40

"Sorry," my mate whispered before collapsing completely. I tried to brace his weight somehow so he wouldn't hit the ground, but unfortunately his muscle mass was pretty damn heavy.

Luckily, Alpha Arsen arrived right away and helped me lay it down carefully on the ground.

"Steven? STEVEN?!" I screamed in panic. What happened now? Everything was just fine. We won.

"Don't you die again." Luna Aurelia came running screaming over to us as well, dropping a frying pan. She knelt on Steven's other side and tried to speak to him, just as I did.

Steven's eyes, however, were only on me.

"I'm sorry. He got me.", he whispered very softly. He lifted his hand a bit, where you could see a vampire bite. "He gave me his poison. I'm so sorry, Silva."

"Hey," I tried to keep him awake. "Hey, it's not bad at all. It'll be fine..."

I tried to take the situation lightly. So now just keep a cool head, Silva! Devin gave me his blood before he bit me. Hot in there must be that weird stuff that keeps a werewolf from dying from vampire venom. Maybe this remedy is in my blood now too, through the transformation.

I quickly put my wrist over my mate's mouth. "Here Steven you have to drink. There should be something in my blood so you don't die from it." Of course, I didn't say that he would become a hybrid, just like me. It could affect his decision, but unfortunately he got it anyway.

"No! I don't want to be a hybrid!" With his last reserve of strength, he tried to somehow push my arm away, but he was powerless and I wouldn't remove my arm until he drank. Still, my heart rate quickened, afraid it wouldn't works or my mate doesn't drink.

"Remember before?" I sobbed and had to hold back my tears because I was really afraid of losing him here and now forever. "I had to promise you that we'll get through this together. So you promise me now that we can do this together. Please Steven. I love you and if you go now then I will go too."

Steven was still looking deep into my eyes and a sad smile was on his lips.

"Please," I tried again. "I love you. You are my lifeblood."

Steven nodded and my heart skipped a beat. I was actually able to convince him...

He pulled out his fangs and bit my arm. Shortly thereafter, his head fell lifelessly to the ground.

"Did he swallow it?" asked the upset Luna next to me. Well, I don't know if he swallowed it, but I pinned all my hopes on it. However, a great pain spread through me, telling me that Steven is dead.

I yelled. This pain, it was unbearable. Did that mean Steven didn't make it? No, he has to make it! But what if there was no weird drug in my blood at all? What if it didn't work?

Panic spread through me. I don't want to live this life alone. I've already lost my brother and... oh god... Mara's dead too. Everyone who meant anything to me is dead. I can't lose Steven at the same time.

"Hey, everything's fine. Steven went through the exact same thing during your transformation. So up to now we don't know if it worked." The Luna tried to calm me down and stroked my side soothingly. "You'll see, he'll make it." But also from Luna's voice one could hear uncertainty and the pain of loss. She was just as scared of losing him as I was.

"Please, please come back with me," I said softly and through tears, leaning down and kissing his forehead.

I was about to pull away from him when a hand slipped behind my head and pulled me back down. The next moment his soft lips met mine.

With every second that passed in that kiss, the pain in me lessened. So he actually did it. But I had to make sure.

So I pulled away from the kiss and looked into his ice blue eyes, which looked back lovingly. So he was really awake.

Tears of joy ran down my cheeks. I tried to blink her away, but it was already too late. That moment just made me too happy. My emotions just overwhelmed me.

No matter what we went through today. Now it's over and Steven and I are together.

Steven straightened up and pulled me into a tight hug. So I buried my face in the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent. He just smelled so good of forest and honey, if I didn't catch a hint of blood as well.

I closed my eyes completely and concentrated on the feeling that my mate was with me and no one could ever separate us again. But as nice as that moment was, we were interrupted by the alpha, who cleared his throat.

"It's a pity that you're no longer part of our pack," Alpha Arsen said and then hugged his mate tightly. He too seemed to be enjoying the quiet.

"What do you mean?" Steven asked confused and looked at the alpha with irritation. This statement confused me a little too. Of course we were hybrids. But we were still half werewolves who needed a pack.

"Seems like you have to lead your own pack now. After all, all these hybrids around here need good guidance after being so controlled by their previous Alpha." Alpha Arsen continued.

Steven and I both looked his way, still confused. In fact, I almost thought he wouldn't accept that hybrids existed and would have killed us next. Aurelia also looked up at his face in confusion. She had rested her head on Arsen's chest.

When Arsen understood that we didn't know what he meant, he started to smile.

"Don't you feel any new strength in you, Steven? And I didn't mean the extra vampire powers."

Steven let go of me to get up. Of course he helped me up.

When we stood then came the shock. Steven was a lot taller than me, and by that I didn't mean the few inches that separated us before. No, Steven was now a size match for the Alpha. In addition, he suddenly seemed much wider and fitter.

Steven admired his new body while I felt his rock hard six pack abs. Hard to believe how hot my mate is. Not that he wasn't hot before, but now he was a fucking Captain America compared to before.

"I guess I'll say congratulations to the new Alpha Steven and his Luna Silva then." Arsen approached both of us and shook Steven's hand in a friendly manner. Luna Aurelia rushed over to me instead and gave me a tight hug. I can't believe how much Power this human woman had, but no wonder, after all, she was already allowed to squeeze three alpha children out of herself.

Surprised by this turn of events, my mate exhaled. He only realized what a new title he had now that he was up against the Alpha. But I also had to get used to the completely new situation. I was Luna now...

It was beautiful and I would like this moment to last forever.

I just missed one in particular. My brother. Jaxon. He should have been there too... A single tear ran down my cheek.

"W-where am I exactly?" came a low voice from the crowd. Probably a hybrid who still seemed confused like everyone else.

"In the Silverstorm pack," replied another.

"S-Silverstorm???" This time the woman's voice was a little louder, but not enough for any of the alphas to pay attention. This was probably just a standard situation since all hybrids exhibited the same situation.

I just overheard the conversation. But I wanted to check anyway. It was like an intuition.

As soon as Aurelia pulled away from me, I took a few steps through the crowd. Part of the crowd bowed respectfully to me. Probably my new pack.

Okay, so I have to get used to that first.

A single woman stopped, but she was also a hybrid and I even knew her. She was the woman from the basement. I think Moona?

"Moona right?"

She nodded before asking her next question. "If we're here in the Silverstorm pack, maybe someone can tell me where my husband Arian is?"

I couldn't relate to Arian. Except, of course, for the son of Alpha Arsen and Luna Aurelia. But he's unlikely to be her husband. So I shook my head.

"And what about my son Arsenic? He's still quite young and wanted to attend his first mate ball."

Beside us, the air was suddenly sucked in audibly. Isn't she...? Surely she won't be the alpha's mother? The old Luna. However, she was the only one who didn't bow out of my new pack, meaning she has an equal or higher title.

I did not say anything. Instead, my head rattled on how to gently teach her that was many years ago, because by the looks of it, the poor woman had no recollection of all those years in captivity. Which maybe was a good thing. Because who knows what other experiments the hunters have done with her.

The woman's eyes searched the crowd. Apparently she wanted to see a familiar face here, but everyone's eyes were all on Alpha Arsenic and my mate, who had their backs to us.

Moona's gaze also went in this direction.

"Arian?!", she yelled while suddenly starting to run towards Alpha Arsen. Of course, he didn't turn around since he didn't answer that name, but when the woman had almost reached him, it triggered a reflex in him out, so that he turned around abruptly.

The woman stood frozen and Arsen was petrified too. So was I right? Was she his mother?

"A-Arsenic?" she stuttered. I really felt sorry for her. She only looks a little older than him herself.

The Alpha was still staring at her, then suddenly he fell to his knees in front of her.

"Mom?" he asked. "How...how can it be...I thought you were dead?!"

"My little arsenic. You've grown so much." Tears formed in Moona's eyes.

The two didn't hesitate and Arsen was back on his feet and hugging his mother tightly. It was just such a loving and beautiful gesture that touched my heart. Who would have thought that the Alpha's mother would have been kidnapped by the hunters and turned into Hybrindin?

Next to them stood Aurelia, who shed a few tears during this scene.

I too was close to tears. But the way mother and son hug each other again after 15 years, if I'm listening correctly, I almost started crying too.