Page 10 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Who knew what it meant? I didn’t care. No matter what happened over the next few months, one thing was for certain. I did not want to see Jace Stone again.

Chapter 4

Jace

“Did you smell that?” I asked as soon as the door slammed behind Kirsten. “Tell me I’m not crazy.”

Waylan sat in the chair opposite me. “I did,” he admitted with a nod. “It’s faint, but it’s there. She’s definitely a witch. I noticed it as soon as I met her at the cabin.”

“There’s something else,” I said. “Her scent reminds me of the witch who cursed me. I’d bet my left nut she’s descended from that same woman.”

“Is that why you asked about her great-grandma?” Waylan asked.

“Partly, yeah.” I frowned. “What did you smell? When you were around her, I mean.”

Waylan raised an eyebrow and grinned. “You first.”

“Coffee. Like the richest, most intense coffee you can imagine, with a slight sweet hint of cream.”

“Interesting,” Waylan said. “Your favorite thing in the whole world. Kinda weird, right?”

Since the first time I’d tried it in my youth, I’d been a coffee fiend. It was one of my few vices. I had a French press, a moka pot, a high-end drip coffee maker, and an espresso machine. I had a bit of a problem.

It was strange that the descendent of the witch who’d cursed me smelled like the thing I loved most of all. Though, there was still that word my inner wolf had been so adamant about.

Mate.

“I got a sort of a smoky sweet scent from her,” Waylan said. “Why’d we never notice it when she was a kid? She and her grandma lived here off and on for years. They must have cloaked their magic if we didn’t pick up on them being witches back then. Nothing else makes sense. That would also explain why they didn’t come into town much. Even when witches cloak themselves, you can sort of sense something is off, like danger is near. If that’s what they did, then it’s not really a surprise none of us noticed.”

Maybe I would have if I’d ever bothered to go check them out, I thought. I’d been so dead set against going near that cabin, I’d never bothered going there whenever they were around. That might have been the worst mistake I’d ever made. Her grandmother could have possessed the skill to remove the curse.

“Why were you so pissy with her, bro?” Waylan asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, averting my eyes.

Waylan’s eyes widened, and he gestured toward the door. “You were drilling her. I know you, I knew you wouldn’t hurt her, and even I got a little nervous there.”

Gritting my teeth, I sensed the bitter disappointment pouring over me like cold water. A witch. The entire reason I was in this position to begin with. A witch had cursed me. Forced me to spend a century unable to find a mate or even form a bond with another woman. A witch had prevented me from ever siring an heir. And now, a witch had come walking back into town, easy as you please, but she was also, possibly, my mate.

All I could think was this was one last big middle finger from Kirsten’s great-grandmother from beyond the grave. I could never be with a witch. Especially not one descended from the woman who had ruined my life.

Finally, I said, “I had to make sure she was telling the truth. I figured if I was”—I frowned and rolled my eyes—“more intense, she’d have a harder time keeping any secrets hidden.”

Waylan barked a laugh. “Well, you sure as fuck did a good job. That chick probably thinks you’re the biggest asshole on earth. On the bright side, I’m pretty positive she has no clue what she is.”

“True,” I said. “Other than the faint scent of magic, I didn’t notice any other energy within her.”

It was similar to the way shifters were. Thanks to the magic within us, we exuded an aura of power. Witches were the same, though their aura was a bit more subdued. Could the woman truly have no idea she was a witch? Would her parents and grandparents have kept that a secret from her and somehow suppressed her powers? It was all looking like a huge clusterfuck.

“Could we try and broach the subject with her?” Waylan suggested. “Maybe if we explain everything that happened, she’ll help with the curse?”

I couldn’t stop the derisive laugh that erupted from my lips. “You were here. You saw her, sensed her. I don’t think it’s as simple as her magic being cloaked or suppressed, at least not totally. Her magic is so faint, I don’t think she’s ever even practiced it. Hell, I accused her of being one of them, and the first thing she thought I meant was a human. No one, and I mean no one, is that good an actor. No, she has no idea what she is and has never used whatever power she has deep down.”

“That makes no sense,” Waylan said, rubbing his face in frustration. “It would be like if I had a kid and didn’t tell him he was a shifter. Why the hell would her grandmother or mother not tell her what she was?”

“Good question. We need to figure out what’s going on here.”

“Want me to call the rest of the council?”

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