The Half-Witch Bride

Simple Life

~Celeste's POV~

"Okay! That should be the last of the shipment. Thanks for carrying it here," I said, prying open one of the boxes and taking out packet after packet of seeds.

"Happy to help my lil sis," a man replied, placing down a box that he had been carrying. "Can't have you break those puny arms of yours." The man's chuckles were cut short as he dodged a wad of shipping paper flying past his face.

I couldn't help but sigh, knowing that Brendan was right. I was the weakest member of the pack. I wasn't even a wolf. One of the pups could easily outrun me and outmatch me in strength. Would life have been easier as a wolf? The spiraling of my mind stopped when I felt a sudden warmth as arms wrapped around me. I smiled as Brendan held me close. He always knew how to calm my thoughts.

"Even though you might not be the strongest, or fastest, or..." I elbowed him in the gut before he could continue with his list. He merely chuckled. "As I was saying, your kindness and intelligence makes up for what you lack. Plus, nobody else can make these flowers grow like you. Trust me Celeste, no one cares if you're not a wolf."

I smiled, unable to stay irritated with him for long. He was right about the other pack members not caring. No one ever made me feel unwelcome or useless. Perhaps it was just a benefit that came from being the Alpha's adopted daughter. No amount of training would make me any stronger and I simply had to accept that. I was beyond grateful for having a family that loved me even if I wasn't their own blood. Brendan let go of me with a sigh.

"Hey sis, I gotta go. Mark is sending me out to roam."

"Alright Brendan, be safe," I turned around with a big smile.

"Right back at ya," he responded as he walked away with a wave. I turned my attention to the seeds on the table. Some would have to be stashed safely in the greenhouse while half were already ready to be planted. Mother always said I had a knack for growing things. I recalled the story she would tell everyone who came to visit.

I was young, about 5 years old. Mom liked to garden so Dad built her a small one near the house. When she was tending to the vegetables and flowers that she grew, I would be placed on the ground next to her with some toys to keep me busy. On a warm spring day, she did what she usually does, placed me down next to her and proceeded to garden. But on that day, I wasn't interested in playing with toys. I was watching Mom intensely as she planted and watered a batch of new seeds. She let me watch her, happy that her daughter had an interest in her hobby.

When she had moved on to the next patch of soil, I stayed behind, staring at the freshly overturned earth. Something had compelled me to hum a tune, a melody I had never heard before but was within my heart. Mom turned around to listen, as I had never hummed or sung anything before. I wanted the seeds to grow, so I hummed louder. The soil before me began to move as green tendrils sprouted, reaching upwards. I giggled in delight while Mom stared in amazement.

That was how we figured out that I certainly wasn't human, or at least not wholly human. Mom had a theory that I had to be a witch, but since no one had come across one for ages, and what little history remains are legends, there was no sure way of knowing. I didn't know what to think of it. All I knew was that I could grow plants faster, and singing to them made them bloom beautifully. But that was all I could do, nothing more.

Dad said it was most likely that a part of me was a witch, and the other part human. It would explain why the power I had was small. No matter how hard I tried or concentrated, I couldn't do much else than what I already could do. It didn't bother me too much though, I was happy to be something other than human and useful to the pack.

After high school, I decided I wanted to open my own flower shop in the nearby town that serviced wolves and humans alike. Dad built a large greenhouse with an equally large garden attached to it on pack territory. He then helped me lease a space in town for my shop. I had been running my business for almost three years now and couldn't have been happier.

People all over town came to love my flowers, praising them for their beauty, fragrance and longevity. It wasn't long before I began receiving large orders for parties, banquets and weddings. On days where orders needed to be fulfilled, Dad would let me take some pack members to help me arrange, pack and deliver shipments. I always compensated them generously for all their help.

Today would be an easy day. I had some new flowers that would need to go out to the shop. They were stashed at the greenhouse and simply needed to be transferred into my truck before I headed out.

I glanced down at the small watch on my wrist. It read seven a.m. Perfect. I had time to drop off the seeds, get the flowers and head on out. I grabbed one of the boxes before me, struggling a bit before heading out of the house. I should have let Brendan take them to the greenhouse instead. The rest of them would just have to stay in the kitchen until I came back. I heaved the box and walked towards the front door, awkwardly struggling to open it. It swung open thankfully and I walked out, closing the door with a swift kick backwards. I began walking to the greenhouse, heading down the path that weaved through the community. Dad built it nearer to the small lake less than a mile away. It was a bit far, but I enjoyed the walk through the sunshine.

"Celeste!" a deep voice rang out. I recognized the voice instantly. A man jogged up to me, his dark hair bouncing with each step. He was a good foot and a half taller than I was, his broad shoulders and arm muscles on display as he wore a tight, black tank top and jeans.

"Hey Liam," I greeted him as he stopped in front of me.

"Let me help you!" Liam eagerly outstretched his arms. I let him take the box from me, thankful for the help. He smiled, and followed me down the path.

"What are you up to today? Need any help at the shop?" I could hint a bit of excitement in his tone. I only smiled and shook my head.

"There are no big orders just yet, so I won't be needing any help this week." Even without looking at him I could tell his excitement turned into a bit of disappointment. Liam was always first to volunteer to help me out at the shop. My big sister, Diana, kept teasing me that Liam would often follow me around like a love-sick puppy. I didn't understand why. Wolves have destined mates. Why would he want my attention if he didn't feel the mate bond towards me? I didn't even know if I could feel a mate bond. Diana once mused that perhaps the process is different for me. Maybe there would be no bond feeling between me and him. Maybe it had to be the way humans pursue their partners. Time and patience. Liam was a nice guy, and quite good-looking. A lot of girls would come to the shop just to see if he was working that day or not. I felt nothing towards him, but if I never felt the mate bond with someone, and if Liam never meets his destined mate, perhaps I could give it a chance. I secretly hoped that I would have a destined mate. I wanted to feel the immense love that mates have for each other.

"Any plans for tonight?" Liam asked.

"I've gotta do the monthly budget for the shop tonight. I've been putting it off for a bit." I was never one who enjoyed paperwork. Liam shared the same sentiment as he scrunched his face.

"Wish I could help you out there, but math isn't my strong suit." I simply laughed, and he grinned. We walked the rest of the way in silence until we reached the greenhouse. I took out a key from the back pocket of my jeans and unlocked it, swinging the glass door open. I stepped inside and was hit by the fragrance of many flowers. Everything from orchids to roses, daffodils to daisies grew in large clusters everywhere. Some were just little starters that were waiting to be planted in the garden outside.

"Liam, you can put the box on the table," I pointed to the middle of the greenhouse where a large, dark wooded table stood. He walked over and gently placed it down, avoiding the scattered tools that littered the table. I turned around and walked over to a corner that housed a multitude of transport buckets. I began grabbing a few, Liam following suit with a few in his hands. He already knew the drill when I had to restock the shop. We both walked outside to a water spout, filling each bucket with enough water to support the flowers for the drive over.

I didn't complain about Liam hanging around, it was nice to have some help and it meant that I would be able to be on my way earlier than if I had done this all by myself. Both of us managed to pack the ten large bundles of various flowers into my truck in less than thirty minutes. I made sure the buckets were secured in a way so that they couldn't move or splash water anywhere. I hopped down from the back, and closed the truckbed door shut. Liam stood with his hands in his jean pockets.

"Thanks for your help Liam, this would have taken me a lot longer alone," I confessed. He smiled and stepped closer to me.

"You know I'll always help if you ask me. I know you can't mind-link me, but you can call me at anytime. I'll always pick up if it's you." Liam smiled shyly, looking into my eyes. My cheeks felt a bit flushed by his words. I had to tear my eyes away from his, coughing a bit to hide my own awkwardness.

"Well....um thanks Liam. I'll keep that in mind. I'll call if I need anything."

"You can always call me just because," he said softly, a bit under his breath. I pretended not to hear and headed around my car, opening the driver's side door. Liam followed me around and before I could shut the door, he placed his hand on the handle.

"Be safe out there alright?" Liam's brown eyes bored into mine. I shook my head and smiled, sticking the key into the ignition and turning the engine on. As it roared to life, Liam stepped back from the car and I stepped on the gas, urging my car forward. I took a quick look at my rear view window and saw Liam sticking his hands back into his pockets. I sighed, making my way down the dirt road. It winded through the houses and eventually through a part of the forest. At the exit was a wide, iron gate, guarded by a lone warrior. He was leaning against a tree, not moving until I approached the gate. I watched as the warrior opened his eyes and lazily reached over to press a button. He waved and then closed his eyes again, going back to sleep. I waited for the gate to creek open wide enough for the truck to pass and pressed the gas, rolling out of pack territory and onto the lonely main road that led down the mountain-side and into town.

~

I parked in the back lot of my shop, turning off the engine as I hopped out of my car. The sleepy town was slowly waking up as business owners were preparing for the new work week. There was a convenient back door which I unlocked and propped open with a large rock. Walking back to my car, I had begun to unload the flowers and buckets, slowly bringing them inside the shop. As soon as the truck bed was empty, I locked the car and walked in, and closed the back door. I glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. I had a good thirty minutes before the shop opened. I pushed all of the flowers to the front and sighed happily.

I loved my little shop so much. Dad had forced me to at least take Sunday off, otherwise I would have been working here everyday. I didn't mind it all though. Not only was I surrounded by the flowers that I carefully grew, but I was being useful to the pack, bringing in a decent income to the pack house. Most of the funds I gave to the pack, and only kept a small fraction of the proceeds. I didn't really need the money, since I never spent much on myself. All of my money went back to the business, buying gardening tools and seeds.

I began placing the new flowers in spots that were empty or running low. The shop was popular, which meant I had to restock almost every day. I had arranged the store to feel like people were walking through a garden, picking up flowers as you wind your way through. I had quite a few regulars who would stop by just to stroll around, buying a flower here and there. I always received comments about the beauty of the plants I had. I had a florist from another town once come in and pester me about what I did to make them last long, sparkle in the light, and increase their fragrance. I told her my secret was a little bit of love and magic.

I wasn't lying, but she got pretty frustrated that I wasn't spilling my "actual" secrets. As soon as I restocked, I went around to refill water in each of the containers, humming my usual melody to spruce up the flowers. Once I was satisfied with how the shop looked, I went to the back and down a short hallway that contained the small office and bathroom. I turned into the bathroom, unhooked a short, green apron from the wall, and tied it around my waist. I turned to the mirror to make sure I looked decent.

I fixed my long, black hair that hung down my back. I maneuvered a few strands to frame my face, the dark tendrils contrasting with my emerald eyes. I had gotten a bit tan over the summer, but with winter approaching, my pale skin would come back. I brushed off some soil from my blue jeans, turning around to look at my body. Despite all of my work outdoors in the garden, I had maintained a fairly curvy figure. I blamed the amount of food that's always being produced. Since the others ate hefty meals, I too ate fairly well, which resulted in me having a curvy and volumptious body. All the females in the pack were tall and lean, but I didn't mind looking different. With one last glance at the mirror, I straightened out a wrinkle in the apron and fixed any stray hairs. Walking out of the bathroom, I skipped to the front door to open shop.

~

The day had gone by quickly since I had been busy the entire time. Customers had been going in and out all day, and the phone rang nonstop. My orders for the week grew quickly, but thankfully nothing big enough that constituted closing the shop for the day in order to get it ready for delivery. As soon as the last customer strolled out with a bundle of flowers in their arms, I locked the front door at closing time. Grabbing a broom, I began sweeping the floor, singing to myself and the flowers. I did one last water check before putting the broom away and closing the register at the counter, prepping it for tomorrow. Since I had to balance the budget for the month tonight, I took out the cash and placed it in a small bag.

Heading to the office, I sat down at my desk, an turned on the computer. As I waited for it to start up, I opened a small safe and took out the previous deposits, as well as a large folder that contained all of the receipts for the past month. Turning back to the computer, I began pulling up sales reports and printing them. Waiting for the printer to come alive, I sat in silence.

Celeste...

Startled, I turned around. I most certainly just heard my name, but it sounded as if it was in my mind. I stood up and walked out of the office, peering around.

"Hello?"

I waited for any response. But nothing moved, nor responded. I waited for a few more seconds before releasing the breath that I involuntarily held. I shook my head, feeling a bit foolish. It must have been a trick of my mind. I was obviously worn out from the busy day, and barely eating lunch certainly didn't help things. I returned to the office, grabbed the printed reports, cash and receipts, and turned the lights off in the office. I removed my apron and hung it back on its hook before flipping off the light switches. I bid my flowers goodnight and stepped back out through the back door and locked it.

~

I pinched the bridge of my nose, eyes tired from reading receipt after receipt. Having my own shop had its perks, but it sure was tedious when it came down to the paperwork. Jensen, my little brother, kept me company at the kitchen table while he did his homework.

"Celeste, I'm not sure how to solve this problem. I'm stuck," he whined. I leaned over to look at his eighth grade math homework that he was working on.

"You gotta substitute this formula in order to find the value for x. Then you take whatever x is and find y," I explained. A look of realization crossed over Jensen's face as he went back to work. I returned my receipts. Dad walked in not long after, he was holding a golden letter in his hand, the look on his face strange.

"Hey Dad, what's that look on your face for?" I asked, a bit worried.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing too serious," he answered, coming closer and sitting on the table. His eyes went blank, and I assumed he was mind-linking someone. Mom entered not long after and sat down at the table. Only a minute later, Beta Chris walked into the house and sat down too. Jensen and I gave each other a quick glance, wondering what was going on. I gathered my receipts, and placed them to the side.

"Thank you for coming on short notice," Dad started.

"What's going on hun?" Mom asked.

"We've received a letter from a very surprising and unexpected source," Dad answered.

"Well don't draw it out Andrew, who is it from?" Chris asked. Dad took his time answering, as if he was trying to wrap his head around it.

"The Elven King."