Hybrid

Chapter 25

I mind link Mara on my way home about what we found so she can meet us at my house. I should mind link my dad and Lacey to warm them, but I need to explain it to them in person.

Max catches up to me by the time we reach my family's house. I barge in through the backdoor, not giving a damn that Lacey kicked me out. This is a matter of life or death, and she doesn't have a choice anymore. This is my family, and I'll be damned if I let the woman who disowned me get in the way of protecting them.

Hayden, Ben, and Carter are in the kitchen when Max and I barge in. I'm slightly out of breath, but I don't waste a second. "Hayden, where's dad and Lacey?" I ask, picking Carter up as he runs up to me for a hug.

"Brynn! You're back!"

"Yeah buddy, I'm back," I say, ruffling his curly flop of hair. I turn my attention back to Hayden.

"I don't know. They've barely spoken to each other since you left. Lacey's still pissed that dad lied to her," Hayden explains. I raise an eyebrow at him referring to her as Lacey, but don't question it just not. I will later.

"Brynn! Mommy said that you're a vampire! Is that true?" Carter asks, his eyes crazed with excitement. I let him down out of my arms, his squirming indicating that he was done with our hug.

"It's true," I smile, and I can't help but laugh as his excitement increases.

"That's so cool!" he shouts.

I look at Hayden again. I'm suddenly hit with the realization of whats actually going on.

The hybrids are planning to attack my pack next, and I have no idea when that will be. We have no way to stop the hybrids. They're too strong. They could attack whenever. The only solution is to get everyone out before that happens.

Dad, Lacey, you need to get home now! I mind link, knowing they can understand the seriousness in my voice.

Be there soon, my dad responds. I don't hear anything from Lacey, but I hope she's smart enough to understand that I wouldn't have come back unless it was an emergency.

Hybrids planning to wipe out our pack qualifies as an emergency.

"Brynn, what's going on?" Hayden asks. Lexi walks in right after, and she throws her arms around me right away.

"Hey Lex," I say softly, hugging her bag just as tightly. Levi is close behind her. Then Violet. Then Xavier.

Soon, all nine of my siblings are crowded in the kitchen. Even Ryder is here. I take turns hugging everyone, and I end up with Carter propped up on my hip again.

Hayden asks again, "Brynn, what's going on?"

I look around at all my siblings and don't care anymore about how old they are. They should know what's going on. Keeping them in the dark isn't doing anyone any good.

"The hybrids are planning to attack our pack next," I say, and I continue talking above the gasps from everyone. Carter lays his head on my shoulder, most likely not understanding what's going on. "We're not strong enough to fight them off. Even if we tried to fight back, they would win. We need to evacuate the pack."

Everyone is silent as they process what I just told them. Max starts soothingly rubbing my back, and the small action keeps my calm.

"Do you know when?" Violet asks quietly, and I shake my head.

I hear the front door thrown open, and my dad comes barreling into the kitchen. He sees me, and the first thing he does is give me a hug. I hold up Carter with one of my arms between us and wrap my other arm around my dad's neck.

I don't notice Lacey stalk in behind him, not coming any further than the doorway. She crosses her arms, not bothering to hid the glare directed at Max and I. I shoot her back a glare of my own over my dad's shoulder.

Two can play at this game.

"Brynn," my dad asks, holding my shoulders as he pulls away from our hug. Carter squirms to get out of my arms, and I let him down. He runs to where Hayden is sitting on one of the stools and crawls into his lap.

Traitor.

"What's going on?" my dad asks, and I repeat everything for him and Lacey. She tries to hide the terror in her eyes when I mention that our pack is next, but she does a horrible job at it.

"We have to evacuate," I finish. "You said it yourself. We're not strong enough to fight them. The only way to survive is to run."

"They're only going to come and search for us," comes Mara's voice, and she struts into the kitchen, purposely shouldering Lacey as she passes her.

Thanks for that one, I mind link her, and she smirks in response.

"So you think we should stay and fight? Might as well start signing the death certificates now," Hayden snaps.

"Cool it," I snap back. We're all sacred and frustrated right now. We're all in the same boat. He doesn't need to be snapping at anybody.

Mara moves on as if Hayden never snapped at her. "I've been doing a lot of digging. Reading lots of ancient supernatural history books buried in the library, which is what you all should have been doing."

I raise my eyebrows in questioning, feeling Max's hand settle on my waist. I lean back into his touch, ignoring the dirty look this action gets from Lacey. "Mara, what would the history books know about hybrids?" I ask.

I didn't know hybrids were even a thing until Max came into my room the night we met and told me. We never learned about hybrids in school, never read about it in history books, and we're never told stories about them as kids. I guess I assumed they weren't something people didn't know existed unless they were one.

That's why her next words surprise me. "Hybrids aren't just a freak of nature. They've been around since the beginning of supernatural creatures. And just like the rest of us, they have a weakness."

"So, that means that there's a way to beat them," I conclude, and I can't help the wide grin that grows on my face. A bubble of hope rises in my chest, and everyone else in the kitchen perks up at this news.

We actually have a chance at saving our pack!

"Yeah," Mara nods, but she doesn't look as happy as she should at this knowledge. Why isn't she happy? All the hope I felt seconds ago falls right back into a pit of despair. Mara said the hybrids had a weakness, but clearly it goes downhill from there.

She looks like she doesn't want to say what's next. She keeps looking around silently, like she doesn't know if she should reveal this key piece of information.

"Spit it out," Lacey spits, her tone icy. I move forward to say something, to stand up for my best friend, but Max holds me back as Mara opens her mouth.

"We'd have to hold them off until next month," she breathes, unaffected by Lacey's rudeness.

"Why?" I ask, but it dawns on me the second the question leaves me mouth.

There's always been the myths that vampires are weakened by the sun and werewolves weakened by the mood. Like I said, it's a myth. It's not true. If anything, the moon actually makes werewolves even stronger. I don't know enough about vampires to say the same for them about the sun, but I know it doesn't weaken them.

It's a completely different scenario when you bring a hybrid into the mix. The moon doesn't weaken a hybrid. The sun doesn't weaken a hybrid. But together, it's like killing two birds with one stone.

I answer my own question, my voice barely above a whisper. "The solar eclipse."

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