Page 9 of The Worst Mate Ever

“You knew I was coming,” I stated as I grabbed the step ladder and made my way to the shelf.

“I had a suspicion you would. Your father sent me a message about the rogue, so I put two and two together.”

“Oh,” I said, running my finger along the old book spines. I pulled out every other book and stacked them in my arm. “Did you come up with any fish?”

Mom chuckled. “No, though, something is quite fishy.”

I paused in my reading and frowned back at my mom.

“What does?” I asked.

“It’s just odd to me that just as you discover your mate, Tristan is finally making his move against you.” She tapped her pen against her chin as she leaned back in her chair. “Very suspicious.”

“Mom, I can’t believe you’re suggesting that Madie is a spy,” I exclaimed.

Mom loved Madie like a daughter. To think she could be so suspicious left a gaping hole in my heart. One that was quickly filled as Mom shook her head and spoke again.

“Not at all, Sweetheart. I’m simply saying that two plus two makes four. Do not let your guard down. And watch for messages from those mischievous Fates. They are hiding something, even from you. I can feel it.”

Her words made me feel uneasy.

Although Mom wasn’t a very strong seer like my uncle or myself, she was a powerful witch with strong ties to The Fates. Mom’s visions were often barely noticeable when she had them. She rarely even knew she knew something before it was nearly too late. So, for her to be giving me a warning like this, it wasn’t a promising sign.

I took the books I had collected and made my way to the packhouse library to begin my research on anything that might help us figure out what Minerva and her followers were up to. Why would it include forcing all witches to be infected by dark magic? And just who exactly was Minerva’s focus on when she singled out our pack and coven as her targets.

The library was nearly empty when I arrived. A few witches and wolves quietly studied for whatever tests they had coming up at the academy this week. But as the time went on, they all slowly disappeared, and I was left alone with the books and quiet whispers of the floorboards overhead.

I never paid much attention to the time when I sat in the library. I was always far too immersed in my investigations to care. The number of times that I had fallen asleep in this room were enough that my mother had instructed for unused shelves to be turned into built in bunk beds.

She ordered it under the guise of anyone being welcome to use it, but it was clear that they were meant for me. No one else in the pack or coven fell asleep in the library the way I did. Especially not after disappearing into the stacks for days, only to pass out from exhaustion on more than one occasion.

As I was studying, I turned the page of the book and then suddenly found myself pausing at the mention of something quite unusual.

I flipped the book back over to look at the cover, eyes widening as I realized what I had stumbled upon.

I opened the book back to the page and read the handwritten words once more. The power seemed to swirl around each letter, sending a tingling sensation through my fingertips. The very essence of the author’s power emanating from the page.

In shadows’ embrace, a potent force stirs.

An ancient warning, as destiny confers.

Dark magic’s allure, a beguiling song,

Whispers of power where shadows belong.

A witch entwined with the darkness’ caress,

Her heart lured by spells, a dangerous chess.

Yet within her veins, light’s essence aglow.

A contradiction, a destined shadow.

Beware the seekers, the disciples of the night,

Drawn to the one with both dark and light.

In the dance of elements, a fragile balance,

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