Betrayed By The Alpha, Desired By The Hybrid

chapter 17

Stacy's POV

It all happened so fast, I barely had time to think. Tiffany blurred past me, moving with that vampiric speed that made her impossible to stop. Emma barely had time to react before Tiffany’s fangs were in her neck.

She wasn’t just feeding—she was draining her. The look in Tiffany’s eyes wasn’t hunger—it was rage. Like Emma had done something personal, something unforgivable.

“Stop it! You’re killing her!” I shouted, but Tiffany didn’t even glance at me. She just kept going, her grip on Emma tightening as Emma’s body started to sag.

“She knows Leo,” Tiffany growled between gulps. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t let her live.”

And then she went back to drinking, like she couldn’t stop herself.

I turned to Tabitha, our head witch, my voice breaking. “Please, do something! She’s going to kill her!”

But Tabitha didn’t move. The look on her face told me everything before she even spoke.

“We can’t let her live,” she said, her voice calm but cold. “You know that.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I knew she wasn’t wrong. If Emma told Leo—that hybrid—about us, it would be over. He’d come with his army of vampires and wipe us out.

But knowing that didn’t make it feel any less wrong. I couldn’t just stand there and let Emma die. I didn’t even know her until today, but somehow, it felt like I’d known her forever. I cared about her in a way I couldn’t explain, and I wasn’t about to let her die.

I dropped to my knees, my hands shaking as I stretched them toward Tiffany. I didn’t think; I just acted. The words came from somewhere deep inside me, flowing out like a river.

“Vokar resha lumina.”

My voice grew louder, the chant taking on a power of its own.

“Vokar resha lumi—”

Tiffany screamed, a horrible, piercing sound that stopped me cold. She tore her fangs out of Emma’s neck and staggered back, clutching her mouth. Emma collapsed like a rag doll, and I rushed to her side, cradling her head against my chest.

“You’re safe now,” I whispered, though my heart was still racing.

Tiffany stumbled, coughing and gagging, before she began spitting Emma’s blood out of her mouth like it was poison.

“What did you do to me?” she demanded, her voice thick with fury. Her eyes burned red, but her anger quickly turned to panic as she started choking. She dropped to her knees, vomiting more blood.

“Evil… she’s…” Tiffany rasped, her voice fading as her body convulsed. Then, just like that, she fell silent. Dead.

I stared at her lifeless body, my mind reeling. Tabitha’s sharp voice broke through the haze.

“I knew she was trouble the moment I saw her. Get her out of here. Now.”

“She has nowhere else to go,” I protested, still clutching Emma.

“I don’t care,” Tabitha snapped. Her eyes burned with something like fear, but her tone was firm. “Get her out, or I’ll kill her myself.”

I knew she meant it. Tabitha never made idle threats. I stood, pulling Emma to her feet and slinging her arm over my shoulder. We started walking, her weight heavy against me.

“If you leave with her,” Tabitha called after us, her voice colder than I’d ever heard it, “don’t bother coming back.”

I froze. My chest tightened at her words. This was my home. My family. How could she just cast me out like this?

I glanced back, hoping for a shred of mercy, but all I saw was disappointment.

“I thought you’d lead this coven someday,” Tabitha said, shaking her head. “Guess I was wrong.”

Her words cut deep, but I couldn’t abandon Emma. I turned away, ready to leave everything behind, when a sudden, blood-curdling scream ripped through the air.

“We’re under attack!”

Tabitha’s voice trembled as she spun toward the sound. Her glare snapped back to me, full of fury.

“This is your fault!” she hissed, her voice full of anger. “You should never have brought that girl here.”

And then she was gone, leaving me standing there with Emma, caught between the life I knew and the unknown that lay ahead.

What if Tabitha was right? We’d been living peacefully at the coven for as long as I could remember—no attacks, no threats. But then I ruined everything by bringing Emma here. I put everyone’s lives in danger because I couldn’t just walk away.

I should’ve left her when that wolf tried to kill her. None of this would’ve happened. It’s all my fault.

Anger and guilt boiled inside me as I shoved Emma away. She hit the ground with a painful thud, curling up and groaning, but I didn’t stop to help her. I couldn’t. The noises outside were growing louder, and I needed to know what was happening.

When I stepped outside, the sight hit me like a punch to the stomach. Three witches were sprawled on the ground, their bodies lifeless and soaked in blood. The blood was thick, pooling around them. The vampire who did it was standing over them, hunched over and breathing heavily like he’d just run a marathon.

The other witches circled him, their voices blending into a haunting chant. The air felt heavy, charged with their magic. The vampire stumbled, clutching his head like it was splitting apart. It was working; their spells were breaking him.

But then he snapped.

With a low growl, he lunged. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the closest witch and sank his fangs into her neck. She went limp, dropping to the ground like a rag doll. Before anyone could react, he moved on to the second, then the third. Three witches, gone in an instant.

I just stood there, frozen like a fool. My people were dying, and I couldn’t do anything.

When their bodies hit the ground, it hit me all at once. This was my fault. I let this happen.

I looked around for Tabitha, but she was nowhere to be seen. Fear twisted in my stomach, but it quickly turned into rage. I clenched my fists, letting that anger push me forward.

I stretched out my hand and started chanting. My voice wavered at first, but I pushed through. “Vokar resha lumina.” The words came out louder, stronger each time. The air around me pulsed with energy.

The vampire staggered, dropping to his knees. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his body trembled under the weight of my spell. He tried to claw his way up, but he couldn’t.

I felt the blood start to drip from my nose, the sting making my head pound. But I didn’t care. I kept chanting, putting everything I had into it. I was going to end this.

“Vokar resha lumina!” My voice rang out, shaking the air as I prepared to land the final blow.

But just before I could finish, a voice sliced through the chaos.

“Stop!”

Emma.

Her voice hit me like a slap, and everything inside me froze. The power in me faltered, my throat going dry.

The vampire looked up, weak and shaking, but still alive. My hand was still in the air, the last chant stuck in my throat.

Then he spoke.

“Emma…”

The way he said her name made my blood boil. He knew her.

Tabitha was right. I never should’ve brought Emma here.