Chapter 1 - Eddie

Why did I have to volunteer? Eddie thought as he made his way to the apothecary near the center of Nightstar.

When Jack Blackwell, his alpha, had requested someone deliver a message to the co-owner of the Green Cauldron, he should have let someone else take the job.

He didn’t much like the place. Not that it wasn’t welcoming and cozy, but the fact that the space had such an overpowering aroma of herbs and spices didn’t bode well for the sharp senses of a werewolf.

Still, he needed a walk to stretch his legs, and besides, any message from the alpha was bound to be important. As a loyal member of the pack, he was honor-bound to do whatever his alpha asked of him. Even if there were others who could have done it.

Standing on the pavement outside the shop, Eddie braced himself. It was his own stupid fault. He had been taking on all the extra work he could. Anything to stop himself from thinking.

How he had managed to get himself all twisted up inside, he would never guess. Carly wasn’t really all that special. Or so he kept telling himself. Maybe one day it would actually stick.

Fuck…

He growled through gritted teeth. Something about that damn she-wolf just wouldn’t let him go.

Maybe it was just the fact that she seemed so up for finding a mate. Maybe it was more than that.

Whatever it was, he was done with it.

He had to get his head back in the game. There were more important things to be worrying about than finding a mate right now. Like the fact that Nightstar was almost always on the brink of being attacked and possibly destroyed by the ex-residents who had taken it upon themselves to oppose Jack as the new alpha in town.

Christopher and his lackeys had been making plenty of noise and trouble for the new pack, but things had been quiet for a short while now, and even that set Eddie’s teeth on edge.

Silence was dangerous. Silence meant plans were being made. At least, that was what his time in the military had taught him.

Eddie suspected that the envelope in the breast pocket of his leather jacket likely had something to do with that constant threat, though why the alpha wanted to enlist a witch to help protect the town, Eddie wasn’t sure he would ever understand.

Witches weren’t the nicest of creatures, especially not towards werewolves. The two species had never really seen eye to eye, nor had they ever really gotten along in close proximity, yet they said the witch who owned the Green Cauldron had been in Nightstar for as long as anyone could remember. Just like werewolves, they were long lived, though Eddie did wonder just how old this particular witch was.

Layla becoming a partner of the woman thanks to her love of healing and natural medicines had brought the two species closer, though Eddie was still a little wary of setting foot on another supernatural’s territory.

It’s just a witch, Eddie reminded himself, though in truth he’d had more than one run-in with the species over the years.

There was a time back in Iraq when a sorceress had paralyzed half their team using blood magic before they managed to take her down. That memory still made him cringe. He remembered all too well how the tingling, numbing sensation had taken over his entire body, even paralyzing his vocal cords, leaving him unable to attempt to cry out for help.

Jack had been the one to save them all back then. His quick thinking and excellent leadership skills had saved the day, and it had been that day when Eddie had offered up his loyalty to the Blackwell alpha without a second thought.

If Jack thought that gaining the witch’s help was a good idea, then who was he to question it?

And so, removing the envelope from his pocket, he took the steps of the shop two at a time and clenched his jaw as he braced himself for the scents about to batter his nose.

The bell dinged above his head as he entered, and the sound rang in his ears a few seconds longer than it took the door to close behind him.

The inside, as expected, was filled with the scents of herbs and spices, of beeswax and honey, of incense and burning. The air was thick with smoke and warm with the heat of the fire that burned in the hearth to his left.

If he managed to get past the smell, Eddie could actually appreciate the place in all its Medievalesque beauty. In fact, it was almost like walking back into the past the minute you opened the door. There was no electricity. At least the hum of it was one less thing for him to worry about.

Instead, the shop was lit with candles held in lanterns on the walls and candlesticks all about the place. Shelves filled with jars, pots and bottles decorated every wall, and there were all manner of trinkets scattered about. One thing the incense did nothing to hide from a werewolf was the smell of dead creatures; newts and frogs and an assortment of other things that witches liked to use for their damned spells.

Though all were preserved in some way, the smell was still atrocious to Eddie’s nose, and he barely managed to stop himself from gagging.

“You know, if the place offends you so,” a voice said from the back room as the beaded curtain parted, “Maybe you should avoid it.”

The voice was sweet, a little sarcastic, and edged with a little bitterness. It made Eddie turn immediately to look at the woman who entered behind the counter.

For a second, Eddie was taken aback. He had anticipated Wylla, Layla’s business partner. But this woman most definitely wasn’t her, though she did share some of the witch’s features and coloring; dark auburn hair, bright green eyes, tanned skin with a powdering of freckles upon her nose.

“Believe me, I do when I’m able to,” Eddie said, shrugging his shoulders. “I have a message for Wylla.”

At that, the woman cocked her head.

Discreetly, Eddie tried to sniff her out. It was almost impossible to do inside the apothecary with all its herbal scents. Yet, one thing Eddie did pick up on immediately was the woman’s species: another witch.

“My mother isn’t here right now,” the woman said, and Eddie blinked in surprise.

“Mother?” he said without really thinking. “Wylla doesn’t seem old enough to have a daughter your age.”

It was a stupid thing to say. He knew as well as anyone that witches were often much older than they looked. In fact, this twenty-something woman he was looking at right now could be well into her fifties or even older.

The beautiful, auburn-haired witch cocked her head and raised her brow. “You're a werewolf. You should know better than to judge a book by its cover.”

Eddie bit his lip at that. Of course, she was right. Both species could easily live into their hundreds and barely appear to age a day once they hit adulthood.

“Ever heard of a compliment?” Eddie asked, feeling mildly defensive.

Just as quickly, the witch responded, “Ever heard it's rude to talk about a woman's age?”

Stunned, Eddie stared at her for several moments, unable to think of what to say to that. His cheeks grew hot, and he wondered whether she noticed. When she started to smile wryly, he was certain she had.

“When will she be back?” Eddie asked curtly, deciding quickly it was best to change the subject.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest and Eddie was forced to bite the inside of his lip. Witch or not, she had a great figure, plump and curvaceous, and the way she held her arms caused her ample breasts to bulge in a way that was difficult to take his eyes off.

He forced himself to, digging his fingernails into the palm of his free hand in an attempt at self-control. Being a hot-blooded werewolf wasn't so lucky around good-looking women, even if they were supposed enemies.

Besides, he had enough on his plate with Carly pulling all of his strings. The last thing he needed was to find himself attracted to a damn witch.

It's been too long, he told himself. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a woman in his bed. It had most definitely been well before their pack's move to Nightstar. Years; he was pretty sure it had been years.

Being frustrated, it was obvious his mind would go there when confronted with a witch. They were, after all, known for having great beauty. Whether it was natural or magical was unclear, but either way, the woman before him was drop-dead-gorgeous. Even his preoccupied mind could admit that.

“Hello? Earth to wolfman,” the witch said, and at the clicking of fingers in his face, Eddie jumped, realizing he hadn't even heard her answer.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Shit, sorry. What did you say?”

“I said, I don't know when she will be home.”

“Well, where is she? Maybe I could take the message across town to her?”

At that, the woman pursed her lips and tightened her arms around her chest. “She isn't in town.”

Eddie wasn't sure why, exactly, but a shiver ran down the length of his spine. Perhaps it was the fact that Wylla being out of town was bound to make things more difficult for the pack if Jack did indeed intend to request her help.

“Business or pleasure?” Eddie asked, though he wasn't entirely sure why it mattered.

The witch's gaze darkened. Clearly, she didn't believe that was any of his business.

“Family business,” she responded, though her voice was clipped. Something told Eddie that she was just as uncomfortable in a werewolf’s presence as he was in a witch's.

“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Eddie said. It was a standard comment under the circumstances, and yet, oddly, Eddie felt genuine. Why he cared about the family business of witches, he didn't know.

The witch shrugged. “She's visiting her mother.”

“Why didn't you go with her?” Eddie asked, and again, he gritted his teeth. Seriously, why do I care?

Before he had arrived, he had intended to drop off the message and get out of the shop quickly. The stench of the place always turned his stomach.

Yet, today, something was different. He didn't feel nearly so sick as he usually did in the apothecary.

“Not that it's any of your business,” the daughter said, sighing as she dropped her hands to her sides, “but someone had to stay behind to watch the shop.”

“Couldn't Layla have taken care of it?” Eddie asked. The she-wolf was here practically every day, delivering her herbs and spices from the garden she'd planted up at Ryker Manor.

“There should always be a witch here,” she said. Then, straightening up, she held out her hand. “I can take the message.”

Eddie hesitated. Jack had said to deliver the message to Wylla at the apothecary. He hadn't said anything about who he couldn't give it to. So why did this leave him feeling uneasy?

“Maybe I should just go and tell Jack she isn't here and bring it back when she is?”

The witch's brow furrowed. “What's the matter? Is it some top-secret message?”

Eddie gulped. In truth, he had no idea what was inside the letter. He was just the messenger.

“Look, I haven't got all day,” she said, sighing deeply as the bell above the door dinged to signal that a customer had entered the shop. “My mom left me in charge, and if this message has anything to do with business, I'll handle it until she gets back.”

Her confidence was palpable. Eddie didn't hesitate any longer.

Handing over the letter, he said, “Jack would appreciate a response as soon as possible.”

And with that, he turned to leave, though something continued to gnaw at him.

His keen ears heard the tearing of the envelope, and he knew that soon the witch's attention would be lost entirely.

Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned back to look at her.

“Was there something else I could help you with?” she asked, looking at him with a raised brow, her delicate fingers already pinching the letter inside the envelope.

Eddie cleared his throat, his heart hammering. Could he really ask what he was thinking?

“You…you witches do love potions, am I right?”

At that, the woman scowled.

“Some do. Here we don't.”

At that, Eddie was intrigued. He took a step back towards the counter.

“Why not?”

“Because many of us witches believe in free will,” she explained, shrugging her athletic, rounded shoulders. “Love potions take away that free will and bad things can come of it. Resentment, that sort of thing.”

Eddie shivered. He imagined being on the receiving end of that kind of thing would most definitely cause a few problems.

“What about if you were trying to make things go the other way?”

It was the witch who looked most curious now. Her eyes gleamed with interest as she leaned forward on the counter.

Eddie gulped. The way her breasts perched as she leaned in was almost too much to bear. It really had been too long.

“I'm not sure what you mean.”

“Um…well, asking for a friend,” Eddie said, feeling more and more a fool. “If someone were trying to get over someone, would a witch be able to help?”

He held his breath, not liking the expression on the witch's face the second the words came out of his mouth.

He never should have asked. He shouldn't have been so foolish.

“Again, we good witches don't like to mess with free will.”

“What if the person trying to do this sort of thing was willing to give that up?”

The witch straightened up, her expression deepening with curiosity.

“I'm afraid there's nothing for it but the good old-fashioned fix,” she said nonchalantly.

Eddie gritted his teeth. “And that is?”

“To get over someone entirely, it's usually a case of finding someone else.”

Bile rose in the back of Eddie's throat. How was that even possible? He hadn't been interested in anyone, not since Carly. It was next to impossible even to consider replacing her.

She was a liar and a floozy, throwing herself at practically every werewolf she laid eyes on, but still, he couldn't quite remove the hooks she had placed in him.

To think, I blamed Hanson for turning her head, Eddie thought bitterly. The man had done nothing but be nice to the woman, and she had taken to that kindness like a duck to water.

In fact, any man who showed the least bit of attention to that woman was fair game to her. He saw that now.

And yet, there was still something about her that just wouldn't let Eddie go. He pined for her, even now, and it was driving him to madness.

“The options for a werewolf in this town are pretty limited,” Eddie pointed out, exhaling deeply. “Many of the she-wolves are already mated.”

At that, the witch started to smile, her lips twitching upwards in a way that frustrated Eddie immensely.

“Then perhaps your friend ought to look elsewhere.”

Eddie scoffed. That was much easier said than done. Between pack duties, work and trying to stay away from Carly, his diary was pretty booked up. Besides, it wasn't as simple as going on some dating app to find a mate. There were rules. If he tried to bring someone new into town, Jack would have something to say about it.

“Thanks for the advice,” Eddie said, a little begrudgingly. “What did you say your name was?”

The witch cocked her head. “I didn't.”

Eddie's jaw clenched. Was she trying to be mysterious, or just plain annoying?

With a shrug, Eddie turned. What did it matter to him what her name was, anyway? She was just another witch, another ally in town who lived there on the good judgment of the pack alpha. It wasn't like he needed to get to know her just because they lived in the same town.

Crossing the room, he was almost at the door when she called after him, “My name is Winter.”

At that, Eddie felt the oddest shiver run down his spine. It wasn't entirely cold. In fact, it tingled with a mix of fire and ice that set every nerve in his body alight.

Winter…

Placing his hand on the doorknob, he turned back and said, “Nice to meet you, Winter. I'm Eddie.”

“I know,” she responded simply, and something about it set Eddie's teeth on edge once more.

To be known but not know was something that had always put Eddie a little out of sorts.

“So you're one of those psychic witches my mother was always warning me about when I was a pup?” Eddie said, only half joking.

The laughter that left Winter's lips was musical to Eddie's ears, and it caused a fluttering in his stomach, the likes of which he hadn't felt in such a long time.

What is the matter with me? he wondered.

“I don't need to be psychic to know who you are, Eddie,” she said, pulling the letter from the envelope as if she knew their conversation was nearly at an end. “Jack Blackwell and his packmates are heroes around here. You amongst them.”

At that, Eddie felt his cheeks reddening. Was that how she saw him? A hero?

It felt ridiculous to him. All they'd done was remove a horrendous pack alpha from power in order to save their own hides, incidentally freeing the townsfolk in the process.

He wouldn't exactly say there was anything heroic about that.

“I guess it doesn't take much to be famous in a small town like this,” he said, half-laughing.

“I guess not,” Winter responded, and the edge to her voice set Eddie's nerves scattering again. “You can tell Jack I'll respond as soon as I'm able.”

With that, Winter plucked the letter from the envelope, and as if she was done with him, she swept back behind the beaded curtain into the backroom.

An odd empty feeling grew in the pit of Eddie’s stomach as he watched her go. Perhaps it was because that was the longest conversation he'd had with a woman since the night Carly had invited him over for a nightcap almost three months earlier.

Maybe it was because, even in a pack full of members, he was lonely as hell. Watching all of his closest friends—the men he had come to know as brothers—pairing off to mate was almost too much to bear.

Things were changing, and they were changing fast. Feeling as if he was being left behind by the men he had risked his life for time and time again wasn't the best in the world.

But to feel this, this attraction, towards a damn witch was taking things way too far.

It's the damn smell of this place, he thought, yanking open the door to get a breath of fresh air. It's messing with my head.