Her Silver Eyed Mate

Beneath The Ruling Stars

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

― Oscar Wilde

Sienna POV



I had spent most of my afternoon with Harrison, who I found out was a wolf and warlock hybrid and the son of an Alpha Seb of the Night Slane Pack in England. His mother was a descendant of a powerful elder witch giving him equal bloodlines. I learnt a lot of vital information about packs and the wolves from him. Just like Neve and Amelie, he seemed to have respect and support for Queen Ruby and King Ezra as they had given his father his title of Alpha years ago. But Raiden Romano did not seem to be high on his list of idols. From the way he spoke, it seemed to stem from jealousy. He was a man who could challenge Harrison and was far more superior to him in many ways.

Even though Harrison was a simple-minded, vain young man, he would be a good person to have on my side. Not only will he never suspect me to be anything other than what I wanted him to believe but he seemed to be pretty popular with the students. He knew a lot about everyone in this place; their backgrounds, families and abilities. He may look stupid, but the kid did his homework. Yes, it was for his own selfish reasons of wanting to always come out on top and prove to his Alpha daddy that he was the best in his year but it was also extremely beneficial to me. Now, I just had to keep him on my side and make him believe that I was willing to consider him as a love interest which, unfortunately for him, would never manifest into anything but innocent flirting.

One very interesting development was when he mentioned what the silver-eyed teacher told him about hybrids. The SIA knows equal blood hybrids are born with two species abilities and other hybrids have one dominant race even though the second still can be detected in their blood. What we didn’t know is that equal blood hybrids can learn to use both counterparts at the same time. For a moment, it blew my mind to think that someone could shift into a wolf and still use magic.

As soon as I returned to my room and checked Neve was still in her class, I called Ronnie and filled him in on everything since I had arrived. Stanley had never mentioned exactly what he wanted me to discover about the elites, so I didn’t leave a single detail out. That was my job. I was here to spy, gain information and report it back to the masterminds who would do with it what they will to protect humanity.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror of the shabby chic bedroom I shared with Neve and pulled on my leather jacket, replaying the end of my conversation with Ronnie again as I tried to fight the unsettling emotions it caused in the pit of my stomach.

“So… between me and you…what are they really like?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“Ron, you have killed enough supernaturals to know what they are like.”

“Yea but they were supernaturals that had done something horrendous. They were the worst of them. You are around… all of them. Are they all as bad as Stanley thinks?”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes even though Ron couldn’t see me. “They are supernaturals. Of course they are as bad as you think. They walk around with an air of arrogance and superiority, even the kids. But they act as if they care about people other than themselves. They even try to imitate humans, pretending to show emotions. You should have heard what that monster said to me about my parents. He actually pretended to feel bad for me, but it's all an act to get me to become their little puppet.”

I couldn’t keep the hostility out of my tone as I recalled those comments from Arius yesterday.

“Maybe they do… have emotions and stuff. Perhaps they aren't all as bad as the ones we have encountered over the years. That is all I am saying.”

“It sounds like you are going soft on me, Ron. Don’t make me break the rules on my first day and come back to b***h slap the s**t out of you. I have only been gone two days.”

He chuckled deeply. “I am not! But… you are supernatural, little bird. Whether you like it or not, and so is Val. You two are two of my favourite people ever, so all I am saying is perhaps they are not all bad.”

My jaw tensed at his words and I flopped down on my single bed in the dorm. “We are not the same and you know it. We grew up as humans.”

“But how do you know they are the same? Just try and have an open mind, Phoenix. You are there to find out the truth and report that back, no matter what that truth might be. Don’t let your personal vendetta towards one supernatural cloud your judgement on the rest.”

“And what about the man I have been sent here to find? That silver-eyed freak killed Kelps, Ron. How does that not prove that they are all dangerous?”

“He is one man.”

“Who now works here and is moulding these young, impressionable supernaturals and the headmaster is the very man who destroyed hundreds of human lives. That really fills me with confidence and optimism.”

“I am not trying to argue with you. Just giving you my two cents' worth. Obviously, you are going to do what you gotta do and I don’t for one minute believe you would ever listen to me anyway. I don’t know why I bothered,” he chuckled. “Anyway, have you seen Val yet? She arrived today.”

“No. Not yet. Probably best we keep our distance until she establishes her own fake friendships.”

“Imagine if she found her soulmate! You know vampires believe in that stuff. That would complicate the f*ck out of everything, wouldn’t it?”

Honestly, the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Seeing as I had only really learnt about the whole mate bond for wolves and soul mates for vampires in the last week, it wasn’t really on my agenda when coming here to find out information. But now Ron had highlighted the very real possibility that Val could indeed come face to face with her soulmate and still need to go through with the mission she was set, scared the s**t out of me. I love Val but she loves love. Would it change her? Would she look past her hate for supernaturals if she found out she was destined to love one? I shook my head, my long auburn hair flowing freely down my back as I gave myself one last check before heading to the Wayward Wood where my Fae Masterclass was meant to be held.

Thank god the fae didn’t have mates or anything as ridiculous as that. I have heard that some fae become mates of wolves or vampires, but it is extremely rare. And as I am half human as well, I very much doubt it would happen to me. I needed to stop panicking about something that hadn’t even occurred. If Val found her mate, we would deal with it then. I’d like to think she would be strong enough to see it for what it was. A silly ideology to excuse the need to possess someone. To have some kind of commitment that meant they would never stray or leave you. It was stupid, is what it was. Who says they would never stray or leave you?

Thankfully, Harrison had shown me how to get to Wayward Wood earlier, giving me the same warning Amelie gave about not going in there alone. It was an enchanted wood that was made to test your limits, whatever that meant. As I reached the entrance of spidery branches at the top of dark trees twisting and weaving overhead to create an archway, I noticed a few more students hovering nearby. They were all wearing long robes in a sky blue colour with gold embroidery running down the edges and large hoods over their heads, so it was hard to make out any of their faces. I admired the exquisite detail on the cloaks and wondered why they were all wearing one and I hadn’t been given one yet.

“Class! You have all made it. Excellent. Follow me,” the stern voice of Adelina vibrated through the air as she stormed past me and into the wood, her own teal cloak brushing the mossy floor as she went. The other students huddled close together as they quickly marched behind her and I raced to the back of the crowd to keep up. The wood was eerily quiet and only the sound of our feet scrunching the twigs and earth below could be heard. I licked my lips as I looked around in awe of its natural beauty. Even though it was dark, I could still make out the rows of bright, exotic flowers that decorated the forest floor. One up ahead was calling out to me. A glowing golden flower which seemed to sway in a non-existent breeze. I wanted to reach out and pluck it. Make it mine to keep forever.

“Don’t. Don’t touch anything,” A girl next to me whispered firmly from under the darkness of her hood.

“Huh?”

“The flowers. Are they calling you? It is a trick. Don’t fall for it. The last girl who gave into her temptation ended up in the academy hospital for a week.”

My eyes widened, “What? But why would they plant them? Why make a forest so dangerous to students?”

“Exactly for that reason. To prepare us for danger. This wood is enchanted by Arius himself. He used his mother’s dark illusion spell to create it so that the wood speaks to every individual in a certain way, playing on their weaknesses and their fears. If we can fight them here, then we have nothing to be afraid of out there.”

“Out where?” I questioned.

“In the human world. Who knows when another war will start? Right now, we live in peace, but we should always be prepared for the unexpected. That is what this wood teaches us.”

Before I could respond, the bodies of the students in front grinded to a halt and I smashed straight into someone’s back. They hissed at me under their cloak for being so reckless but I was too engrossed in the stunning scenery before me to notice. We had stopped in a circular clearing in the middle of the forest. With no trees overhead, we had a perfect view of the crystal clear night sky above the shimmering dome that protected this realm. But it was the stars that took my breath away. Twinkling with different colour constellations, lighting up the sky against a black canvas like a firework display. In New York, you were lucky to see one star in the night, let alone this spectacle. The hazy, silver glow of the moon hung low in the background and I suddenly felt so small and insignificant in comparison.

“Circle everyone,” Adelina ordered, and I stepped back as all the students, who had clearly done this before, formed a perfect oval in the clearing, shoulder to shoulder. The girl who had spoken to me shuffled over slightly to let me in and I joined what felt like the beginnings of a sacrifice or cult meeting. I forced my face into a stoic expression to fight the giggle that suddenly wanted to erupt within me. When I thought of magic school, this is what I pictured.

The Fae Elder in her embellished sky blue cloak, walked around the inside of the circle, glancing at each of our faces with a smile. “It is the night before the full moon. Therefore, it is the night of tradition for our kind. The dusk of ruling stars.” Her tone was slow and dramatic, hanging on every word with sincerity. “We all know that the wolves get their energy from the moon, vampires from blood, merpeople from the ocean and goblins from the Earth. Fae power is defined by the stars themselves.” I read about all of this for the first time during my research last week. I had never had any interest in finding out about my fae heritage before. It was a part of me I wanted to disconnect from but here I was being forced to listen.

“Tonight, we will test the progress of your abilities with the elements. Fire, water, earth and air. Many of you have one or two dominant elements, others have more. Feed from the power of the stars and channel your energy into the elements to reveal your full potential,” her sparkling eyes locked directly with mine as she said the last sentence. She wanted to know what I was made of. What I was capable of. I knew I had fire and water elements. I could manipulate small amounts of water as a child, making it flow through my fingers from a tap. But fire was my more dominant ability. I could manifest it from my fingertips. I could engulf another person from their toes to their head in scorching flames if I really focused all my energy on it. But I had never had any experiences with earth or air.

“Hoods down, eyes to the sky,” Adelina commanded and in unison all the students lowered their hoods and looked to the wonder above us. I glanced up too, not really sure what was meant to happen next but as soon as I focused on the constellations, I felt a powerful surge of energy pass through my body. I knew my amber eyes were shining like balls of fire as I stared up in a trance. I couldn’t look away.

I had no idea how long we all stood like that but it felt like eternity when I heard Adelina’s mystical voice call us back to Earth.

“The stars have spoken. One by one you will step forward and test your powers. Mai Riverstone, enter the circle.”

A black-haired girl with pale skin and shimmering turquoise eyes stepped into the middle of the oval. First, she closed her eyes and raised her hands. Suddenly, water appeared in the form of a spinning sphere bouncing from one palm to the other. She threw it up into the air and it turned into a rain cloud, droplets falling down towards her from the sky. Manipulating her hands in the air, a huge gust of wind swept around the circle blowing the rainfall towards a male student with blonde hair opposite the girl and drenched him in the shower instead.

Everyone laughed as he looked thoroughly pissed at being her target and Adelina nodded to her with a grin as Mai stepped back into the circle. One by one, each student took centre stage and explored their powers with one or two elements. One Fae student called Wade had three elements which was pretty impressive but no one had shown all four.

Adelina turned to me and I visibly gulped when I realised it was my turn. I had only ever used my fae powers to kill on missions. I had never had to try and control it like this. I used that side of me to destroy not to play. I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous about what might happen.

Stepping forward into the middle of the circle, I felt all their curious eyes on me. Not only was I the new girl but I was also the only one without a cloak. Yes, ok, I admit it. Even though I am not one for conformity, I want one of those gorgeous robes.

“Sienna Stone. How many elements do you have?” Adelina asked.

“Two I think. Water and fire.”

“You think?” she arched one eyebrow in question.

“I have never tried to use the other two. I didn’t even know that was a thing,” I stated honestly. I heard a few sniggers around the circle at my innocence when it came to this but I didn’t care. I didn't want to be like them. I despised their kind.

“Then let's try them all. Start with what you know,” Adelina gave a menacing glare towards the students who were mocking me and then nodded for me to start when they fell silent.

I didn't bother closing my eyes like I had seen many of the others do. The fire element came naturally to me. I could feel the burning of my veins as it raced around my body trying to find an outlet. Raising my hands, I allowed the flames to appear at my fingertips but I wanted to show these idiots what I was capable of so next time they consider taunting me they will think twice. I forced the fire energy together into a huge ball and sent it hurtling through the air, causing a couple of students to dodge out of the way, breaking the circle as the grenade of flames hit the bottom of a tree. They ignited and grew taller as they engulfed the trunk. I manipulated their size until they reached the top of the canopy, which was no longer visible behind the bright orange and yellow heat. Switching my channel to the soothing flow of water, I twirled my hands together above my head to create a rain cloud. Sending it above the tree top, I clapped once allowing the cloud to burst in one impressive action and soaked the tree with a flood of water. The flames diminished. The scorched bark sizzled and smoked as it cooled from the downpour.

Normally, I would stop now but I felt immense energy like I had never felt before. I had more to give. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus my attention on what my body was telling me to do. Rocks. Stones. I was feeling a connection to them. In my mind, I fabricated a stone wall being built around the circle of students, one stone at a time but at insane speed. When it was twenty feet high and complete, I opened my eyes and saw the shocked looks on all the students' faces as we all stood encased in a circular wall. They started to whisper and talk in panicked tones but I was too focused on the reason I built it. My mind was whirling with chaos. It needed an escape. Envisioning a hurricane of wind and air, pulling the chaos from my mind, I opened my eyes as the strong breeze picked up and whipped my hair from my face. All the students' cloaks blew around them, even standing inside the protection of my stone wall and they screamed and huddled down on the floor. Once the hurricane had passed us by, the wind subsided and I pushed my arms out wide. The stone wall crumbled to dust around us all and, once again, everything had returned to normal.

It was only then that I realised how hard I was breathing, my chest rising and falling in rapid breaths. I felt a trickle under my nose and wiped it with the back of my hand. Blood. Doing all of that caused a nose bleed. That’s when the circle of faces started spinning and I lost my footing.

I felt my exhausted body hit the forest floor and saw concerned faces hovering over me.

“Out of my way! Sienna! Sienna?” I heard the Fae Elder’s strained voice but it was an echo in the distance as my eyelids felt too heavy to keep open. Darkness crawled at the corners of my mind and I welcomed it. I think I earned a nap after all of that and one of those f*cking robes.