The Witch’s Regrets

Alexei.

Once he looked beneath that glamour and saw Natasha was his wick Alexei or Lex as his buddies called him felt a myriad of emotions. First, was joy at finding his wick, but then he couldn’t help but feel anger, disgust, and resentment. Lex couldn’t help but feel disgusted at having the half-blood as his wick. He also was angry at having found his wick so early on in his life. Witches and wizards were practically immortal. Living hundreds, if not thousands of years. His parents didn’t find each other until they were well into their hundreds. Alexei was only twenty-five. He didn’t want to give up his hook-ups for a Nat. She wasn’t worth it. Ask anyone in the witch community. Natasha was an abomination. He would have no respect in the wizard world with her by his side. Alexei watched Natasha flee from him and couldn’t help but feel relief. He didn’t know what he would do if she jumped in his arms and kissed him. While part of him felt arousal the other part felt revulsion. This couldn't be a normal response to meeting one’s wick for the first time.

Lex knew he was a bastard, he owned that. It was how he was raised, it was all he knew. The vicious and relentless backstabbing and social climbing. That was life I'm a coven.

Alexei decided to go to the local pub to drown his sorrows. It was the middle of the day, but in a big city like Edinburgh, there was a pub open somewhere. He quickly found one and immediately ordered two vodkas.

As he was lamenting about his choice of wicks, Lex realized something that hadn't occurred to him. With Luka rejecting his wick Julie. Natasha is the only claim to the successor of the Volkov coven. Lex has been trying to prove himself ever since he left the academy. It would likely take him hundreds of years to even get the chance to be Luna’s apprentice.

Now he didn’t need to, Lex had Natasha. She was his ticket to leading the coven. Lex smiled darkly. This was perfect. He didn’t have to work so hard any longer. That is why he was in Scotland in the first place, Luka had sent him after those damn leeches risking his life.

“Another?” The bartender asked him pulling Alex from his thoughts. Lex nodded and the bartender, who was a gorgeous woman smiled at him and poured him another shot of vodka. Lex downed the shot with no hesitation.

“Drowning your sorrows?” The woman asked clearly interested. Not that Alexei could blame her. He was an attractive male; he had typical Russian features; black hair and, a constant five-o’clock shadow on his strong jawline to give him a rakish look.

“Maybe it’s just good Russian vodka, it is Stoli after all,” Lex said to the bartender with a lopsided smile revealing his perfectly white teeth. The woman responded to his smile, normally he would take the woman back to his hotel.

Something stopped him, not something it was someone. Natasha Volkov. The thought of her beautiful red hair and luscious curves made his mouth water. Damn bond, he never wanted this. He never wanted a wick in the first place.

However, when Lex thought of the coven his thoughts changed. Things at the coven had been shaky since Luka Volkov had rejected his mate Julia and sent her into exile. While the coven didn’t agree with her trying to have Natasha killed, no one thought Julie deserved to be rejected over it.

In Alex’s opinion, Luka was a blind fool, all Luka had to do was look at his daughter and see she was miserable. The wick bond was a powerful thing, and Luka was too in the grips of it to pay any attention to his half-blood daughter. If Alexei had any feelings he would actually feel sorry for his wick. Unfortunately for Natasha those were long gone.

Alexei knew his next moves had to be laid out perfectly in order to get the coven from the Volkovs. Luka was the most powerful wizard alive. Luka could kill anyone without using an incantation. Alex wasn’t that lucky, he had to work hard on his magic since he was a child to hone his magic. The Patrovi family had more social status and old money than magic. Alexei debated and strategized his next moves for the next hour.

Alexei had stalled long enough, he had to return to the coven. It was time to report the sighting of his daughter to Luka Volkov. This wasn’t going to be pretty. Since everything came to light Luka Volkov hated him with a vengeance.

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Luka POV

Luka sat in his office, he had just kicked his parents out after they tried to lecture him for the millionth time. Luka didn’t want to hear their justifications any longer. Their punishment was here to stay.

A knock came on his office, the essence wasn’t one of the Volkov family.

“Enter,” Luka allowed the person entry. However, upon seeing who was at the door he regretted it instantly. Rage overcame him upon seeing Alexei Patrovi at his office door. When his daughter ran from him and he rejected his wick Luka did a full-scale investigation at the coven house as well as the academy he made his daughter attend. The results made him sick, literally, he puked his guts out. Then he went into a rage, he was unable to control his magic for a full week. The coven as well as the academy was evacuated for a full two weeks as they feared the wrath of Luka Volkov. Some witches and wizards never even returned.

Smart of them, those that ran were shortly exiled.

Not so the case with Alexei Patrovi the worst offender of them all. The young bastard has balls the size of basketballs coming to his office. To be fair he was on assignment during the blow-up, but his power-hungry parents weren’t. They were the first ones to flee. Like rats escaping a sinking ship.

“What the f**k are you doing in my office?” Luka growled out. The little bastard raised his hands in surrender.

“I come barring news of your daughter,” the bastard had the balls to mention his daughter's name. Without warning Luka’s magic let loose and blasted the little s**t across his office. Luka let out a smirk as Alexei left a huge hole in his plaster. He fell in a heap on the floor and let out a pathetic whimpering.

“What did you dare say to me?” He said in a lethal voice.

“I found her,” he said with a whimper. That made Luka perk up. Luka picked up Alexei with his mind and strewn him about like a puppet.

“What did you say to me?”

“I found your daughter,” Alexei choked out as Luka applied pressure to his throat. Luka didn’t trust him and went into the little bastard's thoughts, it seemed Alexei expected him to do so and had put up shields to keep Luka out. Luka laughed and ripped through the shields like tissue paper. Luka went riffling through Alexei’s memories while he screamed in pain. While this was normally a painless process, Alexei didn’t want Luka in his memories. So he was fighting Luka for everything he was worth. Luka had to commend the little s**t for his determination, but he was Luka Volkov. Alexei didn’t stand a chance. No one did against his anger.

Luka quickly found the memories he was looking for. Nat was using a glamour, but as his daughter, he could recognize her magic as it was formed by parts of his DNA. Luka witnessed as Nat helped Alexei with the two vampires he was sent to kill. Then Luka was stunned to witness the most precious phenomenon. The recognition of one’s wick. This little bastard who had bullied his daughter the most was his daughter's wick. Then his daughter panicked when she recognized who her wick was and ran away.

Luka’s rage boiled over, he left Alexei’s memories and tossed the punk against the wall again. The heap whimpered in pain again,

“I think you broke a rib,” the punk wheezed out.

“You will heal,” Luka sneered knowing full well the young wizard hadn’t developed the skill to heal himself yet.

“I thought we could go back and backtrack her magic,” Alexei suggested. Luka scoffed,

“You're an i***t get out of my sight and never return. If you do I will kill you.” Luka stated venomously.

Luka watched as the man the moon goddess decreed as his daughter's wick left his office. Luka couldn’t help but feel happy, while he knew his daughter fled Edinburgh the second she had been found by that sick bastard.

There was only one place she would be at this point.

Authors note: like I said this book is going to be darker than all of my others. You have been warned.