Hybrid

Chapter 16

I'm eating breakfast alone in the kitchen, spooning the Lucky Charms into my mouth as I scroll through Instagram. I want to so badly post one of the many goofy selfies of Max and I, but I haven't told my family about him yet. I know I'll have to soon, but soon is not now.

B? Max mind links me.

I smile. Last night was the first night we've spent apart since we met. Mara slept over last night, and she's still passed out in my room. I miss him with my whole heart, but taking some time to hang out with Mara was a good thing. I'm not suffering because of the separation, and that's one thing I was worried about.

Hi, I reply, spooning more cereal into my mouth.

Did you hear about the Firewood's pack? I stop smiling at the seriousness in his tone. Max is never serious unless it's extremely important.

No, what happened? I ask. I set my phone down on the counter and stare off into nothing as he responds.

They were wiped out last night. All of their pack buildings were burned to the ground. I don't know if anyone survived.

What if it was the hybrids?

That's what I'm thinking. We should go check it out and see if we can find anything, he suggests.

Yeah, we should go as soon as possible.

When can you get here?

Hour and a half tops.

See you then, B. I love you.

I love you too. I'm smiling again as I scarf down the rest of my cereal and grab two chocolate chip muffins before heading back upstairs.

"Hey, bitch, wake up," I say once I close my doors.

Mara groans. I walk over to the bed and pull the blankets off of her. "Brynnnnnnnnn!" she whines, trying to pull them back up.

"I need to tell you something extremely important, and you have to promise to not scream about it. And we need to make it quick," I tell her. Mara sits up and looks at me, and I know she heard how serious my voice was. I sit down on the bed and pass her one of the muffins.

"Brynn, what's going on?" she asks.

"I'm serious Mar, I haven't told anyone this yet, so you absolutely cannot scream about it," I warn.

"I swear," she says.

"And don't think I've been hiding this from you for my entire life. I only just found out when I met Max."

"Brynn, I promise I want scream or get mad or anything. Just tell me what it is, you're scaring me," Mara says, and I hear the concern in her voice.

"I'm not one hundred percent wolf. I'm a hybrid."

Mara gasps, but she keeps her promise of not screaming. "A hybrid? How is that even possible? Both your parents are werewolves."

"Yeah, but Lacey's not my biological mom. My biological mom died giving birth to me. Carrying a hybrid was too hard on her body."

"So you're half werewolf and half what?"

"Vampire."

"Oh my God," Mara whispers. "How did you not know what you were for so long?"

"Max explained it all. Because I was raised solely by wolves, only the wolf side of me was present. Once Max told me about being half vampire, it all came together."

"Is Max a hybrid too?"

I nod. "I didn't tell you until now because I didn't know what it meant. Apparently, there's a group of hybrids out there who are trying to take control of the werewolf and vampire communities, and we need to stop them.

"Max just told me the Firewood's pack was destroyed last night. We're gonna go check it out and see if we can find anything. You're coming with us," I tell her. I get off the bed and change out of my pajamas, slipping on black capri length leggings and a light grey t-shirt.

She slides off the bed and quickly gets dressed, scarfing down her muffin as quickly as possible. "We're meeting Max at his house, and then heading north," I say.

Max's coven is north our pack, so it makes sense to meet him along the way. Mara and I sneak out my bedroom window and jump down from the roof, and we shift as soon as we reach the edge of the woods.

We reach Max's house in just under an hour. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I could have made it in half the time if Mara wasn't with me.

We shift as we walk through the backyard. "Damn. When did you get so fast?" she huffs.

"Hybrid perks," I shrug, but I can't hide the grin.

"I still can't believe that you're a hybrid. Why did your dad never tell you?"

"No idea."

I'm about to open the back door to let us in, but Max gets there first. I'm buried in his arms before I can even say "hi".

I burst out laughing as I hug him back. It feels so amazing to be back in his arms. It's an indescribable feeling, but it makes me want to jump his bones right now this second.

"Come on, lovebirds," Mara says, and I manage to turn around in Max's arms to see her smirking at us. "We have a job to do."

"Right," Max says, but he doesn't release me.

"Max," I laugh, gently trying to pry his arms away.

"I missed you," he says, kissing the top of my head.

"I missed you too, but Mara's right. We need to get going." He groans but lets me go. I grab his hand, and the three of us head for the forest line. "Mar, you want to ride on my back?"

"Yeah, there's no way I'll be able to keep up with you guys, and we need to get there as soon as possible," she agrees. Max and I shift, and I lower myself to the ground so Mara can climb onto my back. She wraps her arms around my neck and grips me tightly between her legs. This isn't the first time I've had someone ride on my back, but it's the first time I've had someone over the age of twelve. Ever since I first shifted at sixteen, I would give my younger siblings rides on my back.

We head north, running so fast the trees all blur in to a background of nothingness. Going at Max and I's speed, we reach the Firewood's pack in an hour. Or, at least, what used to be their pack.

We stop outside the burnt remains of their pack house. Mara climbs off my back, and Max and I shift back into our human forms. The smell of smoke is strong, and it burns my nostrils. The ground is covered in ashes from the fire. We start walking around, trying to find anything that could hint at the hybrids being behind this.

"Oh my God," Mara whispers, horrified at the sight in front of us. What used to be a thriving pack was now a ghost town of barely-there buildings.

"How could someone do something so cruel?" I choke out.

"B, do you smell that?" Max asks. I stop and sniff, and I know what he's talking about.

"Their scent is still here!" I say excitedly.

"I can't smell anything," Mara says, sniffing around.

"Advanced scent, my dear," I joke. I turn back to Max and say, "If we follow it, maybe we'll find their base!"

"I know," he says. "Come on."

We shift back into our wolves again, and Mara climbs back onto my back. Max and I take off with him in the lead, and it's not much longer before we find what we're looking for.