Accepting Fate (Moonlight Trials Series #3)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6



Freybelle’s POV

I awoke with a strange sensation of feeling warm and safe, but they weren’t wholly my feelings. I stirred, raising up onto my elbows and noticed the weight on my feet before I saw it. I’d never seen a real-life wolf or werewolf but had read about them. I was in awe as I stared at the red coloured wolf laying over my feet. I knew instantly that it was Nathan. He was larger than a normal wolf had been depicted in my books and he had a cute silvery blue mark on his left paw. I sat up and moved to stroke his paw, the mark was similar to mine which was on my right hand and shaped like a moon. My mother had always told me I was marked by the goddess, and this was my birthmark. I felt the growl before I heard it, a rumbling that began in my feet and moved up my legs, then I noticed dark green eyes looking at me. The growl sounded vicious but the feelings I got were of care and warmth and I smiled, continuing to gently stroke the mark on the wolfs paw.

“Blaze, I assume?” I spoke, softly so as to not startle him. He raised his head, and I felt a wave of confusion. I was surprised that I could feel the wolfs feelings too, thinking it only worked on humans. The wolf then lowered his head and placed his nose against my hand that was stroking his paw, and I was sure I heard a content sigh. I smiled, genuinely happy for the first time. He was warm and soft, and I felt my hand moving towards his head. He didn’t move or stop me, so I continued running my fingers through his red mane. Then I felt a strange sensation, a tingling in my palm and Blaze must have felt it too as he shook his fur then looked intently at me. Then he moved to get up and part of me sank that he was moving. The wolf headed to the bathroom and shut the door behind him with a kick, causing a small giggle to erupt out of me. It was strange seeing a wolf do that, but I had to remember he was actual a person too.

Nathan’s POV

You felt that? Blaze asked me after I had transformed back.

Oh, now you want to talk about it. I growled and I could feel that he had raised his hackles at me.

I didn’t believe you. She isn’t our mate. He stated and I felt deflated. I knew it deep down too. So why was I feeling this? Magic? I shook my head.

After what she had told me last night I had initially wondered if she was part of a larger scheme. Maybe she was sent to find my Luna again and capture her instead but after seeing how she broke down and the scars… No, she wasn’t part of a grander plan, she was a victim too and something within me wanted to save and protect her too. I exited the bathroom after pulling on my clothes to find Freybelle making tea and for the first time in a long time, I smiled without thinking. Id ever pined for a mate, not since I realised, I hadn’t been gifted with one in my life so far. Sure, I was only 32, young for a werewolf but our mates were usually found quickly. I watched her, moving around the kitchen as if she knew it and felt an urge to go over there and draw her in for a hug. Instead, I moved beside her and began pulling things out of the cupboard to make for breakfast.

“Eggs on toast, ok?” I gruffed. She smiled at me; her smile glorious but I could tell there were things she as holding back within those eyes. She nodded and handed me a freshly brewed cup of tea.

“This storm is bad.” She said, looking out of one of the windows of the cabin.

“Not really. They’re all bark and not bite. A lot of wind which makes it seem worse than it is.” She was looking at me intently. “It will only last a few days and then I will need to get going.”

“Oh.” She whispered into her cup of tea which she was holding between both hands, the steam rising into her face. I realised she must be cold as I had let the fire die out overnight.

“Would you…” I bit my lip nervously, not liking the idea of asking her to use her magic again. “Would you mind starting a fire?” I said, not making eye contact with her and drinking a mouthful of hot tea. However, I did notice the huge smile on her face.

“Of course.” She said, doing a little jog to the wood burner. I busied myself with starting breakfast and didn’t want to look at the magic. I hated how afraid of it I was, and I closed my eyes, blocking out the memories of how Spencer had been killed with witch fire and the memories of the Luna, scarred by the black fire. I felt a hand on my arm and when I turned to look at Freybelle I noticed her eyes gleaming with silver again.

“Did you…” I couldn’t form the words. She had said she needed contact and the person to be thinking of the memory to see it so I knew she was seeing something, but I wasn’t sure which memory.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” She said, her eyes returning to their normal blue colour, and she backed away. “I can’t control it.” Suddenly she wasn’t the annoying woman, laughing and smiling at everything. She seemed nervous and shy. “Is that why… youre scared of magic?”

“Scared?” I asked, taken aback. How did she know. She heaved another huge sigh.

“Seeing visions isn’t my only gift. I’m an empath. I can sense people’s emotions” Suddenly it made sense, sensing the anger and now the fear. Wait… I drew a hand down my face.

“All emotions?” I asked and saw her face turn red. She gave a slight nod. Great, shed been able to sense my lust, that made things a little more awkward. Then she giggled again.

“Sorry, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it felt nice.” She said, her face still red but a huge grin on it. Again, I don’t know why but it annoyed me, so I grunted and turned back to the stove. “Would you tell me about what happened to your Luna in better detail, I only saw snippets. Also…” She hesitated.

“Spencer?” She nodded. So, she had seen both memories now. I nodded, continuing to fry eggs as the toast cooked under the grill. She smiled, a sad smile but started checking the toast and bumped her hip against mine to move me, pointing that the toast was cooked. I frowned at the contact which had yet again sent small sparks shooting through me.

“Where’s the butter?” She asked, and I pointed to the butter dish on the kitchen side. She busied herself buttering the toast and putting it onto plates ready for the eggs.

“Spencer was our Gamma.” She looked up startled as I started speaking.

“Gamma?”

“Oh, yeah, like the 3rd in command.” She nodded for me to proceed. “Well, the luna had been kidn*pped a few days before. We had found out about the location but weren’t fully aware of what was waiting for us. We headed into a trap without realising it. Your… mother I guess, and some others had the Luna on a slab of marble with those runes…” I motioned to her scars as I placed the fried eggs on top of the toast. She sighed heavily but nodded, grabbing one of the plates and heading to sit on the sofa. I smiled as I carried mine, it felt like something normal to do. “Well, the black fire was surrounding the Luna but hadn’t yet got to her. Spencer ran forward to stop it, breaking formation. My Alpha and I screamed for him to stop but he wasn’t able to, feeling the fear from his Luna his protective instinct kicked into overdrive. He was set alight before we could do anything. Normally it takes a lot to kill a werewolf with fire but this fire stuck to him like glue…”

“Yeah, I can do that…” Freybelle said, looking sadly at the plate. “Now I know why youre afraid of my flames.” She turned to look at me, her eyes full of sorrow. “I promise it isn’t Witch Fire I use, just generic human flames.” She sighed and pushed her plate away, only a few bites from it.

“Not hungry?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Not after that. I can’t believe I didn’t see it right under my nose.” Before I could do anything, she had turned and grabbed both my hands. Tears in her eyes. “I was brought up a white witch, a good witch if you will. Those spells are dark magic, forbidden magic. The rituals are something else that Ive never even read about but I want to learn more. I want to… help. I need to stop them. They’re my family and I feel responsible for them. Plus, I want to know why they would turn. Our while coven was good, we worshipped nature and lived by the land. I don’t know what changed.”

“Ok…” I stared into her eyes, seeing absolute truth in them. She hadn’t known anything and wanted to help. I wondered if she could, but my pack wouldn’t be so trusting, especially the luna. A fear in me rose at her being pushed aside if I took her home and I didn’t want that.

“I can heal your Luna. I know she must have scars and burns. I had them too.”

“You had the black scars too?” She nodded, everywhere. She held out her hands and I could see scars that looked like burns that would have been a lot worse.

“I channel healing magic from the land. I can heal your luna. She has them, right?” I nodded. She would have only seen Luna Sylvia before she was rescued so wouldn’t have seen them. I was dubious still though. Everything within me told me that a witch couldn’t be trusted.