Chapter 5

Neaera-

“I can tell from the look on your face that you are in shock. Why don’t we go somewhere a little more secluded and I will tell you everything I know?” Zach said as he reached for my hand.

While he didn’t seem threatening, there was no way I was going to go anywhere with him. Pulling out of his reach, I backed into the tree, ignoring the bark that was scratching at my back. For all I knew, he was going to take me somewhere and kill me.

It didn’t matter that my world was spiraling out of control right now, I had no desire to die. Looking around at my surroundings, I noticed a total of six others with Zach. Other than that, the place looked secluded enough.

“Just tell me now. I am not going anywhere with you.”

His eyes moved from mine, and he released a sigh. Following his line of sight, I noticed he was looking at the man that was standing closest to him. Unlike the others surrounding us, Zach was the only one that didn’t have red eyes.

“Create a perimeter and make sure there aren’t any surprises. It is a matter of time before they find us.” Zach told the man.

He must be the one in charge of this group because no one said anything as they walked away. I didn’t know who or what he was talking about, but that wasn’t my main concern right now. Returning my attention to Zach, I waited for him to tell me what was going on.

“First, let me properly introduce myself. I am an Alpha, but my pack is different from others. As you can probably tell, I am a werewolf, but the others are also Hybrids. I have a unique skill that allows me to track down Hybrids, like yourself. Hybrids are rare, considering most species don’t mix or are able to reproduce. My guess is that either your mother or father was a vampire and the other was a werewolf.”

Hearing his words, I began shaking my head in denial. There was no way that what he was telling me was true. It was impossible for a vampire to have a child. Not to mention, I already knew I wasn’t a werewolf because I couldn’t phase into a wolf.

“Two weeks ago, I sensed that there was a new hybrid starting transition. It generally begins when one turns eighteen. I didn’t feel the need to come to you right away until I felt that something was wrong.  It was difficult tracking you down, but I am glad we got here in time.” He continued explaining.

“I don’t turn eighteen until tomorrow. What you are telling me doesn’t make any sense. Vampires can’t have kids.” I interrupted him.

“It is a rare occurrence, but it can happen. As far as you turning eighteen tomorrow, I am guessing you don’t know the truth behind your birth. I take it that you recently ran away from home because you found out you are adopted?”

Taken aback by him knowing I was adopted; I became more guarded than before. “How did you know I was adopted?”

“It is mostly speculation, considering that if your father was a vampire, he more than likely didn’t stick around. If your mother was a werewolf, then she wouldn’t be able to survive giving birth to you. That also means you were either adopted when you were younger or found abandoned, which would mean you probably don’t know your exact birth date and your family made something up.”

I didn’t want to listen to him any longer, because I didn’t believe a word out of his mouth. I couldn’t deny that I had a feeling he was telling me the truth as well. He might be the only one in this world that was being honest.

“What do you mean by transitioning?” I asked reluctantly.

“When a hybrid turns eighteen their vampire side is awakened. I imagine you have been feeling strange lately?”

Nodding my head, I didn’t say anything else as I waited for him to continue. Whether I believed what he was saying or not, that didn’t stop me from at least listening. If he was telling the truth a lot of things would make sense.

“As I said earlier, when I sensed you, I didn’t think there was a need to find you right away, considering that, generally, it takes months for the transition to get to this point. Only after you are at the end of your transition does your wolf awaken. In order for that to happen, you need to complete the transformation, or you will die. I don’t know why you are different.”

Whether his explanation was correct or not, the idea of dying didn’t sit well with me. Unwrapping my arms from my legs, I scooted forward until I was closer to him. My body still ached, and my throat was on fire, but it no longer mattered.

“What do I need to do? I don’t want to die.” I pleaded with him, reaching out to grab his arm.

His expression was soft as he patted my hand that now rested on his arm. “I am here to help you. I don’t want you to be afraid. Everyone here will do everything we can to help you understand who you are and where you come from. Based on the predicament we found you, I am fairly sure you are at the end of your transition and your vampire side and wolf side are fighting for dominance. To complete the transformation, you need to ingest blood.”

It still sounded unreal to me, and the idea of drinking blood didn’t sound pleasant. If it weren’t for the panic that I was feeling I wouldn’t have considered the prospect. Taking my hand back, I thought about what he was saying.

What was the worst that could happen if I did what he told me to do? If he was telling the truth then I wouldn’t die, but I would be a freak. If he was feeding me a line of bullshit, then nothing would happen other than a bad taste in my mouth.

As I weighed the options, I didn’t notice that he slit the palm of his hand with a blade until the scent of blood filled the air. As if I were pulled into a deep trance, I stared at his hand. Saliva filled my mouth and a sweet smell wafted through the air.

“Drink from my hand and I promise you will feel better.” Zach spoke, yet his voice sounded distant.

I wasn’t sure if I should do it, but that didn’t stop my body from moving on its own. The moment he gave the words, my hands reached out to grab his wrist and pull it closer to me. I hesitated when his hand was in front of my face.

The reality of what he was telling me was too much for my mind to process, especially on top of how I was reacting to the blood on his hand. By accepting this fate, I was never going to be the same person I was. Everything about me would be different.

That thought was all the encouragement I needed. No matter what happened, I wasn’t going to return to the life I had. Everything I thought I knew was a lie and I didn’t want to be the same scared, weak human that everyone laughed at. It was time I started a new life.

Pulling his hand closer to my face, I covered my mouth over the small puddle of blood on his hand. The moment it touched my tongue, I felt as if my body was coming alive. Greed overcame me and I began to suck at the warm liquid.

My throat stopped burning as the blood moved through my mouth and down my throat. Closing my eyes, I suddenly felt like I was floating. Tightening my hold on Zach’s wrist, I drank my fill as his words repeated in my head, this time much more clearly.

I was a hybrid. I wasn’t sure what it meant for me or what my future held, but the one thing I was sure of, I wasn’t going to look back. Strength like never before filled me and I felt as if I was finally alive.

“That is enough.” Zach’s voice filtered through my ears, but I didn’t stop drinking from his hand.

“I can give you more blood later, but we need to get going. It isn’t safe here.” Zach spoke a moment later, this time removing me from his hand with a little force.

Feeling a warm liquid on my chin, I wiped my hand across my mouth. Blood now covered my hand and although it looked enticing, I wasn’t pulled into a trance this time. I had to admit the idea of drinking blood was much more appealing than before.

I had a hundred questions now, so I had no problem following Zach as he stood up. Getting to my feet, I willingly stepped behind him as he started walking away. I didn’t know what to expect, but one thing was for sure, he was the only one I trusted right now.

“Why isn’t it safe?” I asked as we met up with the others.

“A group of Werewolves and Vampires have joined forces to track down new Hybrids. Until you are trained and at your strongest, we can’t let them near you. They want to use you and control you. I am trying to convince the Werewolf community that we aren’t a threat, but the Vampires have been making it difficult for me. I will explain everything as soon as we get where we are going.” Zach explained.

As much as I wanted to know everything right now, I decided to not cause any problems. I was surprised that I had no difficulties keeping up with everyone, despite my earlier condition and the fact I was overweight. At this moment I felt strong and capable.