The Hybrid (Alpha Trilogy #2)

Chapter 16

Skye

"No, absolutely not! I can't!" I slam the bathroom door and sit in front it, hiding my face in my knees.

"Babe, come on, it's not a big deal." Hunter tries to convince me.

"No! You can't make me!"

"Skye, open the door, let's talk." He pleads, but I'm unrelenting. I will never agree to this outrageous idea.

"Please, Hunter. I just want to be alone."

"Oh no, you don't. – I hear him mutter – Move away from the door before I break through it." He warns and I can hear in his voice that he's being serious.

So I get up from the floor and sit on the edge of the bathtub. Hunter storms inside with a determined and slightly angry look on his gorgeous face. It doesn't scare me, but I feel guilty about being so immature about this, it's not Hunter's fault that I'm so weak.

"Love, talk to me." Hunter kneels in front of me and grasps my hands.

"I- I can't do it. I'm not strong enough, I will never be able to face them all."

"I will be there with you, there's no need to be afraid. They want to meet their new Luna. It's been weeks."

He's right, I know he is. It's been a while since I first came here. I've already pledged my loyalty to the pack, but I've never dealt with the pack's issues. And now Hunter wants me to join him and his brothers in training with the Deads and the pack warriors.

But I'm terrified!

I'm so much weaker than them. What if they decide I'm not fit to be Luna, that I'm too weak to lead them?

I'm brought from my thoughts by Luna entering the bathroom, a knowing sad smile on her face when she sees the state I'm in.

"I knew it."

"Mom?"

"Skye, come out dear, let's talk." With that she goes to the bedroom, with me and Hunter following right behind.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Hunter asks as he pulls me to his lap, running his fingers through my hair, calming me down.

"Skye is not ready for the training yet. You of all people should know that. It hasn't been long since she came here, and she's still getting used to having her wolf. Going right into physical training is not the smartest move. – Luna pauses, giving me a small smile – How about you learn from Diana for now? She offered to teach you about the pack and everything you need to know about being a Luna... I would teach you some things myself, but I don't think it would be beneficial for you to learn my ways, since you're not like me." She shrugs, making Hunter chuckle.

"No one's like you, mom. You're one of a kind. Literally."

"Literally?" I ask, confused.

"Yup, mom is the only female Undead ever. So there is literally no one like her."

"Oh..."

"So, now that we've got you calmed down, how about Hunter takes you to Diana, the ladies are waiting for you. And don't worry, they really like you." I sigh in both relief and resignation.

"Okay, let's do this."

"That's my girl." Hunter presses a kiss to my head.

The walk to Diana's house is short but nerve-wracking. I'm a ball of nerves, the anxiety getting the better of me. I met Diana a while ago, she's a nice older woman, really friendly. She's like a grandma I never had, gentle and loving.

"Oh, hello darling. We've been waiting for you." Diana greets me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leading me inside, leaving a laughing Hunter outside.

"Hi, honey!" "Good morning, little Luna." The other two women greet me as I enter the living room with Diana. They look to be around late 50s, maybe older, making me wonder how old are they exactly. Hunter explained how werewolves age differently than humans after I questioned him about why his parents look so young. That would mean those women are really, really old. Their knowledge probably exceeds all books from the Alpha's archives.

"Take a sit, darling, Luna Angel already explained your situation to us."

"Luna... Angel?" I tilt my head in confusion, taking a cookie Diana offers me.

"Oh, right. Before Luna came here, she was known as 'Beast'; that's what the men at the facility named her. She didn't know her real name, so it just stuck. After meeting the Alpha, she asked him to give her a new name, not wanting to be called 'Beast' anymore. So Alpha called her Angel, which is really romantic, since Alpha's wolf is called 'Demon'. – they all laugh – And now, even though Luna has learned her birth name, we still call her Angel. Because she is our pack's angel. She broke the curse that kept us bound for almost a hundred years, she released the Alpha from the hold of a witch that placed said curse and she's been protecting us all for years." Oh goddess, is this their way of saying I'm not fit to be Luna? Because I'm nothing like Luna Angel and I never will be.

"Don't look so scared, little Luna. We're not saying this to make you feel bad. We're telling you this because the times are different now. We're not cursed wolves, the pack is stable and we're all finally able to concentrate on rebuilding what we lost over those hundred years. And what we need is a strong but gentle Luna to guide us. The men in this pack have been hardened by years of being wolves, with very little to live for. During the time our pack was cursed, there were no matings, since we couldn't leave the pack's territory in our wolf forms, but now, we can finally calm, knowing the bloodline of the Alpha Kingston will survive. You are giving us hope, just like Luna Angel did over 20 years ago."

"What if... I'm not good enough?" I quietly mutter.

"Nonsense, little Luna. You'll be an amazing Luna. You just need to be yourself. We'll teach you everything we know, so both you and your wolf can rest assured."

"But I'm nothing like Luna Angel." I argue.

"And that's your advantage. You're a gentle soul, and the torment you went through made you more considerate of people's pain. I can see it. You need not to worry. You will be okay." Diana takes my hand in hers and squeezes it gently. She has no idea how comforting her words are.

"Now, let's start with something easy. How about we make the warriors some lunch?"

For the next few hours, we cook for the warriors, making sure there's enough for everyone. I've learnt that male werewolves eat a lot. The women here are extremely welcoming, they took me in as one of their own easily, explaining everything patiently, with no malice or mockery in their voices even when I didn't understand something really easy.

Once we're done, there's a mountain of food on the table, which raises next question – how are we supposed to take this to the warriors?

"Hi Ladies! Had a nice day?" Luna's voice reaches us from the entrance, making me jump in surprise.

"Luna Angel! You have impeccable timing, as always." Diana and the other women greet her with hugs and kisses on her cheeks before they all make their way to the kitchen.

"My boys will be here in few minutes to get all this to the training area. But I have to say, you've outdone yourself this time. What's the occasion?" Luna teases, accepting a cup of tea from Sarah, one of the women I've met.

"No special occasion, Luna. We just wanted to teach little Luna a few things and somehow made a little too much food." The women laugh in amusement, getting a short chuckle form Luna.

"I wouldn't say it's too much. You know how our men are."

"Mom, we're here!" Someone barges into the kitchen. It's one of Luna's sons, I think his name is Liam, but I can be wrong. There are some other boys, too, and they're all greeted the same way we were.

"Good. Take those trays to the training area. The guys must be hungry." Luna says and I watch in shock as the guys do her bidding without a question. Luna really raised her sons well.

"Come on, ladies, let's see how our men are doing." She grins our way then almost skips towards the clearing where the warriors train.