Chapter 22

S neaking into my grand-mère’s house first thing in the morning as the sun rises is probably not my best idea. However, I know her schedule like the back of my hand. It’s a Sunday morning, she’ll be at Ember’s garden praying to Hecate.

I nearly jump out of my skin as the skeleton on her front porch lights up and I give it the finger as I use my key to unlock the front door.

My great aunt Daisy does not share the same spiritual devotion as my grandmother, nor does she like early hours, so I know she’s asleep.

I have to be careful. My grandmother is smart and gifted. Anything left out of order will be clearly noticeable.

When her bedroom door opens with an ominous magically induced creak, I glance around, more than familiar with the room. I just have to figure out where she would be hiding something. Where would she have information on my mother?

I feel guilty for assuming she’s lying to me about my mom, but something feels off. Even if my mother had lost it, why would no one in the coven go searching for her? She’s hiding in plain sight only a few hours away.

I tap my wand on my palm, causing it to glow brightly as I look under her bed and through her closet. I don’t find anything and the guilt feels even heavier for doubting her.

My boot hits a floor board that squeaks just as I’m about to leave, so I shift my weight on it, before bending down and using my wand to pull it back.

A large cigar box is in there and I swallow before pulling it out and opening the contents. I pull out multiple pictures of my mother; she looks happy and radiant in all of them, she looks like she fits in with the coven.

There’s a rose gold wand that looks similar to my own, which I assume is hers.

“Why?” I ask out loud, staring at the contents of the box as a throat clears behind me.

Fuck.

“Did you find what you were looking for, granddaughter?” she asks and I swallow.

The answer is not really, but I nod my head, anyway.

She sighs and sits on her bed, facing the window and she pats next to her, indicating that I should sit down, so I do, bringing all the photos with me.

Grand-mère smiles sadly over the photos, dragging a finger down my mother’s portrait.

“She used to be happy. She loved coven life,” she says.

“Grand-mère, what really happened?”

“I’ve been trying to shield you from the truth,” she says.

I take a deep breath, preparing myself for what the harsh reality is, and I couldn’t be more shocked by what she tells me.

“Lavender had a wild spirit. She loved to test the limits of things. She wasn’t afraid of anything. Not even my disapproval,” she says with a laugh, staring down at the photo of her daughter. “She wasn’t afraid when she told me she was pregnant, and I wasn’t upset. It is unusual for a witch to have a child so young, but growing the coven is always a blessing.”

“My father?” I ask, and she shakes her head.

“Some human boy she was smitten with and met at a party. It’s our blessing to only bear daughters of magical abilities, but unfortunately we do need human men in that regard,” she says with disgust.

“She changed with her pregnancy, her magic depleted, she became sick in the mind and of the body. Our healer monitored her closely, but she was old and not as effortlessly talented as you.”

I’m worried she’s about to lie to me and tell me that she is indeed dead, but she grabs my hand and squeezes.

“She ran away during her last month of pregnancy, concealed herself with what magic she had left. I’m not sure why. But when I found her months later, she was no longer pregnant, and no longer capable of magic.”

I blink at my grandmother. “What?”

“It’s very rare, but I fear you ripped your mother’s magic from her. When I found her, I asked her where you were and she said you didn’t make it and that she just wanted to forget it all. I wanted to bring her back to the coven. She was my daughter. I love her still. Part of being a parent is letting your children make their own choices, so I gave her that wish. I erased everything, and she now lives her life as a human, not knowing our ways or who she once was, or who you are.”

“She told you I died?” I ask. Staring down at the photo and trying to make sense of the story.

It doesn’t match with that letter I found in the mansion, but what reason does she have to lie to me? A lot of things check out. Why my mother didn’t recognize me, why she has no magic, why she would want to forget me after taking her gift from her?

“I don’t know why she told me that. I would have brought you into the coven immediately upon your existence. But I couldn’t feel you. Her last act of magic was concealing you from the world, and I still don’t know why.”

“Have you seen her since then?” I ask.

My grandmother drags a light pink nail across the photo and shakes her head. “It’s far too painful. Even seeing you for the first time was painful for me. For all her faults, I love her deeply and she gave me you. I know I’m not overly affectionate, or loving, or even understanding sometimes. Having you in my life has been one of my greatest blessings, if I had to do it all again, I would, only to have you,” she says.

Her pale blue eyes fill with emotion. Witches don’t cry, especially not Aster Delvaux.

So, I choose to believe her. She’s the High Priestess. She’s the only family I have. She’s the reason I’m in this coven and have found the love and the light that my life is full of. Even with some reluctance, I nod and hug her. She inhales deeply and pulls back.

“This coven needs you, Violet. You’re the future. This all had to happen for you to ascend, I’m sure of it. It’s time for you to truly prepare yourself to lead this coven when I’m no longer here.”

“I think you’re going to be around for quite some time.”

“Just because I’m alive doesn’t mean I should be the one leading. The Celestial Coven has been so powerful because we train our successors properly. We should boost your private lessons with me to two days a week.”

“Yes, grand-mère,” I say, and she strokes my cheek.

“You’re the most important person to me and to the life of our coven. I’m sorry I kept the truth from you. I thought I was protecting you. You already had such a hard life before we found you. We can’t lose you too, not to the past.”

I nod, feeling the weight of the coven on my shoulders. Maybe I am cut out to be the High Priestess. Maybe everything she said is true, or mostly true. But she’s right about one thing. Dwelling in the past has only made me hurt. It’s time to look toward the future. I need to up my studies; I need to get rid of Silas… even though there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to.

It’s the magic, the curse, nothing else.

“I’ll make you proud, grand-mère.”

“I know you will, it’s been foretold,” she says and I wonder what Iris’ grandmother has seen.

She pats my thigh, placing everything back in its neat little box as I leave the house. I turn back toward the window where my great aunt Daisy is looking at me with an eerie look to her eye.

Instead of reading into it, I continue my walk back to my home, mulling over everything my grandmother said as my phone vibrates in my pocket.

When I pull it out, I roll my eyes. Before Silas left my home, he said he should have his wife’s number. I disagreed, but unfortunately it made too much sense.

“What?” I say as I pick up the phone.

“I need you on the pack lands, now,” he says, and it sounds like there’s a ton of commotion in the background.

“Number fucking one, witches aren’t allowed on pack lands, second why the hell would I?”

“You’re a healer right, you’ve made an oath to serve and protect?”

“That’s human doctors,” I say with a roll of my eyes. “You need to stop watching so much television.”

“Violet,” he says my name like a plea. “I have a mother and a pup who might die if I don’t get some help here soon.”

“Don’t you have your own medical professionals?” I ask.

“We do, but this is beyond them. Please, Violet.”

It’s the word please, maybe accompanied by the story that my grandmother just told me that rip at my heart.

“Can you go outside?” I tell him.

“What? Violet, we don’t have time for this.”

“Just go outside, it’s more dangerous if I teleport into a building. But I recognize your signature enough that I can teleport right to you and then that way I don’t need to drive into pack territory and get there faster.”

“I’ll be right back, I’m getting help,” Silas says, a door clicks, and he’s breathing heavily on the phone. “Okay, I’m outside,” he says.

I place the phone back into my pocket and let this pesky magical tether that ties us guide me to where I need to go. With a deep inhale, I pop into existence and right into Silas Walker’s arms. I don’t dwell on how he effortlessly carries me, or how firm his grip is under my thighs and around my waist.

“Thank fuck,” he says, not putting me down and dragging me toward a small wooden cabin.

It’s a dark wood, with no Halloween decor whatsoever, which is disheartening. But when he opens the door, there’s a woman screaming on his dining room table.

“A witch? No!” the woman shrieks and then cries out in pain.

“She’s the only one who can help you right now. Do you want to save your baby?”

“What does it matter?” the woman cries out.

I point to the woman and then arch my brow at Silas.

“It’s not mine. It’s the previous Alpha’s. He skipped town and now it seems the baby shifted in the womb.”

My mouth gapes open. “That can happen?”

“I’ve only heard rumors, old wives’ tales. Most shifters don’t shift until they’re five, unless their wolf is being suppressed.”

“I can’t do this,” the woman cries.

I pull out my wand and she shifts back. “I’m not going to hurt you. What’s your name?”

“Paige,” she says softly, sniffling.

“Okay, Paige. I’m going to run a diagnostic on you and the baby. I’ve delivered five babies so far, well, and one human in the Wal-Mart parking lot.”

“Great,” she sniffles as the front door opens and I look back, noticing it’s Jonas.

We haven’t even formally spoken. He was always quiet at Mander’s; we weren’t close. Especially not the way he was with Silas, maybe I had some resentment when Silas chose to hangout with Jonas instead of me.

He doesn’t greet me at all.

Instead, his mouth gapes open as he stares down at the sweaty woman in pain.

“My mate,” he whispers, and it’s almost instantaneous as some of the fear leaves her and she looks back at Jonas.

“It can’t be,” she says with a gasp.

Jonas, clearly never having met this woman before, places a cool rag on her forehead and holds her hand, before his eyes turn on me.

“You will fix my mate, now, witch,” he says.

“Watch your tone,” Silas says, putting a hand on my shoulder. Jonas immediately slightly bows, obeying his Alpha as he goes back to consoling the woman he just met who is apparently his mate, which is important?

There’s clearly a lot about the wolves that we don’t understand.

“Everyone, just be quiet,” I say, holding my wand to her stomach and watching as the bright glow of two diagnostics show before me.

The wolves in the room look on with amazement, not able to read anything. Jonas puts a hand on her stomach and I glance over at them. They literally just met. How can he care for her so instantaneously?

The baby’s vitals change at his touch. When Jonas moves his hand, the vitals falter.

“Keep your hand on her stomach. He likes it,” I say.

“He?” Paige asks with tears in her eyes.

Jonas tears up as well, even though it’s evident this child isn’t his. What the fuck is happening?

I try not to focus on everything going on around me and I don’t even answer Paige as I glance at the image of the baby in the womb. Sure fucking enough, it’s a goddamn wolf pup in her stomach.

“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself, not thinking.

“What’s wrong?” Paige asks.

“Sorry, just never seen a wolf in an ultrasound before. He’s shifted and I’m worried he might scratch or harm you if we don’t get him out soon.”

“You need to keep her safe,” Jonas says, his eyes glowing with a bit of silver. Ah, that must be his wolf, Hyde.

I direct Silas and Jonas to procure everything I need for a natural birth, or otherwise, as I figure out how I’m going to get this wolf to shift back into a human form. Then it becomes so clear what will work.

Silas is folding a stack of towels and I grab him by the wrist. He looks at me with worried eyes and I fear I may like him more than I can admit. He cares about this woman, maybe because she’s pack, or because now we know she’s Jonas’ mate. Either way, this man cares about their wellbeing so much that he would risk having me, a witch, here to help.

“I need you to command the baby to shift,” I tell him and he looks down at where our skin is touching.

I drag him over to Paige and place both of our hands on her stomach. Jonas makes a sound of complaint, but it slowly disappears as I channel Silas through me to the unborn child.

“What do I do?” he whispers.

“You need to command him as his pack Alpha to shift. You just have to think it, not out loud,” I say.

Silas takes a deep breath and I channel all his thoughts to the baby. It takes some convincing, the unborn shifter is clearly stubborn as fuck, distressed as hell. I wonder if wolf shifter babies feed energy off their mothers like witches do.

But it eventually pays off, the baby shifting, and Paige screams when it happens. Even though I’m panicked, I do what I’ve been taught and I bring a crying twelve pound, six-ounce wolf shifter into the world crying in what sounds like a howl.