A Hybrid's Hunger

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

My muscles ache with each stride. I race through the darkness, my paws thudding against the earth. My mate isn't here. I'm not following him either. I'm following his wolves, the wolves from his pack that had attacked us earlier. The same wolves who had barged right into the wedding and ruined the whole night.

I don't know where my mate is, and I suppose it's better if I don't.

The air is crisp and biting, a chilling reminder of the season. I can feel the cold seep into my fur, prickling against my skin. Yet, even in the midst of the frosty night, there's a raw beauty that unfolds before my eyes.

The wolves from my mate's pack take me to the north. I suppose that's where he lives, or stays—whatever. I don't want to think of my mate or what I'm running toward.

I want to live long enough to see my mother again.

Maybe in a few days' time...

I tell myself that, but I'm not sure. There's nothing I can be sure about anymore. My life, my world is in someone else's hands. Someone I don't even know. Someone's name I still haven't asked.

Who is my mate?

I didn't see him shift when we left my house earlier. I shifted, but he didn't. I was curious to know what he'd look like—what a half-werewolf and a half-vampire would look like. But alas, I've to wait to see him again.

I struggle following the wolves, they are faster than me and stronger. I'm the one left in the last and behind me, there's a wolf who's just there to keep track on me, to ensure I don't get lost—or maybe run away from my mate. I doubt my mate has told his people since he was too busy murdering everyone at the pack house before he came to me.

I press on, following the wolves with all the strength I've left inside me. The landscape transforms before my eyes, revealing a winter wonderland. Frost and blankets of snow. I'm breathless and cold. Very cold. It's chilling here in the north and my fur can barely keep me warm.

Nestled in the heart of the mountains, a town emerges. A frozen lake extends for miles throughout the town. The wolves use the lake as the guide and it leads up to a dark house at the edge of the town. Its sole presence forced my nerves to quicker. We near the house and the wolves come to a halt at the end of a large worn-out staircase that leads up to the entrance.

I stop finally. My breaths come out quick and sharp. The eerie house stands tall in front of me and I wonder, for a moment, if this is where I'm going.

When I turn, the wolves are gone. There's no one here.

Shit.

I steel myself and begin to ascend toward the entrance of the house. At the large door, I find my mate, clothed and unhinged, holding my clothes in his hand. There's a grin on his face while my thoughts race at the possibilities of how he could've been here all this time while forcing me to shift and run for the past few hours.

I take a step forward and reach the door where he still stands.

Every inch of my body aches.

"I've been waiting for you, mate." Something sinister crosses his eyes.

I don't think much of it and instead of worrying, I lunge forward and take my clothes from his hand before heading into the house. The air inside is heavy with an alluring scent—of my own mate. My wolf stirs with energy as if she hasn't been worn out completely by the night.

Into a corner, I shift to my human form before quickly wearing my clothes. My skin's ice cold and worse, I'm freezing.

"You left me!" I snap at my mate as soon as I finish pulling up my pants. "You left me with those wolves, your own mate. Do you even know what could've happened? There wasn't even a single female among them. And it was fucking cold."

He enters the house and the door shuts behind with a heavy thud that echoes in the silence. His hands cross over his chest and he grins wider. "I trust my men far more than you think and they'll die before bringing you any harm."

My eyes narrow, but my anger continues to fuel.

"Leaving me alone, vulnerable, with a pack of unfamiliar wolves is irresponsible. Your responsibility as my mate is to protect me, not to subject me to unnecessary risks." I don't stop and I don't think I will until I have a few days to rest from the torture he put me through.

"Says the widow,"

I slam my mouth shut and grind my teeth at his sudden response. My blood boils further.

He nears me and I step back until my back hits the dark stone wall of this haunted house. His towering presence engulfs me, and my heart hammers in my chest. Raising his hand, he presses the back of his fingers against my cheek and trails them down to my chin.

"You're cold."

I slap his hand away from my face and step to the side while containing my anger. "And you're a heartless brute." I spit out.

His lips curl into a smirk while amusement floods into his eyes. "I've been called worse, sweetheart."

The casual ways he shrugs off my anger infuriates me more. My chest rises and drops as I look away from him, but it's only for a mere moment. I can't resist what has been there for years within me, what has been reminded through centuries. Mate bond.

Not even the strongest wolf can resist it.

"Where will I be sleeping? I'm tired and I'd like to have a break from you." I cock my head around the house, searching for the rooms. Anything to get under the sheets. The day and night has drained me. I want to rest and I want to call Liora to see if she has reached my mother.

"Not here," He comes behind me as I move around the house. It's quiet and it's haunting. "In the tower, where a prisoner stays."

I halt on my steps and turn around. "You're not serious."

He leans against a nearby wall, arms crossed over his chest and a smile still playing on his lips. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm your mate and you're going to put me in a tower for prisoners?"

"You married another man," He never fails to remind me. "So, you'll be staying in the tower. Don't worry, I already made sure it's comfortable."

The main door of the house opens and the cold wind rushes inside, quickly making me feel cold once more. My mate steps out and waits for me to come. With a frustrated frown, I leave the house and follow him outside. We walk around the house in the middle of the night and from the corner of my eyes, I see a tower looming ominously in the distance.

It's behind the house.

It's behind the house.

My teeth clench tight. I follow him further into the tower and we climb the spiral staircase before he pushes open a heavy wooden door, revealing a fairly empty room. Iron rings are embedded in the stone walls and the ground below. The floor is lined with thick rugs, providing some warmth, but the rest of it is empty. There are several stains on the floor and I'm not sure if it's blood or something else.

"Not as bad as you thought?"

I stare at him in disbelief. "This isn't a room, it's a cell. This is where you keep your prisoners, not your mate!"

He simply shrugs, again. "Like I said, you're the one who decided to be someone else's wife. So, for now, this is your room. You made your choice. Live with the consequences."

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