Hybrid Aria by Jessica Hall

Chapter 54

Aria’s POV

Wendy looked up at the noise that ripped from Christine. Christine climbed to her feet, having not

noticed Wendy’s crumpled form lying beside her, her eye’s only on her prey. That prey was Amber, her

own daughter. I struggled with my restraints, my hand slipping out from the wrist cuff, leaving only my

elbow now stuck in the second cuff along that arm.

David, noticing the crazed look, started calling out to her, fighting to release himself, anything to distract

her from hunting her own defenceless daughter, who was unconscious and unaware of the danger she

was in, from her own mother. Wendy grabbed Christine’s leg, but her bloodlust had completely taken

over her. She didn’t even look down at the tug on her leg, her eyes solely focused on that of her

daughter.

“Wendy, you have to stop her, I can’t get free.” I screamed. My bone in my upper arm snapping under

the pressure I was exerting trying to break free. My bone breaking through the flesh just above where

my elbow should be. I screamed from the horrendous snap, my nerves in my arm feeling like I just tore

straight through them. My arm bending, I was able to slip out of the cuff, my right arm dangling at a

weird angle, blood running down my arm and dripping on the floor. I could already feel my arm shifting

back into place and the wound healing as I endured the pain of my bones rearranging.

Christine, smelling my blood, turned and looked in my direction. The first thing I noticed were her

amber eyes, except the pupil was blood red. I don’t know what they gave her, but it was clear to me

whatever it was, it wasn’t just my blood. Whatever they did altered her DNA. Right now, I was staring

back at the perfect predator. No recognition on her face that I am her friend, her Luna. I realised in that

moment whatever was left of Christine was gone.

Wendy staggered to her feet between us, but Christine’s eyes never left mine. She was hunting, and I

was her prey. Wendy lunged forward falling into Christine’s body and knocking her on the floor before

landing heavily on top of her. Wendy was sweating profusely, and I could tell she was exerting what

little energy she had left trying to stop her. They wrestled on the ground, Wendy trying to pin her down,

but she was no match for her. Christine threw her off, Wendy smacked into the steel table her head

smacking the side of the cage Lily was trapped in.

Amber groaned and shifted in her seat, dazedly looking up. Her groan, a distraction to Christine as her

eyes snapped to that of her daughter.

“Mum?” Amber said, her voice a murmur as she tried to work out what was going on. David started

screaming, trying to get the attention off her own daughter. I saw his braces starting to pull from the

wall when his shin bone snapped, trying to get his leg free.

I struggled with my other arm, breaking my left hand before sliding it out of the wrist cuff. I was close, I

just needed to free my other arm.

Christine lunged directly over the table at Amber. Amber’s scream jolted Wendy to her feet just in time

for Wendy to grab her around the waist. Adrenaline must have been the only thing that got her to move

so fast because Wendy was there fighting her own best friend to stop her from destroying the one

person she loved most in this world. Wendy slammed Christine into the wall next to me before Christine

kicked her in the stomach, making her double over.

I saw the look in her eye, nothing was going to stop her from killing all of us once she was done with

Amber. The hunger in her eyes proved there was nothing left of her to save. Tears poured down my

face as she lunged forward. I moved, my hip dislocating as I threw my entire body toward her, my hand

punching straight through her chest. I felt my hand smash through her ribs and sternum, her blood

coating my arm before I felt the beating of her heart in my hand.

She stopped and looked down at my arm that was in her chest cavity. My fingers wrapped around her

heart before squeezing. An agonised look crossing her features as I ripped her heart from her body.

She stood upright for a second, still staring at the hole in her chest before her body collapsed in a heap

on the floor.

“Please forgive me, Zane!” I screamed his name as I felt her link to me snap, my heart felt like it had

been squeezed with hers and ripped away, as her teether to me snapped. Her life gone, and at my

hands. Wendy screamed her voice piercing my ears and pulling at my soul. She threw herself at Amber

trying to cover her eyes from seeing her mother’s death. Wendy was too late though, everything

happening so fast. I knew she saw me; her Luna and her mother’s friend just rip the life out of her.

“I had no choice.” My voice breaking at the realisation, my entire body crying out for her, crying for

Amber, crying for the heartache I know I just caused Zane. But most of all, crying out for Reid, who I

know would have also felt what I just did.

Amber was hysterically screaming out for her mother, trying to break free from the cage of Wendy’s

arms, as she held her trying to shield her from what I had done.

I killed one of my best friends, I know Christine would have wanted me to if it meant saving Amber, but

that doesn’t stop the hurt I have caused and feel. I knew I just destroyed and traumatised her daughter,

destroyed her mate. But what choice did I have? I had to choose. It was either Christine or her

daughter, and I know deep down I made the right choice, the choice she would have wanted.

“You had no choice Ari,” David spoke next to me. One of his legs was free, but his arms still braced to

the wall. His claws extended, and I knew whatever they gave him was wearing off, I also knew because Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

I could feel it slowly disappearing from my bloodstream.

We need to get out of our restraints before they readminister another dose. I looked at Amber

apologetically, sobs wracking her entire body. The bleeding in her mouth had stopped, but the gash on

her head was still deep and not healing. I ripped my arm from the last brace. I could feel the skin

tearing from my body like I was being degloved, but I didn’t care I was mad, my anger numbing the

pain. I would heal quickly, I just needed out of the restraints. I won’t let them hurt anyone else.

My body fell forward smacking into the concrete floor, I felt my shins snap from the unnatural way my

body was lying on the ground while they were still braced to the wall. Wendy let go of Amber and

helped lift me up, she struggled under my weight. I was able to slide one leg out, having to twist my

ankle to release myself. I felt my leg heal just as the door opened. Men rushing inside. I placed my leg

on the ground, and Wendy went into defence mode, holding them back. I broke my ankle and

manoeuvred my other leg out just in time, for them to run back out of the room sealing it shut. I looked

up when I heard an exhaust fan start, I knew instantly they were trying to gas us out with Wolfsbane.

After a few seconds Wendy started coughing. “Cover your mouth with your shirt.” Both Amber and

Wendy covered their mouths dropping onto the floor. The room started to fill with white smoke, I turned

to David and started ripping on his restraints, they started pulling from the wall with his help he was

able to get free, falling on the floor next to my feet. I couldn’t see out the windows, the fog making it

increasingly difficult to see.

I started choking on the fumes, my lungs filling with its toxic gas. I dropped to the floor, covering my

face with my shirt.

We just had to hold out longer, wait for the gas to be turned off. I heard Lily in the cage coughing and

looked up to see her naked inside the cage, the wolfsbane must have forced her wolf to change back.

She coughed and choked, gasping for air. But she had nothing to shield her face. I crawled toward the

cage before tearing a piece of my shirt and passing it to her through the mesh, poking it inside with my

fingers. She looked up at me panicked. And I gasped to see her eyes had remained the same as that

of her wolf, half blue and half orange glowing like embers of a flame.