The Hybrid King’s Secret Mate Chapter 01

The Hybrid King’s Secret Mate Chapter 01

Ten years after I severed the blood bond, I met my former bonded mate and my adopted brother again in a forgotten border town.

Time had turned them into something far beyond what they once were.

One now sat upon the obsidian throne as the Vampire King, sovereign of all bloodlines, ruler of the nocturnal world where sunlight was only a myth.

The other had become the Hybrid King, half Lycan, half vampire, feared by both packs and courts alike, the one who commanded the werewolf realm with iron silence.

And me?

I lived behind a glass window that never quite shut out the cold, running a cake shop so small it could have been mistaken for a human’s dream.

The moment our eyes met, the world went still.

Even for them.

Even for beings who no longer needed to breathe.

Camden’s fingers paused mid-motion, subtly hiding a pregnancy test report behind his coat as if it could erase its existence.

Ryker’s hand, which had been reaching for a jeweled box meant for his “sister,” quietly retreated, slipping it back into his pocket as though it had never been drawn from the shadows.

I lowered my gaze, unbothered, and continued packaging the macarons.

The scent of sugar and blood-orange glaze filled the air, faintly warm, faintly sweet.

I slid the box forward across the counter.

“Your Majesties,” I said evenly. “Please take your order.”

The title landed between us like a sealed coffin lid.

For a brief moment, neither of them moved.

Even vampires, when faced with the past, could forget how to speak.

When they finally turned to leave, Camden stopped.

Not at the door.

But mid-step, as if something inside him had been tugged by an old, buried curse.

“Didn’t you once say,” his voice was rough, edged with something that didn’t belong to a king, “that you would never bake again… for the rest of your life?”

A faint smile touched my lips.

“That was a long time ago.” My tone was light, polite.

“People change. So do vows.”

Outside the glass, children’s laughter drifted through the street, soft and careless, like life still belonged to the living.

But inside the shop, the air remained heavy with something older.

Neither of them was willing to leave.

Camden tightened his grip around the box of freshly baked macarons.

“Veda’s pregnancy symptoms have been pretty bad lately,” he said quietly. “So we brought her out here to rest for a while.”

Then after a pause, he added, “Your mother came too.”

His eyes stayed fixed on me.

“Do you want to see her?”

I wiped frosting from the piping bag and shook my head lightly.

“No need.”

Then I smiled faintly.

“Please send my regards to Queen Macy.”

I paused briefly before adding,

“Actually… maybe don’t mention me at all. It might cause misunderstandings.”

Ryker’s fingers suddenly tightened at his side.

“Paisley… actually, these past years, we…”

“Paisley!”

The shop door suddenly burst open.

A girl in a black robe rushed inside while pulling down her hood dramatically.

“I’m starving!”

The moment I saw Riley, a genuine smile finally appeared on my face.

I reached out and tapped her nose lightly.

“There’s a Bloody Mary cake in the fridge. Your favorite.”

“But I don’t want to eat alone.” Riley hugged my arm and whined softly. “Paisley, eat with me.”

I looked back at the two men by the register.

The warmth in my smile faded slightly.

“Your Majesties,” I reminded them calmly, “your macarons are ready.”

Camden went strangely quiet the second he heard Bloody Mary cake.

Meanwhile, Ryker stared blankly at Riley’s face, whatever he wanted to say dying in his throat.

I simply took Riley’s hand and led her toward the kitchen.

The automatic door slowly slid shut behind us, cutting off their view completely.

By the time I came back out, the shop was empty.

Riley bit down on her fork and mumbled curiously,

“Paisley, did you know those two vampires just now?”

She blinked.

“The way they looked at you was really weird.”

“When they arrived, I saw an entire royal convoy outside. There were vampire guards everywhere.”

Her voice dropped excitedly.

“I heard one of them is the Vampire King, and the other is the hybrid king who rules the werewolves.”

I lowered my head and organized the receipts calmly.

“Just customers.”

Then I flicked her forehead lightly.

“If I really knew people like that… would I still be waking up early every morning just to bake cakes?”

Riley immediately burst into laughter.

Then she leaned closer and whispered dramatically into my ear,

“I also heard that the hybrid king’s bonded mate is the Vampire King’s younger sister.”

“This trip was specifically for her pregnancy recovery.”

Her eyes sparkled with envy.

“She must be so happy to be loved like that.”

I quietly hummed in response and tossed the used piping bag into the trash.

How much they spoiled Veda?

Of course I knew.

After all, ten years ago…

One of them sent me to a vampire psychiatric hospital on our bonding night and turned me into the laughingstock of the entire vampire world.

The other publicly announced my death and personally drove me out of vampire territory, leaving me to be hunted down by vampire hunters and hybrids alike.

The two of them worked together perfectly.

Step by step.

Until they crushed me completely and shoved me straight into hell.