REIGN OF THE HYBRID; RULER OF ADVERSITY

Chapter 6

“How did this happen!” Don growled at the guards.

They were lined up around him in a circle their heads bowed in embarrassment. Don was seething with rage, even his beta Steve didn’t seem to calm him down. He picked up Kylan’s lifeless body by his neck. Hoisted him up and tossed him across the room to the outside. The escape had ruined his plan and killing was all he wanted but that was not going to give him the satisfaction; he wanted to embarrass him now, kill his family before his eyes and let him rot in an underground dungeon. Steve instructed a couple of guards to bring Kylan back and lock him in a dungeon. He was getting punished for not showing appreciation.

“Calm down man lets continue with the search she can’t go far”, Steve suggested.

“Okay take a team with you I have something to do in town”, Don said giving him a pat on the back.

Steve gathered the strongest members of their pack. They gathered outside to listen to his instructions. He was explaining something to them in low tones and all they did is nod their heads. He was good at psyching them up and in the next two minutes they were already shifted in their wolf form singing a howl of war, a dirge.

“Bro just a minute”, Don called on Steve who had still not morphed.

“Whats up?” H inquired looking surprised.

“The lead we got in skyview I’ve been thinking it might be her” Don said.

“No I don’t think so though our informer is not picking calls I will check with couple hunters they owe us one but first I want the bitches head on a spike”, Steve growled his eyes glowing green.

Don made a salute sign to show he was done and Steve morphed into a big wolf. He howled and ran first into the woods to join the search team. Her scent was all over the forest. Her prints too and thanks to a trail of blood she left behind. They followed the bread cramps left behind by Tina until they were almost getting into the vampires territory. Since the sun was still out the vamps were not a threat so they marched in there without fear. Steve and the pack ran to different directions, they were getting confused by the different footprints and scents they were picking. Tina’s scent was not clear anymore and the beasts of the night were almost coming out. They had lost many of their pack while fighting Kylan another war with the vamps was not the best idea. So Steve made the call and they returned back to the woods, empty handed. Don’s reaction was what he was worried about. Although they had anger issues their alpha had even more. But he was not like that. Steve had grown up with Don and he knew him more than anyone. As he shifted into human he remembered where things started going wrong.

***Flashback***

They were coming back from school. The three of them, Don and his friend Steve with Dons sister veronica. While passing by the pack house they overhead some voices, familiar but they couldn’t see who was talking. But they could tell they were arguing about something. By then none of them had tapped into their supernatural side so eavesdropping was the only option.

“It can’t be both her parents are wolves by birth”, A male voice detested smashing the table.

“Am telling you the truth the spell never lies she is either no wolf or her wolf is inactive”, a female voice lamented.

The three looked at each other with suspicion. The female voice was the packs witch. Dons father Gerald their alpha that time had rescued her from an army of vampires and since then she had sworn loyalty to his pack.

“For now let it stay between us”, the male voice said and walked out.

The conversation was ignored for years until Don and Steve had become wolves while veronica was showing no sign. At first she thought maybe her time will come but the longer she waited the longer it didn’t until one day she remembered the conversation. One fateful day, In the middle of the night when everyone was sound asleep, even the guards were sleeping soundly after partying all night. Veronica parked her stuff and left. She left a note to her family and that’s when Don changed and her death two years then had made it even worse.

****End of flashback***

After hugging them goodbye, Aubrey keyed in the ignition and drove skillfully out of the compound with Leon in the co driver’s seat. She was running out of time, the full moon was a few minutes away and the last thing she wanted to deal with was a newly turned angry wolf clawing heads off innocent citizens though she knew he was going to kill someone eventually to activate the curse. The drive was quiet she pitied him for not having a slightest clue of what was going to happen to him, the pain both physical and emotional yet she was offering to help him to use it later as some form of blackmail when she needed his help. It was not a favor out of good will like Leon thought. They were deep into the forest towards a well secluded cabin when Leon spoke.

"So are you going to tell me why stormed out of class or not.... "

Aubrey interrupted him, “He knows your secret... Our secret"

The car came to a halt, they both got out from their respective doors and went to the trunk.

"You could have let me finish, I told no one about my freaky behavior how does Mr. Jefferson know?” Leon inquired carrying the bags to the cabin.

"I think he knows too much about what you are, is he so close to your uncle?” Aubrey asked opening the door of the cabin, it creaked until it hit the wall with a bang.

Leon dropped the bags in the room "Yeah, like they are very great friends he sometimes shows up at their door in the middle of the night"

The information Leon had given was enough for Aubrey to conclude Jefferson belonged to a secret berserker group in skyview, but unlike Maya and Rob he was very good at covering his tracks, covering his marks. She switched on the lights and started unpacking, the books and chains, leather straps and a pair of locks, Leon was seated staring at the strange objects being spread out on the floor. He had a clue about what was happening, any keen student of Jefferson could have joined the dots.

"Ooh my God!” Leon exclaimed his eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets.

She was busy but she heard him, Aubrey raised her head that was buried in the books, "What?”

It was a lot to take in, Leon was pacing up and down in malediction smashing his head with his palms, and “you’re not suggesting am a werewolf right”?

"Am afraid No", Aubrey said in a comforting tone.

"How did it happen?” Leon asked angrily his arms clenched in a balk of fists. The irresistible anger was building up, he felt like hurting someone really bad.

"You were bitten, probably when you threatened to kill yourself. The venom revived your mortal coil that’s why you didn't die. Don’t worry I will help you embrace your new form but you gotta trust me do you? “Aubrey inquired her hands in the air to show friendship.

She could take him. Her wolf was threatening to come out after analyzing Leon as a potential danger.

"Yes... But first tell me everything about you no lies start with who bit me", Leon said taking a seat.

She was not going to blow her chance to save her family, There was no way she was telling him the whole truth , some secrets were to stay hidden for her own good.

"Am a werewolf too but no I did not bite you", She said looking sad.

Leon feigned surprise, smiled "I’ll need proof for that, and if it’s not you who saved me”

She ignored the last part of his lament and gave him a small kitchen knife.

He hesitated taking the knife, "What... What is this? "

"You wanted proof right?” Aubrey asked rhetorically folding her sleeves. Leon just nodded in confusion, "okay then shut up and cut me... Anywhere you feel like", she added offering him the arm.

"Don't be ridiculous, am not cutting your arm is this some kind of a joke? Are you in a cult Aubrey?? “Leon asked in mocking tone, the knife in his hands.

Suddenly her eyes glowed yellowish orange shocking Leon, he fell on his back with his seat and got up quickly his heart beat raising steadily.

Aubrey smiled showing her sharp carnassial teeth and barked her voice rumbling, "I said cut me Leon!

"Okay, okay but stop doing that.... Whatever you've done to your eyes and Aah teeth, yes teeth please stop coz you scaring the s**t out of me", Leon begged pointing the knife to her.

She morphed back to normal Aubrey and walked briskly towards him. Leon shut his eyes and cut her arm sniffles escaping his mouth.

"Open your damn eyes Lee!” Aubrey ordered.

He exhaled harshly and opened his eyes, there was blood on the knife and no wound on her arm. He almost collapsed out of disbelief.

She grabbed his collar and dragged him to the wall, "is that proof enough?”

"Yes....too much", Leon said obediently sitting at the corner.

With a weak smile on her face, Aubrey sat next to him with his hand in hers, it was getting dark outside and she had to get him through the basics, "good boy, you're about to be a freak neither are you alone Leon I was born a werewolf and for our kind on every full moon we morph into vicious bloodthirsty wolves, what you've been experiencing for the past week was a process of transformation"

He nodded in agreement, "Yeah I can see the chains I heard some stories"

"And I gotta tell you the process is so painful but I will be here all the way", Aubrey assured in a low tone.

"Okay am ready, let's get this over with”, Leon said confidently getting up on his feet.

Aubrey smiled with satisfaction, "One last thing, to get through the shifting process think of something you love or someone it doesn't make it less painful but at least it keeps you going"

"Copy that", Leon said forcing a smile.

He started tying his own legs while Aubrey tightened the chains around the pillars. They all heard footsteps from outs side the cabin and froze, staring into each other. Leon hushed down as Aubrey tip toed across the room to sneak peek. She looked back at him, raised three fingers and made a gesture advising him to stay down, she had it under control. Aubrey opened the door slowly and poked her head out of the cabin, an arrow came flying in with force but she brushed it off and summersaulted down forgetting to lock the door, a couple of arrows came aiming for her head she bent and ran fast towards their attackers direction her wolf ready to take control. She grabbed the first hunter and clawed his head off his body, the head bounced and rolled towards the second hunter who fished out a gun and shot Aubrey in the belly forcing her to fall on her knees, he then took out some garlic powder and sprinkled in her nostrils a sword in his hands.

"Let's see what you can do while human", He teased with a fake sympathetic grunt.

The hunter was swinging his silver sword dipped in wolf bane skill fully waiting for Aubrey to get on her feet so that he could chop her head off, an eye for an eye. Aubrey groaned in pain, she knew the impacts of silver, garlic and wolfs bane but she had never experienced them. Her breath was faint and she was feeling dizzy, she needed her wolf which was restrained.

"Come on get up she-wolf show me what you got", He barked.

Aubrey struggled on his knees and released one loud scream, they were so far from the cabin that she doubted Leon heard them. It was a desperate move, but not more desperate than trying the mind link.

"I need you Leon follow my scent or am dead in the next aah... “She stopped to look at the hunter who was so confound, "aah one minute", she added laughing, and blood was coming from her mouth. She was not healing as usual.

"Who are you talking to huh? “The hunter said grabbing her head.

It was a decoy, the whole getting on her knees and talking to Leon was meant to buy her more time to heal. But before she could make her move Leon flew with him to the bushes, his hands squeezing air out of his neck. The hunter struggled to catch some air but the grip was so tight, he died his eyes wide open. Suddenly, there was crackling sound, Leon screamed in pain while Aubrey stared at the full moon that was coming out from behind the clouds.

"It’s happening now you’ve activated the curse, remember what I told you”, Aubrey said running back to the cabin.

She came back with the chains and tied him on the tree. All his bone reshaping as he screamed loudly threatening to break free from the heavy chains. His eyes glowed Yellow, his carnassial teeth sprouted dripping a colors less liquid, Leon was down to one knee his spine curved, he screamed in pain, a shiny grey wolf pelt started covering his body, Leon dropped to both knees his hands forming paws so were his legs. Aubrey smiled and looked at him, a complete wolf howling fearfully in a low tone.

"You made Leon, take him for a spin", she said and watched him run in the woods, the last thing she heard was a loud howl of a free wolf and she collapsed.

*****

She knew what he would have wanted, to see her safe. So Tina just kept running. She was surviving on adrenaline that was in her blood vessels. It was a tough choice to leave him behind but to her it wasn’t going to be long. Tina was planning to do anything to get him out. A few meters to the main road she could hear them coming for her. Probably a whole pack out for blood so Tina did something she never thought she would do. She followed the scent of a vampire house in the woods. It was the only choice she had. Tina had made up her mind on dying in someone else’s hands rather than them. Comfortably in behind a tree she hid. The wolves got closer than she expected them to. Thanks to the wind her scent was all over, they ran in different directions. And when they left she came out only to be knocked out with a strong piece of metal.