Page 25 of Enchanting the Alpha

“Smooth, Alpha,” Felix called from two tables over, his fiery red hair literally sparking with excitement. “Very smooth. Though you might want to work on your subtlety. The whole town’s taking bets on when you’ll finally ask her out properly.”

Xabir shot him a look that would have intimidated anyone else, but Felix just grinned wider. “What?”

“Felix!” Romi hissed, her cheeks burning.

“Oh please, you two are worse than teenagers. All those lingering looks and ‘accidental’ touches.” Felix made air quotes with his fingers. “It’s adorable but also mildly frustrating for those of us watching this romantic comedy unfold in real time.”

Before either could respond, Felicia Green burst through the café door, looking even more distressed than last time. Leaves tangled in her chestnut curls, and her usual vibrant aura was dimmed with worry.

“Romi, Xabir, I need your help,” she said without preamble. “There’s something wrong with my garden. These strange vines appeared overnight - they’re disrupting the magical balance and overwhelming my other plants.” Romi exchanged a quick look with Xabir. “Show us.”

They followed Felicia to her enchanted garden, where iridescent vines with thorns like black diamonds had wrapped themselves around her prized magical plants. The air thrummed with discordant energy, making Romi’s skin prickle.

“They’re feeding off the garden’s magic,” Felicia explained, watching helplessly as one of her singing roses wilted. “I’ve tried every containment spell I know, but nothing works.”

Romi studied the vines, noting how they seemed to pulse with stolen energy. Her own magic responded instinctively, rising to meet the challenge. “I might be able to create a barrier spell, something that would isolate them from the garden’s magic supply.”

“I can help with the physical removal,” Xabir added, already rolling up his sleeves. “These thorns won’t do much damage to shifter skin.” They worked together seamlessly, Romi weaving complex spells while Xabir carefully extracted the invasive vines. Her magic felt steadier with him nearby, more focused.

When one particularly stubborn vine tried to wrap around her wrist, Xabir’s hand caught it before she could even flinch.“Careful,” he murmured, his fingers lingering on her skin a moment longer than necessary. “These thorns look nasty.”

“My hero,” she teased, but warmth bloomed in her chest at his protectiveness. By sunset, they had restored balance to Felicia’s garden. The remaining magical plants seemed to perk up immediately, and several fairies that had been hiding from the invasive vines emerged to dance around the newly cleared spaces.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Felicia said, her natural glow returning as she surveyed her restored garden. “You work so well together - it’s wonderful to see.”

“I’m just glad we were able to help,” Romi smiled and took Xabir’s hand as they left the garden.

“Someone’s doing this deliberately,” Xabir said, leaning into Romi. His casual demeanor vanished, replaced by the alert focus of an alpha protecting his territory. “Once is an incident. Twice is a pattern.”

“We need to talk to Otis and see if he can help us figure it out,” Romi said. “These vines aren’t natural, and they’re targeting specific magical plants. Someone’s trying to disrupt the balance we’re creating between witches and shifters.” She frowned. “It almost feels like they want us to stop our progress.”

“Nothing’s going to stop your plans,” Xabir said decisively. His tone made her want to hug him. He really cared about her plans to integrate their communities. This just made her fall for him even more.

At the archives, Otis Quill’s amber eyes were troubled as he examined a fragment of the vine they’d brought. “This is concerning. Several key texts about invasive magical species are missing pages - pages that might explain exactly what we’re dealing with.”

“Missing pages?” Xabir’s jaw tightened. “That’s not a coincidence.”

“No,” Otis agreed. “I’ve contacted some higher-ranking archivists for assistance, but until then...” He spread his hands helplessly. “Be careful. Whoever is behind this clearly doesn’t want your communities coming together.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Back at the café, Romi’s hands shook slightly as she wiped down the counter. Xabir noticed immediately, moving closer until his warmth steadied her.

“We’ll figure this out,” he said softly, his breath stirring her hair. “Together.”

She turned to face him, suddenly very aware of how close they were standing. “Promise?”

His eyes darkened as they dropped to her lips. “Promise.”

Converging on their corner, Neve Aspen, Madame Zephyrine, Bella Swift, and Felix carried what appeared to be hiking gear.

“Perfect timing,” Neve said, her silver hair shimmering in the afternoon light. “We were just discussing how you both could use a break from all this tension - magical and otherwise.”

Madame Zephyrine’s amethyst eyes twinkled. “We’ve arranged a magical hike along the moonlit trail. Very romantic this time of year.”

“And completely coincidental that we happened to pack enchanted snacks for two,” Bella added with a poorly suppressed smile.

“Don’t forget the magical lanterns I set up along the trail,” Felix chimed in. “They only activate for couples walking hand in hand. Hint, hint.”

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