Chapter 1
I glanced over my shoulder into the foggy forest, wondering if I’d really heard something behind me or not. Surely, one of Ronan’s guards was out and about, following me to make sure I didn’t leave the property. But I knew I had nearly ten more miles before I’d reach the closest border of the property. Even still, the border line wasn’t my goal.
I turned back around, pulling the hood of my cape up to keep my hair dry from the dense fog. Walking through the forest by myself, or at the very least, with Ronan’s bodyguards out of sight, was the most freedom I was allowed anymore. And I took advantage of that fact as often as I was allowed to get away with it.
Pushing back a tree branch, I smiled, seeing my clearing. I’d stumbled upon it one day while out for a stroll and had deemed it my spot. Ronan gave me the peace to do my rituals, since he knew the majority of them were for him.
Today’s ritual though, had absolutely nothing to do with him, and for that, I would take extra care.
I set my basket down and pulled my altar cloth out, a two foot black square with a pentacle in the middle. I kneeled on the altar cloth and held my arms out to my side, closing my eyes. I took a few deep breaths, connecting to the Earth. Once I felt my energy buzzing, I smiled and stood up. As I picked my tools and ingredients out of the basket, I held them for a moment, clearing their energy before setting them off to the side.
I closed my eyes, feeling the magic humming within me and cast my circle. Opening my eyes, I started by lighting a stick of incense and a candle, wafting the smoke through the area. I laid out my little cast iron cauldron filled with salt and my dedications to Cohrena, Goddess is Justice and the Forest.
The Goddess Cohrena had come to me in a dream, telling me she could help me with my situation. And even though I felt hopeless, I reached out to her. She had made herself my Matron Goddess and she was vigilant in protecting me. My situation had greatly improved after she’d taken to me.
And so, I made sure to go out of my way as often as possible to make sure she knew I was grateful, which is why I sat in my favorite clearing.
I sat down my handmade wand, made from a fallen branch from the clearing. I took another breath, grounding myself once more and making sure my circle was strong. The energy around me buzzed and I smiled, turning my face up to the foggy clearing.
“Blessed mother, my surest salvation, please hear my prayer. Fill me with your power and bless my life with your light and wisdom. Guide my hand, so that I may do your will and protect my being from those who wish to harm me. I request this of you, o’ hallowed protector of life. Provide me with your earthly warmth and protect me, so shall it be.” I prayed, feeling the magic pop and cackle around me as it built inside of me.
“I devote this homemade honey bread and these apples from mine own garden as an offering, my Goddess. If this pleases you, please let the wind blow and if my offering doesn’t meet your standards, please send rain.” I asked of her, as I always did.
And as she always replied, a very gentle breeze caressed my face and made me smile.
“This offering I so give, greatest Goddess, in your most holy name.” I spoke, taking the small garden trowel from the basket and digging a hole big enough for the bread and apples. When I did rituals for Ronan, they were to bloody Gods for bloody reasons that demanded sacrifices that made my skin crawl. But Cohrena had never asked me to dirty my hands past digging a small hole, which is why she was my favorite Goddess.
Once the apples and bread were in the hole, I covered it back up with dirt. I took hold of my wand and took a deep breath, slowly waving it back and forth over the hole. “Fine foraminis.”
The earth slowly knit itself back together and the grass slowly sprouted, covering all evidence that I had ever been here. I smiled to myself, silently thanking the Earth for accepting my offering. I took a deep breath and closed my circle, imagining the Earth still filling me with her energy.
Slowly and deliberately, I gathered my items and put them back in the basket, covering the items with my altar cloth.
“Took ya long enough.”
Wyatt Banks was Ronan’s Sergeant at Arms, the leader of the guards. I’d felt him moving closer, but thankfully, he waited until I had completely packed my things up and ended the ritual before showing himself. He knew better though.
“What brings you so far from the castle, Banks?” I asked, already feeling exhausted in his presence. His violent nature oozed out of his pores and made my stomach turn.
“You know exactly what brings me so far from the castle, witch.” He told me, his eyes dragging across me so hard, he might as well have done it with his claws out.
My blood ran cold and I clenched and unclenched my jaw before speaking. “You will not lay a finger on me in my ritual space.” It wasn’t a question; it was an order.
“She’s right, Wyatt. Her ritual space is hers only.” Ronan spoke loudly, stepping out from behind a tree. He’d obviously covered his scent, as Banks gulped and stepped back, bowing his head to his Alpha.
“Forgive me, Alpha. I meant no disrespect.”
“You are only allowed the witch when I command it. Is that clear?” Ronan snapped and I stepped back from both of them.
Banks dipped his head, showing respect to his Alpha. “Forgive me. The mistake will not happen again.” He said, taking slow steps back.
“You are dismissed. I’ll return her to the Manor.” Ronan said, before turning his back on Banks, who glared the whole way out of the clearing. “Have you finished your ritual?”
I sighed. “Of course.”
He nodded, giving me a bit of a side eye. “And what did you pray for today?”
“Is it any of your business when I pray for myself?” I asked him quietly, knowing he wanted to know every spell I cast and every prayer I spoke.
He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me against him. His grip on my arm was tight enough that I could feel every finger and I knew I would be bruised tomorrow. “Yes,” He growled. “It is.”
I clenched my jaw to keep from calling out in pain. I knew how much he liked seeing me in pain. “I prayed for light and wisdom.” I told him through clenched teeth, knowing he wouldn’t let me go until I told him, or he’d beat it out of me.
He smirked, roughly letting me go. “Always praying to be a better person, as if your Goddess cares about your wellbeing.”
Well, I had to hope somebody did…
“We are going hunting tonight. Will you pray for a fruitful and safe hunt for us?” He asked, even though I had no choice.
“Of course.” I said quietly, moving out of the clearing, heading towards the Manor.
“Will you let me listen?” He asked.
I sighed. “You listen to all of my prayers.” I told him pointedly.
“From the other side of the door, since you won’t ever let me in the room.” Ronan corrected.
He was always looking for the source of my power, but I’d never tell him I had learned it long before I had been in his possession. He was under the impression that magic was imprinted on my soul, hoping if he was near while I practiced that it’d soak into him like water in the desert.
“I don’t allow participants.” I told him simply.
“What if I don’t give you the choice?” He smirked evilly.
You don’t usually… I thought to myself. “It won’t work the same and you know that.” Actually, he didn’t know that, but I’d been telling him that for the last few years in hopes of turning him off from being in the room.
“Maybe I’ll make it better.” He suggested as we walked.
I stayed quiet. Arguing with him never got me anything except bruised. His word was law, regardless of if it was the smart thing to do or not. He just liked the word Alpha in front of his name so he could boss around the pack and they couldn’t do anything about it.
Having to walk so closely with him back to the Manor was nerve wracking. He could potentially lose his mind at any single moment, throwing me into a tree, or choking me until I couldn’t breathe any more.
Suddenly, I picked up a different smell, angling towards us. I wasn’t wolf; I couldn’t define each wolves smell by themselves. But after living with the pack for so long, I knew the wolves did have a smell that humans didn’t. One of the pack wolves was getting closer until Conrad appeared out of the brush. Conrad was the pack’s Beta, the second in command more or less. It seemed to be a lot on the lesser side lately though.
“Ronan, the Witch Morgana.” Conrad said, ducking his head to both of us. I wasn’t the Luna by any means, but the majority of the pack gave me respect that could’ve possibly rivaled it; mostly because they were too scared of Ronan to not give me respect.
“Conrad, how are things?” He asked coming to an abrupt stop for his Beta.
Conrad nodded, holding his hands behind his back. “Good, we’re getting situated for tonight’s hunt. Theo wanted to know if the Witch Morgana needed anything special for your prayer.” He said, glancing at me. His eye contact never lingered the way the other council member’s did and I wished I had the ability to tell him how much it meant to me.
I wasn’t allowed to speak to the council members unless Ronan gave his okay. So when he nodded, I turned to Conrad. “I have run out of Rosemary since my most recent prayer.”
He nodded. “Fresh or dried, my witch?”
“Whichever you can get your hands on, either will work fine.” I told him.
He nodded again. “I will have it in your hands within the hour.”
“Is there anything else you need?” Ronan asked, his tone clipped.
Conrad shook his head, not fazed at all by Ronan’s tone. “No, my Alpha.”
“Then you are excused. Leave the Witch and I to our walk.” Ronan said, venom in his voice that seemingly came from nowhere.
“Of course, my Alpha.” Conrad said with a nod, ducking back through the brush to disappear.
“He wants you.” Ronan growled.
“And what of it?” I asked. Half the pack wanted me and the other half had already had me. It made no difference to me.
“If he doesn’t keep his desires to himself, I’ll remove his ability to mate with anyone.” Ronan growled. “You should know better and keep to yourself.”
Ronan made no sense to me. He’d forced half the councilors on me as torture for when I’d done wrong against him because one of his favorite things was seeing me in pain, but yet, here he was angry at the thought his Beta wanted me? What did it matter, Beta or not? The only things he used me for was sex and spells.
“Why is it my fault if he wants the same thing you give everyone else?” I bit out.
His hand landed across my face, knocking me into a tree. I tasted blood and did my best not to glare at him as he visibly tried to reel in his wolf. I knew how easy it was for him to go wolf without even thinking about it. The more often you changed, the easier it was to slip into and harder it was to slip out of. The fact he tried to reel it in at all was amazing.
“You are mine, do you understand?” He said slowly.
I nodded, watching him carefully.
“You do as I say. You fuck who I say. Or you suffer.” He told me pointedly, before giving me one last warning look and heading back in the direction of the Manor.
