Alpha Queen

Chapter 3

Josie Pov

I was nervous, standing in my room staring at myself in the mirror. I don’t show it much, but I was nervous. Tessa was lounging on my bed absently flipping through a magazine, she was already dressed and ready, her long red hair was pulled back into a sideways ponytail and curled at the ends to wrap around her neck and her shoulder, her amber eyes scanning the pages as she waited for her nail polish to dry. Normally we’d be in dance class right now, but the three of us took the day off to get ready for the party. “So…is no one going to say it? Because I’m just going to say it.” Isobel said, her voice coming from the armchair where she was sitting to the left of my dresser. She was ready as well, her long dark brown curly hair pulled back into an intricate low ponytail with small braids woven into her hair and gold beads clipped into the braids. Her light violet eyes lowered with annoyance as she stared me down, despite the fact that she was sitting and I was standing. I was the only one not finished yet, my long black hair hanging loosely down my back and my dark blue dress that matched my ocean blue eyes was still hanging on the hanger resting on the corner of my dresser. “I heard a rumor that you shifted last night. Into a wolf. Which, by the way, isn’t possible, in case you forgot.”

I was stalling, but I took an extra minute to pull my dress off of the hanger and step into it, refusing to meet Isobel’s heated look or Tessa’s concerned one as they both burned holes in the back of my head. I could tell without even turning around that Isobel was getting frustrated while Tessa was merely waiting patiently for me to explain. ‘Take your time, little one. This is your truth, you don’t need to explain anything to anyone. Well, maybe to your parents, but that’s about it.’ my wolf, Luna said with a huff. She was preening herself in my mind and I nodded, still trying to wrap my mind around all of this. My wolf. To call her mine like it was something normal wasn’t anything I’d ever expected to have, but here I was, talking to my wolf in my mind while my two best friends were waiting for me to explain.

How was I supposed to explain to them when I didn’t even know myself? Head up high, shoulders back, fearless, I told myself. Even if I was scared, even if I didn’t know what to do, that didn’t mean I was going to show it. I pulled my hair around to rest on my shoulder, lifting my finger up into the air as I used my magic to zip up the back of my dress, before grabbing my brush and starting to brush my hair. Look unconcerned, look strong, I told myself. I turned to look at them, giving them a soft smile. “Yes, I shifted into a wolf last night. I didn’t expect it, none of us did. The moon rose at midnight, and I didn’t know I had a wolf until that moment. But it seems I do, and I’m still a witch, in case you didn’t notice.” I said firmly, flicking my fingers at the dresser and lighting three candles in the process.

I felt a soft prickle in my stomach and schooled my face not to react to it, my fingers barely fumbling with the brush as I continued to get through the knots. “It’s not possible to be both,” Isobel said, her voice filled with jealousy. The way she was picking absently at a loose thread on the chair she was sitting on showed just how frustrated she was, her eyes glazed over as she chewed on her lower lip. “I’m a witch, I would know if it was possible or not. You were born by a witch, you’re a female, you should simply be a witch like aunt Jade, like my mother. Just like Zack is a wolf because, while he was born by my parents as well, he’s a boy. It’s simply how everything works.” She told me as if I didn’t already know that.

‘I don’t think I quite like your cousin much, Josie,’ Luna said with a frown as Isobel continued to glower in the corner.

I shook my head at the both of them, turning around and searching for my curling iron. I could simply curl my hair with my magic but I wanted something in my hand, I wanted something to do. Normally, the three of us would be in dance class right now, and my body was getting antsy from missing class. Despite the fact that Tessa and Isobel were both seventeen, their high school didn’t have a dance program, so they were allowed to sign up for college dance class after school for extra college credit. The three of us have always been together, Isobel mostly because she’s my cousin, but Tessa has always been my best friend. ‘I don’t like her most of the time either, but she’s my cousin and I promised my mother when I was younger to watch out for her and keep her safe. Besides, she’s not that bad. She’s just jealous.’ I said softly, watching Isobel stewing from the corner of my eye.

Tessa was humming a soft tune now, her red curls bobbing back and forth as she flipped the page, clearly trying to change the subject since she could sense my discomfort. We all knew Isobel would start yelling at her for humming, she said constantly that Tessa was tone deaf and while to be honest she kind of was, it was still funny watching her complain about it. However, it didn’t seem like Isobel was going to get distracted this time by the way she was still glaring at me, and I realized I’d have to explain at least a little bit. Easier said than done, when I didn’t know what was going on either. “Isobel, I know how it works. I know what is supposed to be, trust me, I’m just as confused as you are. I clearly didn’t expect to shift last night, I was standing next to my parents on the platform. If I knew I was going to shift I’d have been with the others standing under the moonlight. I can’t help what happened. It wasn’t expected, but it’s how it is, and I can’t do anything about it.” I said with a shrug.

‘That’s not entirely true, little one. Your body is trying to contain both me and your witch magic. You can choose one or the other, but I’m not entirely sure if you can keep both.’ Luna told me.

I cringed, shaking my head back and forth. I wasn’t going to be thinking about that right now. I can still remember the conversation I had with my parents last night. Dad was so happy I was a wolf, all of his worries about me having to find an Alpha to marry to keep the wolves of the pack happy were wiped away, he had said. He was worried they were pressuring me to marry an Alpha, and now that I was one, I could marry anyone I wanted, no matter what their title was. I understood his glee, and his apprehension about marriage, but that wasn’t even important to me right now. Mother was worried I wasn’t a witch anymore, but I performed a few spells for them perfectly as always, and they were flabbergasted. How could I be both? They had assumed I lost my magic when the wolf came, but sure enough, I still had all of it. It’s not like I’m the first half breed, my mother herself is half wolf and half witch, along with aunt Colette, and so many others. Half-breeds were simply witches if they were girls or wolves if they were boys. That’s how it’s always been. I could see, in a way, why Isobel was upset. The fact that she was a half-breed like me, but still just a witch. Then again, she could be something more when she turned twenty as well. It was hard to know, to be honest. “I just don’t believe this is possible. Did you perform a spell none of us knew of? If there’s a spell, I won’t tell your secret, Josie. Just let me know what it is, okay?” She asked, the soft whine in her voice to reveal just how jealous she was.

“Look, Isobel. She didn’t know it was coming, it was not a spell, it was just something that happened to her. Just because she looks fine, doesn’t mean she’s not scared too. Do you think she expected this? Your constant attacking along with everyone else who’s going to be questioning her is too much. We’re supposed to be her best friends, so stop doubting her. She’s going to need us to help shove everyone off of her, it’s her birthday.” Tessa said, her eyes lowered as she frowned at Isobel. Despite her words, I knew she’d never hurt anyone, let alone shove them off, but I appreciated her sticking up for me all the same. If anyone could tell when I was facing being calm, it was Tessa, my other half. I don’t know what I’d do without her by my side. “Happy birthday, by the way.” She said softly, smiling at me.

Isobel was pouting in the corner, her arms across her chest as I smiled at Tessa, mouthing thank you to her and giving her a wink as she lowered her eyes back to the magazine. Realizing this was taking too long, I used my magic to finish curling the rest of my hair, taking half of it and pinning it back, letting the rest of it fall down my shoulders like a curtain. “What do you think Tyler is going to say?” Isobel asked after a few minutes of quiet.

I dropped my curling iron on the ground and cursed under my breath, grabbing it before it could burn my carpet. I turned it off and unplugged it, pressing my hand against my hip as I tilted my head to the side, my hair gradually falling to my left side as I eyeballed her. Tessa had an ‘Oh s**t’ look on her face as she slowly retreated backward onto my bed, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. She could sense I was starting to get frustrated. Emotions were so easy for me to hide, but with everything going on with me since last night, I was starting to feel like I was slipping. Luna was growling in annoyance in my mind, having already known how much I disliked Tyler and disliking him right along with me. She could see all of my past memories, how much Tyler tried to bully me in the past, and how all through school he’d been paired up with me for project after project, forcing me to do all of the work while he just slept or left to go play. Lazy, annoyingly lazy, and I couldn’t stand him. “I don’t care what Tyler is going to say,” I said through clenched teeth, trying to hold onto my patience.

Isobel never seemed to notice I was frustrated or angry, mostly because I hid it well, but even when I was about to blow she seemed to ignore it. Maybe she felt like I’d never fully be mean to her because she’s my cousin, but there was a point in my life when I just couldn’t take it anymore, and one of these days I was going to find it. Isobel rolled her eyes, her phone already in her hand, and I already knew she was texting Eliot. “Well, Eliot said they already knew. His aunt told him, and I guess it’s spreading around already.” She said absently, her fingers typing away fast on the screen.

“Please, if you’re going to sext with your boyfriend, then just go do that somewhere else,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes. She snorted, a small smirk on her face as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued to text. “I can’t do anything about it getting around. It wasn’t a one-time fluke, I can still feel Luna, I can still talk to her, she’s still there. I have a wolf, and I have magic, and it’s not going away. If people want to talk about it, then good for them, because it’s here to stay, all of it.” I said with a huff.

Tessa smiled softly at me, giving me a thumbs up, and I turned back around, lifted my eyeliner, and started to do my makeup. “You don’t have to always be so serious,” Isobel said after a few seconds. She rolled her eyes once more, turning her body to the side as she lazily draped her legs over the arm of the chair, her fingers typing fast as she smirked at her phone. She pulled her phone away from her face and gave a sultry pose, making sure to get a good angle of her cleavage, before sending the picture. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to say anything to her about it.

‘I don’t know if it’s possible to keep both, little one,’ Luna said to me. She startled me, I was still trying to get used to her being there and I nearly stabbed myself in the eye with the pencil. ‘But I hope you can. If anyone can do it, you can,’ she said encouragingly.

I sighed, putting down the eyeliner and grabbing the mascara. ‘I just…I don’t want to lose either of it. You or my magic. There has to be a way, now that I found you I don’t want to let that go.’ I admitted. The feel of the wind in my fur, I could still feel it. The smell of the rain as I ran through it, the mud squirming underneath my paws, my claws dug deeply into the riverbed as I leaned down to drink. I wanted to feel all of that again, every part of it, and the idea of losing it was terrifying, especially now that I had it.

‘I’m just…worried. I love you, Josie, and I’m glad you want to keep me, but I remember what happened after you shifted back. Don’t you? That wasn’t…normal.’ She admitted.

I bit my lower lip, remembering how painful it was shifting back into my human form. It’s not supposed to be painful to shift back to my human form, just to my wolf form. Not to mention I had started to gush blood out of my nose and my ears, even some dripping out of my mouth. I can still remember the way my parents stared at me in horror, right before I had blacked out and fell unconscious into my father’s arms. ‘We don’t know if that’ll happen each time,’ I started to say, before stopping. I could feel her hesitation as well, and I was fairly sure because of the two clashing dominant genes inside me, that that would most likely happen each time I shifted. ‘When I use my magic it hurts too, depending on how much I use. What is going on with me?’ I wondered.

She let out a soft whimper as I picked up my lipstick, brushing it against my lips with a frown. ‘I don’t know, little one. This isn’t normal, it’s never happened before.’ She admitted.

‘I…will you stay by my side every step of the way? I don’t want to do this alone,’ I asked her softly, my eyes lowered as I let out a soft shaky breath. I lifted my eyes to see Tessa staring worriedly at me through the mirror and stuck my tongue out at her, making her roll her eyes and smile, before looking away.

Luna nodded, curling up in a ball in my mind, and letting out a soft huff. ‘Of course, little one. I’ll be here as long as I can. I’m not going anywhere, unless you choose your magic over me, that is,’ she said.

I shook my head no, chewing on my lip before cursing, and reapplying my lipstick to it. I never knew I needed her, until I had her, and I was going to do everything I could to keep her. Even if it was slowly starting to tear me apart.

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Because of reasons I can't explain on here, I'm giving a warning of removal. I will be continuing to update this book daily right here until Friday. Friday, this book will be taken down. I'll be leaving the first five chapters on here so the book itself won't be getting deleted.

There is a very big, very important reason for this. If you haven't already followed me on my Fac.ebo.ok group, then I hope you take a minute to do so. The newest pinned post will explain everything you need to know about this book, why I'm taking it down, and what I'm doing after that. I'm putting this message on the end of all of these chapters to warn everyone, since I don't know where they are at reading the book. I really hope you take a minute to follow my group and allow me to explain what's going on.

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Mallory Grant-DImages Writer

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