The Hybrid

Chapter 18

Kyra ran down the hallway and into the bathroom, she took deep breaths and slashed cold water on her face.

“f**k!”

She whispered to herself, Kyra’s mind swirled, her heart pounding with the weight of her emotions. She knew she needed to stay away, to fight the pull of the mate bond, but it was impossible. Every moment with him made the connection stronger, the feelings more intense.

She wanted to tell him the truth—everything. But the thought terrified her. What if he rejected her? What if he saw her as a monster and tried to kill her? Or worse, what if he turned out like Wyatt, wanting to use her for power? The possibilities clawed at her mind, tearing her resolve apart.

Despite it all, she wanted to be with him. The way he looked at her, the way he moved with her, made her long for something she had never dared to hope for. But the risk of revealing her secret felt like a noose tightening around her neck. She didn’t know what to do. Ryder was both her greatest desire and her most dangerous threat.

Kyra pulled herself together and took a deep breath, she walked out of the bathroom almost running into Allie.

“Oh there you are, come on we’re late for drama class.”

Kyra followed her down the stairs into the basement, The man appears to be older, with neatly trimmed gray hair and a matching beard. He has a thoughtful yet animated expression, he wore glasses and a dark, ribbed sweater over a collared shirt, giving him a scholarly or professional look. His posture is relaxed but engaged, with one arm resting casually on the back of a chair and the other hand holding a pencil.

“Welcome class!”

He said with light French accent. The class walked in and sat down in their seats, Allie and Kyra sat in the back far away from Amber who was sitting in to front row.

“Just want to remind you all the Annual Play is coming up, The Wizard of Oz! We still have a few slots open up for munchkins, towns folk, back stage hands and makeup artists. Amber will you be playing Dorothy again, or would you like someone else to play the roll.”

Amber shook her head,

“No I don’t think anyone else could sing better than me so I’ll play it.”

Kyra couldn’t help but snicker,

“Something funny?”

The teacher asked.

Kyra cleared her throat and waved her hand.

“Nope no sir.”

“What’s your name?”

Kyra sighed,

“Kyra.”

The teacher gave her a look and opened his hand to the stage,

“Would you care to show us what you got if you think you can do better.”

Kyra hesitated, she rose from her seat and walked up the little stage.

“Do you know Over the Rainbow?”

Kyra nodded,

“Of course.”

The teacher made a face,

“ Proceed.”

Kyra took a deep breath, her voice carried a soft, dreamy quality, her tone warm and slightly husky. She started gently, her lower register tender and delicate, evoking a sense of vulnerability and wistfulness. As the song progresses, her voice glided smoothly over each note, bringing a modern, soulful interpretation to the classic melody.

In the higher passages, her voice brighten, with a light, airy resonance that conveys hope and longing. She didn’t overpower the song but instead maintain a heartfelt, intimate delivery, allowing the emotional depth of the lyrics to shine. Her unique phrasing and subtle vocal runs added a fresh but respectful twist to the timeless ballad.

Tears swelled up in the teachers eyes,

““Magnifique, tout simplement beau.” He clapped his hands together along with the whole class, “Kyra you must play Dorothy, your voice was made for the role.”

Ambers face turned red, she jumped up from her seat,

“Monsieur Jean, I always play Dorothy. Everyone loves my voice, not to mention I already know all the lines!”

The teacher turned to her,

“Amber it’s time to pass the torch, why don’t you try your hand at makeup this time around. Let someone else enjoy the spotlight this year.” The teacher turned back to Kyra and lead her to his desk, “Now here’s the whole script, I want you to practice day and night. Monday and Wednesday is after school rehearsal and if I feel you guys need more practice then sometimes Saturday.”

He handed a thick packet of the play, luckily Kyra’s seen the movie a million times. The Wizard of Oz was uncle Theodore’s favorite movie, they watch it all the time.

“Ok class now that we have that settled let’s get on with our lesson today, today we’re going to talk about Romeo and Juliet.”

The class moaned.

“Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare. It takes place in Verona, Italy, and centers on the intense, forbidden love between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two teenagers from feuding families.

Key Points:

The Feud: The Montagues and Capulets are embroiled in a bitter rivalry, creating a hostile environment.

Love at First Sight: Romeo and Juliet meet at a Capulet party and instantly fall in love, unaware of each other’s family ties.

Secret Marriage: Defying their families, they secretly marry the next day with the help of Friar Laurence, hoping to end the feud.

Conflict and Tragedy: Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, kills Romeo’s friend Mercutio, prompting Romeo to kill Tybalt in revenge. Romeo is then banished.

Desperate Plan: Juliet fakes her death to be with Romeo, but the message explaining the plan fails to reach him.

Heartbreaking End: Believing Juliet is truly dead, Romeo poisons himself. Juliet awakens, finds Romeo dead, and takes her own life.

Reconciliation: Their deaths unite the Montagues and Capulets, ending the feud, but at a devastating cost.

The play explores themes of love, fate, and the consequences of hatred. It remains one of Shakespeare’s most famous and enduring works.”

The wrote down most of the key points.

“Now your homework assignment is pick a play done by Shakespeare, I want you to take the play and modernize it. You have until the end of the week.”

The bell rang, Kyra could see Amber was pissed. Kyra quickly grabbed her stuff and ran out of the classroom and up the stairs, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

It was from her uncle,

Come home immediately after school

Kyra wrote back,

But I have to go to the pack house for my punishment.

Her phone vibrate again,

Please for once do as I say without confrontation, we need you home.

Kyra sighed, she ran out the back door and through the woods home to avoid Ryder. Which made her feel bad, she didn’t want him to think she didn’t like dancing with him. But uncle Theodore made it sound important, other wise Kyra knew he wouldn’t go against the Alphas wishes if it wasn’t. Kyra ran through the front door and saw Theodore and Sally sitting at the table, he motioned her to sit.

“We need to talk, are you certain that the Alpha is your mate?”

Kyra took a deep breath and nodded,

“I believe so, I’m sorry.”

Sally took Kyra’s hand,

“Don’t be sorry sweetheart, you can’t control it. Here I made you a special treat.”

She stood from the table and walked over to the kitchen counter, she brought over a hot chocolate with peppermint and whip cream.

“We know this is difficult for you but we promise everything is going to be alright.”

For some strange reason Kyra felt something was wrong, Sally and Theodore stared at her, encouraging her to drink the hot chocolate.

Kyra slowly put her lips around the cup of hot chocolate and took a small sip, it tasted fine. She drank the rest of it, Sally and Theodore smiled with relief.

Theodore raised an eyebrow,

“So how do you feel?”

Kyra shrugged,

“What do you mean? I feel..”

A sharp pain tore through Kyra’s chest. She gasped, clutching at her ribs as if something inside her was trying to claw its way out.

“Kyra?”

Sally’s voice was panicked now, her eyes wide.

Kyra’s body jerked violently, the mug crashing to the floor as she stumbled back, her breathing ragged. Her veins felt like they were on fire, molten heat coursing through her body, burning from the inside out.

She collapsed to her knees, a strangled cry escaping her lips as her muscles convulsed uncontrollably.

“What’s… happening… to me?”

She managed to choke out before her body arched violently, her head snapping back as if some unseen force had taken hold of her.

Sally rushed to her side, her face pale with terror.

“We didn’t mean for this to happen!” she cried. “The potion—it wasn’t supposed to—”

“The potion?”

Kyra gasped through the pain, her burgundy eyes flaring with a desperate, feral light. The realization struck her like a blow, but before she could say more, another wave of agony surged through her, and she screamed.

The bond, that invisible tether to Ryder, surged to the forefront of her mind. Instead of breaking as the potion was intended to do, it pushed back with ferocious intensity, wrapping tighter around her. Her hybrid blood rebelled against the foreign magic, amplifying the effects and sending her body into chaos.

Her vision blurred, black spots dancing before her eyes as her body finally gave out. She collapsed to the floor, her breathing shallow as she slipped into unconsciousness.