Page 75 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

I give her a wan smile. “Thanks, but no. The last time a witch tried to feed me, she drugged me and kidnapped my mate.”

The woman tosses the apple at me. “You can check for yourself if there’s any magic in this. I’m sure the Silver Wolf should be able to discern that much.”

I give her a long look. “How are witches able to figure out what I am? The dark witches I ran into before knew what I was even though I never told them. You knew what I was and we have hardly exchanged a few words.”

The woman sits down across from me, smiling. “You’re young. You’ve not yet mastered the ability to conceal your magic. When an ordinary witch meets another, the magic that clings to our skin is subtle. You, on the other hand, are vibrant. You glow. Even from a distance, I could tell.”

She holds out the apple. “Check. It’s not cursed.”

I reluctantly accept the apple and study it. I feel no trace of magic on it.

I’m about to lift it to my mouth when she stops me. “I’m guessing you just checked for magic. There’s also a way to check if this apple is harmful to you.”

I look at it curiously, so weary that even the idea of being duped doesn’t matter to me.

“As the Silver Wolf, the way you practice magic is different from how us witches practice magic. Touch the apple, and send out your magic, searching for impurities. Focus on the negative. If there’s anything that can harm you, you will sense it. Thatfeeling can come in the form of anything—a wave of nausea, your skin crawling, anything. Try it.”

Looking at her doubtfully, I give it a shot. Wrapping my hand around the apple, I send out a tendril of my magic and watch it pierce the apple. I feel nothing.

When I open my eyes, the witch takes out another apple from her basket. She whispers something in a strange language and then hands the fruit to me. “Now try it with this one.”

It takes a few seconds for me to drop the apple from my hand almost instantly, goosebumps on my skin. I lift my head to look at her. “What did you do to it?”

“I cast a spell that would give the eater a bad case of the stomach flu.” The witch grins at me. “Not life threatening, but your magic could sense something was off. You were able to catch it.”

“You’re very good at teaching magic.” I take a bite of the safe apple. “Are you a teacher?”

She smiles at me. “My name is Marlene. I come from a line of witches who educate the Silver Wolves. And you must be Grace’s daughter. It’s an honor to finally meet you. You look just like your mother.”

My voice gets stuck in my throat, and I remember what Elsa told me: the coven she belonged to had trained the Silver Wolves in magic.

“I know about you,” I stare at her. “Elsa told me about you.”

Marlene’s expression flickers. “Elsa? How is…my niece is still alive?”

“Your niece?” I would have fallen on my behind if I had been standing. “It’s hard to imagine Elsa being somebody’s niece. She told me how her coven turned its back on her.”

Marlene sighs. “She’s not wrong. Elsa helped Grace break through the barriers around the Central Alliance, the ones that are meant to keep the Silver Wolf in. The Silver Mist Wolf Pack demanded Elsa’s head. One thing you should know about witch covens—we are fiercely loyal to each other. So we shunned my niece in an attempt to protect her. But when I heard words of your father’s death and Grace’s disappearance, I feared the worst. How is my niece? Is she well?”

I smile slightly. “Elsa has been like a mother to me. She nags like one too. She’s always been watching over me.”

Marlene smiles, sadly. “Your mother and Elsa grew up together. They considered each other sisters, even though Cyrus, your grandfather, disapproved of your mother having friends, claiming they would be a negative influence on her. Your mother just loved Elsa. Nothing could separate the two of them. I’m glad she’s alive and well.”

I look at Marlene. “My grandfather wants to capture me and keep me here.”

“Oh, he would,” the old witch sneers. “That old geezer simply does not understand that he cannot control every single being within the Central Alliance. He never got over your mother leaving him. And now that he has seen you, he probably wants to make sure you can’t leave.”

“Are you going to hand me over to him?”

“No.” Marlene pats my hand. “You have a wild spirit within you and Cyrus would just break it. And I see that you are already mated. I’m sure your grandfather had words to say about that.”

“He wanted to break the bond,” I tell her. “My mate and I are fated mates. Surely that’s not a bond that can be broken…”

“It can be broken,” Marlene says darkly. “The Central Alliance has an abundance of ancient covens who practice the old arts. But breaking a fated mate bond would have broken your mind. Your grandfather is prideful enough not to let that tiny little detail stop him. As long as he gets his way. You can never return to the Central Alliance, child. He will try his best to keep you here. Why did you come here in the first place?”

“My mother is dying,” I say, bluntly. I relate the events which led to my mother draining herself to the point of death. Marlene’s eyes grow misty.

“Elsa must have been devastated to know that her own child harmed the woman she considered her sister. But she is right. The only way to save your mother is the cure that Cyrus has. But he will not give it to her. The cost is such that your mother will never be happy, even if she were to wake up and realize that her daughter gave up her entire life just for her to live for a few more years.”

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