Chapter 2: Selene

I walked out to the garden to see the tall red head, smiling; I called out to him, “Phoenix Mackenzie!” He turned to face me with the biggest smile on his face as he pulled me into a hug, “I can’t believe you’re home! How was the trip to Scotland?” I asked as we sat on the bench looking over the garden, his face beamed with joy,

“It was incredible! Father took me to Inverness which was absolutely gorgeous; we went to other places as well, even managed to find my two hundred year old grandmothers’ grave. It was unmarked so it was pretty difficult, but we found it nonetheless.” He told me, I smiled and grabbed his hands. We were close when we were younger, but then his father took him away to practice his magic in their homeland, Scotland. Phoenix and I were devastated, but after he left, Mom and Dad managed to talk my Aunts into moving here with Amber. That was ten years ago. 

“I’m glad it was a pleasant trip, just wish it didn’t take you away for so long.” I admitted, his face flush; I couldn’t help but notice all of the differences in him since we last saw each other. He was a lot taller now, perhaps nearly six foot, his red hair was messy and those blue eyes I used to tease him about, just as crystal clear as I remember, 

“What about you, little hybrid, you’ve grown.” He said to me, acknowledging my changes, “You’re not as skinny as I remember.” I punched him playfully which made him laugh, “What have you been up to?” I placed my hands on my knees and looking over the garden, 

“Nothing really,” I told him, “Amber and I have been working on dance routines and then there’s the ball coming up.” I sighed, 

“What is it?” Phoenix asked me, I looked at him, 

“I don’t know,” I answered, “I thought we could pick up where we left off, I suppose. I didn’t expect so much to change.” He gave me a smile, 

“Selene, we were six when I left, surely you didn’t think that we’d go back to being six year old children again, did you?” I got up and leaned against the pillar,

“Of course not, I just,” I was so scared to admit that I had a crush on him all those years ago, “Nothing, forget it.” I looked at my watch and noticed what time it was, “Sun will be up soon, I should head in.” Phoenix stood, 

“Selene,” I put my hand up, 

“Bye Phoenix.” I then went back inside, taking a plate of food to my room. 

I sat there, thinking about my reunion with Phoenix; he had grown to be so handsome. I went into my bathroom and took the coldest shower I could stand, but the thoughts of him rang in my mind. I stood there, letting the cool water run down my body before washing. After I was done, I stepped out and began drying off. Wrapping my towel tightly around my body before entering my room. It was already becoming light out so I rushed over to the curtains and shut them tightly, then I hurried off to my closet and got dressed. Climbing into bed, I laid down, thinking about everything that’s happened today as I drifted off to sleep.

I opened my eyes and saw hooded figures standing around me, I looked around, they formed a circle around me; I looked down to see I was standing in the middle of a wiccans circle. They were chanting something, but I didn’t understand what they were saying, “What’s going on?” I asked, but no one answered me. The circle began to glow and shot up, engulfing me in its light.

I awoke with a start, sweat pouring down my face; what was all that mess about, I wondered to myself. I shook off the feeling as I shoved my blankets off of me. I stood up and stretched, shifting my weight to either side as I went over to my desk and began to write. Ever since I was a little girl, I’d write down every dream I ever had, whether it was terrifying, confusing, or even sexual. After writing everything down, I looked at the clock, it was only six o’clock in the evening. Clearly not going back to sleep, I start getting ready for the day. It’s Thursday, which means that the ball is only two days away; since we haven’t had a ball in a while, my mother wanted me to take a few classical dance lessons; especially since Amber and I are into more modern forms of dancing rather than the traditional. I slip on a red crop top as well as my high waisted, light washed jeans along with my combat boots. Wanting to look cute, I put my hair in pigtail braids and brushed my teeth before putting on a bit of makeup. As I came out of the bathroom, Amber burst through the door and set me on the bed, “Phoenix is back?” She asks, I nod, “What did he say?”

“Nothing really, we talked about his trip and that’s about it.” I told her, though she didn’t believe me for even a second, 

“So, you’re telling me, the entire time the two of you were sitting in the garden, alone, you weren’t thinking about him attacking your neck and having his way with you?” I scoffed at her question as my face flushed,

“Of course not!” I exclaimed, “We haven’t seen each other in years, why would I think of him like that?” I asked, she shrugged, “And for the record, he wouldn’t have his way with me, in fact, I’m pretty sure it would be the opposite.” Amber didn’t hold back her laughter at my statement which earned her a ‘go to hell’ look. There was a slight knock on the door and then it opened, Mom entered the room with a big smile on her face,

“Your uncles, aunts, and cousins are here.” She told me happily, “Come on, they’re waiting for us.” I nod and the three of us head downstairs.

I haven’t seen my cousins in a while; Mom walked in front of me and Amber, as we went down the stairs, a tension went through my body, causing me to stop in my tracks. Amber put her hand on my shoulder, “You okay?” She whispered, I snapped out of it almost as quickly as I went in and smiled, 

“Yes, I’m fine.” I whispered back as we caught up with my mother. I could hear the laughter of my uncles and saw they were talking to my father. Mom wrapped her arm around his waist and he kissed the top of her head. I hugged all four of my uncles before turning to my cousin, but one stared at Amber, “Chris, you okay?” I asked, he ignored my question as he took Amber’s hand and kissed it gently. I looked at everyone else to see if they knew what was going on but they just watched in awe. Amber looked almost as confused but her face flushed, clearly getting flustered from the sudden notion from Chris. 

“What’s your name?” He asked her, 

“Amber, Amber Elizabeth Serkan.” She told him, 

“That’s beautiful.” He told her, “I’m Christopher Koray Alcmene, eldest son of Alpha Jackson Alcmene.” I went over to my mom and nudged her,

“What’s going on?” I asked, she smiled, 

“Amber is Christopher’s mate.” She stated, I raised an eyebrow, 

“How? Aren’t they cousins?” I asked, she giggled and shook her head,

“They’re not actually cousins, Selene. They are both your cousins, but they’re not actually related to each other.” I nodded, 

“How come I haven’t found my mate yet? I’m nineteen, shouldn’t I have found him by now?” I asked her, she shrugged, 

“Perhaps you haven’t met him yet.” She told me, “Just be patient, Selene, it’ll happen at some point.” We watched them flirt for a few minutes until everyone carried on with their own conversations. 

I was talking to my younger cousins when someone tapped my shoulder, I turned to see Phoenix standing behind me, “Phoenix, what are you doing here?” I asked, 

“Your father invited me over to discuss the alliance in my fathers’ place.” He explained, “Dad had an emergency in Salem, so he trusted me until he returned.” I nodded, we saw Amber and Chris talking and flirting with each other, “I see Amber is enjoying herself.” I smirked, placing my hands on my hips,

“They’re mates.” I told him; Phoenix turned his attention back to me, clearly surprised, 

“Well then, okay.” He thought for a moment, “Do you have a mate?” I was curious by his question, but answered honestly,

“No, I don’t.” He nodded his head lightly at my answer, then dad came over to us,

“Phoenix, you look well.” Dad told him, “Are you ready to discuss the alliance?” Phoenix nodded, 

“Thank you, your majesty, and yes, I am.” He smiled at me as he followed my father to the office.