Omega Magic

by Maggie Hemlock

  Each semester I begin my first class by explaining and warning my students how important it is to pay attention at all times when practicing alchemy. Potions aren’t a burrito you can nuke in the microwave and forget about.

  Every semester there’s always one cocky young Alpha who thinks they know better than my years of study and experience.

  “Ryan, pay attention, please,” I tapped the board. “Don’t put the petals in before the pot cools down.”

  “I am paying attention,” Ryan rolled his eyes and Jessie cracked his knuckles.

  “Calm down,” I mouthed to Jessie. “You can’t beat up my students.”

  “Wait for the pot to cool down,” I warned him once again when he unceremoniously picked up a moon blossom petal. “And be careful with the petals.”

  “Professor,” Leslie waved me over. “Does this look right? It looks more like pancake syrup than anything else.”

  “No, dear,” I chuckled. “Did you wait for the orange rind to boil down completely before turning off the heat?”

  “Oh, poo,” Leslie sighed.

  A light whistling sound whispered from somewhere in the room. I didn’t pay it any mind, because in an alchemy classroom there’s always a simmering, boiling, or whistling pot.

  “It’s fine,” I patted Leslie on the shoulder. “Just trash it and start over. You still have plenty of time.”

  A small crackling sound across the room caught my attention. I never heard my flashlight in a bottle potion make that sound before.

  “Moron,” Jessie muttered standing up.

  He shifted leapt across the room and knocked Ryan and the student next to him to the floor. They landed with a thud and Jessie growled as Ryan tried to wiggle out from under him.

  “What the hell, man? Have you lost your fucking mind?” Ryan shouted above the buzzing chaos of chatter that started when they hit the floor.

  “What are you doing?” I started across the room but stopped in my tracks when his pan flamed up and splattered its contents across the wall behind them and the ceiling above.

  “Stupid pup!” Jessie growled and pawed hard at the back of Ryan’s head. “Listen to your professor before you get someone killed!”

  Shifting back to his human form, Jessie slapped Ryan in the back of the head and dragged both students away from the still flaming pot.

  “Everyone out!” He shoved them towards the door. “Stay on the far side of the room. Don’t worry about your stations. I’ll make sure they get turned off.” He put the lid on the pot and the flames hissed out.

  The students didn’t need to be told twice. They headed for the door nearly tripping over each other. A few of the older Alphas stopped to make sure any omegas within arms reach left the room without getting trampled.

  “You too, mate,” his eyes narrowed on me as he stepped out from under the goop on the ceiling just before a globe fell and burst like a little bomb on the floor. The explosion rose through the air and singed the ceiling before settling into a black cloud of smoke.

  “He tried cracking in a glowstick when it wouldn’t glow,” Jessie growled.

  Out in the hall I did a headcount. I was one student short. I looked around and didn’t see Leslie.

  “Is Leslie in here?”

  “Under her station’s counter,” Jessie said turning off another station. “We’re going to need a medic. She was splashed on the arm and is in shock. I phoned Darian and Bane. They should be here shortly.”

  I crawled under the table with Leslie.

  “Are you alright?” I asked her.

  She cradled her arm against her body.

  “I didn’t even know it splashed me until everyone was leaving. It really burns,” she sniffled and swallowed a howl. Injured omegas try not to draw attention to themselves. It’s a left-over instinct from our ancestors’ time spent in the wilds.

  A second later Jessie joined us on the floor.

  “Let me see, little one,” Jessie held out his hand. “We need to get that sleeve off the burn.”

  “I’ll grab my scissors,” I started to stand up.

  “No need,” Jessie pulled a small knife from his boot. “I’m just going to cut the fabric around it.”

  “Alright,” Leslie held out her arm and squeezed her eyes shut. A glob of the stuff must have reached all the way across the room where we were. It singed her green sleeve burning it to her flesh. I held her arm steady while Jessie cut away her sleeve.

  “What’s the status?” Doctor Bane’s voice entered the room before his scent.

  I held Leslie’s uninjured hand and let Jessie fill the doctor in on the details.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered to her. “I didn’t know you were hurt.”

  “I went under the desk as soon as it exploded. Even I didn’t know,” Leslie sniffled.

  “How are you holding up, sweetheart?” Doctor Bane crouched down.

  “Barely,” Leslie whimpered.

  “We need to get you out of here. Can you walk?”

  Leslie shook her head.

  “Come on. Good arm around my neck then,” Bane said and picked her up.

  ***

  My afternoon class was canceled, and Ryan was permanently evicted from my class. Bottled flashlight wasn’t a dangerous potion. If he stuck to the ingredients no one would have been hurt.

  Leslie was taken to the on-campus clinic where Doctor Bane was still looking after her injury. Despite her obvious pain she tried to stay in good spirits and was worried about how soon class would resume.

  Since, I couldn’t meet with Zoey for her private lesson at the school I invited her to my house.

  “Someone exploded the alch lab?” She asked walking in and kicking off her shoes. She dropped her bag by the door and pulled her long hair up into a ponytail.

  “No, someone blew up their potion like a dipshit,” Jessie said before I could answer her. “Listen to Logan. You blow something up and I’ll drive your butt right back to Hemlock Mountain.”

  “Sheesh! I wasn’t even there, and you yell at me!” Zoey sighed.

  “I’m not yelling at you. I’m warning you. Listen to Logan.”

  “Stop treating me like a pup!”

  “This afternoon Zoey’s just helping me slice up some ginger for a burn treatment. That’s what my classes are learning tomorrow. Nothing to blow up,” I hugged Jessie. “So, give us a bit of time and relax.”

  “Darian should have expelled him,” Jessie pulled me close.

  “He’s too stupid for alchemy, but if we kick him out of school he’ll just be stupid forever.”

  “Sometimes stupid never learns,” Jessie huffed.

  “Well, as a teacher, I don’t believe that. Some people are just harder to teach than others,” I kissed him on the cheek. “I’m not kicking you out, but I might have more luck teaching her something if she’s not arguing with you.”

  “Fine, I’m going for a run,” Jessie said and left.

  “Ugh. . . Really? Ginger? That’s it?” Zoey sighed when Jessie was gone.

  “A few other ingredients too. Preparation of ingredients is usually the first step to a good potion. Well, except for ingredients that need to be gathered in a special way.”

  “Ross said this would be interesting,” Zoey flopped down on the sofa.

  “No flopping on the furniture,” I said. “It’s bad for the fluff. Let’s go into the kitchen and get started.”

  “Can’t I just watch tv and you tell Ross I helped you?” Zoey groaned giving me puppy dog eyes. I’d seen enough of them from little nieces and nephews to be a pro at saying no to them.

  “Nope. No one gets a free pass from education at Hemlock Academy. Now off your butt into the kitchen!”

  “Can I at least play music?” She whined but walked into the kitchen.

  “Sure,” I nodded. “Some background noise is always good.”

  “And you won’t complain about my music like Jessie does?”

  “No promises, but I’ll try to be a good
sport,” I followed her into the kitchen.

  “They’re the best band in the world,” Zoey scrolled through her phone and music started to play. “The Grim Howlers!”

  “Oh,” I laughed. “They’re okay.”

  “They’re more than just okay. They are MUSIC!” Zoey flopped down in a kitchen chair.

  “Gentle with the furniture, please,” I bit my lip. “This dining room set belonged to my grandmother.”

  “You sound like a Hemlock already,” Zoey sighed.

  “Well, I’m a Fox first and in Fox residences guests are kind to the furniture.”

  “Sorry,” Zoey sighed. “It’s just everything sucks about being here. I thought it would be fun to come to Hemlock Academy. I thought I’d meet new people and actually get some freedom, but it turns out Darian is just a clone of my father.”

  “It’s hard to adjust to a new place,” I said setting the ingredients out on the table. “It’ll get easier.”

  “All I want to do is go to the Grim Howlers’ concert next weekend!” She sighed. “It’s not fair. It’s literally like fifteen minutes from campus and Darian won’t let me go and everyone’s acting like he’s right.”

  “Well, maybe he is,” I said and showed her how to slice the ginger. “There’s a lot going on in the world right now and he doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Leslie got hurt right here on campus during the day!”

  Yes, but there’s a difference between a burn and being kidnapped and dragged off to a breeding farm.

  “So, this ginger is to help the girl who got hurt?” Zoey asked when I didn’t answer after a few minutes.

  “No, Doctor Bane is already taking good care of her, but unfortunately burns are just a hazard of alchemy. Everyone who practices should have some burn treatment on hand and it’s cheaper to make it yourself.”

  “Don’t they sell it at the store, though?”

  “They do, but I make any potion I can to help out at the clinic. It’s one of the ways Darian set up the campus to be as self-sufficient as possible. That way more money can go to scholarships and of course, the pack itself.”

  “Did you grow up poor?” Zoey asked. “Crap! Forget I asked. That was rude.”

  “No, I didn’t,” I shook my head, “but I grew up in an iffy neighborhood. Making the potions ourselves isn’t all about money. It’s about living off the land the way wolves do.”

  It was going to be a very long three hours with Jessie’s youngest sister.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jessie

  Running led me to the on-campus clinic for students. Leslie was only a year or two older than Zoey and from what I saw, just as innocent. Standing in front of the building I was torn between going inside and checking on her and going to find Ryan and show him what happens to Alphas who put omegas in danger.

  What happens to Alphas who put my omega in danger. Leslie was right next to Logan when the explosion happened. It could have been him. If I hadn’t been there Ryan and the poor sap at the next table would need to be scraped off the wall.

  Shifting out of my wolf form I went inside. It was late, and the receptionist was already gone for the day, but I wasn’t looking for her or the numerous nurses who usually filled the halls.

  “She’s in room three,” Bane said from his office.

  “How is she?” I walked in.

  “In good spirits,” Bane turned off his computer monitor and looked up at me. Health records of students and staff were guarded like national security detail. “She’ll have some scarring and we’ll keep her here for observation for a few days. Her parents aren’t happy, but I convinced them not to pull her from the academy.”

  “They should have kicked that bastard out of here on his ass.”

  “Join me for a whisky. I’ve turned Leslie over to the intern on call for the night and you look like you could use one,” he pulled a bottle out of a locked drawer in his desk.

  I sat down across from him and watched him fill the glasses. With his dark hair and blue eyes Bane looked more like my brother than second cousin. His features yelled Hemlock and away from campus where everyone knew him he was often mistaken for one of us.

  I took a swig of whisky enjoying the burn. It would take a lot more than one glass to take the edge off the day, but since I had dinner plans with Logan one was my limit.

  “I can’t believe Darian let him stay.”

  Even saying it left a bad taste in my mouth.

  “There’s no delicate way to say this,” Bane said.

  “I’m not one of your pregnant omega patients, Bane. I don’t need delicate.”

  “Quit being an asshole when you don’t know the full story.”

  “I was there,” I chuckled. “I think I know it better than anyone.”

  “Young people fuck up all the time,” Bane said. “It’s part of the learning curve of adulthood.”

  “Well, he could have killed her and the whole damn class.”

  “He’ll learn from the experience and so will the rest of us.”

  “What do you mean the rest of us?” I asked and took another swig of the whiskey.

  “We’ve managed the Leslie and Ryan situation as her parents wished, because they’re wealthy and big supporters of the academy.”

  “What do you mean the Leslie and Ryan situation?” I asked.

  “They’re true-mates.”

  “What?”

  Maybe the whisky was stronger than I thought.

  “No, they’re true-mates. He comes from the Raven Hollow Pack and her unaligned parents don’t approve. He’s not like most of them from Raven Hallow. He’s a decent student, if a bit of a daredevil.”

  “And Darian let that go on?”

  “She’s not a Hemlock. We try to stay out of other people’s business,” Bane refilled his glass. “He was trying to impress her. He’s been decent about the whole ordeal or as decent as you can expect an Alpha in his situation to be. He even wears pheromone blockers around campus as to make it easier for her. He knows she loves alchemy and when his potion didn’t work he tried to invent a new way to make it work.”

  “He’s still a dumbass.”

  “He’s in love and in a tight spot,” Bane said. “She’s determined to have her own life now. Her injury by no medical means was a near death experience. His could have been if not for you, but her life flashed before her eyes and she wants to be with her Alpha. How did you know the potion was going to explode?”

  “I watched him break open the glowstick. I didn’t know it would do that, but I smelled the fumes. Whatever it disagreed with the stench was horrible.”

  “They were lucky a tracker was there,” Bane said.

  “They should still boot him out of here. He put everyone in danger and we shouldn’t throw our hats in with dumbasses.”

  “Let me tell you a story,” Bane drank down his whisky and poured another glass. “When I was a student at the Academy there was a young Alpha who really didn’t have a direction. Then he met an omega. A refugee from the war between the Raven Hollow Pack and the West Appalachian Wolves. That was back when our uncle was dean and Darian wasn’t Patriarch yet.”

  “So, before I was born,” I laughed.

  “Exactly, but he was smitten with this adorable omega who wasn’t his true-mate. The omega had been through hell and back. His family wasn’t pack aligned but caught in the middle of the endless battles he lost his litter-mates, his parents, and his true-mate all before turning twenty-three.

  But he wasn’t broody and depressed like you’d expect a refugee to be. He was full of life and adventurous and sweet. He came to Hemlock Academy to become a healer. He wanted to usher life into the world. Unfortunately for him, he liked the alpha without a cause. He liked his fast car and his drag racing.

  He liked it enough to insist that eventually he get to ride along for one. Against his better judgement the Alpha allowed him to. It was here on campus and safe. They had enough people to block the streets from unsuspecting car
s and warn pedestrians. What none of them could control was a frightened deer sprinting out into the middle of the street and sending that car to wrap right around a tree. The Alpha went on to live with a broken collar bone that healed before the medics arrived, but the omega wasn’t so lucky. His second chance at love turned out to be the death of him.

  A lot of people thought Hemlock Academy should pack his bags for him, but they didn’t. He was allowed to remain to continue his education. Most people assumed it was because he had close ties to the soon to be Patriarch.”

  “Was it Jake?” I asked.

  “No, not Jake,” Bane laughed. “This particular young man without a cause found a cause or I should say a calling. He went to medical school and delivered your ass safely into the world when you came out feet first and tried to kill your poor mother.”

  “You?” I blinked. “You with the squeaky-clean reputation? You who I haven’t even heard about going on a date?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised,” Bane said. “Everyone has a past. Everyone was young. Ryan will have to remember what happened today for the rest of his life. Every time he sees the scar on his mate’s arm he’ll blame himself.”

  “What are we going to do about them?”

  “He has friends that will back him up if her dad or brothers come to start trouble and our security team will no doubt step in. If we allow them to drag an omega where she doesn’t want to go, we might as well hang up our boots and shut down the organization.”

  ***

  “When the curfew is lifted I’ll show you how to gather them,” Logan said.

  I listened from the front porch not wanting to interrupt Zoey’s lesson, but feeling off from being away from Logan for too long so soon.

  “You can see through them!” Zoey laughed. “I bet they’d make awesome holographic highlighter.”

  I rolled my eyes. Only Zoey could turn a mystical ancient art into something frou-frou like makeup.

  “You’ll have to discuss that with Leslie when she’s feeling up to it. She’s taking an online course in the application of alchemy in the science of makeup.”

  “Do you think she’ll talk to me? Most of the other students here avoid me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m younger than them or if Darian put out a secret memo for everyone not to talk to me.”