One

Athena

Midnight was my favorite time of the clock. The darkness empowered me. Unlike me, my brother Caleb was pure Lycan, yet he enjoyed watching me spin magic. My dad was alpha and was expected to banish me for having witch blood, yet he kept this secret within our home.

"They're here," I whispered to Caleb, wrapping myself in a purple cloak. "Hold my hand and run like your life depends on it. Don't shift into your wolf. They'll recognize us."

Our pursuers closed in, but we didn't stop. Caleb wasn't afraid. He trusted in my powers to keep us safe. Just as they were about to grab us, we levitated onto a rooftop and began hopping from building to building. Caleb found this amusing and whistled with glee as we landed on our roof and slipped down the secret staircase into the house.

Just as we entered, we heard the buzzer. I hated that these nosy hunters wouldn't leave. The sound woke my dad.

 Caleb and I rushed to our rooms, pretending to be asleep. Upon confirming it was the witch hunters, Dad's footsteps rushed upstairs, and he opened my door.

"You're going to be the death of me, Athena," I heard him mutter to himself before heading back downstairs. 

I rushed out to observe things and recognized the items they were showing my dad: a scroll, the red and pink candles, and my small pouch of herbs that must have dropped in my haste to flee.

"Alpha, we have enough evidence that the witch has been visiting the grove." 

"Shit," Caleb whispered.

"Relax. Dad is the Alpha; surely he won't expose his witch daughter."

There was a slight bitterness in my tone. Caleb didn't have to worry about inheriting witch blood as he only had Lycan and human blood, even though my parents were already beginning to fear that he hadn't met his wolf yet at eighteen.

But not meeting one's wolf was a better curse than being a hybrid Lycan and witch. I was an outcast in both worlds, and they claimed that my power could ruin the world. My secret was only within the walls of our home.

Dad succeeded in convincing the witch hunter to leave.

"I had a rough day at the council, and as long as you didn't catch this witch, perhaps you might be overthinking," he said, downplaying the situation as always.

Dad successfully dismissed the witch hunter. It was crazy how the pack alpha, who should be banishing witches, had one as his daughter. 

Mom was scared for me. She was human and didn't want to offend any faction. I inherited her mother's blood; sadly, my powers grew more powerful and harder to suppress.

Caleb grabbed my hand as a cue to run back into our rooms. He was nine months younger than me but was my biggest fan and loved seeing me levitate and spin magic. He always said he would go down with me if I went down. 

"Wake up. I know you're not asleep," Mom, who sounded annoyed, said, yanking off my duvet. "You promised you'd stay in bed tonight."

"I did," I said, pretending to be sleepy. She gave me the "don't lie to me" look, and my three-year-old sister, a very light sleeper, was awake from all the commotion.

Stella's birth made me cringe to imagine my parents at their age still having sex. Like Caleb, she didn't get the witch's blood. She wrapped her small hands around me.

"I swear, darling, they're going to give me a heart attack," my mom complained to my dad. "The house is big enough for her to levitate. Did she have to go out, and of all places, to the heart of the witch hunt? What was she trying to prove?"

"I couldn't control myself. What part of that didn't you understand?" 

"Honey, I just want you to be safe," she said after her face softened. "Let's not play the blame game."

"Let's go to bed," Dad said, touching his wife's back. “Your admission letters to Silverwood came in last night, but I was too exhausted to inform you," he said. "You leave on Sunday."

"On Sunday?!" I cried out. "Are you so eager to get rid of me?"

Dad shot me an annoyed look. "Your brother is changing schools because of you; your cousins too. You have a community already. Just try to keep the secret to yourself."

A look of guilt crossed Dad's face, and he exchanged glances with Mom. I turned away. My parents knew better than to apologize when I was in my feelings. I'm sure they will do that tomorrow at breakfast.

I woke up later than usual to refuel my energy. At breakfast, I was surprised to see my cousins Mia and Alex.

Mia doubled as my best friend and knew about my freakiness. Like Caleb, she applied to Silverwood because of me. Her older brother Alex was only applying because he was done banging our pack girls and wanted more spice. I hoped to find a community of hybrids.

Uncle Ziah and his family were no strangers to our house. We had four days to prepare because the travel date was brought forward. Mom and my uncle's wife accompanied us to the airport, and I left behind my little sister, who was bawling her eyes out.

"I'll be back before you know it, I promise," I said while kissing her. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes.

"Please, honey, it's hard, but try to suppress your powers until you are in a safe space. You don't want to draw unnecessary attention to yourself," Mom whispered at the boarding pass.

I could only manage a nod. After a three-hour flight, we arrived in the Western tropics. It was hotter than the weather I was used to, but it felt like I had stepped into the future. Everything was impressive; everyone had tanned olive skin.

We rented a car that drove us to the academy, and I gasped when Uncle Ziah tossed a pack of condoms to his son Alex.

"Remember to strap," he said, which prompted Alex, Mia, and Caleb to burst into loud laughter while my dad called my uncle shameless. 

I had a very unconventional family because it turned out that my mom was the soulmate of my dad and his two brothers until she eventually settled for my dad. Thinking about it always made me cringe, knowing that she had sex with my uncles.

We drove into the fabulous academy, where my dad had to take a huge chunk of his savings. I got out of the car, staring around.

Everywhere about the academy was impressive, just like the brochure and online reviews. We would dress according to color-coded themes, which would be determined by the dormitories we got.

Since today was the official welcome date for both new and returning students, the student governing council was outside to welcome us. They all looked very fab, with one even rocking an original Chanel bag. Judging by the average standard, my dad was wealthy enough but not wealthy enough to afford such an expensive bag for a student.

I was about to take a step forward when my nose was hit by the sweetest, indescribable scent I had ever smelled. At first, I thought it was a strong perfume, but it was all over the air, permeating the skies and filtering into my brain. Then, when my wolf stirred, and my hands began to tremble, I knew.

This was no ordinary scent.

This was a mate bond.

This was a pathway to destruction because it was forbidden for me to have a mate, and accepting this bond would cause the unfortunate soul to die.