Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
“You’re making a big mistake.”
No, he wasn’t. Lucinda knew what he planned, and her advice to him was to take Leah to his pack and allow her to live with him, so he would see she was perfect for him. He told Lucinda of the prophecy. Of a witch’s undoing. He wasn’t going to risk it. There would be no witch for him.
No happily ever after.
Chapter Three
Two Days Later
Killian was a moody wolf. He was a moody man.
Leah knew he preferred silence.
They had spent another night on the forest floor. This time, no one had been there to rudely wake them up. Tonight, they had stumbled onto yet another small human town. Rather than risk going to the forest, Killian had booked them into a hotel.
Staring at the bed, Leah had to wonder if other couples had slept in that bed. Not that she and Killian were a couple. Nope. Not in the past couple of days. He’d gone back to being the brooding, silent type who didn’t say much.
She looked out the window as her stomach growled. Killian had ordered her to stay inside, and that was close to an hour ago.
“Bored?”
Leah spun around and saw a teleported version of Lucinda in the corner. Lucinda was one of her closest friends and mentors, and had helped her so much as she grew up.
“Yeah, mega-bored.”
“Where is Killian?” she asked.
“Gone to get some food.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “How did you know where we were?”
“Your necklace. I put a locator spell on it before I gave it to you as a child.”
Leah looked down at the small necklace. It was a heart with a single gem inside the center. She loved the necklace as a child and had never taken it off.
“I should have known that.”
Lucinda smiled. “You look troubled, child.”
Leah frowned. “It’s kind of hard, I guess. Killian hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“No? Trust me, you’ve not been hanging out with him for the past three days. He can’t stand the fact I’m a witch. Do you even know what this mission is?”
Lucinda looked away.
“You do know?” Leah asked.
“I know but I cannot tell you what it is.”
Leah sighed. “Of course not.”
“What’s on your mind, Leah?”
“What’s not on my mind? I’m on a secret mission with my mate. You know, the same mate that rejected me, cannot stand me, and would rather I be a flesh-eating monster than a witch.”
“That is not true.”
“Isn’t it? You saw the way he treated me in front of his pack. They all laughed.”
Lucinda chuckled. “None of them laughed, Leah. Killian’s pack was horrified by his rejection.”
Leah blew out a breath. “Maybe I just heard the laughter in my head or something.” She wrapped her arms around her body, wanting some comfort.
“I would hug you if I could.”
Lucinda could only communicate like this. If she touched anything, she would evaporate.
“It’s fine.”
“You know, Killian is not a complicated man.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“He feels these bonds as much as you. I know this is hurting you. Being close to your mate and not knowing what to do. Stop fighting them, Leah. Trust me on this.”
“I can’t give in to him first,” Leah said. “That would make me the weak doormat.”
“You have always listened to me in the past,” Lucinda said. “You need to stop fighting these feelings with Killian. I know this is going to be hard for you, because you’re a stubborn child.”
“I’m twenty-five years old now. I’m not a child,” Leah said.
Lucinda chuckled. “You will always be a little girl to me. Killian is stubborn, as are you, but I’m sure he has proven time and time again that he values you. Has he protected you? Held your hand? Held you? Fed you? Taken care of you?”
Leah thought about the past three days and he had done that. “Yeah, we kind of had a run-in with Olivia and Greta, as well as some big, hairy alpha dude and his pack.”
“Olivia and Greta? Are you okay?”
“I’m still alive. I think they are as well.”
“Did you use dark magic?”
“Nope. I called upon Mother Nature for help, and she came,” Leah said. She told Lucinda exactly what happened.
“You must not ever be tempted to use dark magic,” Lucinda said.
“I won’t.”
“That is how Olivia and Greta will try to get you to turn. If they can take you away, fill you with dark magic, they will use you as a weapon.”
Leah had heard of these nightmares before. She was not going to be anyone’s weapon.
“I know, Lucinda.”
“I must go, Killian is approaching. Think about what I said.”
The door to the hotel room opened and Lucinda was gone.
“Who were you talking to?” Killian asked.
“The wall.” Leah got off the bed and moved toward him. “I wondered if you had gone and built up a whole drive-thru since you’d taken that long.”