Page 80 of Destined Mate

He hadn’t found her.

Not yet.

“We’ve all been worried about you.” Samuel stopped at the edge of the patio that overlooked the vineyards. “Everyone.” Then his eyes glowed, and he glanced behind me.

I spun around and saw the auburn-haired woman who’d been watching me before marching directly toward us. Her charcoal eyes were narrowed with distrust or malice. Worse, Bodey was on her heels.

When she reached us, her herbal scent assaulted my nose.

“Dina,” Bodey said, grabbing her arm. “She’s a friend of ours.”

Friend.

I cringed. The word hurt worse than anything.

Her gaze never left mine as she lifted her hands high. “Leave herenow…or I’ll make you.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

I blinked,unsure what to do. Part of my brain screamed for me to leave, but a larger portion was stunned. Dina was treating me like a threat.

She lifted her hands, getting ready to carry through on her threat, but Bodey pushed them down and growled, “I said she’s a friend. What is your problem?”

The witch forced her gaze from me to Bodey. “Can’t you feel it? Sybil mentioned feeling something similar not too long ago. It had to be her.”

His brows furrowed, and Samuel cleared his throat, stepping in front of me.

Panic constricted my chest. If she performed magic, he’d be hit.

Samuel lifted his hands. “We don’t feel anything, and like Bodey said multiple times, she’s our friend. If you harm her, you’ll create a divide between us.”

Despite the warmth surging through me at their show of loyalty, I didn’t want to cause problems. Each time I was around them, they had to deal with a confrontation, whether with Zeke, Theo, or now Dina. Eventually, they’d realize I wasn’t worth having around.

“I know wolf shifters can’t feel witch magic, but with the amount pouring off her, I don’t know how youcan’tfeel it.” Dina stared at me, her nose wrinkling. “It’s not safe to have someone who’s influenced like that around us.”

I jerked back. There waswitchmagic in me? I glanced at my hands as if they’d have answers. I didn’t know what I was expecting—colors to shoot from my fingertips or mist to swirl around me—but there wasnothing.“I’ve never had so much as a hint of magical abilities. I have no clue what you’re referring to.” Granted, I didn’t know my birth family, so maybe I’d inherited something, but surely the magic would’ve manifested bynow.

“You’re not a witch.” She shook her head and crossed her arms. “But you’re working with someone who is.”

The world blurred as if I couldn’t get enough oxygen. I didn’t like being accused of things, but this was worse than usual because I didn’t understand the potential repercussions. With pack business, there was usually some sort of manual labor punishment waiting for me. “I haven’t worked withanyone.”

“Impossible.” Her hands clenched. “You’re lying.”

“She’snotlying,” Samuel said with authority. “We would smell the stench of her lies if she was. Besides, her heart is racing from panic, not because she’s deceiving us. She doesn’t know what’s going on, so why don’t you tell us?”

Dina paused and examined me once more, tilting her head as if I were a puzzle.

I’d grown tired of witches looking at me that way. She’d better provide some answers.

She removed her hands from Bodey’s, and he growled in warning.

“I won’t do anything,” she gritted before refocusing on me and sneering. “Blood magic is coating every inch of her.”

Bloodmagic? I didn’t know what that was, but I sensed it wasn’t good. “I haven’t given my blood to anyone.”

“Your blood wouldn’t be required for something this strong.” She arched a brow, studying my reaction.

A chill crept down my spine, and even though I didn’t want to know the answer, I asked anyway. “Then what caused it?” If I’d had magic cast over me, I needed to understand how it had happened.

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