Wolves of Enchantment

Chapter 13: Tear In My Heart

Lilith’s Point of View

I’d dealt with my fair share of mean girls at my old school. They were all bark and no bite. And even the ones who tried to bite, my fist slammed into their pretty little faces, and that shut things down pretty quickly once they realized I would fight them if I had to.

Truth be told, I had so much pent-up rage I was hoping that the twins would have pushed just a little bit more so that I lost control. I hadn’t expected Jackson to defend me. From the looks on everyone else’s faces, neither had they. It was unexpected, and it left me unsettled. I thought I had figured him out. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

I expected to be taken to the guest room where I was staying, but the girls led me down a flight of stairs to a room on a lower floor. My eyes widened in amazement as I took in the lavish setup - a massive flat-screen TV, gaming console, cozy bean bag chairs, two luxurious leather sofas, and speakers placed strategically for surround sound. The room also boasted a mini bar, a large fridge, and a snack dispenser resembling an old-fashioned vending machine stocked with popular candies and chips. It was an impressive space, and it was clear that these kids were well-off.

“My brothers will come down once they’ve finished helping clean everything up. I’m pretty sure my parents wanted to talk to them about something anyway. My great-grandpa gave them all gifts earlier in the day, before everyone arrived, and my parents hadn’t had a chance to see them yet. Juniper, I know that Grandpa Dwade had something made for you too. Jax was supposed to give it to you, but I can clearly see that he hasn’t,” Ember said while holding up Juniper’s hand to examine it.

She was being given a ring. Juniper blushed and looked around awkwardly. Why would she be embarrassed?

Juniper quickly composed herself and explained, "Their great-grandfather has always had a soft spot for me. He says I remind him of his granddaughter, Sage - their mother."

Ember's eyes lit up with excitement as she exclaimed, "The ring is supposedly enchanted by Malin and will have butterflies on it. I can't wait to see what it looks like!"

“Malin is a magical gnome,” Ember added for my benefit, realizing I had no clue who they were talking about.

Wow. These kids spoke so freely of their magical heritage and abilities. It was so different from what I was used to. I wonder if people are this open at the high school, too.

“We still have to hide who we are at school, even though many of us are there. It’s still a small high school with a mostly human population. The town doesn’t seem to know about our presence, or maybe they don’t care. All I know is that it’s just safer not to share what we are with anyone who is a human. We’ve always been taught that,” Juniper explained as if reading my thoughts.

“How does that even work if the two bitches outside are the most popular girls in school?” I asked, truly curious.

“They have their moments. But Hazel and Pru were jealous of you capturing Axel’s attention. It’s something they’ve always wanted but never achieved,” Juniper revealed.

“We were just talking. What is the big deal?” I rolled my eyes.

“Axel is a challenge to them because he’s never shown an interest in well, pretty much anyone. It’s like he’s been waiting for someone who hasn’t shown up yet. You were the first girl Axel ever really engaged in with on his own because he wanted to,” Juniper clarified.

I groaned as I asked, "Will this keep happening to me if I hang out with the triplets?"

I got no response to my question, just blank stares. f**k.

“I’m not even interested in them!” I exclaimed.

“How do you know? Do you even have a type?” Ember smirked.

I would know if I was interested in someone or not. I narrowed my eyes at Ember, ready to say something snarky back but then I remembered that I was a guest in her home and staying overnight. Did I want to try and navigate those rural roads on my motorcycle when I wasn’t familiar with the route home? I sighed and tried to keep my anger in check. Ember was just a kid, after all.

But she did have a valid question. I’d never really considered if I had a type of guy that I would want to date. I didn’t even have a favourite musician or celebrity crush. I just didn’t see the point.

Rather than overthink, I just shared what I thought I would like in someone to date them.

“Ugh, whatever. I just want someone who I can totally be myself around. Like I don't have to act all fake and stuff. A guy who can make me laugh and also challenge my brain. Someone who's both intelligent and sweet. Oh, and if he's into motorcycles, skateboarding or books, then that's a major plus,” I retorted nonchalantly.

Juniper and Ember looked at each other and shared a knowing look. I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t care. At this point, I was getting increasingly frustrated with this conversation. I didn’t want to be “shipped” with anyone right now.

The conversation stopped regardless because three sets of footsteps were coming down the stairs to the basement. The triplets were at the bottom of the stairs when Sage appeared before me. My eyes grew wide as I stared at the beautiful woman before me, wondering how she had just appeared.

“The boys didn’t think I would teleport in front of you, but I have a feeling you are going to be here often with us this year, so I thought it would be best to make you aware of it now,” Sage smiled.

“All three boys can teleport like their fathers, and I can. We don’t hide our magic in our own home. I will bring Ember back up because Terrance has already started getting ready for bed, and Ember needs to do the same. Enjoy your night, but keep your voices down,” Sage said before disappearing with her daughter.

Jackson sat beside me before either of his brothers could and grinned at me.

“So beautiful. What are we doing tonight?” Jackson asked.