Hybrid

Chapter 11

The shock of hearing a new voice causes me to bonk heads with Max in a state of panic.

"Shit," he mutters, but I don't have time to worry if he's okay. I'm already buttoning my shorts and crossing the room to grab my bra. I can hear people moving around downstairs, and the anxiety of being caught shirtless in a boys room by his parents is enough to make me want to puke. And it's not just any boy; it's my mate. I don't want my first impression on my future in-laws to be of me scrambling to get clothed in their son's bedroom.

Max, thank the moon goddess, seems to just know what's going through my mind right now. He hops off the bed and slips into his clothes faster than I did. "Max?" a voice calls, and I meet his eyes in a state of panic. The voice sounds close, like it's coming up the stairs. Max offers me a guilty look as if to say "I'm so sorry", but I shake my head, hoping he understands that I'm not mad about this.

"Oh!" the voice gasps, and we both turn at the sound. His step mom is standing in the doorway of his room, a look of surprise on her face. The first thing I notice is how pale her skin is. I've never even seen someone so pale before, but I've also only ever been around werewolves, who are naturally tan. Even with the pale skin, though, she's beautiful. She has bright blue eyes and dark, shoulder length hair. Her skin looks smoother than a baby's bottom, and trust me, I know how smooth those are.

"Um, mom, this is my mate, Brynn," Max says. I turn to him as he runs a hand through his hair, and seeing him nervous seems to almost calm my nerves. I don't know why he's nervous about me meeting his family, but knowing we're in the same boat is a relief. He offers me a supportive smile when he notices my staring, and that's all it takes to wash away all the nerves. I turn back to his mom.

"Hi, I'm Brynn," I smile, holding out my hand. She reaches out to shake it, replacing the look of surprise with a warm smile that lights up her eyes.

"I'm Julie. It's so nice to meet you. I wish I could say I've heard a lot about you, but," she turns her eyes to Max and gives him a pointed glare, but her light brown eyes totally give away that she's joking around, "this is the first I'm hearing."

"Oops," Max grins, coming up and grasping my hand in his.

"Come on, your father's downstairs with the twins," Julie laughs. "And you have someone he'll definitely want to meet." She winks at me before turning away and heading towards the stairs.

"That didn't go bad at all," I mutter to him under my breath as we follow her out. "I definitely wasn't expecting that."

"My mom's pretty chill," Max shrugs. "My dad is most of the time. If he's pissed at someone or something, everyone will feel the wrath."

"I heard that!" a deep voice calls, and a laugh escapes Max. We get to the bottom and reach the kitchen. Julie's pulling containers of food out from a plastic bag, her husband is filling two cups with milk, and the twins, Molly and Mason, are sitting at the island, anxiously waiting for their dinner with coloring books in front of them. Their dad and the twins are just as pale as Julie. I haven't seen a family picture yet, but I know that Max is the one that doesn't belong.

Molly is the first one to see me, and she swats at Mason and points to me. He hits her back before looking in my direction. Molly smacks him across the head, though, so there's barely enough time for him to register that I'm here.

Mason goes to smack Molly again, but they're sad turns around at the precise moment Mason's hand is raised. "Hey," he says sharply, and the two of them freeze. I even find myself holding my breath as I wait for him to continue. I feel Max place his hand on my lower back, and his chin finds its way to my head. I relax into his touch.