Page 9 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

She frowns. “I’m not sure. I could feel it. But it must have blocked out sound. Otherwise, your friends would have overheard all that noise.”

“But why?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I sensed. It felt odd to me that the wolves suddenly raced off somewhere. They must have sensed magical energy.”

She looks at the two of us doubtfully. “Is one of you a witch?”

“What’s going on?” Saul sits up now, looking wary. “What’s with the new girl? Is she bleeding?”

The scent of the girl’s blood is in the air now.

“We need a healing potion.” Alex jerks his chin in Nathan’s direction, and he digs into the small bag by his side. He tosses a vial to Alex, who hands it over to the girl. She drinks it greedily before sighing in relief.

Alex updates Saul. “We found this witch in the forest. Some dark witches are after her.” He turns to the witch next, saying, “Now that you’re better, let’s go our separate ways.”

“Can’t we let her come with us?” I ask Alex, my voice low.

“Absolutely not,” Alex says disapprovingly. “We don’t know a thing about her.”

“She’s a witch, Alex,” I persist. “And think of it this way: if we can help her across the border in to North territory, maybe she can teach me how to use my powers. And we do need somebody to do that. I don’t know anything about magic.”

This idea has Alex pausing. He needs me to use magic to break the link that the Queen of the North Alliance has placed between the pups of Alex’s pack and the nannies and soldiers she has stationed within the pack. The vicious Queen Karina, who is also responsible for the massacre of Alex’s parents and other adults in his pack close to two decades ago, has managed to control the pack by putting her spies in plain view and threatening the lives of all the children. This is why Alex and his men came to my town after learning about the prophecy of the Silver Wolf, a female shifter who can use magic. They wanted to enlist her help to sever that link.

Seeing his hesitation, I press on. “We can strike a bargain with her. We offer her protection, and she teaches me the basics of magic. It’s perfect.”

Alex looks torn. “It is a good idea, but I don’t know how I feel about it. Having a witch in our midst, especially one who knows dark magic, isn’t exactly safe. On top of that, there are dark witches hunting her. We’re already dealing with the soldiers from your pack. Add in dark witches, and we’re going to have our hands full.”

I feel disappointed. “I cannot force you to agree. But I do need somebody to teach me. Unless you already have a witch in mind.”

He falls silent at my words before cursing quietly. He looks at the young witch and demands, “What’s your name?”

“Lily.”

“Well, Lily. We’re also heading to the North border. If you want, you can travel with us.” He ignores his companions’ shocked sounds and continues, “In exchange, I need you to teach Sophia how to use magic.”

Lily gives me a long look. “Are you a witch?”

I shake my head. “I’m a shifter.“

She rolls her eyes. “Shifters can’t use magic.”

“This one can.” Alex says, abruptly.

“It’s not simply something that can be taught,” she protests. But then, when Lily looks at me, I see something strange shift behind her eyes. “There’s only one type of shifter who can use magic.” Her words are both a question and a statement. When I’m silent, she gets in my face. “You’re shitting me! Are you the Silver Wolf?”

I try to keep calm. “What do you know about the Silver Wolf?”

Lily leans back against a tree. “Every witch knows about the Silver Wolf. It’s something we learn in childhood.”

“What can you tell us, then?”

“Not much.” Lily studies me, her eyes filled with curiosity. “The dark witches never taught me much about you. I never thought I’d actually meet you. All I know is that the Silver Wolf has the ability to practice magic. And she can draw power from anything. She’s not restricted to nature; she can even draw power from living beings. That makes her very dangerous. And unlike witches, the Silver Wolf is capable of giving somebody power as well. You could’ve dropped those wolves in an instant. Why didn’t you?”

I wet my lips. “I don’t know how. I’ve only recently been able to shift into my animal form.”

Lily lets out a whistle. “Wow, you really do need a teacher. I don’t claim to know much, but I will help you as much as I can. In return, I want you to help me cross the border and find a coven. That is the only arrangement I’ll agree to. No fair crossing the border and then leaving me to my own devices.”

I look over at Alex, who nods. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

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