Rejecting the alpha

Chapter 4

Amelia's POV

I had avoided school like it was the plague since everything happened with Jake. Finally, it was the weekend which also meant I had to go to this stupid school. Luckily, Oscar had arranged an escort to the school. As I had absolutely no idea where it was.

After spending an extremely long time trying to tame my hair and make myself at least semi presentable, the doorbell rang. Looking at the clock I realised it was exactly 6 o'clock. My ride was perfectly on time.

I rushed outside to be greeted by a rather large God-like man. Was everyone in this school a model? How was it possible all the men were this attractive? I mean, the guy looked like Thor. And I don't mean like a comic. I mean like Chris Hemsworth in the new movies. He even had the flowing blonde hair touching his broad shoulders.

"Good evening, Miss, I'm Elijah, Oscar asked me to escort you to the school grounds."

"Hello! Thank you," I responded, as he led me to the back of his car.

The trip was surprisingly short, I couldn't understand how the school was so close and I hadn't even realised it. What was even more confusing was the snow. It was snowing here. How was it possible, there was no snow in town? I had heard it wasn't supposed to snow this winter, something about it being warmer than usual.

The school was beautiful if you could call it a school at all. It looked more like a castle than a high school. The walls were all made of massive grey stone and the courtyard was huge.

Elijah had parked right outside the entrance meaning I only had to walk a few steps to get inside. I was thankful for that as the snow had made it feel a lot colder. Regretting the thin fabric of the dress, I thanked Elijah and headed inside.

The ballroom was covered floor to ceiling in candles, the flickering lights almost made it look like the northern lights were flowing across the ceiling of the massive room. I searched the room, scanning everyone as if I were looking for something. I have no idea why. It was as if my body knew something I didn't.

My back tingled as if someone were staring at me but before I could react to it a rather arrogant looking boy walked up to me.

"I don't believe we have met; I would surely remember someone as exquisite as you." I couldn't help the blush that lit my cheeks. He seemed to take it as encouragement though as he kept talking to me.

I swear I heard growling...

I must be hearing things. Why would someone bring a dog to a dance?

"May I have this dance?" Before I could protest, he had grabbed my arm and was pulling me along.

"I'm not really much of a dancer," I protested, as he put his hand on my waist.

"Don't worry, I'll do all the work."

God this guy is an ass. I tried to pull away, but his grip got tighter, impossibly tight.

"Let go of me!" I swear the guy laughed at my struggle. Why do I always attract the crazy ones?

"She said let her go, Ben." I could feel the anger coming off Oscar as he grabbed the creeps shoulder, pulling him away from me.

His face was furious, and his eyes had darkened so much they looked black. I saw Ben flinch from his gaze.

The stranger with Oscar came over to me, his eyes were kind as he told me "Don't mind the bloodsucker, we all just ignore him." I couldn't help the laugh that left my lips at Ben's reaction to his words. He looked like an i***t, just standing there with his mouth hung open.

"I'm Sam by the way. Come on let's get you a drink," he said, smiling at me as he led me towards the massive banquet of food. The table was covered in every type of food imaginable. The centrepiece was a rather large roasted boar.

"Is that a boar? It's huge!"

"Yeah, I mean it's no Chrysaor, but it is an impressive hunt. You should try it; they use dragon fire to make it taste amazing. It's not used that much anymore, mainly because of the lack of dragons, but the school uses it for special occasions."

Did he just say dragon fire?

He was speaking about dragons as if it were a completely normal topic. Who the hell are these people?

"Did you say dragon? They aren't real, that's insane."

"There's a lot more to this world than you know. Dragons are just the beginning," he said, smiling at me.

I couldn't understand how they were all so sure I was supposed to be here. There's nothing about me that fits in here. Everyone looked like they belonged on the cover of magazines. They were beautiful. I on the other hand was plain. I have always been plain; my hair was just a mess of blonde curls and I was taller than most girls. I don't have any curves to speak of and I have never been fond of acting like a dumb blonde to help me get attention.

"So, you feel like getting back out on the dance floor?" Sam asked me.

"I'm not really much of a dancer," I admitted.

"Don't worry, I'll help you."

I couldn't help but agree, he seemed so nice. There was something about him that made me trust him.

"See, you got this," he said, after a few minutes of me ungracefully swaying around the dance floor. I stumbled for the fifteenth time making Sam laugh. I glared at him which only made him laugh harder.

"I'm sorry, it's just I've never seen anyone so clumsy before. I'm kind of impressed." I couldn't help laughing with him. My father had always said my clumsiness must be from my mother's side. He told me his family were very elegant and graceful. My mother would always laugh at him for blaming her. They were perfect for each other. My father always said she was his soulmate.

"Hello Sam, do you mind if I cut in?" I turned my head towards the new voice. The man was older, maybe mid-thirties. His jet-black hair had a few grey streaks, otherwise I would have thought he was younger.

Something about his eyes was so familiar.

"No problem, sir." Sam agreed, bowing a goodbye to me, making me chuckle.

The new guy took a hold of my hand and I was swaying again.

"It has taken a lot to get you here, Amelia." I looked at the man, confusion clear on my face.

"My apologies. I should have introduced myself. Johnathan Shire. But most of the students have taken to calling me Shire. I'm not sure why."

"Your who was trying to get me here? I don't understand why?"

He looked at me as though it was simple, and I just wasn't getting it. I'm not normally this slow. I know his letters said my parents were teachers here, but I don't belong here. Everything about this crazy school felt wrong. Aside from Oscar and Sam I didn't know anyone here nor did I know anything about this school.

"I know you may not believe me, Amy, but you do belong here." His use of my father's nickname for me, made me stiffen. No one has called me Amy since he died. I used to love it but now it just reminded me of everything I had lost.

Johnathan however didn't seem to notice my discomfort.

"Your father was my eldest friend; I knew he wanted to tell you all about this world himself but unfortunately he never got the chance. I have been searching for you ever since." He looked away from my gaze. His eyes shining with unshed tears as he talked about my father.

"I don't understand why he never told me. It's not like he didn't have any opportunities to bring it up. If I really do belong here, why didn't he tell me? And why don't I feel anything? I feel human. I feel normal. There's nothing special about me." I argued, I could feel my anger start to get the better of me. I was so angry at my parents. At everyone. They should have told me.

"Honestly, I am not entirely sure. I do know that everything he ever did was to protect you. You and Amara meant everything to him."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now." It came out as a whisper, but he still heard me.

"It is your decision to make. Though my suggestion is to at least try. You never know where our world might lead you."

He was right and I knew it. I wanted to know more about my parents. I wanted to understand why they kept me separate from all of this. I may not believe in the supernatural. Well, aside from the Winchesters. I mean I'm not blind, but I am a Dean girl. I had to try, if only for my father.

"I have never been one to run from a challenge," I lied.

He smiled at me, "that's the girl I know," he said, as he bowed to me to leave.

Before he left however, he went oddly serious and told me one last thing.

"It would probably be best if the students didn't know who your parents were. They were rather well known here, and I believe it would be safer for you if you blended in."

I thought about it and as much as I wished to disagree, maybe he was right. If I wanted to see this world, it would be easier to see it if no one really noticed me. I nodded to him but before he could leave, I asked him one more question.

"If no one knows my name, then what do they think it is?"

He looked back at me and said, "Amelia Clarke," before walking away.

Clarke? I suppose it was a rather ordinary name for a rather ordinary girl.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Luckily for me I didn't have to wander the ballroom long on my own before Oscar found me. He waved over to me as he started to walk towards me. This was the first time I had really gotten a good look at him tonight and damn did the boy look fine. He was in a black tux that fitted his muscular body perfectly. I couldn't help but stare at him, his smile widened as he saw me, and I swear it made my stomach do flips.

Why am I so attracted to a man I just met? This is insane and nothing like me. I barely even date, let alone drool over strangers just because they smile at me.

"Hey, I wondered where you had gone. I've been looking for you everywhere. I'm sorry about before. Ben is a piece of work." I honestly barely heard anything after he said he was looking for me.

Damn, I think I'm smitten. This is crazy. I am not usually like this. I am stronger than this.

He was staring at me with a smirk on his face and I realised I had forgotten to reply.

Blushing I cleared my head and replied.

"It's fine, really. He did seem like an arsehole." I watched him laugh at my response.

"Definitely, come with me, there's something I wanted to show you." He grabbed my hand, but it wasn't anything like what Ben had done. It felt amazing, if I didn't know any better, I would swear I felt actual sparks as his skin touched mine.

He led me out of the massive double doors to the ballroom and outside into the most beautiful garden I had ever seen. If you could really call it a garden. I guess forest was a more apt description. The only garden-like part was the bright red rose bushes that lined the pathway we were walking on. I could see a river winding through the trees ahead of us and I couldn't take my eyes off the horses that were grazing on the other side of the river. They looked beautiful in the moonlight as they galloped around the field of wildflowers, they were in.

"What do you see?" Oscar asked me, as we came to a stop at the riverbank. The only light was the moonlight. But luckily it was a full moon, so it managed to make everything visible.

"What do you mean, what do I see? The same as you," I told him, confused at his question. He smiled at me but shook his head.

"You see it differently. It's a side effect of being raised human." When I just stared at him blankly, he continued. "There's so much more to this world. Humans only see what they believe. Never what they don't. You should try it, you know."

"Try what?"

"Try believing. This place would look hugely different to you if you did. You are one of us, you have the ability to see our world. You just have to believe you can."

"I believe."

He arched an eyebrow at me.

"Fine I want to believe," I defended.

Laughing, he said, "close your eyes."

So, I did.

"Now what?"

"Imagine everything."

"How can I imagine everything? That makes no sense."

"Trust me," he murmured in my ear, as he stood behind me. His voice was so deep that it made a shiver run down my spine. His hands were on my shoulders keeping me still. I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck.

But I did what he said, I imagined everything was real. I pictured the impossible. From werewolves to dragons. I imagined every bedtime story my mother had ever told me was true. I pictured everything I could think of.

I imagined the dragons that Sam had been telling me about sitting beside the river with their wings spread, enjoying the cool December breeze under the full moon.

I imagined the horses across the river as if they were part butterfly and had beautiful multi-coloured wings that glistened in the moonlight as they galloped beneath the stars.

I didn't know I was smiling until Oscar whispered in my ear.

"You're going to have to watch that smile of yours. The nymphs are an awfully jealous species. It could get ugly."

I felt my cheeks heating up and my smile only got bigger.

"Okay, you're ready. You can open your eyes now."

I did as I was told and opened my eyes to see the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

The horses had wings, but they weren't anything like I had pictured. They were like massive eagle wings spread across their back. Each set of wings matching the colour of the horse. They reminded me so much of my favourite story as a kid. The story of Pegasus, the winged stallion. I watched as they galloped through the wildflowers which were now luminescent in the moonlight. A whole field of mini purple lights that moved with the breeze. Even the river looked different. The colour was such a bright blue I was sure that it was being lit up.

"I don't understand," I stuttered. I couldn't take my eyes off the scene in front of me.

I felt him chuckle behind me.

"It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like this," I admitted.

"Most of the world you know looks a lot different through our eyes," he whispered in my ear, making me shiver again. I felt movement behind me, reluctantly I turned around to see Oscar taking his jacket off before he wrapped it around my shoulders. He was so close as he helped me with the jacket. So impossibly close. My whole body was drawn to him, all I wanted to do was close the small space that stood between us. As I saw his eyes shift down towards my lips, my heart started to race. My breathing became quicker as his hand caressed my cheek. He lent down towards me and I closed my eyes waiting for his lips to touch mine, but they never did. We were interrupted. I couldn't believe the frustration I felt towards Sam. In this one moment I think I could have killed him. From the look of Oscar's face, he felt the same.

"Hey, that's where you went..." he stopped as he really got a good luck at us and I saw his face go bright red.

"Crap. Crap. Forget I was here. Sorry," he babbled on.

"Did you need something?" Oscar asked, well, more like growled at him. Like growled... it was only just occurring to me that if everything about this school was true, then Oscar wasn't human. So, what was he?

I backed away a step suddenly unsure of myself. I shouldn't be doing this. I barely know him. Hell, I don't even know what he is, let alone who.

Oscar looked down at me and I could see the hurt in his eyes. My body wanted to comfort him, but I stopped myself.

Sam noticing the tension that was building spoke up to stop our stare down.

"So, there's a whole party you guys are missing. The headmaster's speech starts in a minute." I was rather thankful for Sam's excuse to get out of the now very awkward conversation. I relaxed as I walked towards him.

"Well then, we best not miss it," I said, as I walked back towards the ballroom.