Page 6 of The Powerless Witch

‘She is not human, she is a witch,’I corrected her, and a few of the wolves tensed before moving closer to their Alpha.‘She was hurt saving my people, and I need the help of the witches to heal her.’

I looked at each face, wondering if they seemed inclined to listen, to let me pass, to let me live, but all I saw were harsh, guarded eyes. I sensed uneasiness floating over the mindlink, mixed with frustration and disbelief. So I did the only thing that I knew would make them understand the importance of my request.

‘She is my mate,’I said, holding the Alpha’s gaze.‘Not even the bond can heal her.’

The change that passed through them was instant, almost like a tangible thing. Their bodies slacked, eyes softening, and a whiff of pity and understanding flooded the link. Finally, the Alpha took a step back, turning to leave.

‘We’ll escort you to the Coven and then back. You will not pass through our territory alone again. Understood?’she said, looking at me from the corner of her eyes. I bowed my head in gratitude, my muzzle brushing against Celeste’s face. The stench of blood intensified as my nose moved closer to her injured arm, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see any other wounds. She had been lucky—Ihad been lucky—that the bear didn’t tear her to ribbons.

I slid my head between her bound arms so I could lift her when I noticed two of the wolves approaching. I didn’t think when I snarled in warning, but it was their Alpha that stopped them, moving to block their way.

‘Do not go near his female,’she commanded, and they quickly retreated.‘Their bond is unstable. He will attack you.’She eyed me over her shoulder, giving me a questioning look. I hurriedly snuggled my head through Celeste’s arms, twisting so her body slipped to my back.

Everyonemoved out of my way as I neared the Alpha, staring at her expectantly. She studied me from head to toe, eyes lingering on the still-bleeding wounds, but then she just nodded, breaking into a run.

Her speed was slow—I was sure that with paws like hers, she could cross the entire forest in no time—but she matched my pace, keeping within my sight while the others disappeared among the trees. Only their light steps and the connection to the mindlink told me they were still around.

‘What was that thing?’I asked after jumping over a small, half-frozen stream. I landed badly, the pain in my shoulder and leg almost unmanageable. I was healing but not fast enough and all that running on the cold, slippery ground wasn’t helping. I was sure I was leaving a red trail behind me, but with the others moving so close, I had a feeling there would be no more attacks coming.

‘It used to be a bear shifter,’she replied after some consideration.‘He came to ask for help from the witches, and when they couldn’t heal his affliction, he attacked them. The magic that protects their Coven twisted him so now he can neither shift back nor leave these lands.’

‘I thought the Coven was devoted to healing, not cursing?’I frowned, eyeing the towering building now clearly visible in the looming mountain before us. The place was made of dark stone so to normal eyes, it would look very much like the rocks on which it lay, but I could see the high towers and massive walls, the steep incline that protected them from attacks from below, and the narrow bridges that sprung between the structures like delicate spiderwebs.

‘Nothing in life is black and white, Isaac Linwood,’the Alpha said in a somber voice.‘Is death good or bad? For some, it might be a pleasant relief while for others—a painful end. The same is true for healing. A remedy can heal a fatal wound, but if you increase the dosage, it can become a poison. And the witches of this place...they do not react well to threats.’She turned her head in my direction, giving me a pointed look.‘But as far as witches go, the Coven of Eternal Light is less likely to cause you harm as long as you raise no hand against them. So before you judge anyone, watch them. Watch them closely. Sooner or later, they will show you their true colors.’

She turned forward, declaring the end of our conversation, so I kept quiet. Pretty soon, the trees parted to reveal a wall of rocks blocking our way. I looked at her in confusion, but she just continued toward it, as if she couldn’t see the obstacle. Justwhen she was about to run into the stone, the air around her shimmered and she disappeared inside the wall.

‘Come along, Isaac Linwood,’she called, but no matter how much I stared into the spell, I couldn’t see through it.‘Your mate is counting on you.’

The words snapped me back to the present, and after taking a deep breath, I followed. A second later, I found myself walking through a narrow pass—rocks surrounded us from both sides, leaving barely enough space for the female Alpha to move without brushing her wide shoulders against the stones. I glanced back, shocked to see the forest beyond the small opening.

‘The spell is on the ground itself, not a separate ward. That’s why you can’t see through it. It feeds on the surroundings, tricking the eye into bridging the gap between the rocks,’she explained before I could ask. I hurried after her and just as I caught up, she stepped out of the gap and shifted.

She was tall even in human form, her body all lean muscle and pleasant curves. Her skin was dark and covered in scars, her hair so short it curled above her ears. There was a tattoo of a wolf’s tooth between her shoulder blades, with more ink running in curling lines over the skin, like blood vessels that reached for her arms and legs.

She didn’t look at me as she continued toward the building looming before us. Looking up at the castle whose towers disappeared into the clouds, I almost jumped when she spoke.

“Welcome, Alpha Georgia. What brings you to our doors?”

It took me a moment to realize it wasn’t the Alpha who had broken the silence, but another woman. Short and skinny, she wore a simple gray dress with long sleeves and skirts that brushed against the stone ground. Her hair was falling loose over her back, the black in it so deep it seemed to suck the light right in. Her eyes were bright, though, and as she turned toward me, they widened with surprise that quickly morphed into confusion.

“This is Isaac Linwood, Alpha of the Bloodclaw Pack. And she is one of yours,” Georgia explained curtly.

I moved to shift, keeping my gaze on the witch while her eyes grew and grew until they looked like they might pop out. Once my transformation was complete, I picked Celeste in my arms. By then, the witch was beside me, reaching out.

I snarled in warning, and she froze, giving me a wary look. Georgia opened her mouth, but the witch raised her hand to silence her without looking away from me.

“If you want our help,” she said softly, but her voice was firm and unrelenting. “You will not cause harm to anyone here under any circumstances. This is a sanctuary and inside of it, violence is forbidden. If you break the rule, your life is forfeited. Do you understand, Isaac Linwood?”

I bit back the biting words, nodding instead.

“I understand.”

Her body visibly relaxed, and she put her hand onmyshoulder. I had thought she was reaching for Celeste, but then realized her eyes were trained on the wound on my chest that was now rapidly healing while she murmured a spell under her breath. It had stopped bleeding even before I shifted, but as I watched her work, the torn muscles repaired themselves, and the ragged holes from the bear’s teeth closed.

She let out a staggering breath when she was done.

“Let’s get her inside. Hurry.”

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