Page 44 of Her Wolf's Demands

There. Two witches walked past, chatting happily together and ignoring me completely. Good, I could relax knowing that I couldn’t be seen by witches from my own coven.

“Through here,” Malone muttered, pulling down his black baseball cap.

We entered a small cobbled walkway, not dissimilar to the Lanes. Luckily, we were the other side of the park, away from my shop.

Shit, I missed my shop. The longing to smell the incense and feel safe in my sanctuary intensified as we neared several wooden doors, hidden behind a small wall.

Manual brought up the rear, checking around to make sure no one saw us enter the small house. He wore blue jeans with a red check shirt and brown boots. He looked like an English cowboy, all pretty and confident.

Knocking on the door, Malone stood back and put an arm around my waist. Awkwardly trying not to look awkward, I kept my arms at my side and resisted the urge to pull away from him. It was strange, standing on another witch’s doorstep with a wolf’s arm around me. Wouldn’t she instantly get the wrong idea about me? Although I knew I shouldn’t care what others thought, I couldn’t help but shift uneasily on my feet.

“Okay?” Malone asked me, nudging me in the side with his hip.

Nodding, I plastered a smile on my face as the door unlocked from the inside of the house. I gripped my shaking hands together, frightfully nervous for some reason. I was more comfortable in the company of wolves nowadays. It had been a while since I’d spoken to a witch I trusted.

“Hi,” the lovely witch greeted, gesturing for us to come inside.

Her waist-length mousey hair brushed against a pretty floral maxi-dress, swinging when she tucked it behind her ear. The light of her grey eyes brightened when they landed on Manual.

“Come in!”

Standing back, she gestured enthusiastically, smiling at me as I passed her. I smiled back, catching her infectious energy. There was no judgement, no scowls, and certainly no jealous glares. Maybe there would be a chance for me to have a witch friend outside the coven, after all.

Malone led me into the living room, quickly making himself comfortable on the huge grey corner sofa. It looked like he’d paid the witch a visit or two in the past.

“Been on that sofa a lot, have you?” I asked, ignoring his invitation to join him.

A very slight pang of annoyance made me avoid his questioning gaze. Instead, I inspected the living room, admiring the cosy cottage style and brick fireplace. There were several dreamcatchers and fairies decorating the room.

“I’ve never had any untoward dealings with Laura. I told you, her and Manual… You know.” He waved his hand, hissing the last part as their voices grew louder.

My cheeks grew warm as the pair walked in. She looked up at Manual, giggling as they made small talk. Oh shit, she was besotted with the wolf. And on the journey, Manual had been talking about another woman he’d just started to see. Poor girl.

“Laura,” Malone said, “this is my mate, Della.”

A grin spread on her pretty face, brightening it as she came over and threw her arms around me. I patted her back, laughing stiffly.

“It’s so good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about the infamous hybrid-witch. What’s it like living with these mongrels?”

Yep, I liked her instantly. “It’s okay. Except, they have this incessant need to puff their chest. Why do wolves do that?”

Chuckling, Laura shook her head. “Because they need so much space for their wolf brawn, there’s no room left for a brain.”

The men watched on, bemused expressions lifting their eyebrows as we fell about laughing. It was good to be light-hearted and less serious. I hadn’t felt that in so long.

“As entertaining as you are,” Malone started, “no really, you should start a double act…” It was their turn to laugh. “… We need your help, Laura.”

Tilting her head to the side, she smiled at me before rolling her lips together. “I’ve heard what’s happened with your coven. I’m sorry about that.”

Unexpected emotional pain gripped my chest so hard, I couldn’t breathe. Instead of replying, I nodded, unable to find the words to thank her for her compassion.

Going to the coven headquarters as an enemy had been easy in the moment, but sensing how hard they were trying to keep me away, fucking hurt. A lot.

“Anyway,” Laura went on, “how can I help you?”

She moved to Manual and draped her arm over his shoulders. He winked at her, playfully tickling her under the arm.

Malone glanced at me, a small smile lifting the corner of his lips. So the wolves did have intimate relationships with other paranormals. I hadn’t expected that. I’d been too busy setting up my shop and being a sister to pay much attention to the romantic relationships of others.

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