Page 28 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“That’s a witch,” she hissed, pointing at the door as it closed behind Kirsten.

Other than Waylan, Shayna was the only person who knew about my curse. I trusted her with my life, even if she could be an annoying shit sometimes.

“Very observant,” I said, then downed the rest of my drink.

Shayna hurried across the room and tugged on my shirt, lowering her voice to a hiss. “Are you going to get her to fix the curse?”

“I’m not sure. Kirsten doesn’t even know she’s a witch yet. I was trying to explain that, until some rude asshole interrupted.”

“Oh,” Shayna said. “Whoops.”

“Yeah, whoops,” I agreed.

Recovering some of her usual bravado, she grinned and nodded at the door. “She’s super cute, though.”

All I could do was grunt in response. “Yeah. Bigger problem. Not only is she a witch, but I’m about one hundred percent sure she’s my fated mate.”

“Get the fuck out,” Shayna gasped, swatting my chest.

“Damn, that hurt.”

“You found your mate? This is awesome, Jace. But why do you have that look on your face? You look like you just ate a lemon dipped in dog piss.”

“You know why. You smelled it yourself. She’s a witch, Shayna. I can’t mate with a witch, for fuck’s sake. I’m trying to work up the courage to reject her, but my wolf is being a bigger asshole than you.”

The look Shayna gave me was the same look she’d been giving me my whole life. I was the older brother, I was the pack alpha, but in the end, I was still just her brother. And nothing would change the fact that she would always think she knew more than me.

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “You’ve been waiting for a mate for, like, a hundred years. You’ll regret this if you turn your back on it now.”

“This is probably just another part of the curse. Dorothy Welch decided she’d keep screwing with me and used her own great-granddaughter to do it. That’s what I think. She knew I hated witches, so she made sure my only mate would be one of them, sealing the curse and ending any chance I’d have at a true mate. If I officially reject her, maybe there’s a small chance that can change.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Shayna asked. “If you reject this woman, you might never find another mate. You’ll never have an heir. Have you thought about that?” She sighed. “Jace, I think you’re being hasty. Kirsten seemed nice. I doubt she’s building a gingerbread house in the woods to eat children.”

“Witch,” I said again, as though Shayna didn’t comprehend the meaning. “Have you ever heard of a shifter mating with a witch? Ever?”

“No. But I’ve also never heard of a shifter—a pack alpha, no less—who hasn’t been able to find a mate in a century.”

I growled in frustration and moved over to the fireplace, resting my hands on the mantle and letting my head sag between my arms. “This is not how I wanted this to go,” I said, hating the misery in my tone.

“No,” Shayna agreed. “But here you are. Can you tell me honestly that you aren’t at least a little attracted to her?”

This again. Of course I was. Witch or not, Kirsten was gorgeous.

“She’s very attractive,” I conceded. The fact was, every time I laid eyes on her, she stole the breath from my chest and made my heart ache. It had nothing to do with the curse, either. Any man in his right mind would do a double take if Kirsten walked by.

“Here’s what I think, big brother. I think you clear your head, push all the horseshit baggage you’ve been carrying for a hundred years to the back of your mind. Go into this with a fresh perspective and see what happens.”

“You should write a self-help book,” I muttered.

“Maybe I will,” she said. “I’ll leave you with that little tidbit. You’ve got some thinking to do. I don’t know the woman, but again, she’s gorgeous, seems nice, and you’re drawn to her, whether you want to believe it or not.”

“You said you were leaving,” I said pointedly.

Shayna kissed my cheek. “I only want what’s best for you, Jace. I’ve seen you be miserable for so long that if there’s even a slim chance you could be happy, I think you should go for it. Love ya.”

“I love you, too, sis,” I said with an exhausted sigh.

A few minutes later, I was alone with my thoughts. No one to talk to me, nobody to bounce ideas around with. Just me and my inner wolf—no one else.

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