Witch And The Wolf

Chapter 9

Damien

“Where is she?” I demanded

“Relax, she will be with you soon. You simply have to follow my rules.”

“No rules. f**k these bitches” Oliver was on edge, breaking through the wall I had kept between us since the woods. Pushing him back I took a deep breathe and but my anger back.

“What rules?” I asked, already knowing I would do anything to bring her home safely.

“You must transfer us the deed to one of your properties, two million dollars, and promise safety for my sister and I.”

“What about Bailey?” I asked, confused by their demands

“Kill her. Leave her in the woods. We do not care. We did what she asked. Grant us our demands, and we will tell you where to find your witch.”

“Done” I respond, not caring what the long term consequences of my choice might be.

“Good. Once we have the money and the deed in hand, we will text you the address.

As soon as they hung up I mind linked Archie to come to my office. After telling him the witches demands, he began making phone calls to get things in order. Seeing him go to work, making the calls and getting things moved reminded me why he was my beta. Archie never questioned why, he just made things happened. I was impressed with his speed. Within the hour he had the money wired over and a list of properties on my desk to determine which to deed over. After much back and forth we settled on the lake house north of the Canadian border. Deed signed over, I messaged the witches for the location.

Witches : Deed to be dropped with courier at Main Street Coffee Shop 8 AM Sharp tomorrow.

Damien : And the location?

Witches :Once courier has deed and signature is confirmed, location will be sent.

The back and forth had gotten old fast, and despite our efforts to move quickly it had still been almost a week since I contacted them.

“She’s been with them for a month. I don’t feel her anymore. Do you?” Oliver had slowly worked past my wall but mostly stayed quiet, the separation from our mate weighing more heavily than ever.

“No” I respond.

“This is different. When she was running I could still feel her. Her pain, her joy, her fear. I was still connected. Now I feel nothing”

“Do you want a run?” I ask, unsure how else to help him. It had been a long while since I had allowed him a run and we were still waiting for the location from the witches.

“Yes!” I could feel his enthusiasm perk up so I headed outside. Stopping near the tree line, I stripped out of my clothes and shifted. Handing over control to him, I relaxed and let him take the lead. Immediately he took off into the trees, running at full speed through the woods, the wind whipping by egging him on, until he got to the creek. Stopping at the creek brought a sense of calm we hadn’t felt in ages, and it didn’t take long for Oliver to curl up at the edge of the water and rest.

“I’m sorry Ive been shutting you out” I hate that we had lost connection, and I knew it was hurting us. An alpha is only as strong as his wolf, and vice versa.

“I know you miss her. I know shutting me out helps minimize the pain. But we cant keep going like this. We need her”

“I know” an uneasy silence follows, and I don’t know what else to say.

“How could you betray her?” His voice was quiet. He had never asked before. I had never given him the chance. It was easier to pretend I hadn’t lost our mate. To ignore the damage I had done. I was so fixated on bringing her back, I didn’t consider how my betrayal of her was also a betrayal of my wolf.

My thoughts were interrupted by a mind link from Archie “Location texted. Meet you at the house” Oliver didn’t wait to give me back control, he simply shot up and took off through the woods towards the house. As we got to the clearing, he moved back letting me take the reins, and I emerged near my clothes pile. I yanked on my pants, and kept moving towards the house as I dressed, pulling on my shirt. I rounded the corner to the driveway and Archie was standing there, a group of twelve wolves ready to go.

“They’re about 2 hours north.” He said handing me my phone as we loaded into several SUVs.

“Good” I said

Lets bring her home, I thought to myself as we pulled out of the drive and headed north.

Amelia

A gasp escaped me as I collided with his hard chest, his hands grabbing my arms to steady me. I make eye contact, but before I could say a word the house behind me started to rumble.

“BACK!” He yelled to the men who were with him, as he scooped me up and turned on his heel. He broke in to a run, headed towards the trees nearby. I turned my head towards the house and my mouth fell open in shock as the house I had just escaped from burst into flames. Damien slowed to a stop when we reached the trees. He slowly lowered me to the ground, keeping an arm around my low back as I found my footing. My instinct to push him away was quickly buried under my need for something to stabilize myself against. Watching the flames grow and demolish the house, Damien started shouting orders to his men, but whatever he was saying I was not able to process. I was shocked by the house burning down. My ears strained to pick up the sounds of screaming as I was sure the witches were burning but I heard nothing.

“Damien they were in there, they were trying to keep me from escaping how..”

“They’re long gone, I’m sure.” He responded “We made a deal to give them some property in exchange for you. Likely they used a teleporting spell, like you did when you left me in those woods” His comment on the woods irked me, and suddenly stepping away from him was easier.

“You know why I did that” I began but he stopped me talking.

“Ames...it’s been a long day. A long month. Lets get you home and rested and fed and then we can talk.”

I began to protest, but he began ushering me towards the SUVs nearby. As we got closer I saw Archie and couldn’t help but break out into a grin.

“Amy baby!” He shouted as he grabbed me into a hug, squeezing tightly.

“Archie you big jerk.” I wrapped my arms around him, glad for the comfort he brought. Archie was always like a brother to me, and being near him again was a boon to my fractured ego.

Damien came up behind us and Archie broke the hug, but I refused to let him go. I looped my arm into his, practically dragging him towards a vehicle.

“Sit with me.” I command, and I could see it annoyed Damien. Archie hesitated, looking to Damien for instruction as he was usually the one to drive, but Damien simply shrugged and got into the drivers seat. Archie held the door open for me, and I climbed in. He took his seat beside me and I lay my head on his shoulder. It wasn’t long before the exhaustion of the past few weeks caught up and I was sound asleep.

When I woke up I was in bed. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes to find I was in the guest room of the pack house. I got up and decided on a hot shower, intending to hunt down some breakfast after. The hot water was heavenly and I stayed in for a long time. Stepping out, I wrapped a towel around my body, securing it across my chest. I stood in front of the mirror and took in the look of myself. My brown hair was matted and needed to be brushed. My cheeks had hollowed slightly due to lack of food, and my skin was ashen. I needed some serious self care, but first I needed food. Throwing my hair into a scrunchie, I wandered to the closet and found an assortment of clothes in my size. No doubt he had gotten someone to bring them in and have them ready for me. I took out a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt and slipped out of my room. The house was quiet, and I didn’t know what to expect or who I might run into. I walked down to the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. Finding some cereal, I made a bowl and hoisted myself onto the counter. I slowly ate my cereal, enjoying the quiet, I sat in the dark kitchen. It occurred to me that I didn’t know what time it was, but it must have been very late since the house was silent and dark. I finished off my bowl of cereal and made myself another. The door creaked open and Damien walked in. He didn’t see me on the counter and I watched him as he quietly opened the fridge and pulled out a pint of ice cream. I watched the way his body moved, wearing his usual pajama pants, no shirt. His chiseled chest illuminated by the fridge light. My body tingled at the thought of being pressed up against that chest, his arms wrapped around me. I missed his body, his lips. His love.

I snapped out of my thoughts when he turned and made eye contact with me, spoon hanging out of his mouth.

“Evening” He mumbled, taking the spoon out and returning it to the pint.

“Hey” I responded, “Cant sleep?”

“No.” He responded taking another spoon full of ice cream.

“How long have I been asleep?” I asked

“Two days.” He said. “We were starting to worry about you. I know you were exhausted. Feel any better?”

“I do. The shower helped. When did you have the clothes brought in?” I asked

“The day we left to get you, Archie sent a few of the women from the pack house to get them for you. We wanted you to be able to rest and be comfortable.”

“Well thank you Archie” I muttered to myself, taking another bite of cereal. He stepped toward me, reaching out to brush a stray piece of hair from my cheek. Instinctively I leaned into his hand, resting my check in his palm, while he ran his thumb along my cheek bone. “and thank you Damien, for coming to my rescue. I cannot imagine it was easy to do.” Damien leaned in, resting his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes, letting him comfort me.

“Amelia..” His voice was husky and demeanor changed. I opened my eyes and his grey eyes had turned full silver.

“Oliver” I smiled, noting that his wolf had surfaced

“I missed you. You’ve come back home.” He spoke low, his eyes sparkling with lust, as his hand moved possessively into my hair.

“Not my hair!” I shout unintentionally, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from my hair. Confusion crowds his features so I quickly explain, “Its in knots. I have to brush it all out.”

“Then we will brush it.” He stated, taking my bowl and setting it on the counter with his ice cream, and lifting me from the counter, he set me down on the floor and took my hand, leading me towards the hallway. He pulled me along behind him up the stairs to my bed room. He sat me down on the bed and vanished into the bathroom. Emerging after a few moments, he sat down behind me and took out my hair scrunchie, letting my hair loose. He carefully began to brush out the tangles, taking his time to avoid pulling on my hair. After awhile he had detangled all of my knots, and my hair was smooth again. Thanking him, I took the brush from his hand, and walked to the bathroom to put it back. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at his work, feeling impressed that he did such a good job with it. I turned to find him standing in the doorway watching me. Everything in my wanted to rush into his arms, to feel his strength, press my body into his, and lose myself in his kiss.

“I cant” I whisper, avoiding his gaze. “Please..I cant”

He stepped to me, and wrapped his hand around the knape of my neck, he kissed my forehead, and then turned and left the room quietly.

A small sob escaped my throat, and I sank to the floor. Curling up in a ball, I silently cried myself to sleep.