The Two Alphas' Fated Witch

Learning About Each Other

"This may just be because I haven't eaten in the past three days, but I swear this is the best garlic bread I've ever had." The sound of my teeth sinking into freshly-bake crust and the taste of melted butter, cheese, and garlic oozing over my tongue cause me to release an audible groan. "How can something be this good?!" I ask through a mouthful of yummy-ness.

Eric chuckles next to me while gorging himself on his third slice. "I told you. The man has skills."

"Oh please. Do you know how easy it is to make this?" Joey waves his own slice around for a bit before helping himself to the fruits of his labor.

"Probably not as easy as it would be to burn it."

Those dark brown eyes roll before settling back into place. "I seriously doubt you are that ba-"

"I once lit water on fire."

My matter-of-fact statement stuns the tall, dark, and handsome man to silence. However, the slightly shorter, definitely not darker, yet still gorgeous one immediately scoffs up a bit of bread. "How in the hells did you do that? Are you sure you've never done magic before?"

That topic again. Using my half-eaten crust as a finger, I point at him with squinting eyes. "First, I'm still not a witch. And second, it turns out thermos cups and microwaves do not mix." Then, I carry the heavenly dough to its rightful throne: my stomach.

There's a moment of silence as the guys glance at each other, but it's broken almost immediately by peals of laughter from them both. Joey's is a bit more repressed, hidden slightly behind his shaggy black hair, but Eric's laughter is so boisterous, it almost knocks him off his stool. I can't even get mad at them; it was really funny when it happened. Instead, I join them a little with my own snickers.

It takes probably ten minutes for us to finally calm down, though Eric is almost crying by the end of it. "You've got to be kidding me?!"

"Oh, how I wish I was."

"Remind me to never, ever let you use the kitchen. For our sake, and my appliances'." Joey grabs another slice while shaking his head.

We've been talking and eating for the past hour. Due to our little act, and my later growling stomach, Eric was able to convince Joey to show us his mad skills and make us some lunch. Which just ended up being garlic bread, but I'm not complaining. It's been really nice to talk to these guys, and this is some really good garlic bread. Who would've thought the two werewolves that were trying to kill me three days ago, who are also the main Alphas of the largest Pack in the country, would end up being super chill? While talking, I've learned that Joey is very straightforward, a bit reserved, and an amazing cook. Eric, on the other hand, is somewhat eccentric, and extremely jovial. They compliment each other rather well...

And now I've been put in the middle of their relationship. I don't even know how I did this, or if I did it at all, but even I have to admit this is too bizarre to be real. The Moon Goddess may be ever changing, always helping her denizens of the night in strange, surprising ways, but this just feels wrong. No, this is wrong. I shouldn't be a part of this.

"Hey, you okay?"

Realizing I've been caught staring into the void for a couple minute, I come back to reality. I give Joey an apologetic smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit in my head is all."

He looks at me with an undecipherable gaze before moving his eyes to Eric. They stare at each other for a while until Eric decides to speak. "Alright, it's about time we clear a few things up."

I roll my eyes and get up to refill my water glass. "Again, I'm not a witch" I respond automatically while focused on the water pouring from the fridge. For a log cabin, this place sure is high tech.

"You can keep saying that, if you want. But I was actually talking about some other mysteries."

Once my glass is full, I turn back to the guys, eyebrow raised. "What other mysteries?"

"How about what your name is, for example." Joey takes my place, filling both his and Eric's cups while I return to the other side of the bar.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. My name's Alyssa Solomon, but most everyone calls me Ali."

Eric puts out a hand after I get back on my stool. "Nice to meet you, Ali. I'm Eric Clawthorne, and that's Josiah Sylvain."

"Joey for short, since this one can't ever seem to remember Josiah." Placing the waters on the bar, he joins Eric in extending his hand out to me.

Smiling, I shake their hands at the same time. "Nice to meet you, as well. Though I would've preferred it be on different circumstances."

"Speaking of which," Joey says, taking his glass up while pointing towards me. "We still need to come up with a plan on what to tell your friends and family."

"Oh, they aren't my family. Well, they've always treated me as such, but they aren't related to me."

"Then shouldn't you also be calling your real folks? They're probably freaking out just as bad, if not worse than your friend."

Eric has a point. Any family would be freaking out if their daughter went missing for three days. Well, any family that cared.

My face must betray my thoughts, because that look of concern returns to both their faces. "What's wrong?" Joey questions, completely focused on my facial expressions.

But I shake my head and just smile. "Don't worry. It's fine. I just... I'm pretty sure they're fine... Do you mind if I just leave it at that for now?" I add, as I see Eric about to interrogate me further on the matter.

He still seems ready to question this abrupt dismissal of my relatives, but his head snaps to Joey suddenly, and another long silence occurs. I'm starting to get uncomfortable when Eric sighs a bit and Joey replies "Yeah, it's fine. Besides, we're meeting this Cassie girl first, right?"

I exhale, releasing a breath I didn't know I had been holding. "Yep, and her family: the Santiagos."

"Hispanic?" Eric asks, intrigued.

I nod. "And very protective of me. Like I said, they pretty much consider me family in all things but blood and name. So you can imagine how our actual meeting may not be welcomed too well."

A cringe is shared between the two of them, and I know our bond is making that night a rough one to remember. It wasn't very pleasant on my end, either. Joey clears his throat. "Right. So, what's the plan? Are we going to completely lie to these people?"

"We've seen your acting skills, but even I have a hard time lying to people I care about." Eric's cute glance towards Joey is not missed by me. I wonder if they have other people they care about, or if it's just the two of them. Surely they care about their Pack and its members.

But it seems his glance is missed by no one, as Joey retorts "That's because you always fidget and blush like crazy. Not everyone is an open book."

"I do not!" But it seems his partner tells the truth, as he adjusts in his seat while some red creeps into his cheeks adorably.

"Don't worry, guys," I reply. "I may suck at cooking, but my lying skills are top-notch."

"Uh huh." Joey's tilt of the head speaks volumes on his doubts.

But I'm confident in my abilities, and I lean in a bit over the counter towards him to show it. "Just because you two have built-in lie detectors for me doesn't mean the rest of the world does. And especially not the Santiagos. Plus, I know the main rule when it comes to lying about something this big."

"Oh?" exclaims Joey, smirking. "And what is that?"

I smirk back, matching his perfectly, before stating "Always tell some truths within your lies."