The Hybrid Queen Mother

Chapter 8

Jordan was getting better at jumping with me. He no longer got sick and stuck the landing almost every time. I was happy to see it, although I know he still preferred portals over jumping.

As soon as we landed outside of Kevin’s pack, I was surprised to notice I didn’t need the bag of blood my grandpa gave me. It was a far jump from Italy to the US, and the fact I did it without completely depleting my energy was shocking. Even Gaia was still full of energy.

Walking to the gate, the guards immediately greeted us and escorted us in. Yesterday, I made sure to let all the alphas, clan leaders, and coven priestesses, lords and archmages know I was coming. I gave them a date range, so they all had an idea of when to expect me.

Pack members bowed and greeted me as I walked by. It was nice seeing so many pups running around care free. They were at peace, having fun and chasing each other around. They were safe. And that’s all I wanted.

Kevin and Beth, their Betas, Carlos and Jessica, and their Gammas, Nathan and Ruby, were all standing out front, waiting for me.

“I could have sent a car. You didn’t have to walk all the way here,” Kevin said.

“I could have jumped if I didn’t want to walk.” I forced a smile.

“Oh, Marcy, it’s good to see you again,” Ruby smiled as she gave me a hug.

“It’s good to see you all too,” I said.

“Your Highness, I never got the chance to express my condolences to you. If you need anything, you can always call on me,” Jessica said sincerely as she hugged me.

“Now that you mention it, I do need something,” I said as I broke free from her hug.

“Anything, just name it,” Jessica looked at me, waiting to hear what I had to say.

“I need you all to refer to me as Marcy. I am not the queen until my coronation. And even after, when it’s just us, you can call me Marcy.”

“Of course,” Jessica smiled.

“Let’s go inside. The kitchen omegas made lunch,” Kevin said as he turned to lead us in.

Jordan followed close behind me, making sure he didn’t lose sight of me. I knew he felt guilty for not being able to protect me or for James’s death, but it wasn’t his fault. He thought he was weak and useless, but he was far from it.

Seeing Jordan mask his emotions with a stoic face hurt the most. Especially since I could feel all his emotions, even though he tried to block me out. But I didn’t say anything. Now was not the time. I needed to give him space to sort it out, but I refused to leave him alone. So I kept him close by but didn’t bring it up. That was the best I could do for now.

The omegas made toasted BLT sandwiches and homemade potato wedges. It was probably one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I haven't eaten much since the war and I suddenly found myself starving. I felt like I was going to die of hunger if I didn’t consume more food.

Jordan must have felt my hunger through our bond because he gave me his food. He wouldn’t have eaten it anyway. I devoured the second sandwich, but I still needed more.

Goddess, I could eat a whole deer right now. Maybe two! Gaia whined.

“Would you all excuse me? I need to hunt. No. Gaia needs to hunt,” I explained, and everyone looked at me in shock.

“I’ll take you! Gem has been bugging me for a hunt. There’s this place right near the creek that has a ton of game. If we’re lucky, there might even be deer!” Ruby shouted excitedly.

“Thanks. Gaia really wants that deer,” I chuckled. “Shall we go?” I asked and she nodded excitedly.

Ruby, Jordan and I all headed out. I knew the guys were questioning why Jordan was joining, so I linked them, letting them know Jordan was coming to make sure we were safe and that at this time it was best if we were not separated. I know they didn’t really understand why, but they didn’t question me, which I was thankful for.

As we made it to the treeline to shift, Lee walked by and almost lost her mind. She didn’t know I was here, and we haven’t spoken since James’s funeral. She broke out in tears when she saw me and clung to me as she sobbed. When she finally calmed down, I told her we were going hunting and invited her to join us. She agreed.

We quickly stripped down and shifted and the moment we were done, we took off into the forest. Gem led us towards the creek as we followed her. Jumping over logs and running through the leaves, I felt more connected to Gaia.

We hunted for about two hours before finally calling it quits. Sadly, there were no deer in the area, but we managed to catch a ton of rabbits, which satisfied us for now. Milo didn’t eat any of the rabbits he caught, instead he gave them to Gaia, who devoured them. The looks from Gem and Amari, Lee’s wolf, didn’t go unnoticed.

When we made it back to the treeline, we shifted and quickly dressed. Ruby and Lee didn’t say anything about Milo giving his rabbits to Gaia, and I hoped it stayed that way. The last thing he needs is someone pointing out his odd behavior.

Making it back to the pack house, Kevin informed me that the pack will gather behind the packhouse for my announcement, and a large dinner will be served afterward. He extended an invitation for Jordan and I to stay the night, so we could rest before going to the next pack, which I accepted.

I requested to stay in James’s old room, which Kevin allowed, and Jordan took the room next door. Lee’s room was directly across from James’s, and it made me feel comfortable knowing she was close by.

I decided to shower and change before the announcement and headed towards the room. The room was just the same as when I was last here with James. His coffee scent still lingered in the room, and it brought me a sense of peace.

After showering, I laid in the bed, breathing in the remnants of James’s scent. I couldn’t control the tears that flooded my eyes and I sobbed silently into the pillow. I did my best to block Jordan from my emotions, but I soon realized it didn’t matter, his emotions were similar to mine. Still, I held the block up, I didn’t want to feed his pain with my own.

When I had no more tears to shed, I pulled myself up and made my way to the bathroom. I needed to look presentable, so I did my make-up. My puffy red eyes told the world I had been crying. I looked in my bag for eye drops, hoping it would get rid of the redness.

I tried to heal myself with the water, so my eyes would no longer be puffy, but it didn’t seem to work well. So instead, I settled on masking it with more makeup. Once I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror again. It wasn't great, but it was the best I could do.

Jordan linked me, letting me know that it was time for the announcement and that he would be waiting outside my room to escort me. The small knock on the door confirmed he was there waiting, so I left the room.

Jordan was dressed business casual and cleaned up well. Someone who didn’t know him would think he was doing well, but I knew better. I also dressed business casual. I wore a knee-length fitted forest green dress and sandals.

Beth and Kevin greeted us and led us to the stage that was set up behind the packhouse. Once all the pack members were gathered, we began. Kevin addressed the pack with Beth standing proudly by his side. After a brief announcement, Kevin introduced me to the pack.

Pack members applauded as I made my way onto the stage. Jordan stayed where he was, not following me, which was best. Once I was front and center, the crowd calmed down and I began.

“Thank you for the warm welcome. I am here today to express my gratitude to each of you. It was because of your help that we were able to win the war. I wanted to personally thank you all.” Pack members cheered and it warmed my heart.

“I know, there are pack members who didn’t make it home. They were more than warriors, they were loved ones, mates, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. They were family. And they will never be forgotten.”

“Chase, Samuel, Sanaya, Alexander, Casey, Kiara…. James and so many more. I will never forget any of them. They fought bravely and diligently, and they deserve to be remembered. And I will make sure they are.”

The pack cheered more, and I allowed them to get their emotions out. Some were still mourning the loss of loved ones while others were celebrating that the fighting was over. Either way, there was no malice coming from the pack, and I was happy about it.

“One last thing,” I announced. “My coronation will be held on the night of the blood moon. It will be held in the forbidden woods, and you are all invited. Attendance is not mandatory, however, I’d be happy to see you all there. And I can provide transportation for all of you. Now, let's have dinner.”

I left the stage and almost instantly felt my knees start to give out. Jordan grabbed my arm to help steady me and when I was ready, he let me go. I was okay, but bringing James up always made me sad and putting on a brave face was hard. Quickly, I gathered myself and enjoyed dinner with the pack.

When dinner was over and the pack members started returning to their homes, I decided to turn in as well. Although I brought my own set of clothes and sleepwear, I decided to put on one of James’s old shirts. It still smelled like him. And it was the only thing that made me comfortable.

After a while of tossing and turning, I knew it was going to be another restless night. Still, I lay there, not wanting to leave the bed that once belonged to my mate. A soft knock on the door drew my attention from my thoughts. I knew it wasn’t Jordan, even though I could feel he was still up, it was someone else.

I got up and opened the door to find Lee standing there, wrapped in her blanket. She looked as if she had been crying and the far away look in her eyes felt familiar.

“Can’t sleep?” I asked her and she nodded. “Same here. Come on in.”

We spent about an hour talking about small things. I asked her about her plans for her future, what she wanted to do or be, but our talk didn’t go too deep. Jordan's emotions kept nagging me. I felt him trying to block them, but it almost felt as if Milo was interfering.

“What’s going on?” Lee asked me.

“I don’t know. It’s Jordan, he feels… Off?” I said.

“Off how?” She asked. “How do you know what he’s feeling? Is it one of your powers?”

“No, we’re bonded. Well, he’s my guardian, so we had to create a bond. I can feel his emotions, his pain and he can feel mine.” I explained.

“Like a mate bond?” She asked.

“In a sense. Except there is a difference, we don’t mark each other, and we don’t carry the same type of feeling as mates. It’s more of what I assume a sibling bond would be. I don’t have any siblings, so I don’t know for sure, but I assume this is what it would be like.”

“If you don’t mark each other, how did you create the bond?”

“It’s a blood bond. Basically, we cut our hands and mix our blood. Jordan swore an oath to be my guardian.” I gave her the cliff notes version.

“But couldn’t he do that without the bond? I'm sure James didn’t like it.” Lee commented, and a small laugh escaped my lips.

“You’re right about that. James was furious. Gaia took over and created the bond, and I couldn’t stop her. James and I got into a big fight about it, but back then, I didn’t even know who I was meant to be. I didn’t know about the prophecy.”

“But why was it important to create the bond instead of just swearing the oath?” Lee persisted.

“It binds him to me. As my guardian, he is supposed to protect me at all costs, even if it kills him. If I die, he dies. The bond allows us to know how the other is feeling, if they are in pain, dying or dead. It also prevents him from double-crossing me since his life is tied to mine. The bond was necessary because it establishes loyalty and trust,” I explained.

“And it prolongs Jordan’s life. So he can stand and protect us for as long as we live,” Gaia said through my mouth.

“Was that Gaia just now?” Lee asked and I nodded.

“I didn’t know that,” I said softly. Gaia came forward again to explain some more.

“Don’t get me wrong. Jordan is not immortal like us. He could still die. However, as long as he doesn’t receive any life-threatening injuries, he will live as long as we do. He’s still just a wolf, so anything that can kill a wolf can kill him.”

I nodded and so did Lee. Gaia retreated to the back of my mind, and I made a mental note to ask her more about it later.

“So is he having a tough time right now?” Lee asked me and I nodded. “Maybe he should join us. He doesn’t have to struggle alone.”

I quickly linked Jordan and a few moments later, the door was opening, and he walked in, wrapped in a large blanket. Lee made room for him on the bed, and we all sat watching a movie. Eventually, sleep took over.