Promised

I have always known that I am a Lycan and Witch hybrid. My mother was a Lycan, and my father was a Warlock. I can't remember my mother much because they broke up when Mother found her mate and I was a very young pup. She never looked back and just left us. Father has been trying to keep us safe and happy. We have been moving every few years to new packs and covens to find a place to thrive and belong. After mother left father was broken but not in the "Still Love" way but the revenge way. Father changed slowly from the loving man I remember from childhood to a callous angry man.

When my Lycan surfaced for the first time at age 15 I lost my loving father forever. He said I looked just like my mother after my shift. I had matured quickly and was the spitting image of my mother. I had her slender face, silver hair, and athletic build with curves in all the right places. The only thing not from her was my eyes. They are a vibrant purple, which neither parent possessed. After that day he would feed me wolfsbane and train my magic side. If I failed anything he would whip me with silver laced whip. It would take a few days for the slashes to heal, and he would let me rest, thankfully. He always told me this training would strengthen my Witch qualities and build a tolerance to wolfsbane for my future. So, I endured the training and tried my best.

We moved last year to the supernatural kingdom's capital city. I could see the castle out my bedroom window. The view was amazing and the best way to wake up every morning. The sun would shine on the walls of the castle giving it an ethereal look, as if it truly wasn't there. I was enrolled at the elite academy for all supernatural beings. They had classes for Lycans, werewolves, witches, fae, dragons, and angels. I had a combination of classes on my schedule like most hybrids, but unlike most hybrids, I was taking all the classes. My father said I needed to learn everything to stay safe. He never told me what I was to stay safe from.

Today is my 19th birthday and my father has a surprise for me after school. I have a feeling I'm not going to like his surprise. I felt wary of even returning home today. I tried to shake the itching feeling I was in danger off and tried to focus on the dragon instructor's words. The comm system squawked to life with an announcement of an assembly. We all packed up and headed to the auditorium. From the gossip I have heard in passing all week, the assembly is likely about the 6 kings returning to the kingdom from training. slowly everyone was filtering in and getting to their seats. The dean was at the podium and flanking him were the king and queens. I could hear the disappointment in most of the females in the room as they noticed the 6 kings were not there. I have never seen them in person just heard about how gorgeous they are.

Since I got here, I have learned that the 6 kings are hybrids like me. Except for one difference, they weren't all the same kind of hybrid. The eldest King Adam was an Angel/Lycan hybrid, King Micheal was a Dragon/Lycan, King Marcus was a Fae/Lycan, the twins King Jacob and King Mathew were a Werewolf/Lycan, and the youngest King Ryan was a Witch/Lycan, like me. Our reigning king, their father had 5 mates of a different race than him. I heard when he found his mates it united the supernatural world and made the concept of mixed-race mates a normal thing. It used to be a huge taboo in our society, but once our rulers were in said mating nobody could speak ill of any pairing, or it would be considered defaming the crown. They were still away for their 5-year training before ascending the throne. They were also said to be searching for their Lunas.

I was brought back to reality when the dean began to speak. He did the usual school announcements and gave the podium to the king with a small bow. I wasn't interested in hearing about the 6 kings coming home. I had to think of a plan to get out of going home tonight. I snuck out of the assembly and went to my favorite spot at the top of the clock tower in the quad. The view from the top was my solitude. I could see the whole academy and beyond. I always sat on the side so that I could see the castle in its full glory. The forest behind the castle was always lush and green as if maintained by magic. From way up there I could talk to my Lycan Phara about our dreams. Father always whipped me if he caught me talking to her. I don't know why he hated her so much. It couldn't be the fact that we look like our mother there has to be another reason.

As I ascended the spiral staircase, I let my hair down and dug in my bag for the book I was reading about hybrids. I reached the top and went to my spot. This particular spot had 6 initials carved on the ledge. I would trace the letters absent-mindedly while ready or staring out at the kingdom. I felt a slight tingle anytime I traced those letters as if they called to me like the castle and forest called to me. I always wondered who these initials belonged to and longed to be included even though I never had that feeling with anything else. I hoped that one of them might be my mate. I can only sense my mate after the hour of my birth on my 19th birthday. Which is thankfully in less than 3 hours. I opened the book and started to read where I left off this morning.