[Nivera’s POV]
I had never felt so alive as I did presently. It was like I had been born all over again, but actually, that wasn’t a lie as I had indeed been reborn. I felt revived, strong and for the first time; free.
At Lucien’s house, there were many sachets of blood which he had stored in the refrigerator, and I tore them up one after another, gulping them all down as soon as they touched my lips. They each tasted differently, but still had that ultimate satisfaction that probably only a hybrid could understand. As satisfied as I felt, I wanted more; I yearned for more. It was the only life I knew now after all.
I looked at the corner where I had dumped all of the sachets earlier, and saw that I had finished them up.
“No, no, no,” I muttered, rummaging through the refrigerator like a lunatic, looking for at least, a drop of blood to satisfy my hunger. I needed it badly.
Lucien had said he was going to have a discussion with Celeste and he wasn’t home. He had told me to wait for him, but as minutes passed, I grew increasingly impatient and although I tried my best to remain composed, I could hardly fight the hunger that kept rising within me. I wondered how Lucien had survived without eating me up during the period I had stayed with him.
Suddenly, an idea crossed my mind. If I could find anyone, I wouldn’t have to starve or feel as thirsty as I currently did. But then, I shook off the idea. I had been a hybrid for just a few hours; Lucien would hate for me to just start devouring people.
However, I couldn’t fight the hunger anymore as I began to hear the sound of a person humming. I went to the window, and saw that it was coming from the middle-aged gardener who was busy trimming the flowers.
I swallowed as I watched his Adam’s apple vibrate as he hummed. I could feel every drop of blood in his body calling unto me. I struggled really hard, but eventually, the hunger for his blood overpowered me and the only thing I could think of was biting into his neck and having a taste of him.
In my head, I could picture the sight and I smiled to myself, thinking of how wonderful it would be. I licked my lips as my fangs slowly shot out, then I headed towards the door and was about opening it to go outside and fulfil my mission, when a voice stopped me right in my tracks.
“Don’t even think about it,” it was Lucien’s voice.
Slowly, I turned over to see Lucien standing behind me, with disappointment clearly written on his face.
I believed he was angry about the blood sachets as he kept staring at me with his fists clenched as though he was trying to suppress his anger.
“I… I’m sorry I finished it all,” I apologised, looking down at my toes.
He didn’t look appeased. Rather, he looked irritated and disgusted.
I belched quite loudly against my will, and almost choked, but he just remained standing there, still looking at me without saying a word.
“I said I’m sorry,” I told him.
“What are you sorry about?” he retorted, eyeing me all over.
I was quite taken aback, but felt he had every right to be angry.
“I am sorry for finishing up the blood sachets. I should have been more considerate since you might have needed it as well. I am honestly so sorry, and I know it probably took you months to gather everything, but don’t worry. I am a hybrid now. I can help you get more blood from unsuspecting humans,” I said with a small smile, hoping that would cheer him up, but instead, he clenched his fists tighter.
“Do you think that’s why I gave you my blood? To make you into a hybrid in case you do die, so that you can go about New Orleans hunting for blood?” he asked, in a firm tone.
“I…I…” I stuttered.
“Have you looked in the mirror, Nivera? Have you? Clearly, I was wrong. You’re nothing like your former self. You didn’t get angry that I made you a hybrid, you’re not upset that you now have to drink blood, you’re in fact thrilled about joining me in looking for blood as that is the only conversation you’ve brought up since I brought you back home,” he snapped angrily.
I was visibly shaken by his words. “Why should I be angry that you made me a hybrid? You saved my life, and I can spend all eternity by your side now. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?” I retorted.
“I wanted that with the Nivera I used to know… the Nivera that was scared of me being a bad person, the Nivera that only saw the good in people, the Nivera that begged me to spare the life of a man that treated her like trash, the Nivera that was pure and innocent,” he said at the top of his voice.
“Oh, really? Well, look where that got me. I was disgraced, used, murdered and not even given a decent burial. If you think that I am going to let myself be that same Nivera that was so stupid to just look for the best in people, then you’re wrong. That part of me died the moment Alpha Tyler slashed my throat with a sword,” I stated, strongly.
He looked at me for a few seconds, then burst into a hysterical laughter. “Fine, then. Justify what you’ve just done, and go ahead killing innocent human beings, but you won’t do that while being by my side. If you want to remain by my side, you have to remember your old self and go back to being that person. I won’t have you if you aren’t you,” he stated.
I held back the tears that wanted to fall. “Is that really what you’re saying to me? Remember, Lucien. This is all your fault,” I yelled at him.
“I know, but I was just trying to save the life of the woman I love… loved!” he said.
“Loved? You don’t love me anymore? Why? Because I’ve changed? Is that it? Lucien, do you regret saving my life?” I asked, hurt to the core.
“You’re the one who said this was all my fault, so don’t try to change the topic now,” he said.
“What I meant by that was that if only you hadn’t forced me to go back to the Alpha king, I wouldn’t have been falsely accused and I wouldn’t have lost my life as an ordinary werewolf. You shouldn’t have let me go in the first place. Now, I’m a hybrid and you detest me,” I said.
“I don’t detest you. I detest your actions,” he corrected.
“It’s the same thing. If you can’t accept me for who I am now, then what’s the point? I always thought it was suspicious how you just loved me for no reason, but I was wrong. You had a reason all along,” I told him.
He seemed confused. “What reason are you speaking of?” he asked.
“You’re a hypocrite, Lucien, for condemning me like you’re any different. You didn’t want a complete mirror of yourself; you wanted something opposite of you. You wanted the Nivera that was a pushover and always needed to be saved, and not the Nivera that could save herself. You wanted to feel good about yourself; you needed me to feel like you weren’t a totally bad person, and now that you’re seeing that we are exactly the same, you can’t stand your own reflection!” I screamed at him.
“That’s not true,” he said.
“Seeing how your feelings have changed so quickly, I would say it’s true,” I said.
“My feelings haven’t changed!” he stated strongly.
“So, you love me?” I asked.
He bit his lip, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He couldn’t say a word; he was completely speechless.
“I thought as much,” I said with a sneer, and turned around to leave.
“Where are you going?” he called after me.
“Why do you care? You said you don’t want to see me again,” I retorted.
He heaved a sigh. “I’m only asking because you can’t be walking around in tattered clothes with bloodstains all over, except you’re going to scare the members of your former Pack at Tyler’s wedding to Malia,” he said.
I turned around in shock. “The Alpha is getting married to Malia?” I asked, wide-eyed.
He looked away from me, looking regretful of what he had just said. “That’s completely untrue. I was just making an assumption,” he stated, but from the way he refused to meet my eye, I could tell he was lying.
“The Alpha would dare get married even before my corpse rots? What makes him think that he deserves happiness?” I asked, and I could feel my eyes darken and fangs slowly pop out with my claws emerging from my fingernails.
“Nivera, calm down,” Lucien said, walking towards me.
“Calm down? Don’t tell me to calm down!” I roared fiercely, as the fangs and claws grew wider and longer.
“At least, now, we get to be together, so what he did was all for the best,” he said, now standing directly in front of me.
I pushed him away with every ounce of strength I possessed and he staggered backwards and fell on one knee to the ground with a low growl.
I looked at my hands in amazement, and then I was reminded of the fact that I was no longer a weak Omega. I now possessed the strength that came with being a half-vampire; I had even gotten Lucien to fall on his knees.
I cackled excitedly. “You were right, Lucien. I shouldn’t just be sneaking up on unsuspecting humans when I can do more than that. Instead of killing innocent people, I should be after the ones that had taken my life simply because they hated me,” I said.
“No, Nivera. You can’t…” Lucien tried to protest.
“I can do whatever I want, Lucien. I’m a hybrid; you made me,” I said, and with that, I lunged forward at him with a surprise and hit him with my fist on the side of his jaw, sending a shock straight to his brain.
He fell with a thud and collapsed on the ground. “I… I created a monster,” he said regretfully before passing out.
“Yes, Lucien, you did. Now, sleep a little. By the time you wake up, this monster would have killed more people than you did in your four hundred and seventy three years on earth,” I whispered softly as though he could hear me, and with a smirk, still basking in the light of my newly acquired superhuman strength, I vanished into thin air.