Vindication (Hybrids Liberation Book 1)

by R. Spain

  ∆∆∆

  “Ralee!” My mother’s voice rang above all the other cheers being shouted. I spotted her instantly and wasted no time running into her arms. This was the first time I had seen her since I left two years ago, and she looked better than I had ever seen. I was curious as to what changed, but I smelled it on her before I could ask.

  Josiah.

  “We will talk later, daughter.” My mother didn’t cower as she had before. Her spine was straighter, her eyes clearer than I had ever known them. Her voice didn’t shake, as she spoke with a certainty that I was unused to. I nod to her, before she rubbed my arms and nodded towards where Malin rested. Malin was now Alpha, and he sat on a throne above the others of the pack. He watched the festivities with a close eye, but I could tell his focus always returned to me.

  “You know that he has searched for you, but you should know that he has been in agony, my daughter. Give him time to bend his will because I promise you. There is more to his story than you know,” my mother’s wisdom left me confused. However, as I watched Malin I knew she was telling the truth.

  “Mother,” I pause, turning towards Aiden as my heart relaxes with his nearness. “I believe you remember Aiden; he is my Blood Bonded.” My mother’s eyes spark with recognition before she is throwing her arms over Aiden’s shoulders and almost weeping tears.

  “I have not survived a day without you in my thoughts,” My mother whispered to him. I am awarded with Aiden’s bright smile as her words hit him. Even with his fangs on proud display no one pays any mind to him. My mother releases Aiden and a single tear rolls down her cheek, I almost don’t think it’s real when she wipes it away and pulls him towards the food.

  “A nice night for a stroll?” Malin’s voice causes chills down my spine as his breath meets my neck. I release a sigh, but nod to him as my eyes leave Aiden with my mother. Malin reaches out his arm and I accept his offer. I place my hands around his as he leads to away from the crowded pack. “I fear we have much to discuss. Tonight, though, I’d like to offer you my sincerest apologizes for how I treated you. I was a coward.” Malin’s words are soft, but the conviction behind them are laced with sorrow.

  “Malin, we will not have such bad conversation on our first night together in years. Tomorrow is a new day, and it will be a day for you to tell me your sins. If you wish for me to accept our bond, you will be expected to earn it. My forgiveness will not be so easy.” I tell him. Malin nods, but I can tell I’ve hurt him. A piece of me breaks at the knowledge, while another piece, a petty piece finds power in his shame.

  “I hope you’re right. Enjoy the rest of your night, Princess.” Malin releases my arm before he is once again walking away from me. I stand under an oak tree, Malin hesitates then turns once more. “Welcome back home, Ralee.” His words are meant to be encouraging but all I feel is a pang in my chest. Home, I’ve never considered this place my home.

  Malin leaves, and I watch with conflicting feelings as the pack celebrates the return of a wolf they shunned. I stand under that oak confused at the acceptance from these people when they were so cruel only two years before. My questions are endless as time passes and I don’t notice Aiden walk up beside me.

  “Let’s go, My Queen. Tomorrow we can worry about the questions. Tonight, let us enjoy the comfort of the moment.” Aiden kisses my temple, and my pulse hums. We walk slowly to my mothers’ lodge at the end of the pack. Omegas are still the lowest form and have the house furthest from the pack. The scent of Josiah greets me in the tiny shack, and when I make my way into the home, I see my father at the kitchen table waiting patiently for me.

  “I would never be able to live with myself if I hadn’t come to give my parting wishes.” Josiah smiles sadly at me, and I don’t stop the lump in my throat from forming as I run into his arms.

  “Thank you,” I whisper to him. Josiah just holds me as Aiden watches on. I feel his happiness for me, but also his need to be included. I turn, making room in the hug for my Blood Bonded. Aiden smiles at me and joins into the hug. Josiah basically raised him, and their bond is not something I’d ever want to come between. Aiden would always be mine, but a small piece of him would also always belong to my father.

  17.

  Aiden

  I watch as Ralee sleeps. I’ve heard the whispers around the pack, I’ve smelt the lies. They don’t welcome her freely, and yet they are truly glad she has returned. It has bothered me all night, even as Malin’s clear indecision and distrust clouds him. I believe part of him wants to be happy for Ralee’s return and yet, something is holding him off. I sigh before making my way to my feet and leaving Ralee’s childhood home.

  I promised Josiah I would keep tabs on the pack. So, that is how I find myself scouting the lands instead of in bed with my mate. Something feels off, and I know it is my duty to protect the woman that could be so much more than anything we have ever seen. Josiah was right about the Witches if they ever got word of her. Her blood tastes like nothing I’ve ever had before, it’s invigorating.

  I believe once she is able to fully untap her abilities she could rival a Witch in power. She seems to have traits that both species use perfectly in battle. I stop when I hear rustling, my heartbeat slows even as it still distracts me.

  “You must handle this carefully. Ralee has to believe you want her here in order to help us.” A voice whispers. I hear a growl before a loud thump.

  “I do want my mate here!” Malin’s voice raises slightly. “I just don’t know how to tell her everything without her feeling like I don’t. I’ve searched for her for more than just the Goddess warnings.” Once again, I hear Malin’s voice. My rage becomes a tornado waiting to break free.

  The Goddess told him to find Ralee? I hiss out loud before I hear rustling once more, I decide it best if I leave. I heard enough of the conversation to understand I was right. Something is at play here and if I’m not careful, Ralee is going to get hurt. I won’t say anything to her though, not yet. I refuse to crush her until I have the full picture. Josiah, however, will need to be informed of my information. He will know what to do in this situation.

  I race back towards the shack, disgusted that this is how they treat their lower level members. A vampire’s only as strong as the weakest among us, so we protect those who cannot protect themselves. To see the Wolves, leave an Omega so defenseless makes me sick, but my temper serves no purpose. Makenzie seems content with her life, and while I’ll never understand why she left us for this lifestyle, it is not my place to judge her. She was the closest thing to a mother I had ever known.

  I remember her leaving like a knife to my heart. I was only a babe, but her kindness to me was enough of an impact that it stayed with me for years.

  “Report?” Josiah asks from the shadows of the tree. I know he will be taking his leave once I feed him this information. Part of me wants to beg him to stay, to help me in my quest. I know that he can’t, that Ralee is my task, and mine alone. Josiah missed his part when Makenzie left him, and I know that will haunt him for all eternity.

  “Something is going on with the pack, but I don’t know what. Malin apparently was visited by the Goddess of the Moon” My reply is calm. Exactly what he taught me growing up. I know from time to time I see the pride he does his best to hide. Josiah is not allowed to play favorites, but I know if something happened to him, I would take over the Coven. It was my right as his chosen son.

  Josiah grunts before he is turning away from me.

  “Keep me updated. I want full reports each week. I will return to see them then. I am proud of you, Aiden.” That’s the last words he speaks to me before he is gone in a flash. My heart fills as I stand alone in front of the shack. I can hear Ralee’s shallow breathing from inside, telling me she is still asleep. Tomorrow she will ask questions and get answers. Tomorrow is also when her real training will begin. I feel the weight of my responsibilities, and yet as I crawl into bed with the woman I love, they all disappear.

  I would make sure Ralee
lived through this, even if I had to carry her forward alone. After all, that is what a mate does.

  18.

  Malin

  I am the bad guy in this story. I have accepted my fate; it is my journey that set off a string of consequences and they are mine to bare. I sit in front of the fire, and my self-doubt creeps in again. Why would Ralee do anything for me? I gave her nothing but pain and heartache when I allowed my father to publicly declare her unmated. I allowed her to walk away from me after telling her that I would mate another.

  I would accept it if she turned away from me, and I would take the death that would come with it. My wolf never accepted the woman my father picked out for me, and that brought him shame. Yet, I remember that night after my wolf painfully rejected the woman with vivid detail.

  Two years ago.

  “Why do you reject the mate I have chosen for you, My son.” A woman’s voice calls to me from my dream. A dark-haired woman stands before me eyes as blue as the Moon and hair as dark as the night sky. The luminesce skin shines almost blinding me, even though I am unable to look away.

  “My father claimed her weak. I am unable to defeat him, so I accepted his council,” I tell the beautiful woman truthfully.

  “Hmm, if the strength to kill him is all you need, I will grant it. However, let this be a warning to you. If you do not come second, you will die, My son. If you die, I will have no choice but to punish all of my children. Your mate cannot survive without your guidance, and her death is not something I will allow. My child of both Moons must survive, she will return to you and you will do everything in your power to protect the bond I have so carefully picked for you.” The woman takes me in before her hand touched my forehead. Power unlike anything I have ever felt wraps around me, kissing my skin like a blanket.

  “Do not make me regret this, My son. Remember your oath, if you lie with another while your mate lies alone, your death will be inevitable.” I nod to the beautiful woman before me as the dream begins to blur. When I awake again, I am alone in my room, a deep sweat covering my body. My breathing calms as I sit up from my bed. I hang my head in shame, before I find my body acting on its own. I stand, my wolf emerges before I call him. I find my wolf running through my house and straight to my father’s room.

  I don’t hesitate, I am not even in my right state of mind as my wolf pounces and wraps its jaw around my father’s neck. It’s instant, I rip my father’s sleeping head off of his shoulders as the wolf recedes and allows me control of myself once more. My eyes cloud as the image takes over. What have I done?

  My father’s head lays on my naked lap, and the sorrow in my heart mourns the loss.

  What the fuck have I done?

  I return to the present, the memory of that night once more causing my heart to constrict. When they found us the next morning the news spread like wildfire that the Goddess had come to me. No one dared question my strength as Alpha when our priests confirmed my story. Everyone wanting to find the female that they had all once rejected, and I was the worse of them all. I knew she was my mate, and still I stayed away when every piece of my soul begged for her to be ours. I never gave into my wolf fully, in fear of my father’s reaction if he mated her without permission. It was the Alpha’s job to allow mated pairs their blessing, and without my father’s she would have been banished.

  Funny isn’t it? That the entire reason I stayed away ended up becoming true in the end. I am ashamed of myself, and the choices I have made that led to the deep distrust the only woman I would ever love had for me. Aiden believes I didn’t hear him earlier, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted him to hear, I needed him to know that not everything is as it appears. I know that he will watch Ralee, even if he doesn’t know why. I know that I can trust him to watch our mate, while I watch the pack. If I’m not careful, I fear that someone will rebel out of fear. Fear can be a dangerous thing, especially if word ever got back to the Witches, I heed the Goddess’ warning, I know eventually something will happen, but time is our greatest weapon.

  I just pray that tomorrow whatever answers Ralee receives will not make her run. I don’t know how much more time we will be given. The Goddess was clear that I had to be second, but she didn’t say I would be last.

  It was my job to fix my mistakes, otherwise, the retribution would mean our deaths.

  To be continued…