The Hybrid's Broken Rogue Mate

On a timeline

The moon was high when I left his room, its pale light casting long shadows across the hall. Each step away from him felt heavier, like I was dragging the weight of both our worlds. The door closed softly behind me, but the tension lingered in the air, wrapping itself around my chest like an invisible vice.

I leaned against the wall, my head tipping back until it thudded lightly against the cool plaster. The words I had just said repeated in my mind on a loop. _"Whatever it takes, we’ll figure this out. Together."_

But what if I couldn’t?

My fingers twitched with the urge to reach for something—anything—to ground myself. Instead, I shoved them into the pockets of my hoodie, clenching them tightly. The hallway seemed darker now, the shadows pressing in, as though the house itself felt the weight of what was unraveling inside.

I barely made it to Ash's room before the tears came, hot and bitter, sliding down my cheeks in defiance of the control I clung to. My knees buckled, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands.

_"Because he’s ours."_

The thought refused to leave me alone. It echoed louder now, relentless and demanding, a truth I wasn’t ready to face. The bond between us might have been faint, but it was there—alive, pulsing, growing stronger with every moment I spent near him.

And it terrified me.

Just as my thoughts werte spiralling to all kinds of a mess within a familiar scent that has and will always be my safe place encompased me moments before I felt his arms engulf me.

"Its all going to work out May." Ashotn mummbled as he held me close to him and i clinged ono him desperately wishing he could sooth away this ache I have thats roaming within.

I wasn’t ready to share my soul with someone else, to bear the weight of their pain when my own felt like too much to carry. Yet here I was, tethered to a man who had already lost so much, who might never be whole again.

"So dont crucify me yet but i was thinking maybe we should tell dad. Seek his guidance on this. Its getting too much for you and its overwhelming you."

At his comment I pulled away from his arms sending a glare his way.

“I’m fine.” I rumble knowing very well im not but that didnt matter getting our father involved mean t me accepting this as my destined fate even when tnat was still up for debate within my mind.

No, that would guarantee me never going away onto my adventures outside the packs again. Never mind that I was on a timeleine before the curse got activated unless by some miracle they found a way to bypass it before ui get to that fate.

“No, you’re not.” He pushed lays the fact out there and pushes to sit down next to me.

“This thing with him—it’s eating at you.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I snapped. “You heard Mara. If I don’t do something, he might—”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. The words lodged in my throat, too heavy to speak aloud.

"You cant have our father involved Ashton you know what will happen afterwards and my life will be over."

Ashton sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I know. But you’re taking on too much, too fast. And dad loves you as much so i dont think hell be all that bad. He'll understand you if you let him in. plus it looks like you might accept your mate after all.”

"No we are not telling our father anything until its neccessary he knows and if I don’t try to save my mate, who will? This may not have been the outcome I hopped for and I may still be conflicted but he has suffered enough I think, I want to save him, but I dont know how to do so without condemning myself.”

The silence that followed was thick and suffocating. Ashton looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he exhaled and nodded. “Just…don’t lose yourself in this. Promise me that.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Because deep down, I wasn’t sure I could keep that promise.

The room was suffocating after Ashton left. His parting words lingered at the back of my mind and it kept bouncing back and forth. I stared at the closed door, my chest tight with an ache I couldn’t define.

"Don’t lose yourself."

How could I promise him that when I already felt pieces of myself slipping through my fingers, scattering like sand in the wind?

The moonlight outside seemed dimmer now, its glow muted by the clouds rolling in. A storm was coming—inside and out. I could feel it and it matched the restlessness clawing at my chest.

The thought of my father knowing, of him stepping into this mess, filled me with dread. Dad meant well, but his involvement would mean one thing: permanence. Once he got involved, there would be no room for debate, no turning back. He’d see this as destiny, and my ticket to staying within his eyesight where he could 'protect me'.

The situation would further worsen if he discovered my mates condition, which promptly would have him declaring himself our protector.

And I wasn’t ready for that.

With a frustrated groan, I pushed off the bed, pacing the length of the room. The floorboards creaked under my weight, their groans matching the storm brewing inside me.

I could still feel his pain, his emptiness, as if it had seeped into my own veins. It wasn’t just his suffering anymore; it was mine too.

I stopped pacing and stared out the window, my hands clenched into fists. The packlands stretched out before me, dark and quiet under the moonlight. Somewhere out there was a version of my life where I wasn’t tied to this fate, where I could roam freely, where the weight of someone else’s soul didn’t press against my own.

But that version of my life was gone.

My reflection in the window looked like a stranger—eyes shadowed, lips pressed into a thin line. Was this who I was becoming? Someone bound by duty, by fate? Someone who gave up everything for someone they barely knew?

I didn’t know.

But I couldn’t leave him to face this alone.

The thought solidified something in me, a quiet resolve that settled in my chest like a steady drumbeat. Whatever happened, I couldn’t walk away—not when he was drowning.

I turned from the window, my steps taking me to the hallway again. The house was silent, the kind of stillness that made my skin prickle.

My feet carried me back toward his room before I could think twice.

When I opened the door, the sight of him stopped me in my tracks. He was sitting up now, his head bowed, the faint glow of the moon painting his face in soft shadows. He looked so small, so utterly defeated, that it broke something in me.

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