Claimed by the Hybrid Alpha

Chapter 9

The Yellow Moon Pack

Melody Reese

"How is she?"

"I don't know, mom... I wish I had listened to her when she asked for my help." I heard voices from afar, one motherly and the other deep, its tone regretful.

"This is not the time to think about what you could have done, son; what matters is that you finally did what is right." A third voice chimed in, full of authority and masculinity. Other than my heavy eyelids, every other part of my body felt okay. I stirred, fluttering my eyes open only to close them again when a stream of sunlight hit me directly on the face.

"She opened her eyes!" Someone shouted, making me wince when my eardrums tingled.

"Too loud." I groaned, opening my eyes once more while squinting them, trying to adjust to the sunlight.

"Sorry about that, honey, he is just too excited that you're awake." I looked at the woman as she walked closer, a beaming smile coating her extremely beautiful face.

"Ignore her; she wants to impress you before I do." A middle-aged man stepped beside her, his physique and face strikingly similar to my mate's. His aura alone had my wolf whimpering, recognizing him as her alpha.

"Oh, shut up old man. Let me have my moment with her." Draven's mother responded with a smile. I found their banter fun to listen to; it kind of depicted what I wished for from my parents but never experienced.

"God, you two are a total embarrassment." My mate squeezed himself between his parents, making me shake my head at his antique.

"Melody." He whispered, taking my hand in his without any hesitation. My whole body warmed up when he touched me; sparks erupted from my hand in an instant. I couldn't stop my heart from accelerating when he gave me a little squeeze. It was all new to me—the warm feeling in my chest, the butterflies in my stomach.

"D-Draven." I stammered, tasting his name on my tongue.

"Oh damn." He swore, rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand. I didn't know what was happening with my body or my giddy wolf, but I loved it. It was like everything around me faded, and all I could look at and direct my entire attention to was Draven. Something about his green eyes pulled me in, and his full pink lips had me fixed on him. I couldn't take my eyes off them, and neither could he.

My stomach chose to growl at that moment, making me snap my eyes away from him. "Right. We need to get refreshed, then fed." He let go of my hand and pocketed his hands in his gray sweats, making me miss his warmth instantly. My wolf whimpered at the loss, wanting him to touch us again, just a simple skin contact. It was just the two of us in the room, his parents had already left without me noticing.

"Did you...?" I trailed off, looking at my change of clothes, wondering if he was the one who changed them.

"Ha ha no, your mother cleaned you up and got you to bed. You were pretty tired; you didn't even stir." I was kind of relieved that he hadn't invaded my privacy without my consent. On the other hand, I was kind of ashamed of myself for not asking about my parents the moment I woke up.

"How are they?"

"They are fine; they spent at my parents'. I'm sure by now they know you're awake." I could only focus on the way his voice caressed my skin and my insides. At some point I closed my eyes as he spoke; his presence just so soothing and sensual.

"My mom will be here at any moment with a tray full of food; you better take a shower before she comes to overfeed you." I chuckled at that, pulling the comforter off my lower body. With his help, I got off the bed, my feet coming into contact with the wall-to-wall black rug.

"There are towels in there, a bathing sponge, and soap. My mom brought in some clothes for you this morning; I'll put them on the bed while you shower." He seemed nervous as he guided me to his bathroom, scratching the back of his neck.

"Will you wait for me?" I tenderly asked, hugging myself as I waited for his answer.

"Anything for you, Melody." The sound of my name as he uttered it almost made me cream my pants.

"Thanks." I hastily said, then got into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I lean on the door momentarily, trying to pull myself together. Being around him affected my wolf and I in ways I couldn't even begin to comprehend. With a shake of my head, I headed to the glass enclosed shower.

Thoughts about the herb began to invade my mind, but I was determined to push them away. The bleeding had already stopped, but I knew the damage had already been done. I couldn't imagine what Draven would do once he found out that I couldn't give him pups of his own. At that point, I could only hope that my parents and Mason hadn't said anything. It was my truth to tell, but I wasn't ready to let Draven know.

Attempting to think about it had a barrage of emotions invading my systems. It brought forth images of Nathan asking for the sword to behead me. It reminded me of what had led me to make that decision in the first place. "You are a monster." I whispered to the empty room, Nathan's insults taking over my mind.

I didn't realize I was crying until I felt an itchy feeling on my cheeks and a wetness on my fingers when I tried scratching them. I had only spent two weeks with him, but the damage he had caused cut so deeply. Slowly, I took off the dress I was wearing and the new panties. Then I turned on the water and just stood under it with my eyes closed.

"Open." Nathan's voice once again filled my head, accompanied by an image of his hard c**k right on my lips. That alone had bile rising up my throat, the memory of his vile taste making me gag. Image after image, word after word, and whip after whip circled inside my mind at a speed I couldn't begin to comprehend. It was all too much; my throat opened up, letting out a loud scream of frustration, hurt, and emotions I couldn't even explain.

I added another and another, each one of the screams making my mind feel less saturated. I didn't even hear as the bathroom door was pushed open or notice as Draven rushed inside the shower space. It was only when he shook me that I came back to my senses and into reality.

No words were exchanged as I welcomed his embrace and cried into his chest while the water drops fell on us. I felt safe in his arms, warm and cared for even though I hardly knew him. "Sshh, it's okay." He soothed me, rubbing my back. I had totally forgotten about the small bumps on my skin until he felt them and turned me around to take a look.

"What the hell! Who did this to you?" His voice arose, the authority in it making me tremble.

"Dra..." I tried turning to calm him down, but he was having none of that. He pushed me against the wall and turned off the shower.

"Is it Nathan?" He asked, his upper lip curling upward.

"f*****g answer me!" He boomed, raising his hand. I covered my head, waiting for him to strike me, but it never came.

"You thought I was going to hit you?" He asked after a while, making me lower my hands. When I nodded, he took a step back, running his hand through his wet, curly hair.

"I will kill that fucker." He hissed.

"I would never lay my hands on you, Melody, not in that way." He added, my body catching on what his last statement insinuated.

"I'm sorry I felt that way. You just scared me when you began to shout like he did." I divulged.

"You should never have to fear me. I am nothing like him, Melody." He affirmed, raising his hand again to stroke my cheek. Again, his touch brought everything to a standstill.

"These hands will only bring you pleasure, my mate." He spoke in a low voice, turning the mood into a completely tensed one. I didn't mind that I was naked and that he could see me; all I wanted was to forget about Nathan and his actions. So before I could stop myself, I whispered.

"Show me."