THE HYBRID'S MATE, sterek [book 01] ✔

xxx. fire and water, two sides

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐘𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃'𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺: 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳,
𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴

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     OKAY. I LIED TO Allison. 

     I am definitely not going to call over anyone. It's not like they can come over anyway. Jackson is in South America with Cora and Derek; Theo and Malia aren't too fond of having to deal with Mate drama at the moment; and the twins have their own Mates to worry about. Danny is sick with the flu at the moment and Ethan is taking care of him, and Lydia has dragged Aiden away from the Packs on a short break.

     I'm not even going to bother with Peter. He and Valerie are baby shopping. Honestly, she is only a few months along and yet they are panicking about absolutely everything. I don't see the drama - they aren't having the baby tomorrow or anything. They still have two trimesters to go. It is something truly strange.

     Scott would be my next go to person, but he and Kira have started being intimate. So, I don't particularly want to be around that stench. Boyd and Erica aren't my favourite two people at this moment, so they're out of the running. Also, they have their own things to be doing without having to deal with their Alpha's Mate.

     Liam, Hayden, Mason, and Corey are out on a double date of all things. Like, hello. What else would those seventeen-year-old children be doing other than that? Turning into rabbits probably. Okay, probably not rabbits. Most likely attempting to evolve and turn into a fully fledged Wolf - although it is a rare occurrence for that to even happen.

     So, that only leaves Valerie's Pack. I'm not a big fan of the Wolves and Coyotes, so, that leaves the Foxes. Kassidy and William are probably the best bet to talk to out of the entirety of the Pack, but, like everyone else, they have something to do. So do Cayden and Sonya. That leaves the twins - Nick and Gabriel. Those two get on like a house on fire, which, in my opinion, is funny considering that Gabriel is a Kasai Kitsune.

     I dial Nick's number reluctantly.

     He picks up on the second ring. "Hey, Sti. What's going on?"

     "Hey, Ni. Do you think that you and Gabe could come over for a while?"

     "Yeah. Of course. Derek's loft?"

     I smile. "You know so well."

     "I'll see you soon, Sti."

     "See you."

• • •

     The twins don't even bother to knock. 

     Gabriel just opens the door and walks inside as if he owns the place. Then again, he and Derek have actually started to get along. In short, they're brooding buddies. Since the two of them have started to get along, Gabriel has been spending a lot of his free time here - almost wiping the loft of my scent.

     Nick is the cautious one. He silently walks in behind his boisterous twin and gives me a sheepish smile before closing the door behind him. Then the questions begin. It's a non-stop torrent of questions coming from their mouths, and I can tell that this isn't going to be ending anytime soon - they are basically bottomless pits of curiosity.

     "Will you both shut up?" I exclaim, silence descending on the twins as their eyes go wide and they finally take in my appearance. I can't help the small smile that appears on my face as theirs drain of colour and their expressions turn fearful.

     "Stiles," Nick says, his voice barely a whisper, but not so low that I can't hear it. "What's happening to you? You look like you're dying. Again."

     Gabriel's eyes turn furious and his nostrils flare, the burning scent of anger filling the room. "This is Derek's doing. He has only been gone a month and this is happening to you. He never should have left - you never should have let him leave!"

     "It can't be just Derek. This is too much. Wait. Stiles, don't you have another Mate?"

     I nod, looking over at the calmer Kitsune. "I don't know who it is though. I can feel the pull, but I haven't found my other Mate yet."

     "So, they're in Beacon Hills?" Gabriel asks, his eyes turning hopeful. Kitsune hate to see their own suffering. "Maybe we can find them! If it will make you better, then it's the only thing that we can do - we have to do it. You're going to die soon. There's no other option."

     "Maybe you should just let me die."

     I expect them to start shouting at me for being a selfish idiot, but they don't - they stay completely silent. Then, unexpectedly, warmth surrounds me and I am warm for the first time in weeks. Gabriel's high body temperature is keeping me warm, and Nick is, strangely, meeting his brother's high body temperature and making me warmer - almost like I am wrapped in a cocoon.

     "You're not dying on us," Gabriel says, pure pain lacing his voice. There is no pain like losing a Pack member. If I remember correctly, Cora said that it is like losing a limb. "That is one thing that we will not allow. We're not losing another Pack member."

     I can't help the tears that burn my eyes. "If we can't find my other Mate before Derek gets back, then, I am sorry, but, you will lose another Pack member."