The Tribrid Heir's Orphaned Mate

Following Danger

Warrick's P.O.V.

Sylvia and I have been sitting under the oak tree for about an hour now, waiting for our friends to show up. All of our siblings are back from school and pup-care now and are playing around in the backyard. My little brother, Theo, and my cousin, Brett, who are the same age, have been wrestling nonstop since they came home. Sylvia and I have been making fun of them since they started wrestling, because their new-found teenage testosterone is almost too much to handle. They're thirteen, which means that they both just recently had their first shifts. On top of that, Theo is, of course, a tribrid like me, while Brett is a hybrid werewolf-vampire. From what I've heard, both of them have recently started being able to speak to their vampires, as well. However, Brett has been yelling at Theo since they started wrestling, because Theo tends to use his magic more than anything, since Brett doesn't have powers. Sylvia and I have been laughing hysterically watching the two argue, since it reminds us of how we used to act when we were younger.

Loud chatter coming from inside of the house draws my attention to the back door, only for me to realize that our friends have shown up. My dad is grilling burgers on the back porch, while laughing away with Uncle Gavin, Beta Sean and Uncle Damon. My mom is sitting at a picnic table with Aunt Gracie and Aunt Anna, probably talking about who they think my mate could be. My mom is adamant that she thinks it's someone from The Voo Doo Clan in New Orleans, since we have such a strong alliance with them, along with the fact that they're a pack of hybrids. Her reason for thinking this, is that a tribrid like me needs a strong mate who also understands the aspect of me having multiple counterparts. Honestly, I could care less who my mate is, even if she's just an omega. Whoever The Moon Goddess has paired me with is who I'm meant to be with. However, my beliefs about the mate-bond are a little stronger than everyone else's, since I have a direct link to The Moon Goddess. Since I'm able to connect with her and talk to her, I have a better understanding of why she does the things that she does.

"Hey Warrick! Happy birthday, man! I really appreciate you inviting me earlier today!" I hear Ryan say as he walks towards Sylvia and I, pulling me away from my thoughts about my mate.

I smile at him and clasp his hand, while pulling him in for a bro-hug, "Don't mention it, Ryan. I think Sylvia would've probably beat the crap out of me and then ignored me for a week if I wouldn't have invited you." I say with a chuckle.

Ryan chuckles with me, before looking over at Sylvia and smiling with adoration at her, "Is that right?" he asks her.

I look over at Sylvia, as well, noticing that her cheeks have suddenly flushed red from Ryan's attention. She nods her head at him, before looking back at me with irritation. Ryan chuckles softly at her, before leaning over and kissing her softly on the cheek, which makes Sylvia become even more red. I stare at Sylvia, suddenly becoming speechless, because I've never seen her blush before. Sylvia is very outspoken and doesn't get embarrassed, so I'm amazed to see that she's the complete opposite right now around Ryan. It almost makes me wonder if she can feel an inkling of their mate-bond already. It would make sense, since Ryan can feel that Sylvia is his mate. Ryan shouldn't be able to feel the bond, either, until Sylvia turns eighteen.

"You okay, Sylv?" I ask her as I chuckle lowly at her, while shoving my hands into my pockets.

Sylvia's irritation towards me grows, probably because of the fact that I'm pointing out the fact that she's flustered, before she hums a simple "Mhmm" in response.

Ryan smiles down at her, before pulling away from her and turning his attention back towards me, "So, Warrick, should we call you Alpha Warrick or Baby Alpha, when you take over the pack?"

I let out a small growl, suddenly remembering the banner that Uncle Gavin had put up. I had forgotten all about it until now. Sylvia lets out a small snort through her nose, obviously suddenly remembering the banner, as well. I shoot a glare over at Uncle Gavin, who is still laughing away with my dad and Beta Sean, before looking back at Ryan.

"Uncle Gavin thought it would be funny to put that banner up as a prank. Don't worry, I'm going to get my revenge on him." I tell Ryan as I smirk at him.

Ryan nods his head as he chuckles at me, "So, Alpha Warrick it'll be, then. Good to know. I don't think Baby Alpha would've been very intimidating."

I chuckle along with him as I shake my head, "No, definitely not. He actually offered to take it down when I reminded him that I take after my mom when it comes to scheming. She's quite brilliant when it comes to thinking outside of the box. Uncle Gavin, Beta Sean and my dad stopped pranking her a long time ago, when they finally realized that they couldn't keep up with her pranks."

Ryan starts laughing hysterically, "Yeah, I remember the pranks that Luna Athena used to pull on them. I can almost guarantee that they finally decided to leave her alone, after she made it to where they could only move in slow motion for three days straight. I think that we were, maybe, eleven at the time? I thought it was the funniest thing ever, because even their speech was in slow motion. That had to have been the greatest week of my life growing up, being a kid and watching these big, badass men, walking around the territory, groaning out their words and taking an hour to walk half of a mile. I still don't understand why they didn't just stay inside of the pack-house, rather than coming out into town."

I laugh along with Ryan, remembering the three days that my mom did that, "Yeah, that had to have been the prank that made my dad and them leave her alone. As far as why they didn't stay inside of the pack-house, it was because my mom cast a delusion spell on them, to make them think that everything was absolutely normal at the time. You should've seen their faces once she finally made them go back to normal and they realized what had happened. My parents fought for an entire week because of it."

"Oh, I'm sorry, man. I didn't even realize that Luna Athena and Alpha Callan fought. If I would've known your parents fought for an entire week after that, I wouldn't have been laughing about it." Ryan says as a look of guilt forms on his face.

I shake my head as I chuckle at him, "Seriously, nothing to be sorry about. My mom and dad fight like cats and dogs. They're both very powerful and have very strong personalities, so it's inevitable. It's completely normal for me to listen to them bicker. It can actually be quite funny sometimes, because they bicker over stupid stuff and I think they do it just to see who can get under who's skin first. I know they love each other, though, more than anything. I actually hope that my mate and I will have a bond like theirs one day."

Ryan flashes a sideways glance towards Sylvia at the mention of a mate, before looking back at me and smiling, "Good to know. I hope you find your mate soon, Warrick."

As soon as he says that, it hits me. The mouth-watering scent of caramel, which is so strong it takes over all of my senses. Ryan and Sylvia both notice my sudden change as they stare at me with furrowed brows, but I pay no attention to them as I frantically look around the backyard. My dad is now standing beside my mom, who is completely rigid and staring at the darkened woods behind the pack-house. Dad looks over at me, before his eyes glaze over like he's mind-linking someone. Within seconds, Aunt Anna, Aunt Gracie and Lillith are taking all of the pups into the pack-house, while Uncle Damon, Uncle Gavin and Beta Sean rush to my mom and dad's side. I'm confused, because I don't sense any danger. I look around even more frantically now, because if there is danger, I need to find my mate and get her into the pack-house along with everyone else. My mom is still looking at the woods, so I follow her gaze to try and see what she's looking at, but I see nothing. Then, a burst of light covers the darkness of the woods, revealing the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my entire life standing there, staring at my mom. She looks caught-off-guard for only a moment, before she turns around and starts sprinting back through the woods away from us.

It almost seems like time stands still as Tucker forcefully pushes to the front of my mind, while suddenly roaring out, "MATE!" before quickly running after her.

I can hear my dad yelling at us to stop and come back, but Tucker doesn't listen to him. In fact, the only thing that he's focused on is our mate running away from us, fifty yards ahead. I suddenly become aware that the danger my mom was feeling might be because of our mate, so I try to fight him for control again. Tucker doesn't listen, though, and for some reason, he's stronger than me right now. If I had to guess, Chadwick and Zedidiah are helping him with control, which means I'm hopeless if they're all working against me. I can feel Tucker become more irritated with every second that passes, because he can't catch her. For some reason, she's fast, too fast. Something isn't right, I can feel it. We should've been able to catch up with her by now, seeing as the only tribrid's in the world are my family. We're the fastest species in the supernatural world, so she shouldn't be faster than me.

Suddenly, our mate stops, then turns to look at us as we charge towards her. Tucker growls in approval as he picks up his pace, but the second I see the sinister smirk on her face, I know something is wrong, very wrong. When Tucker gets ten yards from her, a portal opens behind her and she jumps through it, with Tucker using my body to follow after her. Tucker suddenly pushes me to the front of my mind again, since he's so caught off-guard with what has just happened and doesn't know what to do.

"WHAT THE HELL, TUCKER?!" I scream at him, after I exit the portal and land on my ass.

Tucker whimpers in my head, "Where's mate?!"

As soon as he mentions her, I look around to see where we are. I'm eager to see our mate as well, but the feeling of uneasiness overpowers that eagerness. The room is dark and dirty, and smells completely rancid. The mouth-watering caramel scent of my mate is barely detectable because the rancid smell is so strong. I stand up and dust the dirt off of my jeans, as I try to look around the room. The floorboard underneath me is creaking because the wood is so old. There's a metal framed bed not far from me, with a bucket beside it. Suddenly, a bright light flashes on, almost blinding me. When my eyes adjust to the light, I see that half of the room is made out of silver bars. There are other supernatural creatures of all species standing on the other side of the bars, staring at me with wicked grins plastered on their faces. All of them are around my age, but I recognize none of them. Right in the middle, staring back at me, is my beautiful mate, looking the most devious of all.

"Hello, mate." she spits out at me through gritted teeth.