The Alpha's Hybrid Mate

Chapter 3

Vanessa wasn’t sure if what she had agreed on was such a smart idea. Going out with him. Her mate. Of course, she wanted to be close to him, to get to know him better, and the mate bond hadn’t left her much of a choice. It pulled her to him. And it doesn’t hurt that he looks stunning, Chiara added. She grinned at the thought. Yeah, he did look stunning, both in his wolf form and in his human form, as well. His wolf was gorgeous, big and dark grey, the colour of her favourite hoodie. She couldn’t forget how his green eyes had looked at her, as if he had found a treasure he didn’t know he had been looking for. Surprised, but recognizing, and the way his wolf touched her, so gentle. As human, he was tall, quite a bit taller than her, and his hair was messy and chestnut brown, she so desperately wanted to run her fingers through it. His eyes had the same green colour as his wolf had, and even though he was wearing some borrowed clothes, she couldn’t help but see how well built his body was. His arms were strong, she couldn’t wait to feel his embrace. Vanessa knew it would make her feel safe and secure.

Shaking her head, she nearly laughed at herself. It was way too early to even think of something like that, they had just met that evening. She had to send him away, because she could feel her mother nearing their home, and she didn’t want her to find out about her mate just yet, didn’t know how she would react.

Her mother generally didn’t much care for her, or what she was doing, and although she didn’t actively make her life miserable or mistreated her, she was distant and cold, with some accusing remarks scattered here and there, mostly around her birthday, as that seemed to remind her mother about the reason why she was alone and not part of her coven anymore in the first place. It reminded her of how she was conceived, and while she never talked about it, Vanessa knew that it had not been an act of love or even consent. Her father had found her mother alone and took advantage of the fact, that he was much stronger than her. Sometimes, she wondered if he knew that his crime had resulted in a child, but she doubted it. After all, he disappeared and left her mother hurt and alone. When her coven found out about the pregnancy, and who caused it, instead of supporting her or helping her through the trauma, they unceremoniously kicked her out, as they didn’t want the stain of a hybrid in an otherwise untainted group of pure vampires. And while Vanessa didn’t exactly love her mother the way a daughter normally would, she couldn’t hold a grudge against her either. Goddess knows what she would have done in that situation, and her mother did keep her, after all, and kept her clothed and fed. That alone must have cost her all her remaining strength, raising a child born out of pain, a child that was so different than her. A child that needed food, not blood, a child that shifted into a wolf on her sixteenth birthday, something that reminded her of that accident that led to her being an outsider without her family and friends.  

Shaking off her thoughts, Vanessa got undressed, took a quick shower and went to bed. She had school tomorrow, so she set an alarm before falling asleep, dreaming of the wolf she met in the forest that day and the guy who looked at her like a long lost treasure.

~~~

The next day went by fairly uneventful, if it wasn’t for the constant torture from her bullies. However, every time someone would call her a freak or sfigata (loser) or hurled some other insult at her, she would try to remind herself that she had a date that night with her mate. And that was enough to keep her sane throughout the day.

As the school day neared its end though, her happiness started to turn into nervousness with bursts of outright fear. It started with her wondering what she would wear and where he would bring her, and moved on to her considering the possibility that he would find her disgusting once he realized what she was and reject her. Her heart squeezed just thinking about it and her wolf whined in the back of her head. By the time the last bell rang, she was a mess and the only thing she wanted was to run into the woods, hide far from everyone and everything and never come back. She could survive on her own, she could hunt in wolf form, there was enough water around and she could definitely build a small shelter or something or find a cave to protect her from the elements. Who needed school anyways, maybe she was better off just staying a wolf forever. Vanessa had heard about werewolves who chose to fully embrace their wolf part, and barely or never shifted back into their human form. They lived off the grid, like animals. It seemed a good option to at least consider.

On the other hand, something tugged at her heart strings, reminding her of the bond she felt the night before, and she knew she didn’t really want to run away from what could be an escape from here. A promise, that perhaps, if she was very lucky and the Moon Goddess smiled down upon her, she could have a few moments of happiness. If push came to shove, she could still run off into the woods, but for now, she would at least give this – whatever this was – a try.

Vanessa walked home from school, trying to think of outfits she could wear tonight. She didn’t know where they were going or what he had planned, and she had never been on a date before – people around her didn’t even want to be her friend. Not having any friends also posed the issue, that there was nobody she could ask for an opinion. You do have a friend, you have me, Chiara softly whispered in her head. Yeah, but you don’t know what humans wear when they go on dates, Vanessa chuckled and rolled her eyes.

As she reached home, she went into her room, switched on some music and opened her closet. Hoodie, after hoodie, after hoodie stared at her. All dark grey and black. That wouldn’t be date appropriate, would it? She sighed, considering her options. Maybe she could borrow something from her mum’s closet? They wore about the same size, so maybe she could find a dress? Yeah, a dress would be good for a date, right? At least, that’s what people wore in movies and TV series. Her mother wasn’t home, so Vanessa sneaked into the other bedroom and looked inside the closet. There it was, a simple, black dress. It had three quarter sleeves and a slight A-line, reaching down just under her knees. That would do just fine. She quickly pulled it out and went back to her room. Today, she enjoyed her shower and washed her hair thoroughly. If this was the only date she got in her life, at least she wanted to get the full experience.

After drying her hair, she used one of the hair pins she got a while ago to pin up one side. The pin was in the form of a small peacock, little brilliants with different shades of blue made up the feathers. She didn’t own a lot of make-up, because she never used it, but she had some mascara and a nude lip stain she could put on. In the background, Al Bano and Romina Power were singing about happiness. Slipping into the dress and some black flats, she looked at herself in the mirror. Excitement had coloured her cheeks in a slight shade of rose, the asymmetrical V-neck gave the simple dress a more sophisticated look and showed a small amount of her white skin, the dark fabric hugged her upper body, just to fall in soft waves down to her knees, showing off her small figure. Whatever he had planned for tonight, she hoped this would be adequate. Vanessa looked at the clock, it was five minutes to seven. Taking a deep breath, she took a small black clutch that she had also borrowed from her mother’s closet and placed her phone, her bank card and ID inside. She hoped that she wouldn’t have to use her bank card, as he had explicitly invited her and she didn’t have much money, but just in case she needed to be prepared.

Seven o’clock, and she was sitting on the couch in the living room, nervously bouncing her legs, her palms cold and wet from sweating, trying hard not to hyperventilate. In all of her nightmares, she hadn’t even considered the possibility that he wouldn’t show up at all in the first place. Was she just making a fool of herself? I think he is coming. I can smell him, Chiara tried to calm her. And just then her whole body relaxed as she could get a whiff of the cucumber and mint scent she remembered from yesterday. She closed her eyes, trying to take it all in, when she heard a knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, she got up and opened the door.

Raffaele was a sight to behold. He was wearing black trousers and a dark blue shirt that clung to his muscles. His brown hair was styled back, the sides cut short. He looked like a supermodel out of a catalogue. It seemed he had shaved his face hours ago, a slight shadow on his cheeks and chin, but it just made him look even more delicious. He stared at her in awe, and for a moment, she just stood there and stared.

“Hi,” she whispered, after what seemed an eternity. That seemed to snap him back to reality, his lips curved upwards and revealed his white teeth as he smiled at her.

“Hi, Vanessa.”