The Hybrid’s Second Chance
Chapter 19

Julianna's POV

I was standing alone in vast blackness, confused as to where I was and how I had gotten here. "Hello?" I called out. My voice echoed on and on with nothing to stop it. "Sofia?" I called her.

"Yes Julianna, I'm here." Except her voice wasn't in my head. It was coming from behind me. I whipped around and saw her. She was standing nearly six feet tall and completely pitch black. It was hard to see her shrouded in darkness, but her amber eyes stood out. She came walking over to me, nuzzling the side of my body with her fur.

"What's happening?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure. I remember being hit in the back and crawling for a while, but then it all went blank."

"Same, I'm not sure where we are." We started walking around, but there was nothing to be seen. "Are we dead?" I asked finally.

"No, definitely not. I don't think it would look like this if we were."

"Do you see that?" I asked, pointing in front of us.

"See what?"

"There's a light, I think I can see a light." I took a step forward, but Sofia suddenly blocked my path. "What are you doing?"

"Are you crazy? Haven't you seen enough TV to know you never follow the light?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oh, come on. You're the one who said we're not dead."

"We're not dead yet. That doesn't mean we won't be if we follow the light."

"I'm sure it's fine. I have a good feeling about it." She eyed me and then the light, that was growing brighter and bigger.

"Fine, but if we die, I'll yell at you for all eternity."

"Deal." I put my hand on her back, and we walked together towards what I hoped was life.

I heard something before I opened my eyes, the sound of beeping, and paper rustling. The smell of ammonia was heavy in the air. I opened my eyes and blinked quickly at how bright it was. Looking from side to side, I realized I was in a hospital room. My heartbeat quickened. Was I back in October Moon? Did someone finally catch up to me? I had never been in the hospital before, so I had no idea what it looked like. I heard the beeping on the machine getting faster and faster. I started hyperventilating at the thought of being back in my old pack.

I went to move my arm, but noticed there was a needling, an IV giving me what looked like fluids. My breathing and heart monitor beeping must have drawn someone's attention because I heard hurried footsteps and then the door to my room opened. In the doorway stood a large older man dressed in a white coat, a stethoscope around his neck.

"You're awake!" he said excitedly. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"A little, in my back... Please," I pleaded, trying to shrink myself back into the mattress as much as possible. "I didn't mean to, does the Alpha know? Is he angry with me? Where's Marvin?" The doctor walked over to my bed, a confused look on his face. "My dear, what in good heavens are you talking about?"

"I...I.... Aren't I back in the October Moon Pack?"

"No child, you're in the Crystal Sky Pack. Is that where you're from? October Moon?" I just looked at him, not knowing if I should answer. Wasn't Crystal Sky the name of the nearby Lycan pack? We'd learned about it in school, but it was hard to remember. "You're the Lycan pack?"

"Yes, I'm Dr. Edgar Williams. What's your name?" I eyed him suspiciously. He smiled, sensing my hesitation. "Don't worry, no one is going to hurt you. Quite the opposite actually." My suspicion turned to confusion when he said that. "Will you please tell me your name? Our Alpha is very excited to learn it and he'll be ecstatic that you're awake."

"My name's Julianna."

"Do you have a last name?"

"Parker, Julianna Parker."

"Well, Julianna, it looks like you were attacked with a silver knife. We've stitched up your wound and it should heal in a few weeks. Can you tell me how it came to be that someone attacked you with a knife?" I bit my lip and looked down at my hands. "That's okay, you don't have to tell me."

"How did I get here? I don't remember anything."

"The Alpha is on his way, and I'll let him explain everything to you. He found you in the woods." It was just now that I realized that both bags, I had with me were gone.

"Where are the bags I had?" I started looking from side to side.

"They're here," he said, pulling them out from the nightstand next to my bed and handing them to me. I rummaged around in my purse and pulled out the broach my mom had given me, sighing that I still had it, I relaxed some. "Since the Alpha is almost here, I'll give the two of you some space. I'll be back to check on you shortly." He left the room.

"Are you okay?" Sofia asked me.

"Yeah, are you?"

"I think so. I still have four paws and a tail, so I'd call it a win. Dr. Williams seems nice."

"Yeah, he does. It seemed like..." I trailed off because the most enticing scent hit my nostrils. It was like pine and lemon. The scent was swirling all around me, making me slightly dizzy. Wait, this was the same feeling I had when I found out Logan was my.... "Mate!" Sofia whispered.

"Come again?"

"Mate! Right there!" I turned my head, and there was someone new standing in the doorway to my room. He was very tall, probably well over 6 feet. His sandy blonde hair matched his stubbly beard, while his blue eyes bore into mine making me blush unexpectedly. He was dressed in jeans and a light gray V-neck t-shirt that was pulled tight over his broad shoulders and muscular arms. I noticed a tattoo on his forearm, though I couldn't make out what exactly it was. He smiled kindly at me, as he made his way into my room. "You're awake." His deep voice echoed in my mind, turning Sofia into a puddle of mush. He walked over to my bedside, and his scent was so strong I felt like I would lose myself in it.

"I don't understand," I said to Sofia. "We had a mate and we rejected him. How can we have another one?"

"I don't know, but we do and he's way hotter than Logan ever was! And he's a Lycan!"

"Is it possible to have two mates? I've heard about second chance mates, but I don't think it's been that long since we rejected Logan, has it?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask our super hot mate instead of just staring at him?"

"Sh*t, have I been staring at him this entire time?"

"Yeah, kind of," she laughed. I focused my attention back on my new mate.

"Are you okay?" he asked, after my prolonged silence. "Are you in pain? I can call Dr. Williams back in to give you something?"

"No, I'm okay actually."

"Good. I guess I should probably introduce myself. My name is Alexander Hudson, I'm the Alpha of the Crystal Sky Pack." I swallowed dryly, as Sofia purred his name.

"Alexander, that's sexy!" I pushed my lips together, trying to hold in my laugh. I must not have been doing a good job because he said,

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry, just my wolf."

"What is she saying?" I felt myself blush again, and I looked back down at my hands, playing with the hem of the blanket. "Nothing, she likes your name." This time he laughed, and it sounded like the melody to a love song.

"I'd love to know what your name is."

"Julianna Parker."

"Julianna, that's beautiful." I smiled, still not looking into his gorgeous blue eyes. Do you know how you got here, Julianna?"

"No, the last thing I remember was crawling through the woods, then I woke up here."

"Well, I found you just inside our territory passed out from blood loss. You had a large wound on your lower back that our Dr. thinks came from a silver knife. Can you tell me anything about that?" I shifted uncomfortably in my bed but didn't answer. I wasn't exactly sure how to tell him everything that happened to me, or if I wanted too just yet. He might be my second chance, but I still just met him. "It's okay," he said. "You don't have to tell me anything right now. Just know that you're safe here."

He placed his hand on top of mine, and I felt the familiar electric sparks I felt when Logan touched me. Although these felt different, they were stronger than before. I gasped slightly because I was unprepared for the contact. He smiled at me again, but there was something else behind it. I think I detected desire in his eyes. I breathed out as I felt my own desire growing in my core. Alexander left his hand on mine for a while, letting the electricity flow freely.

Keeping his one hand on mine, he lifted the other one up and brought it towards my face. I recoiled slightly, and he hesitated, looking confused. Instead of slapping me, he placed his hand on the side of my face, cupping my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch, which was sparking a fire inside me.

"Beautiful," he said, moving his hand under my chin, and tilting it up so I looked right into his handsome face. My breath was coming out faster now, not because of panic but because of nervous anticipation. I could hear the beeping of my heart monitor getting faster again. He looked up at the screen, chuckled slightly, then looked back down into my eyes. I saw him leaning down towards my face, and I stretched my neck to meet his gentle kiss. Alexander was the only man I had ever kissed, apart from Logan. Although kissing Logan had been a surprise and not something I really wanted to happen, it had been enjoyable. Now, this kiss felt like something completely different. It was as if all the stars in the universe were aligning, and I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I felt like I had known this man my entire life and not just about five minutes. I went to reach my hand up, but the pull of it caused a shooting pain where I had been stabbed. Pulling back from the kiss, I sucked in a painful breath. Alexander looked at me worried.

"Did I hurt you?" His concern confused me, it was something I wasn't used to from a man.

"No, it's just where I got stabbed. When I reached my hand up it hurt."

"I'll go get Dr. Williams and he can give you something." He left the room, which upset me at the loss of his presence.

"Okay, that kiss was the most amazing thing we've ever experienced. We're staying here with him, right?"

"I don't know, I hadn't really thought about it." Before Sophia could respond, Alexander came back into the room, followed by Dr. Williams.

"The Alpha said you're experiencing some pain?"

"Just a little when I move certain ways," I told him.

"I'll up your dose of morphine for the time being." He injected the medicine into one of the ports of my IV, and I felt the effects almost immediately. A dizzy haze was taking over my body. Alexander got a faraway look on his face for a second.

"Julianna, I have to go take care of something quickly. I'll come back when I'm finished and we can talk more." He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it before leaving the room. My eyelids were starting to become heavy from all the medication, but I heard Dr. Williams say,

"The King is very happy that you've come to him, my dear. He's been waiting a long time to find his mate?"

"Did he just say King?" Sophia asked me sleepily. I tried to respond to her, but the sleep that I was fighting finally took over.