REIGN OF THE HYBRID; RULER OF ADVERSITY

CHAPTER 3

"What is your damn problem?” Rob barked tearing his vest.

He just stood there his head hanging in shame, it was shaking like a tennis ball suspended on a spike, lifeless yet interpreting every word coming out of his uncle’s mouth. He knew how umbrage got the better of him and for the two years he stayed with the lindloffs one of the most devastating experiences he hated and avoided like a plague was getting on his bad side. 

Maya joined in adding more fire the already out of control inferno “Look at him a 20 year old freshman, not saying anything. I told you he is rude"

Leon didn't know what to say to them because he wasn't sure how they were going to interpret his utterances. At heart there was anger building up, one he had never felt before. It was like something repressed under his skin was trying to get out but he was keeping it in check. So instead of listening, Leon heard his uncle hurl abuses at him but concentrated on figuring out what happened to him in the woods. He was not dead, but the suicide attempt changed him in sine ways he couldn't tell and still he had no idea who saved him and why. He was hoping Rob and Maya were getting to the end of their frothing and lecture, He already had enough waiting for him at college and Robs was just superfluous. Maya was the first one to realize he did not give a f**k what they were saying to him, she tried slap him in the face but Leon swiftly grabbed her arm. He was surprised too so was Maya and Rob. They both looked at him as anger built up in his chest, some unknown force was preventing him from releasing her arm. He continued to squeeze her feminine carpus forcing Maya to shriek in pain and retrace her steps stealing glances at Rob for Help.

He was dumbstruck, Rob had never seen that side of him and never thought it existed maybe because he never interacted with him, treated him like a son.

"Leave him alone son or I will shoot you", Rob threatened drawing his gun.

It was a hakiri not to believe him, Leon released Maya before he c****d to prove his point. Rob went to check on Maya who ran upstairs and locked their bedroom door. Leon could hear them talking in low tones. Despite what he did Leon was also dumbstruck with how Rob handled the issue. The gun was too much even from him.

Maya sniffled "I never knew he was this strong, I mean he never fights back what's changed?”

"May be we tend to forget he is a grown up now", Rob answered tying a bandage on her wrist.

She knew he was not going to revenge, using her womanly charms Maya stirred him up a little "You are not letting this go, aren’t you?"

Rob scoffed, He knew exactly what she was asking even before she did "Am not fighting with my nephew I will talk to him that’s all I can promise"

She was boiling with anger and disappointment, to her a wife's safety was a priority, more urgent than his circus blood ties nonsense, "ooh so you are just going to talk what if you are not around to put a gun on his head huh! Who will save me then? "

By surprise, Rob was caught in a dilemma. Maya had a point, Leon had to be taught not to disrespect his aunt despite his actions being novel. On the other hand, memories of his brother’s burial day kept flooding his mind. The innocent lonely boys face was plastered all over his mind and the thought of lying his hands on him felt so wrong than I did back when he came in.

**Flashback**

Everyone was dressed in black head to toe, Rob and Maya the only remaining family of the deceased were leading the crowd from the church to the cemetery, Leon by their side carrying a lovely picture of his parents. After prayer from the presiding clergy, the two caskets were slowly lowered in the ground six feet deep by a small casket lift. Friends and family wiped their tears sobbing in hiccups until the two graves were covered with soil, those who had carried flowers planted them on the graves murmuring their last words.  When everyone had left including Maya who excused herself to attend to something urgent, Rob took Leon's arm in his.

"Look kid, I know your parents might have shed some light on our bad blood but there’s no need for you to stay Forster care or alone when am alive, we have plenty of space back in skyview you can live with us. We will love protect you like your parents did", He promised.

Leon said nothing, he just hugged him tightly weeping in hiccups. He was only eighteen that time and his parent’s death caught him unaware, it was the first time he was experience such big loss. Rob spread his hand in Leon’s hair as they walked back to the car. The feeling of loneliness was still there but there was hope at the end of the dark tunnel. Rob took him in and the first few weeks were great, He was fitting in well on his own since they had no child to take him around. Most of the time he was either scribbling poems on his notebook or watching a movie until they got him admission in college. That’s when things started changing, the love disappeared and it was replaced with hate, some unexplained bitterness he knew was there probably before he was even born. But he promised himself to persevere and live with it. Desperation brings courage and his was to live with the lindloffs who’d made it clear they did give a rat’s ass about him. 

****end of flashback****

"No, no, no not happening I promised to protect him over his father’s grave", Rob said getting rid of the armor, the gun still in his right hand. He returned it in the drawer and sat on a stool his head between his arms cursing.

Even Rob himself wasn't sure what was ruining his peace of mind at that juncture. Was it the fact that two years down the line he never kept his promise?  That two years later Leon was lonely, no tangible friends not even a girlfriend and felt like an outcast, a social misfit with a stifled self-esteem thanks to him and Maya daily dose of ridicule and abuses?  Or the fact that Leon never fought back never complained, ran away or reported to social services, He never talked to anyone about their maltreatment. The latter guess squashed him from inside, Leon defending himself was an indication that the poor boy had faced enough of their Wrath. It was time for some changes to be made, boundaries and respect to flourish in their patched relationship.

His decision was taking too long, Maya decide to upgrade her incite, "Next he will burn us down in this house while we are asleep do something Rob or am leaving"

The last bit struck a nerve, Rob was not ready to lose his wife protecting another man’s son, and not even the son was his dead brother. He said nothing, just gave her a glare and marched out of their room like a vampire under compulsion. It worked, the last charm in her armory worked perfectly and she was waiting for the results patiently. What was to come brought her some joy, after all she had not agreed to the idea of bringing him in their house, it was Rob’s decision entirely.

Leon was still seated in the living room lost in thought when Rob came in panting in anger. The anger had resided and he was working on an apology. His mum had always stressed on respecting to be respected and what he did was let her down. He could already imagine that sorry look on her face. The one she put on when disappointed.

Rob took a gaze around the dining area, "where are you Leon let's end this I can see you are a grown up now"

"Over here uncle I don't want to fight you are like a father to me" Leon said walking towards his uncle, “I want to apologize then you can dish out any punishment you want”, He said covering all parts of a complete apology; am sorry and what can I do to make it better. He knew the only way to make them feel better was to see him suffer, vengeance was the only way to calm both of them down.

"The first bit changed when you touched my wife and for the second one boy you’re in for it", Rob said meeting him on the way. He send a heavy punch on his face.

A Sneak attack on his own nephew felt great, Leon crushed in the nearby coach but got up on his feet quicker than he expected. That was a red sign he never saw coming, Rob was fighting his match. He ran into him again both of them dropping on the flowery tiled floor with a thud. Rob moved quickly and locked his arms around Leon's neck trying to force him into asphyxia but Leon easily dismantled the headlock with his right hand and buried an elbow in his belly he was not playing defense anymore. Rob groaned in pain creeping away, Leon followed him closely until he rested his back on the wall.

"I wasn't expecting you to be this strong and skillful where did you learn that?” Rob inquired releasing a lazy cough.

"No one taught me how, sorry", Leon said stretching his arm to help him up, the voice of clanging metals, wind, heartbeats and strong confusing scents had resided, and his anger towards Rob was subsiding too.

What Leon didn't see and catch scent of before making a friendly gesture was Maya at the staircase holding a bow aimed at him. Rob knocked the wall twice their secret code for her everything was under control, Prior to Leon’s realization of Mayas scent, Rob seized his arm and send him crumbling through the wall. He was played. Rob cleared the remaining wood and cardboard covering the large void in the wall with his large boots and grabbed Leon by the collar.

"Lesson number one son, trust no one", He said and send a punch in his belly sending his lifeless body sprawling on the floor.

Leon groaned in pain, his head was arching so hard from the impact with the wall and he could mysteriously hear approaching footsteps and smell unfamiliar scent coming. He had no time to warn Rob, instead he got on his feet quicker than earlier on to avoid a drop kick and grabbed his throat sending him through the same void he went through earlier. Rob made it even wider. He felt in control now, his muscles twitching and his anger taking control of his thoughts. Rob was lying on his back writhing in pain, He gave him no choice. Maya was nowhere in the vicinity but he could feel her fast heartbeat from their bedroom, she was scared and surely up to something lethal. He thought of walking to the stairs but the unfamiliar scent was drawing in closer, instead he jumped from the ground floor to the door sending it flying open, He could not believe what he just did neither Maya who was armed with Bow ready to strike anything that moved.

"No Maya!  Stop don't kill him", Rob begged crawling on his belly towards the staircase.

She ignored his plight and released an arrow targeting his legs. Leon swiftly picked it in air before it even got to his leg. Maya was scared, she had seen that before and the last time she did the victim ended up dead. She loaded another round but before she could shoot Leon knocked her out with a punch, or so he thought. She was a trained hunter whom he couldn't take down that easily, not when the morphing process was incomplete. 

Only one threat was remaining, Rob. Leon jumped from their bedroom door to the ground floor and dragged him to the living room. Something strange was happening to him and he liked it. The anger, the fear if his guardians who had mistreated him and the smell of blood all of them made the voices stop. He was just about to punch Rob too when they heard a soft knock on the door.  They all froze for a minute, Maya walking down the stairs, Rob about to be punched in the face and Leon threatening to crush his uncles face. They looked at each other and quickly rearranged the living room, Leon single handedly moved the coach to cover the void in the wall and all of them straightened their clothes, wiped any traces of blood on their faces before Rob went to get the door.  

*******

There was a knock on his door. The girl groaned in disappointment as Don grabbed a towel from his bedside and went to get it. She covered herself in a bed sheet and relaxed on the bed hoping the intruder wasn’t going to take much of their midmorning bonding time.

 “Who’s it?” Don asked.

“Steve, man you should really stop shutting us out of the mind link”, He complained.

 Don opened the door and shut it quickly before his beta got glimpse of what he was up to. Although that did not help, Steve had already captured the scent of another person before he even got to the door.

“I hope this is worth the sweaty s*x I was about to have”, Don said trying to cover up his opening complain.

 “Sure”, Steve said the two taking their respective seats.

He explained about a development that had been made in their search for Aubrey. Their spies had coordinated with a neighboring pack who reported having seen her headed to skyview town. What they couldn’t figure out was the connection between skyview and her pack. There was no record of any of their relatives residing there but at least it was a lead worth following.

 “We leave tomorrow just me and you let the others take care of the pack while were gone”, Don suggested massaging his forehead.

 “Okay man, you should celebrate this win man you did something great take the credit”, Steve said.

 “What do you think am doing right now”, Don teased smiling broadly.

They all laughed loudly and then Steve left. Don was left in the living room alone, making circles on the table with his claws. Even the mood for the s*x was slowly disappearing. He couldn’t explain if it was due to happiness or sadness.

“Come on now get me laid”, she complained staring at him from the door. Even his senses were not that quick.

“Just a minute am coming”, He promised smiling.

************

"Hello, how can I help you", Rob inquired the door was left ajar, Maya and Leon were seated opposite one another struggling not to rip each other apart. Maya forced a smile ready for the guest and so did Leon.

"Am looking for Leon Harper, is he in?” Aubrey asked looking shy. She smiled when Rob took a second to check at his wife and Leon who smiled back at him before their eyes met again.

"Yes, come in. Girlfriend? “Rob asked escorting her in.

Leon had never seen her before, there was something fishy about her scent, her real scent apart from the choking smell of a deodorant. As they walked with Rob towards the living room, He felt like she was meant for him. A strange feeling too but he loved it. It was not the first time he felt s****l towards a girl but this was way too special.

She mumbled something staring at Leon ", No, just a friend we go to the same college"

How he could lip read or hear her talk without talking was scary, yet what was scarier was how she knew he could. The new hot girl somehow had answers to what Leon was becoming. What if she saved me?  He thought before doing as directed.

Leon walked happily towards her, his arms wide open for a hug "Aubrey!  What a surprise"

"Come on Leon, you're not ready the class is in a few minutes we are going to be late", She said embracing him tightly.

"Sorry before I go, guys meet my friend Aubrey", Leon bragged, Maya and Rob smiled and nodded in surprise. "And Aubrey meet my loving Guardians Mr. and Mrs. Lindloff"

Aubrey smiled and waved "Nice to meet you, Leon go freshen up please I don't want us to be late"

Leon ran to his room, Maya and Rob looked at him until the door was shut with a loud bang. The events of that day were surprising but Maya had realized something that Rob seemed not to, there was a chance the two were living with something they spent a better part of their lives training to kill. But how did it manage to live under their noses without being discovered? She was glad too, now there was reason to kill him without any of them feeling guilt for they swore to protect the weak and in this case the weak was everyone around them, his classmates and even the sassy girlfriend he had acquired.