My enemy is my mate

Chapter 3: The coven

Arial

I wake up in strong arms. I look at him for a moment, just memorizing his perfect face. I want to commit every detail of him to the deepest, most sacred place in my heart and mind. My true companion, the person made just for me by the Gods. Or as they will call it.. my mate. If we were in a perfect world, we could have been happy, living peacefully together, ruling his pack as Alpha and Luna.. but we aren't in a perfect world. And that is just a fantasy. I knew he was mine the moment I made eye contact with him, just as I also knew in that moment it could never be.

Thankfully, our coven has lived in secret for thousands of years, and we are trained from young to always conceal our witch scent. To any other supernatural, we appear to be humans. If it weren't for that, he would've smelt. I'm his mate immediately.

I slowly trace my fingers down his face, enjoying the touch and the tingles of our bond as my fingers glide over his tanned soft skin. I savour the feel. He is stunning, his black hair falling on the pillow, his strong jaw still visible as he softly breathes. I trace my fingers down his strong shoulders and chisseled chest. To say that he is ripped would be an injustice. He is absolutely carved to god damn perfection. He suddenly opens his hazel eyes, and I suck in a breath.

Damn

He truly is gorgeous.

He smiles gently as me. "You checking me out while I'm vulnerable?" He chuckles. But the sound pierces my heart. It's not something I can ever get used to. "Last night.. Wow, it was amazing." He looks at me expectantly, but I know I can't give in. It can absolutely never happen again. I already made sure that once he leaves here, he won't remember how to find it again.

"It was something." I say softly, "But it was a one-time thing. You won't see me again nor try to find me. We wanted to kill each other, remember?" I harden my voice at the last part, hoping it will get through to him.

But what I see makes no sense to me. Hurt flashes in his eyes so quickly that I almost miss it before he places a stone cold look on his face.

He gets up from the bed, running his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, I remember. Look, I don't know who or what you are, but if you stay away from Daliah, we will stay away from you. Deal?"

He doesn't turn back towards me, and I can feel the dangerous prickles of jealousy starting to rear its head as he mentions that woman's name, and I have to swallow hard to calm down. He's not mine. He will never be mine, I keep repeating to myself.

Taking in a deep breath, I manage a shaky "Deal" and quickly grab the blanket and fold it around me.

"You can leave through the gate right behind this house. No one will see you or notice." I say coldly without daring to look at him. Getting up and opening the door.

"Okay." Looking up at him with all my confidence I have left, I meet his gaze, and it takes everything in me to not pull him down and kiss him. I1nstead I just nod and give him a cold "Goodbye Alpha". I see his fist clench as he walks out and through the small gate I created. I see him shift into his giant black wolf. He looks back at the gate, and I swear I could hear a soft sulk before he ran away.

I close the door and fall to the ground, everything inside me crumbling to pieces as the events of last night and this morning closes in on me. I finally found my other half, the one that completes me, and I had to let him leave without him even knowing what we are to each other.

Hot tears fall down my face, and soon I can't control my sobs any longer. I make my way over to my bed and continue to cry into the pillow. It still smells like him, so I hug it closer to my body. Why do the Gods have to be so cruel? They know I can't run off into the sunset with a werewolf!

I finally fell asleep somewhere in the middle of all my crying. When I woke up, I had a throbbing headache. I smelt the pillow again and instantly felt better.

"Weka chupa na uihifadhi." I quickly made sure to place a spell to keep his smell in my room as long as possible, even when I knew it won't last forever.

I had a long hot shower, making sure to scrub off any lingering scent on me before making my way to the main house.

As I entered, the breakfast was being placed on the table, but Cane and Becka quickly grabbed me aside before I could reach it.

"What the hell, guys? I am starving!" I complained, but I knew I won't be getting off that easy.

"No freaking way on God's green earth, are you getting away with that!" Cane retorts, folding his arms over his chest.

"What the fudgecakes happened after you disappeared last night?" Becka looks at me determinedly.

"Nothing much." I shrug, "We just nearly killed each other, but he got away." I lie, and I lie hard. They can never know the truth, no one can.

"B*llsh*t!" Cane yells out.

"Shush! Can you keep your damn voice down??" I scould at him. "I am telling you the truth." Looking them both in the eye, I make it clear that this is never to be discussed again. They both silently nod, and we all go to have breakfast.

When we all are finished, dad stands up, clearing his throat. Everyone looks up at him, wondering what this is about. God, please don't tell me he found out somehow.

I feel myself shake uncontrollably. If dad knows, he will make the coven hunt them down and kill them. Our coven is strong, probably among the strongest covens in existence. There truly aren't that many witches left in the world, never the less covens. Many witches practices alone after they were driven close to being exstinct. That's why we always make sure to hide our scents. If dad would send us out to attack them, then I would have to fight with everything I have and possibly kill my own true companion. Something I'm not sure I will be able to do.

Dad looks down at me, I swallow hard.

"As you all know, Arial will be turning 21 in a little less than two months. I have decided that along with her birthday celebration we will do her Night ceremony." Whispers can be heard from everyone around the table, I look at my father in utter shock. What the hell?

Turning 21 for us witches means you can legally stake your claim on a coven. But it is very rare to be handed the coven at such a young age. My father is still perfectly capable of handling and leading the coven. So why would he do this?

I see the weird stares and look down. My father also seeming to notice clears his throat again, "As I was saying. I will be stepping down and handing the coven over to my daughter. We all know I have been preparing her for this for a long time. I wasn't planning on doing it this soon. But I had a premonition that it needs to be done on her birthday."

Everyone stops and stares at my dad, myself included. A premonition?

"Well, we all know that premonitions from the God's are meant to be followed for a reason." Elder Ursula Henney says sternly.

My father nods in agreement, and soon I see everyone following cue. So that's it? I need to take over the coven in under two months and have no say in it whatsoever?

Lost in my thoughts, I don't even notice everyone clearing out until my dad taps my shoulder. Looking up at him, he nods for me to follow him.

In his study, I sit down and wait for the explanation. But I don't get one.

"I am sorry I sprung that on you. But it has to be done." I look at the serious look on my dad's face, frowning.

"What if I'm not ready?" I ask the first thing that comes to mind.

"You are, you know that you are." My dad gives me a stern look.

I look down at my hands, I do not know why is it that right now that I do not want this thought. I have always been preparing for this. Is it because of him? No, that can't be it.

"So I just have no say in this at all?" I frown as I see my father trying to read me.

"Arial, this is your destiny." I can see my father is starting to get angrivated, but so am I. I hate it when a decision is taken from me when I should be considered.

"But it wasn't, was it!? The coven never would've been mine if he was still here! Then it wouldn't have been on me to be the youngest coven leader ever!" I am angry, really angry. If Xavier never died, I could've been free, free to live the life the Gods planned for me, with my true companion at his side. But now it is all f*cked up, and I have a coven to lead in less than two damn months.

"I have been training you to take over for years, Arial. This is finally your time. Why are you against it all of a sudden?"

The tears start flowing on their own, and I jump up starting to run.

"Arial!" I hear my father shout from behind me, but I don't care. I just run, where I don't know. I just keep going.

I run for who knows how long, jumping through spaces as I go.

When I run out of breath and stamina, I collapse near a lake, laying flat on my back on the open grass field, trying to calm down. But nothing seems to be working.

When it feels like I am about to hyperventilate, I smell the strongest smell of myrrh and charcoal, and I finally realise where I am.

F*ck!