Defiance: The Hybrid's Tale

Nathan Underhill.

We made our way into the main living room. Hell, you couldn’t even call it that. The living room was the size of a small house. Even though I saw no Halloween decorations on the outside of the mansion when we arrived, it seemed Halloween threw up all over the living room. A massive, cobweb-covered, crystal chandelier drew your eyes to the high vaulted ceiling, nearly two stories high. Massive fake spiders hung from the ceiling, swaying in the breeze that slipped through the open doors at the far side of the makeshift dance floor. To the left of the dance floor was a bar and pool table, while on the right were coffins converted into leather couches. Several partygoers were busy eating each other’s faces off. Most of them were werewolves. Should have guessed. We were horny creatures by nature, after all. Well, not all of us, seeing that I wasn’t even looking to get laid. When Mr. Asshole caught me staring at the group of sluts, he winked at me.

Before I could chew back my words, they slipped out. “As if!”

“Ah! Come on. Just one kiss?” He licked his lips seductively while staring at mine.

Was he actually being serious? Did he think that he’d be lucky enough to get a kiss from me? It wasn’t going to happen. Come to think about it, I’ve never kissed anyone before and I was definitely not about to let him be my first. I was probably just one of his many hunts; he’d use me and then discard me just as easily. Alphas and their enormous—

Clearing his throat, Joshua interrupted the awkward silence between Adam and me. “Am I interrupting something?”

Adam scoffed at him and was about to say something to him, but I interrupted and stepped in. “No, you weren’t, Joshua.”

I wrapped my arm around my friend’s shoulder and ushered him toward the bar to get us a drink before I caved in to the urge to face-plant the arrogant jock’s pretty face into the white marbled tiles. They looked expensive, and I didn’t want to pay for damages.

As we scampered off, I caught Adam glaring at Joshua. Just then, Maisie appeared next to him unexpectedly with a caramel hunk wearing a white toga and brown sandals at her side. Damn you go, girl! Several she-wolves nearby stared at him with their mouths open, nearly drooling all over the marbled floor.

I quickly snapped out of my funk and said, “Oh, Alpha, don’t pout. There are plenty of other partygoers here that would sacrifice their favorite bras and briefs as an offering to the gods for the chance to suck your face, but I’m not one of them.” I turned around and dragged Joshua with me while Adam’s friends laughed at my comment.

Before we reached the bar, a hand was wrapped around my arm, yanking me around. Adam’s eyes narrowed while he let out a threatening growl. He bared his teeth at me. “Don’t ever disrespect me in front of my friends.”

The partygoers within earshot snapped their heads in our direction. My heart began racing as Fenrus began prowling inside my mind. I had to fight back the urge to growl back at him. Fenrus wasn’t one for backing down when another wolf, no matter their status, challenged him.

“Calm the fuck down, Fenrus,” I pleaded with my wolf. “We can’t expose ourselves here.”

“He’s pissing me off.” Fenrus growled back, trying to push forward. My eyes watered as I strained to keep my eyes from glowing.

“Back off! He’s just another arrogant prick with anger issues.”

As I was fighting an internal battle with my wolf, Joshua intervened, “Whoa, guys. There’s nothing to fight over about.”

As Joshua’s hand found my shoulder, Fenrus seemed to listen and backed off. I sighed mentally and then said, “Is this why you invited me?” I ripped my arm out of Adam’s grip. “Did you think I was going to fall into your arms like one of these cheap bimbos that’s eye-fucking you right now?” My eyes caught one girl, wearing a skimpy cat woman costume. Adam’s eyes followed mine. “If so, you’re a bigger dumb-ass than I thought. I don’t—”

Adam’s head shot back in my direction. “Don’t start making assumptions; you know nothing about me.”

“Then why would you think I’d kiss you?” I snapped back.

I turned around, walked up to the bar, and swiped a glass of alcohol from the bar. I didn’t know what type of drink it was, but it had better do its job at taking the edge off. Bringing the drink to my lips, I gulped the entire glass down in one swoop. The golden liquid seared the back of my throat and warmed my stomach. Tequila, thank goodness. I needed that. Placing the glass down, I took another glass of tequila.

I then turned around and sneered, “Thanks for the drinks... brilliant party so far.”

My gaze turned to the open doors that led out to the back deck. I then sauntered through the crowd as they eyed me with admiration in their eyes. Or was it because of utter shock at the fact that I just badmouthed their future Alpha in front of them? I didn’t give a fuck. I wasn’t going to allow a cocky asshole to treat me like another one of his conquests he could brag about to one of his friends.

He was just like the rest of those alpha dickheads I had met before. They thought the world was their private playground where they could do as they pleased. They could fuck and plow through people without a second thought about the devastation they left behind in their wake.

The previous dick of an Alpha I met was a jock at my high school. (What a shocker.) His name wasn’t even worth mentioning. I was a senior back then and the alpha, the jock and king of the school. He had more semen than brain cells and used his dick, mostly.

One of my classmates, a shy but brilliant girl named Lexi, became his next victim. Before anyone could blink, he had convinced her she was the one for him. She put up a fight but eventually gave in and became his girlfriend. But behind her back, he fucked everything that had legs. When she found out what he was up to, it broke her. One morning during homeroom, the teacher announced that she had tried to commit suicide. The news shocked us, but not the alpha. No, he continued with his games as if he had done nothing wrong. What made it worse; he began spreading news about her being a whore. Next thing I knew, she had transferred out of school and left the state. I always wondered what became of her.

I walked out into the back garden and made my way to the very end of the swimming pool, as far away from the party as I could. I wandered down a graveled pathway. Perfectly trimmed hedges flanked the pathway while rose bushes popped out behind them; their sweet scent filled the chilly air. I eventually made it to a large fountain and sat down on a moss-covered bench in front of it. The water cascading down the fountain lulled my anger down to a simmer. Why did I allow Joshua to convince me to come to this party? Coming here was a mistake.

“You overreacted.” Fenrus raised his voice, much to my annoyance.

I scoffed while downing the glass of tequila. “I’m not the only one who did. And besides, I didn’t ask for your opinion. He was a jerk for even suggesting such a thing.” I shuddered as the liquid slid down my throat. How could people enjoy drinking this stuff all the time?

“And yet, here you are drinking the stuff. You know, Adam was just teasing you. I don’t think he really asked you to kiss him for real.”

“Oh, please... you can never be certain when dealing with alphas.”

“Nathan?” Someone called out to me, making me squeal on the spot. Yes, I freakin’ squealed. Embarrassing much?

My head shot up at the person. Maisie stood in front of me, holding two red cups in her hands. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said with a smile.

I cleared my throat and said, “Don’t be. I was lost in thought for a minute and didn’t see you there.”

“May I join you?” She pointed to the open space next to me on the bench.

I didn’t want company, but I didn’t want to be rude to one of the few people who wasn’t a total bitch to me. So I nodded.

She walked over and sat down.

An awkward silence reigned over us until she talked about the real reason she sought me out. “Adam’s not the asshole you think he is.”

“Then he should stop acting like one.”

She gulped down one of her drinks before continuing to defend her friend. “I’m not trying to defend his outburst. He was a dick to flip out like that, but he was just joking around with the kiss part.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, you could have fooled me. The look he gave me suggested otherwise.”

“I know him. Maybe he got carried away in the moment, but he’d never do anything to hurt you. It’s been years since he took an interest in anyone.”

“Lucky me,” I replied with a humorless smirk.

Maisie suddenly got up from her seat. “I’m sorry, OK. Don’t hold it against him. Adam really likes you, and when he gets nervous, the fool usually allows his mouth to run ahead before his brain can catch up.”

“Even if he’s an awesome guy, as you suggest he is... I’m not looking to date anyone right now. I have enough on my plate to worry about then adding a romantic relationship to it.”

Maisie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you in trouble?”

Yes. That’s what I wanted to say, but then I lied, “No, I’m just focused on my studies right now and I’m too busy for anything else.” I hoped my flimsy excuse satisfied her curiosity.

She lingered on the spot before glancing back at the party. “Just think about what I said and give Adam a chance. That whole, ‘I’m too busy focusing on my studies’ bullshit isn’t going to fool Adam or shake him off.”

I groaned while slumping forward. Hope was for fools...

She laughed and said, “Don’t look so bumped out. Anyway, I have to get back to my boyfriend before I have to use my father’s gun on some hoe’s ass.”

“You meant mate, don’t you?”

She halted in her tracks while staring at me wide-eyed. “How did you know?”

I got up from my seat and walked over to her. “It is obvious in the way you two interact with one another. You’re always in each other’s company. Your eyes always find each other, no matter how crowded it gets. And I’ve seen how he treats you with more respect than anyone else, even more so than his alpha.

“Congratulations, not every werewolf is so lucky to have a mate. Well, not these days anyway. Most weres are just looking for a good time and aren’t interested in long-term relationships. So, when did you two imprint on each other?”

An enormous grin spread across Maisie’s face while her eyes sparked. “About a month ago. It happened when we were on a run. We came across a meadow filled with flowers. It was magical. We laid there for hours without talking, just enjoying each other’s presence. Just before the sun came up, and we had to leave, he turned on the spot and told me he loved me with all his heart. When I told him I felt the same way, it happened. A pull like no other and then we—”

“I don’t think you need to tell me what happened next. By the bite mark on your neck, it’s obvious.”

Maisie started blushing up a storm, trying to hide her face. “Come on, Nathan. Let’s head back, before my mate beats your ass for making me blush so much.”

“Yeah. Let’s go. I wonder where Joshua snuck off to. I would have thought he’d join me.”

Scanning the crowd without pinning Joshua down, my eyes shot up to the balcony above. The hairs on my neck started to rise. I drowned out the deafening music and the noise from the crowd. A muffled scream echoed in my ears.

“Up the stairs! Joshua’s in trouble!” Fenrus growled.