Filed To Story: Falling for the Alpha As a Student Novel
“Including Enzo and his mother?”
I asked. Diana and my mother exchanged looks before turning back to me. “For this spell to work, we are going to need all of us,”
Diana said, giving me a small smile. “Your mother is right, they need to be mentally alert and prepared for tonight. It could be draining for all of us.”
“Okay. I’ll let them know,”
I told them. I hugged my mother tightly before heading back to Diana’s house. I paused at the door when I heard the low rumble of music sounding from her small kitchen. It sounded similar to the music that Dee listened to while cooking as well. I walked through the living room and stepped into the kitchen, freezing at the doorway. I couldn’t help the grin on my face as I watched Diana and Enzo dancing and singing while they were cooking alongside one another. The entire kitchen smelled delicious, and my mouth started watering. Enzo was working on the mashed potatoes while Diana worked on browning the beef and sautéing the veggies. It was nice seeing Enzo so carefree and thriving with his mother, a rare sight indeed. I walked further into the kitchen and without saying anything, I began to dance as well. I didn’t recognize the song, but it was the same style of rock that Dee often listened to. I don’t need to know the song to dance to the rhythm. It only took a couple of minutes before Enzo noticed me. At first, I thought he was going to stop dancing. I found myself laughing at his dumbfounded expression. But then he smirked and strolled over to me, taking me in his arms and twirling me around the kitchen as his mother chuckled. “Did Hazel find a spell?”
Diana then asked over the music. “Yes. She said she’s going to need all of us in order for it to work though. So, we all have to be mentally prepared,”
I answered. “Do you know what kind of spell?”
“Something about the guardians of the earth,”
I said, shrugging. Diana froze and snapped a look at me. “The guardians are the protectors of our earth. She’s going to summon them?”
“According to Hazel, we are all going to summon them,”
I answered, looking at her in return. “Why? Is that a problem?”
Enzo asked, looking at his mother curiously and yet worriedly. “They use a lot of power,”
Diana said, looking up at her son. “We might not be strong enough to keep them here.”
“But they are the protectors of the earth. Wouldn’t they want to help us?”
I asked. “They are busy protecting the earth, yes,”
Diana agreed. “Which means they aren’t going to want to protect us unless we have enough powers to feed them.”
“They feed off our powers?”
I asked, raising my brows. “The guardians survive off the power of the elements. The earth holds each of those elements. When we summon them, we are taking them from the earth where they can’t feed. So, whoever summons them will need to keep them fed. If we aren’t powerful enough to feed them, they won’t stick around long.”
“Hazel seems to think we could be strong enough,”
I said, shrugging. “What would happen if they drain us?”
Enzo was the one to ask. “Would it kill us?”
“No, the guardians would never kill. It would weaken us if we weren’t strong enough. If they sense we aren’t strong enough right off the bat, then they most likely will leave and return to the earth without giving us the time of day,”
Diana explained, shaking her head sadly. “They will only survive based on the energy we give it.”
“So, we just have to wait and see if we have enough power to feed them,”
I said, I sounded more hopeful than I felt. “My mother and I don’t have powers,”
Enzo reminded me. “Maybe not physically; but she’s still a Volana wolf and you have Volana blood. That has to count for something,”
I said, touching his arm gently. “Hazel thinks this can work. We have to have faith in her or else it won’t work at all. She needs us to be mentally prepared, which means we need to have faith.”
“She’s right,”
Diana said, nodding her head. “We will have faith that Hazel knows what she’s doing. If she says this will work, then I believe her.”
Diana still looked uncertain though, which made me feel uneasy. She turned back to the stove and continued to cook. I looked up at Enzo and saw that he was thinking intently about something; he was suddenly very quiet. I grabbed hold of his hand and pressed my body against his in a loving manner. “You have faith, don’t you?”
I asked. He looked down at me and I saw the uncertainty in his eyes, but it was soon replaced with love and passion as he bent down and kissed the bridge of my nose gently. “I have faith in you and if you believe this will work, then I believe it too,”
he said against me. It made me smile and my heartbeat rapidly against my chest. I hugged him just before releasing him and letting him return to his mashed potatoes. Dinner was ready within 30 minutes and by the time I finished setting the table, my mother and Hazel were returning to the kitchen. “The food smells delicious,”
my mother said as she took a seat. “I’m so hungry; I can’t wait to eat.”
“We made plenty of food,”
Diana said with a smile as she served us each a plate of shepherd’s pie. Enzo sat beside me and his mother sat in front of him, my mother sat in front of me and Hazel sat beside her. “We have everything prepared for tonight’s ritual in the village center,”
Hazel began as we ate. “It will begin at sundown.”
“Which is in about 30 minutes,”
my mother continued for her. “Did Lila explain the ritual to you yet?”
“We are summoning the guardians,”
Diana said, staring at Hazel who met her eyes in return. “Are we able to do this?”
“I truly believe we can,”
she said, nodding. “I can sense as a group we have a lot of power. I’m not entirely sure where the power is coming from, but I can feel it. We are strong and it might be strong enough to satisfy the guardians.”
“I trust you, friend,”
Diana said with a fond smile. “This food is delicious,”
I said, taking a large bite. “I agree,”
Enzo said, smiling at his mother. “I’m glad you like it,”
she beamed. We talked a bit more as we ate and once, we were finished, I helped Diana clear the table and clean the dishes. The sun was starting to set over the horizon, and I knew that meant it was almost time for the ritual. I hoped I didn’t look as nervous as I felt. Hazel and my mother had already gone to finish setting up in the village center. When we finished cleaning, the rest of us joined them. In the Village center, I was amazed to see that Hazel and my mother set up a little campfire. Hazel held a stone bowl in her hands and within the bowl lay rose petals. I also smelled something like lavender, and it was such a calming scent, I instantly found myself relaxing. There was a small table on the other side of the fire where candles sat and something that looked like a grill lighter. I noticed that each candle on the table was a different color. Red, yellow, blue, green, and purple. They were tall with gold stems for holding. “Oh, good. You’ve arrived. We are all going to form a large circle around this fire pit,”
Hazel instructed as she rushed toward the table of candles. She grabbed the yellow candle and handed it to my mother. “Luna Selene, as discussed, you’ll represent the element air.”
My mother took the candle and nodded, walking to her spot to start the formation of the circle. She grabbed the red candle and walked over to Enzo. “Enzo, you will represent the element fire. Stand right over there,”
she said, motioning for a spot further away from my mother and across the fire. He took the candle and glanced in my direction. I gave him a reassuring smile and he returned it before going to his place in the circle. Hazel went back to the table and grabbed two more candles; she walked over to Diana and handed her the blue candle. “You will represent the element water,”
she said, handing Diana the blue candle. She took Diana’s arm and guided her to a place in the circle to stand. Then, she walked over to me, holding the green candle. “Earth?”
I asked. She smiled fondly and nodded. “You will represent the element earth,”
she said in agreement, handing me the candle. “Stand right over here,”
she said, guiding me to a spot. She went back to the table and grabbed the last candle, the purple one. She also grabbed the sone bowl that was filled with rose petals and something that smelled like lavender before she went to walk over to the center of the circle, standing beside the fire. “I know some of you aren’t used to spell work like this but follow my lead and we will get through this,”
Hazel said to us all. “I will walk to each of you. I will recite the spell out loud so you can know it. You will state the element you represent and light a rose petal on fire and then you’ll toss it into the fire pit.”
“Can we have an example?”
Enzo asked. “Of course,”
she answered, beaming at him. “For example, you will say the lines ‘Wise guardians of the earth. With the element fire, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.’ Then using your candle, you will light a rose petal on fire and toss it into the fire that sits before you.”
After a pause, she looked around at all our faces. “Do you think we can handle this?”
She asked. “Yes,”
I was the first to answer. “Let’s do this. Let’s summon the guardian of the earth!”
Lila’s POV
Hazel grabbed the lighter and lit the purple candle. I was amazed by how large and vibrant the flame was. It glistened in the night air and the yellow orange of the flame brought out the purple of the wax and the gold of the hand-holder. “I will start with air,”
she said, stepping in front of my mother. Hazel held the vibrant purple candle with one hand and the stone bowl with the other. My mother straightened her body and held the yellow candle firmly in her hands. Hazel at first, spoke the lines in a low whisper for her ears alone and then when Hazel nodded, my mother spoke the lines given to her. “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element air, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.”
Once those words were spoken, Hazel spoke next. “Using the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for air to join our circle and grace us with your breeze,”
Hazel said in a powerful tone. She lit the yellow candle, held by my mother, with the purple candle and a large flame sparked to life, making the yellow wax glow fiercely. My mother reached into the stone bowl and pulled out a red rose petal; the petal was glistening in moisture and when she brought it to the yellow candle flame, it instantly caught on fire, making me gasp audibly. “With this petal, I summon thee,”
my mother said firmly as she tossed the petal into the fire. I stifled the urge to step back as the fire roared to life and grew larger and fiercer. It was glowing yellow just as a heavy breeze washed through us, giving me a chill as I struggled to stand in my place. Hazel then went to Enzo; he towered over her and gave her a kind smile, to which she returned. Without her prompt, he began to recite his lines. “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element fire, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.”
She then lit the red candle with her purple candle and repeated her lines. “Using the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for fire to join our circle and grace us with your heat.”
The flame of the red candle was large and powerful, like a roaring fire. Like my mother, Enzo grabbed a petal from the stone bowl and lit it on fire using his candle. “With this petal, I summon thee,”
he said firmly, tossing the petal into the fire pit. The fire pit grew large and red with anger; I felt the sharp heat of the fire tickling my features and making it difficult to breathe. I almost forgot that we were standing outside on the cold autumn night with how hot it had gotten. Hazel made her way to Diana and stood in front of her oldest and best friend. They smiled at one another as Hazel nodded her approval for Diana to begin. Diana cleared her throat before speaking, making me share a look with Enzo, both of us grinning. “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element water, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.”
Hazel lit the blue candle with her purple candle, reciting her lines. “With the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for water to join our circle and grace us with your moisture!”
The blue candle was brought to life and the flame looked blue, which I found to be so amazing. Diana took a rose petal and lit it on fire using her candle. “With this petal, I summon thee,”
she said, tossing the petal into the fire pit. The fire, once again, roared to life, and the flames, just like the candle, glowed blue. I soon felt the wetness of the water that was summoned, and I smelled the saltiness of the ocean. It soothed away the heat of the fire. I couldn’t help but smile at this element. Then, it was my turn. My heart was pounding with anticipation and nerves as Hazel stepped in front of me. She gave me a reassuring smile and whispered, “You got this.”
She could sense my nervousness. I gave her a small smile in return and took a deep breath. I didn’t need her to tell me the lines; I remembered them. I spoke in a loud and firm voice, “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element fire, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.”
Hazel lit my green candle with the purple candle, and I watched in amazement as it came to life. The green wax sparkled with delight, and I felt an overwhelming sense of ease and comfort. “With the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for the earth to join our circle and grace us with your essence and protection.”