Page 38 of Spellbound & Speechless (Witches of Starbrook #2)

Mac

Getting the pack to take me in is the simple part.

They even agree to watch the tavern and the Hawthorne house when possible.

A few of them are neighbors, after all. Wolves are loyal to a pack, despite my mother’s experience with them, and I have to hope they’ll pull through this one time…

for me… for Aspen… and the family I’m learning to let in.

My mother was my only family for so long, and I loved her. I still do. She always cared about me fiercely. That’s the only love I’m used to, but Aspen and her family showed me a softer side of love.

Is it bad that I like it, and I want more?

Back at the house, my mother sits in a rocking chair with a book on her lap. It’s the grimoire, I realize. The witches trust her enough to let her protect it.

She’s a part of this family now, too, and I hope she can grow to find the same comfort they bring me.

I sit on the couch next to her and sigh, slumping down.

“It’s been a long few days,” she says, looking at me from the corner of her eye .

The warmth radiates onto me, making my bones grow heavy. “And getting longer.”

“Mackenzie.” She hums to herself and eyes me sharply. “You smell like a wolf.”

“I am a wolf.”

But I know that’s not what she means. I’m not a lone wolf anymore. I’m part of a pack now, which is enough to change my scent. Other wolves can tell; of course, my mom can, too. She knows me too well.

Her eyes meet mine, and there’s sorrow behind her gaze. “I understand why you did it. I hope it works better for you than it did for me.”

“You do?” I ask. “You understand?”

“I do.” She runs her fingers over the cover of the grimoire, resting on the blue stone on the front. “What do you think? Are you going to be a leader like me?”

I snort. “Doubt it. I’m walking into a pack. Taking over as the leader wouldn’t be right.”

“Mhm. If you say so.” She rocks in the chair. “I spent the day with Aspen. Lovely girl. Anyone would want to protect her.”

“Ma…” I gesture around. “This whole family is worth protecting. They’re part of my pack now.”

“I know,” she says. “I can’t keep you safe from the rest of the world forever. At some point, you were always going to make your own mistakes.”

“You think this is a mistake? Having people on my side is a mistake ?”

“I don’t know. I certainly hope not.” She leans forward and places her hand on mine. It’s rare for us to touch at all. “But I don’t want to see you get hurt; that witch is the least of my worries. There are other kinds of pain. It’s gruesome, a hurt you can only imagine. ”

I scoff. “No imagination needed. I know you lost your husband, but I lost my father. I already know what it feels like to love and lose.”

“I know.” She leans back. “This isn’t a lecture. I’m giving you my blessing.”

It still doesn’t feel like her approval, but I know it’s the most she can give me. Losing her mate meant losing a part of herself. That’s a part she may never get back.

I won’t lose Aspen, not like this. I won’t become my mother. I’ve already lived like her for too damn long.

Creeping into our room late at night makes me feel like a kicked puppy begging for forgiveness. Again.

Aspen and I haven’t seen each other since morning, and while I was only trying to let Aspen know my priorities, she didn’t seem to understand. I don’t know how to make it clearer.

She is my priority. Always. For the rest of our lives, she comes first. Her safety is the most important thing to me, and that hasn’t changed since the day we met.

I still need to see her. It’s not a want anymore, but a need. The desperation to be close to her isn’t only my wolf’s. It’s mine now, too.

Ending the day without her feels wrong. I can’t wait to see her, but?—

There’s a stranger in her bed.

“Sorry!” My eyes widen. “I didn’t mean?—”

“Mac.” The stranger’s expression flattens. “It’s me.

Oh… oh .

It is Aspen, but her hair is different. The color is somewhere between Rowan’s darker auburn and Maple’s lighter copper, but it’s hers—completely Aspen.

“Wow.” I sit on the edge of her bed.

Her flush deepens, and she looks away—it may be the first time I’ve seen her appear bashful. “What? Do you hate it?”

“No.” I glare playfully and hold her face, guiding her to look at me. “I don’t hate anything about you. You should know that by now. You could have Laurel’s green hair, and I would still think you’re fucking stunning.”

“Oh, but I hate her hair!”

“I know.”

We all know. Aspen isn’t quiet about her dislikes; that’s just one thing I love about her. She doesn’t leave me, or anyone else, guessing about her opinion.

The little cot I usually sleep in is gone. Of course, it is. We’re married. We’re supposed to share a bed now… and I want to. There’s nothing I want more than to hold my wife to my chest and keep her safe all night.

I still don’t feel fully myself, and when she meets my gaze, I think she can see that.

I’m not ready for more. The fear of losing her, of it almost happening, turns me into a version of myself she’s never known.

Not really. The fear she’s seeing has always existed under lock and key, but it’s too big now. I can’t keep hiding it.

“It’s good that you like it.” She lifts her brows. “Because I’m keeping it either way.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“This is my natural hair color, if you weren’t aware.”

“I didn’t know.” I lower my hand. “But it looks natural on you, so I guess that makes sense.”

“Well, now you know.” She sits back against her pillows, watching me with a passive expression. “Where were you all day, Mac?”

I run my fingers through my hair. “Fucking… wolf meetings. Took longer than expected. Typical. I’m sorry for not calling.”

“So, you did it?” Her eyes narrow. “You joined the pack?”

I lift a shoulder, trying to play off the gravity of the situation. It’s big for me, and we both know it. “I did. I’ll be sticking around Starbrook. Might as well get to know the other wolves while I’m here.”

Soft relief flickers through our mating bond, and it’s hers, but the feeling turns into curiosity before I can ask what it’s about.

“And what about your mother?” she asks. “How long is she staying?”

Aspen must have been stuck with my mom all day. I feel for her, but I can’t say I hate the idea. The two people I care about most are spending time together, and it isn’t as much of a nightmare as I assumed it would be. I already have my mom’s blessing.

A grin stretches across my face. “Why? You trying to get rid of her already?”

“No!” She holds back laughter, covering her mouth. “No, no. I’ve always hated how TV shows make the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hate one another. It’s rife with misogyny, and I refuse to play into it. Her company today was… well, it was nice to have someone else around.”

“C’mon.” I snort. “No one has ever said she’s good company. Just tell me you want her out of here. She won’t be offended.”

“Mac, stop!” She giggles. “I mean it. It’s the opposite. I want her to stick around. I hate the idea of her living in another state all alone.”

I frown. “We’re lone wolves. It’s what we do.”

“Well, we’re witches. We form covens. I can’t imagine letting someone in my family live like that.”

It would be easier to accept what she’s saying, but I think back to Aspen when we first met. She was in the same shitty motel I was holed up in.

I wet my lips. “Weren’t you living like that?”

Her smile drops, and she nods, staring at her hands. “That’s how I know I don’t want your mom to be alone. It wasn’t right for me either. I was fighting myself—fighting what I really wanted.”

“I don’t know how easy it will be to convince her to stick around.”

“Oh, I think I can do it.”

“Probably. You’re very convincing.” I lean in and touch her hair, running my fingers through the newly dyed strands.

She bats her lashes. “Can I convince you to stay the night with me?”

“No convincing needed.” I press my lips to her forehead, hairline, and the top of her head. “That’s what I’m here for. I want to be with you, too. Tonight and every night.”

Aspen isn’t the distraction. She isn’t the problem. I’m the one getting distracted. This is the kind of thing I need to stop doing—letting my guard down—but I can’t stay away from her.

I don’t want to, either. We can spend the night together. I can hold and keep her safe, but it can’t be anything more until I get rid of the corrupt witch.

“I thought you would avoid me forever,” she mumbles .

I press my forehead to hers. “No. Never. Is that really what you thought?”

“I don’t know. You wouldn’t be the first man to make me think you want something serious only to leave me behind.”

My eyes flash red—the anger isn’t toward her, of course, and I know better than to make it seem like it is. I just can’t believe someone would hurt her that way.

“That isn’t me. What I feel for you—it is serious. I mean it. You’re the one. I mean everything I’ve said to you.”

“I know.” She closes her eyes. “At least, I hoped it was true.”

“What I said this morning… I only meant that I’m focusing more on protecting you now. It’s important to me that you know that. This is all for you.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

“I was an emotional wreck. Maybe I misspoke.”

“Maybe.” She sighs, running her nails along the side of my neck. “But I have good news for you, darling. Something that will bring us a few steps closer to where we need to be.”

“Oh yeah?” I mumble, relaxing under her touch. “What’s that?”

“A spell.”

My wolf’s ears perk up, my beast rousing in my chest.

Aspen pulls back. Her smile is unlike any I’ve ever seen; she is devious and dripping with venom. She’s never looked prettier. “We know how to banish the wicked witch.”