Betrayed by My Mate - Hybrids Sorrow

On The Way

Chapter 4

Maksim’s POV

Something’s wrong. I can’t connect with Melina, but she’s scared. I felt it before bed last night, but she didn’t answer when I called. Melina always answers her phone, no matter what. She knew not answering would cause problems for her mate. I know something big was going on when she didn’t answer. If she doesn’t answer my call in the morning. I was going to show up on their doorstep.

Trevor wasn’t the brightest Alpha I’ve met. He seemed decent enough when we met. Then he started making mistakes, like when he began gaslighting my sister. Making her think she was being judgmental and paranoid when she was right the whole time. I know he has a woman on the side. I’ve seen them together when they didn’t realize I was there. Jerking apart was just as much an admission of guilt as the kiss they shared. From how familiar they were together, there’s no way Trevor wasn’t sleeping with her.

Despite the warning I'd given him about mistreating my sister. Trevor continues to make bad choices. But Melina loved Trevor; she defended him. He had treated her well the first few weeks. Then the arguing started. No way was I going to let that slide. Melina always told me to calm down and make excuses for him, but I knew my sister. I know how to read between the lines.

When she finally admitted her concerns about Trevor and Heidi, my heart broke for her. She was hurt, and I knew why. She wanted her mate to love her. Someone to truly love her. We were considered outcasts outside of our coven. Despite having friends who accepted us in Black Adder, many still didn’t like us. Most of those who didn’t want us there were jealous of us. We were highly competitive, and we excelled on every course. If we competed, either Melina or I were sure to win. Melina enjoyed training with Dad, and that was their special time together in our family's three-story gym.

It’s no secret we have a significant amount of strength. We trained daily, and our parents always taught us to do our best. To not hold back. We shouldn't let others beat us because we felt bad for them or wanted them to like us; they were right; it didn’t work, and I learned it the hard way. The one time I let our biggest bully win, he spent the next two weeks degrading Melina and me. She then challenged him to a rematch and beat him badly. It showed not just him, but the whole pack, that I'd let him win. He still hates me to this day.

I think sometimes Melina deferred to me in our competitions, too. She wanted me to be the clear winner. We'd discussed it, and Melina assured me she wanted me to be the team's next leader. Neither of us wanted to do it for the accolades or power. We did it because he hated for anyone to be bullied or killed for nothing. It served no purpose other than to stroke their egos or for them to feed on the ones they attacked. We do not feed from humans or werewolves. We feed from donated blood that we've purchased. The people who donate to us are well paid for their effort, and each bag is tested to ensure it's safe to drink.

The pack members who don’t like us hide it under the guise of not liking vampires, instead of admitting the truth, which is their jealousy over our strength. They are still trying to speak against us. To rally others against us. They want us to leave the pack and go live in the coven. Thankfully, Alpha Jaxon doesn’t listen to them. His father gave our father permission to live here. My uncle, Alexei, also lives in Black Adder. I'm planning on living in Black Adder with my own family. I won’t let them drive us out of here.

I immediately called my sister when I woke up at 6:45 this morning. I got Trevor, who lied to my face. My father was already dressed and ready to go. He knew I could be prepared in five minutes. Dad knew I had been up late and had let me sleep, but I could tell that Dad was really upset. That was unlike him. He never gets upset unless it's over Mom, one of his children, or the rest of our family. So this was serious.

“Grab a shower, we’re heading out at seven,” Dad told me.

“Is it Melina?” I asked. I just had a gut feeling.

“Ivan had a vision. Your sister's mate intends to kill her. We need to leave now. Trevor will be very sorry if she gets hurt,” my father replied. My mother was upset too. I just noticed her sitting in the darken living room when I heard a strangled sob.

“You stay, Dad. Mom can’t be left alone. I'll deal with Trevor. I know what to do,” I replied as I turned to go upstairs.

“I already called Kira and Blake. Blake will stay with your mother and the children. I'll need Kira’s skills to help heal Melina. She's already hurt, but according to Ivan, she's going to be hurt worse before we can get to her. So grab your shower and get dressed. I already have the plane being fueled up now. Just get ready to go. Once Kira and Blake arrive, we’re leaving,” my father answered.

He was all business at the moment. I’d never seen him like this before. I looked like his twin, just younger than he was, but not by much. He'd stopped aging and looked like he was in his thirties. He looked more like my older brother than my father. He was always calm and respectful to everyone. But right now, he looked like an avenging angel. I didn’t mind stepping back and letting this play out with Dad in charge.

There were two SUVs outside at seven. Kira, Irina, Polina, Nadia, Adrik, Ivan, and Dmitry were all in the special SUV. One that prevented light from getting into it. A warrior would drive them, and Dmitry was sitting up front. I watched my father kiss my mother goodbye and whisper into her ear. Each time we leave, there’s a slight possibility we won’t come home. My aunt Cara was there with their children as my uncle had just kissed them all goodbye. Everyone with a mate had been here to send us off, as I also saw Tatiana and Bonnie here.

Damir, Tatiana, and Dmitry’s son was here and upset that he couldn’t go. I hugged my mother goodbye and told her, “We’ll bring her back, Mom, don’t worry.” I knew it wouldn’t prevent her from worrying, but I needed to say something.

The ride to the airfield was quiet. Dad rode with me, as did my uncle Alexei, Alpha Jaxon, and his brother Chase, and two warriors, who were both expert trackers. Fourteen of us were going. Our group was even larger than the group that went to deal with the fledglings. Nerves were high as we loaded onto the plane.

We were in the air less than five minutes later. Trevor underestimated us, but he had been warned. His condition will depend on my sister's. I was grateful when Jaxon started to speak.

“We’re going to a werewolf pack, so I already alerted the Werewolf Council and got them up to speed. They agreed that even though Melina hadn’t been marked, she had been acknowledged as the Luna. We can use werewolf law against them. Treason against the Luna is punishable by death. They believe that since she wasn’t formally introduced to the pack as their Luna, they can use it as a loophole. They can’t. It will only take us over an hour to get there, but we've been allowed to deal with this issue as you see fit. You have helped the High Council out with rogue vampires and werewolves on numerous occasions. You've shown that you can be trusted. They are going to let you decide on the punishment for Still Waters. We all agree that we'll wait to see what happened to Melina before we decide. Is that still correct?” Jaxon advised.

“It is, for the moment. Ivan had a vision, and it’s not good. At the moment, she’s safe. Maksim called Trevor as soon as he woke up this morning. He warned Trevor that Melina needed to be kept safe. According to Ivan’s vision, Trevor sent two more teams to find and kill her. The worst part? She’s pregnant with his child. He doesn’t want the child or Melina, as he gave instructions for them to both be killed. His men out there are armed. I didn’t have the heart to tell Cheryl that Melina is pregnant. Ivan's only good news was that someone stepped in to help Melina. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. They were wearing a loose outfit with their head covered. I’m praying to the Goddess that Melina comes back to us safely,” my father replied.

“I’ve had no further visions, Anton. I can’t tell you anything else, but I hate not knowing. I can say that the person who stepped in to help Melina didn't hurt her. I’m hoping that with both Kira and Alexei here, we can save her. You know we love both Melina and Maksim, like they are our own. They gave us all hope that we could one day have our own children. We would die protecting either of them,” Ivan responded, his voice filled with emotion.

I knew he was telling the truth. We were raised with an abundance of love. Everyone on this plane treated us like their child when we were little. They never stopped loving us. If Melina were seriously hurt, they would go scorched earth on the Still Waters pack. With Polina’s control of fire, that was actually an option. I held back my tears. I was truly worried about my sister. I can’t imagine my life without her. I love everyone on this plane who came with us on short notice to save my sister.

I’m praying we get in and out of there without injuries. I didn’t want anyone else getting injured. I was suspect of the stranger who helped my sister. Melina was a vampire, and people would sooner leave us to die than help us. I couldn’t figure out why they were helping her. I gave up trying as my father and uncle laid out plans of what we would do. After we landed, Ivan suddenly asked to change our plans, which was a surprise. Once we make plans, we never deviate from them.

“Maksim, you need to get your own rental car. We will head to Still Waters and start the investigation. Jaxon already has local council members headed this way to enter with us. You need to go to a drug store on the corner where Main and Fifth Street intersect. Wait until you see someone wearing a dark brown shirt and pants entering. If you follow them, you will find Melina before we do. I know you want to go with us, but your sister is in danger. You need to follow the person back to where they live. Melina can’t be saved until you find where she is. Take a handheld GPS with you to send us your location,” Ivan told me.

I did as I was told, but only because it would get me to my sister faster. Because if something bad happens to her or her baby, Trevor is a dead man.