Page 35 of Witches Be Damned

“Yes, I have, pookie pie.” Knoxe blew Tor a kiss, and those two indulged in some sexual flirtations bound to end up in the bedroom.

“I’m proud of the man you’ve become, Knoxe,” I voiced, breaking up their little game. “Proud to call you my brother and friend.” The rest didn’t need to be said, and I hoped he understood my meaning.

Knoxe fell silent and dropped his sandwich to his lap.

Tor smiled, waiting for his reply, probably to commence a new tease.

Knoxe set aside his food and lifted from his seat, coming to me, and bending over to hug me despite the awkwardness of the angle. “I’m proud to call you the same.” He thumped me on the back and let me go, respecting that I didn’t like to be touched for long.

I grabbed his arm, drawing him back down, wrapping my arms around him. “I love you, brother.”

“Me too.” We held each other for a record amount, and for the first time, I wasn’t bothered by the burn of our contact.

Balmy harmonies danced through me, and I reveled in our mutual respect and love. This small step told me we were all climbing to the next level. Who knew where it led. Hopefully to our freedom and sovereignty. Surely we earned it. Right?

CHAPTER 12 - RAZE

Icouldn’t ignore the call of nature. Not after being caged and then nestling with Little Wolf for another day to distract ourselves from the horrors of the last two days.

Yesterday, my wolf went into nesting mode, creating a pile of blankets in my lounge room and drawing my mate into them to snuggle by the fire. We only left our little haven to get more wood, use the bathroom, and bathe. Thank the Munyara for my sanctuary neighbors bringing us meals and saving us the effort of cooking. They were also a little curious to assess the stranger and meet my mate, and I was more than happy to introduce her.

Today, I had stiff muscles from lazing all day and needed to get out and stretch. What better way than an early morning hike in the forest surrounding my temporary home—clear, blue skies, a balmy twenty-two degrees Celsius, and nothing but the call of birds. And with my mate, no less. Something I’d been daydreaming about since my arrival here.

Activity I had to wrestle my wolf into since he wanted to curl up with her all day in her den, feed her, protect her, make love to her, if she was up for it.

In the end, I made the right choice. Little Wolf enjoyed the outdoors after being cooped up in prison, training, shifts at her laboratory or researching leads on the missing prisoners. She didn’t stop touching tree trunks, brushing leaves, taking long breaths, smiling, and squeaking every time she came across a new mushroom or flower with chemical components she hadn’t encountered.

I felt at home surrounded by nature. Temperate eucalypts gave way to rainforest. Every time I breathed, I took in the scents of eucalyptus, soil, bark, blooming banksias and wattles, fallen leaves, and mushrooms growing under logs, different from the drier, unforgiving landscape of my mother’s tribe. Wildlife scurried or flittered about the forest, and I pointed out the lizards, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, koalas, and cockatoos. Little Wolf’s delighted coos set my chest alight, and my chest rumbled at her enthusiasm.

Nothing compared to the plateaus, valleys, and waterfalls. I could see myself settling here and becoming part of Liv’s pack permanently if Little Wolf and my brothers were allowed to visit. I wouldn’t trade this for the inside of a stone box.

Little Wolf swung my arm as we navigated one of my favorite paths that I traveled every few days when I wasn’t working in the commune’s garden, hunting food, building another cabin, or other duties to pay for my board.

The countdown to our inevitable goodbye ticked in the back of my head with more urgency, making it hard to give Little Wolf my all. In six days, I had a mission scheduled with Luna and her men to search a relocation spot for the Brotherhood traffickers trying to remain relevant and cling to their dwindling power. I didn’t want my mate to come when it put her in danger. That said, I couldn’t protect her when she returned to the Guardians.

She noticed and kept glancing my way, finally addressing it. “You’re uneasy. Do you need to call Aaliyah back?”

I broke my stride and came to a stop beside her, lifting her hand to kiss and smooth with mine. “That’s not the only reason.”

Angst nipped at me, prompting me to obtain the box with Jaz’s evidence to clear my pack’s name and exonerate them from the Guardians. Chances were, Devon burned all traces of it and taunted me to find him, leading me into a trap where he’d kill me. To survive, I needed to eliminate a streak of bad luck for me, which I was convinced affected the team.

I brushed my fingertips along her soft arms. “We need to find the bone witch’s femur and burn it, releasing us from the curse.”

Then, and only then, would things turn around for us. There was no other reason for our string of misery. First, my tribe banished me, then my father perished, the Lycan Alpha poisoned me with his werewolf venom, and I almost joined my father and ancestors, finally ending in my casting out from the Guardians. My affliction spread to members of my team, resulting in Tor’s broken spine, Knoxe’s demotion, suppression of Pascal’s magick, and my mate being kidnapped by vampires. Afflictions I wouldn’t let continue when Little Wolf and I almost perished if it wasn’t for the last-minute stroke of luck by our team to save us.

“What happens if we destroy the bone?” she asked. “Will it break our curse and win us our freedom and safety? Because if it does, I’m down for it.”

Little Wolf’s lip folded between her teeth. Sometimes I found this action sexy. Not today, when she fretted about her freedom, returning to the prison, leaving me behind, and the safety of her harem.

I pulled her closer, resting her head on my chest, soothing her with my rumble. “I believe the bone witch will go to the stars with Biame, find peace, and cease to curse us.”

Her palm coasted along my skin, and my throat vibrated, my wolf missing her touch. “Let’s destroy it. I don’t want this thing hanging over us like a dark cloud.

Her wistful smile tugged at my chest, and I nuzzled her. “Thank you, Little Wolf. I won’t stop fighting for you or my pack.” I kissed her forehead.

“Love you.” Words I’d never tire of hearing.

We finished our walk, went back to the cabin, showered off the sweat. The drive was long, ten hours northwest if we drove straight through from the outskirts of Bathurst. We’d have to camp the night, make it a two-day trip. With this in mind, we packed lunch, clothes, and grabbed a bag with a camping shovel, matches, a can of gasoline, and wood. Then we jumped into my black Ford pickup and made tracks for my tribe’s land in Broken Hill, stopping in Cobar to camp overnight and stretch after our long drive, hitting the road early the next day at 7AM, reaching our destination at 11AM.

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