Wolves of Enchantment

Chapter Two: Welcome To My Life

Axel’s Point of View

My blaring alarm clock filled the room, but her words haunted me. "I’m waiting for you, Axel," echoed in my mind.

I turned off the alarm, groaning in frustration. The recurring dream is always so confusing. I can never make out the girl's face; her voice is unfamiliar, and every time I wake up, I'm left with an urgent feeling that I need to track this mysterious girl down.

I am excited about tonight's bonfire, a chance to be surrounded by family and friends from school before summer ends. My mom was thrilled to welcome Emily and Jason’s foster daughter, Lilith, who would be starting her senior year and didn't know anyone. While my brothers and I hadn't met her yet, my little sister, Ember, had and couldn't stop talking about how fantastic Lilith was.

My siblings and I had chores to do, and we would visit our family before our friends from school arrived. It was just the way things went. Our lives are governed by a reality that would seem unbelievable to most. This reality made maintaining friendships with those outside the supernatural world challenging.

How do you even begin to explain to someone who doesn't believe in the supernatural that I was not only an incubus demon but also a werewolf and witch with angelic blood? And on top of that, I was part of a set of triplets, each with a different father. To add to the complexity, my dad was the most popular teacher at our school, with a classroom always packed with mostly female students. It didn't help that I looked just like him. It made me wonder if the girls were interested in dating me or if they were simply drawn to Anton Foster's son.

Things could be worse. Jackson's father is River Foster, a world-famous former rock star from the band Random Sass. Jax seemed to have it the easiest out of all of us. His dad, Phoenix Carter, was the local sheriff. Anton, River, and Phoenix were all marked and mated to my mother, Sage Winters-Foster. To complicate things, Anton and River were brothers. Yeah, welcome to my world. It’s a little dark and confusing here.

My siblings and I also possessed abilities mirroring those of our parents. Mine showed up at a young age, and I quickly learned to control my incubus abilities when puberty arrived, as it made for some awkward and challenging moments. My school attendance was inconsistent because of that, but I was lucky that my Uncle Joey worked as the guidance counsellor.

I ran my hands through my short, dark hair and quickly put on some basketball shorts and an anime T-shirt before leaving my bedroom. Seraphina met me in the hallway, wrapping herself around my legs.

My familiar affectionately asked, "How did you sleep?"

"I dreamed about her again. The last thing I heard before waking up was the girl telling me she was waiting for me. Again," I sighed.

Seraphina acknowledged. “I'm sorry, Axel. I know that these dreams leave you feeling unsettled and lost.”

“Do you think it could be your mate?” my familiar asked.

I wasn't sure. I had a distinct feeling that I was supposed to help this girl somehow, but I had no idea what that involved. I knew that, like my Aunt Raven and Dad, I could see ahead to some degree, but I had never mastered their ability. Aunt Raven and my Dad assured me it would be easier to discern in time. I hoped they were right because it was frustrating never to understand these dreams about the mysterious girl I had.

“I have no idea. I do know I need a coffee and a muffin if any are left,” I said.

“You better hurry then. Sage’s blueberry muffins don’t last long,” Seraphina laughed.

My parents stood together in the kitchen. I could see the longing in my Mom's eyes as she stared at the coffee pot while my dad tried to offer her a coffee mug. Mom was struggling with having to drink only decaf coffee.

She is pregnant again; this time, my Dad is the father. River was the father of my sister, Ember. We had recently discovered that the baby they would welcome would be a girl. I was thrilled by the news, but Ember was even more excited. She disliked being the only daughter in the family.

This was just one more reason why it was challenging to maintain friendships, let alone a romantic involvement, with someone who wasn't involved in the supernatural realm. My mom's pregnancies were very brief. My brothers and I were born after only three months, and we grew at an accelerated rate. Ember was born after only five months. Human pregnancies typically last nine months. Based on my mom's rapid growth over the summer, I predicted that the baby would arrive in just four months.

"You seem exhausted, Axel. Is everything alright?" my Mom asked.

“I'm okay. Please don't worry. I just had some strange dreams again,” she said, offering a small smile, hoping that she would stop worrying about me. Stress wasn’t good for her or the baby.

"Did you dream about the same girl?" my father asked, also clearly worried.

I nodded in agreement and inhaled the rich aroma of the coffee before taking a sip. I noticed my Mom's discomfort as I stood beside her, so I gently shifted away, giving her some space. She was missing her caffeine fix.

.

"Grandpa Dwade will be arriving shortly. If you ever feel like talking, he's always there to listen. Your grandfather is also bringing the gifts that Malin specially made for you and your brothers," my Mom said.

I couldn't help but grin when thinking about that gnome. He was always a highlight of my summer visits to Grandpa Dwade's realm. Malin wouldn't reveal the details of what he was crafting for us, but he assured us it would be unique to each of my brothers and me, offering protection and blessings. I wonder what Malin thought we needed protection from.