Page 18 of Winning the Wolf

“As her…” Phileas paused his address to Killick, obviously searching for the right word. “…friend, you better join us.”

Huh, that was the best he could come up with? It was plain to see that Killick was my guard, not my friend.

Instead of correcting the alpha on his blatant mistake, I followed them into the library. The walls were lined with dark wooden cases, full of classic and modern books. My saliva glands worked overtime as I traced the titles, wishing I had free rein to study each one.

“Larissa,” Phileas called, bringing me back to reality, “this is Scarlet, a friend of mine.”

Offering her hand, a middle-aged woman with wiry brown hair and heavily made-up eyes smiled at me. I forced a smile, only shaking her hand half-heartedly. Sniffing the air discreetly, I swallowed when the scent of earth magic hit my nose. A witch.

“Nice to meet you, Larissa.”

Glancing at Phileas, who indicated that we sit, I raised an eyebrow. He didn’t seem to notice my silent question as we lowered ourselves into the old fashioned leather chairs that were gathered around a dark oak coffee table in front of the inglenook fireplace.

“Larissa,” Phileas started, “you know I’m good friends with your father and I look out for you girls as if you were my nieces.”

I nodded, my gaze slipping to Killick, who stood next to the window, watching us with a frown.

The alpha huffed and dropped his head, looking at the pristinely clean cream carpet. His submission was the first sign of vulnerability that I had seen since his wife had gone missing.

“Well, I need to be able to trust you.” Phileas looked up at me, his gaze strained. “I don’t want to tar you with the same brush as your sister, but I know how strong a twin bond is, so…” He paused, gesturing at Scarlet. “…I’ve called the witch in to cast a truth spell on you, if you’re willing.”

A bubble of laugher tried to escape up my chest, but I just managed to hold it back. I should’ve been completely pissed, ready to go batshit crazy on them. However, for some reason, I was amused. Maybe because they didn’t believe how clueless I was, despite the amount of times I’d not been able to give them answers.

Straightening my expression, I nodded, not daring to look at Killick. Did he know that his father had this planned? Or was he just as shocked as me?

“If that’s what’ll it’ll take to make you trust me, then that’s fine,” I said to Phileas, whose brows relaxed instantly.

“I know you must think I’m paranoid,” the alpha said, reaching out and patting my hand, “but I have to find my wife.” Turning to Killick, he cleared his throat. “I’m going out to look for your mother. Stay here while the spell is done. I do trust that nothing new will come to light, but if it does, let me know.”

The alpha-heir paused before nodding, his hesitation evident to us all. I had to question whether he was dubious because of the alpha’s plan or because he was sick of being stuck as babysitter.

“You can go with your dad,” I said, “if you want to join in the hunt. I’m sure there’s plenty of wolves around to guard me.”

“No!” Killick snapped at the same time as his father.

They both eyed each other, clearly confused at why the other was so reactive to my suggestion. I wasn’t going to fight a pair of head-strong dominant males. Instead, I looked at the witch, waiting for the men in the room to do their thing. She smiled at me, clearly understanding the way of the werewolves. I smiled back, even though I was apprehensive of witches. It wasn’t that I didn’t like witches, I just wasn’t used to them. Cheddar was wolf territory, so witches and vampires tended to stay away.

“Will the spell hurt?” I asked, ignoring the father and son as they moved away and whispered between themselves.

The witch quickly shook her head and got to her feet. “Oh no, not at all. Shall we begin? I have a meeting to get to in Glastonbury.”

Ah, yes, witch central. The town wasn’t far from Cheddar, only a thirty minute drive away. Glastonbury was well known for its spiritual connections to the earth, it wasn’t a surprise the witches had adopted it as their own. Luckily for us, they were open to anyone visiting, which meant I could take a trip shopping without feeling threatened.

Going to rise from my seat, I paused when she waved a hand to indicate that I stay where I was. My body trembled as she came around the back of me and placed two fingers on each of my temples. The immediate spark of magic warmed my skin and my eyes fluttered closed.

The sound of the door closing was followed by heavy footsteps coming nearer. I could no longer smell the strong scent of our alpha, it had been replaced with Killick’s tantalising cologne.

As the witch started to mutter in Latin, I shook harder, my whole being vibrating from the magic radiating through me.

“It is done,” she suddenly announced, removing her fingers.

Killick’s breath released as I opened my eyes and stared straight into his gaze. He was sitting on the coffee table in front of me, his presence powerful and all-encompassing. A small jolt of… something… jerked me as he licked his lips.

“Where is your sister?”

I had to gulp down my snarky reply, determined to keep my cool. “I don’t know.”

“What has she done with my mother?”

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