Accepting Fate (Moonlight Trials Series #3)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nathan’s POV



I spun around. What did she mean? I knew I was always a bit standoffish, but she could tell I was angry. I studied her face, and she looked worried.

“What do you mean?” I asked as she bit her lip.

“Nothing, never mind.” She snapped and headed to the bed again. “That smells amazing.” I gruffed at her, annoyed that she wouldn’t answer my question. “I’m sorry.” She said and had I not been a werewolf, I would not have been able to hear her. I didn’t say anything and carried on cooking, but I was sad that she was the one apologising when I should be after barging into the bathroom when she was naked. I heard her tut, but she didn’t say anything else.

“Sit and Ill serve.” I growled after a short while. She had been sat on the bed, not moving and only watching me cook. It unnerved me and she must have noticed as she kept giggling to herself every once in a while. It made me realise how young she actually was. Frowning, she moved to the small sofa that was on the ‘living area’ ad the small coffee table that was used as a dining table. She sat cross legged on the floor and waited patiently. I served the stew I was making along with some fresh bread I had bought from the store today.

“Thank you.” She said, keeping her eyes to the table. Then she closed her eyes and began mumbling a few words before eating. I had already taken a mouth full and stopped chewing awkwardly. She giggled again then began eating.

“You laugh a lot.” I gruffed, annoyed by how happy she was despite the state I had found her in.

“And you don’t.” She said, honestly and I had to stop a smile. I huffed an agreement, and she smiled, turning to flash me a smile. “Whats wrong with laughing?” Her eyes found mine and I sighed.

“Nothing, just…” I didn’t know how to say it, how did I bring up her pain without bringing back horrible memories, however, she smiled sadly.

“You’re curious about my wounds and scars?” She asked, could she read my mind? First the anger, now this… However, I nodded, and she sighed too. “It’s a long story…” I nodded, expecting her to stop telling it but she ploughed on. “I… lived with my mother, grandmother and our family. We weren’t a large coven, but we had a lot of support and friends who lived in the village with us. Around 30 years ago, I was sent away to study when my mother found out I could see visions when I touched people…” She had started talking about something else but all that I heard was 30 years ago.

“Wait… how old are you?” I asked, without thinking.

“Oh, I’m 126.” She smiled. Then my fae must have been a picture because she started laughing again, this one was different, a huge belly laugh, and I hated to admit that I melted a little.

Freybelle’s POV

I knew he secretly enjoyed my laughing even if he scowled at me. He was so surprised by my age that it took me by surprise, and I couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

“You cannot be that old?” He grumbled.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I am.” I laughed again.

“You’re so…” I felt a touch of disgust.

“Immature?” I questioned and it was my turn to frown now. I felt a hand on my arm and turned to see Nathan looking at me. I felt a strange prickling sensation in my arm before he abruptly drew his hand away. I smiled, sadly. The disgust was there again tinged with a hint of lust which confused me. “I am, I guess. Up until I was sent away, I was always taught the ways of the white witch but there’s not much to learn when you’ve spent nearly 90 years studying it. My mother was training me to take over the maiden’s position… Do you know what that is?” I asked him and he shook his head, a no. “A maiden is an unwed, pure woman, who is taught to assist the mother…the leader of the coven, and also attend to the crone, the eldest woman of the coven who was the mother before. I was trained to do this. My actual mother was the mother, and she knew I was unwed and ‘pure’” My bitterness came out more than I had wanted it to. I felt embarrassment from Nathan and had to stop a chuckle. “My pureness wasn’t just in the generic s****l way; I was also pure and untouched by anything from the ‘real’ world. Hence the immaturity. Then the visions started.” I bit my lip, wondering how much t tell him about that. I didn’t know this man, even if I felt like I could trust him… then again, I trusted my mother. I sighed. “My mother said they were a gift from the goddess, and they meant I would hold great power when I became the maiden. I went to another coven to train harder and try to understand my gift.” I took a deep breath, and I felt sympathy from Nathan, causing me to look at him with confusion.

“They weren’t good to you?” He asked and I melted a little. How did he even grasp that? But I nodded in agreement.

“They weren’t, horrible per se. They just weren’t nice. They all treat me like a stupid little girl, even though I was 96, because of my naivety they treat me awfully. No one hurt me but I always felt out of place. That was until I met George.” I stopped as I felt a wave of jealousy from Nathan. It was short lived, but I had definitely felt it. I looked at him confused and he tried to make his face neutral. Strange.

“George taught me a lot of things that I had never know, both about magic and about the ‘real’ world. He took me to the local city and let me experience alcohol, parties, theatre and real shopping. I got close to George, and he was my first kiss.” Jealousy again and I looked at him with a raised brow. I had literally known this man a few hours, sure he had seen me naked, but he had no right to be jealous. “Anyway, my mother must have caught wind of our closeness because she pulled me back home and I didn’t see George again… until…” I felt the tears in my eyes and stopped talking, gulping back bile that was threatening to rise in my throat. I felt Nathans hand on my arm again and smiled sadly.

“You don’t have to tell me the rest tonight.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. He didn’t want to hear more, and I was glad for that. I nodded, sipping down the rest of my stew.

“What’s for dessert?” I asked, changing the subject and I felt shock, coming from him. He shook his head and this time I wasn’t sure if it was from annoyance, or he was just answering my question.

“Nothing…” He said, gently this time. I pouted and again I thought I saw him supress a smile.

Nathan’s POV

I listened to the first part of her story with a million questions swirling through my mind. Was she part of the Coven who had hurt our Luna? Was she part of it? Was she ok? Had she slept with George? Was that why she was upset, because he had ultimately turned her down? Or maybe because her mother had stopped it, needing her pure… I felt a pang of jealousy again and growled internally.

She’s been through something traumatic. I heard Blaze say in my mind and felt annoyed that yet again he was weighing in but had ignored me multiple times today. I didn’t disagree though. Despite wanting answers, it was clear she had been hurt. The scars I had seen on her back were exactly like the one we had found around our Luna when we rescued her from the dark ritual the witches had begun.

Do you think she was also made to be part of a ritual? I asked Blaze but he was again ignoring me. Annoyed I got up and decided to go for a walk, maybe I could find some leftover blackberries before the snowstorm got too bad.

“Are you ok?” I heard Freybelle ask, and I had to look at her in confusion.

“Yes, why?” I grunted, washing my bowl.

“I just…” She bit her lip, and it made her look incredibly sexy.

Down boy. I heard Blaze and I growled annoyance at him internally.

“You seemed upset. Is it me?” She asked and her eyes seemed wet. Was she going to cry again. I shook my head.

“No… I’m annoyed at my wolf.”

“Oh!” She exclaimed, her eyes now shining bright with interest. “I forgot you are a werewolf. I don’t know much about your kind. You can communicate with him?” I smiled, not knowing why it made me happy that she asked me questions about Blaze.

“Yes, we can communicate with them, however, mine is a little stubborn.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” She giggled. “You seem stubborn too.” I didn’t supress my smile this time. She was absolutely right about that. “Oh…” She said and her face went red. I looked at her with confusion.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing… you smiled.” She said, her face turning more and more red. I nodded, my rows furrowing with confusion even more.

“I’m going to see if I can find blackberries.” I said, feeling weird in the house right now. “Ill be back shortly.” I left the cabin before she could say anything. Everything I had been taught or witnessed about the mate bond spoke about an irresistible pull towards your mate, with the pull to wanting to mate them, feeling their emotions and wanting to do everything within your power to protect them. I was feeling all of this but extremely muted and it was confusing me. I growled at Blaze in my head for not helping me, but he just chuckled and continued staying silent.