a figure bent over a young wolf that could not have been more than twelve years old. A fierce growl ripped up my chest and the figure turned to look at me. “Vampires!” I hissed at Amilia who growled in response. Amilia pushed me to the side. “You need to leave!” she said. Before I could answer her, Elijah’s voice echoed in my head, taking me by surprise. Where are you? he demanded of me. As mad as I was with him, I found it hard to resist his demand. I am in the west wing with Amilia, I answered him quickly. It was odd. This was the strongest connection I had ever felt and I felt my Mark tingle when his voice erupted in my mind once more. Are you safe? he demanded. I swallow hard. There is a Vamp here, I tell him quickly. I could feel his anger through our connection and I was getting images of him running through the Manor, his point of view. He was fast and his anger was getting worse the closer he got. However, the Vamp was closer and coming at us now. Amilia darted forward and ducked under the Vamp’s outstretched arm only to be smacked in the face with the Vamps booted foot. I gasped as Amilia crashed into the wall behind the Vamp. “There’s the Hybrid!” the Vamp seethed at me. Again, I was being called a Hybrid? I grimaced at the man before me. I could hear the howls and growls of Elijah and his Pack getting closer. “Tell me what you know!” I demanded. “The king will be here any second and he will not hesitate to kill you!” I reminded him when he did not speak. I watched the man come up from his defensive crouch and raise his arms in surrender as a dark gray wolf pounced on him. I rushed forward, down the stairs, taking two at a time. “Stop!” I screamed. Everyone froze, turning to look at me. I watched as Amilia got to her feet and looked between me and the Vamp. I turned to look at them Vamp. It was indeed one I had seen before. His blond hair was a windblown mess and his wild red-brown eyes were staring at me.

“I do not take orders from you!” a deep voice beside me came and I turned to look at him. He was dressed in a pair of cutoff shorts, his long black hair set in a braid. I glared at him. “I am your Queen and you will do as I say!” I ordered him. The man laughed at me. “As of right now, you are in the King’s favor. Once he has his fill of you, you will be just another pack slut!” he said. I opened my mouth to speak but Amilia was beside me, advancing on the man. “Jackson, bite your tongue!” she snapped at him. Jackson laughed at her. “I will carry out the orders my King gave me and no one will stop me!” he said as he reached for the vamp once more. I growled at him. I had had enough of this. He was being a downright dick. Before I could do or say anything, Jackson began stalking toward the Vamp. I grabbed his arm and he turned on me, his fist connecting with my jaw. I felt my feet leave the floor and my body slammed into the marble floor. My head was spinning and the pain in my face was throbbing. I groaned and held my cheek, trying my best not to cry. “You will never be my Luna, bitch!” he snapped at me. A loud growl erupted around us, everyone dropping to their knees and their gazes low. I pushed up onto my knees and looked up to see Elijah, staring at me. “Collin?” he snapped. Collin raised his head and waited for Elijah to speak again. “Take Beta Jackson to a holding cell,” he said and Collin stepped up to Jackson and grabbed his arm. Jackson glared at Elijah and shook his head and then laughed at him.“So you are really sticking up for this bitch?” he demanded. “Are you hurt?” Elijah asked me in a low voice.

He stared at me intently, as if trying to see if I was masking my pain somehow. But I wasn’t hurt. I was perfectly fine. I smile a small smile at him and shake my head. “Elijah, come one, man,” Jackson continued. Elijah held out his hand and helped me tenderly to my feet, ignoring Jackson. His hands traced my face, looking if I had any other injuries. I watched him the whole time, never taking my eyes off of his. he sighed when he seemed satisfied that I was unharmed. “Elijah, she is a bitch!” Jackson said with a small chuckle. “She said she was your Luna!” He was laughing now. No one spoke as Elijah leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of my head. I knew what was coming next and there was no one who was going to help him. “Beta Jackson, you came here at my request to take my Luna and Mate to her home along with my sister yet you have verbally and physically assaulted my Queen and Mate,” he said. I watched as Jackson’s face went white. “What?” he demanded. “She was telling the truth? She looks nothing like Luna. Or a Mate for that matter!” he said.Elijah’s fist cracked across the side of Jackson’s face. Elijah shook his hand a little. “You know the punishment for assaulting The Kings Mate,” he said as he rubbed his knuckles. Jackson looked up at him. “I saved her life!” he reminded Elijah. I watched as Elijah turned to look at me and I nodded. “Regardless. You know the law. An assault on Luna is an assault on the King himself,” he said and nodded to Collin. “Kill him.” I turned away as Collin stepped up. There was a small gurgling noise and then nothing. I felt Amilia at my side and I gripped her hand. Collin and another Pack member scooped up Beta Jackson and vanished down the hall. I looked back at the Vamp now when Elijah moved.

“He called me a Hybrid. Just like Larson said,” I told him before he could kill the Vamp as well. Elijah turned to face me. “What?” he demanded. I nodded. “You were right,” I answered him. “Larson was telling the truth. Now, I want to replace out how they know who and what I am,” I said as I turned back towards the Cell Block, Amilia following behind me.