The Half-Witch Bride

New Beginnings

~Elden's POV~

A knock at the door sounded as I stepped out of the washroom, freshly showered, a towel wrapped around my waist. The morning sun shined brightly, filing the room with a pleasant warmth.

"Enter."

Ruvaen swung open the door, stepping in before shutting it softly behind him. He was grinning ear to ear.

"Your Majesty," he said with a playful bow. "I hope your night went well." Although his tone was respectful, I noticed the hint of playfulness underneath. trailed off to the

"Well enough until I realized sleep would evade me the entire night."

"Oh, did you not...?"

"Of course not," I chided him. "It is against custom to spend a night together before the wedding, you know that."

"Well, yes, my Lord, I just thought..." I interrupted him with the raise of my hand.

"Do not think about it more. I am the King, and I, more than anyone, must uphold our traditions and customs. I have already done too much last night. I simply couldn't help myself. She is beautiful and my desire for her..." My thoughts trailed off to the kiss we shared, resisting greatly the urge to trail my tongue across my lips in remembrance.

"Of course. My apologies," Ruvaen said, his head in a deep bow. I simply sighed, dismissing the small transgression.

"Have your men be prepared to leave as soon as possible. We must return and prepare for the wedding, ideally today."

"As you command."

I watched as he exited the room, turning my attention to today's wardrobe. A simple, fitted, traveling tunic would do for today, but I still made sure that not a single wrinkle showed. I turned towards a full-length mirror, steeling my gaze and composure. I must be careful from now on. I couldn't give Lucien even more to complain about, to report about to the other council members. Any slip-up, and I would lose my crown and my head.

Content, I turned to exit the room, hoping to find the Alpha to discuss the logistics of Celeste's travel to her new home. I couldn't help but give myself the smallest of smiles at the thought.

~Celeste's POV~

Ring...ring...ring...

I ran around my room, trying to find my cellphone, as the ring tone constantly went off. I grabbed the jeans that I had been wearing yesterday, sticking my hand in the pocket to take my phone out. I breathed a sigh of relief as I answered without looking at who it was.

"Hello?"

"AAHHHHHHH MY BABY SISTER HAS A MATE!"

I had to move the phone away from my ear as Diana yelled into the reciever.

"Good morning to you too, sis," I replied.

"I thought for sure it was gonna be Liam! Not in a million years would I have thought it was gonna be an Elven King."

"You and me both, I didn't even know he existed until four days ago."

"My sister is gonna be a Queen, how awesome is that?" The pride in her voice thick.

"Oh jeez, don't remind me." I groaned.

"What's that reaction for?"

"Well, to start, he's an Elf, and all he talks about are rules and customs and traditions. I have to live in another dimension from what I understand. And to top it all off, I have no clue how to rule, let alone rule a whole race I didn't know existed."

"Although it really, super, sucks that you have to leave us, try not to worry too much about the details. He's your fated mate. He will love and support you in every single way. To him, it wouldn't matter if you were a lizard." Her words reassured me a bit, but the knot of nerves in my stomach that I woke up with this morning was still there.

"Sooo...." she continued. "How was your first night with a man?"

"Diana, really?"

"What! That's what sisters are for, to share juicy hot details!"

"Well, there are no details to share."

"Hold up, what? He didn't mark you that night? You guys didn't even hook up?"

"No, all we did was kiss, which was great, but that's all. Tradition dictates that we can't spend the night until the wedding happens."

"Well, that's...different."

"Maybe it is different when two people aren't wolves. I have no clue if I even leave a mark on someone."

"When's the wedding? When are you leaving?"

"I'm not sure, hopefully not today for both of those. I can't leave without saying goodbye and making sure the shop keeps running. I worked so hard on it, and now I gotta up and leave it."

"Hey, don't worry. Dad will see that it's taken care of. I'm sure you'll have plenty of flowers and plants and trees to grow in the Vale."

"Thanks for calling Diana, you kinda helped me think through things a bit."

"Of course, text me when you know when you're leaving. I want to be there with Thomas when you do, okay?"

"Of course, I'll talk to you later."

"Byyyeeeeee."

I put the phone down, hitting the end call button. I rubbed my face slowly, the logistics of it all hitting me hard and all at once. I have to leave my shop behind, as well as my family. Being mated with a member of another Pack was reasonable, as I could still visit them fairly easily. But being in a whole different world? I might not be able to see them again for a long time.

I peeked out from in between my fingers, looking out of my window. The sun was rising, and I could hear people milling about the house. I would have to catch Dad before he left to talk things through with him.

With a sigh, I stood up and changed out of my pajamas, heading towards my bathroom for a quick shower. When I was all clean and dry, I changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged my curves. I didn't bother drying my hair, letting it hang wet.

I rushed down the stairs, almost running into an omega who had a laundry basket piled high. I looked around, straining my hearing to see if I could hear either my parents or Brendan. A familiar laugh from the dining hall sounded, and I quickly made my way over, seeing Brendan as he laughed with his friends over a plate of eggs piled a mile high. I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, a huge smile on his face as he noticed it was me.

"Well, if it isn't her Majesty, the Queen," he said with a dramatic bow.

"Oh, stop it! Where's Dad?"

"Uh, last I saw him, he was headed towards the office with your lover boy. Speaking of lover boys, you should talk to Liam, maybe? I don't know if that would help, but he is pretty upset."

"Yea, I know, I'll talk to him later today. I'll see you later, I gotta talk to Dad first."

"See ya."

I almost ran towards the office. The door was closed, which meant something important was being discussed. I took a deep breath and knocked softly.

"Come in, sweetheart."

I opened the door slightly with hesitation, instantly being hit with lavender and lemon. I had to stop myself from smelling the air like a creep. I swung the door open more, seeing Elden sitting across from the Alpha with his two councilmen beside him. Dad waved me in with a smile, while Elden simply nodded his head towards me.

"Ah, just the person we need. Elden wanted to discuss travel and all that."

"I would like to start heading back today."

"Today?" Both me and my father said at the same time, causing Elden to raise an eyebrow.

"Is there an issue with that?" One of his councilmen asked cooly. "Our King wishes to leave today. Are you to stop us?"

"This is my daughter we are speaking of," Dad said sternly. I could see he was straining the urge to growl, the muscles in his neck straining.

Elden raised a hand, silencing whatever the man was about to say. "That is enough, Lucien. we are here to discuss, not demand, nor to argue." At this, he turned his head towards me. "I would prefer to leave today, as traveling to the portal point is a few days' worth of travel."

"I...I'm sorry, but I can't just up and leave today. I have to figure out what to do with my shop and say goodbye to everyone. I can't just leave like that."

Elden leaned his head to the side in thought. The man called Lucien frowned but said nothing. "What is a good day for you?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Um...we can go tomorrow, if that works."

"Then tomorrow we shall go, it is decided. Pack whatever you wish to take with you, my men will handle your things first thing in the morning." Elden stood up and walked towards the door, followed by his men.

"Thank you," I whispered to him as he got close. He simply nodded his head, flashing me the quickest of smiles before walking out of the office, the door shutting behind them.

"I knew you'd be leaving soon...but not that soon." Dad said, his shoulders slumped sadly. I ran over to him, tears building in my eyes as I threw myself into his arms. He held onto me tightly, sniffling.

"Thank you for everything, Dad," I said, lifting my head to look up at him. He smiled back down at me, brown eyes glossy as tears threatened to spill out from them.

"What are ya talking about, kiddo?"

"For taking me in, for raising me and loving me like I'm your own flesh and blood. The shop, and just...everything!"

"Jeez, kiddo. Of course I love you! You're my kid no matter what anyone says. You're a wolf in your heart, the daughter of an alpha, and don't you ever forget that, no matter where you go or what happens, alright?"

"I'll never forget."

"Good, now go talk to your mom and siblings and anyone else." He cleared his throat and released me from his grasp, turning to his papers and pretending, badly, to be going back to his work. I stood and stared at him for a few seconds, memorizing every detail before turning around and heading out of the office.

I took a big, deep breath in and out. Today would unexpectedly be quite emotionally taxing.

~

The sun had begun to set. I had already cried more times that my nose was stuffed, and I opted to carry emergency tissues in case I met another person that would launch me into another teary-eyed episode. I had spoken to almost everyone except for one person. But I spotted a figure walking towards my green house and had begun to make my way over.

When I reached the glass door that was propped open, I peeked inside, seeing Liam looking at all the baby plants that I had begun to grow.

"You wanna be the new plant person in the pack?" I asked, opting for a bit of humor.

"Nah, I don't have a talent for growing flowers like you. I'm better at punching and kicking."

I walked inside and stood next to him, choosing to allow the silence to prolong a bit longer, simply because I had no clue how to start this conversation with him.

"I'm really happy for you, Celeste. Finding your mate is a wonderful thing."

"Ah man, it's alright, I guess. I know you'll find yours too."

"Yea, I guess, just really wanted it to be you."

"But why? I don't even have a wolf."

"Because you're beautiful, kind, sweet, and have a great body on top of it all. You're not like the other girls, and that really attracts me. I was really hoping that Elven King was just gonna roll on by and life would continue and that maybe you and me would be together. But I guess the Goddess had other plans," he sighed.

"Yea, I guess so. You're still gonna be a close person to me, Liam. You were always there for me and always a helping hand, I could count on you for anything. If the Goddess even thought about little ol' me, then she has a mate all set out for you. Don't lose hope. Maybe you just gotta expand your horizons a little."

He turned to look at me, staying silent for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. His eyes dropped to my hand, attention caught by the sparkle on my hand. He gently picked up my hand and examined the ring, letting out a playful whistle.

"That's a nice ring you got there, engaged already, huh? When's the wedding?"

"I'm not sure about when the wedding is, but we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"Oh...tomorrow, that's quick."

"Yea, Elden wants to leave as soon as possible since it'll take some time before we get to the thing that will take us to the Undying Vale."

"Well, s**t. I guess this is the very last time we'll ever get to hang out. I'll make sure your shop keeps running and all that. I'm not too sure about keeping your plants alive, though. " I chuckled at the image in my head of Liam in a shop apron, desperately trying to save wilting flowers or arranging a bouquet.

"Thanks. I appreciate that a lot. Since the sun's gone down, let's head back for one last dinner?"

"Uh yea, you go on ahead, I'll catch up later." I nodded and headed out of the greenhouse.

~

The early morning sun filtered through my window, waking me up gently. I opened my sleepy eyes and rolled over in bed, looking out of the window. I had grown up in the same room, with the same view. Understanding that I would never see it again brought a small tear to my eye, but I quickly wiped it away.

I wasn't upset about having to leave my home. I was happy to go and live with my mate. It was just the suddenness of it all happening so soon that made it hard to hide my sadness underneath the excitement.

With a sigh, I sat up, looking across the room to the measly two bags of clothes that I had packed. I wasn't even sure what to pack last night, as I was pretty certain nothing that I owned would be acceptable in the Undying Vale. But I did make sure to pack a few memorabilias to remember home and family, including my very old and worn-out teddy bear that I had kept all this time.

I mentally checked anything else that I needed to get done before heading down, noting that I would need to take a shower for the long trip ahead. My heart jumped a bit at the thought of being alone with Elden in the car. Perhaps he would be able to relax more and drop most of the formalities that he had to keep up around his men. I remembered about the kiss he gave me, a memory that seemed to have taken over all of my waking thoughts. I blushed at the flow of thoughts that came from it, wondering how his soft lips would feel on other parts of my body.

I had to shake away the thoughts when I heard a knock at my door. I jumped out of bed, swinging the covers off, and ran to the door, taking a quick glance at my vanity mirror to make sure I didn't look too haggard after waking up. I opened the door to find a wall of a man standing in front of me.

"Excuse me, my lady, if I am interrupting you. I am here to pick up your bags." Ruvaen said, standing tall in front of me.

"Oh no, you're not interrupting anything. Um...these are my bags, just these two. I'm pretty sure I don't own anything fancy enough for you guys."

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'm sure the King has prepared more than enough clothes for you back home. You will be the Queen. Anything you need will be provided for." Ruvaen answered, his tone surprisingly warm compared to his other fellow men.

"Just another thing to get used to from now on." I said aloud, but mostly to myself. Ruvaen tilted his head questioningly at me.

"Change is never easy. Please know that you have a friend in me, and I will assist you in anything you need." I stood there silent, surprised at his sentence, as I was sure I was regarded by the elven people as coldly as Elden's councilman did.

"Thank you," I told him as he picked up my luggage with ease. He bowed his head towards me and left, leaving me alone. It was time to shower and face the day.

~

I walked down the stairs, wearing a pair of worn jeans, a loose, green t-shirt, and my trusty sneakers. I wore my hair in a braid, not wanting to have it in the way during the car ride. Everyone's eyes were one me, since my family were wating at the bottom, including Diana and her mate Thomas, who arrived early this morning. She couldn't wait until I reached the bottom stair, jumping onto me with a bone crushing hug. Mom was holding back tears, and Dad was slowly rubbing her arm in comfort. Brendan joined Diana in hugging me tight.

"Guys...please...can't...breath.." I struggled under the weight of their love.

"Now, now kids, don't crush your sister," Dad said, saving me from asphyxiation. Both of them let go of me, Diana openly crying while Brendan tried to wipe away a tear without anyone noticing. Fortunately for me, I had cried out all my tears yesterday.

"Come on guys, I'm just moving out, not dying." I said, trying to lift the mood.

"Oh my sweet baby girl," Mom sputtered through a sob, pulling me into her arms. I felt another pair of arms around me as Dad embraced me as well. I held onto them tightly, memorizing every feeling and scent. I stayed silent in the moment, as I was pretty sure whatever word came out from me would cause me to cry all over again. Thankfully, everyone's attention was drawn away as Elden and his men stepped into the scene, patiently waiting as we all said our goodbyes. Dad let go of me and turned to face Elden, walking up to him as he held out his hand.

"I hope that you protect our daughter just as we have done so. She's our precious daughter, and a portal won't stop me from raising hell if she ever gets hurt in any way."

"Your daughter is safe with me, I will protect her to the best of my ability." Elden responded, grasping his hand. Dad nodded and turned to me.

"Ready, sweetheart?"

"Yea, I think I am."

"Alright, let's walk you out to the cars. They're outside waiting."

Elden walked up to me, offering his arm. I took it and walked outside of the house with him, my family, and his men following behind. Three black cars stood idling in front of us. Elden walked me to the middle car, opening the door. I slide inside, followed by another man. Elden was about to close the door but stopped when I called out.

"Wait! Aren't you riding with me?" I asked, confused, glancing at the stone silent man in the car with me.

"No, my dear. You will ride alone, protected by one of my warriors. I will be in the car in front with my councilmen, and behind will be Ruvaen and the rest of my men." He answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh, alright, I guess. How long is the drive?"

"Three days' time driving straight through. If you need anything, let him know." With that, Elden shut the car door, leaving me stunned as I sank into the leather seats.

This new beginning would be a long and dull car ride.