Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

O nce again, Arden waited for her after the girls' night to walk her home. He would never let her feel lonely again for even a short walk home. As he and Mari approached her house, a strange scent stopped him.

"Hold up," he said, lifting his nose into the air. "Do you smell that?"

She sniffed. "Smell what?"

Arden sniffed more, following the nauseous smell to the gate surrounding the lawn. He wondered if this was a spell. But if that was the case, why couldn't his witchy mate sense it?

"We need to call Luna," he said, his voice low and urgent.

Mari nodded, fear flickering in her hazel eyes. "I'll give her a call."

Within minutes, Luna arrived with Tabitha in tow, their expressions grim as they surveyed the scene.

"You're right, Arden. It's a potion that's magically enhanced to stay undetectable by magic folks. But apparently, the potion creator didn't take a shifter's nose into account." Luna declared, her brow furrowed in concentration. "It's spread around the perimeter of the yard. The intent is clear—to cause physical harm to Mari the moment she stepped past the gate."

Rage boiled within Arden, his wolf snarling at the thought of anyone daring to hurt his mate. "She's staying with me," he growled, leaving no room for argument.

Luna and Tabitha set to work, their magic weaving through the air as they neutralized the potion's effects. Arden watched, tension coiled in his body, until the last traces of the malevolent energy dissipated.

That night, Mari stayed with him, her presence a balm to his frayed nerves. As dawn broke, they rose early, determined to end the harassment.

"How did Victor know you weren't at home when he poisoned your yard?" Arden asked. "No one remembered the girls' party until the last moment. You normally would've been home and would've seen him."

"We need to sweep the areas for hidden cameras or surveillance devices," Mari suggested. "Victor's henchmen might be using them to monitor my movements."

The next day, they set out, combing through the surroundings of Mari's home and bakery with meticulous care. It wasn't long before they found it—a small, discreetly placed camera hidden in a tree outside Mari's house.

Arden examined the device, his brow furrowed. "It's connected to a remote server. We should take it to Gideon Frost. He's tech-savvy. He might be able to trace the source."

Gideon, with his salt-and-pepper hair and keen eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses, wasted no time in analyzing the camera. His fingers flew over the keyboard, lines of code scrolling across the screen.

"Got it," he announced, his voice grim. "The camera feed is linked to a network of hired stalkers. Employed by Victor, from the looks of it."

He handed them a list of names and locations, a roadmap of the threat they were facing. Mari's face paled, but her eyes blazed with a fierce resolve.

Just as they were about to leave Gideon's office, Mari's phone rang. It was Daisy, her voice frantic. "Someone's trying to break into the pastry shop!"

Arden's heart pounded in his chest as he and Mari sprinted toward the store, their feet hitting the pavement in a frantic rhythm. The cool air whipped past their faces, but the adrenaline coursing through their veins kept them warm. Arden's mind raced with the possibilities of what they might find, his protective instincts surging to the forefront.

As they rounded the corner, the storefront came into view. The window was shattered, jagged shards of glass littering the sidewalk. A figure stood inside, silhouetted against the dim interior lights.

"Stay behind me," Arden growled, his voice low and urgent. Mari nodded, her eyes wide.

They cautiously approached the broken window, the crunch of glass beneath their feet sounding unnaturally loud in the eerie silence. Suddenly, the figure inside whirled around, revealing a young man with wild, crazed eyes. His face was contorted in a snarl, his hands crackling with magical energy.

"You can't stop me!" he screamed, his voice raw and unhinged. "She must die!"

With a swift motion, he hurled a bolt of magical energy directly at them. Arden reacted instinctively, shifting into his wolf form in a blur of motion. His clothes tore away as his body morphed, fur sprouting, muscles rippling. He lunged forward, placing himself between Mari and the attacker.

The spell slammed into Arden's side, searing pain lancing through his body. He yelped but held his ground, his wolf form absorbing the brunt of the impact. Mari, seizing the opportunity, summoned her own magic. Her hands glowed with an iridescent light as she cast a countering spell, the air around them sizzling with the clash of powers.

The intruder snarled, sending another barrage of spells their way. Arden dodged, his wolf form agile and swift, while Mari shielded herself with a glimmering magical barrier. The bakery transformed into a battleground, furniture splintering as stray spells ricocheted off surfaces, glass shattering as the magical energies collided.

Arden leaped at the attacker, his powerful jaws clamping down on the man's arm. The intruder screamed in pain, his concentration faltering. Mari seized the chance, her voice ringing out with an incantation. A pulse of energy surged from her hands, enveloping the man in a shimmering net of light.

The intruder thrashed and writhed, but the net held fast, draining his magical energy. Arden maintained his grip, his wolf form's strength unwavering until the man's struggles weakened, and he slumped to the floor, exhausted.

Mari approached cautiously, her hands still glowing with residual magic. Arden shifted into his human form, wincing as the movement aggravated his injuries. Mari said a spell and he was back in the clothes he'd torn out of during his shift.

As they stood over the subdued attacker, a change came over the man. The crazed look in his eyes faded, replaced by confusion and fear. He blinked, looking around the destroyed bakery as if seeing it for the first time.

"W-where am I?" he stammered, his voice trembling. "What happened?"

Arden and Mari exchanged a glance, realization dawning. Victor's hold on the man had snapped, leaving him disoriented and frightened.

"You're safe now," Mari said gently, kneeling beside the man. "What's the last thing you remember?"

The man's brow furrowed, his eyes clouded with confusion. "I... I'm a student. I went for a job interview, but... but then everything went blank. I don't know how I got here."

Arden's jaw clenched, anger boiling within him. Victor's manipulation knew no bounds, using innocent people as pawns in his twisted game.

"We'll get you home," Arden assured the man, his voice gruff but kind. "But first, we need to know everything you can remember about that interview."

As the man recounted his story, Arden and Mari listened intently, their minds racing with the implications. After some time, they got the boy home safely and then cleaned up the mess at the shop.

The intensity of the situation drew Mari and Arden closer, their bond deepening with each shared moment of vulnerability and strength. She leaned on him, trusting in his support, and he held her close, pouring every ounce of love and reassurance into his embrace.

Back at the sheriff's office, Reed Mallory, Kade, Roarke, Mari, and Arden gathered to develop a comprehensive strategy. They needed to dismantle Victor's network of control and prevent further threats to Mari's safety.

"We'll use the information from the stalker to track down the remaining men," Sheriff Reed said, his expression grave. "Neutralize them before they can cause more harm."

Mari's voice was steady despite the fear in her eyes. "But we need to stop Victor himself, or he'll just keep controlling more people, sending them after me."

Arden nodded, his jaw clenched. "We need magical help. Luna and Celeste might know a way to strip Victor of his ability to control others."

They called in the two witches, explaining the situation. Luna and Celeste listened intently, their expressions darkening as the details were laid out.

"There are ways to sever his connection to his thralls," Luna said, her voice low and serious. "Spells to block his magic, to break his hold. We'll look into it and find the most effective method."

Celeste laid a comforting hand on Mari's shoulder. "We'll do everything we can to stop him, Mari. Every witch in Whispering Pines has your back, girl."