Page 68 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“I’m with him,” Waylan said. “We’ve done everything we can, and this douchebag keeps pushing. If he gets away with this, there’s no telling what he’ll do next.”

“Yes,” Abigail agreed. “I hate it, but I don’t see another way. It would be different if this was a new thing, but Eren Miller has been a thorn in Crestwood’s side for a long time. This will never stop.”

Nodding, I looked to Stephanie. The others turned in her direction, too, waiting to hear what the final member of the council had to say. She sighed, hesitant, not looking at us at first. I could sense she was working up the courage to say something that she didn’t think we’d want to hear.

“Here’s what I think,” she said. “I feel like it’s a little crazy to throw our whole pack into a war for a woman none of us know. Jace, you can say she’s your mate all you want, but you only met her like a week ago. Again, like I said at the other meeting, we do not know her intentions.” She chopped her hand into her palm to emphasize every word.

“I’ll tell you what I said the other day, Stephanie,” Langston said, taking his feet off the table and leaning forward. “Our alpha has vouched for her. That’s all I need to know.”

Stephanie scoffed, mussing her hair with her hand. “Has anyone thought about how this might be a, uh… a set-up? Maybe Kirsten is working with Eren or some other pack to destabilize us. She’s a witch. Maybe this fated mate pairing is the result of a spell or something.”

“I trust her,” I said, doing my best not to let my anger show. “Completely. She is telling the truth. She’s not in league with anyone else.” I looked her dead in the eye. “That’s the truth. No one here is going to change that. No one.”

Stephanie stared at me, and I could almost see her resolve weaken. Her shoulders sagged, and the intense look she’d had melted into one of disappointment.

“Okay,” she said, letting her arms drop to her sides. “Okay. I agree. You should challenge Eren. I’m obviously not going to get you to see reason. You’re my alpha. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

The others relaxed as the tension dissipated, but my own anxiety grew. I wanted to kick Eren in the teeth, but dragging two packs to war? Even a war that was warranted? That was not something to take lightly.

“Are you ready for this?” Waylan asked. “We’re gonna beat that fucker. That means when the dust settles, you’ll be the alpha of two packs.”

“I guess I’ll have to be ready,” I said.

Chapter 19

Kirsten

The herbs I’d planted were thriving. It was a happy surprise to see them already sprouting up, and the ones in the planter box had begun making new leaves and branches. They were growing like crazy. I stood there, trowel in hand, wondering if perhaps some type of magic had leached out when I’d been planting them. At this point, nothing would have surprised me.

Putting the trowel down, I picked up my tea from the porch railing and looked around at the forest as I sipped. The buzz of insects was a steady thrum in sync with the beat of my heart. I couldn’t get over how wonderful it was here. So serene, so much more soothing than the chaos of Houston. Having a city like St. Louis nearby was nice, but there was something about being out here, in nature, that called to me more than the city ever had.

What would it be like to live here? Forever?

That thought came out of nowhere. Jace had talked about me staying on as a teacher here in Crestwood, but it had been nothing more than a throwaway comment. Hadn’t it? Maybe not. Would it be so bad?

Maybe Harley would have some insight. She still hadn’t heard about how things had gone with Jace. I’d been too preoccupied with being with him, too lost in the pleasant haze.

“Thank you for not calling me at the ass crack of dawn again,” she said when she answered the phone.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” I sighed. “Look, I’d love to banter back and forth like we always do, but I have some heavy shit going on. I need advice.”

She made an intrigued humming sound. “Really? First, tell me if the tall, dark, and handsome alpha had his way with you. I need details. How long? How thick? Did he do that thing with his tongue? You know what I mean, when they—”

“Harley! Stop. I’m serious. This isn’t the usual call. I need help.”

All humor left her voice. “What’s wrong? Do I need to come up there? I swear, if that guy did something to you, I’ll kill him.”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s a lot more than that.”

I paced around the cabin as I told her everything. The first date with Jace, then the second. His suggestion that I stay in Crestwood. I even told her about the plants growing so fast, and all the magic I could feel coursing through my veins now. How I was scared and didn’t know what to do next.

I trusted Harley more than anyone else in my life now that Nana was gone. She was the best person to ask for advice. Also, she’d taken the whole me being a witch thing astonishingly well and didn’t bat an eye about all the magic stuff.

“What I’m trying to figure out,” I said after recounting everything, “is if I have to live the same secluded life Nana did or if I should try to keep living my life as it is. What do you think?”

“Hmm, that’s a tough one,” Harley said. “People will notice something about you, that’s for sure. Your students, their parents, anyone. Even when we were kids, there was always something about Nana Lola that was otherworldly. You could tell she wasn’t some simple grandma who baked cookies all day.”

My stomach flipped. Would I be able to live in the normal world if that was the case? Would I have some weird subconscious flashing light over my head screaming witch, witch, witch all day?

---