Chapter Two
Viktor
“By the gods, I needed this,” Brock says, taking a sip of his cocktail. Tonight is omega night out on the town. Brock, Avery, Ellie, and myself are sitting at the bar together, munching on bar food and sipping cocktails.
We try to get together like this at least once a month. It gives Avery and Brock a break from the babies and gives Ellie and I time to properly gossip.
It’s been about a year since I discovered my awakened magic. After I finally came to grips with it, I realized I needed someplace to start over. I couldn’t go back to my old apartment and my old job like nothing happened. I was different and I needed my life to be different too.
On my way to Doctor Flemming, I ran into a couple on the side of the road who directed me to Piltunder.
There was something about them that made me feel safe, like their very presence was a warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders.
Doctor Flemming explained that sometimes, my feelings weren’t just feelings but rather my magic surging around me and tasting my environment.
It was an instinct that helped keep me safe.
That same day I drove back to where I’d last seen them and started knocking on doors until I found them again.
It only took a couple months to pick up my life and drop it back down right here in this little town. I swore an oath under Aiden, declaring him as my pack alpha. These people aren’t just my friends and neighbors, they’re so much more than that. They’ve become my family.
“Things going okay at home?”
“Oh, gods, yes!” Brock says right away, waving me off. “I love my life. I love my mate. I love my child. But Jesus, being here with you guys really helps top off the tank. You know what I mean?”
Avery nods his head. “I know exactly what you mean. There’s just something about getting together with you guys that makes all the bad days seem better.”
Ellie sniffles. “I just love you guys so much.”
“Oh lord,” I murmur, patting Ellie on the shoulder. “There, there.” I look over at Brock. “Isn’t this her first drink?”
Brock chuckles and nods his head. “Ellie, you can’t be at that stage of drinking yet, babe. Come on, girlie.”
“I’m not even drunk,” she says, “I’m just emotional, okay. Fuck off.”
Avery wraps his arm around her as best as he can from his seat. “I love you too, Ellie. Don’t let the haters win.”
“Wait, what haters? Do we need alibis?"
“No, nothing like that,” she says softly. “Just something stupid I saw online. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a big deal if it made you upset.”
“I took this stupid quiz,” she says finally, shaking her head. “And it said I would be a cat lady forever!”
We all look at her, then at each other. When no one says anything, I let out a little sigh and bite the bullet. “Okay,” I say slowly. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“No! Of course not! I love cats. But they meant it in a mean way. They meant I’d be alone forever.”
“Again I ask, that’s a bad thing? Being alone isn’t the worst thing. Plus, you’re never truly alone, Ellie, you’ll always have us.”
Her eyes water again. “You’re right. That’s why I love you guys so much.”
“We love you too,” Brock says with a grin. “And you’re such a catch, Ellie. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”
“But at the same time, don’t you dare settle,” Avery says. “Anyone who wants a piece of you needs to worship the ground you walk on.”
“I mean, you don’t have to date to get a little slice of someone,” I say with a chuckle.
Ellie looks over at me, her eyes suddenly filled with intrigue and mischief. Damn. I should have seen this coming.
I don’t really talk about my history that much, happy to let the past stay in the past. These might be my closest friends but even they don’t know what I was like before my magic manifested.
“What do you mean by that?” Ellie asks, her voice soft and innocent even though I know the question is anything but.
“It means you can fuck whoever you want,” I say in a deadpan tone.
All three of my best friends start to cackle, demanding to know what I know about fucking. They’re so childish. They act like they’re prudes even though I know they’ve all fucked plenty. Hell, Avery and Brock both have children! Can’t have those without a little adult tango!
I roll my eyes. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you this little tidbit about myself but no follow up questions!”
They all look at each other before nodding. “Okay, go on,” Avery says, sipping his drink.
“I used to be a bit of a slut.”
Everyone at the bar goes quiet and I realize that’s the exact moment, Shane, the bartender, decided to come over and check on us. I blink at him. He blinks at me.
“Well, alright then,” he says before walking away.
Ellie, Avery, and Brock start to laugh their asses off and I can’t help but join in. By the time they settle down, all four of us have tears in our eyes.
“Jesus, Viktor,” Brock says, reaching over and slapping my shoulder. “You didn’t have to traumatize Shane like that!”
“I was trying to share a little part of myself!”
“Sounds like you’ve shared yourself more than a little bit,” Ellie says with a giggle that sets us all off again.
“If I would have known you were going to tease me I wouldn’t have told you guys!”
Avery shakes his head. “We’re not teasing you. We love you and adore you and support you being slutty. You should try it again sometime. You’ve been here a year and I’ve noticed you never get your slut on.”
“Yeah! Slut it up!”
“Good lord,” I say, shaking my head. “The next person to say the world slut owes me a drink.”
“Slut,” Brock says with a wink, calling Shane over so he can buy our next round.
The rest of the night goes like that. By the time I get outside and start my walk back to my house, I’m warm all over and happy that I got to spend so much time with my friends.
They’re always exactly what I need to recharge my battery.
I run my fingers through the hair at the back of my head, smiling to myself.
Remembering all the shit I used to get into before my magic manifested makes me chuckle.
If someone showed even a little interest in me, I was happy to hop into bed with them.
I was interested in a fun time, not a long time.
Gender wasn’t an issue for me and neither was learning their name. I was just interested in pleasure.
Things are so different now.
After my second puberty, I put all of that behind me.
Not necessarily because I was over nameless flings but because it’s hard to explain to a random person why my ass is slick even though neither of us pulled out any lube.
I didn’t know how I would explain surges of magic that happens when I’m feeling especially good.
What if a good lay made me light the sheets on fire?
Yeah, that’s not a conversation I’d enjoy so I just stopped sleeping around.
Now that I’ve met these people and seen the way they are with their mates, I’m big enough to admit that’s something I’m looking forward to.
Instead of nameless fucks, maybe someday I’ll have someone designed just for me.
Someone who’ll click into place. Someone I could have more than one night with.
It might be a pipedream but it’s a dream nonetheless.
Before going inside my house, I stop at my mailbox to bring my mail in. Flipping through, I see an advertisement for a roofing company a couple towns over and something else, something that makes me pause.
The envelope gives off a warm cinnamon scent that makes my stomach flutter. The writing is all swoopy, flowing letters, like a professional calligrapher did the writing. There’s no return address so I don’t have a clue who’s sent this.
“Weird,” I murmur to myself as I step inside my house, locking the door behind me. Going into the kitchen, I toss the ad into the trash and focus on the fancy envelope in my hand.
Carefully, I peel the flap open and see what’s inside. That cinnamon scent hits me a little harder and I bring the paper to my face, breathing it in. It’s really nice. Whoever did this, really pays attention to the details.
“You are cordially invited,” I read to myself. My magic comes to life in my hands, pinging off the cardstock. This paper isn’t just beautiful and fancy, but it’s also enchanted. It’s designed for me and me alone. That begs the question, how?
“Come with a mask and an open heart.”
This invite gives a time and an address. I recognize the place as a recreational hall in Piltunder. I know for a fact that Piltunder has other paranormal beings, just like the doctor who helped me realize I was a mage. Could there be even more? Could this be some sort of supernatural ball?
What the fuck is all this?
I frown at the paper for a long time, trying to process how I feel about this.
Ever since I’ve become a mage, there are a few things I really wish someone would organize.
The paranormal world really needs some sort of secret network, or blackweb or something.
I’d love to be able to go online and ask questions.
I wanna be able to reach out to people and see if this is normal or if this is weird, even for the supernatural.
My hand goes to my chest, touching the stone I wear around my neck. The very first thing I learned to do, all on my own, was enchant this stone. If ill intentions are around, it’ll glow, giving me a warning. Right now, it’s black.
I relax. This might be magical but it doesn’t appear to have ulterior motives. Though, how a paper could cause me harm, I’m not sure.
My thoughts swirl. I turn around and get a glass of water. Then I lean against the counter, sipping it as I stare at the invitation.
This is an invite to a ‘life-changing event’ but in all honesty, I think I’ve gone through enough life-changing events in my lifetime.
Isn’t becoming a mage enough? I picked up my life and moved to a place where I’d be safe, a place that would allow me to master my magic.
I’ve worked with a magical tutor to keep me from sparking lightning from my fingertips every time I stub my toe.
I’ve gone through a second puberty and gained a secondary gender. Isn’t that all enough?
I set the glass back in the sink, letting out a long breath. Even as I think about tossing this invite in the garbage, my gut tells me I can’t just ignore it. Whatever this is, I was somehow handpicked. I might be tired of life-changing events but apparently life isn’t done with me yet.
Fuck, I hope Ellie can help me find a suit that fits.