"Yes it's me. Have you ever heard of knocking?" She asked pulling a sheet from the bed and covering herself with it.
"This is my house. I don't need permission to enter"
Celeste didn't miss the way his eyes had turned a deep shade of amber "Can't argue with that" she told him holding the sheet close to her chest. Amber eyes followed her movements making her inwardly sigh. He was a man after all, she couldn't expect him not to be interested. The look Caspian was giving her couldn't be described as anything other than lust. He had a mate, Isolde, who was beautiful, kind and generous but his eyes still wandered. She didn't know what to think of him "So, the clothes? Can I borrow something from Isolde? Or another woman?"
"Evan"
"Sir yes sir" the other man he'd come with replied, sarcasm lacing his voice. He left and Celeste expected Caspian to follow him but he didn't. He stood at the door, as if rooted in place.
"I know werewolves aren't shy when it comes to being naked but I'm not one of you so I'd appreciate it if you left or wait outside until I'm dressed"
"My house my rules" he snarled even though it wasn't necessary "What are you?"
"You know what I am. A witch"
"You're more than a witch. You smell of something else but I don't know what it is"
"I've heard that a lot" her mother had always told her she was special but she hadn't explained why therefore she was as confused as he was. Her life would have been so much easier if she knew just how special she was. She'd tried to find out what she was but had come up empty. The world they were living in only had information about werewolves, witches, vampires and humans. There was nothing about what she might be. The plan was to explore other worlds and try to collect information but that bitch Dalila had derailed her.
"Cut the crap Celeste. I don't take well to liars"
"I'm not lying. Honestly I don't know what I am"
He took a step forward, his nostrils flaring in anger. Celeste guessed he was trying to intimidate her by invading her space. She didn't mind him being so close. There was nothing he could do to her because she was quick. Years of being alone had taught her a few tricks she could use to incapacitate him in the blink of an eye. But he didn't know that so she let him think she was scared "Then do you want to explain why you were a child yesterday and a... a woman today?"
"It was because of a spell. People see a child and they want to protect her. They see a grown woman and immediately think of ways to use her. Get what I mean?"
"You used a spell to get my sympathy?"
"You have to agree that if I'd shown up looking like this then all the other Alphas would have killed me. No questions asked" she didn't know about him but werewolves were known to be rash and unreasonable, especially towards witches.
"Okay. Get dressed then get out of my territory before I rip you to shreds"
Damn that spell. Why had it worn off so fast? If she was still a child, Caspian wouldn't be so quick to throw her out. Aside from not having a place to stay, that bitch Dalila together with her henchman Marmon were still looking for her. She could take them out but her mother had warned her against using her powers on others who were weaker than her. If she couldn't convince Caspian to let her stay, then she would eventually end up in the hands of those two again. All they did was drain her blood and used it for God knew what. She didn't want to go back. For their own good, of course, because this time she wouldn't sit put.
"I have nowhere to go"
"How about you go back to where you came from?"
"I wasn't lying when I said a woman had kidnapped me. Just like you, she was curious to know what I was so she spent years taking my blood and using it to create spells. I can't let her lock me up again, she's so evil"
"Am I supposed to believe that?"
"I'm not a bad person Caspian. The only reason I left my home was so I could look for my mother. Otherwise I never would have showed my face to this ugly world" a tear flowed down her cheek. Celeste swiped at it, angry that she'd opened up to a stranger. He didn't need to know anything about her life but she needed him to let her stay. Just for a while until she'd recharged.
Escaping from Dalila hadn't been easy. She'd had to use a lot of her strength in order to break the spell surrounding the house. If she hadn't bumped into that man who'd saved her, Dalila would have definitely caught up with her. He had cast a spell that helped her hide for years but it had worn off, exposing her again. Turning herself into a child had only worked for a day. She was exhausted and needed a safe place to stay for only a few days then she would be out of his hair.
"You're a witch" he growled low, sniffing her "Witches aren't to be trusted"
"I haven't done anything to break your trust. Please let me stay" she begged. It occurred to her that she was ready to do anything he asked as long as he didn't kick her out. Caspian wrinkled his nose then moved even closer, burying his face on her neck. Celeste stood still as he sniffed her over and over again. After a few minutes had passed, his proximity started to make her uncomfortable. She didn't know wolves smelled so good. Woodsy, masculine, heady. Without realizing it, she moved her head to the side, baring her neck to him. The feeling of something warm and sharp snapped her out of her trance. She jumped back, the sheet slipped out of her fingers but she didn't dare try to pull it back up. Not when the man standing in front of her was fighting his wolf.
His face and hands kept changing from wolf to man in a matter of seconds. Caspian's wolf wanted to come out but he was resisting it. Celeste didn't know if that was something that happened often or not but since he didn't want to change, she decided to help him. Raising her hand, a wobbly, emerald flash of particles appeared on her palm. She slapped it on his left shoulder,
"A spell to stop you from changing. It will only last an hour"
"Thank you" he muttered breathing heavily.
"Mind explaining what that was?"
"It was nothing. I'll tell Isolde to show you around and explain how things work around here"
"Does that mean I can stay?"
"A month"
She forgot she was naked and launched herself at him but his hand shot out, pushing her back the way he'd pushed his friend earlier. Celeste landed on the bed with a thud
"Ow..."
"Don't push my limit" he said spinning around. She watched as he left the room, banging the door close on his way out, only to open it a second later and throw a ball of clothes towards her. Since he'd just allowed her to stay, she refrained from throwing a litany of curses at him. Dressing quickly, Celeste left the room, following the delicious scents of food. They led her to the dining room where a dozen pairs of eyes followed her movements. There were murmurs asking who she was and why she was there but she ignored them and went straight to where Isolde was sitting.
"Hi"
"You..."
"Celeste. Changes happened overnight" she answered.
"You were just.... I see. A spell?"
She was smarter than her mate "More or less. I noticed you guys weren't eating. Are you done already?"
"We can't start without the Alpha. Number one rule"
"Where is he? I'm kind of hungry. Can I take the food and eat elsewhere?"
"The nerve" someone said "She just got here and already thinks she can change the rules" Celeste raised her head, looking for the person who'd said that. A woman with red hair glared at her "You should leave. This isn't a place for skanks like you"
"Let me guess, a witch shoved a stick up your ass or something" she retorted giving her a once-over. Aside from her bright hair, nothing about her was worth a second look.
"You don't want to mess with me. I can snap your neck in the blink of an eye"
"Look at me shaking in my boots" Celeste said yawning. Partly because she was hungry and partly to show the red head she wasn't scared of her. When she decided to stay, she knew a lot of the wolves wouldn't welcome her. But even though she'd prepared herself, this woman's instant dislike made her a little sad. She was hoping to stay out of their way so they wouldn't think she was a nuisance and ask Caspian to kick her out.
"Let's take this outside so I can show you what real fear is about"
Celeste opened her mouth to accept the challenge but someone spoke before she could "Now, now Morgana, that's no way to treat a guest" chairs scraped back and everybody stood up. Caspian waved them off as he made his way to the seat at the head of the table.
"Alpha, she..."
"Let's eat. I'm sure everyone has things to do" the woman -Morgana, sat back down huffing. The rest snickered and all too soon Celeste was forgotten. She noticed all the chairs in the room were filled so she made her way to the kitchen. The open plan design allowed her to be in the same space with everyone but still manage to be alone behind the kitchen counter. Getting herself a cup of coffee, she leaned on the marble top and studied them. Research indicated that wolves didn't like being alone. It was rare to find a lone wolf. Even rogues formed their own packs.
She wondered how different her life could have been if she'd been as a werewolf. For starters, she wouldn't have grown up alone and that bitch Dalila would have never kept her hostage for so long. She envied everyone in that room, envied their closeness and the bond they shared. How nice would it be if she also had friends? Or someone she could rely on?
"A penny for your thoughts?" Someone whispered in her ear, startling her. She turned to find it was the man Caspian had been with when he came to her room earlier "I'm Evan. Beta of the Prime Howlers and the person who wants to know why you're really here"
Plastering a sweet smile on her face she replied "Hi Evan. I'm Celeste. The person who doesn't feel like telling you anything because she doesn't know you"
"Well, good thing I'm not interested in getting to know you either Celeste. How soon do you think you can leave?"
"As soon as the urge to leave hits me. I swear I'll be out of your hair then"
He snarled, baring his fangs at her "Whatever your plans are, just know you won't accomplish them. I will be keeping my eyes on you, witch"
"I like you Evan. Our minds work the same" she sipped her coffee before adding "Speaking of spying on each other, care to tell me where you sneaked off to last night?" At that his eyes changed to a deep grey.
"Do not threaten me young girl"
"Oops, I guess I wasn't supposed to see that?" Patting his shoulder, she said "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me"
"Is there a problem?" Caspian asked walking towards them. Judging from the way Evan tensed, Celeste figured she really wasn't supposed to see Evan sneaking out.
"No, we're getting to know each other. I figured I could make a few friends while I was here. Right Evan?"
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Fun fact. Celeste is here to turn the Prime Howlers upside down. In a fun way of course.
Thoughts?