Page 12 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“So the grandmother had a son? That’s pretty rare, right?” I asked.

Waylan shrugged. “Most witches have daughters. I’m sure some have sons, but it’s gotta be uncommon. Plus, men can’t be witches. They can carry the bloodline, of course, but magic doesn’t work with them. This could possibly explain why Kirsten’s magic didn’t manifest. Or, it’s just taking longer to manifest.”

“That doesn’t explain why she doesn’t know she’s a witch. Did her grandmother and father really not tell her?”

“That’s the only option left, isn’t it? When I look up this Derek guy, I find a ton of arrest records, mostly for DUI and drug possession. Looks like a deadbeat. My theory is the mom is out of the picture for whatever reason, and this guy was shit as a dad, so Granny stepped in to raise Kirsten. Granny assumes the magic either skipped over her, or it’s coming later. Lola tells the little girl nothing, hoping to give her a normal life.”

I bounced the idea around in my head. It really was the only thing that could explain it.

“Do you ever remember seeing her as a kid?” Waylan asked.

I’d been racking my brain about that for a while, and the truth was, I didn’t. In all honesty, I couldn’t remember ever seeing the grandmother, either. Of course, I’d known people were staying at the cabin sometimes—it was too close to our territory for me not to know—but as for catching sight of them out and about in town? I never had.

“Nope. You?” I asked.

“I vaguely remember seeing the grandmother coming out of a store once. Humans don’t usually come around here, so it stuck with me. I can’t remember Kirsten, though.”

“Well, she’s here now,” I said. “No avoiding that now.”

Waylan stood and stretched his back. “I’m gonna head out. This was a super fun night, but my pillow is calling my name.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I settled back, staring at Kirsten’s social media page as I finished my coffee. Everything in the human part of my mind was telling me this was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, but my inner wolf was acting like Christmas had come early.

He was convinced that this woman was my mate. I was going to have a hell of a time changing his mind.

The next morning, after a fitful night of sleep, I decided to go check out the cabin again. The curse would keep me from going up to the door and trying to talk to Kirsten again, but I needed to see her. What if she was lying? Hell, maybe I could catch her casting a spell or something. Deep down, I still couldn’t totally believe she was only here to clean out her grandmother’s things.

When I shifted and took off into the woods, there was none of the excitement and relief from the afternoon before. This time, I had the impression I wasn’t fully in control. Giving my wolf full authority over my body made him even more insistent about Kirsten. It was like trying to rein in a wild horse. We sprinted through the woods, and saliva practically dripped from my inner wolf’s jaws at the thought of seeing her again. It irritated me to no end.

In the early morning light, the cabin looked different, less imposing than the night before. Now that I wasn’t in shock at seeing someone occupy the place, I noticed that the spell that had been placed to keep me and anyone with ill intent from getting near felt a little weaker than I remembered. Frowning, I knelt behind a rhododendron and let my senses reach out. In the past, the sensation had been strong, painful. Now, it wasn’t quite as bad. I tried to remember if I’d noticed it the day before, but I couldn’t recall. There’d been too much going on, too many surprises to focus on the magical barrier.

Could the spell Kirsten’s great-grandmother put around the cabin be fading now that her daughter had died? Maybe this Lola Holly person had reinforced it every time she visited. If that was the case, that spell was all that had faded because my curse was as strong as ever. An ever-present pressure deep inside that told me the old magic still bound me. Always there, always rubbing my nose in it. Even if I wanted to try to have an heir, it was physically impossible for me to be aroused by another woman.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the cabin through the foliage. If it was true, then that was another notch in Kirsten’s favor. If she couldn’t reinforce the spell around the cabin, then she probably truly didn’t know she was a witch and had no way of accessing whatever power was within her.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d stood and taken a few steps closer to the house. After several strides, the achy and burning sensation of the curse finally hit me. Wincing in pain, I stepped back once, the discomfort lessening. This was the closest I’d come to the place in the last hundred years. I was still twenty or thirty yards away, but better than before.

The front door swung open, and I quickly ducked down. There was nothing to hide behind, though—I was out in the clearing.

Kirsten stepped out and walked to her car. I only had two or three seconds to react. I could try running, but she’d hear me and look up. Not good. In a panic, I called out, announcing myself.

“Morning!”

Kirsten jerked in surprise, her car keys dropping onto the gravel drive with a metallic rattle. Spinning around, she leveled her eyes on me, suspicion and irritation quickly replacing the fear and surprise.

“Jace?” She looked less than pleased to see me. “Why the hell are you creeping around my house?”

Instead of picking up her keys, she stalked over to me. The woman had fire, I’d give her that. Most people would have been a little more scared to see a strange man on their property.

Trying to keep my bearings, I smiled. “I came by to—”

“Are you like a stalker or something?”

My inner wolf snarled, but it wasn’t directed at her. He was pissed at me. Furious that I’d made this woman mad. My damn wolf was fawning all over himself as he took her in.

I had to admit, my wolf had good taste. She was beautiful. Beyond beautiful. Hell, she was possibly the most gorgeous person I’d ever met in my life. But she was a witch. No matter what my wolf wanted, that one fact couldn’t be overlooked. I could smell the faint whiff of magic coming off her. Whatever sick game the curse wanted to play was one I refused to take part in. Now that I was here, I could try to get some answers.

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