The Alpha's WitcH

“You think sirens can actually kill with a single note?”

The question shook Sage from her thoughts as she glanced over at her friend Nikolas. His dark curly hair fell in ringlets over his hazel eyes as he shot her a smile. The question was evidently meant to shake her from her nervousness. She didn’t realize she had gone quiet and tense as they entered the tower carrying their luggage.

This was Sage’s first time away from home. Nikolas was a warlock from their coven and while she felt lucky to have her childhood best friend beside her, it didn’t make her any less nervous…nervous about classes, nervous about the other students, and nervous about being too homesick to think straight. Which was an overwhelming feeling in her chest that was creeping to the surface now as they stood at the twin spiral stairways leading to their new rooms.

“I sure hope not,” Sage replied with a laugh. “If they do, you’d better not break any hearts while we are here, Nik.”

He nudged her shoulder with a cheerful laugh, one that was sure to break many hearts.

“Unpack and meet up for dinner?” he asked.

Sage nodded before they moved towards their separate stairways.

The School for the Unnatural was a castle situated amongst the rolling hills of the countryside. Hidden from mortals, there were many different creatures that attended the school to hone and grow their specific skills while learning their normal school subjects. The creatures that attended included vampires, shifters, sirens, and witches, all of which lived peacefully and for the most part, only interacted as students at school.

The Witch’s tower sat on the far end of the school grounds, facing the south. The school was a beautiful archaic structure with tall walls, windows, and cold stone floors with each species of creature living in their own tower away from the others. While Sage felt apprehensive as she took her time climbing the spiral staircase to her tower dorm, she started to let the excitement creep in, as well. When she opened the door to her new room, she heaved a quiet sigh.

The room was simple with bare walls, a golden hue from the candles, and a tall window on the far side of the room. There was a singular bed by the east wall, a vanity dresser on the opposite side, and an empty bookshelf beside it. There was another door leading to a small washroom with a chamber pot, sink, emerald tiling, and a bronze tub. It wasn’t much but it would be home for the foreseeable future. She was determined to make it feel like home, anyways.

Sage threw open her bag as she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. Her long, dark hair was pinned in a frizzy mess on top of her head. Her dress was a simple red summer gown with riding pants underneath that were dusty and smelled of horse. She set her bags down and whispered an incantation to fix her hair. She magicked the dirt away, letting it slip into neat curls down her back. There would be time to bathe after dinner. She threw open her suitcase and found a new gown–a green corset with black lace and a bustle skirt–and quickly began changing.

Afterward, she took a look around the room. With a snap of her fingers and the muttering of another spell, her suitcase began unpacking itself. Her clothes folded neatly in the vanity while her crystals hung themselves on the walls in their perspective directions. She slipped her black jade crystal under her pillow for protection. Her magic unfolded her packed sheets and made the bed in her favorite dark purple color. She gently placed her potted plants on the bookshelf; mint on the right and belladonna on the left. She retrieved her vials of dried herbs lavender, mugwort, and mandrake root which she set next to her plants. Her mortar and pestle were set on the bookshelf below her plants, and organized by color were her teacup sets collected over her two decades of life. While her magic continued unpacking, she placed her black and gold tapestry of the moon phases on the wall over her bed. She took a quick survey of the room and felt content that it would do for now.

Many of the unnatural creatures at the school had never met other species before. Sage had stayed sheltered in the home where her coven lived, and she was nervous to meet other creatures. Even with her mother’s warning about trusting anyone besides another witch, she was determined to make a good first impression on her peers.

She double-checked her appearance, smoothing the wrinkles in her dress which she had paired with black boots. Once Sage felt she was presentable again, she met Nikolas at the base of the stairs. He had changed into a fresh white tunic with black pants, his face washed clean of the dust from the road. He gave her a grin before offering his arm as they walked down the halls toward the dining hall.

Many of the new students were chatting in the halls, also on their way to dinner. Sage couldn’t help but notice the groups that were already formed within each species. So far, she hadn’t noticed any intermingling although the main intention of the school was to learn about others while they learned how to strengthen their own skills. Maybe this would change when classes began?

They walked past a trio of girls in the hall, dressed in turquoise with braided hair and melodic laughs.

“Sirens, no doubt,” Nikolas muttered as they walked past the girls.

No doubt. They were beautiful and even their normal speaking voices seemed to linger like musical notes in the air, begging to be listened to.

Sage noticed a group of vampires next, leaning against the stone wall in their long-sleeved coats and hoods. They spoke in hushed tones with bowed heads, their eyes black as night. She felt her magic heat like a gentle warning of caution and quickly turned her gaze away before they caught her watching.

Together, they turned the corner into the dining hall. The room was enormous and loud; many students were already eating, talking, and laughing. There were different lines for each creature’s dinner set up along the walls. Sage shivered at the thought of what the vampires were served for their meal.

“I don’t see any shifters, do you?” she asked Nikolas quietly. He didn’t answer at first while they filed through the line to grab their plates of food for dinner–a spicy bean broth with a slice of bread and butter. Plain, but witches weren’t known for elaborate meals. They found their seats at a quiet table before he responded.

“Shifters won’t have any qualities that are noticeable at first. They will look like mortals the way witches do to the unknowing eye. However…” he scanned the room with his hazel eyes, giving her a smirk before nodding towards a group of young boys at a table of their own. “There are your shifters.”

Sage wasn’t sure what she expected but he was right. They did look mortal. She never would have noticed them if Nikolas hadn’t pointed them out. There were five boys, dressed casually as any other, and a few girls who sat mixed amongst them. They were loud, laughing and chatting like there was no one else in the room, or they simply didn’t care.

One of the females had fiery red hair and was sitting across the lap of one of the males, her arm around his neck as she laughed along with the others. She was wearing a tight black dress, her hair pinned back behind her head. The lap she sat on belonged to a handsome shifter, his eyes a dark green and his hair falling just short of his shoulders in dark wavy locks. He was wearing a black tunic, yet the loose clothing did a poor job of hiding his strong form. He had a shadow of facial hair and was quietly observing the conversation with an indifferent look.

Before Sage could look away, the shifter looked up at her. Their eyes locked and she turned cold at being caught staring. But he held her gaze with a blank expression before turning back to the conversation.

“Stay away from shifters, Sage. They’re not to be trusted,” Nikolas broke through her thoughts.

“You sound like my mother…” she murmured before turning back to her dinner.

“There’s a reason we don’t fraternize with their kind,” his voice had become low as he leaned in.

Sage shook her head, cutting him off before he could continue. “You don’t need to lecture me, Nikolas. I am here to learn to strengthen my magic, pass my lessons, and return home to our coven a stronger witch.”

He seemed satisfied with that response and changed the subject. Sage tried to focus her thoughts away from the shifter and how he looked at her. She forced her gaze down as she shuffled her food around on her tray and muttered responses halfheartedly to Nikolas. But when she finally broke and looked up, she found him watching her again, and this time she swore she saw his eyes flash a brilliant shade of purple.