Page 25 of Beta Hybrid

A streak of fur passes over my vision, and someone’s tackling me.

I claw and gouge at them, snapping, trying to bite down on their neck. The fastest way to kill a wolf. I growl hungrily. I will protect my mate—

‘Mordecai, stop!’ Vale shifts. He’s bloody and limping. ‘The fuck are you doing?’

I snarl at him. I don’t want to shift back, so I loose a deep growl.

Vale winces. His shoulder is torn and bloody, and there’s a deep claw mark up his side. ‘I found him!’ he calls over his shoulder.

I growl, pawing the ground.

Vale raises a hand. ‘No, don’t—’

I lunge at him with my back legs, front paws aimed at his face—

Cai, no.

I drop, whipping my head. Zenna. Baby, where are you? Fear unlike anything I’ve ever felt floods me.

A flash of silver, and she runs out from behind a tree, Jana with her. ‘I’m here,’ my mate says. ‘We’ve been looking for you for hours, Cai. You ran off and you didn’t come back.’ She glances at Vale. ‘I, uh, I told them about the Mating Ritual thing.’

Jana moves to Vale, a scowl furrows her brow. ‘What the hell did you do?’ She touches near his shoulder. Vale doesn’t flinch.

‘He’s not thinking properly,’ Zenna says.

I shift and pull her into my arms. ‘I was protecting you.’ But as my shift settles, something changes. I blink a few times. Something feels very different. As though a fog has lifted. I peer down at Zenna in my arms. ‘What’s…’ I find Vale and inhale sharply even as he starts to heal slowly. I move to my Second. ‘I’m so sorry, Vale. I wasn’t…’

Zenna sets a hand on my arm. ‘It affects you different. In wolf form.’

I blink. ‘Yeah.’ I feel like I can think clearly now.

Jana glowers at me something fierce. ‘You brute,’ she snaps.

Vale touches her waist, an intimate touch. ‘It’s not his fault.’

Jana lowers a bag to the ground, opens it, and hands each of us a pair of pants. ‘Get dressed. You have an alpha to face after today.’

It takes me a moment to remember. Zenna. The woods. The pups. I nod solemnly. I have to talk to Noah. ‘Jana, will you please stay with Zenna? I don’t want her near Noah.’

Before she can respond, Zenna folds her arms over her chest. ‘No, Cai. And please don’t speak for me. I should face Noah. I won’t hide from him.’

I open my mouth to object. Stubborn little hybrid—

‘If you want me to be your beta, your equal, you need to let me make my own decisions. That’s what being equal means.’ Zenna’s tone is firm, and I realise my misstep.

I lower my head and brush my lips over her cheek. ‘Of course. Sorry.’ My gaze meets Vale’s and he bows, just slightly, a smirk on his face. He might still be sore and a little peeved, but he isn’t mad. Doesn’t hold my attack against him.

I take a few deep breaths, making sure I feel in control. I wrap an arm around Zenna’s shoulders, grateful for how things have gone today, at least between us. We’ve repaired some miscommunications and gaps we needed to talk through. I hope things continue this way.

I want her to be my beta, and not just so she understands how I feel. But because it’s the highest way I can show her my respect as an alpha.

I send out an alpha-command, summoning everyone to the encampment, warning them to be on alert, in case things go sideways. Our wolves are there to protect our witches, like normal.

I respect Zenna’s choice to be front and centre. Admire her for it, even. But part of me wishes she was somewhere else. Somewhere safer. Maybe with Divina. And Vale.

My stride is slow and even as I approach the alpha, making sure he doesn’t perceive me as an imminent threat. He stands outside his cabin, where we almost squared off last time. Lexie is behind him—notably, not at his side—her pups behind her, wide-eyed. When her gaze meets mine, she lowers hers.

Savannah, Lexie’s little sister, and a beast of a wolf with a short temper, stands to her alpha’s right. If she so much as takes a step toward Zenna, this time I’ll—

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