The Hybrid Mates

CHAPTER 1

“DARKNESS”

MEREDITH’S POV:

I could feel motion, my head was spinning and a strange pulsating pain coming from the cook of my neck. As I woke, I recognized I was lying flat on the back seat of a vehicle. The motion was making me feel ill, and other than the slight rumble of the tires, I was riding in darkness and silence. I sat up slowly, still squinting, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I opened them and looked forward. The driver, a man with blonde hair, glanced up at me via the rearview mirror. He appeared undeterred that I was awake and continued, lighting a cigarette, and lowering the vehicle’s driver window.

“Where am I? What is going on?” My voice cracked. I felt weak, my heartbeat was slow, and I felt drunk and dazed. My neck was burning, and I instinctively reached up, tracing my fingers along my neck until I came to the base by my collar bone and flinched with pain. I felt something wet, so reluctantly I gently tapped my fingers on the stop that felt like a rampaging fire burning through me. A dark sticky substance glued onto my fingers, and I studied it curiously. Was I bleeding? What had happened? I instantly felt nauseous and placed my hand upon the front passenger seat to steady myself.

My vision was a little blurred and all I could tell from the driver sitting in front of me was that he had lighter colored hair, yet even that detail was eluding me. I exhaled deeply, closed my eyes, and felt my head swoon. I was unsteady and felt ill, something was very wrong.

“You will be just fine my pretty little chosen mate.” A voice I didn’t recognize purred. I opened my eyes and squinted, trying to focus on the driver, the only other person in this car with me.

“What’s going on?” I repeated hoarsely. I heard the man chuckle softly and glance back in the rear view once again.

“We have a plane to catch little one.” I felt the car decelerate as the driver pulled the car over onto the shoulder of the road. That’s when I finally got a good look at the man, as he placed the car into park and turned around to face me.

I had seen this man before, my mind spun as I tried to comprehend were. He had turned on the dome light over our heads and I could see that he was a good-looking man. From the way he sat in the seat, he had to be taller. He had light blue eyes and blonde hair, and a very unique handlebar mustache. He was smiling, showcasing a very broad, white, toothy grin at me.

“Where are we going and who are you?” I muttered as I attempted to gather some hint of my memory, and then everything began to swirl in my mind. “Evan James.” I murmured to myself, as a radiating headache began to take over and I felt myself becoming closer to the edge of vomiting. I covered my mouth quickly and leaned back into my seat.

“I am taking you to our new home. Somewhere far away where we can start our new life together.” I shook my head, my head spinning once again as I gagged.

“What did you do to me?” I felt terrible and I noted his smile become much more menacing as he leaned over the seat.

“Just a little wolfsbane, ya know, to keep you quiet and from turning me into a toad.” He informed me, the humor removed from his voice as he reached over with a syringe. My eyes widened with terror as I grasped his hand with mine and began struggling with him to overtake the syringe. Alas, I was too weak and after only a moment he stabbed the needle deep into my neck. As he injected me, the puncture sight burned and I cried out, still trying to push his hands away from me. Just as quickly, he pulled the syringe away, capped it and set it into the front cup holder, I felt myself lurch forward in my seat as the contents of my stomach emptied onto the floorboards. My captor turned back to watch me and frowned.

“Thank Goddess this isn’t my car.” He teased as he sat idly watching me puke. Tears were streaming down my face, and I could feel my heart begin to slow once again, and a deep ache radiated into my chest.

“That be poison ya crazy fool. Ye trying to kill me?” I gasped, wiping the vomit from the side of my mouth with the back of my hand. Once again, my captor frowned, and leaned his elbow on the passenger seat.

“Not at all. You are my new life. My chosen mate.” He advised me with all the sincerity that he could muster, frowning and appearing highly displeased with me. I felt my face turn hot as I began fighting the lightheadedness.

“F*ck you.” I snarled, my eyelids becoming even heavier as tears began trailing down my cheeks. My captor frowned, then struck like a snake grabbing me around the neck and squeezing just enough to make my eyes widen and my air shorten. I clawed at his hands but to no avail.

“You tell me that a lot.” He snarled, his eyes flashing black as his grip loosened around my neck. “Lucky for you, my wolf Ronan has taken a fondness for you, or I would slap you across your pretty dirty little mouth.” By this time my breath had become shallow and fighting him was no longer an option, and I allowed my hands to fall to my sides. Evan’s eyes returned to his rich denim faded blue color and then released me. I slid back into my seat, my eyes now drooping. He stared at me for another moment, then turned around and began driving once again, ignoring me completely.

I could feel my heart rate slowing by the minute. Wolfsbane was poison for more than just werewolves. The plant was poisonous, every square inch of it. It’s toxicity and when concentrated could easily kill a werewolf, a human, and a witch, and was a valuable weapon against nearly everyone. The weakness in my body was overwhelming and I could no longer sit upright as I allowed myself to collapse across the rear seat of the automobile.

My mind began to focus as I recalled the events that I brought me riding in a strange car with a certifiable madman. If only I had not run from my mate! I had been working with my grandmother and the Alpha’s to save my cousin Bridgette, as she had been taken by this very same devil. My memory was hazy, but I remember going outside to speak to Alpha Hudson for something, I couldn't remember why now, but as soon as I had emerged from the house, I had immediately sensed that I was being watched.

I carefully surveyed the area since it was getting late and it was night, yet after a moment my eyes focused upon Ryder’s, my mate. I could feel the mate bond, not as strongly as he could, but I could feel it nonetheless, and the last thing I had ever dreamed was being saddled down with a rogue wolf. Honestly, I had never entertained ever being with a man at all. Unlike my cousin, who was destined to become Queen, I was simply a lowly witch simply living on wolf territory.

I watched him tensely as he stood up and slowly, confidently strolled over to me. He lumbered over to me like he hadn’t a care in the world, a smug smile on his face as he leaned up against the railing of the porch. He had a 5’oclock shadow and his sandy blonde hair tousled playfully a top his head. He was highly athletic, strong, tall and streamlined, very handsome, and reminded me a little of a California surfer I had seen in movies and magazines. His sage green eyes were soft as he carefully took in every square inch of me, and I could tell he was pleased with what he was looking at.

“Come for a walk with me.” he murmured lazily. I shuffled my left foot and frowned down at him. There was no way this was a good idea. I was feeling this mate bond, and it was affecting me much more than it should.

“I promised your grandmother tea.” I retorted, hoping that using his grandmother as an excuse would deter him. He frowned; his eyes became a little sharper before he responded.

“I deserve to take a walk with my mate so that we can talk.” His words were firm, yet kind, however I certainly was getting that no nonsense aura from him. I bit my lip and reluctantly agreed after a moment. Best to hear him out that cause another scene. The Alpha King had nearly had his fill of my antics and I didn’t want to be sent back home prior to finding my cousin. I nodded, opened the front door, and reached around the corner grabbing an off-white shawl on a coat hook. It was becoming unseasonably cold.

“Evelyn, I’ll be back shortly. Takin a wee walk.” I didn’t wait for a response and closed the door quickly. “A wee one then.” I whispered as I hurried off the porch. Ryder smiled triumphantly, like he had won a great prize by me agreeing to this jaunt.

“You know, when we find Britty, I intend to return home. There be no future here with you for me.” I said firmly, there was a sadness in my voice that I was unable to control. My heart was playing tricks on me, but I needed to stick to my guns. He hurried to walk beside me.

“I will follow you to the end of the earth Meredith. I have no ties anywhere.” I paused for a millisecond, my eyes on the ground, before I continued.

“We be too different. Tis won’t work between us.” I muttered. I began walking more quickly, my eyes focused on the ground, I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want to see those sage green eyes staring back into mine. Suddenly, I felt Ryder’s strong arms grab me from either side and he swung me around into his arms. I gasped I tensed up immediately, which cause us to teeter and tilt onto a large tree.

Without intending to, my eyes met his and before I realized it, his mouth was upon mine. He released her arms, and gently slid his hands to my waist, and instinctually I complied by raising my arms around his neck. He intensified the kiss and I felt myself becoming lightheaded from his embrace as he traced his tongue onto my bottom lip, looking for entrance. I granted him entrance and found myself swirling with emotions, and reluctantly a soft moan escaped me.

This foreign feeling was exhilarating, and I responded to his touch with passion I had never known before. I traced my fingers up the nap of his neck, and he leaned into me, reaching down, and cradling my *ss into my hands, lifting me up. Without thinking, I wrapped my legs around his waist. It was Ryder who broke our kiss, both of us gasping for air as I leaned my forehead against his shoulder. He nuzzled down into my neck, trailing a few delicate kisses onto my skin, finally placing his lips tenderly above my marking spot.

“I love you so much.” He breathed huskily, and as soon as I heard those words leave his throat, I froze. A sudden coldness embraced me as I lowered my legs, setting my feet back onto the ground and gently pushed him away.

‘No.” I recited in turmoil, struggling with prospective tears.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, I could hear the hurt in his voice. There was no doubt I was attracted to him, who wouldn’t be? He was gorgeous, but an American wolf and a Celtic witch were just incompatible in my mind.

“You don’t love me. You think you love me. The only reason your attracted to me is because of the mate bond.” I said somberly, slowly backing away. He dropped his hands to his sides and sighed deeply.

“The mate bond has an immense factor in this.” He told me in a resigned manner. “But what you don’t understand is that it goes so much farther than those simple words, those feelings and the attraction.” I shook my head defiantly, fighting everything, the bond, and even myself. “The mate bond is more than a spell, its fate. The Moon Goddess gifted each one of us the second part of our soul. You just happen to be mine, and I am yours.” He told me gently, reaching out for my hand. However, I will never forget that cold breeze that swept over us, destroying the moment and causing me to shutter.

“I just can’t.” I said, tears betraying me as they began to fall. I spun around and began running into the forest. I heard a sharp cracking however my vision was so blurred with tears; I couldn’t have looked back had I wanted to. That memory was the last thing that I gathered in my mind as my stomach lurched once more and I finally passed out into darkness.

CHAPTER 2

“ESCAPING THE FREELAND”

EVAN’S POV:

Finding Meredith had been a stroke of stupid luck for me. When Ronan and I had gone for the run to get away from Bridgette, we had travelled a good many miles into the forest before we had stopped. I had raced blindly, it didn’t matter where I went, I just knew I had to get away from her, the reason I had lost everything, and I ran until my wolf was on the verge of collapse. I wasn’t sure how far I had traveled, but it was a sizable distance and that’s when I arrived at a small cabin at the base of the wood line near the creek.

Ronan’s hair stood up on end as we could smell the countless warriors camping beside the creekside, and I was familiar with the ramshackle cabin. It was the old witch Evelyn’s place. Everyone knew who she was, and everyone made a point, wolves, rogues, and vampires alike, to avoid her. She was capable of both dark and light magic and often killed trespassers in horrific ways if they posed a