The Two Alphas' Fated Witch

The Truth Behind The Lies

Well, this is awkward.

The seven of us have been sitting around the Santiagos' large dining room table for the past half hour. Mr. and Mrs. Santiago are seated at the ends, as per usual, with Dylan and Cassie on one side and Eric, Joey, and I on the other. The siblings are eyeing the two werewolves nervously, returning their gazes to me every now and then, as if trying to discern what's really going on.

But they won't get anything else from me, and certainly not from Joey nor Eric. While Mrs. Santiago set the table, I had explained how I came into some car trouble after talking to Cassie on the phone, and ended up having a panic attack. Joey then continued, saying that, by the time they found my Jeep pulled over, all the stress of that day had accumulated into a fainting spell, and they found me unconscious. Feeling concerned, they took me to their place nearby and housed me for three days until I woke up this morning, bringing us up to the present.

The soft crunches of tortillas and the aromatic scents of melted cheese fill the silence our story has left. If it weren't for the uncomfortable atmosphere, I'd be enjoying this meal right. Mrs. Santiago knows quesadillas are my favorites, and this batch, like most, is really good.

I look at the woman seated at the end of the table. Her black hair is pulled back in her usual bun, topped with her hat pin, and her face is as unreadable as ever. She's always been excellent at controlling her emotions, other than when she's happy and laughing. I remember times the three of us did really stupid stuff, and I thought for sure we were all in serious trouble. Nevertheless, when we got back to the house, she'd just sigh disappointedly, scold us a little, and leave it at that, as long as we looked like we were sorry and regretted whatever we had done. That was it. No shouting. No slamming. No anger. I always admired that about her. She's very much like my own mother was.

Now, for the first time, I wish she was a little more forthcoming. I can't tell if she bought the story or not. All I can see are trace signs of concern every now and then while she eats, quietly thinking.

Mr. Santiago, however, has apparently thought through all this enough. He clears his throat, then says "Well, we thank you two for helping our Ali out of a bad situation. And for taking care of her."

"Oh, it was no problem." Eric smiles, probably just as happy as I am that the silence has finally been broken. "We were just doing the right thing."

From across the table, I hear Cassie snort a little. It's more of an exhale through her nose, but I've known her long enough to tell what it really is. What's with her tonight?

"Nevertheless, we are grateful. Though, forgive me for asking, but what were you two doing out here to begin with? This is quite a ways away from the main city, you know?" Mr. Santiago questions.

Glancing sideways at each of the guys in turn, I wonder the same thing internally. Does it have something to do with the reason they attacked me? They were already in wolf form when I saw them.

Joey easily responds "Oh, like we mentioned, we have a cabin in the area. We had been a bit busy these past few weeks on a project, so we decided to take some time off and enjoy a break from the city."

I can't tell if that's true or not, but Mr. Santiago seems to buy it, nodding in approval. "I see. Some new product being released?"

Eric smirks. "More like a new development in an ongoing project."

A strange feeling comes to me as he says this. Why do I feel like they're talking about me? I glance once again at the two, but even Eric is being as unreadable as Joey. He grabs another slice and takes a bite.

"Speaking of your line of work, your company deals in technology and medicine, yes?" The chiming sound of Mrs. Santiago's voice causes us all to face her. But she still refuses to show even a hint as to the purpose behind her question.

Eric swallows his bite, then responds, nodding, "Yes, though we are starting to branch out in the culinary and hotel industries. Just testing new possibilities. Nonetheless, those two will always be our main focuses at Dual Industries."

She nods, but continues. "I guess I'm confused then. You had a girl with you for three days, completely unconscious, and you didn't take her to the hospital?" Her tone is difficult to decipher, but I don't think there's any malice in her words. More like wariness, with a hint of gratitude, which only causes me further confusion.

"Well, I am a doctor." Joey's statement surprises me, bringing my stunned gaze back to him. "I knew it was an odd fainting spell, but that she'd come to sooner or later. I kept an eye on her vitals and gave her IV fluids when necessary, of course, but a hospital really wasn't necessary."

"Plus," adds in Eric, "if we had brought her to one of our hospitals, it could've been a media swarm. The two of us bringing in an unconscious girl? Yeah, those reporters would've had a field day."

Their arguments make sense, especially if Joey is, indeed, a doctor. But I know the real reasons. Or rather, the one that shouldn't be real, and the other that they thought was real, but isn't. I rub my shoulders absentmindedly, thinking about the two moons still there. How are we going to get rid of these...?

Suddenly, Cassie slams her hands on the table, making most of us jump. She's standing up, looming over the table, just staring at me. Her amber eyes are practically burning. I lean back, still having no idea what's going on. "Cassie, wha-"

"Ali," Mrs. Santiago interrupts me calmly, as if nothing just happened. "Would you mind helping Cassandra and I with clearing the table?"

As she gets up, I realize we ate all the quesadillas, and all that's left are a few empty platters. That's weird. I could've sworn we weren't eating that much, due to how awkward we all were feeling.

Nevertheless, I get up to help, grabbing the platters and heading to the kitchen. I don't feel comfortable leaving the men all alone, but I can't really say no. Not without a good reason. I glance one last time at Eric and Joey. They seem worried, so I smile, trying to show that everything's alright. Then, I push through the swinging door into the kitchen. "Where do you want these?" I ask, gesturing to the plates in my hands.

As I come to the sink, I find that Mrs. Santiago and Cassie are staring at me. Deciding to just leave them on the counter, I start to ask "What? Is something wro-"

The moment I am no longer holding something, Cassie bolts into my space. If it weren't for the counter behind me, I would've stepped back. With me cornered, she makes one quick motion, pulling my shirt and jacket down and away from my left shoulder. I'm confused until I realize: they can now see the orange moon mark. I try to hide it quickly, but their stunned gazes tell me it's already too late. "Look, I can expla-"

"I knew it. Which one of those dogs is it?" Cassie practically spits out these words, full of disgust.

"Please, it's not what it looks li- Wait, how did you know?"

My best friend pauses for a second before retorting back "Fated Mate stuff is common knowledge. And you know I took that course in highschool on werewolves."

But that isn't what I'm talking about, and she knows it. "No. How did you know I was one?"

She takes a few steps back, as if trying to hide her knowledge is that simple after what she just said. But I heard her. She said she knew I was pair bonded with one of the wolves before she saw my mark. How? But before I can question her more, we're reminded of the other person in the room. Mrs. Santiago grabs our attentions by saying "Perhaps we can continue this conversation somewhere more private."

It's then that I notice the open door behind her. It's not fancy or anything, and it matches the house perfectly. It doesn't stand out at all. But that doesn't stop a gasp from escaping my wide open mouth.

Nothing could've stopped that, since in the past fifteen years I've been coming to this house, there has never been a door there.