Page 21 of Plus-Size Mate

Chapter 6 - Winter

It would please Winter greatly if she never saw another grimoire again.

Days had passed since she sat in Jack’s office talking about the full moon mating spell, hoping that she might be able to find another option. And her search had come to nothing.

For one brief and thrilling moment, she had actually thought she had done it. Then, it had been ripped right away from her almost as suddenly, leaving her feeling even more defeated than before.

Slamming the latest book shut with a deep sigh, she leaned back in her desk chair and ran her fingers through her hair. Her temples were pulsing with the beginnings of a stress headache.

The days were passing all too quickly. Taking care of the shop between searching for something to prevent one of their coven having to mate with a werewolf was taking up all of her time. She barely had any time for anything else, not eating or sleeping or any kind of self-care. Luckily for her, the apartment above the shop wasn’t far, or she likely wouldn’t have left the place since beginning her search.

Still, she felt utterly exhausted and more than a little defeated. It seemed as if fate was most definitely not on her side this time.

Leaning back in her chair, she glanced around the room. Was there a book she hadn't checked yet? Maybe some scroll that her mother had hidden away for safekeeping?

Her failure was beginning to make her wonder if she was as powerful a witch as she had believed herself to be.

Being the daughter of the head of the coven, granddaughter of the head of the coven before her, set to be the next head of the coven after them both, made her feel as if she was failing in her duties as their descendant.

Closing her eyes, she sent a silent prayer to their ancestors, hoping that perhaps one of them might have an answer for her. But if they did, they were silent about the entire thing.

Sighing deeply, she kept her eyes closed, wondering whether she might be able to get a five-minute nap between customers.

The shop had been quiet today. All her work was done. There was only her research to worry about. And it was weighing heavily on her mind.

She was just beginning to think she might actually be able to drift off when her phone started to ring.

“Fuck!” she cursed, startled by the raucous noise in the otherwise silent room.

It made her headache far worse than it already had been, the sound seeming to bounce back off the bookshelves, making everything even worse.

Sitting bolt upright, she looked down at the phone before her on the table.

Jack, she thought, gritting her teeth. No doubt there was only one reason the alpha of the werewolf pack was calling her. He wanted to know if she had found anything. Of course, if she had, she would have been in contact by now.

Sucking in a huge breath, she picked up the phone and answered the call. “Hello, Mr. Blackwell.”

“Please,” he responded, his tone quite friendly. Still, Winter was shocked by this. The werewolves in Nightstar nowadays weren't anything like they had been back when she had been a little girl. “There's no need to be so formal. Call me Jack.”

“Okay,Jack, what can I do for you?”

Winter gritted her teeth. She already knew what was coming.

“I just wondered whether your search might have borne some fruit by now?” Jack said, his tone growing a little more serious.

Winter leaned forward against her elbow on the desk, shaking her head as she said, “I'm afraid not. I thought there might have been one or two spells that could work, but unfortunately, several of their ingredients are next to impossible to find in this day and age.”

“Perhaps Layla might be able to help?” Jack suggested, and Winter's stomach twisted. Of course, she liked Layla, but to suggest that a werewolf could find spell ingredients where a witch couldn't was almost insulting.

“Unless she knows of any dragons hiding away or where to find a mermaid's tear anywhere close to Nightstar, I'm afraid we're out of luck.”

Jack sighed, tearing apart the very last shred of hope Winter had that the werewolf might actually prove to be a miracle worker.

“Then it looks like we have little choice left,” Jack said, his tone strained. “I shall have to speak to my men and see if I can encourage one of them to volunteer for the mating spell.”

Winter was surprised at that. “I had imagined you'd already have one of your men picked out.”

For a second, a golden-haired, green-eyed face appeared in her mind.

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