The Hybrid Queen Unedited
2

A long drawn out scream woke me. I sat bolt straight up in my bed, looking at my door. The hairs on my arms stood on end and my wolf was urging me to shift. I took a deep breath through my nose, and then grimaced at the smell that burned my nose. I knew this smell. I had come across it before when I was about seven and one of our pack fighters had been killed.Vampires. Wolfs blood lingered in the air. I jumped to my feet, but before I could reach the door burst open, falling off the hinges to the floor. There was a tall girl standing there and she was holding a long spear in her hand. "I found another one!” she called over her shoulder without taking her eyes off of me. She was skinny, but built. She would have been pretty if it had not been for her face. Her nose was far too big for her tiny head and her eyes were narrow, small and set to close together. To top or all off, settled on her nose were big pink glasses, and her teeth stuck out over her bottom lip. The smell coming off of her was sweat and blood. Wolfs blood. A growl ripped up my chest. She was not a Vamp, but something else. I could hear her heartbeat. But the smell around her was dead. She was human? There was no way. What was she? Before I could speak, she brought up a long hunting dagger in her left hand. It dripped with blood. Wolfs blood. I only knew the smell so well because of a recent fight against the hunters. Three of our Pack members were put to rest just yesterday. But before she could take another step, a blade made its way through her back and out her chest. She looked down, her face going blank. The blade was pulled back and the girl fell to the floor. Standing behind her was my mother, Julia. I gasped and jumped to my feet but she held the blade out at me. “No!” she hissed at me, glancing over her shoulder. When she turned back to face me, her eyes were a luminescent yellow, he fangs pinching her lower lip. “You need to get out of here, right now!”She began walking toward me. “Faye?”I looked at her. I had heard my name, but it was clearly not my mother who had said it. “Faye! Wake up!”My eyes snapped open. I was looking out a window at the early morning sky. The sun had hardly risin. The sky was turning pink now. And Amilia was standing by my bedside. She was holding a dress bag, draped over her arm. in her other hand she held a pair of simple black flats. I sat up slowly. I had almost forgotten. I had been bought by the new Alpha. The now largest pack in the US. I had never met him. He was only a few years older then I was. I pushed the sheets back and got up, taking the dress and shoes Amilia was holding out for me. “Our jet leaves for Vancouver in an hour,” she told me. I turn to look at her. “What? Canada?” I asked her. I felt my stomach drop. I really wanted to go back and see my pack house... or what was left of it. Amilia watched me. “Is something the matter?” she asked me, as she placed a few things in her bag.I shook my head and headed for the bathroom, but Amilia cleared her throat. “Faye, I know how hard this must be for you. You are the last of the Tamit. You do not realize how special you are,” she said. I turned to face her. “Honestly, your Alpha is more than likely either going to kill me or use me as his breeder. I don’t give a shit what you think you have seen. I know better than to fall on false hope, Amilia. I know better than to think there is a better life out there. Thanks anyway,” I said, the worder tasted like acid in my mouth. It was only half the truth. I had thought like that at once point, but now, since Amilia had come, I was fighting with myself not to get hopeful. Hope was a dangerous thing.

***

We were sitting in the car on our way to the airport where we pulled into a hanger that held a sleek, black and grey jet, waiting and ready to go. I was not sure if I was still gonna make a run for it once I got out of the car. I would have to decide now. My mind was blank. I did not know what to do. If I ran, I would be considered a rouge. I would be an outcast. I would be hunted and killed for a bounty. If I decided to go with Amilia to Vancouver I would become part of a pack. A Luna. I was not sure if I was willing to do that. What if I did not want to be mated? What if Amilia was wrong? Before I knew it, I was in the jet, sitting, facing Amilia and she “It’s ten in the morning,” I reminded her. Amilia laughed at me. “I know. You look like you could use some. I’ll have our flight attendant bringing us some food,” she said. I nodded and sipped from my glass. The dry, bubbly sweet taste made my mouth water. It had been a long time since I had drunk something this good. Amilia settled back into her chair. “So tell me of this Alpha,” I said once we were in the air. I needed something to keep my mind off of the fact that there were thousands of feet in the air. Amilia nodded. “His name is Elijah. He is my brother. He came into power about a year ago. Our father was at the Vestele pack house the night it was attacked. He did not make it. So my brother had to step up before he was ready. He has been doing well for himself. However, he seems lonely. Like he is taking his job too seriously,” she told me. Elijah.I knew that name. I had heard the guards talking about him more than once when I was at the pound. I knew him, because he used to come to the Pack meetings with his father. It was strange that he would be allowed to stay in the meetings at such a young age. They did not say kind things about him and now it bothered me. My thoughts fell away as a sharp pain locked my hand around the glass I was holding it too tight and before I knew it, the glass shattered in my hand. I gasped and forced my hand open. Looking at the deep cuts in the palm of my hand, blood trickled down my wrist. Amilia jumped up and grabbed a bar towel. “Are you okay?” she demanded. I nodded, taking the towel from her and pressing it to the cut. “I have not shifted in over a year,” I reminded her. Amilia’s eyes went big. “A year? Faye, that can kill you!” she reminded me. I glanced out the window. “I know. The ankle bracelet was not just a tracker but it gave us regular doses of wolfs bane to keep us from shifting. I didn’t want to trouble you, so I didn’t say anything,” I told her. Without another word, Amilia walked to the cockpit. I could not really hear what she was saying but she sounded mad. When she returned, she handed me a first aid kit. “We will be there in about ten minutes. You should change your dress now,” she said, nodding to my clothes. I looked down, there was blood on the peach colored dress she had given me this morning. I sighed, warping my fist in the towel and walked to the bathroom to change. There was already a black colored dress with a white satin trim and black flats waiting for me. I changed and looked at myself in the mirror. I had to impress the Alpha. I had no other choice. If I didn’t, I could be shipped back to the pound. It was rare that a rough like myself would be shipped back. If I was, I would be taken to the wall. I shuddered at the thought. Once dressed I did my best with my hair and put it up in a messy bun. There was not much I could do. I really needed a haircut. It was too long. Almost past my hips. When I came out of the small bathroom, Amilia was sitting by the window, tapping away at her phone. She had an annoyed look on her face. “Everything okay?”She looked up at me. “Yes, everything is fine. My brother insisted on traveling with his frat boys. So he won’t be home till late. He took all of our fighters and trackers with him,” she said. Tracking. I missed it. Although I was a specially skilled tracker. The mood goddess had gifted me with a power. I thought about telling her. Would it be a good idea? I could astral project to wherever I wanted. I had been unable to do it in the pound with the tracker on me. Not only did it give us the wolf’s bane to keep us from shifting, but it blocked any powers a wolf may have. “Amilia, what kind of gifted wolves are in the pack?” I asked her. Amilia smiled. “We have the basics. Trackers, Hunters, Fighters. There are some powers that have been rumored to have died off like elemental and astral projection,” she told me. I bit my lip. “I can astral project, Amilia,” I said. My voice came out a whisper. I was not even sure if I could do it. It had been a long time. Amilia raised her eyebrows at me. “Really?” she asked me. “That is amazing. Can you show me?” she asked, sipping her wine. I sighed. “I don’t think so,” I admitted. “I was not able to do any magic at the pound,” I reminded her. Amilia nodded. “We have one pack member, who can manipulate the element of water. Skilled trackers and Hunters. You would be a wonderful asset to the Pack. The Court would be over the moon to have you,” she said. I felt the blood drain from my face. “The Court?” I demanded. Amilia looked up at me, surprised. “Yes. Elijah is to become King soon, once he turns eighteen,” she said. I got to my feet and started pacing around. This was not happening. If I had had any hope of leaving once I got there, it was gone now. I was never going to be free. If Elijah rejected me, I would be sent back to the pound or even worse made a pack member for breeding purposes once I reached the right age. A pack slut. For the ones who could not have pups. The wall was sounding really good right about now. What was I going to do? There was nothing left for me anywhere. All I wanted was to go back to my old pack house. I had to see it for myself. Perhaps when I got there I could ask the Alpha of I could go? Perhaps I would be able to get away. Just put on a show until I was able to get away. Amilia had said Vancouver. That must be where Elijah held his Court. It would be a two day travel by car. There was no way I would be able to make it without money of my own.

I sigh. There was only one thing I would be able to do. I would have to play along, win the Alpha’s trust, do what I had to in order to get my hands on enough money and a car. I needed to go back to Vancouver. In all the worry I had forgotten all about Kat. She had been there that night. She had been at my house with her father. I must have crossed the border into the US that night while I was running. It was coming back to me now. I had not realized how much of that night I had blocked out until now. If I was able to keep my head down long enough to get my hands on some money I would be able to make the trip back home. I would be able to see what was left of my home. My Court has been small. I sighed. I had learned about Courts while at the pound. I was still not sure I understood what it meant. It had been something that had formed after my pack had been wiped out. All I knew was that there were still Alpha’s and they commanded the Pack they ruled over and were still treated with the utmost respect but now, there was a whole system for itself. The Alphas commanded packs but the king was a direct link to the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit had granted a man the ability to change and shift at will. The ability was not passed from a bite but rather through mating and new life, although a bite to the right person with a werewolf gene would turn them if bitten. And so the race of wolves was born. I sat there thinking of the three great houses of the Alpha’s Pack. His house, Yansa, was the most powerful and biggest of the three. Elijah made sure he had every wolf he wanted. Or at least his father did. His father was friends with my father, Emil, House of Tamit. Tamit is the God of the Sun. We lived in Arizona for a long time and the sun had been vital to our way of life. And the last house, who lived too far on the east coast, was the House of Sedna, keepers of the sea goddess. Yet the House of Yansa frightened me. I knew nothing of Elijah other than that he was the new Alpha king to be upon his eighteenth birthday. We had never really spoken. He always insisted on shaking my hand when he came with his father to Pack meetings or events. And he would hold my hand longer than he needed to. I sighed. I had to brush up on my courtly speech. I was in for a long ride. If Elijah did not like me I would be put to work as a slave. I sighed and Amilia looked over at me. “I can not do this,” I told her.Amilia had been watching me the whole time, waiting for me to calm down. I liked that about her. She would let me ride out my panic, calm myself and then speak to her if I wished. I would really miss her. “You can,” she assured me. “I have seen it.”I sigh and shake my head. “I think your confidence is misplaced,” I said, as I flopped back down into my seat. The plane jolted suddenly, announcing its descent. I gripped the side of my seat and closed my eyes. I was not sure I could do this. I needed time. I needed time to think and get my head straight. As I sat there, all too soon, Amilia was shaking my shoulder. “Faye, we landed. The limo is waiting for us,” she told me. I sighed and got to my feet. As I passed the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked sick. I was malnourished and sick looking. My raven black hair was dull looking and my eyes were sunken into my eye sockets. I sighed. I would never impress the Alpha. Not like this. Amilia had done all she could for me. I followed Amilia to the car, sliding in next to her. My body hurt. I needed to shift. But there was nothing I could do about that now. I would have to fund the time for that later. I sighed and closed my eyes and prayed to the Great Spirit, thanking him for sending Amilia to me. I was not sure who had sent her for me, but the Great Spirit seemed like a good place to start.