Alec’s

"Hey," he says, his voice a bit too loud.

Micah and Jason follow close behind, each taking a seat around the table. Micah's gaze flicks between Alec and me, his brows pulling together as if he's piecing something together.

“So," Brian says, leaning back and propping his elbows on the back of his chair. "Are we ready for tonight?"

Why does he look so calm? So, fucking cheerful? Is something wrong with him? That also pissed me of. I want to hit him just for being happy while I feel like I was drowning.

"I told you; the moon cycle will leave you a mess of emotions" Nyx reminds me, but I ignore her.

I force myself to focus on him, grateful for the distraction. Anything to keep me from sinking back into the vortex of Alec's scent.

My eyes roam over Brian, taking him in. Despite the palpable tension in the room, he looks completely at ease. While every other unmated male in the pack looks like they're on the verge of snapping, Brian is... calm. Almost too calm.

"Brian," I say, tilting my head. "You don't seem... affected."

He raises a brow, glancing around. "By what?"

I gesture to the room, where several males are gripping the edges of the table so hard the wood is splintering beneath their fingers. "The full moon. The heat. You're not feeling it?"

Brian shrugs. "Not as much as everyone else."

Micah leans forward, his eyes narrowing. "How come?"

Brian chuckles. "It's the vampire side. Keeps me steady. Vampires don't have the same connection to the moon that wolves do, so..." He shrugs. "It balances things out."

"So, hybrids don't feel the full moon like we do?" I ask, genuinely curious.

Brian shakes his head. "Not as intensely. Even the wolves who were turned into hybrids feel it less. The vampire side tempers with the wolf which makes it easier to control and even out the score."

"So you are saying, it's easier for hybrids?" Jason asks

Brian nods. "Mostly. We do feel the pull of the full moon, but it's... muted. Less intense."

Micah snorts. "Lucky bastard."

Brian chuckles. "Trust me, it has its downsides."

"Like what?" Jason asks, leaning in.

Brian shrugs again, the casualness slipping away for just a second. "The aggression is double, having two dominant species inside me"

Yeah, that would make sense. Witches and warlocks usually just mind their business, but vampires and werewolves are different. We fight for almost everything. In a way, we are both animals at the base, so it's normal for us to be really aggressive towards eachother.

"Do you still need blood?" I ask, given that he is still a vampire after all.

"Yep," Brian says, popping the 'p.' "Not as much as before, though. When I was a full-blooded vampire, I needed it every day. Now, every two or three days is enough."

Alec asks, "What about mates?"

Brian's brows knit together. "What about them?”

Jason gestures between Alec and me. "Like... do hybrids get mates? Or vampire brides? Or... do they just stick to their kind?"

Brian's jaw tenses, and he looks away, his gaze fixed on a knot in the wooden table. “That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?”

Micah frowns. "You don't know?"

Brian shakes his head, his lips pressing into a thin line. "None of us do. None of the hybrids have ever bonded with anyone-wolf or vamp. We're stuck in between. Not wolf enough to get a mate. Not vampire enough to get a bride, so that

probably leaves being bonded to our own kind, but that has yet to

happen."

A heavy silence settles over the table, and for a moment, even the tension from

the full moon seems to pale in comparison to the weight of Brian's words.

Something inside me twists, an ache that has nothing to do with the heat coursing through my veins.

Brian's eyes meet mine, and there's

a haunted look there, one that I

I.ne

recognize all too well. It's the look of someone who's longing for something they are not sure they'll ever have. His first bride cheated on him, but it's clear he wants another chance at love, only problem is that he isn't sure that will ever happen. noveldrama