Page 25 of Bewitched by the Werewolf (The Bewitching Hour #5)

When I walk downstairs after a restless night, the last thing I expect is to find Hunter waiting for me. I eye him suspiciously. The fact that he’s here at all after not returning home last night means it’s something important.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, getting straight to the point.

“I live here, remember?”

Freaking smart ass. “Yes, I remember. I also recall you not coming home last night. So, I ask, what are you doing here? Have things gone south with Lottie already?”

Hunter chuckles and grins shaking his head.

“Not in the least. She’s knows what I am and was surprisingly calm about the whole thing.

Once she realized I was still me. I stayed the night to keep an eye on her.

Vincent has shown interest in using her as leverage against me and I’m not going to let that happen.

I left her with Ginger at the cabin. She’s keeping an eye on her until I return.

” He pauses and looks me over. “Sit down. There’s more. ”

I follow him to the living room and sit in a chair near the couch where he sits on the edge, elbows on his knees. He’s struggling over whatever he has to say.

“Just spit it out Hunter. You know I prefer candor over sugar coating. Whatever you have to tell me, just tell me.”

“It’s not that I don’t know how to tell you, it’s just I’m still trying to comprehend it myself. It means change for shifters. I told you before I had Fynn looking up info on mate bonds, with humans?”

“Right. I still don’t know how that could be possible.”

Hunter shrugs holding out his hands then clasping them together again. “I have no idea either but apparently, it is.”

“What?” He couldn’t have possibly said what I think he just said.

Shifters cannot mate with humans. Period.

Never have. We can have mixed children and marry them, but forming a permanent mate bond that allows them to live as long as we do and create a magical psychological connection has never happened, that I know of.

I would think something like that would have spread throughout the shifter community if anyone were able to.

“Fynn believes that a human descendent of a non-human can now form a mate bond with a full-blooded shifter. If their ancestor wasn’t too far back in their lineage.”

“How? We’ve never been able to form the bond with anyone who wasn’t at least half non-human.”

Mate bonds don’t have to be between two shifters, as long as they are both at least half non-human, it can happen.

Children of a pairing between a shifter and say a fairy, could be a full-blooded shifter or fairy.

There are no shifter fairies, just a shifter or a fairy.

The only half-breeds are those made with humans.

Something to do with the magic in our blood and lack of it in a humans.

Why would that change now? After thousands of years of not being able to bond with a human, why now? What’s changed?

“I don’t know. I don’t think Fynn really knows why either.

His best guess is evolution. Our low dwindling population numbers leading to the next evolutionary transformation.

The need for more mate bonds and full-blooded shifters forcing our genetics to mutate to suit our needs.

Something like that. He thinks a child born from a pairing like this might result in a full-blooded shifter instead of a half-breed.

Either way, I believe Lottie is my mate and I’m pursuing it. ”

“And she knows all this?”

Hunter leans back on the couch and rests his hands at his side.

He looks like he’s been going through a lot, dealing with Lottie and his pull towards her.

My finger taps restlessly on the armrest. I wonder if what I’ve been feeling for Tess is the same thing Hunter has been feeling?

So far, I’ve only smelled her, an alluring scent alone is not enough to conclude a mate.

It’s a strong indicator, but since Tess is a human and this whole mating humans thing is a recent development, I can’t for sure say it’s a mate pull. She could just smell really nice.

“Yes. I told her last night. She’s very open to the idea. There’s still a lot to learn but I’m optimistic.” Hunter smiles wide, his gaze unfocused in the distance.

It must be nice to be so confident in your love life.

Mine has been…minimal in recent history.

Now it’s complicated to say the least, if non-existent.

I still don’t know what this has to do with me and Tess or if it has nothing to do with us at all.

I could be completely wrong in what I’m feeling towards her.

Since I’ve never felt the mate pull and a shifter rarely feels it more than once in their life, I have no idea what it really feels like, or if it’ll feel different towards a non-human, human descendent or whatever.

“I just wanted you to know,” Hunter continues oblivious to my own internal strife with the matter. He’s too absorbed in his own happiness to realize. I don’t blame him, I would be too. “It’s a big change for shifters and if it happens with a human for you, I want you to know it’s possible.”

What would be the odds of that? Two human descendants of non-humans arriving in town completely unannounced, being the mates to the alpha and beta shifters?

Highly unlikely, that’s what. What I’m feeling for Tess has nothing to do with a mate pull.

And yet I can’t stop thinking about her.

Not all my thoughts are good ones. She’s still a pain in my ass and now that she knows what I am, is even more unbearable than before with all her questions and prodding.

I don’t mind her scent following me around town though.

It may be mildly distracting, but pleasant.

Still, no matter how much I don’t believe Tess could be my mate, I still need to figure it out for sure.

I’ve waited decades to find a mate and to find one so young as a shifter would be a blessing I would be stupid to not grab ahold of with both hands.

If she is my mate I need to know, so I can either pursue her or kick her out of town.

Either way, her and her website are still problems I need to solve.

I stand abruptly, startling my brother. “Thank you for letting me know,” I say before spinning and heading towards the front door.

Hunter doesn’t say anything more as I leave the house and head for town. I have a mouthy redhead to find.

~

It takes an absurd amount of time to find Tess and when I do, it’s in the most unexpected and infuriating place; talking with Roman, the elf spying for Vincent.

A possessive fury washes over me as I stride towards them.

I was heading for city hall, but as soon as I saw them, I pulled over and parked next to Dottie’s.

They’re standing in between Dottie’s and Closet Carousel, and I don’t like how close he’s getting to her.

In a matter of seconds, I round the building and appear at their sides.

My appearance apparently not a surprise to either of them.

The scent of wild apples invades my senses.

Tess grins at me and places a hand on her hip, while Roman leers down at Tess and her tight black outfit.

I want to punch him in the face. Maybe rip out a few piercings.

Tess can’t see his true form, but I can, and it would be so easy to shift one claw just long and sharp enough to cut off the end of one of his pointy ears.

“Well look who it is, my favorite sheriff,” Tess singsongs. Roman barely glances my way but sneers just enough to piss me off.

“What are you two doing here?” I growl, lifting my chin and peering down at Roman with as much indignation as possible.

“Nothing that concerns you,” he snips.

“This is my town. Everything and everyone in it concerns me. Especially when I don’t like them.”

“Aww. Am I supposed to be sad about that?”

“No, you’re supposed to abide by the warning I gave you when you arrived.”

Roman clucks his tongue and makes a pompous derisive expression. “I’m not doing anything I’m not supposed to. I’m just having a pleasant conversation with my new friend Tess. She’s such a riveting conversationalist. More than I can say for most in this town.”

My heated glare shifts to Tess and her smug smile. I can only imagine what they might have been talking about.

“And what have you two been talking about?” I ask as calmly as possible.

“Oh, nothing really, just how long he’s been in town. If he’s been here before or seen anything unusual,” she coos with a glint in her eye and quirk to her lips. So basically, she’s asking him about shifters, and knowing elves he would be more than happy to out us and cause trouble.

“He’s never been here before and he’s never coming back. Isn’t that right Roman?”

The elf shrugs and flits his hands in the air casually. “You never know. I go where I’m told.”

“Well, I’m telling you to go away.”

Roman frowns and I ball my hands into fists ready to make him leave if he argues.

“Now that’s not very friendly of you.”

“Good thing I’m not trying to be your friend.”

We glare at each other, his piss yellow eyes shimmering with amusement.

This is exactly why he’s in town. To stir shit up and make things difficult for us.

Once Hunter deals with Vincent we’ll be free of him and his lackeys.

Most of them stick to Vincent’s side like leprosy, but Roman just keeps poking his ugly face around town where he’s not wanted.

Like right here talking to Tess and irritating the fuck out of me.

My knuckles crack as my fists tighten and Roman notices, glancing down at them before looking back up at my flat expression.

I may be full of rage at the moment, but I’ve learned over the years to control it.

To keep it from seeping out when I’m not ready.

If he provokes me though I will not hold back the beating he rightfully deserves.

Roman turns to Tess, his grin widening. When he reaches for her hand, I growl, and he stops short.

Smart male. Not only do I not want him touching what’s mine, but elves have a nasty habit of controlling people’s emotions through their touch.

If he were to touch her he could contort her emotions to his will.

Which will no doubt end with me beating the shit out of him.

“It’s been a pleasure to speak with you Tess. If you ever want to continue our conversation, I would be more than happy to.”

“You won’t be finishing anything with her.” I bite out. I may be a little on edge at the moment and not completely in control of what I’m saying.

Roman sighs and rolls his eyes like a toddler. I don’t give a shit what he thinks, he can roll his eyes all he wants but if he tries to speak to or touch Tess, he’ll be leaving on a more permanent basis.

“As always, it was a pleasure, Sheriff .” Roman nods back at Tess then saunters past me, his hands in his pockets and whistling like he hasn’t a care in the world.

As soon as he’s far enough away I whirl on Tess and glower at her. “Why were you talking with him?” I demand.

Tess shrugs and loops a thumb through her belt loop. She’s dressed in black from head to toe wearing her signature leather jacket, and I wonder if she dresses like this to be invisible in the dark. She’s as much a predator as I am.

“He didn’t look like a local with all his fancy clothes and cocky walk, thought he might be more forthcoming on seeing anything unusual in town. You know, like another shifter. Since you won’t answer my questions, I thought maybe someone else would.”

“You will not speak to that— him again. Understood?” My temper is getting the best of me and I know I shouldn’t let it, but catching Roman stiffing around Tess has me on edge.

“Oh, are you my daddy now? I can talk to whomever I want.”

“No, you can’t. You can’t speak to anyone I don’t allow you to, but especially Roman. You can’t speak to him at all, ever .”

“You really don’t like him, do you?” Tess purses her lips and raises her brow, sassing me. I want to arrest her and protect her all at the same time. In this moment I’m as likely to strangle her as to kiss her.

That’s a strange thought. Kissing Tess. Maybe I should, just to test Hunter’s theory on human mates.

“Too bad, because I’m gonna talk to whoever I want, and you can’t do anything about it.” She sticks her tongue out at me and I’m back to wanting to strangle her.

Growling I invade her personal space, towering over her. Even though she’s tall for a human female she still has to look up to meet my gaze. She doesn’t break it either. Stubborn and obstinate as always. Reluctantly, I’ll admit, I like it.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Red. I can do something about it,” I threaten quietly.

She doesn’t even flinch, just crosses her arms over her chest, pressing up the round swells. Her t-shirt neckline is too high to see skin, but I can imagine what they might look like. Creamy skin, dusky pink nipples, maybe even a few freckles. The image has my cock thickening in my jeans.

“Good luck.” Tess whispers. “One way or another, I’m going to get someone to talk to me or I’ll catch something on my cameras in the forest. Your secrets are mine, werewolf .”

I bristle at the term I already told her was inaccurate but have little time to argue with her, because she presses close enough to brush against my chest and immediately swivels away, skirting past me and out onto the sidewalk.

I’m so shocked from the feel of her even through my clothes, that by the time I turn to argue with her she’s already across the street wiggling her fingers at me and strolling into Sticky Buns .

This female is going to drive me insane. And cameras? What fucking cameras?