Defiance: The Hybrid's Tale

Nathan Underhill.

The night before was wild. After the boring ceremony, me and my little sister, with a couple of other rogues, joined the ranks. The weirdest sensation washed over me as the pack link tethered itself to my mind. At first, it was overwhelming to hear hundreds of voices echoing around in my head. But Adam helped me to drown them out while my father took it upon himself to help Lilly.

After a few hugs and congratulations, the clothes came off and every single wolf set off for a run, led by the Alpha and Adam. At first, the thundering paws of hundreds of wolves scared the shit out of me, but the fear quickly turned into pure exhilaration. Of course, Fenrus was as happy as a sex addict at an orgy. He yipped and howled to his heart’s content. I forgot sometimes that wolves were pack animals and the years as a lone wolf had impacted him negatively. Fenrus never bitched about his loneliness, but he got depressed whenever we ran across other packs. Fenrus had finally found a home, and I was happy to give it to him.

Unfortunately, my little sister couldn’t join us because she couldn’t shift yet. However, her sad face turned into a shrieking mess of happiness when Adam took her on a quick run on his back. He just knew how to creep into a person’s heart. After the run, the pack ate together and then danced the night away.

At the crack of dawn the four of us crawled back into the pack house, slinking back into our rooms. The moment my wary eyes found my comfortable bed, I stripped down to my pink pair of briefs and dug into the warm bedding. This is until I disappeared from the world.

After what felt like minutes, my bedroom door burst open. “Come on, lazybones! It’s lunchtime.” My mom yelled out. Goddess, how could she be this chirpy at a time like this?

I groaned and buried my head beneath my covers. “Go away, you dirty old hag.”

The sound of her foot steps reached my bed. A set of nails dug into my side, causing me to whimper out.

“What did you call me?” she asked, digging her fingers deeper into my flesh.

I hissed while laughing. “Sorry!”

“Sorry, who?”

“Sorry, my beautiful mother,” I said, caving in under her painful grasp.

Seconds later, she retracted her claws and sauntered over to the door. “That’s better. Get dressed and join us. Or I’ll teleport your ass into the nearest lake.” She was about to close the door, but halted. “Oh... Good morning, Adam.”

A husky, yet sleepy voice spoke from behind my back. “Good morning, Mrs. Underhill.”

What the fuck!? I twisted around and stared at the sexiest morning face, smiling back at me. Goosebumps rippled down my spine. If I didn’t already have a severe case of morning wood threatening to impale the mattress, I would have gotten one at that moment. How did I not realize or feel Adam sleeping next to me? My mom’s laugh added to my humiliation as she closed the door. The fucker! Who told him he could bunk with me?

“What are you doing in my bed?” I asked Adam, trying to sound angry, but my vocal cords betrayed me.

Adam leaned forward and kissed me on the shoulder. He then wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his embrace. His body’s warmth enveloped me. All I wanted to do was to snuggle deeper into his embrace. What a cocky little shit!

“Little? It doesn’t feel like it.” Fenrus told me with a snicker.

I groaned while trying not to wiggle my ass. Adam’s well-endowed prick poked my ass-cheeks. Talk about playing with a loaded shotgun. What made matters worse, Adam continued snuggling closer. I closed my eyes and counted to twenty, trying to rein in my beating heart. The asshole wasn’t playing fair. Hot pouts of breath fanned the back of my neck.

“Stop that, you ass!” I tried to extricate my body from his grip, but Adam clung to me, whining like a kicked puppy. “Come on, Adam. Aren’t we doing this backwards?”

Adam placed two kisses on the back of my neck, earning him a moan from me. “Doing what backward?”

“This relationship!” I said. “As far as I know, sleeping together in a bed comes after a couple of months of dating. Not before.”

“Why should it?” Adam asked, rubbing my right nipple. Goddess, that feels sooo good.

“It’s a social norm...” I moaned.

Adam squeezed my nipple. “Well, if someone hadn’t played hard-to-get for the last couple of months, we would have already been on our twelfth date.”

“And where did you shove that number out of your ass?” I asked while intentionally wiggling my ass.

Adam hissed while tensing up. Take that! He wasn’t the only one who could play dirty.

“If you keep doing that, you won’t be walking out of this room without the need of crutches.” He nibbled on my earlobe.

A growl escaped my lips. ”Down Fenrus! Keep your hormones in check!”

“Says the one who’s hard as a rock and leaking like a faucet.” Fenrus hit back.

The mutt was right. Adam’s exploration of my body had left me with a throbbing problem. Great, I need a cold shower. Adam’s explanation broke my thoughts.

“Nathan, we’re no strangers to each other. Over the last couple of months, we’ve spent a lot of time together. Alone at that as well. We went to the movies, ate out, and did many things together that I thought were date worthy. The only other person not on board was you. Can you honestly tell me that hanging out with me all those times didn’t count for anything?”

No, I did. Spending all those times with him alone was the best. Adam was fun to be with, and he made me forget about all the crap that mucked up my life. But I was scared to commit.

“No. They meant a shitload to me.” The truth slid from my lips. “I’m sorry that I was a dick and let you suffer like that. But I actually enjoyed not having the pressure of dating someone on me.” I shuffled around and laid on my back, facing Adam. He rested his head on my shoulder while wrapping his muscled arm around my waist.

I was no longer in danger of being impaled, but his hardened delight still poked my thigh. My own created a mountain under the covers for all to see. I hoped an unfortunate victim didn’t barge into the room at that moment and got an eye full.

I continued with my explanation. “With dating, especially in the beginning, people usually hide who they really are for the fear that their date might reject them.”

“So you’re telling me you intentionally shot me down in order to get to know that real me without having expectations placed on you being my boyfriend?” Adam asked me.

“No. I was just being a hard-ass. Getting to know you like we did was a bonus.” I leaned forward and kissed Adam.

***

After kicking Adam out of my bed and freezing my ass off in a cold shower. I made my way down to lunch. A welcomed change occurred overnight as most of the pack members who eyed me suspiciously greeted me with open arms. Weird. Most of the pack members had already eaten and returned back to their duties. Walking up to the table, I sat down next to Adam. He was already stuffing his face with pancakes. What caught me off guard was the fact that Riley had grazed us with his presence.

“What in the world happened to him?” I mentally linked Adam, not wanting to point out the obvious fat cow in the room. ”He looks like he lost a fight against a bear and then used him as a sex toy.”

Adam choked on a piece of steak. Riley’s eye glared at Adam, then at me. Yes, I said eye. The other one was beaten closed. Half of his face was shredded with unsightly claw marks and swollen to where one could prick his skin with a needle and expect his head to pop. And that was the least of his injuries.

“I have no idea.” Adam replied, returning to his meal.

What a wimp. One would have thought that Adam, as an alpha, had the backbone to ask a simple question. Well, here goes nothing!

I cleared my throat and asked, “Riley, what happened?”

Riley shot up from his seat with a murderous glint in his eye. “Fuck off and mind your own business.” He picked up his plate and stormed out of the dining room.

“Well, that was fun,” I said, earning a few chuckles.

“Don’t mind him, Nate,” Maisie said, glancing over at the kitchen door. “Dad told me Kaila had another episode last night and lashed out while he visited her.”

“Oh...” That was all that I said.

I turned around and watched through one of the patio doors as Riley stormed across the yard. He nearly trampled a black cat into the dirt in his haste. A cat in a den of wolves. That was one brave pussy.

“Where’s he going?” I asked my sister while chewing on a piece of sausage.

“To Kaila.”

My curiosity got the better of me. “Have you ever visited her?”

Maisie vigorously shook her head. “No. He’s very protective of her and will murder us if we went. Dad visited once and got yelled at by Riley to mind his own business.”

Wow. My brother had serious problems. Why would he react that way? It made hardly any sense. You didn’t push people away when they tried to help you.

“Really? Didn’t you do it yourself?” Fenrus reminded me of my hypocrisy.

“Yeah, I did.”

I watched the black cat as it licked its paws. Well, well, kitty. Let’s get busy. I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes. I reached out to the cat and connected our minds together. Taking over its body, I made it bolt after Riley. Let’s see what my brother didn’t want anyone to see.

***

Well, this was shitty. The cat’s vision made it difficult to navigate. Not only couldn’t I see very far, but the scenery was as bland as a bowl of oatmeal to fruit loops. The cat was nearly color blind. At least the pussy’s sense of smell wasn’t as crappy, and I could track Riley’s scent all the way toward the pack’s medical center. I slowly sauntered up to the doors, weaving through the legs of a little girl who squealed as I brushed past her. I darted quickly through the lobby before the oncoming nurse could stop me. Unfortunately for me and my feline host, my brother had taken the elevator to the upper floors. Lazy-ass mutt. I traipsed around until the feline’s eyes rested on a notice board, but from all the down on the floor I couldn’t make out the words. So I made the cat hop onto a chair, a maroon one I think, and scanned through the list of departments until I found what I was looking for. Level three, the Palliative Care unit. The third floor?! Goddess, give me strength with these short legs.

After a long trek up the bloody stairs, I reached the third floor and slinked down the corridors, avoiding the nurses, orderlies, and patients. Pets weren’t supposed to be there. I made my way through the hallway. The cat’s hearing picked up Riley and a female’s voice. I halted in front of a scantily opened door and slipped into the room.

There, on the bed, lay my brother in the arms of a young girl with wavy long hair. The color? Who could tell with this shitty pair of eyes? I ran and hid under a vacant chair and tuned into their conversation.

“I’m truly sorry, R,” the girl said in a whimpering voice. She must have been Kaila. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Riley lifted his head off her shoulders and dried off her tears. She couldn’t. The doctors must have secured her hands with restraints. “Don’t cry, baby.” He kissed her on the cheek. It wasn’t your fault or Zale’s. You’re the ones suffering—”

“But I did this to you!” Kaila tried to reach for Riley’s face, but she couldn’t. She then leaned in and kissed his swollen face. “Why are you still here?”

Riley’s eyes softened and he said with a loving tone, “You’re my friend... my mate... my everything.”

Oh shit! Was it possible that Riley had already found his mate in his best friend? My eyes would have teared up, but the cat’s body couldn’t. My heart cried out for my brother. How could I not? Here he sat in the arms of his mate, who had an illness that would stay with her for the rest of her life, and he didn’t run away. He stayed by his mate’s side.

“Reject me,” she said, causing me to lose the connection. This caused the cat to meow loudly, drawing their attention. Fuck!

Three eyes bore into me. Act like a cat! Don’t act suspicious. Meow for Pete’s sake! “Meow!”

“Aww! Look a cat!” Kaila cooed.

Riley’s eyes narrowed. “They don’t allow cats—”

Kaila clucked her tongue and said, “Hush! Bring it here, please! “I want to pet it.” Her eyes sparkled with glee, melting Riley on the spot.

Oh, hell no. I’m getting out of here!

I nudged the cat’s body to run for the door, but Riley’s hands slipped underneath the cat’s belly and picked it up. The feeling of being picked up made me nauseous. I’m never doing this again. Before I knew it, I landed on Kaila’s lap. Riley unbuckled one of her arm restraints. With her free hand, she ran her fingers through the cat’s fur. A purr escaped from the cat’s maw. Stupid cat!

Trying not to lose myself in the petting session, I listened to Riley speaking. “You can’t expect me to reject you. I will never do that.”

“Why not?”

Riley sighed and mumbled, “I don’t want to lose you too.” What? What was he talking about?

“Come on, Riley. You’re not alone. You have a sister and father who love you very much, and let’s not forget about your older brother now,” my ears perked at that, “and his family. They won’t leave you.”

Riley scoffed and slinked back into his chair. “Wouldn’t they? My father has already replaced me with him.” Whoa, angry much? “Why wouldn’t he? Nathan’s a hybrid who’s stronger and smarter than most. He’s also a Beta. I can never compete with that. Hell, even my sister loves him.”

“Don’t be like that. Of course they want a relationship with him. His your and your sister’s brother and your father’s son, but that doesn’t mean they’re replacing you.”

Is that what he thought? I was here to replace him and take his family away from him? No, I wasn’t. For the most part of my life, I wanted a family, a stable life where I wasn’t being hunted down by a maniac. I needed to rectify the problem before it got worse. Yes, Riley was mostly a dick to me from the beginning, and I mostly thought that he was just a spoiled brat with a chip on his shoulder. But it wasn’t so. He was only protecting himself from getting hurt.

Tears slipped down Riley’s face. “I can’t lose them like I lost my mom.”

“You’re not going to,” Kaila said lovingly. “Your brother isn’t here to steal anyone away from you. And besides, your mom left you three, not because of what you did, but because she chose her mate over you all. Don’t blame yourself for her selfishness.

“Just give it a chance. Stop pushing them away and try not to let your fears get in the way of building a relationship with your older brother.”

Just as Riley was about to speak, my hold on the cat’s body slipped and a barreled back into my mind.