6. Jace

Rather than running home, I chose to walk. There was too much going through my mind, and I needed some quiet time to think about it. After Kirsten got into her car and disappeared down her driveway, I turned and trudged down the road toward home.

Waylan was waiting for me when I got back. "Well? How'd it go?" he asked as I stepped inside.

"As good as can be expected," I mumbled.

He closed the door behind us. I felt awful. Drained and heartsick. It had started the moment Kirsten left and only grown worse the farther I got from her.

"Good. At least we won't have to worry about Eren getting his hands on her." Waylan frowned at me. "Are you all right? No offense, but you look like shit."

"We have bigger problems to deal with," I said.

"Like?"

I flopped onto the couch. "Like the fact that I'm one hundred percent sure Kirsten is my fated mate."

Waylan chuckled humorlessly. "For real? That feeling you got, your wolf's reaction, wasn't just because you were around a witch?"

"Unfortunately, yes," I replied. "And it's been getting stronger. Every hour that passes, it grows. My wolf's reaction is only part of it, but it's the biggest piece of proof. I'd really hoped he was just out of his mind after finding the descendant of the witch who cursed me. But seeing her today took away all doubt. It's real."

"How's that make you feel?"

The laugh that left me was harsh and loud. "How do I feel? I've just found out that after a hundred years of hoping for a mate, it turns out it's a witch. So, yeah, I don't feel fucking great. And it's a witch who, from what I can gather, doesn't care for me much, either. Things are really looking up."

"You were kind of a dick to her," Waylan pointed out. "Doesn't surprise me that she doesn't like you."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Any more rays of sunshine?"

Waylan smiled and sat beside me. "That's why we're friends. I can call you out on your bullshit."

"Thanks," I grunted.

"Where's your head at right now? What's the plan?"

"I should probably reject her as my mate. That would be the easiest way around all this. But even if I did, we still need her."

"Do you really think she can help with the curse?"

"No idea," I admitted. "But it's the best chance we've had in a century. If I reject her, it might do something weird to the curse, like prevent it from ever being lifted. Who knows, I'm not a fucking witch. But if anyone can lift it, then surely it's the descendant of the woman who put it on me."

"You've got to figure out how to tell this woman she's a witch to begin with," Waylan said. "How do you do that and not come off sounding like a crazy person?"

"It's not that crazy," I said. "We can turn into wolves. How hard is it to believe in witches?"

Waylan laughed. "Does that mean I should be worried about a sasquatch rampaging through my house tonight? I'm not sure that logic works."

I rolled my eyes. "All I can do is try to mend whatever fences I've damaged. Befriend her, try to get close to her, and see what she knows. If I can prove to her that I'm not a total asshole, I might be able to convince her to help me."

"And in the meantime?"

"I'm going to go to the hardware store and pick up the stuff I need to finally finish installing that freaking ceiling fan in my bedroom."

"Wow," Waylan said dryly. "Really important plans."

"Shut it. I need to get my mind off this. Leave me alone."

Along with the ceiling fan, I needed to fix an outdoor hose spigot. After Waylan left, I drove to the small hardware store to grab all I needed. I was in the plumbing aisle when Stephanie approached me.

"Hey there, handsome," she chirped. "What are you up to today?"

Stephanie Bridges was on my council. She ran the only clinic in town, and since her father had retired, she was Crestwood's lone doctor. She'd also had a thing for me for a few decades now.

"Steph, hi." I nodded toward the shelves. "Just grabbing a few things. Got some DIY stuff to take care of."

"Hmm." She smiled and narrowed her eyes appreciatively. "A man of many talents. I like that."

"Yeah. Gotta keep the homestead in working order."

I grabbed the parts I needed and turned to walk to the register, but Stephanie followed along, walking beside me, letting her arm graze mine every few feet. Her heart raced in my presence, as it always did. I could hear it thrumming away in her chest.

"You want to hang out sometime?" Stephanie asked as we stood in line.

"Kinda busy," I said.

"You always say that." She poked me playfully in the side. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, can be as busy as you always seem to be. Every time I want to hang out, you say that."

I'd spent years making excuses to avoid Stephanie. Everyone in the pack seemed to be waiting with bated breath for the two of us to get together. No one but Waylan and my sister Shayna knew the truth. The curse prevented me from forming any kind of connection with a woman. I could admire a woman's beauty, intelligence, and personality, but other than that? Nothing. It was almost like I was dead inside. I couldn't even force myself to pretend.

And no relationships meant no heirs.

"What can I say? I'm always busy."

"What about right now?" Stephanie asked with a grin. "Your handyman stuff can wait. Have lunch with me. I promise if you're good, I'll have you home in less than an hour."

God, it would have been so easy if this curse didn't have a hold on me. I'd say yes. Maybe we'd even have a great time. I knew Stephanie wasn't my fated mate, but given the options, I'd be out of my mind not to choose her if I could get the curse lifted.

Before my daydreams of a life with Stephanie could get further than that initial thought, my wolf rejected the idea. Rage unlike anything I'd ever experienced from him surged forth, all directed at me for having the thought. It came fast and hard, and before I could stop myself, a pissed-off snarl burst from my lips.

Stephanie reared back, and the other people in the store went silent and turned to look. I clamped a hand on my mouth and forced my wolf back down.

"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked. "Did I say something that—"

"Not your fault. Not you at all," I said quickly. "I was thinking about something, and I realized I totally forgot to make a really important phone call. I'm pissed at myself for it. That's all."

Stephanie's face softened, and she put a hand on my chest. It was all I could do to keep my wolf from growling or snarling again. He wanted to bite her damn fingers off for even touching me. What the fuck? I'd always had firm control over him, and now it was like that was slipping away, too. Subconsciously, I cursed Kirsten again for showing up and making things take a turn for the weird.

"Okay, I guess you are pretty busy," she said. "I'll take a raincheck on that lunch, though."

I forced a smile at her, trying my best to remain a gentleman despite my wolf thrashing around inside my head. "Sounds good. I'll take you up on that sometime."

"What I really wanted to say was thanks for the other day."

The other day? What other day? I had no clue what she was talking about. The stupefied look on my face must have been obvious because she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"For what you did in the pack meeting. Getting those funds approved for the kids in town? That was huge. I was down the street and saw you come in here. Just wanted to say thank you on behalf of all the families in town."

"Oh, that," I said, finally connecting the dots. "Not a problem. We had enough funds in the pack reserve."

Before she could say more, my phone chirped with a notification. I tugged it out and read the text that had come through.

Can I call you? I have a problem. - Kirsten

My heart raced at the sight of her name. Unbidden, giddy excitement filled me, fueled by my wolf.

"Something interesting?" Stephanie asked.

She'd probably heard my heart skip a beat. The downside to shifter hearing.

"It's the person I was supposed to call earlier. It, uh, looks like they're free now." I winced and gave her an apologetic smile. "I really need to make this call."

"That's cool. The alpha's job never ends, I guess. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks. And, um…" I wanted to say I'd take her up on that raincheck, but that wasn't true. I knew it, and my wolf definitely knew it. He was snarling in irritation that I was even thinking of saying the words, white lie or not. Eventually, I just waved and said, "I'll see you later."

Stephanie headed toward the door, then turned to walk backward and winked at me. "You better not forget about that raincheck."

She was barely out the door before I hurried down one of the aisles and called Kirsten.

"Hello?" she answered, sounding harried.

"It's Jace. I got your text. What's up?"

"I really did not want to call you, but I was doing my tenth load of dishes and realized water was pouring out of the bottom of the sink into the cabinet below. Some kind of massive leak, and of course none of the stuff I got this morning is what I need. Can you bring me a wrench, and maybe a rubber washer of some sort? This one looks all dry and rotted. I think that's the problem."

"Are you sure that's what's wrong? Put me on video call so I can see."

"Jace, I'm not helpless. I'm looking at it right now."

"Right, I know, but I'd rather be sure. Maybe I'll see something else you might need. I'd hate to have to make the trip twice."

"Ugh, fine."

A moment later, her face popped up on the screen, and another tremor of delight went through me. Get it together, Jace.

"Here's the issue," Kirsten said, turning the phone around so the camera was angled on the underside of the sink.

"Looks like you were right about the O-ring," I said, squinting at the screen. "That's what seals the drain under the sink. Randomly enough, I'm at the hardware store as we speak. I'll grab what you need and come around."

"Thank you for agreeing that I know what I'm talking about," she quipped.

The smile on my face was hard to hide. She did seem to know her stuff. My wolf was so happy, he was practically purring. The smile slipped when I remembered the curse and the boundary around her cabin.

"I'll grab what you need, and I'll let you know when I'm almost there. You can meet me at the end of your driveway so I can drop it all off."

Kirsten looked at me like I was crazy through her phone camera. "Why don't you just drive it up to my house? Isn't that simpler?"

"See you in a little bit," I said, then hung up.

After grabbing what she needed, I hurried to my truck. The entire drive, weird butterflies twitched in my stomach. My wolf was drooling at the thought of seeing her again. All of it irked me to no end. It was like my entire body and half of my mind was revolting against me, pushing me toward something I didn't desire or want.

Kirsten met me at her mailbox as I pulled into the soft shoulder of the road.

"Here's everything you should need," I said, handing the bag out the window to her.

"What a guy," she said wryly. "This should cover it." She held out a twenty-dollar bill.

"I told you not to worry about that," I said, waving my hand.

"And I said I have my own money," Kirsten said, shaking the bill in my face. "Take it. I don't need handouts."

With a sigh, I snatched the bill from her hand. "All right, then. Thanks."

"I'm gonna say it again. This would be much easier if I could swing into town and grab my own stuff." She looked disappointed. "Do shifters really hate humans so much that you don't want to be anywhere near the same vicinity?"

The look on her face was one of confused dejection. Yet more evidence that she truly had no idea what she was. It was a look you couldn't fake.

"No, it's not that," I said hastily. "It's just who you're related to, that's all. It would make things uncomfortable. For everyone."

Her confusion faded, and a fire lit in her eyes. I kicked myself internally. In my attempt to smooth things over, I'd somehow made it worse.

"Who I'm related to? What is that supposed to mean?" She took a quick step toward my truck, laying a hand on the door. "If you're insinuating something about my grandmother, then I'm not afraid to set you straight right here and now. She was an amazing person."

"Hang on, hang on," I said, holding a hand up. "Calm down. I wasn't saying anything about your grandmother."

"Well, what were you talking about?" She stared at me, eyes still stern, but her expression softening.

"It's just that…" How did I say this without sounding like a dick? "I'm sure your grandma was great. Her ancestors? Not so much. She comes from a line of not-so-nice ladies. That's what I meant." Then another thought occurred to me, a way to get her to possibly find out about herself without me outright saying it. "It goes way back. Maybe you should research them sometime. Get a sense of your history."

"Not-so-nice people?" Kirsten asked, the confusion evident on her face. "What about the men? If my great-great-grandmother was such an awful person, what about my great-grandfather?"

"Only been women in this cabin as far back as anyone can remember," I said, hoping to plant more seeds in her mind. I needed her to find out she was a witch. It was the only thing I could imagine that might get rid of this curse. If she knew, then maybe her powers would somehow manifest themselves. It was a very long shot, but I didn't know what else to do.

"Maybe I will do some research," she mumbled, stepping back from my truck. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "Thanks for this stuff," she said, lifting the plastic bag of tools and parts.

"Anytime," I said with a wave.

As I watched her walk up the drive, my wolf rumbled his desire in my chest, the growl almost escaping my lips. I had to admit, my wolf had an eye for beautiful women. Kirsten might have been the most gorgeous person I'd ever seen in my life.

Once she'd vanished around the bend, I put my truck into gear and pulled away. Kirsten was a witch, yes, but she had no idea she was one. The sensation that hummed through me when I was near her was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. A strange sense that freedom was near, that I could have a chance at happiness. Like I was on the verge of finally being complete. I'd not realized how hollow and empty I felt until the first moment I laid eyes on her. As much as I didn't want to, I wondered what it would be like to take her as my mate. Could I dismiss the idea out of hand simply because she was a witch?

After all, she was nothing like the witch who had come before her.