Page 18 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

The laugh that left me was harsh and loud. “How do I feel? I’ve just found out that after a hundred years of hoping for a mate, it turns out it’s a witch. So, yeah, I don’t feel fucking great. And it’s a witch who, from what I can gather, doesn’t care for me much, either. Things are really looking up.”

“You were kind of a dick to her,” Waylan pointed out. “Doesn’t surprise me that she doesn’t like you.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. Any more rays of sunshine?”

Waylan smiled and sat beside me. “That’s why we’re friends. I can call you out on your bullshit.”

“Thanks,” I grunted.

“Where’s your head at right now? What’s the plan?”

“I should probably reject her as my mate. That would be the easiest way around all this. But even if I did, we still need her.”

“Do you really think she can help with the curse?”

“No idea,” I admitted. “But it’s the best chance we’ve had in a century. If I reject her, it might do something weird to the curse, like prevent it from ever being lifted. Who knows, I’m not a fucking witch. But if anyone can lift it, then surely it’s the descendant of the woman who put it on me.”

“You’ve got to figure out how to tell this woman she’s a witch to begin with,” Waylan said. “How do you do that and not come off sounding like a crazy person?”

“It’s not that crazy,” I said. “We can turn into wolves. How hard is it to believe in witches?”

Waylan laughed. “Does that mean I should be worried about a sasquatch rampaging through my house tonight? I’m not sure that logic works.”

I rolled my eyes. “All I can do is try to mend whatever fences I’ve damaged. Befriend her, try to get close to her, and see what she knows. If I can prove to her that I’m not a total asshole, I might be able to convince her to help me.”

“And in the meantime?”

“I’m going to go to the hardware store and pick up the stuff I need to finally finish installing that freaking ceiling fan in my bedroom.”

“Wow,” Waylan said dryly. “Really important plans.”

“Shut it. I need to get my mind off this. Leave me alone.”

Along with the ceiling fan, I needed to fix an outdoor hose spigot. After Waylan left, I drove to the small hardware store to grab all I needed. I was in the plumbing aisle when Stephanie approached me.

“Hey there, handsome,” she chirped. “What are you up to today?”

Stephanie Bridges was on my council. She ran the only clinic in town, and since her father had retired, she was Crestwood’s lone doctor. She’d also had a thing for me for a few decades now.

“Steph, hi.” I nodded toward the shelves. “Just grabbing a few things. Got some DIY stuff to take care of.”

“Hmm.” She smiled and narrowed her eyes appreciatively. “A man of many talents. I like that.”

“Yeah. Gotta keep the homestead in working order.”

I grabbed the parts I needed and turned to walk to the register, but Stephanie followed along, walking beside me, letting her arm graze mine every few feet. Her heart raced in my presence, as it always did. I could hear it thrumming away in her chest.

“You want to hang out sometime?” Stephanie asked as we stood in line.

“Kinda busy,” I said.

“You always say that.” She poked me playfully in the side. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, can be as busy as you always seem to be. Every time I want to hang out, you say that.”

I’d spent years making excuses to avoid Stephanie. Everyone in the pack seemed to be waiting with bated breath for the two of us to get together. No one but Waylan and my sister Shayna knew the truth. The curse prevented me from forming any kind of connection with a woman. I could admire a woman’s beauty, intelligence, and personality, but other than that? Nothing. It was almost like I was dead inside. I couldn’t even force myself to pretend.

And no relationships meant no heirs.

“What can I say? I’m always busy.”

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