Moonbound & Hexed

The first thing Elara Thorn noticed was the blood , the second was that whoever had bled all over her moon garden had the audacity to still be breathing. she sighed as she sat her herb basket down " Honestly people have no respect for flowers anymore " A gravelly voice came from beneath the foxgloves. "...sorry" they groaned out she blinked "oh" there was a man , a very large man who laid half naked in a puddle of blood and broken flower stems. Dark hair , broad shoulders, boots tied at the laces wrapped around one hand like he carried them vs wear them here. They probably cost more than her entire cottage half shifted judging by the claws protruding from his hands' Wonderful A werewolf Exactly what every independent witch wants dropped off in her garden on a tuesday. She pointed her broom at him " If you die " she warned " do it somewhere less expensive " a black raven landed on the fence with dramatic timing. "Ive always loved your attitude "Mortimer announced " did ... did that bird just talk ? Mortimer puffed up his chest " The bird has a name" before anyone could say anything else something small launched itself off the porch toward the man wolf. a fruit bat the size of a avacado had crash landed directly onto the mans face. The man yelped as the bat squeaked triumphantly. "Oh goddesses." Elara huffed. " Pip " she sighed " we don't attack strangers. Pip squeaked again, Mortimer translated " He says strangers are statistically suspicious" "Thats actually fair" The wolf now more man than wolf slowly stood up looking dazed as he peeled the bat off his face the little menace hissed and shockingly the man hissed back. Elara giggled " you got hissed at by 6oz of fruit bat" "So I noticed" he said as he fell back to the ground. Elara crouched beside him magic shimmered at her fingertips. The wolf caught her wrist before she could touch him. "I don't trust witches " he grumbled. She smiled politely "and I dont trust strange men " "...fair" "..fair...can I continue now?" there was a beat of silence then she asked " So why is a Alpha bleeding all over my Petunias" His expression changed. "You know what I am ?" "I can smell a wet dog from twenty feet away , but you werent exactly disguised when I came out here " "I don't smell like dog" Mortimer raised a wing "Objectively false" Pip nodded enthusiastically He groaned "I walked into that one" Elara examined the wound carefully "Interesting ....silver, and deep" Someone either wanted him dead or thought he was. interesting more interesting is whoever it was , almost succeeded. Taking down a Alpha is not a task for the weak. " What did you do? " " Existed" "hmm" she responded grabbing a salve off a shelf of jars herbal and creams. His mouth twitched "That smile should be illegal" "Most people scream when they meet me. " "Im not most people" He looked around the overgrown cottage. The hundreds of drying herbs , stacks of spellbooks , a cauldron bubbling on the porch, A raven cleaning his beak with obvious judgement. A fruitbat trying to steal his bootlaces. "You're not really " then ; something happened. His wolf stirred. it hadn't done that in years. then it looked directly at the witch with icy blue eyes and whispered two impossible words Mate. Mine Lucien froze, absolutely not oh no. no , no ,no. Not the sarcastic hedge witch that lives in a haunted cottage with a emotionally unstable birds His wolf repeated himself Mine Across from him Elara stood confused and frowned. " Why are you looking at me like that ? " "Like What ? " "Like you're having a existential crisis. "I might be " Mortimer tilted his head. "Ohhh, I know that face ' Pip squeaked Mortimer translated " The tiny i***t thinks tbe wolf has a crush" Elara snorted " The wolf doesn't even know my.last name " Lucien swallowed "I know enough " "Thats either incredibly romantic or the opening line for a murder documentary" Mortimer nodded couldgl go either way. The wind shifted the scent his Lucien full force the scent of lavendar, rain soaked cedar , smoke from a autumn bonfire, honey, magic ,his wolf nearly clawed his way out and this time he sid it outlook. Mate "Oh " Lucien said realizing this wasnt going away Elara looked at him. " I told you I don't do men or dogs " she said firmly but still hadnt looked away from his intense stare showing his icy blue eyes.