The Hybrid’s Second Chance
Chapter 17

Alexander's

POV

Cecilia and her father, Samuel, had been here for two days, tomorrow was the day they left, and I was counting down the hours. I had tried my very best to give her a chance, even though she was here without my knowledge, but it was increasingly difficult with each passing minute. It was getting later into the evening; Cecilia and I were currently taking a walk around the grounds and surrounding woods.

"Like I was saying, in our pack in New York we have designer stores in the pack. Sure, it was a challenge getting the designers to agree to it, but in the end, they saw the value in having their establishments in that area." "Right, I think you've mentioned this before."

"I have, because it just seems odd to me that, as the King of our kind, you wouldn't have these types of stores in your territory."

"It's just something that never occurred to me before. We live so close to the city; most people will go shopping there."

"I think they shouldn't have to. Maybe that's a change I can help make?" She linked her arm in mine, her long bright red nails on full display.

"Would you like to go for a run in the woods?" I asked her.

"Like, like this, or in Lycan form?"

"Either; Lycan form if you'd prefer."

"No, that's okay. I don't usually just go running around the woods."

"Right, just a walk then?" She looked down at the four-inch black heels she had on.

"Fine, but just a quick one."

"Don't worry, there's a path we can walk on," I reassured her. We started walking and she continued to tell me all the ways I could "improve" the pack. I took us in the direction of the lake our pack bordered on. We lived in Oregon, and our pack bordered Timothy Lake, which was beautiful this time of year. We walked out of the woods to overlook the lake.

"Oh, you have a lake. That's very cute."

"Do you guys have anything like this?"

"Well, we have beautiful gardens with fountains and even a waterfall, but they're all manmade and kept up by the staff."

"Care for a swim?" I asked as I started taking my shoes off.

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

"Umm," she looked around, shifting uncomfortably.

"No one's around if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not that. I just got new hair extensions put in and I don't want to get them wet." I was undoing the buttons on my shirt but stopped when she said that. "I'm surprised someone of your stature would consider stripping down and going for a swim in a dirty lake." The look on her face told me she thought this idea was not only beneath her, but also disgusting. I started redoing the buttons on my shirt while my Lycan growled angrily, and I tried not to let my annoyance show.

I had just finished putting my last shoe on when the breeze picked up, and I caught the most sensational smell I had ever experienced. It smelled like blueberries and vanilla, the kind of smell that would come from a homemade blueberry cobbler. My Lycan was going crazy in my head screaming at me,

"MATE!" It was one of the few things he was able to say. Lycan's were not like wolves in that regard. They didn't have a voice in our heads, they were more a part of the makeup of our DNA. They didn't talk to us constantly but could say occasional things when they wanted to.

"Mate..." I said out loud.

"What?" Cecilia said. I had completely forgotten she was here.

"My mate..." I sniffed the air again, and could still smell the scent, but something was wrong. The smell of blood was mixed in with it, a lot of blood.

"Mate is hurt!" My Lycan was panicking at the thought his mate was bleeding somewhere.

"I have to find her," I told Cecilia. "She's hurt!" I got up, leaving her on the riverbank, as I followed the scent back into the woods.

"You're just gonna leave me here!?" Cecilia yelled from behind me. I didn't answer, as the scent was getting stronger; but so was the smell of blood. Looking down, I started to notice a few spots of blood on the ground. I followed them, and in the middle of the woods I found what I was looking for. There was a woman lying face down on the ground. Her face was obstructed by the most gorgeous chestnut hair I had ever seen. I ran over to her and could see she had a blood-soaked bandage tied to her back. The only clothes she had on were a sports bra and bike shorts.

"What the he**?!" I moved the hair out of her face and saw how pale her skin was.

"MATE IS HURT!" My Lycan yelled at me, as if I couldn't see everything he saw.

"Why isn't she healing?" I could smell through her delicious scent and blood that she was a wolf, but there was also a hint of something else, possibly a witch.

"Alexander! You can't just leave me in the middle of the woods!" I could hear Cecilia yelling as I scooped up my unconscious mate. She was so small compared to myself at 6' 6," and I instantly felt electric tingling ignite on my arms where her exposed skin touched mine. Turning, I saw Cecilia coming into view, stumbling slightly because of her heels on the damp earth. "What are you even doing over here? Who's that?" she asked looking at the woman I was carrying. "My mate."

"What? That's not possible, that's the entire reason I'm here. I'm supposed to be your mate."

"I'm sorry but you're not, and if you'll excuse me, I need to get my mate to the pack hospital." I took off running towards our hospital, leaving Cecilia to stand there with her mouth open. My Lycan was whimpering slightly, looking down at this beautiful woman's pale face and blood-soaked clothes. We made it to the hospital in a matter of minutes, and I burst through the doors like a bat out of he**

"Dr. Williams!" I yelled, laying my mate down on a bed.

"Alpha Alexander," he said, coming into the room. "What's going on?" Dr. Williams looked between myself, with my now bloody shirt, and my limp mate laying on the bed.

"I found her in the woods, she's breathing, and it looks like she lost a lot of blood."

"Harper, Mason! A little help in here please." The two nurses came running a second later. "What's her name?" Dr. Williams asked, opening my mate's eye, and shining a flashlight into it.

"I don't know, I found her like this."

"Thank you, Alpha. Could you please give us some room to work?" I didn't move.

"I want to stay with her, she's, my mate." Dr. Williams looked from her and then back to me.

"She's your... Very well, but please let us do our work." I nodded and went to stand by my mate's head.

"Harper, hang two units of O negative. Alpha, do you know anything about what happened to her?"

"All I can tell is that something happened and she's bleeding from her lower back. It looks like she tried to cover the wound to stop the bleeding." Dr. Williams and the two nurses turned my mate to her side to get a better look. He removed the pad to reveal a three- inch-wide cut that was still bleeding.

"She must have been hit by a silver knife, that's why it's not healing." Dr. Williams replaced the pad she had on with a fresh one, keeping pressure on the wound.

"Alexander James Hudson!" My mother's angry voice was in my head. "Why is Cecilia telling me you left her in the middle of the woods and ran off with some random woman you say is your mate? Where are you? I demand to speak with you now!"

"I'm busy in the hospital with my mate at the moment, mother."

"You're mate? What are you talking about? I'm coming there right now."

"Dr. Williams, I'll be right back. Please come and find me in the lobby if anything changes or she wakes up." I walked into the lobby before my mother got there and started pacing back and forth thinking about my new mate. How did she get into our territory without anyone seeing her? Who injured her, and how far did she travel before she passed out? Where was she from? The doors to the hospital flew open and in clicked my mom.

"You have two minutes to explain to me how you could possibly be so rude to such a wonderful Lycan?" She stopped in her tracks when she spotted the blood on my shirt. "What is going on?"

"You might want to sit down for what I'm about to tell you, mother." She glared at me and didn't move.

"I think I'll be just fine standing up, thank you."

"Suit yourself. I found my mate." Her eyes went wide when I said that.

"You must be mistak..." But I cut her off.

"Please let me finish. I was with Cecilia, and I caught her sent which took me into the woods. I found her passed out from blood loss. It looks like she's been attacked by someone. I don't know her name or who she is, but what I do know is that she's my mate and she's a werewolf."

"She's a.... what?"

"She's a wolf, also possibly a witch. It was difficult to decipher all the scents mixed with the blood."

"No, Alexander, as King of the Lycan's you cannot take a werewolf as your mate."

"I'm sorry?"

"You need a strong Lycan as your Queen, not a werewolf. You'll simply have to reject her."

"No, I'm not going to do that."

"Why are you being so difficult? Cecilia is a great match for you. She'll make a great queen."

"I don't want her as my mate, we have nothing in common. I want the woman who is currently lying in that hospital room," I told her, gesturing to the double doors behind me. She opened her mouth to argue back, but I held my hand up. "I'm not interested in your opinion or what you have to say. It was very nice to meet Cecilia and her father, but they are no longer needed here. I'm going back to my mate to make sure she's okay. If you'll excuse me."

I turned around and walked back through the doors and back into my mate's room. She was now in a hospital gown, hooked up to machines and IVs. Dr. Williams had her on her stomach while he stitched her knife wound closed.

"How is she doing, Dr. Williams?"

"She's stable right now. We're giving her a blood transfusion to replace what she's lost. Once I get this wound closed, we'll bandage it and wait for her to wake up." He looked up at me. "She probably won't be awake for a while, Alpha. You might want to go home and change so she doesn't see you covered in blood."

"You're right, that's a good idea. Will you mind link me if anything changes with her condition?"

"Of course, Alpha." I was about to walk away, but I turned and walked to the side of her bed. She was lying face down, but the side of her face was exposed. I bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. It felt like I got shocked when my lips met her skin, and my Lycan was about to melt with satisfaction. How was my beast a puddle of mush for a woman he hadn't even spoken to? I saw Dr. Williams smile slightly, even though he didn't look up as he worked. When I got back out to the lobby, my mother was no longer there. "Elijah, are you busy?"

"No, but what's going on? Cecilia and your mom seem to be on a rampage."

"It's a lot to explain. Meet me at my place and I'll tell you what's been happening."