The Return of the Prodigal Alpha

09. Playing with fire

DAVINA

I couldn’t express enough the happiness that flooded my heart when I learned that the earth was my dominant element. It explained my strong connection to plants in general and why I found potions as the most fascinating field of study.

Theresa gave me the pot with roses. She said, the rose answered to me, so I should keep it. The driver was waiting for me in the usual spot in the parking lot, and I had to admit it saddened me a little not to find Aiden there. I wanted to share the news with him, although I couldn’t quite explain why I had the strong urge to inform him in particular. Being an earth witch was a big thing. As far as I could recall, there was none in my family in the last couple of centuries. My relatives excelled in air or water. From time to time, there was someone who could control a fire. But earth? That was very rare in the Hayes clan of witches and wizards.

So logically, my first thought was supposed to be to inform my parents. And yet, all I could think about was Aiden…

It was Thursday afternoon, and I would not see him till Monday. And that was disappointing. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so firm with him. Perhaps I could have suggested the next date of our meeting.

I glanced at the pack mansion through the car window, sighing heavily.

“Everything alright, miss?” The driver was suspiciously interested in me. Usually, he only minded his own business, eyes on the road the entire time and ignoring my presence completely.

“I’ve been wondering. Have you seen Alpha Aiden today?” I tried my luck to get at least some information about my…ahem… mate.

“No, miss. Is there something he should be aware of?” The driver asked.

“Not really. Forget that I have asked.” I shook my head and the driver returned his focus on the road.

Just what was Aiden doing in the last couple of days? Did he already forget about me? Did he move on because I refused to be claimed by him straight away? I bet it was not how the mate bond worked in general. He would have to reject me in order to forget me. Rejection. That word made my palms cold as if they were frosted by ice.

Three more days without the possibility of seeing him. I didn’t like it. No. I hated it.

***

Friday was my regular day at the university, filled with many lectures. I went to the dean’s office early in the morning, to report the progress of my internship. The dean appraised me for discovering the earth element within me. He encouraged me to take a class dedicated to nature elements in addition to my official major – potions. I wasn’t sure if that was the best idea, but I didn’t want to be ungrateful. It wasn’t common practice to switch classes in the middle of a semester. It was an exception and by declining it, I would be rude.

So, I entered the afternoon class, just to meet the surprised eyes of my ex-boyfriend and his new love interest. They both froze me with their stares – Brenda’s stare filled with despisal and Elliot’s with shock. She wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering some nonsense into his ear, but he did not seem to be interested. He was looking at me.

I chose the seat in the back as usual. I didn’t like to be exposed, to be in the spotlight. I was not a skilled witch with elements. I attended this class out of curiosity and in order to learn something new.

The lecture was focused on how to master the fire element, which was kind of a buzzkill for me because fire was my absolute weakness. Each one of us was supposed to transport the fire from the candle onto our palms and let it travel all around our arms. I watched how Elliot did it with ease, his fire jumping on Brenda, making her giggle. She was also a fire witch, so that made them somehow a perfect match. They were throwing fire at themselves as if it was a ball game. My fire, on the contrary, ignored me completely. It did not move an inch, safely dancing on the knot of a candle. An exhale of frustration left my lips, blowing off the candle by my mistake. Great. This was an absolute waste of time.

I packed my books as soon as the class was over, rushing away from the embarrassment. Everyone noticed that I was the weakest one among them. Everyone did at least something with their fire, except for me.

“Davina!” Elliot’s voice made me freeze as he approached me in the hall.

“What do you want?” I arched my brow at him when I rotated myself to face him. He was alone, his leggy girlfriend nowhere to be seen. We had never talked about our breakup. The coward sent me a text message, informing me about him and Brenda being exclusive. That was a clear hint that he never considered the relationship with me an exclusive. How could I be so stupid and blind?

“I can see that you struggle a lot when it comes to nature elements. Do you need any help?” He asked, as if we were friends. I didn’t understand his aim.

“I don’t need anything from you, Elliot. Why don’t you leave me alone?” I huffed in anger. The humiliation he caused me was still very vivid. I spent many weeks crying into my pillow realising what a clueless idi0t I had been.

“I’m sorry how things ended up between us. Let me do just one thing right. Let me help you master the fire element.” He stepped closer, touching my hand. It felt as if I was braindead. I didn’t want him anymore. He broke my heart, betrayed my trust. There was no feeling left in me for him.

“No.” I pulled my hand away from him. “I am not interested in your help, Elliot. It’s over.” I stated the facts and swiftly turned around, leaving him in the middle of the hall with his mouth opened.

I went to the ladies’ restroom, splashing some fresh water on my face. Why did his presence unsettle me that much? Was I still not fully recovered after the breakup? I couldn’t care less whether he was fvcking someone else or not. I would never ever return to him. I would never let Elliot touch me.

The sound of the door opening cut the train of my thoughts. I was wiping the drops of water off my face with a paper towel when I noticed the familiar face in the mirror reflection. Son of Hell! You got to be kidding me!

Brenda was standing behind me, measuring me from up to down with pure disgust in her evil eyes. I did not bother to turn around. I was tired and definitely not in a mood for a fight. But she did not move at all, just folded her hands on her chest, pouting her lips at me. She looked quite ugly like that.

“Do you need something?” I asked, as her presence made me nervous. It started to be unbearable being with her alone in the restroom.

“How dare you flirt with Elliot, you b!tch? He is my boyfriend, not yours!” She hissed the venomous words at me. Yeah, as if I was not aware that he belonged to her. But me hitting on him? Was she serious?

“Excuse me? Are you out of your mind?” I turned around, meeting her gaze.

“You heard me well. Do you think I am stupid?” Well, yes. But I wasn’t that brave to say it aloud.

“I saw you in the hall with him. B!tch, I promise you, if you go near him again, I will burn you alive!” She raised her hands high. The smoke left her palms as the heat gathered in her. It looked as if she was about to attack me using her fire element. Was she serious? That was forbidden. She could have been expelled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He approached me and not vice versa.” I should have reconsidered the choice of my words before speaking. Brenda’s face turned red, she was very much enraged. And I didn’t understand why. Did she think I was a threat to her relationship with Elliot? Me??? That was insane.

“Liar! You fvcking nonapura!” She yelled the words which made me gasp. Nonapura was a very nasty slang word used for half-witches. It meant not being pure and therefore unworthy. It was a historical word, forbidden in the modern world because it equaled discrimination. But that was not the worst which happened at that particular moment. The ugly words could not harm me to such an extent as the fire ball which Brenda threw in my direction.

Out of reflex, I covered my head with my hands, calling for water element to save my endangered existence. The water drops that remained in the sink flew onto me, shielding me. But it was not enough. I was not a strong water witch. I stood no chance against Brenda’s fire.

As the fire burnt my skin I screamed out in pain. Brenda snapped from her wrath, calling the fire back to her. “Stay away from him or next time I’ll kill you.” She muttered and stormed off the restroom. Tears formed in my eyes, the burning pain becoming unbearable. It looked a lot like skin damage from 3rd degree burning and it would leave permanent scars. I tried to turn on the water, but as I was severely injured, I simply couldn’t twist the water tap and make the water run. So, I just slid down to the floor and cried.