Born An Alpha

Chapter 10

*Celeste’s P.O.V*

My parents never came home last night. I waited for them as long as I could until I felt my eyes grow heavy. It was a relief that they didn’t see the way I was but I was still worried about them. I called my dad first but no answer. Then I texted my mom but after a couple of minutes, no reply. Taking the clothes off from last night, I hop in the shower. I scrub my entire body twice while doing the same to my hair. Checking my phone again, I still see no calls or messages.

After quickly getting dressed, I rush out to meet Arnold.

“Where are my parents?” I ask him worried. He gives me a puzzled look as we get inside the car.

“They didn’t tell you?” He asks surprised. I shake my head as he sighs. “They are with the Alpha and Luna. Apparently there was a fight at your school yesterday. Alpha Sean had to get involved-“

“Wait! Why?” I suddenly interrupt and remember that Noah got involved too, “Where’s Noah?”

He doesn’t answer this time as he keeps driving. Almost like he’s avoiding the question, he pretends to focus on the road.

“Arnold?” I ask anxiously. When he doesn’t answer again, I forcefully grab his arm which makes him swerve into the next lane. He growls in response and speeds to avoid a car.

“Don’t do that!” He yells at me. His eyes change to a pitch black as he continues to scold me, “Don’t ever do that again!”.

“Then answer me!” I angrily yell back.

He grunts in response but keeps speeding all the way to school. I don’t even flinch at the speed as all I think about is Noah. Because I left with Scott yesterday, I didn’t know what happened after the fight. The guilt is eating at me for leaving Noah. Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I watch as we pull into the school’s parking lot.

“Celeste” Arnold says in a calm voice, “Don’t ever do that again, you could have caused an accident”

I nod, “I know and I’m sorry. I’m just really worried about Noah”

“I know” He says as he rubs his temples with his fingers, “Apparently students told Murphy and Alpha Sean that they started the fight”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“Celeste” he says in a warning tone.

“Who’s ‘they’?” I ask again.

He clears his throat and turns around to look at me, “Celeste don’t get involved, okay? You’ll make things worse. Let the Alpha and Beta figure this out”.

“Why? Who else was punished?” I ask desperately.

He rolls him eyes at me before saying, “Alexander Vega and Michael Ridley” He pauses as I gasp, “Students say that Kevin said something about your friend Cynthia. Apparently Alex heard him and that’s what caused the fight”.

“But why are my friends being punished?”

“Kevin and Lucas told Murphy and Alpha Sean that Alex threw the first punch. Thus Noah and Michael got involved which made other students get involved”.

I shake my head at his words. It can’t be! No! Why did no one tell the truth! I can’t believe no one stood up for them!

“It’s was just them three that were punished?” I ask quietly.

“For now. Everyone is in a holding center until it’s all sorted out” He tells me.

I sit back into my seat absorbing this information. Knowing our pack couldn’t afford another punishment, I do the only thing I can do.

“Bye Arnold” I tell him as I exit the car.

He gives a warning look before driving off. Walking inside, I can hear everyone gossiping about yesterday. People laugh as I hear them mention Alex’s name. I quickly head upstairs to find the only person that I know can help. Turning hallways and peaking inside classrooms turns out to be futile. I almost gave up hope when I see her emerge from a storage closet with Melinda.

“Cynthia” I say loudly to catch her attention. She gasps in surprise but quickly recovers. Her surprised face turns into a glare as I make my way towards them.

“What do you want?” Melinda says in a menacing tone. I guess now I know where my friendship with her stands.

Ignoring her I turn to face Cynthia, “How dare you let them get in trouble” I don’t have to say their names as she knows who I’m talking about.

“This doesn’t concern you!” She cuts back. She tries to step forward to intimidate me but I don’t back down.

“It does if it concerns my friends… if it concerns Noah” She clenches her fists as I say his name. “You know they didn’t cause this!”

“You’re lucky I don’t end you right here” Melinda smirks as she says this. I arch my eyebrow at her as I finally see them for who they are.

“If you care about Noah” I tell Cynthia, “Or even about Alex, then tell the truth”.

Neither of them say anything as they look at each other but then Cynthia let’s out an evil laugh.

Pulling me by the arm, she brings me closer to her.

“You think that just because you’re his mate that you can rescue him” she whispers into my ear, “I’ll tell you what I told him… I’ll tell the truth when he rejects you”. I scoff at her words as she tries to push me down.

Melinda smirks at this as they turn to walk away. I can feel the tears in my eyes beginning to form as I try to compose myself. Unbelievable! Of course Melinda took Cynthia’s side. They were friends long before I came into the picture. Part of me wanted to cry but another part of me was determined. Making my way downstairs I reach Murphy’s office. I quickly wipe my eyes and smooth out my skirt. Before I can knock the door opens in front of me.

“Ah, Celeste” Alpha Sean says with a smile, “Do come in”. I gulp as I realize how stupid this was. Of course Alpha Sean would be here and not Murphy. He would want a full account of what happened.

“Good morning Alpha Sean” I tell him. He gestures for me to come in and I walk past him. Once inside, I notice Scott sitting in the corner. He sits up straight as he raises his eyebrow at me.

“Scott, you can go now” Alpha Sean tells him. He walks by to sit in front of the desk.

“Wait-“ Scott walks over to the desk but Sean holds his hand up.

“I’ll find you later” Alpha Sean narrows his eyes at him but Scott hesitates to move. “Now go” he commands him.

Scott sighs as he turns to give me a worried look. He picks up his bag and walks out of the office.

“Now” Alpha Sean says as he fold his hands over the desk, “To what do I owe this visit?” He asks me.

“It’s about yesterday’s fight…” I trail off as I notice his intense gaze. Something within me tells me not to look away. “Michael and Noah we’re just defending Alex”

He nods and rubs his chin, “Yes, so they’ve said. What I don’t understand is what caused this fight”

“Sir?”

He fold his hands neatly across the table again, “What would cause Alex to attack Kevin?” I don’t answer as I’m not following his words. He pulls out a stack of papers from the desk and lays them across the table. I notice the name of students written on the top.

“You’re friend Cynthia is dating Noah, right?” I nod, “Well according to her, Noah was sticking up for Alex” he tells me while shuffling through the papers.

“What’s going to happ-“ he holds his hand up for me to stop talking.

“Lucas Anderson told me that Alex, Michael and Noah attacked him and his friends. A group of students also gave similar testimonies” He tells me.

I shake my head, “Sir I saw the whole thing” He eyes me with curiosity as I continue, “The fight did start with Alex and Kevin but Lucas got involved. Him and Colton Fortner we’re holding Alex down while Kevin gained the upper hand”.

In an instance Alpha Sean is on his feet and right in front of me. A shiver runs down my spine as I watch him examine me.

“You saw it because you were on the roof with Scott?”

My eyes widen as my mouth falls open. I can’t believe he knows about that! I so badly want the earth to swallow me right now. I can feel my cheeks turning red.

Alpha Sean laughs as he watches me, “Scott told me all of this right before you came in”

“I’m sorry Sir” I tell him but he laughs it off.

“Celeste” he says finally composing himself, “It’s fine”. I exhale in relief.

He clears his throat before he continues, “You should know that I’m still going to hold all of them accountable. Fighting among peers is inexcusable”

Finally lowering my gaze, I don’t say anything. My heart sinks into my stomach as I think of Noah.

“Celeste” he says slowly, “They deserve to learn a lesson”

“But Lucas lied” I tell him in an almost whine. “The fight was between Kevin and Alex. He got involved and-“

“But why? What were Alex and Kevin fighting about?” He asks me suspiciously.

“Sir that I don’t know” I tell him honestly.

“According to Cynthia, she doesn’t even know a ‘Kevin’. But Amirah Faez says that they’re closer than we know”.

I gulp as I realize why the fight started. Kevin was known to brag about his flings. What I believe happened may have been that Alex overheard him and defended Cynthia. He was loyal like that, especially to members of his pack.

“Celeste, do you know something?” He raises his eyebrow at me as I don’t answer. “Celeste”.

“Sir I-I don’t-“

“Don’t you dare lie to me” He raises his voice at me.

I shift uncomfortably while still looking at my shoes, “Cynthia and Kevin were making out that morning…And Kevin is known to brag about the girls he’s been with-“

He hold his hand up for me to stop talking and takes out his cellphone.

“Helena?” He says into the phone, “I’m coming now.”

Now I definitely know I made a mistake coming to Murphy’s office. What have I done? I’ve just gotten Cynthia in trouble. I can only hope he doesn’t take it out against her.

“Sir? What about my friends?” I ask quietly. I finally look up to see him staring at me with a surprised expression.

“I still have to punish-“

“You can’t do that!” I plead with him. He narrows his eyes at me as I say this,“Please don’t punish them!”

“You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do” He says in a warning tone.

I look down as I feel his anger rising.

“I’m sorry Alpha Sean, I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I’m just worried about what this will do to my pack-“

“What? What do you mean?” He asks in an irritated voice.

“It’s just…Noah is the future Alpha of my pack and he doesn’t deserve this”

Alpha Sean rubs his chin again and nods, “You’re really worried about him”.

“Sir, as a beta I’m supposed to have the Alpha’s back” I quickly say.

He chuckles lightly and I see his sharp canines, “I guess Dole is finally doing his job”. He gestures for me to follow him and I do as I’m told. We make our way down the hall as I realize we’re leaving school.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

I can see a black SUV parked right in front of the school. He doesn’t answer as we keep walking straight ahead. A guard holds the door open and Alpha Sean gestures for me to get inside. I can feel my legs tremble as I get in. The door closes behind me.

“Celeste” Hearing Scott’s voice instantly gives me relief. I smile at him as my nerves are calming down.

“Let’s go” Alpha Sean tells the guard as he gets into the passenger seat.

We’re on the road for forty minutes when we reach a human town. Driving further down, we reach an abandoned building. We all exit the vehicle and make our way inside. Once inside I see how the outside was just an illusion. Everything inside is well maintained but heavily guarded. All the guards bow to Alpha Sean as we walk further into the building.

“Wait here” Alpha Sean tells us as he heads into an office.

I finally exhale as I realize how shaky I’ve become. Scott holds my hand for support but I still can’t believe I’m here. My anxiety gets the better of me as I don’t even question why Scott is here. A guard comes out and lead us upstairs. We’re ushered into another room where a big screen is in front of us. It turns on to show the students inside the holding cells. My heart leaps when my eyes land on Noah. He’s sitting in the corner next to Michael. He doesn’t seem fazed as he sits with his hands holding his head.

“What did you tell Alpha Sean?” I ask Scott quietly.

“Nothing he hadn’t heard the day before” He tells me. The guard walks out of the room and Scott turns to face me, “You’re friend Cynthia had the opportunity to save Noah but didn’t. She even got defensive about Kevin during her interrogation”.

I sigh as I think about her words, ‘I’ll tell the truth when he rejects you’. She was turning into this evil person and all because Noah and I were mates. Which reminds me, I have to tell Scott the truth.

“Alpha Sean sends you guys some food” The guard comes back holding two trays. He lays them on the table and orders us to sit. He walks out again and closes the door behind him.

“I can’t eat” I tell Scott pushing the tray away, “I have a bad feeling in my chest”. He nods as he pushes the trays to the center. A guard comes in to say hello to him and I wait for the time to pass by.

After awhile the screen monitor changes to another holding cell. It shows Cynthia, Lucas, Melinda and a couple of other students. They all look around at each other when they start screaming in agony. I gasp as I see them holding their heads.

“What the h**l?!” Scott yells as I hold myself.

No longer standing, I see them thrashing on the floor. The guard lowers the volume as I turn away sobbing. I feel Scott’s arms embrace me as I cry into his chest. I couldn’t believe they were torturing them like that. No one deserved that level of violence. The screams they all released held pure agony in them. After we hear no screams, I release myself from Scott’s embrace to watch the screen. Guards come in for all of them as they’re whisked away.

“Are you okay Cel?” Scott asks quietly. I shake my head as I wipe the remaining tears off my face.

Another guard comes and brings us downstairs. Three witches and two wizards pass by us without a change in their expression. By the marks on their necks, I realize they all belong to the same coven. We wait in the lobby as two vampires walk in. The black color eyes give away their true nature. I look away as I realize the grave mistake I made by coming here.

“We can all go now” Alpha Sean announces while walking past us to the exit doors. He leads us to a row of cars where we all start to file in. I silently sit in the car as I don’t question our next destination.

“Are you okay?” Scott asks quietly. I nod and he squeezes my hand. Right now I’m grateful to have him by my side. Ignoring my vibrating phone, I watch the cars pass by. All the traffic in the human side of town makes us arrive to the Ridley pack in two hours.

The omega guard opens the door for us to exit the vehicle. They usher us into the mansion where Luna Abigail greets us.

“Do come in” She tells us with a warm smile. I give her a courteous smile as I walk in.

“Thank you Abigail” Alpha Sean says as he enters with Carla besides him. We give each other a stunned look as he continues talking. “I’m sure that we can all agree that this was necessary” They all agree in unison, “Dishonesty will not be tolerated regardless of one’s age. I trust that we all agree with all of their redemptions”. Again, everyone agrees.

Luna Abigail informs us that dinner will be ready within minutes. Alpha Sean motions for Alpha Ridley to follow him to the study. He gives Carla a quick kiss on the cheek as he leaves.

Once more I feel my phone vibrating in my bag.

“I have to take this” I whisper to Scott who nods as I head outside.

Answering the call, I can hear multiple people speaking at once.

“Where are you?!” My dad says in a growl.

“At the Ridley pack grounds” I sigh as I hear my mom gasp, “I’m having dinner here”.

“NO!” My dad yells, “Absolutely not! Arnold will come get you!”

I roll my eyes as my dad suggests this, “You can’t do that”.

“Why not?!” He angrily asks.

“Because Alpha Sean brought me here” I tell him as he growls, “I can’t just leave a dinner that he’s attending”.

“Celeste?” Now my mom’s on the phone crying, “Come home please”.

I roll my eyes as I hear this. Do they really think I have a choice here? Do they think I want to be here?!

“When it’s over, I’ll be home” I tell her as she lets out another sob, “I have to go bye”. I quickly hang up as I head inside. My mom can be so dramatic sometimes which only irritates me.

Once inside I find Scott talking to Michael’s little sister, Victoria or Tori.

“Hi Celeste” Tori says enthusiastically. At fifteen years old, she was the youngest of the Ridley siblings.

“Tori, it’s nice to see you” I say with a smile, “Are you having dinner with us?”

She shakes her head, “But we do get to have a girls sleepover” She says overly excited. I arch my eyebrow at her as she squeals.

“What? What do you mean?” I ask her.

“Alpha Sean says that everyone is staying with the pack for tonight” She squeals again, “The maids have all set up a room for everyone, including you!”.

My face falls as she says this. It seems like I won’t be going home tonight.