Page 59 of Beta Hybrid

This could be a trap.

The whimper grows louder, a sharp whine.

Something tickles the back of my mind. Urgency. A warning. I can’t tell.

As we round the tree, my heart climbs up into my throat.

A little wolf is chained to the tree. A pup. Familiar.

‘Reagan!’ I run to him.

‘Mordecai!’ Vale shouts.

A wolf, larger than I have ever seen, roars and pounces into the clearing, smashing through trees, tearing his way toward us.

The beast lunges at us, twice the size of any werewolf I’ve seen. It’s night-black fur is ragged and bloody, mouth open, teeth bared.

Reagan squirms against the tree and gives a terrified little howl.

‘No!’ I raise my hand. ‘We come in peace!’ I stand between the wolf and Reagan.

Vale launches himself into the fray and I shout out as he shifts, the mix of fur and howling, flesh tearing.

A howl and a whimper, and the beast pauses, towering over us. He settles back on his haunches, fur bristling. Vale’s blood drips from his canines. He lets out a low, deep growl that sends the trees bending.

Vale scampers back, toward me, on all fours, limping. I help pull him back even as he whimpers.

‘Please, Alaric. We’re wolves. Like you.’ I would never admit it, but the sheer size of the Origin makes me quake in my boots. I have to strain my neck to look into his eyes, as dark as death. ‘Gaia and Aldrich sent us.’ I hate how my voice breaks. ‘We—please, we need your help.’

Alaric lowers his head to us, still growling. ‘Why have you disturbed my home?’

Holy shit, he can talk as a wolf. I open my mouth, fear climbing up my throat. ‘I—your sister, Drusilla, she’s creating chaos. Killing us. We need your help to, uh, to stop her.’

My grip on Vale doesn’t loosen. My Second shivers slightly, as afraid as I am. I desperately want to free Reagan, but I worry any such movement would only anger Alaric. Somehow, he used the little wolf as bait. Or a warning. Gaia must have sent all of us here, hopefully by accident.

Alaric has made it clear he does not want company.

‘Please. We’re your sons. Your children.’

Alaric growls, but I get the sense he’s thinking about it. Mainly because we’re not dead yet. He exhales, angry. ‘Drusilla. She is vampire. Blood-drinker.’ He paws at the ground, leaving a small crater-like hole. He licks his bloody chops. ‘Where is she?’

‘I—I’m not sure. But will—will you help us?’

Alaric’s ears are flat against his head, upper lip curled. ‘Why should I?’ He takes a thundering step toward us. I quickly haul Vale back, closer to Reagan, both of them tucked behind me.

I take a deep breath. This isn’t getting it done. The pup whimpers at my back. I desperately want to turn, to untie the poor kid, see if he’s hurt. What kind of wolf strings another up to prove a point?

‘Origin. Father of Wolves. We have come to seek your help. Not to invade your home or disturb you. We sent a letter to you which was ignored. We are your blood, and we are being threatened. Please, help us.’ I shift, landing on the ground on all fours. I don’t care if Alaric sees it as a challenge. I raise my chin, proud and calm.

Alaric raises his head, sizing me up. I feel toy-sized at his feet. I swallow, hoping he cannot sense my fear.

I never would have thought it possible, but I try a hunch, even though I’m in wolf form. ‘Gaia’—it works, I can talk to him in this form! Though I still don’t understand why. Because he is the Origin? I shake my head, focusing on Alaric—‘your sister, told me what Drusilla did to her. I’m sure just one of many hurts she caused.’

Alaric sits back on his haunches. ‘The witch she loved. I remember.’ For the first time, the Origin shows some emotion. Sadness. ‘He made her happy.’

I lower my head. ‘And then Drusilla killed him.’

‘My first pack,’ Alaric started, ‘the first mate I had. A beautiful silver-haired woman I bit. I turned her. She granted me a dozen silver pups. And one black-haired one.’

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