The Green Witch and the Alpha

Chapter 5: Ian

Dave and Connor waited until the car pulled onto the main road before they said anything.

“Ian, what the hell happened back there?” Dave demanded. “Please tell me this is a misunderstanding and we didn’t actually hear you call a witch your mate. And what the f**k was that in the gazebo? It looked like Moira was chanting and then some kind of light came out of your chest.”

“You heard right. Samantha is my Goddess-given mate. She just so happens to be a witch. I will not reject her, and that’s not up for discussion. Moira performed a spell that made the mate bond visible, since Samantha can’t feel it. It was amazing! We could see where the threads of the mate bond connected our souls.”

The car went very quiet for a moment.

Connor was the one to break the silence, “Ian, are you sure that wasn't a trick? Moira could've used some kind of illusion to make you think you have a mate bond with that witch.”

“No,” I said, turning to look at him, “It wasn’t a f*****g illusion. Before that, when we were on the porch, I scented Samantha out and felt the mate pull. As soon as we locked eyes, the bond snapped into place for me.”

“Maybe they slipped you something, like a hallucinogenic. Did you eat or drink anything, or did someone touch you?” Connor was not letting it go, “Dave, we should stop at the clinic first and get Ian checked out. That witch could have poisoned him. She was one of the ones spying on us when we first got there.”

“I don’t need to go to the doctor,” I growled, pushing a bit of my aura out. “No one poisoned me, and ‘that witch’ is named Samantha. She is my mate! As your Alpha, I am telling you to watch how you speak of your future Luna.”

I paused for a moment. Dave had to pull the car over. Both he and Connor were giving me their full attention under the crush of my Alpha aura.

I continued, pulling my aura back, “As your friend, I'm asking you to be respectful of my mate. I’ve waited too long for her. Dave, I thought at least you would understand.”

He took a deep breath before answering, “Ian, I’m happy for you, man, I really am. And I get it! Nothing compares to the feeling of being with your fated mate. But this is really f*****g complicated.”

“This is beyond complicated,” Connor agreed. “There is no way in hell the pack…let alone your father will accept that witch as your mate.”

“Connor,” I said, with ice in my tone, “call her ‘that witch’ one more time.”

Connor held his hands up in front of him, instantly defensive.

“Fine. There is no way the pack, or your father, are going to accept Samantha as your mate and their Luna.”

“They won’t have a choice,” I countered. “If Samantha chooses to accept me, she will be Luna, and they will accept that or leave.”

“What do you mean if she accepts you?’ Dave asked. “Didn’t you say Moira showed her the mate bond?”

“Like you said, it’s complicated.” I explained. “She saw it, but couldn't feel the pull. To her, I’m just another man. The protocol is to court her like a human before mating and marking.”

“Two things,” Connor started, “One, I can’t believe you’re talking about “courting” someone like this is the 18th century, and two, I’ve known plenty of human girls who don’t mind mating right away.”

Dave spun around and glared, “Connor, we’re talking about a lifetime commitment while you’re talking about getting your d**k wet. Get your head out of your ass. Ian needs our support, and as our Alpha and our friend, he deserves it.”

“He doesn’t deserve s**t,” Connor mumbled. As soon as he saw the murderous look on my face, he smiled, “I’m joking, Ian. Alpha, you have my support and as your Gamma, I look forward to serving as the protector of our future Luna, Samantha.”

I wanted to punch Connor in the face; he was definitely sparring with me at training tomorrow.

“Do either of you have anything else to add?” I asked, my irritation still at the surface.

Dave spoke first, “I support you, I do. But it’s not going to be as easy as telling the pack if they don’t like it, they can leave. If you go about it that way, you may end up as a packless Alpha.”

“Ian, you know I’m loyal to you,” Connor added. “I’ll support you if you want to pursue that –, Samantha, but Dave has a good point.”

“I actually agree, too. That’s why I’m planning on talking to your dad, Dave, to see if he can get most of the old-timers to come around on this. I’ll need the two of you to help me assess the other pack members on their attitudes toward witches.”

They both nodded and looked slightly more relaxed than they had been when we first started this car ride.

“Keep it vague when you talk to them. I’m not ready to announce I’ve found my fated mate yet. We'll present it as a check-in on pack members' opinions regarding this collaboration with the coven's farm."

I continued to a more important point.

"And for the sake of all blessed by the Goddess, do not mention this to my old man. I know he texts both of you sometimes to check up on me. I’ll tell him when I think he's ready to handle it.”

“I don’t think he’ll ever be ready,” Dave pointed out.

“Then I’ll tell him after I’ve marked Samantha,” I replied.

“Are you really sure she’s going to accept you?” Connor asked. “She looked pretty freaked out earlier. And that slap! Got you a feisty one, Alpha; couldn't even kiss her without getting smacked in the face."

“She accepted my apology and agreed we could get to know each other. I also let her know I will accept her rejection, if she chooses that route.”

“Whoa, did I just hear Ian Balfour, the Alpha of Hunter’s Moon pack, say he apologized to someone?” Connor had just earned the privilege of being my sparring partner for the next week with that comment.

"Of course I apologized to her. Since she can't feel the mate bond, I'm just some strange asshole who grabbed her by the neck and kissed her. That slap was justified."

And kind of hot, I thought.

“Was it her idea to put in writing that whatever happens between you two, will not affect our involvement with their farm?” Dave asked, while starting the car again.

“Yeah. She was worried about fallout, like the contract being canceled or pack members harassing the coven.”

“She’s smart,” Dave pulled onto the road again, then chuckled. “You know, as soon as I realized what was going on, I thought, ‘The Moon Goddess really got his type right.’ ”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve always been into big girls,” Connor volunteered from the backseat.

Dave grinned, “I was actually going to say she’s got that ‘sexy librarian’ vibe you like, but Connor’s right, too. You’ve always liked thicc girls. You know who she reminds me of? Mrs. Thompson.”

“No way.” Dammit, he was right.

Connor looked up from his phone, “Who’s Mrs. Thompson?”

“Mrs. Thompson was young Ian’s first crush: our middle school librarian. She also had glasses and was very, very curvy. Ian used to skip classes to sit in the library and creep on her. She had red hair, though.”

Dave better be glad he’s driving us; that’s the only thing keeping me from strangling him right now.

“And you know what? Samantha is probably the same age now that Mrs. Thompson was when we were in middle school.”

“How old is Samantha?” Connor asked.

“She said she just turned 30,” I answered, “and thank the Goddess for that. I was starting to worry I hadn’t found my mate because she hadn’t come of age yet. I couldn’t deal with an 18-year old for a mate at this point.”

“It happens, though,” Dave added, “and people make it work.”

“I know, but it’s just not for me. I’m perfectly happy with a woman like Samantha.”

“I’m happy to console all of the soon-to-be 18 year olds left heartbroken once they hear the Alpha has found his mate,” Connor announced with no shame. “In fact, I should probably get started soon; just to make sure no one gets left out. Alpha, I’ll need a list of pack birthdays so I can see who will come of age soon.”

“Connor, shut the hell up with that stuff,” Dave groaned.

“Connor, I have enough on my plate already without cleaning up after your pervy ass. Leave the teenage girls alone.”

Dave looked at him in the rearview mirror, "Young, impressionable women whose parents will want to beat your ass if you're not their fated mate. And I'll help them do it."

Dave wasn't bluffing. He and his mate, Sarah, had twin girls last year and it changed him. He no longer acted amused by Connor's antics with women and constantly lectured him on treating them better. He would probably hold Connor down while he got a beating.

"Just kidding around," Connor smirked. ‘Besides, they’ll probably be relieved.”

I turned to look at Connor, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have a reputation of being a hardass. Any dreams the younger women may have had of becoming Luna have been outshadowed by their fear of becoming your mate.”

I was speechless. I looked at Dave, who looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“Are you saying my own pack members are afraid of me?”

“I’m saying that you’ve been in a very bad mood for the past several years and while the pack overall respects you, Ian, you have not inspired any notions of romance. I’ve heard the term ‘Alpha-hole’ thrown around more than once.”

Dave started laughing at that.

“Heh, heh, heh,” I mocked Dave, “Shut up and drive.”

-

We soon arrived at the pack house and I was glad to escape the car before hearing more of Connor’s nonsense. Dave walked over and patted me on the shoulder.

“Ian, man, don’t worry about what Connor said. The pack really does hold you in high regard. You took over as Alpha years earlier than planned, and you’ve done an amazing job as our leader.”

“I haven’t given that a second thought. His comments about taking care of the 18 year old girls are more worrisome.”

Dave shook his head slightly, “He’s not serious. You know how Connor is; he says things to get a rise out of us. You and I grew up together and have a strong connection, and I think he slips into bratty younger brother mode sometimes.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Thank Goddess we've only seen him with women around our own age. If I’d thought he was serious about the things he'd said earlier, I'd be the one to beat his ass; plus he'd be removed as my Gamma. Our pack needed someone with integrity in that position, not someone who preyed on young women. We needed someone I could trust to take good care of my Luna.

There was a time several years ago when we suspected Connor had met his mate. Dave and I noticed he'd stopped talking about hooking up with random women, his favorite pastime, for several months in a row. But he never said anything and remained unmarked. I had offered to send him to other packs to look for his fated mate, but Connor said he wasn't interested.

I went to my office to start some research and to formulate a plan. Once anyone outside of our inner circle found out about Samantha, the news would spread quickly through the pack. I wanted everything set-up so they would accept her as their Luna without a doubt.

The pack elders were going to be the biggest challenge. Three years ago, they were unanimous in their discomfort at having witches for neighbors. It was odd that no one under the age of 55 seemed to share that sentiment. I hoped Dave's father could shed some light on that, and I planned on talking with him this week.

Figuring out a way to tell my dad about Samantha was also on my list of things to do. He would probably demand I reject her. I needed to get to the bottom of his bias against witches.

Tomorrow, I would move forward on my plan to win her over. The Moon Goddess paired us together for a reason; maybe it was to help my pack move away from their old prejudices.

Tonight, I would dream of my blonde witch with the greenest eyes and softest skin.