Alpha Damon's Hybrid Mate

chapter 4

April

A wave of dizziness and nausea hit me immediately I opened my eyes. My entire body felt strangely heavy, and my mind was so foggy that I couldn't remember what had happened the night before.

I reached blindly toward the nightstand and fumbled for my phone, finally managing to pick it up after several attempts and squinting at the bright screen showing 8:30 AM.

"Oh no, no, no!" I shot upright, immediately regretting the movement when another wave of dizziness hit me because I was late and had already missed the beginning of my morning shift.

I forced my aching body out of bed, but just as I swung my legs over the side of the mattress, something caught my attention: the bed was empty.

I stared at the spot beside me where the mysterious green eyed man was…gone.

I quickly looked around the room to find his blood stained shirt gone, the blanket pushed aside, and not a single trace of him anywhere in the apartment. I frowned, wondering how he had even managed to leave when he had barely been conscious when I brought him home. But I didn't have time to think about it because I had to get to work.

I dragged my exhausted body into the tiny bathroom and turned on the tap, but as I leaned over the sink to brush my teeth and happened to glance at the cracked mirror, the toothbrush nearly slipped from my hand.

Two dark red puncture marks stood out clearly on the left side of my neck, surrounded by bruised and irritated skin. I simply stared at them before everything came rushing back—the strange growl, his glowing green eyes, the way he had grabbed me, and his teeth sinking into my neck.

My stomach turned. "Unbelievable," I rasped, my voice painfully hoarse as I touched the marks with trembling fingertips. "I save your damn life, and you bite me like a wild animal to repay me?"

Anger quickly replaced confusion, although the nausea hadn't gone anywhere. I took a quick shower, pulled on a clean sweater that completely covered the bite, and rushed out of the apartment.

By the time I reached the diner, I was completely out of breath. I pushed through the glass doors and immediately spotted Mrs. Wanda wiping down the front counter. The bell above the door chimed, and she looked up. The moment her eyes landed on me, her expression changed.

"Sweetheart, merciful heaven, are you alright?" she asked, hurrying around the counter. "You look absolutely dreadful. What happened to you?"

"I'm okay, Mrs. Wanda," I lied, forcing a small smile as I grabbed my apron from the wall hook and tied it around my waist before looking at her.

"I just had a really rough night. That's all. How is Dave doing today?"

Mrs. Wanda immediately sighed dramatically. "Oh, don't get me started on that man."

Despite the pounding in my head and the nausea twisting my stomach, I couldn't help laughing. "You just love him too much to stay mad at him."

"Hmph! Don't you dare tell him that. It'll go straight to his oversized head," she complained, although the smile on her face made it obvious how much she loved her husband.

I smiled and returned to work. For the first few hours, I tried to ignore how terrible I felt, but it wasn't working. Every step across the diner floor made my body ache, and the longer I stayed on my feet, the hotter I seemed to become.

At first, I thought it was because I was exhausted, but then the heat became unbearable. By early afternoon, sweat was gathering along my hairline despite the cool air inside the diner, my stomach churned constantly, and twice I had to sit down in the back room because I was certain I was going to throw up.

The second time I sat down, Mrs. Wanda walked in, immediately noticed, and took the tray from my hands as I looked up.

"That's enough."

"I'm fine… Mrs. Wan-"

"No, you're not," she said, placing the tray on the counter and studying me. "Can you please go home early today? You look like you're about to collapse right here on my floor."

"Are you sure?" I asked weakly. "I hate asking for time off."

"Child, you have literally never asked for a single sick day since I hired you," she said, picking up her dish towel and waving it at me.

"Go home and rest. And don't you dare step foot back into this diner tomorrow unless you're completely better."

"It's just for today," I promised. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Shoo!" She gently pushed me toward the exit. "Go!"

I gave her a tired smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Wanda."

"Just go home and get some rest, sweetheart."

The walk back to my apartment felt like a painful blur because my skin felt as though it was burning from the inside and the cool afternoon breeze did almost nothing to help.

Every sound from the street seemed unnaturally loud, and my head throbbed with every step. By the time I reached my building, I was barely keeping myself upright, so I climbed the crumbling staircase slowly while gripping the railing whenever my legs felt too weak to carry me.

The moment I reached my apartment, I stumbled through the door and locked it behind me without even bothering to take off my shoes. I rushed into the bathroom and blindly searched through the cabinet until my fingers found a bottle of painkillers. I shook two pills into my palm, swallowed them without water, and stumbled toward my bed.

The moment I reached it, I collapsed. I curled beneath the thin sheets, hoping the medicine would make the pain disappear, but the heat only seemed to grow stronger.

My pulse hammered against the painful marks on my neck, and my entire body felt like it was burning from the inside out. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to convince myself that I would feel better after sleeping, though I had no idea what was happening to me.

I didn't know why I felt so sick, I didn't know why my body was suddenly so hot, and I certainly didn't understand why the bite on my neck seemed to hurt more with every passing minute.

As darkness slowly pulled me under again, one terrified thought remained in my mind: I hope I don't die.