the Hybrid's Prophecy

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lia jolted awake, her skull throbbing with a dull, insistent ache. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, far too bright and unforgiving for her liking. The last thing she remembered clearly was Steph helping her into bed sometime after midnight. The cab ride home was a blur of streetlights and Steph’s worried face. She had told herself she would feel much better in the morning, but that was a lie.

She felt worse.

Groaning, she turned over and reached for her phone.

3 missed calls: Unknown Number

She sighed and felt a sinking sensation in her gut when she saw the time. 11:47AM. She had slept through her alarm and missed her lectures.

Shoot… I never miss a class.

Rubbing her temple, she sat up slowly. The disorientation and haze from last night had mostly faded, but there was still a strange, lingering buzz at the back of her mind. Pushing the thought aside, she got out of bed and padded toward the kitchen, craving caffeine more than anything else. The idea of food made her nauseous.

The apartment was eerily quiet. As she passed through the living room, she noticed clothes strewn about. The unmistakable aftermath of Steph’s late-night escapades. Lia sighed, shaking her head as she started the coffee machine.

While Steph is an amazing friend and roommate, sometimes she forgets she shares the space. Every once in a while, Lia finds evidence of Steph’s guest after a night out. They would usually stick around for a week or two before vanishing from Steph’s life entirely.

Today is no different.

Though, how Steph had managed to reconnect with someone after getting Lia home safely, she had no idea. Perhaps they’d texted, maybe she had gone back out. Either way, the evidence was here.

While the coffee brewed, she absentmindedly picked up the scattered clothing. A shirt, a leather jacket, a pair of jeans. Her hands froze.

The scent from the fabric hit her immediately. Musky, earthy, unmistakably werewolf.

She looked at the clothing again and cursed softly. She recognized the clothing too, Kellan’s.

Her stomach clenched, and instinctively she reached for her neck where her pendant always resided to calm her nerves.

Panic surged through her as she dropped the clothing onto the couch.

Her pendant..

Where was her pendant?

Heart pounding, she rushed back to her room, searching frantically through her things before realizing that she could just try to find it with a spell.

Closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she then whispered a short incantation to make the pendant appear to her.

“Vēn Tal.”

Opening her eyes, expecting the pendant to hover before her as the spell had done hundreds of times before, Lia’s horror grew when she saw nothing.

It’s gone.

Her fingers trembled and her pulse spiked as she quickly murmured the incantation for a scent confusion spell.

“Flox.” A shimmering warmth settled over her as the magic took effect. It wouldn’t mask her entirely, but it would be enough to blur any lingering traces of her scent.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself before changing into a pair of jeans and a sweater.

When she finally stepped back into the kitchen, Steph was there, stretching lazily as she leaned against the counter, hair tied up in a messy bun.

Beside her stood Kellan, looking far too composed and alert for someone who had just woken up after a long night out. His gaze flickered to Lia the moment she entered.

Steph glanced over and frowned. “Damn, Lia, you still look kinda sick. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Lia forced a small smile. “Yeah, just a bit of a headache. I’ll be fine.”

Steph made a face. “Ugh, that club really did a number on you. You should take the day off like me.”

Lia grabbed her coffee mug and took a careful sip, avoiding Steph’s gaze. “Can’t. I’ve got an errand to run before class. There’s a lecture I can’t miss.”

Steph pouted. “Boo, you’re no fun.”

Kellan remained silent, but she felt his assessing eyes on her. Lia didn’t look at him.

Draining the rest of her coffee, Lia set the mug down and grabbed her bag. “I should get going.”

She hurried toward the door, slipping on her shoes and jacket. Just as she stepped into the building’s hallway, she nearly collided with Ben, who came out of the elevator.

He arched a brow, his gaze flickering over her with a hint of scrutiny. There was a split second of hesitation before he spoke. “You in a rush?”

Lia swallowed. “Yeah, just… Running late.”

Ben studied her for a moment longer, as if something about her didn’t quite add up. His nostrils flared slightly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He could sense something was off.

Lia shifted under his gaze, forcing a casual shrug. “See you around, Ben.”

Without waiting for a response, she brushed past him and hurried toward the exit. She felt his eyes on her back the entire way down the hall and even as the elevator doors closed, she could feel the weight of it pressing between her shoulder blades.

———x———

Nearly three-and-a-half hours later, the apartment door creaked open under Lia’s hand, the familiar click of the lock echoing louder than expected in the late afternoon quiet of the building. She stepped inside cautiously, fingers clenched tightly around the strap of her bag, the new pendant now hanging around her neck. Its cool metal sat flush against her chest, but the spell it housed remained dormant, for now.

Laughter drifted from the living room, from male and female voices.

Her heart sank.

She had hoped the apartment would be empty, that she could slip into her room, cast the spell, and finally, finally, exhale and calm down. The shop had been busier than usual, the ingredients harder to find. The trip back on public transport had dragged, nerves fraying with every stop. She was almost certain a guy had followed her for three full blocks, and had only barely restrained herself from using magic to disable him on the spot, before he’d turned off at the coffee shop.

She tried to keep from using too much magic. It always left a mark or distinctive smells afterwards.

She’d hoped, but instead, the open floor plan revealed the exact opposite of solitude.

Steph was curled at the far end of the couch with a blanket draped around her shoulders, a half-eaten bowl of cereal in her lap. Bri sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, gesturing animatedly with a slice of toast in hand. Ben lounged casually in the armchair, one ankle propped over the other, his eyes crinkled in amusement at something Bri had just said. And of course, Kellan was sprawled in front of the kitchen island, apparently mid-story, waving a spoon like a conductor.

The scent of eggs and cinnamon hung in the air, a half-finished late breakfast still scattered across the counter. Someone had lit one of Steph’s vanilla-scented candles, trying to mask the underlying trace of hangover and too many bodies in too small a space.

All eyes turned when Lia stepped in.

“There she is,” Steph said brightly. “Feeling any better?”

Lia forced a smile and nodded, slipping off her shoes with more effort than necessary. “Yeah. Got some air, stretched my legs.”

“You still look kinda pale,” Steph added, her brows pinching with concern. “Sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Just need water.” Lia didn’t look at Ben, didn’t want to see if his eyes were narrowing again. Lying was not her strong suit, especially when her anxiety was sky-high.

“You want some eggs?” Bri offered, motioning to the plate in the middle of the table. “Kellan scrambled enough for an army.”

She walked into the kitchen, grabbed a small glass from one cabinet and opened the tap. The idea of having eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner made her nauseous. She wrinkled her nose. “No... I’m good, thanks.”

Bri scooted over and patted the couch. “Come sit, chill for a sec. Kellan was about to tell us this insane story about a coyote in a Starbucks.”

Lia hesitated, the pendant suddenly heavy against her chest. Every instinct told her to keep moving and to make sure that she followed the shopkeeper’s advice.

“Sure...” she said, her voice even, “I just need to drop something off in my room. I’ll be right back.”

She turned quickly, catching the brief glance Ben and Kellan exchanged, but chose to ignore it. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she walked down the hall.

The moment her bedroom door closed behind her, she exhaled hard and pressed her back against it.

Too close.

Too loud.

Too many questions.

Lia waited, still as stone, until the last trace of conversation beyond her door faded into soft murmurs and the distant clatter of dishes. Only when she was sure no one was approaching did she spring into motion.

After being gone for a good portion of the day, and feeling better than when she woke up, she was more aware of the buzzing in her mind and the scent of werewolves in the air. It hadn’t just been Kellan she’d scented. Ben’s a werewolf too.

She set her bag down quietly, then moved to the window and tugged the curtains shut, blotting out the orange-tinted daylight. Her fingers hesitated over the lock on her bedroom door, but then she turned it with a quiet click. The sound settled something in her chest.

From the drawer beneath her desk, she pulled out a shallow metal baking dish. It was worn and dented, inconspicuous enough to hide in plain sight. She placed it on the floor and retrieved a small bundle of ingredients she got from the shop: a tiny vial of dried lavender, crushed betony leaves, and a pinch of ground mugwort. She laid them in the dish one by one, carefully and precise. The new pendant she’d retrieved earlier now rested in her palm, still cool and silent. She nestled it gently in the center of the herbs.

Next came the incense. She lit it with a match, letting the smoke curl slowly through the air. A thin trail of white rose upward, sharp and floral.

Finally, she sat cross-legged before the dish, hands resting on her knees, palms open to the ceiling. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Cēn Solé,” she whispered.

The air grew warmer, faintly humming with magic as the incense thickened and the scent shifted. The spell was meant to bind the pendant to her energy, to sharpen its sensitivity, especially toward werewolf traces. Others wouldn’t be able to smell her as anything else but human. It wouldn’t replace the one she’d lost, but it would keep her safe for now.

She leaned in, letting the faint scent reach her nose.

Gone was the cloying earthy tang that clung to anything werewolf-adjacent. In its place was something lighter, cleaner. Like dry leaves and sun-warmed stone.

It worked.

It actually worked.

Relief uncoiled in her belly.

She doused the incense, swept the herbs into a paper sachet to dispose of later, and tucked the pendant chain around her neck again. Only fifteen minutes had passed, but it felt like an hour.

She changed into more comfortable clothing, wiped the ash from her hands, and stepped back into the hallway, even though she only wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for an eternity. She felt exhausted.

In the living room, Bri was mid-gesture with her phone in hand. “Okay, but if we do sushi again, I swear I’ll turn into a California roll.”

“Pizza,” Steph said, flopped across the couch. “Let’s not be fancy tonight.”

Ben chuckled from the armchair. “You mean you want garlic bread and regret.”

Lia paused in the doorway. “I could run to the supermarket and cook something. It wouldn’t take long.”

Bri looked up and smirked. “You trying to be Granny Lia again?”

Steph laughed. “She totally is.”

Lia smiled nervously, brushing her hair back. “Just thought I’d offer.”

Kellan glanced her way. “Pizza sounds good. Less work.”

“Fine, pizza it is,” Bri said, already typing into her phone.

Lia settled onto the edge of the couch, keeping her body relaxed even as her mind churned beneath the surface.

Bri was scrolling through her phone. “Okay, what’s everyone feeling? Pepperoni? Veggie? Don’t say pineapple, or I’m kicking you out.”

Steph raised a hand. “Pineapple is elite. Fight me.”

Ben gave her a look. “That’s not pizza. That’s a war crime.”

Kellan grinned, stretching out. “I’m a meat-lovers guy, but I’ll take whatever. Just no olives.”

“Oh my God,” Bri groaned, “you’re all impossible.”

Lia smiled faintly. “I’m good with anything that isn’t spicy. Last time I nearly cried.”

“That was hilarious,” Steph said, pointing at her. “You turned so red.”

“It was ghost pepper,” Lia muttered. “It’s not food. It’s punishment.”

They all laughed, and the tension that had been strung tight through her shoulders began to ease, if only a little.

“I’ll order two larges,” Bri said. “One safe, one chaotic.”

Lia reached for her water and took a sip, the coolness grounding her. She wasn’t sure if they bought her act completely, but no one pressed further. That was all she needed right now.

As the conversation shifted to some ridiculous t****k challenge Steph and Bri wanted to try later, Lia allowed herself a breath. Just one quiet breath.

She felt as if her world had shifted slightly off its axis, and it was starting a wildfire in her mind. All day she had been running around fixing the scent spell on a new pendant. Trying to mask her, make her blend in with the rest of the humans. That she had almost forgotten that she felt so strange the night before.