The Half-Witch Bride

Prologue

~3rd Person POV~

20 Years Ago

Night fell upon the Twin Moon Pack. As the last remnants of sunlight faded away to black, children scurried home for dinner, and warriors returned to their mates after fulfilling pack duties for the day. A chill in the night air swept upon the land as winter grew stronger each day. A shadow crept through the forest, illuminated by the moon and stars, barely making a noise as it passed. The shadowed figure clutched into its chest a bundle of cloth, occasionally hushing at it when it would stir or make a noise. It slowly made its way to the edge of the forest, and as the trees ended, a vast, moonlit, clearing opened.

The clearing in the middle of the forest housed a large wolf pack, a hundred strong at least. Buildings and houses were scattered around, circling the largest in the middle. The shadow looked around, listening and watching for movement. It seemed safe to go out into the open as pack members must have just settled in for dinner. With a hesitant step forward, the figure left the protection of the forest behind. It silently creeped it's way through, darting behind structures, hiding among the shadows cast by houses whenever it could. The figure made sure to mask its scent and footsteps in anticipation of its mission into pack territory. As long as it wasn't spotted by a roaming patrol, it would reach the largest building safely to deposit the bundle.

Going from shadow to shadow brought it closer and closer to the large house. It froze, holding its breath, as a patrol strolled past it's hiding spot. The patrol passed, unaware of the intruder and the figure let out a soft sigh. When the coast was clear, it dashed forwards until it was practically standing at the front door. Inside, it heard voices, talking and laughing. Yes, this was the chosen family. As it was instructed to do so, it laid the bundle at the foot of the door, knocked and left quickly before the patrol would loop around.

The door opened slowly, spilling light and warmth into the night. A woman stood looking around, confused that the knock had no visitor. Some of the children were known to pull pranks, so with a shrug, the woman began closing the door. Her hand stopped when she noticed the bundle on the ground, bending down to pick it up. It was fairly heavy and had a strange scent. To her surprise, it moved a little, producing a soft gurgling sound. The woman lifted a piece of cloth and gasped. In her hands lay an infant that was sound asleep. As she closed the front door she rushed inside, holding the baby close.

"Alpha! Luna!" the woman called out as she stumbled into the living room. A man and a woman stood and turned, looking at the woman in surprise.

"Someone left this baby at the front door!" the woman answered their confused looks as she approached the blonde-haired woman who held out her arms for the baby. She handed it over and the Luna gazed at the sleeping child.

"Oh you poor thing, it's so cold outside! It's not even dressed. Who could leave such a little thing like that all alone in the dark?" She cooed, instantly taking to the infant. The Alpha leaned over his mate's shoulder and observed the infant.

"It doesn't smell like a wolf, rogue, or vampire," the Alpha mused. "Thank you Jessica, you may retire for the night." The woman bowed her head and left. His eyes went blank for a few seconds as he mind-linked his warriors to be on the lookout for an intruder.

"Andrew, look how beautiful she is," the woman said softly, her eyes never leaving the baby. The man simply grunted in agreement as he too began feeling for the child. "Who would ever leave their child? The mother must have been desperate to leave her with a wolf pack, if she even knew that we are wolves."

"I'm not sure Maria," Andrew answered. "But there is one thing I do know, and it's that you want to keep the child." The woman finally broke her gaze from the baby and looked up at her mate, her eyes filled with love and want.

"I'm...I'm not sure why, but the Goddess graced us with a beautiful baby. I believe it must be fate, even if the child isn't a wolf," Maria answered. "Brendan has been asking for a little sister, perhaps this is the Goddess fulfilling his wish." Andrew huffed in response to his wife.

"I was planning on spending night after night putting a little girl in your belly. But I guess this will do for now. It won't be easy for her to grow up among wolves and not be one," Andrew mused. "But...I too believe this must be the work of the Goddess. We'll raise her as our own." Maria listened to her mate with tears filling in her eyes, letting them fall as she smiled upon the child.

"Andrew, look!" Maria softly exclaimed as she noticed something clutched in the child's hand. She carefully pried it from the baby without waking it. It was a carved, wooden amulet, in the shape of a circle, with a tree in the middle. It felt warm to the touch and smelled like the woods after a rainstorm. Andrew took it from his mate and carefully examined the amulet.

"Do you think she isn't human after all?" Maria asked, watching her mate look over the carving. He stood silent for a few minutes, letting his fingers graze over the wood. It tingled slightly, as if magic flowed through it.

"Either she isn't human, or..." Andrew paused. "Whatever's protecting her isn't human." Maria nodded.

"Do you think...perhaps her mother is a witch?" Maria pondered as Andrew shook his head in disagreement.

"There's no witches in the area and there haven't been for hundreds of years. They're practically gone from Earth at this point. We'll just have to wait and see as she grows." Andrew placed the amulet back in the hands of the baby, who instinctively grasped it while sleeping.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing in here?" A voice asked from the other end of the room. A boy, aged six, with mousy brown hair, stood in the door frame looking up at his parents. Maria glanced at the boy, then up at Andrew, who nodded in silent communication. Maria smiled and beckoned for the boy to come closer. He obeyed and stepped closer, eyeing what looked like a blanket in his mother's arms.

"Now Brendan, don't be too loud. It looks like the Goddess heard your wish and gave you a little sister," Maria smiled as she leaned over to show him the baby. Brendan blinked in disbelief as he leaned closer and saw the baby. He couldn't help but smile and jump in excitement. He finally got a little sister! His parents smiled at their son's joy.

"What's her name?" Brendan asked excitedly, continuing to stare at his new sister. Maria looked up at Andrew, who shrugged.

"Well, she doesn't have a name yet. Do you have one in mind?" Maria asked her son. Brendan's face scrunched in concentration as he thought long and hard about the perfect name.

"Celeste! Because she smells like the forest," he finally answered. Maria and Andrew were both surprised by the name choice. It somehow suited the little girl perfectly.

And so it was decided that she would be named after a legendary female lone wolf who lived in the woods, and aided the packs during the Great Calamity thousands of years ago. The family shared their happiness in silence as they continued to stare at the child. Celeste had begun to stir, yawning and blinking. Emerald eyes stared up at the wolves who hovered excitedly over her as a small smile played on her plump lips.

"Hey! What's going on over here? Dinner's been ready for like half an hour now!" A voice squeaked at the other end of the room. A ten-year-old girl with bouncy, blond curls stood with her arms crossed over her chest in impatience.

"Diana! Look, we have a new sister!" Brendan answered, excitedly waving her to come over. The girl's face scrunched in apprehension, but she approached closer. She looked at the baby in disbelief. There was no way her mom and dad could have a baby so quickly, and she knew exactly how babies were made.

"You're so dumb Brendan, what do you mean we have a sister? Babies don't just come from anywhere you know." She chided her naive brother.

"The Goddess brought her because I asked for a sister who would be nicer!" Brendan stuck his tongue at Diana, who simply rolled her eyes. Both of them looked back at the baby who giggled at her new siblings.

"So who does this baby belong to?" Diana asked her parents. Andrew and Maria exchanged a quick glance before answering.

" Brendan is right, the Goddess has given us a child. We found her at our door." Maria answered. Diana blinked in disbelief and leaned in closer to sniff the baby.

"She doesn't even smell like a wolf!" she exclaimed.

"You're right," Andrew began. "Which is why you, as her new brother and sister, will need to watch over her and protect her. She isn't a wolf, but mom and I don't believe she's human either. Or at least not wholly human."

"I'll protect her with my life!" Brendan exclaimed. Andrew smiled, proud of his son. He turned to his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I've already mind-linked the omegas to prepare the nursery room. It's a good thing we still kept everything. Let's get her settled in and enjoy that dinner that's been waiting for us. We'll have plenty of time to look at her later," Andrew chuckled. "Tomorrow, I'll make the announcement about our newest pack member. I'm sure the others will love Celeste as we already do." Maria nodded, standing up.

"Come my babies, let's get your sister settled into her new room," she said as she headed out of the room.

"I'm not a baby! I'm a man!" Brendan exclaimed as he ran after his mother.

"Nu-uh! You're a baby!" Diana chased after him out of the room.

Andrew couldn't help but feel joy and warmth. His mate was happy and his family had grown larger unexpectadly. He didn't mind that the baby wasn't a wolf, but that just meant he would need to keep a watchful eye over her. She was indeed a little mystery, but the mystery had plenty of time to unravel itself in the future. A loud growl from his stomach reminded him of his hunger as he began walking to the dining room, inhaling the smell of food wafting through the halls.

Thank the Goddess for omegas who could cook amazing steak.