The Return of the Prodigal Alpha

05. Love to be doomed

DAVINA

My fingers brushed against the wooden chordophone, an instrument whose hollow body could produce sounds in vocal quality as if it was a real human singing the song. It was that specific ability of the violin that it felt more human and capable of conveying emotion or feeling and perhaps that was why I admired it. That was why I played it. Hearing the full, lively, vibrant, and sensuous melody which only four strings of this instrument could produce, often brought me the necessary comfort.

It was something I learned from my mother. She was a human, a music teacher and she wanted to give me something to remember her. So, she taught me the magic of this high-pitched instrument.

I held it against my neck, taking a deep breath. A bow started to move across the strings, playing Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky. The use of melodic contours and the light and shade of harmonies were so powerfully evocative of the cursed flock. I closed my eyes and let the music absorb me. The melody unfolded and kept rising with increasing bursts of effort, like a swan struggling to rise into the air. While at first, the melody could hardly be simpler.

I gave it all my emotions, I let myself flow with the melancholy of the story of doomed love. Would that be my case too? Was I like Odette, not being happily in love unless I made a sacrifice? Strange thoughts have been swirling through my mind lately.

I was dumped by Elliot, whom I kind of loved. He was my first, so naturally I felt attached to him. And then there was Aiden. A werewolf Alpha who was showing too much of an interest in me and I didn’t understand why. What was so special about me? Was it because I was a witch? Did he want to experiment with other species in bed?

As much as I tried to avoid him, he also managed to find me. He was quite persistent, that alpha man. Not giving up and constantly asking me out. Didn’t he understand that I was not interested in any type of romance and especially not in any momentous fling? I was not a one-night stand kind of girl.

But there was something about him. I couldn’t deny how attractive he was. Perhaps that was what scared me the most. Why would someone, whose body was sculptured as if he was a God, be interested in me?

He was nice to me, though. And I had many wet dreams about him. Only two days had passed since I last saw him, and I already missed him. How crazy was that?

“That was lovely, Davi.” Mom’s voice cut the train of my thoughts. She was leaning against the wall, silently listening to my version of Swan Lake. It was a masterpiece – the song that I could play the best.

“Thank you, mom.” I smiled at her. It was the weekend and I decided to visit my parents. I haven’t seen them for a couple of months. And whenever I called, they pretended like everything was alright. It wasn’t. I knew they had a hard financial situation. When my dad fell in love with a human, he was banished from the coven. Mixed species were not what was supported by the witchery community. They said it was weakening their powers and it had led to potential extinction. And they were not wrong. I was a living example. I had no special powers. They were just at an elementary level.

My parents had to provide for themselves without the support of a coven. They both had regular human jobs – my mom being a music teacher and my dad working as a night watchman. I knew it was very humiliating for a strong wizard, but he declared me and mom were worth all the trouble.

My parents were overjoyed when I told them about my recent success in winning the university competition. Dad was especially over the moon, hugging me so tight that I couldn’t breathe. He said it would open many doors for me. I could be an exception within the witchery community and get a solid job at the Ministry. I could even be taken back into coven. Well, if any wizard would agree to take my hand. But I was not ready for such commitments. And I certainly didn’t want to marry just to get a better status among witches.

“How’s the internship going? Did you make any progress improving your powers?” Mom’s eyes shined with excitement. She was my number one fan.

“Not really. It’s hard. Theresa is teaching me various spells which are in ancient Latin. I am not very good at it yet.” I confessed what my first week in the Black Forest pack looked like. I was lucky to have such a patient tutor. Theresa appraised me even of the minor achievements.

“I’m sure you will be amazing, honey. The talent is in there, just sleeping and waiting for the right moment to awaken.” She pointed at my chest. I smiled and hoped her intuition did not lie.

“It’s very important that you stay focused. You need a good recommendation for your future career path.” And there was that pressure again. My parents did mean well, but their hopes were too high. I was afraid of disappointing them. I wanted to help them. I wanted a better life for them. But the weight on my shoulders was sometimes too much.

“I will try my best, mom.” I sighed tiredly, closing the cover of my violin.

“Oh, honey. You are not yourself. Something makes you sad. Talk to me.” She sat next to me, taking my hand into hers. She could sense the distress of her only child, of course.

“I am not sad, just confused.” I admitted that something was off with me. Mom was great. She was my best friend, and I could tell her all my secrets. She never judged me by my mistakes.

“Is it a boy that confuses you?” She giggled like a little girl.

“Maybe.” I turned my sight elsewhere, feeling how my cheeks turned red.

“Come on. Tell me about him.” She dared me to reveal more.

“He’s from the Black Forest pack, mom. He’s tall, handsome, with dark hair and freakishly green eyes. He always smells so nice, so minty, that it makes me weak in my knees.” I said dreamily, picturing his perfect face in my mind. She was silent, not saying anything. At first, I thought she was just letting me speak, but when I looked at her, a deep concern hung on her usually calm and loving face.

“Is something wrong?” I asked as she kept staring at me, suddenly looking very sad.

“Davi, don’t date that boy.” What?! I didn’t expect that. I always thought mom was the most understanding person in the world as she was also an outsider, married to a wizard.

“I don’t understand.” I furrowed my brows, pulling my hand away.

“Well, how to put this. It’s not good for your future to pair yourself with a werewolf. They are different compared to us. They seek their mates to whom they are fated. I understand they are physically attractive and being with them can feel adventurous, but as soon as they find their mates, they are done with you. You are a very sensitive girl, Davina. I can see what the breakup with Elliot did to you. Trust me, a werewolf will break your heart much worse.”

I didn’t know what to think of it. Mom’s words kind of hurt me. I understood very well the whole mate bond thing between werewolves. They were obsessed when they found their soulmates. Witches could also define a soulmate, but it was not such a strong feeling for us. It did not develop any type of obsession. We didn’t have an animal spirit inside us whose raw instincts would make us fall for the bond that much. And as I was just a half witch, I assumed I was not going to recognize my soulmate. Ever.

Nevertheless, her words took a heavy toll on me. Made me feel insecure and unworthy. Who was I kidding, right? What were the chances that someone like Aiden could fall madly in love with me? That could surely never happen. And just like Odette, I would be making sacrifices for something that could never be real. For the love that was doomed right from the beginning.