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
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.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