Hybrid

Chapter 28

We stay up all night devising a plan. Me, Max, Mara, my parents (yes, even Lacey), Hayden, Violet, Ryder, and the twins. My dad didn't want the twins here, but everyone else was on their side. Lexi and Levi are the most mischievous people any of us have met. If anyone can help us devise a plan, it's the two of them.

Plus, Lexi refuses to leave my side now that I'm back.

Early in the morning, before the sun comes up, Max leaves.

I'm balling. Ugly sniffles and sobs are the only sounds I'm capable of making as I cling onto Max. I don't say anything about not wanting him to go, because I know this is our only option. If we have any chance at stopping the hybrids, this is it.

His arms are wrapped tightly around my back, holding me close to him. His grip is tight, and I know leaving is a lot harder on him than it will be for me. I'm just saying goodbye to him. He's saying goodbye to me and our baby.

"I love you," I choke into his shoulder, my voice muffled. "You can pull this off. We're going to get through this."

He pulls his head away from being buried in my neck and kisses my forehead. "I love you too, B. I promise we'll make it. I'm not letting anything happen to you. To either of you."

"I know," I say, looking up into his eyes. He unwraps one arm from around me and uses his hand to wipe away the tears. Just as quickly as my sobbing started, it stops.

I blame it all in the pregnancy hormones.

"I'll see you soon, okay. Stay safe," Max says quietly, and he presses his lips to mine. I tangle my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to me. This is our last kiss for who knows how long, and I'll be dammed if I don't make the most of it.

Max wraps his arm back around my, my back bending around his arms as flushes my body against his. Our tongues collide in the middle, our lips moving furiously against each other's. I'm aching to take this farther, to disappear in my bedroom with Max and never come out. The want to make love to him grows stronger with every second, and I can feel Max growing frustrated and not being able to.

He pulls his lips away from mine, keeping his eyes closed and forehead against mine. We wordlessly let our breathing even out, remaining in each other's arms.

We stay silent as Max unwraps his arms from me and backs away. I meet his eyes, biting the inside of my lip to stop myself from crying again. I don't want to make this any harder on him than it already is. The pain in his eyes is so abundant, it physically hurts to see. Within me, I can feel his pain from the mate bond. Added to my own pain of watching him go, I should be a mess right now.

I won't be, though. I can't be. This is what needs to happen. Max is the only person who can do this. It's going to suck, but if everything works it, it will be worth it.

He reaches the edge of the forest, pausing to look at my one last time. The sun is just starting to rise, an eery glow illuminating the trees. I hold up a hand and wave, the motions of my hand small. A sad smile forms across my lips. I take a deep breath to force back the tears.

This is it. This is the last time I'm going to see Max for a month. I refuse to believe that it could be the last time I ever see him. We are going to get through this. We're going to defeat the hybrids.

Max turns around and runs off, shifting into his wolf. He doesn't turn back. I don't blame him. It's easier on both of us if there's no hesitation. No dragging it out to make it harder than it already is.

I stay where I am in the middle of the backyard until the sound of his paws hitting the forest floor is too far away to reach my ears. The sun is almost above the tree line now.

I turn around and walk up the porch steps, letting myself in through the sliding glass door. The only light on is the overheads above the island, and I switch them off as I head upstairs. Everyone is asleep after the all-nighter we pulled. I still haven't had the opportunity to sleep, and my bed is screaming my name.

In my bedroom, Mara is sprawled across her side of the bed. Without changing, I crawl under the blankets and let myself pass out, my dreams filled with images of Max and the hybrids.

~~~~

The sun is still out when I wake up. It's peeking around the edges of my curtains. Mara is a rolling through her phone beside me.

"What time is it?" I ask, my voice cracking from the dryness of my throat.

"Five fifteen," she responds, letting the phone fall into her stomach now that I'm awake. I pull the blankets up to my chin, trying not to think about how much I miss Max. It should be him I'm waking up next too.

"When do you want to leave?" she asks me quietly.

"Soon. After dinner, maybe," I whisper, closing my eyes. "We can eat with my family and then head out."

"Okay," she replies. I open my eyes and land on the two duffle bags by my bedroom door. They're packed with Mara and I's clothes, and anything else we'll need for a few days.

I hop out of bed and head into my bathroom, sipping some water from the sink. It fixes the problem of my dry throat, and I rejoin Mara in the bedroom. "Come on, dinners probably ready or going to be ready soon," I say, heading out to the hallway.

As I descend the stairs, Mara close behind me, I hear my parents talking quietly in the kitchen as they make dinner. Lacey finally getting over her hatred of vampires (are working on getting over her hatred) and returning to the loving mom I grew up with puts a smile on my face. I'm still hurt by the way she acted, but I know we're moving forward from here.

Mara and I walk into the kitchen. Lacey is making rice and vegetables at the stove, and my dad is leaning against the fridge as they talk. "Hey," I say, sitting down on one of the stools. Mara sits down beside me.

"How'd you sleep?" my dad asks. I shrug, because I could have slept better. Not having Max beside me after sleeping in his arms for almost a month was a shock for my body.

Lacey turns away from the stove and offers me a sympathetic smile. I see the regret in her eyes as she looks at me. I smile back, because I don't want her to feel that way. What's done is done, what was said is in the last, and the only thing to do now is to move on.

"It's gonna be okay. Max is going to be able to pull this off," my dad says, and I nod. He grabs a pair of giant tongs and a pan, and he walks though the open door onto the porch. He takes the chicken breasts off the grill, coming back inside and setting the pan on the counter in front of Mara and I. Lacey finishes up the rice and veggies, removing the two pots from the stove and setting them on pot holders next to the chicken.

My dad leaves the kitchen and calls up the staircase, "Kids! Dinner's ready!"

Everyone comes thundering down, and Lacey starts making plates for the younger kids before everyone else comes to take their share. Mara and I hope in line, filling our plates quickly and sitting down again.

The kitchen is filled with voices talking over one another, and I look around at my family members. My parents. Hayden. Ryder. Violet. Levi. Lexi. Ben. Xander. Ellie. Carter.

I have to pull this off for them.