Page 7 of His Spellbound Mate

“I’m the one asking the questions,” Neville said, his voice hardening. “This is private property.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “The woods belong to everyone, don’t they?”

“Not these woods,” Neville growled, taking a step closer. He loomed over her, his size and presence meant to intimidate, but she held her ground.

For a moment, they stood in silence, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife. Neville’s wolf paced restlessly, agitated by the woman’s scent, which was an odd mixture of earth and something ancient, something magical.

“You’re Tamzyn March, aren’t you?” Neville demanded, his patience wearing thin. He’d seen her around, known she was a part of the town, but he’d had no cause to interact with her.

The woman hesitated, her eyes flicking to the scorched ground before meeting his gaze again. “And you’re Neville Lawless,” she said with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Now that we have our identities established and that you believe I’m trespassing, why don’t I just leave?”

Neville’s eyes narrowed. It was obvious they both knew who the other was. She’d opened her shop several months ago. She was also the one Garrett said had found the little boy. Neville was sure she hadn’t mentioned to Garrett where, as Garrett would have investigated and reported the scorched earth symbols and salt to Neville. There had been whispers about her, rumors that she was more than just an herbalist, but he had paid them little mind. Now, he wished he had.

She turned to leave, and Neville reached out, taking hold of her upper arm. “What are you doing here, Tamzyn?” Neville asked, his voice dangerously low.

Tamzyn’s jaw tightened and she looked down at his hand. For a moment, Neville thought she wouldn’t answer. But then she sighed, as if making a decision. “I was asked to help find the missing child,” she said quietly. “I followed the trail here.”

Neville’s eyes flickered with surprise, but he quickly masked it. “You? Why would someone ask you?”

Tamzyn’s gaze didn’t waver. “Because I know Jacob’s mother, and I know these woods, and I have a way of finding things that others can’t.”

There it was, the hint of the power he sensed in her. Neville’s instincts screamed at him to push her, to find out exactly what she was hiding, but before he could say anything, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the tense silence.

Neville turned just as Garrett emerged from the trees. Garrett’s face was grim, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced by a seriousness that set Neville on edge.

“Neville,” Garrett greeted him with a curt nod, his eyes flicking to Tamzyn with suspicion.

“Garrett,” Neville replied, his tone sharp. “What’s going on?”

Garrett sighed, running a hand through his short-cropped hair. “We’ve got more missing persons,” he said bluntly. “Two hikers from out of town. Their camp was found abandoned about a mile from here.”

Neville cursed under his breath. Missing persons weren’t uncommon in the vast wilderness surrounding Silver Ridge, but the timing of these disappearances, combined with the strange taint of magic in the air, made his gut twist with unease.

“We found signs of a struggle,” Garrett continued, his voice tense. “And…” He hesitated, his eyes darkening. “There were tracks, Neville. Big ones. Like… like a wolf.”

Neville’s blood ran cold. He didn’t need to hear the rest. He knew what Garrett was implying. The curse. The one that was rumored to have plagued their kind for centuries—the one that most would deny existed—turning some wolf-shifters into mindless beasts during the full moon, unable to control their bloodlust. It was, most believed, how the stories of werewolves were formed. The very thing Neville had been fighting to keep under control within himself.

Tamzyn watched the exchange with a wary expression, clearly sensing the shift in the atmosphere. “Like wolf-shifters?” she asked, her voice cutting through the tension. “Aren’t wolf-shifters bigger than their purebred brethren?”

Neville shot her a glance, debating how much to tell her. But before he could decide, Garrett stepped forward, his gaze hard on Tamzyn.

“This is pack business,” Garrett said firmly. “You should leave.”

Tamzyn’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Neville saw a flash of defiance in her gaze. But then she nodded, though her expression remained guarded.

“Fine,” she said, her voice cool. “You can exclude me if you want, but that won’t stop me from following up on my own. Whatever is happening here is more than just ‘pack’ business. And if you’re smart, you won’t ignore that.”

With that, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees as silently as she had come. Neville watched her go, his mind racing. There was more to Tamzyn than she was letting on, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow connected to all of this.

“We need to deal with this, Neville,” Garrett said quietly, drawing his attention back. “If the curse isn’t just confined to the alpha—if it’s spreading, it could affect more of our pack…”

Neville’s hands clenched into fists. He knew what Garrett was saying, and he knew what it meant. The curse had been a shadow hanging over the alpha of their pack for generations, a reminder of the darkness that lurked within them. But as far as he or Garrett knew, it only affected the alpha. If it was spreading, if more of their wolves were losing control, then they were all in danger.

“We need to find those hikers,” Neville said, his voice tight with suppressed emotion. “And we need to figure out what’s causing this. I won’t let our pack fall apart, Garrett. Not after everything we’ve fought for.”

Garrett nodded; his expression grim. “I’m with you. Whatever it takes.”

Neville turned back to the clearing, his mind already racing with the next steps. They needed to track the missing hikers, figure out if the curse was involved, and find out more about the strange magic lingering in the woods. And then there was Tamzyn.

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