THE HYBRID WOLF

Leila.

Clayton and I left our Pack under Chase and Ruben's care, and I won't lie that I felt apprehensive. They are my family. The people I have to care for and protect and if anything should happen to them while we were gone, I'd never forgive myself.

I let out a long sigh, and I felt Clayton's hand give my thigh a gentle squeeze.

"Relax honey. They'll be fine. Trust me..." He says, picking up my hand that lay on my thighs in a fist, opening it, and kissing the back.

I feel myself relax and tension leaves me at his touch. I lean over and place my head on his shoulder, caressing his arm as he drives.

After about 5 hours of nonstop driving, he takes a turn and I'm surprised he is driving into a forest.

"Huh, babes, how do you intend to drive a sports car in a forest exactly?" I ask confused.

"Shouldn't you park the car here if we have to go deep into the woods?" I continue when he doesn't stop.

He turns to me and laughs when he sees the look on my face.

"Calm down, you little freak. What do you imagine? Relax that pretty mind of yours, there is a portal. It should be opening any moment now to let us in. You didn't think that we were hiding our kind only to live where anyone could find us did you?"

My face morph from stunned, to understanding and finally to stupid, like I should have known.

He leans over and kisses me on my temple. Just as I see the woods ahead start parting. We find ourselves in a completely different world.

The place is magnificent. The power rooming the air is sizzling. The air is fresher. The scenery is breathtaking. I had never seen grass this green before. The flowers covering the path of the road on both sides seem brighter than the ones we had in the other world. Their scent much more enticing too.

A humongous smile spread throughout my face as I absorbed everything around me.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Clayton says beside me and I'm too stunned to say anything so I just nod.

He looks at me with an amused look as my excitement grows the more we drive through. The houses here are just out of this world beautiful. From afar, I see a castle come into view. I jump excitedly because I've never seen one before and it is grand.

Clayton slows down when he reaches the gates of the palace, and it automatically and slowly opens up to let us through.

My mouth hangs open as we drive through the most stunning castle I've ever seen. Yes, it is the only one I've ever seen so what? My goodness... Is this place for real? I'm not dreaming I'm I?

I know I'm not when I see Cassie rushing towards us where Clayton just parked the car and into her brother's arm. He picks her up and twirls her in the air as she giggles and I smile up at them.

They are cute.

The moment Clayton puts her down, she turns to me with a loud shriek and I cover my ears, flinching at the piercing sound, laughing myself.

"Omg, it is really you..." She says wrapping her arms around my neck in a tight hug. Her thick rich chocolate brown hair bounces on her hair when she lets go of me jumping up and down.

"We are going to have so much fun, aaahhhgggg..." She shrieks again. Her joy is so infectious that without thinking, I start jumping with her too.

"You bet we will," I say between laughter.

A deep voice clears beside us and we both turn to see a handsome man standing beside Clayton with a grim look on his face which matches that of Clayton. Cassie and I exchange a discreet, not-so-discreet look and grin like evil witches.

"Baby, please. You need to at least let her go in, meet your parents, the king, queen, and all the like, so they can see and know the sweet girl she is before turning her into a maniac will ya?" The man says, pinning Cassie with a glare, but the small smile on his lips gives him away. My eyes widen when I realize it is Mike Hamilton, Cassie's mate.

"Hello, Leila..." He says giving out his hand for a handshake and I place my small hands in his much bigger ones, and reply with my own small, hello.

He is right though. I don't want my parents-in-law to think that I'm bonkers or something.

We turn in time to see a stunning couple who doesn't look a day above thirty, coming towards us.

The day I saw Clayton's real appearance, I was shocked to my soul. He looked not a day older than seventeen years, but when he told me he was actually two hundred years old, I fainted.

I know Cassie is one hundred and fifty years old but she looks like me, not a day over sixteen. Clayton told me our metamorphosis doesn't only apply to our Lycans but to us too. Imagine living amongst people who age and you don't... Talk about keeping a secret...

I watch in fascination as my father and mother-in-law who were over two thousand years walk to us like freaking models. Duke Daniel Alphonso Hall and Duchess Diana Hall.

The Duchess had a sweet smile on her face and her mate had a cool look to himself.

Duchess Diana wraps her arms around me into a bear hug when they reach us and I stiffen a little before relaxing, hugging her back.

From the corner of my eyes, I see Clayton and his dad share a manly hug.

The Duke gave me a bear hug too when the duchess finally let go of me after gushing about how stunning I was. I didn't know if she was mocking me or not. For real did she look herself in a mirror? I don't hold a candle to her.

"You have finally decided to bring her to us, Clayton, it was about time. I started thinking you were just playing a prank on us," the Duke says with a playful smile on his face.

"Welcome my dear," he turns to me still with his smile in place. God, he is beautiful when he smiles. A split image of Clayton. If Clayton looks like this in the next two thousand years, then I'm blessed. I can't still wrap my head around living that long but eternity seems just right when you have someone like Clayton to spend it with.

"Did she freak out when you turned into the forest?" Cassie asks out of the blue and Clayton lets out a healthy full belly laugh.

"Omg she did!" Cassie cries out laughing so hard "They always do," she continues in between laughter and I turn to see all the others laughing at my expense too. I playfully hit Clayton on his shoulder before burying my face on his chest in embarrassment.

"Leave my daughter-in-law alone. Come dear, Mikhail and Melody are waiting for us inside to dine," The duchess says pulling me with her.

"Thank you, Duchess Diana," I say as we move towards the door of the palace. She stiffens before turning to me with a smile.

"My name is Diana, and mom for you. You are my daughter, so leave formalities for strangers will you?" She says completely turned so we are facing each other with a bright smile slightly pinching my cheeks, and I smile back nodding joyfully.

I am relieved and beyond happy that they accepted me so easily. Being someone who has always struggled to be accepted, this indescribably warms my heart.