Enemies Mated

Claire gripped the leather seats of the car as it jostled her back and forth. The country road out of her hometown was full of potholes and bumps and they only aided to her already pounding headache. She had been holding a deep pain in her chest that had been threatening ugly tears for the past few days as she had said goodbye to her family for the last time. She was to be given away to another pack. Claire was a witch, that is to be believed as a lower form of magical creature. Often ruled over by werewolves or vampires; their services of spells, healing and hexes were sold off between tribes. After showing exceptional magical ability Claire had quickly become a financial asset to the werewolf pack that ruled her tribe. At the quickest availability, she was soon auctioned and sold. She didn’t get the luxury of knowing where she was headed and was only given a few days’ notice before being separated from her family. The car trip was long and painful. Claire didn’t mind. She knew plenty of spell and herbal remedies that could have made her much more comfortable, but the pain was a helpful distraction from the uncertainty at the end of her trip. Wherever she was headed couldn’t have been worse than where she came from, she thought bitterly. At least she could commune with the other witches where she was to stay. She remembered the times back at home after the days of hard work, the celebrations that would ensue at the witches’ villages. It was a time for bright magic, games, dancing and fun. Wherever she was headed at least she was comforted with the knowledge that she would at least have other witches by her side, no matter the hard labour and abuse from the ruling magical creatures. Claire was awoken with a large jolt. She must have fallen asleep at some point during the long journey. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced out the heavily tinted window and fell back in surprise. She was at the tribe’s castle. There was no witches’ village anywhere in sight, was this a mistake? The chauffeur opened the door and stepped aside awaiting her to exit. She cautiously stepped out, her long black witches robe pooled around her feet as she turned to grab her luggage. Hauling her heavy bags full of her mandatory robes, herbal vials and burlap pouches she stumbled back out of the car and right into the man that had come to stand behind her. She turned quickly, apologizing, head bowed as the man growled at her clumsiness. “This way” He barked at her, dusting off where she had just collided into his fine suit. She grimaced inwardly at his arrogance at having been touched by a witch and followed him inside. The castle was amazing yet undeniably creepy. Dark wooden walls were adorned with horrific images; brutal wars, mass graves, tortured souls and…. Witch burnings. Hundreds and hundreds of horrific scenes of witches being burned alive. Claire’s stomach churned at the sight of their horrified faces etched forever into the polished wood as the flames crept up their helpless bodies. Claire quickly averted her gaze back down to the white marble floor. She felt the smirk of the wolf beside her at her discomfort of the horrific scenes of her people. Where was she? Why would these people that clearly despise witches buy her? Her stomach churned again at the realization that she may have been bought to be burned. It wasn’t unheard of after all. Her death was to be used as entertainment for these disgusting wolf creatures. Then what would have come of all her hard work for the uprising? Claire was dragged from her thoughts as she was shoved into the dining room. The wolf that had accompanied her stalked away toward the table, grabbing a cloth and wiping the hand that had just touched the witch before promptly discarding it. Claire’s stomach continued to churn as her anxiety caused vibrations to prick and tickle her skin. Seated at the far end of the table was a large dark-haired man, radiating power and authority. He must be the Alpha. The site of him only made Claire’s skin become more alive as the anxiety spread through her in pulsing waves. She kept her head down but watched the man at the end of the table carefully. Hatred and loathing seethed from him as he stared her down. “You are to be the spell maiden for my pack” As the man finally spoke deep shivers were sent down Claire’s spine, threatening to send her to the ground. His voice was rough and demanding, but despite her reaction, she was not afraid of him. If anything, she only felt rage towards him. “For centuries this pack has never used the likes of, your kind” He spat the last words out as if the mere idea of witches was filth to his mind. “Don’t think we will take kindly to your presence. You are to remain in this castle, but we do not wish to see you. Remain in the shadows when requested otherwise stay in your designated quarters. If you are seen wandering without being specifically requested, you will be punished, understood.” “Understood.” A heavy hand clapped the back of Claire’s head and she stumbled forward. “That is no way to speak to your master!” She growled inwardly at the wolf that just struck her, before forcing a pleasant smile. “Understood, master.” With that, the Alpha waved his hand and Claire was dismissed. The wolf accompanied her down the large hall towards an old wooden staircase. “Head straight down the stairs until you reach the very bottom. Go straight down the hall to your living quarters, to the right is your potions room. The Alpha expects you to get to work straight away with healing and strength potions. If you create anything other than what is requested, you will be severely punished.” With that, the wolf turned on his heels and headed in the other direction. Arms aching from holding the heavy bags for so long, Claire headed towards the old staircase. The stairs spiralled down through at least four floors before coming to the bottom. The air was stale, and she huffed as she now drugged her luggage towards the end of the passageway, unable to carry them any longer. There were only two rooms in the dark hall, and Claire couldn’t help but wonder that this might be a good situation for her. Tucked away in the dark and forgotten she could work all day on orchestrating the witches’ uprising. The door to her room was heavy, a keyhole was inlaid on each side of the door. Claire hated to think who owned that key. She shook away her thoughts as she reassured herself. As long as she pretended to be the good little worker she was meant to be, there was nothing for her to worry about. That is until the time came when she was to strike. But when that time came, it was them that would have to worry. Not her. Claire swiftly moved to unpack her bags, shoving the clothes into the bland drawers. The tingling started crawling back over her skin as she worked. Moving quickly, she grabbed her large suitcase of herbs and materials and moved back towards the large door. The door slammed open and Claire dropped her bag in surprise as a large hand came forward and tightly gripped her throat. Claire stumbled backwards clawing at the hand as she was pushed back into the room. She tripped back over the small bed in the corner, crashing down into the dusty sheets. Alpha loomed over her, his grip was tight and unrelenting as it began to close her airways. “You disgust me” His face was so close to hers as he growled the words, their noses almost touching. “You are absolutely disgusting. To think someone like you would be my… my” His hand tightened on her throat, her vision dotting and losing focus. “My mate. Don’t believe this will change anything. You are a worthless creature and due to our unfortunate… connection, I will make sure your life here is a living hell” With his last growl of words, he slammed Claire’s head up and back onto the mattress before quickly rushing out the door. Gasping for air Claire tried to come to grips on what he just said. No no no, this can’t be true. This ruthless man can’t be her… mate.