The Hybrid

Chapter 19

Ryder sat at his desk with Gregory sitting on the other side, he kept looking at his watch.

“Maybe something important happened, Kyle told me she got the role of Dorothy in the school play. Amber was pissed I guess, so maybe she went out the back and ran home to avoid her.”

Gregory said.

Ryder nodded, “Maybe, makes sense.”

Ryder was about to say something else when all of a sudden Ryder’s chest seized as an unbearable pain ripped through him, like claws tearing into his heart. He stumbled, bracing himself against the nearest wall, his breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. It wasn’t physical—not entirely. This was something deeper, more primal. The bond. Kyra.

Gregory looked at him with panic jumping out of his seat to his side, “Ryder you alright? What wrong?!”

Ryder couldn’t speak, her fear and agony surged through him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him. He clutched his chest, his knuckles white, his mind racing. What’s happening to her? The connection between them was alive, pulsing with raw emotion. Pain. Desperation. It was suffocating, and it wasn’t his own.

The room seemed to spin, and Ryder growled low in his throat, a guttural sound that echoed with both rage and terror. His wolf surged forward, sensing his mate’s distress and demanding action. His control slipped, and before he could stop it, the transformation began.

His muscles tensed and stretched, his bones cracking audibly as they shifted. His claws tore through his fingers, fur sprouting along his arms as his body reshaped itself. His shirt shredded under the pressure, falling in tatters to the floor, followed by the rest of his clothes as he dropped to all fours.

A snarl ripped from his throat, primal and fierce, as he fully embraced his wolf form. The world sharpened around him—scents, sounds, the thrum of distant heartbeats. But one scent rose above all others: vanilla and roses. Hers.

Without hesitation, Ryder lunged forward, his claws digging into the hard wood floor and out the door. The wind tore past him, carrying with it her scent and the faint, almost imperceptible trace of her pain. It was like a beacon, pulling him closer with every stride.

The closer he got, the stronger the pull became, an almost magnetic force drawing him in. His wolf was frantic, its instincts screaming to protect, to save, to destroy whatever dared to harm her.

When he reached the hospital, he barely paused to shift back. The transformation was quick, his body snapping back into human form as he stumbled forward, naked and unbothered by it, his mind focused solely on Kyra.

Bursting through the entrance, his wild eyes scanned the area, his voice a desperate growl.

“Where is she?”

He barked at the startled staff, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.

Every second felt like an eternity as the bond pulsed painfully in his chest, urging him forward. He could feel her still—weak, but alive. That knowledge kept him moving, his fear and anger simmering just beneath the surface as he prepared to do whatever it took to reach her.

Ryder smelt her scent even stronger now, he followed it down the hall. He stopped in-font of the door, he swung it open. Theodore and Sally on either side of the bed Kyra was sleeping on, she looked so peaceful. She had wires hooked up to her, monitoring her body.

Theodore and Sally jumped up and bowed their head, but before they could speak Ryder demanded.

“What happened?!”

They stuttered,

“We don’t know she was fine one minute drinking hot chocolate then the next she collapsed.”

Ryder stood there angrily, his alpha power flooding the room.

“You’re lying! Tell me the truth, NOW!”

Theodore and Sally shook with fear, they tried to fight the Alpha power but Ryder was too strong.

“We gave her a potion to break her bond with you!”

Cried Sally.

Ryders anger exploded in his chest,

“WHY!?”

Theodore tried to resist but failed,

“Kyra’s a hybrid!”

Ryder stood motionless at the foot of Kyra’s hospital bed, his hands clenched into tight fists. His jaw was set, his entire body rigid with tension as he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, the wires and machines a stark reminder of how close he’d come to losing her. The soft beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound breaking the heavy silence in the room.

Theodore stood across from him, looking uncharacteristically uneasy, his gaze flitting between Ryder and Sally. Ryders piercing gaze was locked on Theodore, sharp as a blade and filled with unspoken fury.

Theodore hesitated, but there was no point in denying it now. He sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging under the weight of what he was about to admit. “Kyra is a hybrid. Half-werewolf, half-vampire.”

Ryder’s chest heaved as the confirmation hit him like a physical blow. He’d suspected it, seen the signs, felt the pieces falling into place—but hearing it aloud made it real. The fear he’d been suppressing surged to the surface. Fear for her. Fear of what this would mean.

His fists tightened further, the veins in his arms bulging as he turned his glare fully on Theodore.

“You knew,” he said, his voice shaking with barely restrained anger. “You knew this whole time, and you still gave her that—that potion? You nearly killed her!”

Sally flinched,

“We were trying to protect her,” she said quietly, her voice trembling.

“Protect her?” Ryder’s voice rose, his anger spilling over. He gestured at Kyra’s unconscious form, hooked up to machines, her face pale but peaceful. “This is what you call protecting her? Putting her through agony, risking her life?”

Theodore stepped forward, his expression firm despite Ryder’s fury.

“We didn’t mean to harm her. We thought—”

“You thought,” Ryder interrupted, his voice like a growl, “but you didn’t know. You don’t ever mess with a bond like that, not when you don’t understand what she is. Not when you don’t understand what it would do to her.”

The room fell silent, Ryder’s heavy breathing the only sound. He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable, but his gaze softened slightly as it drifted back to Kyra.

She looked so small and fragile lying there, and yet he knew she was anything but. She was strong. Stronger than any of them, stronger than him.

The anger in Ryder’s chest burned itself out, replaced by something deeper. He let out a shaky breath and stepped closer to her bedside. Reaching out, his fingers brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch impossibly gentle.

“She’s mine,” he said quietly, but there was no mistaking the steel in his voice. “Hybrid or not, I don’t care. I’ll protect her, and I’ll love her. No matter what.”

His words hung in the air, a vow spoken aloud. He turned back to Theodore and Sally, his expression hard but calmer now.

“You tell me everything. Every secret, every detail. No more lies, no more half-truths. If I’m going to keep her safe, I need to know exactly what I’m up against.”

Theodore nodded, though the weight of Ryder’s demand was clear on his face. Sally said nothing, her eyes fixed on Kyra as silent tears slid down her cheeks.

Theodore took a deep, shaky breath, his gaze fixed on the floor as he began to speak. Ryder stood at the edge of Kyra’s hospital bed, his arms crossed, jaw tight, every muscle in his body tense as he listened. Sally sat silently in a chair nearby, her face pale and hands trembling as she clutched her husband’s arm for support.

“Eighteen years ago,” Theodore started, his voice heavy with guilt, “Sally and I left your pack because we got a call from Elder Rodrick. He told us to fly to upstate New York immediately. We didn’t know why, but when Rodrick calls, you answer.”

Ryder’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“When we got there, it was… strange. The location was remote, in the middle of nowhere. Rodrick was waiting for us, and he wasn’t alone. He was holding a baby, no more than a few days old. He didn’t waste time explaining. He simply told us it was time to repay a favor we owed him.”

“A favor?” Ryder asked sharply.

Theodore nodded. “Years ago, Rodrick helped my family out of a dangerous situation. It wasn’t something I could refuse. He told us we had to take and raise the baby as our own. He called her a ‘miracle.’ Said she was the first of her kind—a natural-born hybrid. Half-werewolf, half-vampire.”

Ryder’s breath hitched, his hands tightening into fists. “He told you she was a hybrid?”

“Yes, but he didn’t give us details,” Theodore admitted. “He didn’t tell us who her parents were, only that they were dead. All he said was to keep her safe, no matter what.”

Sally spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. “He sent us to New York City, to live in the Silverfang pack. He said it would be the safest place for her.”

Theodore’s expression darkened, guilt etched deeply into his features. “For a while, it worked. She grew up like any other kid, even if she was… different. But when Kyra reached puberty, everything changed.”

Ryder’s jaw tightened. He already knew where this was going, and dread pooled in his stomach.

“The Alpha of the Silverfang pack, Wyatt,” Theodore spat the name like poison, “found out about her. He became… obsessed with her. He saw her as a weapon, a way to gain power. Her potential as a hybrid was too much for him to ignore. He wanted to claim her as a chosen mate.”

Ryder’s lip curled in disgust. “But he already had a mate.”

“He killed her,” Theodore said, his voice raw with anger and shame. “Murdered his own mate so he could take Kyra. She refused him. She was brave, defiant, but that only made him angrier. He took her by force, dragged her away, and…”

Theodore’s voice broke, and Sally clutched his arm tighter. “He tortured her,” she said quietly. “Beat her. Starved her. Tried to break her spirit. But she stayed strong. She wouldn’t submit to him.”

Ryder’s claws dug into his palms as he fought to keep control of his wolf, who was howling in fury and pain at the thought of what Kyra had endured. “And you let this happen?”

“We had no choice!” Theodore shot back, his voice desperate. “Wyatt threatened to kill us if we intervened. He had the entire pack under his thumb. But we didn’t stop trying. We planned her escape, waited for the right moment, and when it came, we helped her run. That’s why we’ve been on the move ever since. Running from Wyatt, from his Beta, from anyone who would use her for what she is.”

Ryder’s mind raced, torn between rage and sorrow. He looked at Kyra, her unconscious form so still, so vulnerable. The thought of her suffering, of anyone laying a hand on her, made his blood boil.

“Are you even her blood family?” Ryder asked looked at Kyra’s face.

Theodore shook his head, “No, we’re not. But we care for her as if she was our own, we raised her and took care of her. She doesn’t know any of this, all she knows is we’re her aunt and uncle, and her mother died having her and her father killed himself.”

Ryder took a deep breath, “She deserves to know the truth.”

Sally stood up, “And what good would that do, this poor girl has been through hell. And on top of it she’s the only one of her kind, she has no one to turn or relate to. You really want to add more pain and stress.”

As angry as Ryder was, Sally was right. It was a lot all at once. Ryder nodded his head, “I won’t say anything, and I won’t tell her I know she’s a hybrid. I’ll wait for her to tell me, gain her trust.”

“She doesn’t trust easily. Cause she doesn’t want anyone to see her as… a monster.” Sally said softly.

Ryder let out a harsh breath, his gaze fixed on Kyra. “She’s not a monster. She’s mine.”