The Gamma’s Secret Witch

Mr.Wolf

TABITHA

The wolf didn't instantly attack me, I had started to question things more, was he simply waiting for backup and just trying to detain me long enough for them to arrive? This was a perplexing situation to be in and I had people at home counting on me to make it back.

Since my arms were unrestricted, I reached up and, with all my strength, pushed against the wolf's chest. His fur felt a little rough, not so much that it hurt, but it definitely wasn’t soft. What had started as a push, unintentionally turned into a caress. That realization made my heart beat speed up as my breathing hitched. Something was off but it felt so… familiar, and right. I quickly removed my hands from his chest and let myself fall back to the ground. My mind was racing as fast as my heart. I could hear the thumping in my ears; something was definitely wrong. I looked at the wolf standing over the top of me and realized he had completely tensed up as well.

Was I losing it? Did he feel it too? His intense green eyes were burning holes into my soul, he was breathing through his snout in short rapid breaths. The longer we stayed physically connected, the more it felt like time was standing still. I couldn't explain what was happening, and that was a first. After taking in the sensation that was traveling through my body, I snapped back to reality. I had to move, Sorren’s life was hanging in the balance, I took in my surroundings for a final time, when it suddenly dawned on me. The wolf didn't seem to be planning on moving from its spot anytime soon, which meant I was not getting out of there easily.

I was about ready to give up trying when I noticed the gigantic paws that had trapped me were slowly moving. The wolf hesitantly sat back on his hind legs, slowly watching me from head to toe. I took that time to mentally reset, and prepare for what was about to come next. But for some reason I didn't feel scared, after all he could have already hurt me, but instead he allowed me the chance to at least sit up and breathe.

As I caught my breath, my mind started to catch up, and I played back everything that had just happened trying to make sense of why I would have felt the way I did when I made contact with the wolf's fur.

My thoughts flickered too when I had heard the bedtime stories growing up as a child. Stories about werewolves who had mates that were different species. Although, I had never heard of witches and werewolves being mated together. I was trying to think of any other possible explanation as to why my body would react the way it did? The way I had been told it would feel like when I met my twin flame, but everything was coming up blank.

I couldn't waste any more time. I looked at the wolf who still hadn't moved from his spot. His eyes were locked on me in a way that let me know he was just as shocked. As he continued to stare at me, I realized it was going to be up to me to initiate an attempt at some sort of communication. "I need to go. My friend's life depends on it," I pleaded with him, trying frantically to get back on my feet. It wasn't a lie, because of Willa and her so-called followers, Sorren was dying, and without my help, he was guaranteed not to make it.

Once I finally managed to stand back up I carefully made small movements to see what his reaction would be. He didn’t attack or try to restrain me. So I took small steps backwards making my way away from the wolf. His next move was one I would never have anticipated, he stood up and began following me. At that point I just didn't care, I had the last ingredients that I went there for and I needed to get back. Even as he followed me I knew he clearly wasn't going to hurt me, it was either that or I was going delusional, but either way it didn't matter.

Mother was going to be livid with me either way at this point. I would just have to deal with one problem at a time. I turned around and quickened my pace. I knew I wasn't going to be able to shake my wolf, so I gave up trying. I smirked to myself thinking, when did he become my wolf?

It felt like it was taking longer for me to reach my home. I kept looking back to see if he was still there. No matter how fast I went, he was right behind me. My mind wondered if he was as curious about me as I was about him?

The wolf had followed me the entire way through the forest. Once my parents' house with the fall adornments came into view, I changed from a jog to a full out sprint. It seemed like my shadow wolf was hesitant to follow me that close to known coven land. He had slowed his pace as I approached the front steps of the house, well it was more like a cabin. My mother must have heard my footsteps on the wooden steps because she came bursting through the door, almost coming to a skidding halt right in front of me. She had this look of worry on her face, mixed with the look of relief and pride of seeing me back home safe.

"Tabitha Brynn! You had us worried sick, we told you it was too danger...ous" my mother started to say as her voice trailed off into a whisper. She must have caught sight of the wolf that followed me home, my wolf. "Tabitha, what have you done?" My mother asked horrified, her hand shot up to cover the shocked expression that took over her face. Her once relieved posture at my safe return had turned stiff and cold. My mother and my wolf had locked themselves into a stare down. A growl of distress filled the air when he saw my mother’s hand roughly clutch my arm.

"Mother, I don't know what's happening. I encountered this wolf who seemingly won't leave me alone. When I pushed on his chest and made contact with him I began to feel funny. He has been following me ever since!" I explained to my mother in as few words as possible. The look on her face when those words left my mouth was comical. Her jaw had hit the floor as she stared from the wolf to me and back again.

She quickly let go of my arm and stumbled a few steps backwards into the foyer "That's impossible, it simply can't be, it's unheard of" my mother rambled. To herself or me, I was not sure, but I wasn't about to try and make sense of her rambling either. I pushed past my Mother and dashed into the house booking it up the flight of stairs that led towards my bedroom.

Throwing open my bedroom door, I rushed into the room grabbing some bottles and vials from the shelves that lined the walls. I had everything separated and labeled so I could easily find what I needed while I worked on potions. I made quick work of placing all the required items on my workstation. I then quickly emptied the contents of my satchel onto its surface. On top sat an open journal that contained the recipes to my potions and spells, like a chef's book.

The book was left on the page with the recipe for something that will hopefully stop the poison that was slowly making its way through Sorren's body. I got out my mixing bowls and mortar. I carefully measured out ingredients, following the directions written in the book to the letter. It was not the time to play or experiment with dosing; everything had to be perfect for Sorren’s sake. I thought I heard the front door close but I was so immersed in what I was doing that I didn't bother to look.

Once I was finished, my mother could take it to Sorren. I worked tirelessly on grinding the leaves and herbs into a fine powder. I then moved onto extracting the oils from the Arctic Gentian flower petals, part of the reason I went out on the journey. I added a few more vines for their liquid essence. Picking up an empty vial, I began to put some of the ground up mixture in the bottom.

I then filled the vial with liquids from various other tiny vials and watched as the ingredients for the potion I created mix with one another. I had to watch the potion carefully, once joined correctly they would shimmer a vibrant lavender with golden flecks, but once mixed it would fluoresce turquoise. “With any luck, in twenty-four hours Sorren would be on the mend.” I said out loud once I had finally finished what I needed to do. I screwed the cap onto the vial and shook it for good measure, trying to speed the process up any way that I could.

When I was finally happy with everything and the liquid turned its final shimmering turquoise I knew it was ready to be administered, I hurried out of my room, the vial gripped in my hand. I raced down the stairs and rounded the corner to the living room. Mother and Father were both anxiously talking in low hushed voices that stopped as soon as I entered the room. I paused looking at them sitting on the couch, they had stone-cold expressions plastered across their faces.

My parents weren't exactly pleased with me, but they had to get over it. "Mother, it's finished," I said, holding my head up, handing her the tube of liquid. She looked at me, then to the tube in my outstretched hand and smiled slightly. I don’t know which she was more proud of the potion, or me standing up for my conviction.

"Thank you, Tabitha," Father said, breaking the silence. Neither he nor my mother was making direct eye contact with me, and I realized things must have been worse than they were letting on. “Oh no!! Am I too late?” I asked on the verge of tears. My father quickly stepped in "No honey, Navia, take this to Sorren and start administering the treatment as quickly as you can." My father instructed. Mother briskly nodded before getting up from her spot on the couch and walking over to me. I handed her the closed-off tube and she smiled.

No matter how disappointed she may have been with my actions tonight, for leading a wolf back to our home. I knew she would be proud of me for this potion, after all, she taught me everything she knew about magic. Mother quickly departed leaving father and I alone in a room filled with awkward silence. I started to turn away from my father when I heard him speak.

"Tabitha, sit, we need to talk." He said solemnly. I froze in place, this didn't sound like it was going to be good for me. "Come here," Father commanded. I slowly walked over to the couch he had been sitting on and took my mother's vacant spot beside him.

The minute I sat down, my father turned to me and began to speak. "Your mother and I were worried sick about you. I know why you did what you did Tabitha, but you need to use your head a little more." The lecture from my father was unnecessary, “I knew I took a risk, but it wasn't selfish or for any of those reasons. I did what I did to save a life, a life that wouldn't have been in danger in the first place if Willa hadn't done what she did, to begin with,” I thought in my head. "I'm sorry I frightened you father," I said, hanging my head, there was no point in arguing with him, he wouldn't budge, he never did.

"Your mother said you felt strange when you touched the wolf's fur, is that true?" My father asked me. The tone of his voice had drastically changed and was much lighter so I knew we had moved to father-daughter time now. I couldn't lie to him so I explained what happened in the forest. "And when I tried to push against him, my arms felt weak almost. A strange tingly sensation cascaded through my body, it took my breath away, and it felt as if static electricity was coursing through me." I said a little frustrated that I couldn't explain in any better detail what I was feeling at the time.

My father seemed to think over what I had said. Between my mother's reaction and his lack of one, I was starting to get nervous. What did all this mean? My father started to tap his fingers against the armrest of the couch as he thought, an awkward silence filled the room. Finally he broke the building tension. "Tabitha, I need you to think hard about this. When you made contact with the wolf, did it feel like the whole world stopped moving?" my father asked me. I thought about it for a few seconds, I am a bit confused as to how my father would know such things, given he was a high priest who had been around for a while, maybe he knows something I didn't, I'm sure that whatever it is it must be bad.

I only nodded in answer to his question, I was replaying the scene in my mind over and over again trying to make sense of it. Father made a thinking sound, "I wonder if that could be it…" he said, trailing off as he talked to himself.

I walked over to our bookshelf, maybe there was something I could look up to help guide me in the right direction as to why all of a sudden my mind, body, and soul were not in sync. Especially after touching my wolf. I was about to ask my father what resources we had, or if he had any knowledge on wolves, when there was a loud knock on the front door. I shared a look with my father before he quickly got up and went to see who’s there. Father looked out the window of the door before he started to open it slowly, obstructing my view of whoever is behind the door.

My father just stood there staring at the person behind the door without saying a word. It is like they are having a private conversation with their eyes and body language that I am not meant to be a part of. I knew it couldn't be a member of the coven, father wouldn't leave them standing outside in the dark. Night had completely fallen now, the moon and stars were lighting up the sky.

I normally loved the night, it's when I felt the most free, but after tonight that might have changed. Finally, I heard my father sigh, he looked over at me and a worried look emanated from his face. He called me over quietly, at first I was hesitant to move from the safety of the couch but curiosity got the better of me. I slowly made my way over to the front door to see what my father wanted. As I neared the door, my father stepped aside allowing me to greet our guest.

A man I had never seen before stood on my front porch. His vibrant green eyes were the only thing that I recognized. I knew that stare, having seen it before, much earlier in the evening when I was in the forest having a staring contest with the rust colored wolf. 'It couldn't be him, could it?' I asked myself. Neither I nor the strange man said anything as we stared at each other. Suddenly I started to feel funny again, the electrical air had returned, the same thick air I had felt in the forest. I was positive that if someone had lit a match right now, my house would go up in smoke. My father watched closely as the strange man stood there looking at me. He was truly handsome, the more I looked at him the more I appreciated it.

He had amber hair that was tousled on top of his head; his slightly sunkissed and flawless complexion made his green eyes pop. I eyed him over, the tight black shirt he was wearing didn’t leave much for the imagination. He was well-toned and very muscular, as well as rather tall. At only five foot two I barely came up to his chest from the way I was standing. This man towered over me and yet I was not afraid. I knew he was the wolf from the forest, his eyes gave him away, yet my only question was what was he still doing here? Why hadn’t he returned to his pack and where did he get the clothes? I wanted to speak but couldn’t seem to find the words. It was like my brain had stopped communicating with the rest of my body.

The silence was becoming unbearable, the tension rising, and before I knew it, the wolfman reached out and laid his hand on my cheek. Sparks and tingles burst from the spot he touched, and spread through my body. It was a warm and comforting feeling that replaced those of worry and my vision became blurry. I wanted to scream but still no sound would leave my lips. The man's breathing rapidly changed, he was taking short shallow breaths and his pupils dilated. He hadn't removed his hand from my body as he took a step closer to me.

I was trying to control my breathing so I wouldn't end up passing out from lack of oxygen. This stranger on my doorstep opened his mouth to speak but instead, a low growl came out. My body tensed when I heard it, but still, I stood rooted firmly in place. "Father, what's happening?" I finally managed to squeak out. I wanted to look around but I was still fixated on this stranger's gaze. "Well, Tabitha…" my father started to say before the man cut him off with another low growl. My father stopped speaking after that but he didn't leave my side.

"It's you," the stranger finally said, looking at me with a softer gaze. I had no idea what he was talking about but I had a feeling I would find out soon enough.