Royal Academy: The Beginning

Eliza's POV I stare out my window at the scenery passing by and a sigh escapes me. Glancing down at the picture frame clasped in my hands, I recall telling my best friend Sarah good-bye just an hour ago. She was so confused by my parents decision to shift me to another school so suddenly and my excuse that I got a scholarship didn't phase her suspicions. It was only a week ago that my parents and grandmother gave me the most life changing news yet. It still hasn't sunk in. Everything happened so fast. One week ago... I was walking through the front door when I heard hushed voices coming from my dad's study. "She's not ready for that life. There has the be another alternative. "My mother sounded as though she was pleading with someone. Walking closer to the study, I saw that the door was slightly open so I looked in. My mother was standing across from my father's desk, facing my grandmother on the couch. My father was seated behind his desk, his elbows perched on the edge with his hands clasped infront him. "Your mother has a point Laura. We tried and failed to find any other way around this." My father sighed in resignation. "Henry, she won't just accept this. She'll be so confused. We haven't been completely honest with her." A soft cry escapes my mother as she slumps into the chair behind her. "What haven't I been told?" Everyone turns towards me as I make my presence known. "Ellie, you're home. Your grandmother came for a visit and we were just-" "You were just talking about me and that you've kept stuff from me. What stuff?" I look at my mother who was now very interested in the hem of her blouse. My father was the one to speak. "Eliza, your grandmother is here because there has been a development among the elders of the pack. Changes need to be made that affect you". My father stands and pours himself a scotch from the nearby decanter. "Eliza, my dear. Come sit with me." My grandmother pats the spot on the sofa next to her. She looks at me, her honey brown eyes glossy and feathered with wrinkles but they shine bright with determination. I do as I'm told and perch myself on the edge of the sofa next to her. She takes my hands in hers and smiles at me sweetly. I smile back at her wearily. "Your parents and I need to shed some light on a few things. Very important things that they failed to tell you sooner rather than later." She casts an accusing glare at my parents. My mother chooses that time to straighten her blouse and look back at her as if daring her to say it again. My grandmother lets out a small chuckle before continuing. Patting my hands a few times she brings my hands into her lap and takes a deep breath. " What your parents neglected to do, I shall do now. Many moons ago, before you were born, the elders of this pack consulted the royal Oracle in an attempt to see how we can go about solving the problem of war among pack alphas who were driven by greed for power over all. Your father as our pack Alpha joined us." I look over at my father who nods solemnly. I then nodded to my grandmother who acknowledged and continued. "As the alpha, your father gave the blood donation for the reading and we were given a reading on our pack's future" She paused for a moment to take a another deep breath. " The Oracle fortold that our pack would soon be blessed with a gifted shifter. This shifter would be a hybrid, who will have power that can either bring us peace or bring about our doom. We were told that the child to be born will have the mark of the elders and also of your father's bloodline." At that moment, I look at my father. Pride shone off him but his face had signs of concern. My mother walks over to him and wraps her arms around his waist. "Wait a minute, a hybrid from dad's bloodline. Do I have a long lost sibling?" My mother looks at me, a weak smile plastered on her face. " You Ellie, are our one and only angel" my mother says softly. As that sinks in I look back at my grandmother, my jaw now slack from realizing where this conversation was going. My grandmother smiles at me again and continues. " A few years later, you came into this world and our lives. And you came with this on your arm" she turns over my left hand to draw my attention to my clover shaped birthmark on my wrist. "This beautiful mark is the mark of our elders, and you my dear Eliza, are the chosen gifted of our pack" I stare back at her in utter shock. I look down at my wrist, back up to my grandmother, than back to my wrist. " That can't be right. I'm not a hybrid. I'll be a wolf during my change in two years" I turn towards my parents while saying this, hoping they agreed with me and put an end to this crazy scenario. "But you are a hybrid my dear Eliza" my grandmother intones softly. "But how? What is the other bloodline? Dad's a wolf, mom is w-what?" I stutter. "I am a wolf as well Ellie, your other bloodline comes from your grandmother" my mother looks over at us and my grandmother then takes out a chain from her inner coat. Attached to the chain was a silver clover pendant that encased the most beautiful emerald I have ever laid my eyes on. " This has been handed down for generations in my family. My father was a wolf and my mother was a wolf. This pendant belonged to my grandmother, who was a hybrid." I looked at the emerald clover with wonder. My grandmother takes it off from around her neck and places it in the palm of my hand. "My grandmother was thought to be the last hybrid of our kind. Her time experienced peace for many years, so this was just handed down to the eldest daughter of the family." Realization dawned on me suddenly. My mother had an older sister, who died suddenly. Making me now the only daughter of the family line in this generation. I turn the pendant over to see an inscription "Behold the holder of the gift, marked by the goddess, mated to the future king. May they reign in peace" "Marked by the goddess, mated to the-" I stop short. "Ellie, it's not what it sounds like" my mother tries to reason with me "Mated to the King!" I drop the emerald while standing in shock. My heart begins to race and a cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. "That was inscribed by my grandmother, who was indeed married to the King of that time." I take a deep breath and try to steady my racing heartbeat. With my hand on my chest I blow out a harsh breath and then slowly sit back down on the sofa. I pick up the fallen pendant and hand it to my grandmother. "That is now yours child. Keep it" "I am not marrying a king. I want to be a normal teenager. Go on dates. Meet my fated mate" I single tear falls out of the corner of my eye. "You will sweetheart. Getting married to a king was not in this prophecy". My mother's words calm my racing heart a bit. "You were born gifted. A hybrid as well. You embody strength and you will soon learn to harness a power that can be used to bring peace again to our kind" my grandmother smiles at me reassuringly. "Wait..you haven't told me what my next bloodline is" I look at my grandmother expectantly. "You are Eliza Cade. Born of Alpha wolf blood and gifted with the blood of your maternal great-grandmother. You posess the blood of Fae. My grandmother was one of the strongest and most respected fairies of her time" Hold up...did she just say a fairy?!