The Hybrid Queen Mother

Chapter 3

Jordan was awake. Now, I felt like I could face everyone else. I had left everyone behind, wallowing in my own sorrow, not thinking about others. Everyone lost someone they cared about. Mia lost Kierran, Stella almost lost Jordan. And a ton of others passed that day. I wasn’t the only one grieving. But it’s been far too long, I needed to face everyone. Everyone who put their lives on the line.

“I should probably check his vitals. The doctors and healers might want to know how he was doing when he woke up,” Mia said. "Do you remember what happened and how you ended up here?" She asked him.

"Unfortunately," he said as he gave me a sad look.

Mia told me to let go of Jordan’s hand, so she could get a proper reading. I didn’t notice I was still holding it, even while hugging him. When I let go, both of our hands began to heal from the cuts I’d made. Something felt different though. Jordan felt different. Stella would have to examine him and figure it out. Right now, I was just happy to see him awake.

“So, where is everyone?” Jordan asked once Mia had finished with her exam.

“Mia, do you mind giving us a little privacy? And leaving the barrier up.” I asked her.

“Of course, Your Hi- I mean, Marcy. I’ll go get some food for both of you.” She smiled before leaving. Once I no longer sensed her, I turned my attention back to Jordan.

“So?” He asked.

“Everyone is in the courtyard having dinner. But I’m sure they will be back soon.” I said. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine. Still tired, but fine. How long have I been out?” He asked, and I felt more tears burning my eyes.

“About two months.”

“TWO MONTHS!?” He shouted. “What the hell did I miss?”

“We won.” My voice cracked as I tried to force a smile on my face. It quickly fell as I thought back to that day.

“Why do I feel a ‘but' coming?” He asked, and I could hear the concern in his voice.

“But not everyone made it back.” I tried to wipe the tears, but they wouldn’t stop.

“James?” He asked in disbelief. I couldn’t answer, so I just nodded and broke down again. Jordan reached over and pulled me into a tight hug, almost as if he was trying to comfort himself as well as me. “Marce, I’m so sorry. If I had been more careful instead of getting hurt, I could have-”

“Stop. Don’t even think about blaming yourself. If there was anyone to blame, it was me. I should have stayed focused.” I sobbed.

“Did he know?” He asked after sitting there for a moment in silence.

“I don’t know. I didn’t even know until that moment when Gaia told me. But I want to believe he did. I told him, but I don’t know if he heard me.” I explained honestly.

“Does anyone else know?” He asked, and I knew he was just trying to make sure he wouldn’t spill the beans if it were a secret.

“My mom and grandpa, since they were there. Vasillia as well as the Moon Goddesses. And Stella, since I had her examine me to make sure it was okay. I haven’t told anyone else.”

“How long do you think you can hide it? You’re not showing now, but wolf and vampire pregnancies are typically short. You're probably going to start showing soon.”

“That’s not something you should worry about. You should focus on getting your strength back,” I said.

“Honestly, I’m feeling a lot better than when I woke up. I think I can walk now.” He said as he stood up and stretched his legs.

“Good. Do you want to see everyone with me?”

“It depends. Are we going to make a grand entrance?” He grinned, showing off his dimples.

“Of course. It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t. I mean, I am the future Queen, and you are… You.” I laughed.

Before we could jump, there was a knock on the door. Mia's voice came through, asking for permission to enter. I opened the door while Jordan looked for something to change into. Mia came in and set our tray of food down before using her magic to conjure clothes for Jordan. He thanked her, and she smiled as she sat at the table to eat dinner with us.

Once we were finished, I told Mia she was welcome to remove the barrier and join us in the courtyard if she wanted. She excitedly agreed, but before she removed the barrier, I made sure Jordan was masking his scent. I didn’t want anyone to know he was up. I wanted it to be a surprise.

Once we were ready, Jordan and I jumped to the center stage. Mia teleported there at the same time, covering the stage in teal smoke. Once the smoke settled, the courtyard fell silent. People all around stood with a look of confusion on their faces.

I could feel the mixed emotions coming from everyone as they stared in disbelief. Mia awkwardly shifted until a sweet soft voice broke the silence.

“Miss Marcy? Are you finally back?” Len asked as she came forward.

“Yes, sweetie. I am.” I smiled at her as I picked her small frame up in my arms and hugged her.

“WOLFIE!” Stella cried as she ran through the crowd and nearly tackled Jordan.

He caught her in time and held onto her tightly as if his life depended on it. I watched as tears streamed down both of their faces. His parents came running through the crowd, to see him for themselves as cheering erupted from the crowd.

I felt a knot in my throat as I tried my best to hold back my own tears. I held onto Len tightly as I saw my grandpa and parents appear in front of me. They all had tears in their eyes as they pulled me into a group hug.

Pulling away, I set Len down and watched her run back into the crowd as I hugged my parents and grandpa again. I allowed the tears to flow as I realized how much I missed them.

No matter how alone I thought I was, I was wrong. I had my parents, grandpa, Jordan, Gaia, Len, Stella and my tribe. They were all happy to see me. Despite everything, they patiently waited for me and greeted me with open arms.

Once the greetings were out the way, I decided I needed to address everyone. I wasn’t going to stay here permanently, I had other people to visit. But I would be back, and they needed to know that. I raised my hand to get everyone’s attention, and in a matter of seconds the place fell silent.

“I know you all have a ton of questions, and you all deserve answers. I promise I will do my best to answer all of them. But before I get to your questions, I want to explain some things to you.” I said, and they all remained silent, urging me to continue.

“First off, I want to thank each and every one of you. I should have thanked you all sooner, and I apologized that I didn't. But I truly appreciate each of you. Every one of you played an important part in our success. And those that didn’t make it back will never be forgotten.” I said, fighting my tears.

“For those of you who made it back, thank you. Thank you for fighting with me, thank you for your risk and, more importantly, thank you for coming back alive.” I paused to regain my composure.

“For those who brought back the wounded and those who stayed behind to heal, thank you. You are the reason so many of us are here today. You are the reason why we are okay.” I looked out into the crowd. Many of these people lost someone or were almost lost.

“As you all know. My husband, my mate,” I choked out. “James, was lost in battle. He died fighting against Markus and Darius.” I sniffled.

I was finding it hard to continue, but then Jordan grabbed my hand. Stella came up next to me and rubbed circles on my back and I found the strength to keep going.

“Jordan, my best friend, my guardian, my brother. As you all know, he almost died as well,” I said, looking into his eyes. “We have all lost someone we loved to this dreadful war. But it is up to us to make sure that we take care of each other.”

“After losing my mate I disappeared. I hid myself from the world because I was consumed with pain and guilt and loneliness. I wanted to die with my mate. The loneliness was too much. But I realized something.” I wiped my tears with the back of my hand before continuing.

“I am not alone. I have you all. And as long as we have each other, we will be okay. We are a tribe. A pack. A coven. A clan. We are a family. And as long as we have each other, we will never be alone. I promise, as long as I live, I will protect you and I will never desert you again,” I declared.

“I’m sorry I left with no explanation. I was caught up in my own grief. But no more. I will not abandon you. I hope you can forgive me.” I bowed deeply to them, hoping for their forgiveness.

“We all grieve in our own ways. When I lost my Robert, I didn’t leave my room for weeks.” Someone in the crowd said.

“When Barbra died, I was very bitter and lashed out at everyone. It wasn’t until you accepted me into your tribe that I felt I could live again.” Another person said.

“You don’t need to apologize to us. We love you. And we will always be here for you.” Someone else said. The rest of the crowd started agreeing.

“Thank you. All of you. I don’t deserve you.” I said, standing up straight.

“You do. And so much more," Ethan said from the crowd.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering how I’m awake now,” Jordan announced, turning everyone’s attention to him. “Well, it’s because of our lovely soon-to-be Queen. She healed my mind, then Alpha commanded me to wake up!” He laughed, lightening the mood.

“Now, let’s celebrate the return of our Tribe leader and Queen!” Jordan shouted, making the crowd cheer again.

“Actually, before we celebrate. I have one more thing to say.” Everyone quieted down again to listen to me. “I will be leaving soon. Not permanently. I will be coming back. But I need to visit the packs, clans and covens that helped us. I need to give them my thanks. Once I am done with that, I will be back.”

“Will you be gone for a long time?” Len asked me?

“Probably a couple of months. We had a lot of help.” I stated and she pouted. “Don't worry, I will leave the mindlink open. Any wolf or wolf hybrid will be able to link me. I’m also requesting every magic user to replicate the jewelry that allows non-wolves to link with me. That way, everyone can reach me if needed.”

“Does anyone have any questions?” I asked, and the crowd stayed silent. “If any of you do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Are we going to stay in these woods?” Someone asked.

“It depends. Would you like to?” I asked and people started mumbling.

“How about this? We’ll put it to a vote. James bought land in Washington and there is more than enough for us to build our community there. We’ll be in a college town, but we can always build ourselves a city. Or we can stay here and build. Take your time and think about it. When I come back, we'll vote.”

“Where do you want to be?” Len asked me.

“James built a house for us. We were supposed to live there with each other. But it’s not about me. It’s about all of you. No matter what you choose, I will be okay. If you want to stay here, we'll stay. And if you choose to go there, we'll go. Please, choose what your heart desires. Don’t think about me.” I told them honestly.

“Now let’s celebrate for the rest of the night.” I shouted and everyone cheered before they started mingling again.

I knew this wasn’t the end of the questions, but we needed good vibes. I will answer the millions of questions later. Right now, I wanted to enjoy the company of the tribe. My heart filled as I looked out and saw everyone enjoying themselves. They were happy, and that’s all that mattered.