The Hybrid's Hope novel Chapter 11

Hope

After a fun night with Levi, we slept a few hours before getting up to spend the last few hours at the beach before having to check out and head back to the pack. Now that I have my apartment in the city and I know that Alpha Liam is expecting me, I want to pack up my things and head in with him tomorrow morning. Since he has to leave early to report in, I’ll be leaving early with him.

Rather than drive home with my family, I decide to drive home with Levi. There is something that I want to talk about with him and I’m glad that we’ll have some time alone to talk without anyone listening in.

“So, I have a favor to ask you, Levi,” I say after we’ve been on the road for a while.

He glances over at me from the driver’s seat. “That sounds serious.”

“I want you to hear me out before you say anything, okay?” I say. I already know he’s not going to like this.

“Okaaay. Why don’t you just tell me so we can discuss it.”

“I want to keep our mate bond secret … for now.”

I watch the muscle in his jaw tick and his fingers tighten on the steering wheel, like I expected.

“Are you ashamed of me, Hope?” he asks quietly.

“No! No, Levi! I could never be ashamed of you. You’re amazing. You’re an amazing man and Alpha!”

“Then why, Hope? I’m ready to tell the world that you’re mine. Why aren’t you ready to tell the world that I’m yours?” he asks and I can hear the hurt in his voice.

“Levi, you don’t know what it’s like …”

He looks at me and the hurt in his eyes so painful that I nearly back down. But I have to do this.

“You don’t know what it’s like to be bullied. You don’t know what it’s like for people to use anything and everything against you, Levi. If word gets around that we’re mates, and I’m not wearing your mark, people will assume that you don’t want me. They’ll make it seem like you’re using me and …”

“There’s an easy solution for that, Hope. Let me mark you. I’m ready. I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ll tell anyone who says that you’re not worthy of love just how wrong they are. I know that I’ve never been bullied. I know that I haven’t experienced what you have. But this time, there’s a way to shut your bullies up. Wear my mark. Wear it proudly, just like I’ll wear yours. Then they’ll have nothing to say.”

“Levi, please …”

He swerves off the side of the road and gets out, pacing in front of the car.

I get out of the car slowly, not used to seeing Levi this angry, at least not at me.

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