Page 30 of Spellbound & Speechless (Witches of Starbrook #2)

Mac

The Hawthorne sisters celebrate their good news, giggling and chattering as they gather around Aspen’s sketchbook. She won’t let me see whatever they’re looking at.

Aspen’s relief flows through our bond, but I can’t join them in their happiness. Not yet. We were worried about Juniper’s reaction, but no one knows there’s someone who will be even less approving.

My mother.

I pace along the back porch, shaking with nerves. The full moon has come and gone, but I’m struggling to keep my wolf contained. He carries all the bliss I can’t feel yet, but there’s something more underneath the joy. My wolf is as anxious as I am.

Spending my life with my mate should be exciting. It’s worth celebrating. Most people don’t meet their mate at all.

Aspen and her sisters aren’t bringing me down. No, my mother is the final piece of the puzzle, and she won’t be happy. She still needs to know, and deserves to know, even if I don’t expect her to join the celebrations .

Not only will she think it’s too soon, but she never wanted me to have a mate.

It wasn’t that she was controlling. She just didn’t want me to know the pain she went through.

Even if she never put it into words, I could sense that.

Now, I will know those feelings she hoped for me to avoid—I already do.

There’s no way around it. Every time Aspen gets hurt, the pain is my own.

My hands shake, and my eyes are closed as I wait for my mom to answer the call. I’ve been staying in touch with her while in Starbrook, mainly to keep her updated on my mission, and I know the call won’t be what she’s expecting.

The last time we talked about it, I promised to stay away from Aspen—away from my mate. It felt like an easy oath to make at the time, but what was even easier was getting wrapped up in our bond. It’s too strong now. I couldn’t cut it off if I tried.

Now, I’ve made oaths to Aspen, and I intend to keep them.

“Good to hear from you,” my mom says as a greeting.

“Sorry.” I clear my throat. “I know it’s been a few days.”

“That’s fine. Busy tracking the corrupt witch?”

No. That’s not what I’ve been busy with—not anymore. For the first time in my life, I found something to distract me.

Starbrook has been quiet. It’s easy to forget about the shit storm waiting for us. I don’t have an urge to run off and track the corrupt witch. It’s like Aspen and I are in our own world—a place without magical corruption, without loss, where all I can feel is love.

My mother lost her love to a corrupt witch. She won’t understand, and I can’t expect her to.

“I think the corrupt witch moved on,” I say, with more confidence than I feel. “I haven’t seen a sign of her in days. Haven’t even smelled a whiff of her.”

“Hmph. Then it sounds like you’ll be moving on, too.”

That’s what I’m supposed to do. I never stay in one place for long. I need to find the witch who killed my father. It was my mother’s task before, but she’s getting up in age. I took over. I offered to take over, and I wanted to do it.

I need to kill that damn corrupt witch. It’s the only way my mother will get any peace. She won’t understand how distracted I’ve been.

“I…” I exhale slowly. The words are stuck in my throat.

She’s quiet for too long. I close my eyes, waiting for something to happen—for her to catch on, or me to find my courage.

She chuckles lowly. “You couldn’t run from the pull of your mate after all, could you?”

I shake my head before remembering she can’t see. “No, Ma. I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”

“How deep are you?”

“As deep as we can go.” I lean onto the porch railing, worried my legs will give out. “The bond is solid. We accepted it.”

“Oh, my dear boy.” There’s no judgment behind my mother’s words. That would be easier to swallow than the sorrow and fear. The fucking fear that’s been choking me for years. For decades. “I hope you have a better fate than your father and me. That’s all I can hope for.”

“Me, too.” I clear my throat. “Actually, I was hoping for something else—to ask you for something.”

It’s not every day that I go to my mom for a favor, but this one is important to me. I look around, making sure no one else is listening in.

“What is it?” my mom asks .

“We have a party this weekend, for Aspen and me.” I grimace. “Look, I know it’s short notice and a long flight, but?—”

“I will be there.”

I perk up, a smile breaking out on my face. “Really?”

“Of course. I may worry about you, but if you are choosing your mate… I would like to meet her.”

“Ma, you’ll love her.”

Maybe not. My mom and Aspen have nothing in common, but I hope I can bridge the gap.

“I’m sure I will,” she says. “Send me the details. I’ll have a flight arranged as soon as I can.”

“Mac?”

I turn my head, spotting Aspen at the door. She’s as breathtaking as ever. Her eyes sparkle, and I know I’m the one who made her happy.

Me . It was me. Making her look like that, feel like that, is one of the best things I’ve done. It makes up for all the shitty nights I spent alone, for all the self-deprecation, and for the thoughts of bloody vengeance.

Loving Aspen makes me better. It’s worth it all.

“Love you,” I say to my mother. “Got to go.”

“I am sure you do.”

I end the call and slip my phone into my pocket as Aspen approaches.

“Who was that?” She lifts a brow.

“My ma.”

She giggles and takes my hand, leading me off the porch. “Good. You had me worried for a second. I thought you were… well, loving someone else.”

“No. Don’t ever worry about that.” I squeeze her fingers. “Are we going for a walk?”

“Oh, yes. I have a place I’ve been waiting to show you. ”

The Hawthorne land is huge. I find something new every time I run through the woods. We wander farther now, past where I usually go, rotten leaves crunching under my boots. The scent of autumn is heavy—petrichor, dirt, and sunshine.

Before long, we come across a stream with a view of the mountains.

When I first arrived in Starbrook, I wrote it off as a small town. I’ve seen beautiful cities across the country and well into Canada. Nothing in Starbrook should be able to make me gasp, but this view does. It takes my breath away.

“This is my favorite spot in town,” Aspen says. “Aren’t we so lucky to have it in our backyard?”

“You are. These mountains are perfect for ski season.”

“They are. Not that I would know.” She bends over and picks up a smooth rock, skipping it across the water with ease. The simple action evokes images of another version of Aspen, one who runs through the woods and learns to skip rocks. It’s unlike the polished woman I’ve come to know.

“Not a fan of skiing?”

“Not really. I don’t like the cold.” She rifles through her bag, speaking vaguely. “Are you ?”

“I’ve been a few times—usually cross-country. I wouldn’t mind learning downhill.”

Once we kill the corrupt witch, I’ll have a better chance of living. I can learn new things and spend time with the people I love.

“We can do it together.” She hesitates. “I actually brought you something.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not like I spent money on it.” She holds something out—a camera. A big camera, actually. “It’s a few years old, but I thought this would be a fun opportunity for you to start your photography again. You can take pictures at our wedding!”

My heart swells. She may think it’s an insignificant gesture, but it isn’t. Finding time for my passions while chasing the corrupt witch has always been difficult, but it has become impossible over the last few years.

I lost myself in the chase, and some days, it felt like my wolf was winning, but I felt separate from my wolf. These days, he’s at peace, and I hope…

I hope I can find my peace, too.

“This camera was a good call. A good gift.” I lift it to my eye. “It’ll do the trick. I’ve been wanting to capture some of the beauty in this place.”

And I’m not only talking about the view, but about her. Everything is about her. Before I take a picture of the fall foliage or the croaking frog, I turn to Aspen and capture how the sun scatters across her pink cheeks.

Perfect.

We spend hours by the stream, sharing whispered words, and for the first time in my life, I find a passion for capturing the beauty of nature… and Aspen’s beauty, too.

As much as she may have loved living in the city, she looks perfect here, as if she’s one of the world’s wonders. The sun sparkles in her eyes and on her shiny hair. My mate is even prettier than the bright foliage.