by Amanda Carol
“Well, everything seems to be okay. If you experience any dizziness or headaches, come find me. Otherwise, you’re free to go.” Kora heads to her bag, packs everything away, and quietly shuts the door behind her as she leaves.
“Alright, bro, get up. Mrs. Thibodaux said she’d fill us in on everything once you were awake and got the all clear from Kora,” I say, pulling the blankets off of him.
Declan glares at me, but then gets up off the bed and stretches. We walk out of the medical room and into the common area, as now I like to call it. We’re just about to head to the front doors when a whistle catches our attention.
“Hey, Blondie!”
I glance over in the direction of the whistle and see Bennett waving at us to come over. He’s not alone. Hunter turns around in his seat and his blue eyes land on me. He gives me a small smile and nods. My heart skips a beat and I smile back as Declan and I head over to them.
If Declan sees the exchange, he doesn’t say anything. As we approach the table, I notice that both guys have at least two plates full of food. Bennett has a stack of five pancakes, with eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. Hunter has the same, only it looks like he opted for more bacon instead of hash browns. Declan takes the empty seat next to Bennett, which leaves me to sit next to Hunter.
“So, how are you feeling, Declan?” Hunter asks, taking a sip of his orange juice.
I glance down at his plate and my stomach lets out a loud grumble. I glance around the table, my cheeks heating up. Declan is shaking his head, Bennett is laughing, and Hunter is looking at me with an eyebrow raised.
“Well, we know Aria is feeling hungry,” Bennett says just before he shoves a forkful of food in his mouth.
I don’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed by the amount of food the guys have. I mean, they are wolves, so I guess they need to eat more than I do.
“Benny, slow down. We have time before we have to meet with Knox to discuss training,” Hunter says, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite.
My mouth starts to water and my stomach grumbles again. Hunter finishes his piece and reaches down for another slice, but instead of putting it in his mouth, he hands it to me. I take the piece from his hand and take a bite.
Holy shit. This is the best tasting bacon I’ve ever consumed in my life. And that’s saying something. Our Grandpa always made the best bacon on New Year’s Day for the family. We would spend the night at their house and in the morning, he would make us all a New Year’s feast to “start the year off right.” But this, I hate to say, blows Grandpa’s bacon out of the water.
I take another bite and close my eyes, moaning at the salty but tangy goodness. When I open my eyes, Hunter is staring at me.
“That good, huh?” he asks, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
I look at the other two members at our table. Bennett has his fork stopped halfway to his mouth and is staring wide-eyed at me and Declan is shaking his head. Then my eyes shift back to Hunter.
“Actually, yes,” I challenge, quirking a brow. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I might go and grab some sausage too. I love a good, thick piece of meat.” I lick my bottom lip before taking it between my teeth.
The smile on Hunter’s face vanishes and his eyes narrow in on my mouth. Bennett chokes on his food and out of the corner of my eye I see Declan shaking with silent laughter. With that, I stand and walk toward the buffet tables. I make sure to swivel my hips a bit more, too. I just hope I don’t look like a doofus.
Before I grab an empty plate, I turn my gaze back to the table and see Hunter staring at me. His eyes flash briefly before he blinks and turns his attention back to the guys.
I guess I don’t look like a doofus, then.
I smile to myself as I fill my plate with two pancakes, an egg, and some bacon. Oh, and I can’t forget the sausage. I grab another cup of coffee, because one can never have too much coffee, and head back to the table. The guys are in deep conversation about cars, so I focus my attention on my food. It’s nice to have a warm meal that’s homemade. All Declan and I have eaten is takeout or diner food. On rare occasions, we would go to a nice restaurant for a juicy steak. Once I’m full, I tune back into the conversation.
“You can take her out for a test drive if you want,” Hunter says, leaning back in his chair.
“Really? Dude, that’s awesome! Thank you!” Declan gushes. Dad was into cars and would take Declan to old car shows and drag races. It was their thing.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I glance around the table and notice that everyone has an empty plate in front of them except Declan.
“Declan, did you eat?” I interrupt their conversation.
He looks at me before glancing away and blushing. Did my brother just blush? Oh, my God. This is great. I haven’t seen Declan blush since Jenny Michaelson kissed him on the cheek in seventh grade. Declan never blushes, ever.
“Yeah, um, Ciera brought me breakfast this morning,” he explains running his hand through his cropped platinum blonde hair.
“Ciera? As in Kora’s granddaughter?” Bennett asks, looking at Declan, who just nods his head. “Nice. She’s a total sweetheart, but she’s also not afraid to put you in your place if she has to.”
“Yeah, she’s told you off a time or two,” Hunter chuckles.
“Well, I probably deserved it.” Bennett shrugs as everyone at the table laughs in agreement.
This is the first time in a long time that I have truly laughed. It feels good. I glance at my brother, who’s got this carefree look on his face. He hasn’t talked to any of his friends much since we’ve been out on the road. I’ve managed to send emails to my friends and I'm lucky I have Abby here, so I’m happy to see that Declan is making new friends. People who know about the things we do. People we can relate to. People we don’t have to hide our true selves from.
Hunter and Bennett clean off our table and we all head outside. As we file out the door, there’s a man who doesn’t look much older than us approaching the barn. He’s wearing a fitted black tee and black tactical pants, much like Bennett and Hunter are wearing now. The difference is that Hunter is the only one wearing a white t-shirt. He has dark brown hair that slightly curls in the front and dark eyes and he’s got stubble on his jaw. He walks like he commands an army.
“Ah, if it isn’t the Daredevil himself. You know, class doesn’t start for another hour, so I have plenty of time to show up late.” Bennett smirks as he leans his tall frame on the pillar at the top of the stairs.
“Benny, I really don’t care, because as far as actually training the students, you’re about as useful as a knitted condom,” the man says, stopping just at the bottom of the stairs.
The laugh that’s bubbling up in my chest comes out as a snort, making Declan chuckle. I sneak a peek over at Hunter, who just shakes his head. It’s clear that these two like to give each other a hard time, but they still seem to be friends.
“Oh, you think that’s real funny, don’t you, Blondie?” Bennett narrows his eyes at me, but he can’t stop the smile that’s forming on his lips.
“Alright, we can talk about this later,” the man says. “Hunter, your dad’s called an emergency meeting. He asked me to track you down, along with our newcomers. Abby is gathering Zayne and Kat. I was asked to grab Grace.”
His lips form into a soft smile as he says Grace’s name. Her name sounds familiar. Then I remember that Abby mentioned her last night. I guess I’ll be meeting her sooner than I thought.
“She’s back in the cabin, probably typing away on that new laptop of hers.” He full on smiles now, as if remembering something, then shakes his head. “Anyway, I’ll go grab her real quick then meet you back at the Alpha’s place.” He turns and heads back the way he came.
“Hey, Knox, please try and make it quick this time. We don’t have all day!” Bennett yells after him. Knox turns his head and winks at us before carrying on back to his cabin.
“Guess we should head to my parents’ place.”
Hunter says, starting down the steps.
We follow down after him, except for Bennett, who jumps down the flight of stairs and lands gracefully on his feet. Show-off.
“Parents’ place? You don’t stay there too?” I ask, catching up to Hunter and walking alongside him.
Declan and Bennett are behind us talking about…well, whatever it is guys talk about.
“No, I moved out when I turned eighteen. I mean, I live here on the Compound so I’m still close by,” he explains, slowing his pace. “But I needed my own space. Growing up, my father had trouble turning his Alpha role off and just being my dad. Things sometimes got a little tense around the house. So, when I turned eighteen, I asked my parents if I could have my own cabin and, surprisingly, they said yes.” He puts his hands in the pockets of his pants and glances down at the ground.
“How old are you now?” I ask. Not that age really matters to me. I’m just curious.
“Twenty-three,” he replies.
His brows furrow together like he’s lost in thought. He looks sad, and that just doesn’t sit well with me. Without thinking, I reach out and grab his arm. His skin is warm beneath my touch.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
Hunter’s head turns in my direction and we both stop walking. His blue eyes meet mine for a moment. Then he glances up as Bennett and Declan approach us and I remove my hand from his arm as they walk by, shoving my hands in my back pockets. They don’t say anything or even notice that we’ve stopped walking. It seems like they’re too lost in conversation to pay attention.
“What are you sorry for?” Hunter says, looking back down at me quizzically now that we’re out of earshot.
“I mean, I’m just sorry that your dad couldn’t be your dad. I understand that he’s the Alpha, and he’s got a pack to look after and command. But, at the end of the day, he’s still your dad. My father was the CEO of a major marketing company, but he always put Declan and I first,” I whisper.
Realizing that this is the first time in a long time that I’ve talked about either one of my parents, I take a deep breath.
“I’m just…sorry. That’s all,” I finish, looking down at my shoes.
Hunter places his thumb and index finger on my chin, and he tilts my face up so our eyes meet once more. A slight breeze catches in his messy black hair, tossing some of the locks out of his eyes.
“Don’t be,” he whispers back.
He gives me a small smile that reveals a dimple in his left cheek. In this moment, I want nothing more than to see him really smile again. If we do decide to stay, I guess it wouldn’t be that bad. He releases my chin and nods to the left.
“Let’s go. We have a meeting to get to,” he reminds me.
We walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence. It’s nice being in someone’s presence that isn’t my brother. Hunter’s presence calms me. I feel safe with him and, if I stop to think about it, it’s weird because we literally just met. But the second my eyes connected with his in the cemetery last night, I just knew I could trust him. Yeah, his looks send delicious waves to all my girly parts, but it goes deeper than that. I’m drawn to him, and I can’t explain how or why.
We approach a white two-story house. There is a porch on the first floor, as well as the second, and black shutters surround the windows. To the right is a three-car garage, which looks to be attached to the house somehow. I gasp, my eyes widening at the beautiful home in front of me. It makes me wish I had my paints.
“Hunter, this house. It’s beautiful,” I say in awe as I take it all in.
“If you think it’s nice out here, wait until you see the inside. It looks like it belongs in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.” Hunter chuckles as he takes the steps two at a time up the front porch.
I follow his lead, only I take the steps one at a time. I may be a decent fighter, but me and steps? Yeah, we don’t get along.
We walk inside and…wow, he wasn’t kidding. It’s like the magazine threw up inside the house. It’s open and everything is chic and modern-looking. There are a lot of whites, pale yellows, and blues. It almost makes me want to use these colors in a painting somehow, and now I really wish I had my paints. Hunter takes an immediate left and we walk down a long hallway.
“Wait, the Alpha has meetings in his house? Why not the barn?” I whisper, trying not to be too loud.
“Aria, you don’t have to whisper. Typically, when the Alpha calls for an emergency meeting, he holds them here and only invites his trusted few. The barn is where we normally hold them for the whole pack and the coven if they chose to join. Since they aren’t wolves, they don’t have to come,” he explains as we come up to a set of double doors. He stops right outside the doors and turns to me, lowering his voice. “Are you ready for this?”
I take a deep, steadying breath. Suddenly, I’m extremely nervous. Almost terrified, even. I have no idea what’s about to happen.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Mrs. Thibodaux promised us answers. Let’s do this,” I square my shoulders, trying to look and sound braver than I feel.
With one last glance toward me, Hunter opens the door and we walk inside the room.
I look around the room. There are floor-to-ceiling windows to my left, with three chairs in front of them. Alexander is sitting at a mahogany desk directly in front of me. Declan is sitting on a dark brown leather couch, which is positioned off to the right. Bennett is behind him, leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and his feet shoulder width apart.
Next to Bennett stands another man who is a few inches shorter, with his hair shaved into a buzz cut and a small beard lining his jaw. His hazel eyes give me a curious once-over, but then he turns his gaze back forward. Bennett looks between Hunter and I. He quirks a brow, but surprisingly doesn’t utter a word.
Hunter walks off to stand on the other side of Bennett, closest to the desk, as I take the middle seat next to Declan. The door opens and Luna and Abby walk in. A second later, another woman who looks to be about our age, maybe slightly older, walks in right behind them. She has shoulder-length bright red hair and she glances over at me and Declan.
She gives us the same curious look that the man behind me did, but then she waves at us, flashing a big smile. She places her hands in the pockets in her dress, that upon further inspection, has kitten heads floating in space. It’s a little too bizarre for my taste, but then again, any dress that has pockets is a win in my book, no matter what the pattern is. She takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of the floor-length window across the room from us. Abby comes over and sits down next to me. I turn to her, giving her a questioning look. She shrugs. I guess she doesn’t know anything either.
“Where are Knox and Grace?” Alexander asks, looking towards the wall behind me where the guys are standing.
“I told them to be quick, sir. They should be coming anytime now,” Bennett says, and you can’t mistake the double meaning behind his words.
I glance at Declan and we both try to hold in the laughs that threaten to come out. Luckily, we’re saved when the door opens again and Knox walks in holding the hand of a petite woman. She’s a little shorter than me and has silver hair with the ends dyed blue, which stops just above her shoulders. He walks her over to the other chair next to the woman in the cat dress. Knox stands behind her and places his hands on the back of her chair in a protective stance. She looks over at us and gives a small smile. I do the same in return.
“Is everyone here?” Alexander looks around the room.
Luna is standing off to the side in front of the desk and our gazes lock. She gives me a reassuring smile, as if she knows that my nerves are getting the best of me. If there’s another indication, Declan places his hand on my knee to stop it from bouncing. I take a deep breath to try and relax.
“Great. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Luna and I have some things we need to discuss with all of you. Luna, you may proceed,” Alexander says, motioning for her to start.
“Right. You all know about Greek mythology, right? Zeus, Hades, Poseidon?” she asks.
We all nod.
“Well, they exist,” she announces. “Technically, they are the reason that witches, vampires and wolf shifters exist.”
My eyes widen and I'm pretty sure my jaw drops. What the what? This definitely wasn’t mentioned in Mom’s journal. A few things about vampires, shifters, and witches, but nothing about the Greek gods.
When no one says anything, Luna continues. “Thousands of years ago, the gods would gift mortals who pleased them the power to control the elements: earth, air, fire and water, or elemental magic, as we now call it. However, the gods didn’t want them to have all four, so they were only gifted with one. Over time, the mortals who were gifted with this magic were able to tap into the source of this power and create what is known as dark magic. They were able to cast spells, but not without consequences. Magic like that always comes with a price if it upsets the balance of nature. That’s why most witches never dabble with the darkness of the gift. Elemental magic does not upset the balance of nature, so we try to only do spells that maintain that balance. The consequence of a dark spell depends on what kind of spell you cast. Some affect the witch, and some may affect the person or thing.”
Okay, that makes sense. I’m following her, so far. She pauses for a few moments to see if anyone has any questions. When no one speaks up, she continues.
“Long ago, the Greek god, Apollo, fell in love with a mortal woman. He wanted to spend eternity with her, but Zeus, their ruler, forbade him to give her Ambrosia, which is the drink of immortality. So, Apollo met with a witch and created his own version of Ambrosia, but it needed the use of dark magic.”