A scream tore from my throat. I took careful steps backward, holding my breath. But the more I stepped back, the more it slowly moved closer to me.
A werewolf.
I had never seen one before. Sure, my mother was one and that made me half, but she had never shifted in front of me. Neither had I. So this was my first ever encounter with one in its true form.
It was massive...easily over five feet tall even on all fours, with shoulders broad enough to block out the moonlight behind it. Covered in sleek, jet-black fur. It looked both terrifying and beautiful. Its emerald green eyes glowed like gemstones, fixed directly on me.
I should probably run away, because every instinct in my mind was screaming at me to run. To turn around and bolt through the trees. But I couldn't. My body refused to listen.
Instead, I stood frozen. Not in fear. No, this was something else. Something strange. An odd pull inside me. As if I knew it. As if we were connected somehow.
Stupid I know, but I couldn't shake the feeling.
So without thinking, I slowly raised my right hand. My fingers trembled slightly, but I kept going, ignoring the rows of sharp, gleaming teeth just inches from my reach.
I touched its face.
Its snout was warm beneath my palm. The fur soft, almost silky. My heart pounded like crazy in my chest, certain it would pounce and tear me apart at any time.
But instead, it leaned in.
Its head nuzzled against my touch, brushing my skin with a softness I hadn't expected. It sniffed gently, and I felt something flutter deep within me. A strange, almost magnetic sensation pulsed between us.
Then it stepped back abruptly.
I blinked as it moved a few feet away, its eyes still locked with mine. And then, right before my eyes, it began to shift.
The fur along its body started to ripple, shrinking back into skin. Its snout retracted, bones cracking and reshaping with sharp, wet snaps. Limbs twisted, muscles reshuffling. It was both horrifying and mesmerizing, watching the creature morph from beast to man in a matter of seconds.
One final crack of bone and he was standing on two feet.
A man.
Very tall. In fact he was towering. With Broad-chest and hand carved muscles.
He stood before me, skin slightly red from the shift. His emerald eyes...the same ones that had stared out from the wolf, still fixed on mine. They were striking, almost hypnotic, and they matched mine perfectly. A strange form of familiarity settled over me.
My breath caught. I quickly averted my gaze, heat rushing to my face. He was... naked. Completely and utterly naked.
He took a step toward me.
My heart kicked in my chest, wild and unsure. Another step. The moonlight outlined every defined line of his chest, the tight curves of his abs, the power in his legs. His dark hair fell messily around his sharp jaw, damp from the shift.
He was beautiful.
But then, his hand shot out and grabbed my arm.
I gasped.
His grip was like steel, but he held me firmly without bruising my arm. But my instincts kept screaming. I didn't know whether to run, scream, or remain completely still.
After all, I was half werewolf. But I was also half vampire.
And werewolves hated vampires.
A fact my mother had never let me forget.
"They are cruel, vicious creatures," she had warned me, again and again. "Never trust a wolf. Vampires will stab you in the back, but wolves would look you in the eyes while they ripped your heart out."
Now, standing in the presence of one, her words echoed loud and clear in my head.
My breath was shaky. Fear finally began to grow. I struggled a little, but he didn't let go. Instead, he leaned in, inhaling deeply, his face dangerously close to mine.
I froze.
His grip tightened just slightly, enough to hold me still.
Then something strange happened. A voice deep inside me. A voice I had never heard before, one that sounded ancient, foreign and certain at the same time. It didn't come from my mind but my soul, whispered a single word.
"Mate."
It wasn't just the voice. It was a feeling. Like something inside me snapped into place. My vision swam. The air around us seemed to charge with energy, heat rolling off him in thick waves.
His pupils dilated, nostrils flaring, as if he had heard it too. As if the word had echoed inside him just the same.
Mate.
The word repeated, over and over in my chest. I couldn't tell if it was excitement, terror, or something else flooding through me.
His hand loosened on my arm.
He stepped back, breathing hard now. Like he was battling something. Like he wasn't supposed to be here. Like touching me had lit a fuse he couldn't put out.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
His lips parted, but he didn't speak.
Instead, his eyes roamed over me. Like he was memorizing me.
Then his voice came, low and gravelly, almost as if dragged from the bottom of his chest.
"Maverick," he says, his eyes locked on mine.
"Maverick…" I whisper, tasting the name.
He narrows his eyes. "Who are you?" He asks taking a step forward. "What are you?"
My heart stutters. I can't tell him. Not the truth. If I did… would he kill me?
"I… I'm Diana."
He doesn't blink. "What are you, Diana?"
He begins to circle me slowly, like a wolf stalking his prey. My heart beats louder in my chest. I can hear it pounding in my ears.
I don't answer him.
He comes closer. I don't move away.
He smells like honey and earth. Yes, a strange combination that felt both wild and soft at the same time.
His hand lifts slowly, brushing the tips of my hair.
"Silver hair," he mutters. "But pale skin…" His voice drops to a growl. "What are you, Diana?"
My throat dries.
"I… I'm... a hybrid."
He freezes.
Then..he steps back like I'm some kind of poison.
His face twists. And then, from deep in his chest, he growls. A real, life threatening growl.
"Hybrid…"
And just like that, I see my life flash before my eyes.