Chapter 27

A/N: I've entered YATA in the Wattys. Wish me luck!

Want to help? Recommend YATA to your friends if they like bxb and werewolf stories :)

Just a reminder: Jasper is the eldest son of the previous Alpha (Zachary) and Keri's cousin.

*****

I smiled as soon as I woke up. Or perhaps, I'd been smiling in my sleep. All I knew was that a huge grin was plastered on my face when I opened my eyes and found myself in the arms of the man I loved.

"Good morning," he murmured, kissing the back of my head and I turned around in his embrace to look at him.

"Good morning," I greeted in return and pecked him on the lips.

"How did you sleep?"

"Surprisingly well," I admitted. "I thought that with all that happened yesterday, I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink, but I guess having you here helped."

"I'm glad to hear to that." Rhys lifted his arm so he could caress my cheek. "Are you hungry yet?"

"Actually..." I retreated slightly so I could see him better. "You promised me to share a story of your own, remember? I'd rather listen to that than have breakfast."

Last night, I'd asked him about how he got his scars. I'd thought it was only fitting to do so after he'd heard the tale about mine. That was when Rhys had hugged me, telling me it was late and that we ought to rest. I'd agreed to that, but only after he'd given me his word that we'd talk about it in the morning.

"Not much to tell, really," he began. "One of the times that Everett tried to connect with Alec and convinced Anastasiya - that is Alec's mother - to let him stay with us, Jasper Owens spoke in some not so flattering terms about my brother. At first, he was talking about how now that Everett had fallen out of grace, he would inherit his father as the Alpha. That wasn't that bad; it was annoying more than infuriating. But when he called Everett a traitor, I snapped."

Rhys' forehead wrinkled and his grip on me tightened. He's voice got slightly shaky as he went on:

"I was a teenager, hormones were rushing and he had just insulted my brother. I faced him and told him to shut up. He laughed and said 'Or what?', I pushed him, he pushed me harder, I pushed again and he found himself on the ground... A moment later, he was already in his wolf form. He jumped on me, clawing my face and leaving these beauties." Rhys trailed a hand over his scars. "The fight didn't last very long. A little after I shifted, the adults intervened and put an end to it."

"Was Jasper punished?" I returned to my previous position, laying my head on his chest.

"Both of us were," he replied. "And justly so. He was the one to shift first, but I was the one to push him first; he'd called Everett a traitor, but I shouldn't have started a physical altercation."

"But he scared you!" I protested. "Now you have to live with these for the rest of your life."

"And now they serves as a good reminder of why one should not to rush into things. Besides, at the time everyone thought they would heal. They should have healed, perhaps leaving a very, very faint mark; no one knows for sure why they didn't."

"I don't understand this." I frowned. "You said that werewolves heal better than humans."

"True, but marks left to someone in their human form by someone in a wolf form are less likely to heal properly; some think that is the reason for my scars. And some - the more superstitious ones - believe that a wound caused by someone experiencing strong negative emotions such as anger and hate won't heal until the one who strikes and the one who got struck are at peace with each other. If that is true, my marks will remain forever as Jasper and I will never reconcile."

I snuggled closer.

I hadn't liked Jasper back when Kennedy had told me about his haughty behavior and ambition of becoming a leader; after learning a bit more about him, I'd been repulsed by how entitled he'd felt about becoming an Alpha just because his father had been one.

Now I was more than simply crossed with that man. I had never met him, but if there had ever been any doubt that once we were introduced, I'd immediately dislike him, that doubt was gone. He'd known that attacking Rhys while in wolf form with the latter in his human shape could have had serious consequences, yet he'd done just that, over being pushed. And Rhys had been in his right to push Jasper after how he'd labelled his brother.

"Why did he call Everett a traitor?" I asked and moved back again to look Rhys in the face.

"Oh, yeah, you still don't know that part of the story." He cleared his throat before he went on. "Dayers and werewolves don't always get along and there's often a distrust between the species..."

"What does that have to do with Everett?" I interrupted; I'd already gathered by our previous conversation that shifters and Dayers were at odds.

"Alec's mother is a Dayer."

My jaw slacked as I rapidly blinked at him.

"Is that... Is that even possible? For a werewolf and a vampire to have a child, I mean," I added.

"If the vampire is a Dayer, not a Nighter, then yes." Rhys nodded. "Alec is the living proof of that."

"H-how does this work? Is he a hybrid? Do the genes of one species override the other? What... What happens?"

He shook his head at my babbled questions.

"Alec is a hybrid. He carries genes and features from both species," Rhys began to explain, "but with him, the vampire ones are more prominent. You can see that in his appearance. While we grow in mass, vampires are of a slim built. They are speedy and stealthy creatures, good with sneaking around unnoticed. He also can't shift into a wolf."

"And if he was half human, would he be able to shift?"

"It is possible. But almost certainly, even if a wolf-human hybrid doesn't shift, they'll be stronger and healthier than the average human."

"Wow," I uttered almost silently. Genetics had never been my strong suit and that was when only one species was involved; now I had hybrids to learn about.

"So, Everett and Anastasiya fell in love and that was viewed as treason by some because they are a werewolf and a Dayer?" I went back to the former topic.

"Yes and no."

I raised an eyebrow so he clarified:

"Yes, some viewed it as a betrayal and no, they weren't in love. Well, Everett was, but not Anastasiya. Her father craves power and he already has plenty of purebred Dayer children and grandchildren so he thought it might come in handy for one of his daughters to have a mongrel child from a promising young werewolf. I know, it sound strange..."

"Strange? More like twisted!"

"... and we don't have all the details but the old man must've found some profit in ordering Anastasiya to seduce my brother. We can't see another reason behind that other than some twisted - as you put it - genetic experiment."

"Is that why Alec is so cold and bitter and... likes to hurt people?"

"It could be," he agreed. "It could be because he was unwanted or it could be because it's in his blood. As I said, the Dayer genes in him are stronger than ours and his family... They are not good people, Riley. They are not warm and loving. I doubt he's experienced much affection from a Dayer other than Viktoriya."

"Viktoriya? Who is she?"

"She's the only creature Alec cares about other than himself."

To my surprise, Rhys chuckled.

"It must be terribly confusing for him to feel that way... To actually feel something other than boredom or annoyance or on a good day - a slight curiosity."

"Is she his mate?" I asked.

Could a half-vampire even have a mate?

"No, his cousin. Another of his grandfather's breeding experiments, if that was the purpose of those two."

"So she's also half-werewolf?"

"Half-human. Her father is a Gifted and a Sentinel. I think his Gift has to do with physical strength and agility, but I'm not sure."

"If he's a Sentinel, why would he be with a Dayer? Isn't that a conflict of interest?"

"Depends on the Sentinel and the Dayer, I suppose, but he was with Ekaterina for the same reason Everett was with Anastasiya: vampires can be dangerously alluring even if you know what they are."

"But why..." A knock came from the door and we turned our heads towards it.

"Yes, mom?"

How did Rhys know it was her?

"Your dad and I are going to town, do you need anything?" Jackie asked through the door.

"Do you mind her coming in?" Rhys whispered and I shook my head, pulling the sheet upwards to cover my torso.

"You can come in, mom," he said, louder.

His mother walked inside, wrinkles forming on her face as she smiled when he saw us cuddled.

"So, do you need anything?" She repeated her question.

"Which town is that?"

At first Jackie furrowed her eyebrows at me, but then it came to her.

"Oh, I mean Woodbury. With the way we've isolated ourselves, it's as if we are in a whole different town." She waived a hand. "Any requests?"

"Tart cherry juice," Rhys replied without a second thought.

"Well, that goes without saying," his mom laughed. "Anything else?"

He looked at me before replying and I shook my head again.

"No, we got everything we need."

His hand squeezed mine underneath the covers.

"Okay then." Jackie turned around to leave. "Carter is at Mel's and Kennedy is staying here because he wants to make you breakfast. I think he also wants to hang out with Riley," she added before closing the door.

"You seem to have a beneficial influence on my youngest sibling," Rhys noted. "He's prepared to cook without it being his turn."

"How did you know it was your mom outside the door?" I hoped he wouldn't mind me brushing off the compliment. I couldn't help myself; I was really curious to find the answer to my question.

"Werewolves have heightened senses, remember?" He didn't seem offended. "Her footsteps sound different from those of other family members. Mom's are the lightest, although Kennedy can be pretty quiet when he decides to; dad is the loudest, but his footfalls are much softer than Carter's."

"And mine?"

"Yours are balanced: not obnoxiously loud, not unnervingly quiet, usually soft and a bit hesitant." He pecked me on the nose. "Now... Are you ready to see what Kennedy can come up with? And I don't mean just breakfast; mom's probably right about him wanting to spend time with you."

"I like hanging with him; he's fun. I have no idea on what level his cooking skills are though," I admitted.

"One way to find out." Rhys winked and got up, pulling the sheet off of me to make sure I'll follow him.

*****

A/N: I guess Alec's fans are happy with this chapter... Or are you?

What do you think of his origins and being a hybrid?

How many of you guessed that?

What's your opinion about his mother and grandfather (I admit: I still haven't come up with a name for that guy)?

Any ideas how Kennedy plans to spend the day with Riley and will that plan include Rhys?

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it and consider sharing it with your friends!

Happy time wattpading! :)