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Chapter 96
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The Hybrid Mate Chapter 97
Bella smiled to mask a twinge of something impossibly close to hurt. Leave it to Victor to be the one who could make her feel love and Darian to be the one who could make her feel pain. It was almost a welcome sensation.“She wouldn't worry about that, Darian,” Bella said, taking a swig of water. “Between your brother's bed and his dungeon, she's all tapped out.”His glare felt like the closest thing to a kiss she was ever going to get from him. His massive hand gripped the door frame and a loud crack was heard. He stepped away before he could break the entire thing.“You're not even putting in a half-assed effort to hide the fact that you're a psychopath now, are you?”She shrugged. “I'd say I'm putting about as much effort into that as you're putting into pretending like you didn't abandon me out of sheer disgust.”“I didn't abandon you,” he snapped. “I needed time, and you both jumped at the chance.”“See it however you want. I needed you and he was there. Do I have to rem
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 98
“Yes, I do,” Bella insisted. “That's what you're getting at, right? You want me to volunteer before you do it.”“W-what?” he stammered. “Before I do what?”“Put me down for killing Maverick,” Bella said, growing impatient with all his obfuscating. Sometimes the dumb jock routine was more inconvenient than endearing. “You kill vampires all the time, it won't be hard. Especially not for you. Then you'll be free of the mark, and I won't be able to hurt anyone ever again.”“See what you've done?” Brendan growled. “Fucking asshole.”Darian kept his eyes on Bella, ignoring him. They were filled with concern for the first time since she could remember. “I’m not gonna do that, Bella. Brendan is right, this was a terrible idea, but I had to take the opportunity. Maverick isn't dead, he's fine. You didn't kill him.”Bella shook her head. “Don't lie to me, Darian. That's the only thing I've ever been able to count on you for, telling me the truth.”“I'm not lying,” he said, his voice so
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 99
Bella stared at him, shocked that someone in the Lodge besides Clara was actually asking for her opinion. “Uh, yeah,” Bella said stiffly. “It's fine, I don't care.”Brendan shrugged. “Get changed then, we'll be outside,” he said, walking out of the room. He paused at the door when Darian lingered. “Uh, dude?”The massive wolf sighed and followed Bella's champion out of the room. Bella opened the bag and made quick work of changing into the skinny jeans and flowy gray-striped top before they could change their minds. She still wasn't sure about being around people, but the fact that she would be flanked by two of the strongest wolves in the pack eased her concerns a bit. That and the tranquilizer made it hard enough for her to put one foot in front of the other, never mind coordinate an attack. Anyway, if Victor and Ulric had their way, she'd probably never get the chance to see daylight again.Even so, the knowledge that Maverick was alive had done nothing to change the deci
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 100
“I'm good,” Bella said, ignoring Darian. That might have been an exaggeration, but it wasn't a complete lie either. She had been breathing regularly for a full two minutes, and she wasn't ready to lunge yet. Of course she was still hungry after not feeding much the day before. Since Maverick's master had destroyed her entire supply of werewolf blood she was particularly restless, if anything, but she didn't feel like she was anywhere close to attacking someone.A woman squeezed by them in the narrow aisle, nearly all of which was taken up by Darian and Brendan. Her scent lingered in the air and Bella's nose wrinkled involuntarily. Two sets of keen wolf eyes were on her in an instant.“I'm fine,” she said, taking a slow, controlled breath. Victor had warned her to always stay consistent with her breathing so nothing could surprise her.“I don't think this was a good idea,” said Darian.“She can't spend the rest of eternity in the dungeon,” said Brendan, a bit too loudly. Ano
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 101
"His blood. I can't even breathe without tasting it," Bella said, feeling her face contort into an involuntary snarl. "I wants it." "Whoa, easy. Your nails," he said, pulling her hands away from her legs. He only realized then that her nails had been digging into her own flesh."Please," she said, turning to him in desperation. "You have to get me out of here."He hesitated, glancing back at the store. "I could leave my keys in the car for Darian , I guess, but I don't want you flipping out on the road." He watched her closely, and his look of concern intensified. "You need to bite me.""What?""Yeah, come on," he said, pushing her seat back. It dropped swiftly, and all the blood rushed to her head as she fell back with it."We're in a grocery store parking lot.""The windows are black," he said, reaching into Darian's glove compartment. "Anyway, we're practically in the woods." He pulled out a big foil sun visor and stretched it across the windshield until the cabin beca
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 102
She hesitated. “I still smell him. Can we please get out of here and talk about this at the Lodge?” “Fine,” muttered Darian. He grabbed Brendan's shirt and pulled him out of the car like it was nothing. “I'm taking her.” Brendan eyed her worriedly. “That alright with you?” Brendan's blood was still taking the edge off her craving for Prentice's, but the effect was fading fast. “I don't care who takes me, I just need to leave,” she said, leaning forward with her head in her hands. She stared at a receipt on the floor mat as if it were the most interesting object in all the world. It was one of Victor's tricks, finding a focal point to project all the energy and thoughts and thirst onto. Anything to keep the target out of her mind. “Preferably now.” “I'll go ahead,” said Brendan. “Want me to get one of the holding rooms prepared?” “No,” said Darian. “Yes,” she said at the same time. “Please.” “I'll figure something out.” Brendan's voice was further away. Darian tossed the
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 103
She froze, realizing her mistake. She had just assumed Victor had told him in one of the many arguments that led up to him avoiding them both entirely. “That --”“Don't bother making up a lie,” he said sourly. “Guess I shouldn't be surprised it started that soon.” The fact that his knuckles were white around the steering wheel suggested otherwise.“I'm sorry,” she murmured. “I'm not sorry it happened, but I'm sorry it happened then. And I'm definitely sorry you found out like this. I'm not running on optimum here.”“There isn't really a good time to find out something like that, is there?”“Guess not,” she sighed.He slammed the steering wheel so hard with his fist that she was worried it would break and send them off the road, but he maintained control. “Whatever. Not like it matters now.”“Why not?”He glanced down at her hand. She stopped tapping, assuming it was the noise that had drawn his attention. “The mark has worn off.”“What?” she asked, staring down at her hand. I
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 104
Bella nodded gratefully, though his words did little to ease her concern. She had a feeling nothing would except having Victor in her arms again. “What does any of this have to do with Prentice, though?”Darian and Brendan exchanged a look. “The thirst was a lot worse with him than it usually is, right?” asked Darian.“That's an understatement. I couldn't even think about anything else. It was worse than --” Bella's voice hitched with regret as soon as she brought it up. “It was worse than the night I killed Clive Burns.”She felt like if she said his name enough times, maybe it really would etch itself into her mind just as surely as all her other mistakes were etched into her arms.Darian winced, either because of her use of the name or because of the mere mention of the event that had hastened the downward spiral of their relationship.“What did the blood smell like?” asked Brendan, mercifully giving her an out. “Was it different than usual?”“From another human's? Yeah,” she a
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The Hybrid Mate Chapter 158
Bella froze when she realized what she was doing and tossed the pieces in the empty bread basket to hide the evidence. “Sorry,” she murmured, blushing. “You uh, get my blood boiling.”“I can tell,” he said, blinking. He looked down at his hands. “I'm sorry. I had no idea I was that intolerable.”“But you're not,” Bella said earnestly. “You make me angrier than anyone else, but you also make me laugh more than anyone else. You push me, sometimes to the brink of sanity, but she's a better person when she's with him. He's all of those annoying things, but he's also sweet and funny and protective and so compassionate toward the other members of the pack. He's a natural-born leader, and a good one. Whenever she sees the way he is with the other wolves, the way he cares for them and puts their needs above his own without even thinking, she falls a little more in love with him.” He stared at her in shock. “You love me? And you're admitting that freely?”Bella laughed, embarrassed. T
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 157
Bella reached across the table and rested her hand on his forearm. “You make it sound like I'm the one who's out of your league and not the other way around.” His eyebrows knit into a perplexed frown. He finally relaxed as if he'd given up trying to figure out whatever it was that was bothering him. “You are. Even aside from the fact that you're probably one of the mythological creatures our entire religion is based on, I don't deserve you. Neither does he, but I'm a big enough man to admit that Vic is a hell of a lot closer to being worthy of you than I am.” “Don't be so sure about that,” Bella said with a wry smile. “You both have your positive qualities.” “And negative ones, I'm sure.” Bella smiled wider.“Well, let's have it. Give me the side-by-side analysis,” he said, sitting back and folding his hands studiously on the table in front of him since he had already finished his meal.She laughed, but stopped abruptly when she realized he wasn't kidding. “You're
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 156
Bella reached across the table and rested her hand on his forearm. “You make it sound like I'm the one who's out of your league and not the other way around.” His eyebrows knit into a perplexed frown. He finally relaxed as if he'd given up trying to figure out whatever it was that was bothering him. “You are. Even aside from the fact that you're probably one of the mythological creatures our entire religion is based on, I don't deserve you. Neither does he, but I'm a big enough man to admit that Vic is a hell of a lot closer to being worthy of you than I am.” “Don't be so sure about that,” Bella said with a wry smile. “You both have your positive qualities.” “And negative ones, I'm sure.” Bella smiled wider.“Well, let's have it. Give me the side-by-side analysis,” he said, sitting back and folding his hands studiously on the table in front of him since he had already finished his meal.She laughed, but stopped abruptly when she realized he wasn't kidding. “You're
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 155
“Not sweet, innocent Clara,” Bella said doubtfully. “Oh, I've caught Jason coming out of her apartment once or twice.” “Jason and Clara?” Bella blanched. “But he's so... He chuckled at her reaction. “I know. Doubt he's her type, but the moon makes everyone go crazy, especially unmated fleurs. The rest of us try to stick to our subs, but what happens on a full moon stays on a full moon.”“Until now,” Bella reminded him. “You just told me.”“Hey, you didn't hear it from me.”Bella grinned mischievously. “Nope. I'm thinking now I own you.”“I don't go that way, kiddo. Not even for you,” he scoffed. “Now, if you ever decide you want a new master...”“My contract with Victor isn't exclusive. And don't try to change the subject.”“Sheesh. Okay, fine. It's probably already pretty obvious, but Brendan and Clarence don't just take care of Foster's emotional needs. They share him as a sub, but there's no relationship there otherwise. I'm pretty sure even that's tapered off since
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 154
"Are all the others out?" Bella asked, noting that the lot was almost empty. "Most of them," he said. "Clara and your dad are still around, as usual. Vic has been holed up in his office all day. Hunter and Clarence are still frolicking in the woods somewhere. Brendan was heading out with Maverick last I heard and uh, I think I saw Sarah with Jason." Anger started to boil inside Bella, but it couldn't take hold for some reason. "Oh, whatever," she muttered. "As long as she's leaving Dad alone." He glanced at her as he turned onto the road that led past campus. "That's a surprisingly zen attitude you got there." "I'm trying out a new approach to life," Bella said, admiring the heavily forested path. He shrugged. "Hey, I'm not complaining as long as you're okay.""I'm okay," Bella said. For the first time in a long time, she meant it.No one said a word for the rest of the ride. Darian took them into the city, or at least what passed for one in their little section o
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 153
A knock at the door jolted Bella awake from the most delightful nap. Despite the dull throbbing in her head, she woke feeling more refreshed and alive than she had in recent memory. “Be right there,” she called, yawning as she sat up. Her head spun a bit once she got to her feet, but it wasn't bad enough to make her stagger.On her way to the door, she noticed something strange about her room. All her stuff was there, but it looked like half of the room had been cleared out. Before the thought could trouble her too much, she remembered that Victor had probably just come for the remainder of his old things. She did have his old room, after all. Strange that he wouldn't have mentioned it, though.She shrugged it off and pulled the door open to find Darian waiting on the other side. At least, she thought it was Darian. The man before her had lightly slicked back hair, a stark contrast from his usual tousled brown locks. He wasn't wearing a suit or anything, but for Darian, a gray b
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 152
When Bella turned around, he was walking toward her calmly. She pressed herself against the door and struggled to slow her fluttering pulse as she looked around the room for escape. The window was too far to reach, and even if she did somehow manage to escape, she would only be prolonging the inevitable. Once Victor set his mind on something, no matter how horrible that something was, he got it. It briefly occurred to her that maybe that was why he was doing this. Maybe he thought his will had been strong enough to conquer her own and that removing all traces of it was the only way she would truly be free to choose. “I'm sorry, pup. I didn't want this to be a traumatic experience,” he murmured. “I was planning on waiting until tomorrow night, but it's just as well that I don't have time to talk myself out of this.” “Please don't do this,” she begged for what seemed like the hundredth time. “I don't want to forget you.” “You won't forget me,” he said softly. “J
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 151
“Of course,” Bella said, startled that he felt like he had to ask. “Well, I know you didn't like him so I just thought...” He trailed off, losing his enthusiasm for a moment. “Thank you. It would mean a lot to have you there. Victor is coming, and he said your dad would probably want to come, too.” He glanced toward the stairs. “I'll let you go; I have to find Brendan.” “He's probably still out with the others celebrating, but I know he was planning on seeing if you wanted to go out later,” Bella said carefully. “Oh, darn. I wanted to invite him, but I'll just have to wait until later. Bye, Bella!” he waved, already halfway down the hall. “Bye, Mav.” Bella waved back, mystified. Barely recovered from the macabre interaction, she knocked on Victor's office door and waited for permission before she entered. “Aren't you supposed to be with him?” was his immediate response. “Hi to you, too,” Bella muttered, walking over to his desk.He gave her an apologetic sm
The Hybrid Mate Chapter 150
“I'm fine,” Bella lied, brushing past her. She grabbed Bella's arm before she could head up the stairs. “You're a terrible liar,” she said, sounding a bit disappointed. “You get that from your father, obviously. Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help.” “I went out to watch the others shift,” Bella said, leaning on the railing. “Now there's an all-American pastime,” she said, casting a lustful glance in the direction of the forest. “Honey, trust me, if your boy toys are upset about you sneaking a little peek at the competition, they probably don't have the equipment for the job in the first place.” “That's not it!” Bella snapped. “And they both have plenty of equipment for the—they're both well equipped, okay?” Bella stammered. “That's not what this is about.” “No?” She blinked. “Then what?” “I left the Lodge by myself. Months ago, Victor put a mental block up that would keep me from leaving the Lodge without permission,” Bella said. “It was our trade
