The Blue Beta

Chapter Two

Stiles fell into a large clearing as he tripped over a large tree root poking out of the ground. With his face inches from the forest floor and his hands braced against the dirt, he looked up to see four women dressed in hooded cloaks all standing around an oval stone alter. Stiles's eyes widened as he noticed a young girl sat on the alter, her wrists bound with a glowing rope.

He recognised her from school, she was only a year or two younger than him with short pixie blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were looking at him pleadingly. Stiles quickly got up as he felt them all turn to look at him. He gulped as the woman nearest to him flipped back her hood to reveal a pale round face, green eyes, and long golden hair. A flirty smile lingered on her lips, "Well, what do we have here?" She said with a giggle as she moved towards him.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties much like all the other women, but the look in her eyes told him she was much older than she appeared. Stiles took a step back until his back met the tree behind him, the woman smirked at him. She raised her hand to touch his hair when a loud sigh made her pause.

The woman behind her gently pulled down her hood to reveal a stern face and auburn hair in a tight bun. "Now Anastasia, we are not here to play." She said in a tight voice.

Stiles watched the woman called Anastasia pout and turn away from him. The other two women from across the other side of the alter walked towards him and lowered their hoods in unison. They both had tanned skin and wavy dark brown hair down to their elbows. Even from a distance it was clear they were twins, but their eyes set them apart, one had deep green and the other a pale blue.

The stranger with the green eyes stepped towards him until she was inches from his face. Her long fingers pinched at Stiles's chin lifting it to meet her curious gaze. "Do you know what your little entrance here has done, young one?" She asked in a cold voice.

Stiles gulped and asked innocently, "Did I disturb your creepy party out in the woods at night?"

To his surprise, the woman suddenly stepped back with an amused smile. "You are brave, young one what is your name?"

Stiles froze, the women all looked at him curiously. "It's Jackson." He answered in a trembling voice.

The other twin with the piercing blue eyes shook her head at him slowly. "It's not nice to lie, Stiles. Do people not teach manners anymore?" She said in teasing voice.

Stiles turned to her with an annoyed look. "What can I say? I tend to lose my usual good manners when dealing with witches."

Anastasia giggled as the others exchanged impressed looks. "So, you know what we are. And yet you're not running or screaming for help?" The one with the auburn hair asked closing in around him with the others.

"Will I have a reason to?" Stiles asked looking from one witch to another.

"Oooh I like him." Anastasia said raising her eyebrows in surprise.

The twin with the blue eyes looked at the other two women and grinned. "Thalia, Penelope I think you can release our other guest. I think we just found a much better alternative." she said gleefully as she stared at Stiles and waved her hands towards him. Suddenly, a thick golden rope appeared around his wrists twisting them together tightly.