The Hybrid

6: Beck

I keep my eyes trained to the floor as she leaves with Bennett even though everything in me is telling me to look up, just to get one more glance at her before she goes to her room for the night.

"Christie tells me that Willow is your mate," My father says, suddenly.

"Supposedly, yes," I say, going to sit in the seat she previously occupied. The seat is still warm and her scent encompasses me. I want to sigh, close my eyes, and bask in it.

I shake the urge before I give in to it.

Despite the strange feelings meeting Willow has evoked in me, I'm not sure I really buy that she's my mate. There's no way in hell that I could be mated to her and even I am that doesn't change anything. I'm still going to keep living my life the way I've been living it. I hope that she doesn't expect me to just drop everything and become her perfect little mate. I don't think she does. It would be incredibly selfish to think such a thing and Willow doesn't strike me as a selfish person. A little naive and just a little too timid at times, absolutely, but selfish or malicious, no.

"And what do you think of that?" He asks.

"I don't think anything of it. It doesn't mean anything to me," I say. There's a weird feeling that comes over me as I say this. A feeling I can only describe as guilt. A feeling I almost don't recognize at first as I haven't felt in a very long time. The sensation is deep, uncomfortable, and consuming.

I disregard it.

"Really?" He questions, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, really," I snap. I hate being questioned with a burning passion.

"I think you should."

"Well, I don't," I say, rubbing a hand across my forehead and down my face, "Is that all?"

"No," he sighs, "I want you to oversee all the training and tests we'll be running on Willow while she's here."

I scrunch my face in confused annoyance, "Why me?"

"You're her mate. She will naturally feel more comfortable around you and the more comfortable she is the more cooperative she'll be," He says, shrugging as if he'd just explained the most obvious thing in the world to me.

She isn't my fucking mate.

"This is bullshit. Obviously the girl has made a mistake or she's after something else," I say, standing from my seat.

"Like what?"

"I don't know! Money? Power? Status?"

Deep down I know everything I'm saying is a load of horseshit. Willow isn't after Stautus. If anything she and her mother made it abundantly clear that she is to stay out of the spotlight. With her being a hybrid she has a physical and biological advantage over just about every other species, if she was after power, I'm sure she could've gotten it a long time ago through a different avenue. And if she wanted money, she mostly would've asked for it by now. If there's anything I know about gold diggers it's that they don't waste time. They'll bargain for a quick buck as soon as they get the chance with little to no shame. Willow didn't do that because she's not like that. I just don't this to be true. It can't be.

My father chuckles dryly, "You truly are in denial, Beckett. What's so bad about this? Why are you running away from the truth?"

"I'm not," I say through gritted teeth.

"Then you should have no problem doing as I asked of you."

"Whatever."

"Beckett, I'm serious. I expect you to be on top of this," He says as I walk towards his door.

"Yes, I heard you the first time," I said, not even sparing him another glance.

I'm so angry as I walk away from his office, I want to hit something or someone.

Why would he task me with this? Like I want to be stuck babysitting some love-sick puppy every day for the next two fucking months. I don't want anything to do with her or that stupid bond. I'm sure he knows that which is most like why he actually wanted me to be the one to be in charge of everything that has to do with her. He says it's his way of making us face challenges and overcome obstacles. I say he just enjoys being a nuisance. I'll have to add this to the list of things he's purposely done to piss me or my brother off. I swear that man really needs to find a hobby that doesn't have anything to do with bothering me.

I shake my head as I stop walking and knock on the door to the room that I spend more time in than I do in my own room.

A few seconds pass before the door swings open.

Her face scrunches up in anger and she crosses her arms over her chest, "What're you doing here?"

I roll my eyes, "What am I always doing here, Christie?"

"Oh, you're here for that. I would think that would be all cozied up with that mate of yours by now," she says, dropping her arms and rolling her eyes as she walks away from the door, leaving it wide open for me to walk in.

I sigh as I seize the opportunity and walk into her room, slamming the door behind me.

She jumps at the sound.

I have been known to sleep around. I go to Christie the most. Not because I like her more than the others, but simply because she's more convenient. It doesn't matter what I do or where I go. Christie is always there waiting to give me exactly what I want when I want it. She knows I sleep with other girls and I'm sure she's slept with other men aside from me. I don't understand why she's acting this way about me supposedly having a mate, but I won't let her petty little attitude get in the way of doing what I came here to do.

"I don't want anything to do with her or that bond and you know it," I say, tiredly. It was the third time I'd found myself talking about 'the bond' tonight and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it.

She scoffs, turning around to face me, "No, actually I didn't know that. With the way you two were ogling at each other half the night, I would've thought she had you wrapped around her little finger by now."

"No one has that kind of control over me and no one ever will."

She stares at me thoughtfully for a moment, "Not even me?"

"Especially not you," I say, shaking my head.

Christie is a dependable member of the community. She's powerful and gets the job done when needed. She can be good like that. She's also extremely bitchy, conniving and would do whatever it takes to get what she wants, no matter who she has to step on to get it. All in all, she's a pretty terrible person, but amazing in the sack.

I would never fully trust or allow her to have any sway in my life and decisions. However, I can and will fuck her until neither of us can see straight.

"Now stop acting like a brat and give me what I want," I say, pulling her against me.

"You really think calling me a brat is going to get you anything out of me," She asks, her eyes darting between my lips and my eyes.

I smirk as I can practically see her resolve dissolving into nothingness.

"Yes, I do, actually," I counter, quickly.

She stares at me unsurely for a moment before she quickly presses her lips to mine, surrendering herself to me.