ARIA
Hunter is looking at me and one can easily tell that he is furious. His chest is going up and down and, as usual, his shirt is unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, showing off his perfectly tanned skin. And not a single hair. This guy should wax A LOT!
“What was that about?” he breathes heavily as if he just ran a marathon.
“Excuse me?” I try to push him away, but it’s like pushing a mountain. If I was a werewolf I could… No, Aria, don’t go down that road. You don’t need superpowers to deal with that asshole.
“I asked what was all that about?” now his face is way too close to mine, “What were you doing in the same room with that prick?”
“Who… You mean Kingston?” I raise my brows in surprise, “He is a teacher! What else could I have been doing there?! Talk!”
“In a soundproof room?” he grits through his teeth.
“What are you talking about? The headmistress’s office is not soundproof…”, I start talking before I register the whole situation in my mind, “Oh…”
“Yes, Aria, oh!” Hunter smirks, “Why would a young warlock teacher make the room soundproof to just talk to you?!”
“Ewe, Hunter, leave your dirty fantasies to the times when you are with your girlfriend. Something tells me Marissa would be all in for the role-play of a teacher and a naughty student!”
“And you?” he suddenly smirks, “Would you be in for some role play?”
“Like what? A psycho and his victim? A stalker bully and a bored schoolgirl?” I roll my eyes and try to get out once again.
“An Alpha and a submissive human,” he grabs me by my neck, breathing straight into my face. I have to admit that there is nothing wrong with his breath. Minty. But the audacity!
“Is that your secret dream?” I smirk and his grip tightens, “That would explain so much! But you’d better take this hand off me!”
“Or what?!” his nose brushes over mine.
“Or I’ll find a way to break it!” I smile, not giving in to his Alpha aura, “I may be just a human, but I am still one of the Royals and a very inventive one at that!”
“I would like to see you try, ” he says and before I open my mouth I hear a loud cracking sound, “s**t!”
He lets go of me and bents in pain, holding the arm he was holding me with close to his chest. Did I… did I just do it? Is this even possible? Am I a witch after all?
“Ah, Mr. Forrester!” Kingston’s voice sounds from the doorway, “I’ve been looking for you to talk about bullying, and here you are! Bullying. Again.”
“You can’t do that!” Hunter growls, his eyes flash golden as his wolf is close to the surface.
“Oh, I thought a strong Alpha like you wouldn’t even notice!” the warlock smirks.
And my heart sinks. Of course, it wasn’t me. Stupid Aria who after all those years still sometimes hopes that she can be something…
“Excuse me!” I brush past both of them and hurry to leave the office as soon as possible, tears are forming in my eyes.
I storm through the school’s corridor to the dorms. I need to get to my room and at least there I can breathe, relax and let out all of my frustration! But before I reach my door, someone blocks my way.
“Why the f**k do you smell like Hunter?!” Marissa looks like she is about to tear me apart.
“Because he was pestering me in the headmistress’s office offering s****l role-play scenarios!” I roll my eyes, “But relax, even if your boyfriend was the last person on Earth…”
“Oh, Goddess! You think you are so funny!” she starts fake-laughing, “That’s probably one of your many fantasies! That a strong and handsome werewolf would want you! And you know – they might! But just as a play toy! No one would want to bind themselves to you with a mark. You are not a wolf, so you can’t be their mate. And more importantly, the risk of you giving them empty babies like yourself is too high. No one would want to take that! In the end, all you can count on is s*x on some Alpha’s desk as his mistress. Or maybe some older Alpha, who lost his mate and Luna would offer you a political marriage…”
“Maybe,” I smirk, “After all your father has asked mine for my hand in marriage. Thrice.”
I hurry to my door, knowing that pretty much every werewolf on the floor has just heard us and using the moment while Marissa’s jaw is still on the floor.
But before locking my door, I add, “Tell him to stop bothering me. It ain’t gonna happen. Actually, tell that to both – your dad AND your boyfriend!”
I slam the door and quickly activate the protective artifact my aunt has given me. It works like some kind of barrier. So, at least in my room, I am totally safe and Marissa wouldn’t break my door and then my neck in a fit of rage. She does have control issues.
While I was walking here I wanted to cry. But that feeling is gone now. I have to admit, I bounce quickly from all the insults. I know that Marissa is right, it’s unlikely that a werewolf, and let’s be completely honest here, even a warlock, would want to marry me unless it is for political gain. Both species are crazy for power and I have none other than being my parent’s daughter.
But as my mum says – there are always humans and they are not that bad! Weak though. But who am I to judge?
I open the huge window in my room, letting fresh air in. And not waiting for long, I hop over the windowsill and climb up the roof to my most favourite spot. This is an ancient building but the roof here is top-notch! Probably has something to do with the fact that this was my parents’ favourite spot back when they were both attending Springwoods Academy. My mum was sure that she is just a human back then and had no idea that she comes from a family of witches. And my dad found out that she is his mate. He didn’t care that she had no powers of any sort. He just loved her, even though she didn’t feel their bond.
And that’s the most romantic story for me. Because he earned her love and she fell in love with him so much that she was ready to risk her life for him! I am so not counting on something like that! Alphas that I meet are only good at one thing – making me feel like I am not worthy of their attention! Yet somehow giving me surprisingly a lot of it.
Speaking of which, from the roof, I have the best view of the school grounds. That includes our sports field as well and that’s actually right under my window. When my mum booked me her old room, she failed to mention that! Otherwise, I would have never stayed there! The roof is good but not worth having all that testosterone right in front of me day and night.
Hunter runs to the middle of the field for werewolves' usual combat training. Shirtless, of course. Because it would apparently kill him to wear a t-shirt. Even in winter. Or maybe it has something to do with all the girls that always watch him from their windows, calling it “Time to Hunter!”
I roll my eyes at the mere thought and notice him looking straight to where I am sitting. s**t. Has he noticed? I managed to stay hidden here for years! He waves at me with the hand that was broken just some half an hour ago. Has it already healed? Impressive! Why such an ability is wasted on such an asshole, though?!
I stand up, ready to leave for my room, and shut the window curtains to avoid seeing him and everybody else, when a familiar voice calls for me, “Leaving so soon, sis?”
“Kieran!” I smile at my brother! The only person in the whole school that I am supporters here. Without the two of them, I would go crazy!
“What’s with the knee?” he growls protectively. I can’t help but think again that he is a spitting image of our father – with hazelnut hair, light green eyes, and a charming smile. And Alpha blood running through his veins which did not go to waste in his case.
“It’s nothing, I just…”
“Let me guess, fell down?” he chuckles darkly, “And that’s why you reek of Hunter Forrester?”
“Oh, please, don’t start this!” I roll my eyes, “I love that you are as noble as a knight in shining armours, but I am not a damsel in distress. Ok? I can fight my own battles.”
“Only until those battles are based on words, Aria. If anyone gets physical with you – you should tell me at once!” he gives me a warm hug and I put my head on his shoulder. He is one year younger than me but acts almost as if he was at least a decade older. One day he would be a great Alpha and a great King.
“Ok”, I sigh.
“So, have you seen him already?” he asks and I know exactly who he is talking about.
“Kingston? Yes. He is very arrogant,” I remember about the warlock’s blackmail, “Probably even worse than uncle Connor.”
“Yeah,” Kieran chuckles, “And I thought that it’s practically impossible!”
“You met him too?” I look at my brother in surprise.
“Yes, I did. He came to see me right after practice,” he shrugs, “But I have to say that we were mostly talking about you.”
“Ugh,” I sit up, “He is one of “those”…”
“Sucks,” Kieran rolls his eyes, “You don’t have to…”
“I do,” I admit, “If I don’t comply with his training and attempts to “fix” me then he will fail me and leave me for another year. And you know very well…”
“That all you want is to move and go to a human college or university. I know…”
We sit in silence. We’ve been fighting about it a lot. Kieran doesn’t think that I need to leave the pack we live in now – the Royal pack – as it’s the safest place for me. But I know that I would never be happy here because I am just not one of them.
Sometimes I dream that some werewolf would recognize me as his. But that’s a big stretch. That happened to my mum. But it was a completely different case. The Moon Goddess herself chose her and my dad to break the werewolves’ curse and bring back mates for everyone. Before them, it was almost impossible to find your second half. But since my father never even hesitated to love her even though back then she was weak and powerless, they managed to restore the balance together. And now chances to meet your mate are pretty high. Wolves love to tell that story to their kids. Yet somehow their kids don’t hurry to follow in my father’s steps and fall in love with the weak me. I guess fairy tales are not for everyone.
My brother and I watch the sunset together and then we leave for our rooms. I do my homework and go to sleep. As always.
But the next day all hell breaks loose…
Aksara