My Three Alphas

Celeste The Human

Celeste

There was a time that I remembered being happy. I could only remember bits and pieces of my parents but those were the happiest days of my life.

My 18th birthday was afoot. Meaning; another year without them in my life.

I stood in front of the full length mirror, trying to muster up some self confidence. I was so average that it was hard to see why anyone in the whole wild world would ever see me as anything but a background character.

My curly blonde hair was probably my best feature (when I had the time to take care of it). My wide eyes were a muted blue color, almost grey. I was incredibly average sized, a little on the heavier side at 5’5 170lbs.

You’re beautiful.

The voice in my head was growing stronger everyday, making me wonder if I truly was of the human species as the orphanage had claimed. I was no longer able to contact the orphanage after I ran away on my 16th birthday, so I may not ever know anything further about my parents or my former life.

This day was not of any particular importance, besides my silly adult birthday, but I knew I needed to go out into the world instead of staying inside the walls of the hostel I was staying at. I had been working around the hostel, checking guests in, cleaning, and cooking, in order to earn my room and board.

This hostel was actually quite nice compared to others I had stayed in. The large boarding house was tucked away in the woods just on the outskirts of Moon Gorge territory. Humans and other species alike stayed here during their trips across the lands.

My counterpart, Hali, was taking the early shift today as a homage to my “special day”. She smiled to me as she entered our shared room, and sat down on her cot. Hali was beyond gorgeous. She was a believed witch, who also had a rough background, and born beauty. Her fiery red hair complemented her emerald eyes and fair skin.

“Good morning Celeste, how did you sleep?” She asked in her honey-laced voice.

I smiled at her back, realizing I had been in a trance in the mirror. “It wasn’t awful, luckily we didn’t have any issues with guests overnight, and they let me sleep almost all night,” I grabbed my outfit off our shared dresser.

Our room was small, just a makeshift nightstand between our beds, beds up against the walls, and a dresser in front of Hali’s bed next to the door in front of mine. It was a tad crammed, but not nearly the worst thing possible. Considering most people who stayed and took care of the hostels were poor and had little-to-no personal items.

“I’m going to take a shower, and probably go out and explore a little of the town!” I started heading out the door.

Hali stood up as well, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Happy Birthday Celeste,” she said quietly. I turned to see a small box in her other hand. “It’s not much, but I think you need it more than me.” She placed the box in my hands.

I could feel magic radiating from the little purple box. What was it?

My eyes met hers, wondering why she would have gotten me anything. “Hali, you didn’t have to,” I gestured towards her to meet me in a small hug.

“Open it!” She squeaked at me, louder than before.

Inside was an emerald green amulet, which was clearly enchanted just by the warmth it gave off. The chain and metal surrounding the stone were made of gold. A beautiful combination.

Hali quickly scrambled to unclasp the chain, putting her arms around me, and clasping it back together. The warm stone fell right above my cleavage. “What does it do?”

She giggled and stepped back. “It’s a protection charm,” she turned to the night stand and opened the drawer. “My mother gave it to me before she passed. It’s meant to ward off people with ill intentions!”

When she turned back she had a small pocket knife in her hand. Hali stepped another step towards me, holding the blade up, as if she were going to lunge at me at any second.

My heart rate increased, sending my body into fight-or-flight. But I froze as Hali stepped forward again, knife nearing me.

And just like that, her hand snapped open, knife clattering to the ground. It was as if the amulet commanded Hali’s hands to halt the threat.

I gasped, and looked down towards the beautiful stone. “Hali, this is too much! If it’s from your mother, it was meant for you!”

She smirked, and held her small hands up in defense. “I’m not a human. I don’t need that nearly as much as you do Celeste. Plus, venturing out into Moon Gorge alone is something you should never do as a human.”

She was right. While many creatures were friendly, some were not. The kingdom could be a scary place for a girl on her own, and I usually tried to put those thoughts to the back of my mind.

And just like that, our front desk bell rang, signaling someone in need. Hali slipped out quickly to greet the guest. Undoubtedly to avoid me forcing her to take the necklace back.