Alpha Kayden and His hybrid Mate

~Nyla~ My heart fluttered with happiness as I took slow steps towards the Grand Hall, accompanied by my best friend, Maya, and my lovely sister-in-law, Rachel. "Luna, you look beautiful." My good old friend Olivia greeted me at the door. She was standing beside several other omegas, and there were cheerful smiles on all of their faces—unlike two years ago when I first arrived and saw their scared or angry faces. The feeling of being loved by everybody filled me to the brim with contentment. The most awaited moment of the year had arrived as I passed through the entrance doors and looked up at my mate standing on the dais. This felt just like walking down the aisle to get married to him, the jitters and the excitement. Alpha Kian was sporting an extra dazzling smile today. He was dressed in a well-fitted charcoal gray tuxedo and a striped purple bowtie, which he was forced to wear at my insistence. I wanted something on him to match my flowy purple dress.  His deep green eyes caressed me with such adoration as I climbed up the dais and stood next to him. I resisted the urge to claim his lips and act out of character in front of so many people and packs. Everyone had been waiting for us while I lost track of time and spent too long in my dead husband's bedroom. Wyatt's memories always did this to me, sucking me into a time vortex and leaving me an emotional mess. I had come a long way from holding grudges and seeking revenge for his death. But there were a few things about him that were hard to forget and move on from. I would never want to move on, even if given a choice. "You look stunning!" Kian stroked my tiny baby bump and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before turning to the pack elders and the mage who were going to start the ceremony. His body stiffened all of a sudden, and his beautiful features were marred by a look of worry and anger. My heart rate fastened as I watched him turn to his Beta Connor and Gamma Travis, who had also received the mind link from somebody. "Are we under attack? What's happening?" I clutched his arm and looked at him in a panic. Cupping my face, he flashed a small reassuring smile and relayed some instructions for my safety while the gathered crowds grew frantic. We had members from over five hundred packs come together for the ceremony. Under Kian's dominance, even the enemy packs had accepted the invitation and put up a genial front, too scared to incur his wrath. "Who is it? Please tell me." I placed my hands over his. Who dared to attack us? There were only two super-strong packs on the continent. The Storm Moon Pack and the Red Crescent Pack. When Kian defeated Wyatt and his pack two years ago, Storm Moon Pack turned into an even more formidable pack, and no one has had the power or courage to attack us since then. "It could be a false alarm. Don't worry. I'll be back soon."  "No, no, no! This can't be happening." I grabbed onto his arm tightly as tears sprung up in my eyes. This was exactly how I had lost my true soul mate. When Kian's pack attacked Wyatt's pack, Wyatt had told everyone it was a false alarm. His beta had died in minutes, and the doom followed right after. I was going to lose my second chance mate in the same way, again on the coronation day. "I'll be back, I promise." Kian looked over at Rachel and Maya, who stepped forward and wrapped their arms around me while Kian took off his tux and left in a hurry with Connor and Travis. "History is repeating, Maya. Where's Ari?"  "Right here. Let's get you to your room while the guests disperse. It's too chaotic here." Rachel passed my little baby to me, and I engulfed her in a protective hug.  The palace that was bustling with people's chatter just moments ago was almost abandoned right now. They were also probably anticipating the worst. Several packs ran for cover, while the rest went to strengthen Kian's defense at the borders. "I can't sit here like last time and let my mate die again. I need to go to Kian." "Nyla!" Both Maya and Rachel threw reprimanding looks at me as I held Kian's tuxedo near my chest. "You are responsible for both Ari and the baby you are carrying. Two lives depend on you and you protect them. The Alpha will protect himself." Maya said sternly. Our ears perked up when we heard a crash downstairs.  "Let me go check." Maya got up, leaving me with Rachel. Loud claps of thunder boomed through the sky suddenly, followed by a heavy downpour. "Wow! Talk about the dry and sunny weather forecast." Rachel shook her head and went up to the closest window to peek outside. "Maya needs back up. I'll be right back. Lock your door and don't step out, okay?" Rachel left before I could process what was happening. Maya needed backup? She wasn't easy to defeat unless she was overpowered by too many. Did the intruder reach the palace already? Where was everybody? "Nyla...!" I heard a shrill cry from Maya and threw caution to the wind. Clutching my two-year-old close to me, I pushed my ear to the door, wondering what was happening outside. An eerie silence hung over the surroundings after that cry from Maya. Did she really need help? Or was this a trap? Was she not alive anymore? Several dreadful thoughts assaulted my mind, and I opened the door despite knowing what a bad idea it was. The guard wolves at the door tried to reason with me, but a loud crash diverted all our attentions. Realization dawned on me right then. It was definitely a trap laid to lead everyone away from the palace. Whoever did this wasn't after killing Kian. They had planned this quite meticulously, and they knew every entry and exit to this place. As my guards were falling like flies, I ran towards the secret tunnel Wyatt had once shown me. Kian got it rebuilt with a much sturdier door. Tying my baby to my back, I climbed up the ladder to reach the trapdoor. It gave in quite easily, and I was out in the rain, huffing and puffing from the exertion. "Mamma..." Ari clung to me, taking cover from the cold raindrops and gusty wind. Ominous dark clouds hung over us, rumbling and angry. The intruder had blocked the way to the ocean. This person knew my identity. While only Wyatt knew about it when I was married to him, everyone in Kian's pack knew who I was. My mind was racing as I tried to make sense of the turn of events. While I was running for cover, I had a gut feeling that this was exactly what someone wanted me to do, to lead me away from the palace and the guard wolves and warriors. Kian would be furious, but I didn't feel safe in the palace. I heard several snarls and growls saturating the air as the wolves were ripping each other into pieces. There was no sign of Maya or Rachel even when I climbed a tall bluff and looked around. A fierce growl ripped through the air, with its deafening roar drowning the sound of rain and thunder. I didn't need to be a werewolf to know this was a threatening growl specifically directed towards me. I ran further up the bluff, aiming for the spot from where I could jump into the ocean if I needed to. Ari and I were almost there when the sounds of footsteps grew closer. My baby was very lightweight on any other day, but carrying her for so long while running was proving impossible. My lungs began to dry and my throat was on fire from the icy wind. "Just half a mile to safety," I told Ari and quickened my pace. As we neared a clearing in the woods and were quite close to a steep cliff, a large brown wolf leaped into the air, blocking my way and baring its teeth at me. Ari burst into loud cries, blurring my senses.  A tall, slender figure emerged out of the cloud of mist between the trees. A woman! Accompanied by several well-built men, she walked towards the dangerous wolf and I froze at the sight of her. "Skylar?!" I thought Wyatt's sister was dead.  "Skylar, y-you..."  "Yes, I'm alive." "It's y-your---" "That's right. I'm the mastermind behind this. Took me two years to get here." "Sky, I---" "Shush! You don't deserve to call me that. Look at you... carrying a murderer's baby in your womb. I hate you and your husband. Guess what happened to my baby?" Her eyes were blazing with hatred and rage. "You were scheming against my brother all along, weren't you?" "Sky, it might look like that, but Kian is my mate. He was my mate from the moment he killed Wyatt." "You both don't deserve to live. After what his pack did to me, my husband, and everyone I loved, you are f*****g him and carrying his baby with not an ounce of shame or guilt. Hail the f*****g Luna Queen!"  Skylar used to be one of my favorite people. She was the female version of Wyatt. Strong, determined, and beautiful. I carried many wonderful memories of her from when we became friends and when we both were pregnant. Losing her baby must have made her so vengeful. I couldn't blame her for that. "What makes you think you deserve a happy ending?" She turned to one of the men who was standing behind her. "Seize the baby and kill her in front of this traitor." "Traitor? Sky! I loved Wyatt more than---" "Zip it!" My nerves had fallen overboard as a man stepped forward to take my Ari from me while the wolf prepared to rip her to pieces. I quickly turned back to get a good look at the jutting rocks and rugged terrain below. A shaky breath slipped from my lips as I prepared to jump. Ari and I would get killed by hitting our heads against some rock instead of falling into the ocean. Gathering as much momentum as I could before the man laid his hands on me, I flung my baby into the air, as far away from any solid surface as possible. She made a trajectory far enough to survive before making her descent, straight into the water. Little Ari's cries broke my heart, but what choice did I have? I was sure she had a better chance of surviving the shark infested waters than Skylar's wrath. Wish I could jump with her. My scalp seared in pain as the man fisted my hair and yanked me towards a furious Skylar.