Page 32 of The Fearless Witch

She spun so fast, I barely saw the movement before she was standing right next to me, her face inches away from mine. There was something new in her eyes, something raw and dangerous that I had never seen before. Her breathing had turned ragged and I could feel the tension radiating from her as easily as the wind ruffling the leaves around us.

“And what if you don’t like what you see, Isaac? What then? Do we go back to pretending the other died eighty years ago?” Her lips pulled back, and she flashed me her teeth, but despite the threatening gesture, I could feel no ill intent coming from her. Like a wounded animal, ready to fight to the death, she made herself look bigger in an attempt to scare me. But I didn’t get scared so easily.

When I first met her, I was glad to see the smiling, positive woman that I thought she was back in the Coven. But no matter how much time passed or how many good things happened, the past never lets go of you. Not fully. And what she had been through… it had changed her. Just like it had changed me.

Steeling myself, I made sure the only thing in my eyes was the love and desperation I felt. I ignored her flinch as I caught her shoulders, and I spoke slowly, making sure each word sank into her stubborn head.

“However you’ve changed, whatever you’ve done, I know your heart, Alice. I know that you’d never, ever hurt an innocent person without a good reason.” She didn’t appear to be breathing. In fact, if it wasn’t for the quick beats of her heart, I would have thought she’d have turned into stone. “I have done things I’m not proud of and I’ll be happy to tell you all about them. Because I truly, honestly, and completely want to know you. I want you to be part of my life, Alice, and I don’t want just the version of you that you want me to see.” Her nose flared, and she clenched her jaw tightly. “I promise you, nothing you tell me will push me away. You don’t have to hide parts of you anymore.”

My throat closed, and I felt like a giant rock fell onto my chest while I watched her eyes fill with tears that silently ran down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a choked sound came out before she dropped her forehead against my chest. The moment her shoulders shook with silent sobs, I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tightly.

“You don’t have to tell me now,” I whispered into her hair. “I’ve waited eighty years to meet you. I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” She nodded, sucking in a deep breath. It took her a few more of those before she finally stepped away, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I didn’t kill her,” she said unexpectedly, her face hidden behind a few strands of long hair that had fallen out of her braid. “Although, I think that would have been a mercy. Whatever Roman did to her…” She shuddered, finally looking my way. “Are you sure he’s safe? I don’t want Lily to be…”

I winced, bitterness filling my mouth as I struggled to get the words out.

“As long as you don’t threaten those he cares about, I think… he’ll not harm you. He is…” I licked my lips, throat going dry as if my own body rejected the notion. Or maybe it was my pride. Alice raised an eyebrow expectantly. “...not as bad as you think.”

To my surprise, she laughed.

“I don’t know if I should trust you on that,” she said. “You looked like you were chewing on something foul while saying that.” I scoffed and her smile widened some more. She took a step back. “I should go now. I need to…”

“...give her the medicine, yes,” I finished for her. “Go. Take care of your mate.” Her smile was more genuine this time. “Alice.” Glancing back, she raised her eyebrows impatiently. “Take care of yourself, too. You don’t want Lily to wake up and see you like that.”

Her smile fell, and she gave me a withering look. “Jerk,” she muttered just before she broke into a run. As I stared after her, the heaviness in my chest finally eased. I knew we had barely moved away from the crossroad where we stood, but at least, I could feel us looking in the same direction.

A movement in the trees pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned quickly, scanning my surroundings. When I noticed one of the patrols heading out, I forced myself to relax. I nodded in return to their greetings, then returned to camp.

I could almost taste the few minutes of rest I planned to steal before someone else came to me with a problem when a familiar voice called my name. Taking a calming breath, I slowly spun on my heel to face a fuming Allison… and her very exasperated mate.

“Yes?” I said, noting the tension that radiated between the two. I immediately regretted not walking a little bit faster so I could avoid whatever quarrel they were planning to put me in the middle of.

“I need you to tell Eddie that I’m fine!” Allison snarled, glaring at her mate before looking at me with demanding eyes. Before I could tell them to leave me out of it, Eddie cut in, his eyes never moving away from her.

“You were unconscious for hours! You puked this morning! What if something happens again? What if there is another attack? What about…” His eyes darted toward me and he swallowed like he wasn’t sure he should continue what he was saying. “Ally, please. I’m not asking you to give up being Beta. I’m simply asking you to take it easy for a few days.”

“The biggest danger right now is getting complacent!” Allison shot back. “I’m fine! I’ve been hurt worse! And I’m not…”

“He’s right,” I said, and they both looked at me in surprise. I had always taken Allison’s side, even before she met Eddie, and I couldn’t remember the last time when she didn’t take mine. She might pester me and call me an idiot for some of my decisions, but she always did what I asked, no matter if she approved. It felt like a small betrayal, what I was doing, but just remembering her limp, bloody form as Peter carried her out of Regina’s mansion told me I was right about this. “You need to rest.”

“What?” she barked, her hands balling into fists. “I said…”

“Two days,” I cut her off before she exploded. “Take it easy for two days and let your mate take care of you. You can still help around without going on patrol.” She opened her mouth as if to continue arguing, but I did the only thing I knew would make her concede. “That’s an order, Beta. I’ll expect you to join me for the next Council and then we can figure out what else needs to be done to keep our people safe.”

Her nostrils flared, and I knew at that moment I was going to pay for this for years to come, but it didn’t matter. As long as she was safe and healthy for those years, I could handle her biting remarks and petty paybacks.

“Yes, Alpha,” she ground through her teeth before stomping away. Eddie met my gaze, his expression slack with relief, and he mouthed a silent ‘Thank you!’ before rushing after her. I watched them stride side by side, her shoulders relaxing bit by bit as he continued to speak to her in a soft, hushed tone. When he reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders, she didn’t shrug him off like I had expected her to.

I cleared my throat, stepping into my tent. The small space was empty and dark, but that suited me just fine as I dropped face-first into the sleeping bag. Roman’s butler had offered me a room at the house, but it hadn’t felt right to leave my people to suffer in these conditions while I lounged in luxury and comfort. Besides, with Celeste gone, there was nothing for me there.

My place was here, with my pack. To help, to protect, and to try to fill the void that I felt inside with something other than despair. I just hoped that the worst was behind us, at least for now, because I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

Chapter 13

Celeste

“Why are you always covered in blood when you come back? Do you bathe in it or something?” I asked as I watched Beleth from the bed while he wiped the thick black and red substance coating his chest and arms. He had been gone for four days—or so Nym informed me since I had no other way to track the time—and when he returned, he looked even more sour and battered. His clothes, if one could call them that, were so torn that he barely had to touch them to have them pool around his feet.

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