Vindication (Hybrids Liberation Book 1) Read online

  Vindication

  Hybrids Liberation Series

  R. Spain

  Copyright © 2020 R. Spain

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Here's to the people who survived heartbreak and managed to overcome it. Raise a glass because you are thriving when others wished to see you fail.

  "Lifes a prison when you're in love alone."

  Usher

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Vindication

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4. 2 Years Later

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  16.

  17.

  18.

  To be continued…

  Vindication

  They told me I would never be welcomed back. They called me weak because I was different, they called my mom broken for giving their pack me. My entire life has been head down, mouth closed, and stay away from the others.

  My own mate decided I was weak and promised himself to another.

  None of this bothers me though, my wolf mourned her mate and we left the Halfcrest pack behind. Now, I want answers more than a place to call home, and I have finally found someone who can give them to me.

  It turns out my pack is hunting me again, finally everyone knows exactly how much of an abomination I am. The jokes on them though, Ralee Danvers’ isn’t weak. I never was, I allowed myself to appease them.

  Now that I know the answers to the truth? They will never own me again, I’m not an abomination, and this is my call for my vindication.

  1.

  Ralee

  Watch your eyes, divert them and be a good mate. These are the words I repeat to myself every time I meet another of my kind. I am the abomination; I am the freak that no one could ever want.

  “What are you doing, Ralee?” My breath catches in my throat. I want to tuck tail and run like the bitch I am. Chills roll down my skin, and the whimper I wanted so badly to hide released from my sore throat.

  “I meant no disrespect.” I bowed my head. I refused to allow them to see my biggest flaw. I always made sure to never meet their eyes, hoping if I were good, they would forget my damnation.

  Malin would never leave it be though, he felt the pull to me even if he would never act on it. When the pack heard he had a mate, they rejoiced. That was until they figured out it was me.

  I was lucky really. The fact that I was allowed to remain in the pack at all and not killed at birth was a gift from the goddess. I, however, would have rather died than deal with the pain of rejection ever again.

  Malin’s jaw ticked, but he backed away from me. I held back the shock and walked past him to join the pack. I could feel him as he walked behind me, smelling another’s scent covering his toned body.

  The wolf in my mind snarled, wanting nothing more than to rip apart the bitch that had dared touch him. I wouldn’t though, knowing that was not my place. My place was to accept what had happened to me. My feet stopped when I had found the middle of the pack. I watched as each and every wolf moved away from me.

  “My pack,” the Alpha demands everyone’s attention. I release the breath I had been holding from too many eyes on my very naked skin. Everyone’s eyes were up front, enjoying the feeling of the pack in their mind as they slowly begin to shift.

  The Alpha first, then Malin, his mother and then the pack from strongest to weakest. I waited my turn, knowing as the abomination it would be blasphemy for me to go before the rest of the pack.

  The wolves ranged in colors; black, white, brown, and the ones that shared the mixture of colors. Every single one of them beautiful in their own way, until you look at me. I was the color of red, the deepest shade that almost reminded you of blood. As far as anyone knew, I was the only red wolf anyone had ever seen. The closest to my color anyone had ever seen was a fox shifter, and even they were unaware of how I got my color being that I was a wolf.

  My mother swore to me It didn’t matter. She made me repeat it every day that color did not mean I wasn’t a wolf. The trouble was though, that with the life that I’ve lived, I would rather have been born unable to shift. The omegas were at least respected as breeders and their mates accepted them with pride.

  Me? No one would ever want me.

  The Alpha catches my attention as the shift takes control and I can feel that my human hands have turned into paws. Everything was brighter, more vibrant. I became one with my primal side, and that is why my mate was being held as close to his father as they could keep him.

  The Alpha took off, and the pack followed. I heard growls as I ran, I knew they were given me a warning to stay in the back. I just ran, honestly simply excited to feel the ground under my paws and the wind in my fur. I embraced the run, and the thrill of the hunt.

  My eyes scanned the forest, and even though I knew better my wolf didn’t care. I found a mouse, and my wolf charged. She wanted the kill and could see the smaller animal. as if she felt the pulse thrumming in its vein. The wolf pounced when I found where the animal hid, and before my wolf could claim the pride of a hunt she was knocked down.

  It took a moment to understand what was happening as she felt teeth in her shoulder blade. My wolf growled, a warning that she would attack if she was not released. The other wolf only held tighter, and as she could not see who held her down, she wiggled until she could escape.

  She rolled, feeling the skin tear from the teeth of the wolf. My own refused to allow anyone to dominate her in such a shameful way. I could feel my wolf’s sudden shock, and as she blinked taking in the wolf that was the cause for her bloodied skin and ruined hunt, she felt her wolf’s heart break once again.

  She got to her feet, her chin held high, and threw her head back with the most heartbreaking howl to the moon she had ever heard. Not a single wolf from her pack joined into her cry of ache, and when she felt the sting of rejection from the entirety of the pack, she lowered her head and ran away. Ralee would remember this moment for years to come, her mate’s wolf didn’t even want her. He denied her the kill of her hunt, and left her bleeding and heart broken.

  She ran, and ran, and ran. Ralee begged her wolf for control but the wolf denied her access. The wolf continued to run until she could not smell a single person from her pack anymore, and when she looked around, she noticed a stream. The heartbroken wolf whimpering took her bloodied body to the stream and laid down in front of the water.

  When her face met the water, she took in her wolves’ features. Nothing made sense to her wolf, she was everything a wolf should be. Strong, fast, a huntress, and a protector. The only thing that stood out about her was her coat of fur. Ralee’s wolf finally gave in, allowing her to push to the front and reclaim their shared body.

  “I am not less than them,” I murmured to myself. My eyes starred at my reflection, and as much as I wanted to disagree with the pack. I could see it myself; my mismatched eyes told the truth of my wrongness.

  One red eye, the color of my wolves’ coat, and one golden eye. It was all the proof my pack needed to be convinced
I was not what I should be. It was all they needed to prove to themselves that I would never be worth anything more than an outcast.

  2.

  Ralee

  "Ralee!" I heard the voice that would be my undoing and ignored it the best I could as I walked through the crowded hallways. I tense but force myself to walker faster. I wanted to get away from him, from them and no one here would save me if I was caught in their paws.

  I don't bother looking back, and I was about to turn into my classroom when a student knocked me in the shoulder causing me to hit the wall, hard. Malin growled, and the person apologized to him, but not me, and then walked away like he was lit on fire.

  My eyes close as I take in the pain and the smell that could bring me to my knees. I almost want to refuse to open my eyes, but I know this won't be over until he says whatever he needs to say. I blow out a breath, opening my eyes, and immediately look down.

  My own wolf growls at her unchallenged submission. She begs for me to fight for my rightful place in the pack, but I already know that I wouldn't get a fair trial and I refuse to lose my life until I am ready.

  "Your presence has been requested by the Alpha," Malin's voice wraps around me. My shoulders stiffen and my heart almost beats out of my chest. My head lifts, moving towards the classroom and then back to Malin and his group. The betas will make sure I follow the rules, and when the Alpha calls, you have no choice but to accept. I nod, moving forward as to follow behind my mate. I refuse to give him the chance to touch me though, not wanting to reward him by allowing him the very contact both of our wolves must crave.

  It doesn't take long for us to get to the pack lands from school, my mother stands there outside waiting on us. The Alpha allows her to stand by my side since my mate will never claim me. The laws of the wolfs’ state that a wolf without a mate are allowed stay in their parent's care as long as necessary.

  My mother's fear hits me, and I know this meeting will not be anything good for me. I will never allow them to harm my mother though, she couldn't help my faults any more than I could. Malin heads inside the pack home, and my mother follows closely behind him, while my mate keeps me at his side as not to lose me.

  When we reach the chambers that are for major gatherings, I take in the simple elegance of something I would never be able to have. The room is huge, one side a complete window for a wall outlining the beauty of the land our pack thrives on.

  The Alpha has not come in yet, and I know that is his way of making me wait for him and not the other way around. That isn't how this pack works, the Halfcrest pack was strong in their birthright. As one of the largest packs in the United States, they were well known and had some of the best fighters any pack would be proud of.

  The doors on the other side of the room opened, and in the sunlight, the Alpha's calculated gaze made the hair on my skin stand. My mother's gasps were the only thing that could be heard other than the footsteps of our Alpha's massive body made. He took his seat, while the rest of us stood, proving just who was truly in power here.

  "Ralee Denvers, daughter to Makenzie Denvers, and mate," The Alpha growls, looking pointedly at me before finishing his lie. "unknown." I don't even bother trying to fight his bullshit, knowing it would be pointless to even speak. I would never be the mate the Alpha wanted for his son, and Malin would never go against his father's wishes.

  "I have asked you here today because it has become apparent to us that you will not follow pack law," The Alpha growls his disapproval, and my mother whimpers at the Alpha musk he has pushed out. Every single person in this room would feel his power and automatically want to cower, my eyes moved downward. I repeated the words my mother had always preached to me as I played the perfect submissive to a bully that claimed his power.

  "I have overlooked your ugliness in the hopes that you would be worth something as you grew older. Still, as you've grown, you have shown no aptitude to being anything special. It is why I will allow you to leave the pack with your life, with no ability to ever return," The Alpha's voice caused my mother to drop to her knees, her tears falling freely as she pleaded with her Alpha. My eyes scanned the room, watching with pain as my mother showed how much of an Omega she truly was.

  Malin, my mate, showed no signs of emotions. His face was completely neutral as his father spoke of banishment like it would not matter to him one way or another. Finally, my eyes move to the Alpha.

  "What of my mother?" The Alpha's head tilted, curiosity shining in his gaze. He nods his head to me, approving me to continue with my question. I blow out a breath, straighten my shoulders and lift my head. If I am going to be banished, it would not matter what they perceived of me any longer. I watched the Alpha avoid looking at my mismatched eyes and focus entirely on the wall behind me.

  "I wish for you to allow my mother to stay in the pack. It is not her fault that I have flaws, and she is useful to you. She is an omega, and to throw her away for any reason would show that you do not appreciate even the most precious of our kind." My eyes move, watching as my words click into the minds of every wolf here. The growls begin, as they all catch on my blatant disrespect to the Alpha.

  The Alpha, however, just laughs.

  "If that is what it will take to get you off my land and away from my pack. I will have no issues keeping my omega, she will be the perfect person to plan my son's wedding," The Alpha baits me. I wish I could say it didn’t work; I wish I could say I didn't care.

  That wasn't the case though, I felt my wolf growl in my mind before my eyes landed on Malin. His body wasn't as relaxed anymore, his face less neutral. His eyes find mine, and for a moment I feel sorrow, but it's gone before I can blink.

  My mate chose someone else, he did not and would not ever pick me. I felt my wolf's heartbreak, finally understanding that the person Selene, the goddess of the moon, picked for her would never claim her as his.

  She didn't give herself longer than a moment to look at her mate, before turning to her Alpha and nodding in agreement. She would accept his terms because her mother would never make it on her own, out of pack lands. An omega was too easy of a target, that is why they were protected. She could never allow her mother to become a victim of her crimes.

  "Then it is settled." The Alpha clapped his hands together and the sound vibrated the walls. "You will be gone by daybreak." I nodded once more, then turned my body and walked myself out of the room even as my mother's sobs follow me out.

  3.

  Ralee

  I thought I had made a clean break; I begged my mind to stop turning so that I could forget the heartbreak of mourning a mate that was never mine. I thought I could wait him out, hoping that the bond of the moon that drove us together, would be enough to bring him to me when he was ready.

  I should have accepted it all those years ago, and then maybe my pride would not have been taken as much as it was. The knowledge that your mate did not want you but didn't want anyone else was one thing. It was, however, a completely different story when they didn't want you but wanted someone else.

  "Ralee, wait," I heard his voice, and stupidly, hope bloomed into my chest. I stopped my steps and closed my eyes as I begged the beating in my chest to return to a normal cadence. I smelled my mate as he walked up behind me but did not touch me in any way.

  "It isn't what you think," His tone was low, and almost pleading. It was just enough to make me turn, barely avoiding the urge to slap him for his disrespect.

  "You think I am ignorant?" My tone is low, but still boiling with untamed rage. My eyes take in Malin's frame, and fuck he was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. His chest was wide, and his frame built to perfection. He stood at about six-seven to my five-nine height, and his eyes were the perfect color of golden almost matching the sun in its hue. My mate was a perfect specimen of loupe male.

  "You can never make me understand how you can deny your mate for another. I truly hope she finds her moon mate one day and rips your heart to shreds when she picks him." My vindictive
prayer was met with silence. My mismatched eyes daring to meet his full force, and he finally cracks the wall to me for only a moment. His wolf allows me inside of his mind to see the heartache he is going through; it almost matches my own.

  I shake my head, backing away as Malin steps forward.

  "You do not get to do that to me, Malin!" I scream. I know it was stupid, I can feel the eyes on us now as they all look to see what is going on. Malin tenses but doesn't say a word.

  "My heart cannot bear your punishment, release it so that you may be happy with whoever she is," I plead, my voice managing not to break as the pain once again finds my heart. Malin's next words have the ability to destroy every wall around my heart, but whatever he says still will not change the years of torment.

  "Her moon mate is dead," Malin's words were the last blow that had to be dealt. He would get to be happy with whoever he was marrying because he would never have to worry about the females' mate. My wolf pushed through, and before any other words could be spoken, my hands and legs became paws, my clothes were shredded on the ground and my red wolf ran.

  "Ralee!" Malin called, but it was useless. Ralee Denver’s was now without a pack, and she had every intention of proving them wrong about who she really was.

  4. 2 Years Later

  Ralee

  I walk down the busy intersection, the sun beams down on my pale skin. I dyed my hair last night, and the bright blue helped calm my nerves. This would be the first time in years I had allowed myself to go into known wolf territory. It was the Hillblessed pack, and they were known for being more lenient on wolves' that weren't claimed.

  I walk into the park, my eyes searching the beautiful landscape for the older woman I was supposed to meet. I knew that this was going to be tricky, as the old woman was meant to explain to me why I was different. I had heard whispers during my travels the last few years, about a woman that could read wolves' and help them along to their path if they were lost.