The Orphaned Queen (By Brandi Ray) novel Chapter 20

“The King is my mate isn’t he?” I ask Jess after I finally stop crying.

“If you don’t want to stay here after you get your sight back, we will leave.” She says. “But I will say it seems he wants you to stay. He even called the coven in New Orleans to have someone come here and teach you how to use your magic.”

“Holy Goddess, are you serious?” I asked her, completely in shock. The King was willing to ask a witch to come and help someone he didn’t know and wouldn’t accept. He is a lot kinder than that ass Ian. I thought to myself.

“Yes, her name is Lady Lana. She showed up about an hour before you finally woke up.” She says. “She and Orian were actually discussing what you will need for your training when you woke up.”

“So he doesn’t want to reject me?” I ask, not able to stop the smile that was now on my face.

“I don’t think so. I think he’s more worried about you rejecting him.” She says, and I can’t help but feel like there’s something she’s not telling me.

“Why would I reject him?” I ask, and yet again, I’m met with silence.

“That’s something your mate will have to explain to you. Just know I will accept anything you decide.” She says before continuing. “Anything, other than you leaving by yourself.”

“We’ve been through this already Jess. I won’t take you and Odett with me if I leave. Not that I want to go. But if I have to, I won’t allow ya’ll to come with me.” I say with determination. “I won’t take you away from your happiness.”

“I can’t stay here knowing you’re out there alone. And Odett considers you her mother. Just think of yourself as our female Alpha, our leader.” Jess says, and I shake my head at the thought.

“I’m no leader. I’m the orphan with no last name.” I tell her as I close my eyes, feeling exhausted suddenly.

About two hours later, Jess woke me up by lightly rubbing a finger down the bridge of my nose while humming the lyrics to The Hanging Tree song till I woke up.

“It’s time to wake up so I can put your drops in your eyes. The King also wants to talk to us together before we switch shifts.” She says, and I nod my head.

“You know ya’ll don’t have to stay with me just because my vision is a little blurry,” I say. “It’s getting better. I can make out shapes now.”

****************************************

Zions’ P.O.V.

Walking to my office, I can’t help but feel like I’m letting Rain down by not telling her everything as soon as she woke up.

“Please explain how it came to be that she ended up an orphan in a wolf pack,” I say. “And the first hybrid.”

“Her father was an Alpha from the Crimson Creek Pack in New Orleans. After the loss of his mate and most of his pack at the hands of an Alpha by the mane of Douglas from the Blood Cresent Pack, who had hoped to gain more power and troops to wage war against the previous King, your father. We fell in love. I knew we were not mates, but I loved him dearly anyway. One night the moon Goddess Selene and the witch Goddess Nyx came to me in a dream. They told me that all supernaturals would be brought together by the Hybrid Queen, My child.” She says before stopping and making sure we had no questions before she continued.

“When she was three months old, she was taken by one of my own people. Somehow word had gotten out that she was the first of her kind, and Alpha Douglas wanted her power for himself. The witch that betrayed her own people and Goddes Nyx was paid off by Alpha Douglas to take my daughter and deliver her to him. Thankfully she did have a change of heart. Knowing she was part werewolf, she took her to a wolf pack. Unfortunately, she had placed a spell on my daughter that would cloke her from our locating spell and another spell that would bind her wolf and create a fake mate bond before the witch responsible for taking her disappeared as well. We had no way of finding her. Her father eventually went mad at losing our daughter, and he attacked Alpha Douglas during a Supernatural High Council meeting and was killed.”

“I am sorry for your loss Lady Ezmerelda,” I say. “As you know, I called for assistance on behalf of a witch that grew up as an orphan in a wolf pack. What I failed to mention in that call was that the witch is my mate. After the phone call, however, she was attacked and nearly died. She is alive, thankfully. But her eyes were damaged in the attack and will take a few days to regain her sight.”

“So she is to be the Queen?” She asked, and I feel a mixture of pride and pain.

“The thing is that she doesn’t know the King is her mate yet,” Orian says, and Lady Ezmerelda looks at me in confusion.

“When she first arrived in the kingdom after a rogue attack, I could only sense the witch in her but not her wolf. I thought she had cast a spell on me until I realized she was a hybrid. I have no intentions of rejecting your daughter.” I explain. “I will explain everything to her and let her decide for herself if she will accept me as her mate, but only after she’s healed.”

“Spoken like a true king!” Lady Ezmerelda says. Then we decided to make our way to Rains’ room so she could meet her daughter.