ALEJANDRA.Heat creeps up my neck and warms my cheeks; my heart races as anger threatens to overwhelm me. The kitchen floor in my castle is going to get worn down from the amount of pacing I’m doing.I’m mad at the way the fae have been treated.I’m mad for the war that happened a millennia ago.I’m mad for the life that was stolen away from my birth mother and father.But mostly, I pissed for how things are now. Even a millennia later, the fae are still being hunted down like animals and it’s not right. The ground shakes again and I know I need to get my emotions under control, but I just can’t right now.“You’re so cute when you’re angry.”I look over and see my guys are smirking.I roll my eyes at them. “I’m glad you can find humor in this horrible situation.” I stop pacing and turn to face them. “And it’s not cute. It’s fierce.”The guys laugh.“Come, let’s go to bed.” Forrest walks over to me.I sigh. “Fine.”I am tired, but I don’t know if I will be able to sleep. I j
ALEJANDRA.I end up falling asleep in bed with Phoenix. I know I should’ve went back in the room with Forrest and Puma, but I couldn’t bring myself to after what I did with Phoenix. I wanted to stay with him and cuddle with him. And somehow, we ended up having sex two more times throughout the night.I imagined I would be sore and hurting, but I’m not. It must be due to my supernatural healing, because I remember Katherine talking about how much it hurt the next day.I end up sleeping in later than I’d planned. It’s after nine o’clock when I look at the clock on the nightstand. Phoenix is still asleep, so I kiss him on the cheek and get out of bed, careful not to wake him. I go into my own room so I can take a quick shower.Puma and Forrest aren’t in my bed anymore. I wonder if they’re awake or if they went to their own beds in the middle of the night sometime. I also wonder if they know what Phoenix and I did. I mean… I wasn’t exactly quiet, but they were asleep. I think.Oh gosh
ALEJANDRA.My time with Roshan has left me exhausted. I’m not sure how much progress we made today, but I was actually able to cause an earthquake without being upset. I also made it rain, which brings a whole new meaning to ‘make it rain.’ I still have a long way to go, but with his help, I’m confident things will work out. The only problem is… Forrest is Alpha. He needs to get back to Shifter Academy. It’s important. I know it is. He’s told me how vital going to school there is for the future of the pack. Instead, he’s stuck in a bubble with me in a jungle in Sri Lanka. “We need to talk,” I say to Forrest, sitting down on the couch beside him. He’s reading some sort of fae history book and that warms my heart. He’s so supportive of me. He closes the book and angles his body toward me. “What’s up?” “I think we need to go back to Shifter Academy.” Once the words are out of my mouth, I can feel how right they are. I’ve never thought that staying here was a good idea. “You need to
ALEJANDRA.I rub my sweaty palms on the skirt of my dress.I shouldn’t be nervous. There really is no point to be. I guess… maybe I’m scared of rejection. What if Roshan doesn’t like my idea or… What if he isn’t willing to come with us? What if he wants to stay here in the happy bubble forever?“I don’t want to hide,” I start out. My voice comes out strong considering how nervous I am. “My mates… they have a duty too. Forrest is going to be Alpha one day. And Alpha Romano has been here with us too. But we can’t just stay here.”“Did you not hear what I said about fae who leave here? They usually end up dead, your mother included.” Roshan’s eyes go wide as he pleads his case with me. “Please, Alejandra. I beg you. I lost Mary Ann, I can’t lose you too.”“Come with me.” I scoot close to him, putting a hand on his forearm. “Come back to Shifter Academy. I still need to be trained and you’re the only one who can do it. I want to reintroduce the world to the fae. I want to fight for my
ALEJANDRA. As we are getting ready to leave, a few elders show up at the castle. They try to talk me out of leaving. They try to tell me just how dangerous the outside world is. But I inform them that I, of all people, know just how dangerous it is. I have had threats on my life from the wolves—and they’re my own people. So I understand where they’re coming from. The elders were alive to see what happened with the war firsthand. The fought alongside their friends and family. And they experienced loss like I never have. I couldn’t even imagine the horrors that they’ve been through. The only loss I’ve experienced is when my mother’s parents died. I didn’t know them very well. We only saw them a handful of times throughout my life and I was only a small child when they passed away. I think I was barely old enough to understand what death was, I just knew it made my mom really sad. But what the fae went through during the war—that is impossible to comprehend. Because ninety percent o
ALEJANDRA. The whole auditorium starts talking loudly all at once, so Alpha Romano has to stop talking for a moment.I get it. This is big news. Huge news. They thought our species was gone. And it was a tragedy—a lesson to all supernaturals. But it’s not true.Once the auditorium quietens, Alpha Romano starts speaking again.“Alejandra is a special girl. Not only is she half wolf, but she is also half fae. I hope that you will all treat her, as well as the other fae, with respect while they are here. They have come to learn with us and socialize with us,” Alpha Muatio says. “Today, we offer the fae peace for the first time in over a millennia. There are those out there that still seek to destroy the fae. It is our duty to protect them. And to my pack, this is an order. You will protect the fae.”Chills break out on my skin and I realize the order is for me too.A lot of eyes turn yellow in the auditorium and I’m certain that if I looked, my own eyes would be yellow too.“As fo
ALEJANDRA. We’re going back to school today and, ironically, I don’t dread it. I’m actually kind of excited because I know the other fae will be there. I won’t be that weird girl that smells funny. I’ll be… that fairy girl, which is kind of cool.And now they’ll know I’m not a slut. I’m just a fairy queen. And the fairy queen always has a harem to protect her.At lunch, nothing happens. I guess… I expected something to happen. It seems like every time we go into the dining hall something bad happens. Like somebody gets punched or I cause an earthquake. But it was completely uneventful. I mean, I sit with my mates and the other fae sit with us. Bridget and Amal are nowhere to be seen. When I ask Ryland about it, he just smirks and says they wanted some alone time.I guess I can understand that. They just met yesterday and they have all these crazy feelings for each other that Amal probably doesn’t understand.After lunch, I don’t go to wolf lessons with the guys. I go to fairy les
ALEJANDRA. As soon as class is over, I head home, wanting to freaking hide.Roshan says that tomorrow we are going to be working on our powers more, but that we’ll be doing it outside. Which is a relief because the last thing I want is to cause more damage to Shifter Academy. At this point, they need to start sending me bills to pay for all the damage I’ve caused.“That kind of stuff happens all the time,” Desmond tells me, as we sit on the couch that night.Forrest, Phoenix, and Puma are out shifting. They like to allow their wolf out for a run to let off steam and they haven’t been able to do it since the last full moon. They didn’t want to scare any of the fae while we were in Sri Lanka, and I get the feeling if the fae saw them shift, it would’ve scared them.“People blast holes in the wall with their freaky fairy powers?” I raise an eyebrow.He laughs. “No. But we’re shifters. Our tempers run high around the full moon. There have been a few shifters who have punched holes i
ALEJANDRA. Over Christmas break, I told my family the truth—that I am a fairy. I told them them that they were glamoured to think I’m their daughter. And that I have four mates. My family didn’t believe me, which I expected. I mean, I had the exact same reaction when Forrest told me he was a wolf shifter. So… I did the only thing I knew I could do to prove it. I had Phoenix shift into a wolf. Don’t worry… I made him go to the bathroom before shifting back. After that, my parents had a lot of questions, as did the rest of my siblings. And so, I literally spent the whole day telling them everything. And even though it’s technically against the law, I am the queen. I’m allowed to break the law. Plus, Alpha Romano gave me permission. I wasn’t sure what to expect after that, but my family seemed to accept everything. I mean, they had a lot of questions about the whole ‘having four mates’ thing, but they didn’t freak out and they listened when I explained it to them. It’s more than I co
ALEJANDRA. Everything is too bright and too loud. I’m about to yell at Katherine and tell her to shut off her alarm when I realize… it’s not an alarm. I’m not in Jacksonville. I open my eyes and shut them immediately. The fluorescent lights are bright. My head hurts, my back hurts, my chest hurts… What happened to me? “Alejandra.” I hear somebody say my voice softly. I open my eyes again, slower this time. Four pairs of eyes are looking down at me. I try to sit up, but a hand reaches out to hold me down. “Just lie down.” I lie back against my pillow, but only because my chest hurts so bad. “What happened to me?” I ask, rubbing the spot on my chest. “Thomas Freeman stabbed you in the back with a silver knife. He actually stabbed your heart.” Forrest clears his throat. “He didn’t know that you’re immune to silver.” “If he stabbed me in the heart, how am I not dead?” Because whether I’m immune to silver or not, getting stabbed in the heart seems like a sure way to die. “I don
ALEJANDRA. I am so nervous on Monday morning. My heart is racing and my hands are shaking. All of the guys wanted to stay with me last night, so we ended up making this huge pallet on the floor and sleeping there. It was kind of cool waking up surrounded by my mates. I realize I want this every morning. We’re going to have to find a bigger bed to make this happen because a king size bed isn’t cutting it. I think the reason I’m so scared is I don’t know how things are going to go today. What if Tiffany and the others change their mind? What if they decide to go ahead and side with Robert Westwood—that’s a scary thought. But what if they don’t and Robert follows through on his promise? What if Robert is able to have Tiffany’s children murdered. The thought hurts my chest. He has to be stopped. I don’t care if he’s my biological grandfather or not. His terrorizing days are over after this. He is going to answer for his crimes. Today when I get dressed, I don’t care so much about loo
ALEJANDRA. The urgency in Forrest’s voice makes my heart race fast and hard. And even though we’re in the middle of helping everybody get settled, we leave the castle to talk to Alpha Romano. I push out Forrest’s thoughts, not wanting to force myself to know what’s going on. If Forrest wanted to tell me what’s happening, he would. I get the feeling this is something I need to hear for myself anyway. We walk out the front of Shifter Academy and get into the car we drove over. The parking lot is still just as empty as when we arrived this morning. I don’t know why it surprises me. I guess I expected the parking lot to be full, but how would they even get the cars here? Also, the fae can’t drive. So that was just a silly thing to think. We drive to where Alpha Romano is staying and I’m surprised when we walk inside and see one of the wolves from the council there. She’s actually one of the wolves on the side that is firmly against the fae. I’m hoping she is here to tell me she’s chang
ALEJANDRA. On Sunday morning, the fae start arriving. When they arrive, we have to make room where we can—some of them stay in the castles. We try to make sure families have homes that are empty on the island. It’ll be a little pack when everything is said and done, but we do what we can. I’m glad nobody seems too upset about having to share their space. Everybody is super welcoming to the fae. A lot more welcome than they were to me when I first came, but now that I’m here, I can’t even blame them for being wary of me. I probably would have too. I’m so glad I know that I’m a fae. And I’m glad that everybody else knows too. There is no hate… well, aside from the council members and the panthers. But the council is nowhere to be seen at the moment and the panthers are hiding in their dorm rooms, which is preferred. I love seeing the castle full of fae. It’s actually incredible. Roshan gathers everybody for a meeting once they get settled—we definitely have a lot of things to catch
ALEJANDRA.After we leave Roshan’s place, the guys and I go back home, but they tell me to put on a bathing suit when we go inside. I start to argue, but I can tell by the looks on their faces that they mean business. So I go to my room and put on my bikini and throw on a coverup before heading downstairs. My guys are waiting for me. Today has been a rough day. Scratch that, it’s been a rough week. Maybe going out and getting a little sun is exactly what I need. Zaire, Katherine, and I used to go to the beach nearly every single day. Even in January and February, when it was too cold to be in the water. Though, I have seen a few tourists around that time of year swimming because it is very warm in Florida compared to whatever mid-western town they’re from. Something about the sound of the waves, the feel of the sun, and the smell of salt water is comforting. Maybe because it reminds me of home. And I miss home. I miss my family more than anything. But I can’t go see them right now
ALEJANDRA. On Saturday morning, I plan to meet with Roshan and the other fae to let them know how everything went with the council. I’m a little bit nervous to tell them. I just hope they don’t get discouraged from the news, but how could they not? Still, I promise myself not to let it show how bothered I am by the news. I want to help keep their spirits up about it. And the truth is, we don’t know what is going to happen. The council could come back and say that they’ve decided to side with the fae. That is my hope. If not… well, I don’t even want to think about that unless it happens. Roshan is staying in his own place. He has two wolf shifters that live close by—other teachers. So I know he’s safe over here. For now. We all meet at his house to discuss things and I’m a little bit anxious. “Everything will be fine.” Desmond squeezes my hand as we approach the front door. I know I always give my mates a hard time about listening to my thoughts, but most of the time I like it. T
ALEJANDRA. It’s weird seeing Alpha Romano in the house, but I suppose this is the only place we really have privacy. Now that I’m fully seeing him, he looks tired. Exhausted, really. I can tell all of this is weighing heavily on him. And what he’s willing to sacrifice—it’s a lot. I can’t believe he’s willing to give up his entire life for me. Well… it’s not just for me. It’s also for Forrest, his son, and all the fae. I keep saying it’s bigger than me because that’s the truth. I’m just the queen who can’t stand the injustice my people have suffered. They need somebody who is willing to fight for them, and that is me. I know the cost and I am willing to pay. Alpha Romano paces in the living room. Forrest is sitting on the side of the coffee table, hunched forward. Phoenix, Puma, and I are sitting on the couch, with me between them, and Desmond is sitting on the arm of the couch, by Phoenix. “Every single shifter, aside from the panthers, has decided to side with the fae.” Alpha Ro
ALEJANDRA. Today, my hair and makeup are on point. I even tried on twenty different outfits before I settled on a simple black dress. I put on a blazer, thinking it helps me look more ‘mature.’ I hope it does. When I walk into the council today, I don’t want them to see a seventeen-year-old girl. I want them to see a fairy queen. I want them to take me seriously and I want to fight for my people. The door to my room opens and Puma sticks his head inside. “Do I look fierce?” I ask, doing a spin for him. Since I basically just gave Puma permission to check me out, he does. He slowly scans my body and there is fire in his eyes when he finally makes eye contact. “You look really hot.” “I don’t want to look hot. I want to look professional.” I look at my four-inch heels. I thought the added height would help me look more intimidating. “Maybe I should wear flats.” “It doesn’t make a different if you wear heels or flats. You’re still short.” I stick my tongue out at him, taking off m