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. Forrest is distant this morning, and I can’t help but think it’s because of what happened last night.My face grows warm when I think about last night. Who knew that Desmond was so… enthusiastic.I liked it. A lot.But I try to keep those things out of my thoughts unless I remember to keep the wall up. I don’t want the guys knowing everything, even though I have a feeling they know exactly what I’m thinking by the amount of raised eyebrows and smirks I’m getting during class from them.Remember the wall.My mind is a freaking fortress.Nothing is getting out.Not even the fact that I really liked it when Desmond pulled my hair.I hear Puma snicker behind me and I realize… yep… my fortress totally cracked.It’s hot in this classroom. It’s definitely hot. I fan myself with my book, trying to think of anything except sex.The problem is… we’re reading a really boring book in English and the teacher wants us to spend the class period reading. Yep, turns out even shif
ALEJANDRA. After what happened with Ryland, Roshan dismissed class. He knew I was too upset to really keep training. My mates took me home and Desmond made a huge dinner with a ton of comfort foods. We ate while watching some silly movie. And now that I’m feeling better, I know that Forrest and I need to talk. Apparently Forrest is on the same page because he asks the guys if they will let us talk alone for a bit.“How are you doing after today?” Forrest puts his arm behind me, playing with my hair. He’s probably trying to distract me from how bad I feel, which is sweet.“I just feel guilty for hurting Ryland.” I sigh. “I can’t believe I did that. What if I had killed him?”“Didn’t Roshan say that the light blast couldn’t kill somebody unless that is your intent?”I nod.“Then don’t worry so much. We’re supernatural. We’re not as fragile as humans are.” He continues to run his fingers through my hair, probably messing it up, but I can’t bring myself to care right now. That feels
ALEJANDRA. The next morning when I wake up, everything just feels… right. Like there is a calmness in me that I’ve never felt before, but under the calm, there is power. So much power. I can easily sort through what is mine and what is my mates’. It’s a strange feeling. I don’t know if it’s from training, but training is definitely helping.After taking a shower and getting dressed for school, I head downstairs and spot Forrest and Desmond both standing by the stove. From where I’m standing, it looks like Desmond is trying to teach Forrest how to cook. Forrest tries to flip a pancake and it ends up landing on the side of a pan.I giggle and the two of them turn around to look at me. Desmond goes back to cooking, trying to correct Forrest’s mistake, while Forrest walks over to me and kisses me on the head.“You look happy this morning,” he says.“I am. I feel really good. Like… whole, you know?”“We feel it too,” Phoenix chimes in as he comes into the room. “I think you completin
ALEJANDRA. Tonight, the guys and I are having dinner with Roshan. I invite Margot to come too, just because I really want to introduce her to Roshan. I think she’s technically already met him, which is also what I want to talk to her about—why did she pretend to not know who my father was? And why did she tell him that she didn’t know where I was? I have so many questions for her and I intend to ask her tonight. I can smell the curry cooking when we walk into Roshan’s house. Apparently he is cooking jackfruit curry. I guess jackfruit grows in abundance in Sri Lanka and so they cook with it a lot. All I know is that it smells and looks amazing. We show up just minutes before Margot does. Margot looks a little uncomfortable when she walks in and I can’t blame her. For whatever reason, she lied to Roshan about not knowing where I was. I imagine anybody would feel bad in her situation, but whatever her reasons were, I know it had to be a good reason. I’m not that upset about it. When
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
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