Chapter 41

“Glad your lazy ass decided to finally wake up.”

Malachi flipped Obsidian off before looking at me, “So….you’re giving this idiot a chance?”

I smiled at Obsidian as he gently squeezed my hand, “Yeah, let’s just see how long he can last without screwing up.”

Malachi offered a tired smile before letting out a yawn, earning more teasing from Obsidian. There was nothing but happiness in the room, it was an exhausting three weeks before Malachi had woken up. He would go from being stable to having an emergency as his body fought to stay alive. His wolf’s soul had finally reconnected with his, awakening his wolf and having him heal Malachi. It was quite difficult for the doctors to explain, since we’re not even sure how the entire wolf thing works. You would think after centuries of werewolves existing, we would have figured it out by now, but some things just can’t be explained with science. We’re just all relieved that he’s doing far better now and should be able to return to light work in about a week. Of course, he’s just as bad as Obsidian and argued with us to let him do at least some paperwork. However, Cynthia quickly shut that down, telling him he needs to allow his body to finish healing. His wolf could only do so much, certain wounds needed actual time to heal and the nurses and doctor needed him to stay within the hospital to keep an eye on him.

We had made it known to the doctors and nurses how thankful we were as well, while his wolf did quite a bit at the last second, the hospital staff were the ones who really saved him. If it weren’t for them, Malachi might be in a grave today.

“So, what did I miss with the whole war so far?” Malachi suddenly asked, his tone growing serious.

Obsidian let out a breath, “For the past week there hasn’t been anything. But before that, there were several attacks by these hybrids in different countries. Ten in the US, eight in Canada, twenty in Argentina surprisingly, fifteen in Chile….and many, many more. They’re all over the place, it’s hard trying to figure out who’s sending these orders out.”

“What about that one Luthias has?”

“The good hybrid we found?” I asked. “She’s really struggling, shifting is extremely painful for her because she wasn’t meant to be a werewolf. The doctors are doing many tests on her, they found out that when the hunters combined the DNA it messed with a lot of her cells. She has been getting terrible migraines and she can barely eat. We thought maybe blood will help, considering she was originally a vampire but nothing is giving her enough nutrients.”

Malachi frowned, his eyes holding a sorrowful look as he seemed to take in the information. Shaking his head, he leaned back against the pillows and sighed.

“They ruined her,” he stated.

“Pretty much, they don’t believe she’s going to make it. Luthias isn’t taking that well,” Cynthia voiced.

Malachi nodded, “How long does she have?”

“Maybe a few days.”

“Then defeating these hybrids shouldn’t be a problem.”

“What?”

He sighed, “Think about it. While it’s terribly sad, this girl has only been with us for what? A month? She’s already fading, probably slower since the doctors have been trying everything to keep her body going. It would make sense if they tried combining this DNA with an embryo of a werewolf. That way, the cells actually have time to form and figure themselves out. Forcing this DNA into an already grown vampire was just asking for trouble. Even if they put vampire venom into a full grown werewolf. Human cells are much easier to do this with, they can quickly cling to the vampire cells and slowly turn a human into one. The same if you were to put werewolf DNA in a human.”

“He has a point,” Obsidian spoke. “That’s the major flaw in the hunters’ plans. These hybrids won’t remain strong long enough for them to do much damage. The hunters will eventually grow desperate and try taking werewolves from packs instead of rogues.”

“Exactly. They die off quickly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they start kidnapping pack wolves soon like they have been with vampires.”

I pursed my lips as I thought over everything, “Do you think they’ve been quiet because they discovered this flaw?”

“It’s a high possibility,” Obsidian answered, his eyes thoughtful as we continued going over this theory.

Malachi had eventually decided to ask about Fernando, whether we caught him or not. I hated that we had to tell him we haven’t been able to find him and his father has now been threatening Obsidian and my father.

For the past three weeks we have searched all over, even Luthias has been investigating where Fernando could have possibly run to. We flirted with the idea of him hiding within his country, but his father’s concern seemed genuine. None of us have heard a word from him, not even a single threat. We eventually decided to push the matter aside for now, since Obsidian is back Fernando shouldn’t make any surprise visits. Even if he does, Obsidian is now completely healthy and back to his original strength, the Spanish prince wouldn’t stand a chance against him. We shifted our attention to the hunters, tracking down any hybrid attacks and trying to figure out the genetics of these new creatures.

These entire three weeks haven’t been eventful and now it’s oddly calm, almost like the calm before the storm. It had me uncomfortable, constantly on edge and wondering when the big attack would happen. Our hands were tied with the hunters, we couldn’t relocate their hide out which led us to assume they had moved it. It was too suspicious for me, but nothing I say will help the situation. We’re all at a loss for ideas, Malachi’s point about the hybrids is the first real theory we’ve had in the three weeks. It doesn’t seem like much right now, but I know we can build on it and begin forming plans on how to handle this situation. Hopefully, it won’t end with many lives lost. We have lost far too many during this entire ordeal, I don’t believe we can take much more heartbreak.

We eventually left to let Malachi rest, despite him not wanting us to leave, we knew he was tired. His eyes held that glazed over look and his eyelids were currently in a battle with him for control. By the time we said our goodbyes, he was out cold, snoring softly in the hospital bed. Obsidian slowly intertwined his fingers with mine, causing a small smile to form on my lips. Looking up at him, I couldn’t help but appreciate him.

Since we realized our wolves had formed a bond and we were now mates, we have been by each other’s sides the entire time. While neither of us are ready to take our relationship to the next level such as sex or engagement, we’re enjoying it. Taking it slow is the smartest thing we can do, especially with how shy he is with showing affection. I find it amusing sometimes, his cheeks will get a bright red, he’ll stumble over his words, all of it is adorable. I’ll never tell him that though, he’ll get flustered and puff out his chest stating he isn’t ‘cute’ he is a man. Cue the eyeroll for his dramatic ass.

His grip on my hand tightened a little, pulling me from my thoughts. “What do you think will happen now?” He asked softly, worry laced through his voice.

I sighed, “To be completely honest...I’m not sure.”

All we can do right now is remain strong and support each other, for this is merely the calm before the storm. The hunters are planning something and that something is to wipe out our existence.

**The End of Part 1**

**Stay Tuned for the Sequel!**