The Hybrid Queen (The Elysium Cronicles 1-5)

Learning the Truth

Chapter 2

“Just take your time, and tell me everything” I say to her, trying to sound calm.

“As you know, I was a Royal Lycan warrior. That bit is the truth. When you were young, mixed matings were really frowned upon. Even to this day, they are not considered normal with the couples instantly rejecting each other instead of facing the shame they may bring on their families” she starts.

“Well it was even more so the case with your parents, but before they rejected each other, they could not resist the pull of the mate bond. You see, your mother is the fae princess Ruby. She was second in line for the throne, and your father is the King Christian of the North Royal Lycan Pack. As you can imagine, their families would never have accepted this match. So after a brief affair, they decided it was best for themselves and their families if they rejected the bond” she explains

“So that is why my wolf did not surface. She is a Lycan” I ask.

“Yes, and like all Lycan’s they do not appear until between your 19th and 21th birthday usually, you are not flawed, you are special carrying royal blood through both sides of you” she answers.

“Why did they both give me up” I ask.

“Neither of them wanted to give you up. By the time your mother discovered she was pregnant with you, your father had already met his second chance mate and marked her. So your mum left her kingdom and sent word to your father to let him know about you. That is when I met her, I was one of his most trusted guards, so he wanted me to protect you both and then bring you up as my own. It was hard on both of them to give you up, but they were worried you would never be safe if you were to stay with one of them” she explains.

“Because you are the first known hybrid, and directly related to royalty, they knew you would be incredibly strong and powerful. Their enemies would try and take you and use you for their own gains. You have to remember that at that time, the different species were much less tolerant than what they are now, this was before the council was formed. Your grandfather’s on both sides were the ones to start the council after they heard about you, so when the time was right, you would be safe to come out as their family”

Ok, I did not know that, I knew that up until the last 15 years, they had all fought regularly or stayed away from each other. It is nice to know my grandfather’s created the supernatural council to make Elysium a more tolerant place for me.

“So what is their plan for me now that I am 18. Did they just pick this age because they knew I would have questions about not getting my wolf, or is it because they are expecting something from me” I ask

“Well your mum always hoped that after your 18th birthday, when you discovered the truth, we would go to her kingdom where you could meet her and the rest of your family. You have two younger brothers there. She had them after meeting her second chance. Then you would also be able to meet your father and his family after that, I know they have all been eager for the day when you will finally be reunited” Mum tells me.

“As far as I know, my birth father also has 3 sons, one just a month or so younger than me. So, while I was sent away and forgotten about, they both were busy continuing on with their lives and having a family they did not need to feel ashamed of. For goddess' sake, they are both royals. If they truly wanted me to be safe, they have armies at their disposal to protect me. How do I even know if their mates even want me around, they could just have left me so they don’t ruin their perfect life and future” I say irritated.

“Believe me, Rayne, this was not an easy decision for either of them. They thought that this was the best way. They both love you very much and have never kept you a secret from the rest of your family” she says desperately, trying to get me to understand their reasons.

“I could meet my mate. Am I just supposed to put my life on hold for now while they try and play house with me as if they never left me. Right now, I really don’t know how to feel or what to think about the whole situation. I really am not sure if I want to meet them yet or ever, I need time to wrap my head around all of this and then come to a decision. All I know for now is that you are still my mum, and I don’t blame you for this situation” I say, feeling confused and frustrated.

“Please take time to think about it. I love you, and I will forever be your mum even when you meet your parents” she says, giving me a hug and a kiss on the head.

“I love you too mum, I think I need to go to my bed for now, this has all been a shock and I am exhausted” I say drained, before getting up and leaving to my room.

I lay awake for hours thinking and discussing what I had discovered with Calla, I discovered she knew that we were Lycan, but knew it was not something I could discover before now as I would be left with too many unanswered questions.

She is also not very impressed with our birth parents' choices. Wolves and lycan’s are very family oriented, so it takes a lot to be able to be away from your mates and pups. The fae I don’t know as much about other than my powers, which my mum helped me to discover and train them with the guidance of a book she must have received from my birth mother.

Calla is a bit more forgiving and understanding of the situation, she feels like the only way they would have given us up is if it was necessary, and she longs to meet her family and be around other Lycan’s so she does not have to hide who we are.

I just don’t know if that is something I am ready for, I feel so hurt by it all, and she understands that completely. She is happy to go with my decision for now, when I actually make one. This is going to completely change our lives if I decide to be with my birth families and come out in the open for all to see.

Am I really ready for that, to have all eyes on me, watching and judging me all of the time. Will I even be accepted by their people or only tolerated in public so they do not upset their rulers.

Will I become hunted like they feared, will I be able to trust anyone and their intentions towards me when they discover who I am. I am relieved to finally fall asleep to stop my overthinking for a few hours, at least.

I feel no better or less confused about the whole situation, I am also exhausted from the lack of sleep, but I have to get up and go to training. Like I do every week day, even if all I want to do is hide under my covers and go back to sleep, to try and forget everything for a while longer.

I throw a couple of mugs of coffee down my throat before I drag my a.ss out the door and start walking towards the training grounds praying the caffeine will kick in soon or they may just have a chance of kicking my a.ss today.

I am one of the last ones here, well, except the future Alpha and his cronies. It is no surprise they always either turn up late or at the last moment before it starts.

As we are doing our stretches, an amazing scent flows in the breeze towards me as Calla starts to get excited in my head, yelling about our mate. As I look up and catch his eye, I am momentarily stunned. Why in the living hell did it have to be him.

“Oh hell no” I say out loud, causing everyone to look at me.

“Just wait and hear what he has to say. He is our mate. We should at least let him speak before you make a decision like this” Calla pleads with me.

“He is an stuck up, pretentious, idiotic a.sshole. Do you really want to be stuck with someone like him? He doesn’t give a sh.it about anyone other than himself and his two lackeys” I fire back at her.

“He could change now that he is our mate, please just see what he says first” she begs.

“Fine but he better not pi.ss me off” I agree reluctantly.

When I finished our conversation, he had managed to get right beside me as he looked at me with an evil smirk on his face.