The Lost Hybrid (Completed)

C6: Stop Pretending

I was packed and ready to go. I said good-bye to Trish, which consisted of lots of tears on her end, and sad reassurance on my end. After 40 minutes of this, I had to tear myself away by promising her," I'll call." 

Then she would bomb me with more demands, and I would manage to slip in," Yes, I'll try to call everyday, no promises though."

She was satisfied with this, and let me go after 5 more minutes of tears. 

My mom was waiting for me by the door, and she grabbed my shoulders and pulled me towards her and whispered in my ear, "Till our grave."

"Till our grave." I echoed. I thought it was strange she was making me promise again not to tell about my healing abilities, but I knew she was looking out for my well being. There were no tears involved, because we weren't the crying type.

Xavier and Brax were hard to say good-bye to, too. They weren't as emotional as Trish, but I could feel their reluctance as they gave me a hug and whispered words of encouragement. I made Brax promise to take care of the family and his mate, and tell me when he found out I became an Aunt. 

I ordered Xavier to continue the training where I left off, but I knew he would have done it whether I asked him to or not. I knew he was sad and angry that I was leaving, but he also couldn't help but feel content that I had found myself a mate. 

"But if he treats you like anything less than a Queen, you call me and I'm getting you out of there." Xavier vowed, holding my gaze. 

"I will." I whispered, then drew him in for a fierce hug. I feared that if I let him go, I would never see him again. I always told myself I hated him for trying to get us a mate bond, but I knew he was just looking out for me, in his own way. Just like my mother. 

"Let's go." Phoenix's voice cut through our parting, and I let go with a sad smile.

"I'll see you soon."  I promised all three of them, then turned to leave and didn't look back. 

It would have been harder that way, watching their sad faces begging me to come back, to stay, so I kept trudging forward with my head down. I knew my father would come to see me at Alpha Phoenix's pack and see how I was coping before going on his journey to find the Oracle, so I chose not to bother him in his office. 

It was silent as we walked to where his car was situated, but I was used to that by now. I enjoyed it, and made it a point not to break it. The silence was welcomed and let me think without interruption. 

That was, before he decided to break it. "We will first have to make a stop in Paris, for I have business to conduct before we go back to my pack in Yorkshire."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Wait, what? You're kidding."

His face looked as serious as I've ever seen it. "No. Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"B-but that's all the way in England!" I exclaimed, my mouth hanging open. "We're in Nevada right now-"

"-I noticed-"

"And England is like millions of miles away!" My mind flashed back to when I promised my family and friends that I would visit them and I vowed not to break that promise. "I thought we were only an hour away, a few at the most. We are hopping countries here."

"I also noticed that." Phoenix's expression was cool, as was his voice. This was not okay. 

"Look, do you have some of your pack stationed nearby or anything?" I asked, desperate. 

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No."

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "Ugh. How am I going to keep my promise, then?"