The Two Alphas' Fated Witch

A Visitor

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully. I get bored with my game and eventually start watching stupid YouTube videos to pass the time. That continuous feeling of ennui slowly increases until Joey groans loudly and declares he's going to start making dinner.

After a filling pasta dish, we watch yet another movie. This one's an animation about a girl who has to save her parents from being eaten by working for a witch in a bath house. It's an Eastern production, probably Japanese, but I enjoy it, though the plot is a little convoluted for my taste. We head to bed right afterwards, and another day finishes with me drifting off to sleep...

I'm in a dark, warm place. I can't see anything, but I keep walking. The ground's level, so I don't trip. But where am I? What am I walking towards?

"Ali..." a thin whisper of a voice calls ahead. A part of me recognizes it, and I start walking faster. Who was that again? Where are they?

"Ali..."

I start running. The voice is getting quieter. No, don't leave! Who are you? I want to call to the voice, but for some reason, I can't talk.

"Ali-"

"Ali!"

My eyes open wide, and I rapidly start looking around the room. My breathing is erractic, as if I had been running. It feels like I should be looking for something. Or someone. But there's no one in here with me. It's light enough outside that I can make out the entire room, but nothing seems out of place. Slowly, that feeling begins to fade as I gain a hold of my senses. I sigh and lean back in bed, trying to calm myself down. What was that?

A knock on my door has my body shoot up once again. It's followed by a familiar voice. "Ali?" Eric calls. "You awake?"

I exhale slowly, yet again having to calm down. "Yeah," I respond, getting out of bed and heading to the door in my t-shirt and flannel pants. I open it to find a worried, disheveled redhead with blue-hazel eyes gazing upon at me. "What's up?"

"You were panicking in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Still in sleepy-mode, it takes me a second to realize what he's talking about. Oh, right. The bond. I yawn and think for a second. "A nightmare? No, not that I remember. And I usually do."

Looking around Eric's body, I see that it's definitely brighter than usual when I wake up. And with Eric being awake as well... I frown. "What time is it?"

Eric replies as I rub my watering eyes, "About eight o'clock. Joey already left to get groceries. You slept in. Longer than me, for once."

Huh, my body got used to this place faster than normal. I mentally shrug it off and head to the kitchen, feeling super thirsty. Eric follows me, and I can feel his gaze upon me, never leaving.

Once I take a sip of water and lubricate my throat a little, I sigh and turn back to him. Sure enough, he's still watching me, and his concern hasn't wavered. "Sorry, Eric. I know you felt my panic, but I don't remember any nightmare. I'm sorry I worried you."

He looks at me for a while longer, probably trying to see if I'm holding anything back from him or lying. However, it seems something else is bothering him. He fidgets a little before speaking. "You said you remember most of your nightmares. Does that mean you get them a lot?"

Ah, so that's what he's now worried about. I sigh, and put down my glass. "Eric, I-"

A knock on the door stops me mid-sentence. "Ali? You in there?"

Another familiar voice brings a smile to my face. Completely forgetting about the conversation I was just about to have, I dash towards the front door and open it wide to find my best friend standing outside. "Cassie! You came!"

She rushes in and envelopes me into one of her famous hugs. "Of course I did! Gods, I missed you, loca!"

A chuckle escapes my lips as I return her embrace. "I missed you too."

We stay like this for a while. Gods, I really did miss her. Maybe it's because of her magic, but whenever Cassie's around, I can feel my energy level increase a bit. I can't help but smile like a freaking i***t. However, someone clearing their throat reminds us we aren't alone. I disentangle from my best friend and blush a little at Eric, who does not look pleased to have yet another witch in his house. "Cassie." He greets her bitterly, eyes darkening.

She glares at him, her amber eyes matching his intensity. "Eric."

They stare at each other for almost a full minute, never wavering. If looks could kill, I don't know which of them would drop dead first. It would probably be a draw, in all honesty. I look back and forth between the two, unsure of what to do, and bite my lip nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Eric asks, finally breaking the silence.

"She's here as my assistant in Ali's training. Now, would you please stop it with that feral aura of yours?"

I turn my head. Mrs. Santiago is standing at the door, watching her daughter and the werewolf interacting. Her muddy eyes seem to have a hint of caution, but her voice does not waver as she asks this.

After a moment, Eric finally breaks from Cassie's gaze and sighs. "Fine. But next time, I want to be informed when she's coming. One of you is enough."

With that, he storms off upstairs and heads to his bedroom. He's probably letting Joey know about Cassie's arrival. And giving the security team an earful about not informing him that Mrs. Santiago wasn't alone this time.

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the den!" Cassie exclaims, all huffy after what just happened. Still, she turns to me and smiles. "Now, show me these new digs of yours!"

I bring her and Mrs. Santiago to my room, latching it as per usual. Unlike Mrs. Santiago when she first arrived, Cassie is not impressed. She grimaces as she looks around. "This is it? You're living with the two richest guys in Crescent City and this is your room?" She goes to the armchair and pokes it warily. "It looks like a lumberjack lives here. Girl, you need to decorate this place better. Stat!"

That's my best friend for you. Always the critic. I roll my eyes. "First, it's not like I'm going to live here forever. This is temporary. Until I can fix this mess."

"That doesn't mean it has to feel temporary. Or look it."

"And second," I continue, ignoring her, "It's kind of hard to personalize a place when all I have with me are a few outfits."

Cassie shoots me with one of her blinding smiles. "That's why I'm here today!"

I furrow my brows. How is her being here going to help me decorate my room? Aren't we supposed to be working on my magic? Unless...

My eyes widen in wonder. "Are we going to magically decorate?"

But Cassie instantly stomps out my hopes and dreams with a snort. "Pfft, no! That's only in movies and anime."

"Actually," Mrs. Santiago says, "There are some Breeds that have a knack for remodeling magic. I once met a Magpie Witch who built her home completely out of glass."

Just imagining such a feat causes my mouth to hang open, as well as my previous amazement to return. "Really?!"

"Yes, but like Cassandra said. We aren't here to do that sort of decorating."

I frown. "Then what type are you talking about?"

"We were thinking the normal kind. You know, moving your pictures and stuff in. You'll feel right at home once we're done. And it'll get rid of this horrible backwoodsy vibe." Cassie tentatively grabs the comforter on my bed. "Seriously, is this flannel? On bedding?!"

That's not the problem here. "How are we going to do that? I don't have any of that stuff at your place."

"No, but you do have it at yours."

Suddenly, it becomes clear what she's meaning. I roll my eyes in Mrs. Santiago's direction, but it seems they are both delusional now. "Please tell me you don't mean..."

"That's right!" says Cassie, all excited now. "We're going to your place today!"

"Mrs. Santiago, I'm pretty sure I stated plenty of reasons why I can't go home just yesterday."

"And they are valid," she explains, "but only if we were to just go there normally."

"And how is this not going to be normal?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Well, for one, it's a weekday morning, so your brothers are at school and your father is at work."

I instantly point at the door. "And the other issue? Even if we somehow get past Eric, you guys know they have security around this place. There's no way we'd make it more than a mile before they caught our car."

I watch as mother and daughter give each other sideways looks. Mrs. Santiago is smiling like usual, but it's Cassie's mischievous one that has me squinting in suspicion. "What are you two planning?"

"Well," Mrs. Santiago says, "It wouldn't be much of a magic lesson if we just used a car."

As she says those words, I finally notice the door behind her. But it's not the one to the bathroom.

Oh no, this is the one I last saw in her kitchen a week ago.