I woke up extra early today, it was after all the only day of the year I was allowed to leave the place I have called home for the last 15 years of my life. The thought of seeing them again was literally the only birthday gift I wanted; well that and to finally be free of this god awful place. Don't get me wrong, Sinclair boarding school was one of the best out there but not to someone who craved familial company.
I both did understand why I had to be here but that didn't mean I was okay with it. If word about me ever got out then my family would most likely be punished, dethroned or even killed. I wasn't about to let my family risk it all just because I wanted to go home, they were already risking it all by just keeping me alive.
You're probably wondering what could be so bad that I had to be locked away for.
Apart from humans there are three races; the werewolves, witches and vampires. Each of these has its own monarch and system of laws but some laws are absolute.
When two beings from different races mated they would bear a hybrid child and one of three things happened;
First: That child would only inherit one gene, so if a vampire and witch mated then their child will either be a vampire or a witch.
Second: The child would not inherit either gene because both would be dormant and as a result lead a human life but still able to pass on the gene to their children.
The last but not the least, the child would inherit both genes and were almost absolutely forbidden. This was because they proved to be unable to control and had a thirst for all thing brutal and bloody. They caused all manner of wars and chaos and the bite of one such child was as agonizing as it was lethal. So they were hunted down and killed, even though hybrid children are extremely rare even now, the fear of them still remains and so most of them are taken care of the moment their genes activate.
The thing was that even those who were said to have inherited neither gene, could somehow end up exhibiting both they were called late bloomers and so they too in most cases were taken care of. They believed that the more powerful the bloodlines the higher there chance if a hybrid child and it was in most cases, well true. So for centuries the unspoken law of not mixing species is what has kept such at a minimum.
But for the royals it was a whole new ballgame. Royals couldn't have their bloodlines tainted and so mating was forbidden unless the soul ties existed and even with that, success was a rarity among us all.
I was one such child. I have led a human life all these years because my mother was a witch and my father is a werewolf. But we dont talk about her, to the point where I didn't even know her name. She was my father's true mate.
To keep me alive and safe my family has kept my existence a secret and I could understand why. That didn't mean it didn't hurt.
I was lost in thought, so much that when I was scooped off the ground I screamed like a banchee.
"Happy birthday Ayden!" my brother Alec exclaimed. I was sure he was more excited then me. Behind him was Alexi and my dad. My eyes watered, this was all I wanted and I wanted it to last forever.
After greetings and wishes we went on our merry way to the biggest carnival of the state and I had a feeling one of the twins pulled some strings from them to show up at this specific time. There was so much to do that none of knew where to start.
After getting off the ride that had me swallow my own vomit multiple times I went over to get some cotton candy. It was my fifth time, but hey opportunities like this don't come to me often. I was waiting in line when suddenly the hairs on my back stood up straight, but not in a consumed by fear type of way...it was foreign and I'd never felt this before. Reflexively I looked to my right and my eyes met with another's.
Everything seemed to freeze in place and the world faded. It was just me and him. His hair was a rich brown color like thick maple syrup and his eyes.... I don't think I'd ever seen a more beautiful and alluring shade of green in my entire fifteen years of living. He seemed to study me as well, just frozen like everything else. His face must have been carved by Aphrodite herself because he was immaculate.
He wasn't close but close enough that I could smell the orange blossom and spicy scent with a hint of mulberry. He moved ever so slightly as if not to frighten me and said something I couldn't even hear properly. Our dreamlike state ended when something suddenly jerked him back or should I say someone. I couldn't see her face because he was blocking me, yelling under his breath.
She must have been his girlfriend and noticed how her man was publicly gawking at a complete stranger. I took my candy and left but my heart felt heavy. I blame myself, I had been trapped in the school for so long without any contact with the opposite sex that now I was feeling jealous of a stranger? What the actual hell?
I found Alexi first and when we found the other two out day went on without incident but I couldn't get those green eyes out of my head for even a moment. His scent...wait.
I stopped myself in my tracks.
I was human, the cologne I would be able to catch but not his scent, that scent.
The scent that made all supernatural beings drool. The scent of your mate.
I had to be imagining it, maybe that's what his cologne smelt like. I had to be imagining it. I tried to push it all to the back of my mind as we drive through the school gates. This was the part I always dreaded. My goodbyes were longer than usual and just like that I was back to being a prisoner of my own home for the next 365 days.
That night after telling my roommate about my day and laying down for some much needed rest the thoughts of the green eyed stranger flooded to the front of my mind. His eyes, his hair, his pink full lips and his entire god given face. The manner in which that scent appealed to me was worrying. It was easily the best thing I had ever smelled.