The Hybrid Lover

Juliette stopped suddenly, the dead leaves crunching under her feet. The shadow of a movement in the bushes to his right had interrupted him in his quest. His eyes were pleasing, scrutinizing the undergrowth with sharp precision, as if each thrill of wind bore a secret. She was there for a reason, a reason that pushed her beyond her comfort zone. But in this dense forest, where the light struggled to unravel, each noise made it stretch, each shadow seemed suspicious.

Disappearances. They had been haunking his thoughts for weeks. Each day, a new person seemed to evaporate, carried away by a mysterious force, without leaving any trace. Police had remained silent, and the city whispered stories that Juliette could not ignore. It was too strange, too ... inhuman. She was a journalist, determined to unravel this mystery. His instinct had led him here, where everything seemed to begin: this forest.

A breeze shook the branches, bringing with it the smell of the damp earth and the plant. A shiver crossed his neck. She tightened her catch around her notebook, ready to take notes, but something held her. Something ... or someone.

She was haired on tiptoe, tense, eyes wide. Then suddenly, a deaf noise. A groan. A roar. It was not an ordinary animal. Her heart got carried away. She knew she couldn't hesitate. She had to move forward, that she understands. May she discover what was hid in the shade.

A movement to her left, fast like lightning, and Juliette found herself in front of a human silhouette, a silhouette that she had not seen coming. He was tall, much larger than she would have imagined, and his gaze ... his gaze was piercing, almost devouring. She took a step back, her eyes staring at him, on this stranger who had crossed the forest as a shadow.

He looked at her intensity, as if he sought to read his soul. No word escaped her lips. A heavy silence settled together, broken only by the wind that was blowing through the trees. Juliette, taken in this silent exchange, felt her belly to tie. It was obvious that this man ... This man was not like the others. There was something wild in him, something indomitable. But what?

She forced herself to speak, her calm voice than she would have liked. " Who are you ? »»

He didn't answer right away. An almost imperceptible sigh escaped from his lips, as if he weighed each word. Then he straightened up slightly, and his silhouette seemed to stretch, as if he took up all the space around them. "I could ask you the same question. »»

Juliette froze, her beating heart stronger. Who was this man? And why this strange feeling, this thrill of discomfort that invaded him? "You follow disappearances ..." he finally said, eyes always fixed on her, "... but you do not understand what you are looking for. »»

She stretched herself, suddenly feeling vulnerable. "You know what's going on here, right? The question escaped her lips before she even thinks about it. It was not audacity, but pure necessity. Something, in this forest, in the air around them, told him that this meeting was not accidental. That this man was the key.

His gaze darkened, an indefinable glow in the eyes. " Maybe. He took a step forward, his presence becoming even more overwhelming. It was so close that she could feel the warmth of her body, an intense, almost irrational warmth. "Do you want to understand?" He marked a break. "So follow me. »»

Doubt interfered in his mind, but he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Juliette knew she couldn't go back. She was not the one who was fleeing. She had not yet discovered the whole truth, but she was ready to discover it, regardless of the price.

They sank into the forest, the weighing silence, the palpable tension between them. He didn't seem in a hurry. The path he showed him was narrow and difficult, as if he alone knew the trails. His steps were heavy, as if he walked on a land that belonged to him, a land he mastered. She followed him with a determination tinged with curiosity and fear.

The trees seemed to close on them, the darkness intensifying as they advanced. Juliette noticed that the sounds of the forest had diminished, as if the nature itself held up. He led her to a clearing, isolated, away from everything she had known. There, in the center, a strange circle of stones marked the ground, the rough stones eroded by time. A symbol of a forgotten era, of an ancient magic.

The man stopped and turned to her. "You are looking to understand, but you are not ready. He stared at his eyes, and Juliette felt strange pressure in his chest. It was as if his gaze was trying to absorb it entirely.

"You cannot understand without accepting what you will see. He spoke gently, almost in mid-voice. "Everything you thought you know ... Everything you thought to be true ... All this will break. »»

Juliette Frissonna. Doubt this time was stronger. But she couldn't go back. "What are you? She asked, her trembling voice in spite of herself.

The man did not answer immediately. He stared at her for a moment, as if he hesitated to grant her this truth. Then, in a barely audible breath: "What you see in front of you is only part of what I am. He moved away slightly, and Juliette felt a presence that brushed her, like an icy breeze. His eyes stared at him, and he seemed to blend into the dark, a silhouette transforming, twist. Silence was even more oppressive.

And suddenly, he stood there, in front of her, his now different form. Larger, more imposing, dangerous air. He was no longer this man. He was no longer a human being. His brilliant look of a supernatural glow. His features seemed to blend with the night herself.

Juliette could no longer look forward to. She knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that what she had before her was not an illusion. It was the truth. A truth that she could not flee. He was not just a man. He was not just a hybrid. He was ... something else. A predator. A werewolf.

The earth seemed to shirk under its feet. She took inspiration, the words stuck in her throat. "What are you? She repeated, but this time, fear was no longer present. It was only recognition, bitter acceptance of what she had just discovered.

Man, or what he had become, smiles. A weak, but significant smile. He walked towards her, his approach marked with power. "I am what you are looking for. »»

The breeze intensified, and, in the light of the moon, the truth broke out in Juliette's mind. She hadn't just found a man. She had just discovered the existence of hybrids, these creatures that she had believed only legends. But now she knew. She knew she was no longer in a simple report. She had entered another world. A world that she could no longer leave.

She was no longer just a journalist. She was linked to this secret. Linked to him.

The music was strong, the voices even more. The air vibrated under the bass while Juliette made his way between the tight tables, looking for a place to sit. The bar was crowded, one of those places where we were drowning the fatigue of the week in alcohol and noisy conversations. It was not his kind of place. She had come here by instinct, an inexplicable feeling that pulled her towards this place for no apparent reason.

She settled on a stool near the counter, her gaze lost in the golden reflections of the bottles aligned in front of her. His mind was still in full confusion after his discovery in the forest. What she had seen ... what she had felt ... it was as if her world had fractured. Nothing had the same consistency. She should have flee, forget. But instead, she was there, unable to tear himself away from this obsession.

A movement on his right drew his attention. His gaze posed on him.

He was alone, installed in a dark corner of the bar, a glass in hand. Her face was partially hidden by the shadow of dim lights, but every detail she could see was enough to capture her attention. A strong jaw, marked features, a raw intensity that emanated from him like an invisible wave. He didn't look like anyone here. He didn't look like anyone.

Juliette felt her belly to knot, a strange warmth going up along her spine. This man ... he was not just attractive. He gave off something inexplicable, an underlying force, an overly tangible presence to be ordinary. He did nothing, however she could not look away.

He turned his head, and their eyes met.

A shock. A thrill.

The heart of Juliette missed a beat. It was not normal. Not a simple exchange of looks between foreigners. There was something else. A brutal, instantaneous connection. As if she had just received a prohibited truth.

The man supported his gaze for a moment, then slowly rests his glass on the table. He didn't smile. He didn't seem surprised either. As if he had felt it even before she saw him.

Juliette had forgotten how to breathe.

Without realizing it, she got up, her steps leading her to him as if she had no control over her own body. Part of her shouted to turn around, not to give in to this impetus. But it was too late.

He didn't move when she approached. His eyes, with a deep gray, observed it with disturbing attention.

- You have been fixing me for a while.

His voice. Serious, posed, slightly hoarse. A timbre that seemed to wear an invisible weight.

Juliette stopped, surprised by the way he had taken it short.

- I ... I didn't want to -

- Yes, you wanted it.

She blinked, disconcerted. Not by his words, but by the absolute certainty with which he had pronounced them. As if he already knew her.

- Who are you ?

He did not respond immediately. Her gaze slipped on her, a fraction of a second too long, before he said in a low voice:

- Damien.

She was waiting for a sequel, but there wasn't. Just this first name, thrown into the air as obvious. He didn't seem willing to say more.

Juliette felt her heart beat faster, for no logical reason.

- You were in the forest today, right?

For a moment, he did not move. Then he leaned his head slightly, a joyless smile touching his lips.

- You too.

His belly contracts.

He knew.

She opened her mouth, ready to ask the question that burned her lips, but a thud made her jump. A clamor climbed from the bottom of the bar. Someone had just gotten in a hurry, his breathless breath, his eyes widened by panic.

- There is ... there is something outside!

Silence fell instantly. Everyone had frozen.

Juliette exchanged a quick look with Damien, and she saw something change in him. A fleeting shine in his eyes, a sudden tension in his muscles.

He knew.

Without a word, he got up, bypassing the table with an almost inhuman fluidity. He crossed the play, indifferent to the looks that followed him, and went out in the night.

Juliette hesitated a fraction of a second before following him.

The outside air was frozen, loaded with strange electricity. The street was deserted, apart from a small group of customers who had gathered in front of the bar, whispering between them.

Juliette swept the surroundings of the gaze, looking for an explanation. But it was Damien who found her first.

His body was tense.

Then he disappeared.

Juliette blinked, believing that he had dreamed. He was there, right in front of her, and in a fraction of a second ... nothing.

His heart accelerated suddenly.

A cry echoed overnight.

An inhuman cry.

Juliette turned, icy blood.

There, at the edge of the forest, a massive silhouette was stood immobile, half hidden by the dark. Not a man. Not an animal. Something between the two.

A second cry rose, closer this time.

The whispers behind it move in panicked exclamations.

Juliette did not move.

She couldn't.

Because at this precise moment, she understood.

Damien had not fled.

He had joined the shadow.

And the shadow was him.