REIGN OF THE HYBRID; RULER OF ADVERSITY

Chapter 7

"What do you mean they have not come back? " Rob barked getting up on his feet. Maya was looking on from the kitchen, she walked towards rib wiping her hands with a towel.

"I told them not to go alone, where did they say they were going? " He asked grabbing a pen and a note pad from the table. He scribbled an address, "I well get back to you let me do some follow up", Rob promised and hung up.

"What is it Rob? " Maya inquired embracing him.

He broke free and scratched his mentum worry written all over his face "Its James and mike they followed a lead of some wolves and they haven't given an update in an hour now",

Maya went to the fridge to fetch a glass of water "That's so unlike them, can I come along? "

"No stay here I got this", Rob said accepting the glass.

He girthed up quickly and carried extra ammunition. Rob was going for an impromptu hunt he had not prepared for, he checked the address again before he rode on his speed bike and sped away. Maya was scared but still had to obey her husband, she trusted him to take care of himself and come back to her. However, it was also great time to carry out her plan of terminating Leo only if she knew where he was, for the first time Maya was going against Rob’s word, in fact two. She had to stay at home and not touch his nephew. Maya was planning to break both, she dressed up and took the remaining weapons first she had to find Aubrey's guardians and she knew exactly where to get them.

****

He morphed back to his human form grabbed the sand from both his parents graves, hurried his face sobbing softly as it escaped through his fingers. His body still ached from the shape shift, his legs felt numb, his fingers hurt because the wolf claws were still protruding, hid eyes still glowing and there was some fur on his face, his razor sharp carnassial teeth still preventing his mouth from closing. Tears rolled down his cheeks, he snorted and wiped them.

"I wish you were her, I don't know if you could still loved me or ran away from me but either way I could still be grateful. Uncle Rob and aunt Maya are trying their best, I know you guys don't owe them anything but they've seen me through high school am now in college. They can be mean sometimes but am hopeful they'll change, I love them so much, more than they can ever imagine... "He stopped to blow his nose and continued, "don't get jealous, not more than you guys of course, am sorry I tried to kill myself I thought it was the only way we could be together but now I've realized you wanted me to be alive and take care if your brother, I won't let you down again nothing will happen to them I promise"

He later snuck in the cemetery ground keeper’s closet and stole some clothes, nudity was not comfy especially in a cold night with the full moon making it look like day time. Leon felt light and free, even the guilt of squeezing Life out of that hunter, whose face kept showing up in his mind, did scare him. For the first time after completing his transformation Leon found himself enjoying killing, he grabbed a squirrel from the bushes and took out its raw hide using is sharp claws and roasted it right in front of his parents graves. The test was horrible but he was hungrier than he ever felt. Using his teeth, Leon ripped huge chops of meat from the squirrel chewing them vigorously. He had just completed his meal when he remembered Aubrey.

"f**k! She is hurt and vulnerable am so selfish, sorry guys some other time", He said to the graves and ran off.

*****

Mr. Fabian and his family were still enjoying TV, laughing happily, playing games. They were friends to Aubrey’s parents back in college, in fact his wife was so into Aubrey’s dad that they had thought of getting married. Due to some reasons only known to him, their relationship came to a halt and Fabian was there to console her. Without knowing the two fell in love and moved to skyview, away from Fabian and then his mysterious girlfriend. When Aubrey came in that night asking for their help, they gladly accepted without asking many questions. She was dressed in a hood and boy jeans dripping cold. They agreed to call his parents the next day but they were off and Aubrey seemed not infested talking about it, she was hiding something from them but they were patient enough to give her time to get her head straight, that's why they gladly agreed to let her use their cabin with some strange boy. She was an adult after all. Their door was knocked and Liam their last born boy ran to the door.

"Hello Mrs. Maya", Liam said happily. Maya was her teacher during the day at Hopkins elementary school.

"Hello Liam is your mum and dad around?” Maya inquired struggling to hide her gun and arrows from the kid.

"Yes... Mum, dad Mrs. Maya is here", Liam said happily looking at his parents.

"Let her in", his mum shouted looking ta Fabian doubtfully. He shrugged spreading his hands to show he had nothing to do with the night visit.

Maya came in with Liam by her side. She was wearing a black trench coat to hide her armor.

"Welcome Mrs. Maya how can we be of help?” Fabian asked signaling Liam and his brother to give them space.

"My nephew Leon, is he here something urgent came up and I have to tell him in person", Maya said admiring their house.

"They are not here... ", Fabian said before Maya interrupted him quickly.

"And where are they he told us he was coming for a sleep over here”

"Yeah... They were to meet here but they went to our cabin"

"Does that cabin have an address?” Maya asked looking unsettled.

Fabian nodded to his wife who went to the study room and came back with a piece of paper.

"Here is the address, its late you can go tomorrow the forest can be scary at this hour", Mrs. Mary Fabians wife suggested standing behind her husband.

"It can't wait, I'm going with Rob you know how much we love each other he can't let me go alone", Maya said making for the door. She stared keenly at the address and remembered Robs, they were exact. She had to get there before him.

"Okay travel safe ", Mr. Fabian said licking the door. He was walking back to his seat when the door was knocked again. He clicked his tongue and turned sluggishly to get the door.

Maya smiled "Do you know any shortcut to your cabin?”

"Yes, when you get to the bridge turn left it’s a scary route that's why most people use the right"

"Thank you", Maya said and quickly went to her car. She waved one last time and drove out of his compound.

Even a fool couldn't have trusted her. Fabian had heard stories of how Maya and Rob mistreated their nephew. He was going to do something about it, at least warn them.

******

When she regained consciousness, Aubrey was alone in the woods meters away from the cabin. She was surrounded by two dead bodies. Her wounds started healing after she plucked out the silver. Garlic and wolfs bane in her blood stream had become weak such that she could feel her wool again. She went back to the coffin to find a shovel, the bodies needed to be disposed something she had forgotten to tell Leon. Aubrey chose a hidden bush and dug two separate graves. It was the least she could to people who threatened to wipe her kind out of the planet. Aubrey said a mocking prayer fir God to forgive their vindictive souls and buried them. She went back to the cabin to start looking for Leon. She had an idea where he was but she needed her phones Google maps to get the cemetery. She was just at the door when she heard her phone buzz.

"Uncle Fabian!” Aubrey said cheerfully, "missed me already?”

"Yes but that's not the reason am calling, Leon’s Aunt was here she asked fir where you guys are I gave her the address but I don't tryst her intentions"

"How long?” Aubrey asked looking outside.

Before Fabian answered an explosive device came flying inside the cabin. She hung up and flew through the window as the whole cabin burst into flames. There was a ringing sound in her ears, the force of the blast threw her in the air and she landed with her head hitting a stone. Aubrey had a concussion, her vision was blurry and her wolf was struggling to come out. The shifting sounds could have attracted her attackers. Aubrey got on her feet and ran very fast in the direction of the river. She had captured a single familiar scent, Rob. Someone must have tipped him off and the only possibility was Fabian who had agreed on telling Maya. Who told Rob then? He was alone with a sniper rifle equipped with a thermostat technology sniffing her out deep the woods by analyze heat signals. Silver bullets were flying past her skin. Aubrey regretted not taking morphing lessons seriously, she was stuck in her human form and the river was nearby. Rob was in pursuit behind her, relentless. There was no zero chance he was going to reconsider Aubrey was his nephews friend, Rob had taken an oath to hunt, m**m and kill any supernatural. Aubrey dived in the water, the same spot where Leon attempted suicide.

Rob got there two minutes later. She had drowned, at least that's what he thought. His Thermostat gun could not pick heat signals from the water directly below him. Aubrey had no option, she was going to drown and killing Rob came with an advantage, Leon would be lonely, vulnerable and she could manipulate him into agreeing to join her in finding vengeance for her pack. The last thing Rob saw were two glowing eyes under water before his head was clawed from his head. Robs body fell in water with a splash, Maya was late. She had not seen Aubrey who went back into hiding after catching her breath.

Maya screamed loudly, loud enough that Leon who was at the cabin flipping burnt wood in search of Aubrey’s body heard it. He didn't know it was his Aunt, there was no way he could have not when Aubrey was burnt to ash and he couldn't find her body.

"No! No it can't be who did this to you Rob, where you coward! “Maya called out Robs head in her left arm, a shirt gun in the other.

The scene was familiar to her, Aubrey remembered but this time she was not in Jesus mode, one was enough after all you can't save everyone. She punched on Maya forcing her to drop Robs head and the gun. Maya got up quickly and drew her swords tucked her hair stalking the attacker still lurking in the dark. She was surprised when the girl turned around her eyes still glowing "You! I should have known"

Maya tried her best, it was a fair fight. She had the swords while Aubrey had the claws. It only stopped being fair when Aubrey without a warning, morphed into a vicious powerful wolf and bit off her throat before throwing her body in the river. Regardless, they were going to be together in the bottom of a bottomless abyss below the waterfall. Aubrey realized what she had done, there was no coming back from that. She released one weak howl, a howl she never imagined it existed, one if betrayal, one of guilt but she was protecting herself Leon would understand she just had to shut up and say nothing incriminating her, the biggest cover up of her life had begun. The last thing she did was throw away Robs head and her tattered clothes in the water and she ran away to meet Leon, Aubrey was carrying news. Like Mayas, hers was urgent too. So urgent.