Defiance: The Hybrid's Tale

Nathan Underhill.

A fake sword twirled in the air as I juggled it out of boredom. The Supreme, Joshua’s mother, sat on a gray Victorian chair while she sipped tea from a teacup. Her feet were nestled under a multi-colored quilt on a footstool in front of her. The sound of the fire crackling filled the living room, accompanied by the musical humming of the Supreme. A song by Sia, the Greatest, no less. Who could have thought the old biddy would be a fan of hers?

Even though it was chilly outside, the heat inside the room became stifling hot. It didn’t help that I wore leather armor as an outfit. Sweat began pooling along my forehead. I doubted that the deodorant I sprayed under my arms earlier could keep up with its job of keeping me from smelling fresh. What was keeping Joshua up? He was worse than a woman.

“Dear? Are you all right? You seem a wee bit stressed out,” said the Supreme.

I turned my gaze on her and then placed the sword on my lap. She was right. Attending the party stressed me out. As the days passed and the party loomed nearer, my stress level shot through the roof. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

I rubbed the back of my head. “I’m nervous about the party. Large crowds make me nervous and they pose a potential situation that is outside of my control.”

“You’re afraid that something might happen. I’ve talked to my boy, and he told me about your reluctance to step into the wolf’s den, so to speak.”

I leaned back on the comfortable couch and ran my hand through the embroidered fabric. “Yeah. I’m taking an enormous risk. Werewolf packs in general don’t like Graybacks and my secret hangs on a piece of metal.” I touched the onyx stone necklace hanging from my neck. It had become a nervous tick of mine to touch and rub the stone, seeking its reassurance that it would keep my secret safe. Goddess! I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if my secret got out.

The Supreme nodded and then said the words that ruffled my fur a bit. “You can’t control life, Nathan. That’s impossible. The secret about you being a hybrid and a Grayback will come to light eventually. It’s not in your hands alone.”

I leaned forward and ran my hands through my hair. Her words rang true (much to my annoyance), but I didn’t want the truth to come out just yet and I wanted to avoid any further situations that might pose the opportunity for it to happen. The party was one of those. I wanted my mom and sister to have as much of a normal life as possible before my secret caused them more problems. It usually did.

But her next words gave me a bit of comfort.

“No matter what may happen in the future, know that no harm will befall you or your family while I’m around. I promised your mother that I’d keep you all safe. I owe her that much.”

I ripped my eyes from my steel-covered boots and scanned her face. There was no hint of lies, but a solidified truth edged into her blue eyes that shined from behind her rimmed glasses.

I smiled and said, “Thank you, Supreme. I love my family with my entire soul, and the possibility that my secret might get them killed would break me.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Your mother is one of my most cherished friends. I’d do anything for her.” She then smiled at me, washing away all of my fears.

Just then, Joshua came stumbling into the living room, wearing a white tunic with a dark brown robe. A gadget of sorts hung from his left hip.

I stood up from the couch and made my way to him. “What are you wearing?”

A shocked expression flitted across his face while he threw his arms wide open. “Come on! You can’t be serious. I’m wearing a Jedi’s costume, you idiot.”

O, please. How should I have known? I have never watched any of the Star Wars films and never wanted to. Sci-fi wasn’t my shtick. I have always been drawn to fantasy and the supernatural. After all, I was a frickin’ hybrid after all.

“Sorry. I’m not a fan, so forgive me. Can we get going, please? We don’t have time to waste,” I said as I made my way to the front door. “Thanks, Mrs. Staten, for the tea. And have a great evening.”

“You too, my dear. Try to enjoy yourself and try not to fret about things that aren’t in your control.”

I opened the front door. “I will.”

I made my way to my car and unlocked the SUV.

“Wait for me!” Joshua shouted as he kissed his mother on the cheek before sprinting up to the car. “Can you please slow down? I nearly stepped on my robe.”

I chuckled. “Who even told you to wear something like that, anyway? You could have chosen something less dorky.”

“Says the one who’s dressed up as Geralt of Rivia.” Joshua hit back as he climbed into the passenger seat.

I followed him into the car, shutting the door. “At least my outfit’s cool.”

He stuck his tongue out at me and said,” That’s your opinion. Let’s just hope the mutts don’t confuse you with a Hunter.”

“Yeah, yeah let’s go before you get your robe into a twist.” I twisted the keys in the ignition, bringing the car to life before reversing out of the driveway.

***

As I drove into the pack’s territory, my muscles became taut under the leather armor. My knuckles whitened, squeezing the living shit out of the steering wheel. To make matters worse, Fenrus started prowling around my head.

“Just stop it!” I growled at Fenrus. ”You’re giving me a headache.”

“I can’t help it. Sorry...”

I sighed, knowing I couldn’t blame him for acting out. It was a natural response, an instinct to survive. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”

Fenrus settled down a bit. ”No harm done.”

A simple tap from Joshua made me jerk the steering wheel to my right. I quickly regained control of the car before I hit the curve. Slamming onto the brakes, I caused the SUV to screech to a halt. Luckily, there weren’t any cars behind us.

“Jesus!” Joshua shouted, clutching the sides of his seat. His heels dug into the floor of the car.

I glared at him before shouting, “What did you do that for? I nearly drove us through a brick wall.”

“Sorry, man. You didn’t respond to me calling your name. What else was I supposed to do?”

I lowered my head onto the steering wheel, focusing on my breathing. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal. I slumped back into the driver’s seat. “Sorry, Joshua. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“It’s OK,” he whispered. His eyes softened on me and then he began rubbing my shoulder. “I didn’t realize coming here would be so draining on you. We can turn around and bail. No party’s more important than my friend.” He rummaged through his robe for his cellphone and then started texting.

Nothing would have made me happier than to skip the party and return to the safety of my house, but I was being selfish. Joshua had been looking forward to the party, and he had been thanking me ever since I agreed to go to the party. I couldn’t do it to him. I just had to suck it up and plow through for his sake. He was my first real friend, the only person I had allowed myself to trust since the incident with my cousin.

Joshua was a bundle of perpetual optimism, balancing out my eternal pessimistic view of the world. My mom, occasionally, wanted to strangle my neck for being so broody all the time. I had to admit it, Joshua was a lot of fun. He knew how to draw me out of my shell without pissing me off, and for that, I would have done anything to keep him happy.

I quickly snatched the phone from his hand and then deleted the half-written text he wanted to finish. “Don’t. I’ll be alright. I need a bit of time to calm down. Being here is like sitting on a rollercoaster waiting for the first plunge. But don’t worry, I’ll get over it.” I smiled and handed him his phone.

“Are you sure?”

“Yip,” I said with a pop. I then pushed down the gas pedal, driving on toward Tyson’s house.

After a while, my nerves calmed down to a point where I could start enjoying the views of the mansions we passed. Most of the houses’ architecture was Mediterranean, but a few contemporary mansions popped up in between. They were opulent and massive, with well-manicured lawns. What was wrong with rich people? Having big things must have been an obsession for them, it seemed. They probably tried to outdo one another by building bigger and better than their neighbors did. I never understood why someone needed to live in a house with twenty rooms when only three people lived in the house.

Fuck rich people and their pompous asses.

Moments later, the rhythmic echoes of music filled the air, accompanied by laughter and screams. The partygoers made their way toward one of the biggest mansions I had ever seen. The mansion was Mediterranean in style, with white painted walls and a red-tiled roof. I drove through an iron-wrought gate and up a winding graveled driveway that led up to the front doors of the impressive mansion. Glancing over at the front door, I glimpsed Adam talking to one of his friends accompanied by his beta. Just great. The asshole was already waiting for me. Or was I jumping the gun? But, just as I began scoffing at myself for thinking he was waiting for me, his head snapped in our direction with a douchey gin on his face. He waved his friends off and started walking up to the car.

Yip, he was waiting for me all right.

Before I could even reach for the door handle, the car door opened, and a hand reached out for me. Really? Do I look like a princess who needs a man to open a door for me?

“You got to be kidding me,” I huffed out while Joshua next to me snickered. I slapped Adam’s hand away and climbed out of the car.

For a moment, I thought my rude behavior hurt Adam, but he surprised me by laughing it off.

“And here I thought I could win you over with my grand gesture,” said he, smirking.

I walked to the back passenger seat and opened it, retrieving the two fake swords that accompanied the outfit and sheathed them on my back. “I’m not a princess who needs prince charming’s help to get out of my car. Thank you very much. Nice outfit, by the way.”

Adam sported a ‘prince charming’ outfit. How cliché.

“Sarcasm?” Adam pouted.

I smirked and then said, “Well, duh.”

Adam laughed again, sending shivers down my spine. Damn, he’s too much.

“Well, I’m not one for costume parties, but Tyson forced me into one, so I chose the first one I saw,” said Adam as we walked around the car toward the front doors. He eyed my outfit for a few seconds. “But it’s not as badass as yours though.” He winked at me.

Real smooth, Casanova.

“Yeah... I am in the same boat. So I decided that if Joshua’s going to force me to wear a costume, it might as well be a cool one rather than a dorky one.”

Just then, the devil himself stepped on his robe and stumbled forward. I managed to catch him before he planted his face on the ground.

“Thanks,” said Joshua, smiling sheepishly.

I patted him on the back as we made our way up to the front door.

Before I could walk into the mansion, Adam grabbed my arm. “Nathan, the valet needs your car keys to park your car.”

I turned around to see a young man holding out his hands to me. I reluctantly handed over my keys. Damn, there goes my fast getaway.