Alpha Damon's Hybrid Mate

chapter 1

April

"Make sure you pull the door tight on your way out, sweetheart!" Mrs. Wanda called from across the empty diner as she hurriedy wrapped her thick scarf around her neck. Her eyes moved toward the street, where rain continued to pour beneath the streetlights. "I am in such a rush to pick up the groceries before the night market closes, so I cannot stay and help you finish the floors."

"I've got it, Mrs. Wanda," I replied softly, leaning against the long wooden handle of my mop. "Drive safe, and please tell Dave I said hello when you see him."

When the glass door clicked shut behind her, leaving the diner completely silent, I slipped my battered headphones over my ears and turned up the pop song playing through them. The music quickly drowned out the humming refrigerators as I went back to cleaning.

I dragged the soapy mop across the floor, scrubbing away the greasy footprints and sticky soda spills left behind by the late night customers. I only stopped whenever the ache in my lower back became too painful to ignore.

After another few minutes, I pulled my cracked phone from my stained apron pocket and checked the time.

12:03 AM.

A tired sigh escaped me when I realized I still had a twenty minute walk home. My morning shift started in only a few hours, so I knew I could not afford to waste any more time.

The cool midnight air hit my cheeks the moment I stepped outside. After locking the diner behind me, I pulled my thin jacket tighter around myself and started down the familiar street.

My life was incredibly boring and painfully lonely, but I had become so used to it that I rarely allowed myself to think about everything I was missing.

I had been dropped off at a state orphanage only hours after I was born, left with nothing except a crested silver ring. I had worn it around my neck for as long as I could remember because it was the only thing I had from the family I never knew.

I had no friends my own age, and if I was being honest, Mrs. Wanda and her husband, Dave, were the closest thing I had to a family. They treated me more like a daughter than an employee.

I touched the ring beneath my sweater as I walked, letting the music fill my ears while the tall buildings around me slowly disappeared into the darkness.

My thoughts were interrupted when I reached my neighborhood. The flickering streetlights, broken buildings, and narrow alleys made it obvious why most people avoided this part of the city after dark.

Even through my headphones, I could hear several men whistling from the concrete steps of a closed shop.

"Hey there, babe, why are you walking so fast in the dark?" one of them called, his voice echoing across the street. "Looking for a good night? Come over here and give us a little bit of your time!"

"Don't be shy, sweetheart. We just want to keep you company!" another man shouted, followed by loud laughter from the others.

I kept my head down and continued walking, knowing from experience that the men who gathered around this area at night were not people I wanted to get involved with.

Since I needed to hear my surroundings clearly, I reached up to remove my headphones and put them inside my bag, but before I could, my toe caught on a loose paving stone.

I stumbled forward, and the headphones slipped from my hand before landing in a narrow, trash filled alley between two abandoned buildings.

"Dammit," I hissed.

I stared into the darkness, already regretting the fact that I would have to go inside to get them.

After taking a deep breath, I switched on my phone flashlight and stepped into the alley. I searched the wet ground until my fingers finally touched the familiar plastic casing.

I grabbed them and turned around, ready to leave, but before I could take another step, a low, painful groan came from somewhere behind me.

I froze.

Slowly, I turned around, trying to see through the darkness, and that was when I noticed the man sitting against the damp brick wall, partly hidden behind a large dumpster.

His eyes immediately caught my attention. They were a strange, piercing green that seemed to glow faintly in the darkness. He was dressed in an expensive black suit that had been ruined by dirt, while one hand was pressed tightly against his side, his fingers covered in fresh blood.

He had been stabbed.

For some reason, the moment our eyes met, a strange warmth rushed through my body and made my skin prickle, but I quickly blamed the feeling on fear because there was no other explanation that made sense.

I took a step backward.

Then another.

I turned around and walked out of the alley, forcing myself not to look back even though every part of me knew I was leaving an injured man behind.

After only a few steps, however, I stopped.

He needed help.

Leaving him there felt like giving him a death sentence.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I muttered, frustrated with myself for even considering going back.

I sighed before turning around and walking straight into the alley again.

When I crouched beside him, the moonlight finally reached his face, allowing me to see him properly for the first time. My breath caught when I realized just how handsome he was.

He had sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, and dark stubble covering part of his face, but I quickly pushed the thought aside when I noticed how much blood had soaked through his clothes.

"Listen to me," I whispered, trying to keep my trembling voice steady. "I am going to help you get out of here, but you need to swear to me right now that you will not hurt me when you get better."

He said nothing as he watched me, his green eyes following every movement I made.

Several seconds passed without an answer, so I assumed he was either too weak or unwilling to speak. I slowly began to stand.

"Fine. I guess I'll leave you here," I said, turning to leave.

"I swear."

I stopped immediately.

His voice was deep and rough, and the sound sent an unexpected shiver through me.

I looked back at him before nodding.

"Okay."

I slipped my arm beneath his broad shoulders and struggled to pull him to his feet, but the moment he stood, most of his weight fell against me.

He was massive, easily twice my size and height, and keeping him upright with my small frame was much harder than I had expected.

"You're heavy," I muttered, tightening my grip around him.

He said nothing as we slowly made our way out of the alley and down the quiet streets, with me practically supporting his entire weight while he leaned against my side.

By the time we reached my house, my arms and legs were aching, but I still had to help him up the stairs before we reached my small door.

"You have to bend down," I whispered, trying to push his shoulders forward. "You're too tall."

Getting him through the doorway was difficult, but after several painful attempts, I finally managed to drag him inside and guide him toward my tiny bedroom.

The mattress was the only place I could put him, so I carefully helped him toward it, but just as I tried lowering him down, my strength gave out.

He dropped heavily onto the mattress.

He groaned in pain and rolled onto his back, pressing one hand against his bleeding stomach.

"I'm so sorry," I rushed out, moving closer. "I didn't mean to drop you that hard."

I reached toward his forehead, hoping to check his condition, but the moment my hand touched his skin, I pulled it back in shock.

He was burning.

His temperature was dangerously high, and the amount of blood covering his clothes made my stomach turn.

I needed to see the wound.

I grabbed the lapels of his ruined jacket and began pulling it open, my fingers shaking as I tried to remove his blood soaked shirt.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," I whispered, struggling with the buttons.

I managed to open it, but before I could pull the shirt away from his stomach and see how badly he had been injured, his green eyes suddenly rolled backward.

"Hey!"

His massive body went completely limp.

I grabbed his shoulder, staring at him in panic as I tried to wake him.

"Hey, wake up!"

He didn't move.

The bleeding stranger had just passed out cold on my bed.