Mistress of Blood and Fur

Chapter 19 - Hybrids

Grace

When the sticks and stones come raining, I can’t help but be fascinated by the taunt in them. For these humans, we are dogs. That’s not the problem here because dogs are loyal and smart. The problem is that they know. How? We run for cover. As wolves, we will heal fast, but getting hit can still hurt a lot.

I see one wolf getting hit by what looks like the attackers’ version of a short spear. He’s howling in pain right now, as he tries to pull the stick from his left shoulder. His friends try to help him, but he’ll be going through the healing on his own. If things get really bad, he’ll need a healer and it looks like we have a new one.

The new girl Sarah is one unless she just likes getting extra close to Onyx – or both. As far as I know, he hasn’t been pierced by a spear but I see the glinting rock on the ground. It’s silver, and he looks like he’s in excruciating pain. Sarah leads him up to the mansion gates almost as if she already belongs there, while most of the other male wolves are already in their huts or cabins. While the rugged weapons were raining, it felt like it was going on forever but as soon as it stopped, everything seemed to go faster than before.

My feet are ready to walk over to Onyx and Sarah, but I stand back. I did decide that I want him to have a choice other than me before I pick him, but it looks like someone’s not wasting any time. My heart hammers painfully in my chest, and I wish then that I can get rid of all my fears and just go with my feelings.

“Is he yours?” asks Elaine. Her voice is gentle, almost lulling me into hopefully not a false sense of security.

“Who?”

I feel silly about bouncing a question back to her when I know full well who she’s talking about.

“The long-haired wolf with Sarah,” Elaine responds. This time, there’s a slight twitch in her left eyebrow that she’s trying to suppress.

“No. I haven’t made my choice yet.”

“How does that even work? Finding a mate over here, I mean. I’m a kindergarten teacher. So, I mostly see little ones and their parents. There are some single dads, but that’s not exactly something I want to get into. Even when I tried, I haven’t found the one among them.”

“Is that why you agreed to come? Because the dating pool is completely lacking? What is it like to be a wolf teaching human children?” The questions tumble out before I can stop them. I do genuinely want to get to know the new brides, even Sarah.

“I didn’t say human, Grace. I belong to a pack of half-human, half-wolves. Some of us have to practice as witches, too. Sarah’s the same, but she’s a full-blooded wolf who decided to dabble with magic.”

“And Josie?”

“Josie tries her best to forget she’s a wolf. I guess we’re all in denial somehow,” she says, looking into my eyes. I know that she can read me well enough, and that when she said “we,” it included me.

“I guess we are,” I mutter.

“Don’t let that stop you from making your choice. Man, wolf, hybrid, someone’s fated to become our partners.”

“You believe in that?” I ask Elaine, who’s more than half a decade older.

“My parents had it.”

Had.

“A-are they -?”

“Yes, I’m a twenty-something orphan,” she says, chuckling. There’s no bitterness in it. If she had been sad, it has long passed. “I want what they had. That’s why I’m here.”

“Let me show you your place,” I finally say, trying to steer away the conversation from mates especially since Sarah has already led Onyx to the mansion. Does she know Alpha Kele? She seems the most comfortable here at Opium Hills among the new arrivals. Even Great-Aunt Domino’s partner Tamar still stands near the bus, her hands on her hips. Then again, she and my great-aunt may still be surveying the area, trying to get a better sniff of the attackers.

**

Contrary to expectations, there’s no big meeting about the attack. However, Alpha Kele invites everyone to the mansion to eat together. Excitement hums throughout the large hall. The attacks seem to have overshadowed the brides’ arrival as I hear and smell anger and confusion from most of the wolves.. Soon enough, though, wolves gravitate toward the bride of their choice. Each bride is seated at a separate table to make it easier for suitors to make their pick.

Dash and Fox immediately comes to my table. I’m a little surprised I have to admit. The two seemed like they were bonding with Elaine and Josie, but they still come to me. They probably feel sorry for me. The other tables are packed with suitors. I’m not envious, really, because I can’t imagine trying to hold a conversation with several different guys. I just don’t want to be left alone here. It would be humiliating.

“Am I a pity pick?”

“No way. You’re my comfort pick,” Fox admits. “I’m too quiet for large crowds but I can be myself with you.”

He’s a hybrid like me. The witch and werewolf battle inside us. The need for family and companionship is sometimes tempered by the need to be alone and explore the darker side. My hand itches for Fox’s tome, which he shamelessly brought to dinner.

“Well, you know me, already,” Dash says, winking at me. He’s no longer hiding his flirtatious self. “I like you a lot. Hopefully, you’ll pick me soon enough, but I’m willing to wait.”

“What about – ?”

There’s some clamoring from the other end of the hall and I see Sarah just entering the room. Her hand is around Onyx’s wrist. My two wolf friends turn around to see what’s going on.

“What about the other brides? Like her – Sarah, and Josie or Elaine?” I complete my question. The other two are now slightly distracted by the new arrival. Don’t tell me they’ll move over there just because Onyx is with her? That’s the real question I wanted to ask Dash. Will he move over to Sarah if Onyx’s interest shifts toward her?

“I know what you mean,” Dash says, his eyes darkening. “But I don’t trust her. She’s a little too -.”

“Too pretty?” Fox asks innocently, and I want to clobber him. I’ve never been jealous of another woman but there’s always a first time, I guess. She’s like a model in a petite package. I know she’s attractive and that she somehow helped Onyx get better, but I didn’t expect the transition to be this fast. Hurt blurs my vision. So, I decide to dig into my food.

“He’s watching you,” Greta whispers.

I look up and see that he is. So, what is he doing there? Does he know the significance of sitting with a bride? Of course, he does. He is Alpha Kele’s son.

“Do all the brides choose?” I ask, the question popping in my head from nowhere. I know that I’m afraid to know the answer.

“Yes. Justine is lucky because Logan pursued her. It’ was a mutual decision. With this new batch, though, Alpha Kele persuaded the girls that they get the final say,” Fox says. “I mean, there should be some perks at least.”

“They can even go to another table and pick a guy from there,” Dash adds, making things a lot worse. “But no self-respecting woman will do that. I’m pretty sure they’ll stick with who’s on their table.

Dash watches me as he says those words and I wonder if he’s thinking that Onyx is not out of contention. He has basically given up on me in a matter of hours.

“He’s getting up,” Greta says, her voice raspy and alert.

“Well, it looks like he’s not giving you up, Grace. Wise man. You’re the best catch of them all,” Dash says. I know he’s trying to flatter me, but the words seem to make me shudder a little. Dash is handsome. On the surface, he’s like the good guy to Onyx’s bad boy, but I’m starting to know better. The real good boy on this table is more interested in his books than in any of the s**t going on.

“Onyx likes you very much. Of course, he’ll come over,” Fox reassures me. He lowers his glasses and gazes at me with his stunning light brown eyes.

I hold my breath as I see him rising from his chair. He looks a little weak, to my surprise. Did the silver do some serious damage on him? I press my palms on the edge of the table in anticipation.

“Make your choice, Grace!” Greta urges.

But I’m too slow, my hands too clammy, and my heart’s pounding too fast. Sarah has already caught up to Onyx. She tugs at his hand. Then, she raises herself on her toes and reaches for Onyx’s neck to kiss him. Scattered applause and groans erupt in the hall.

A bride has chosen.

Of all the wolves here, she chooses Onyx.

Fox reaches for my hand and squeezes it. I hear Dash’s sharp exhalation. Then, I see the wolves from the other tables watching me now. Some are rising from their tables, heading toward me. It was only Onyx that was preventing them from choosing me.

I feel no triumph here.

I’ve lost, and it’s my fault and I didn’t even think it was a game.