"Daddy?" Aria called from the backseat.
"Yes?" I answered, looking in the rearview mirror.
"Are there any parks in Cedar Falls?" she asked, staring out the car window as we drove through the small town.
"I'm sure there are but we can ask Uncle John when we get there."
Aria nodded and then coughed. Her pale skin looked even paler in the early morning light. It had all started just over two years ago. I'd noticed that Aria wasn't behaving like other lively young pups her age. She was quiet and lethargic most of the time.
Her mother, my mate, would wave my concern off saying she was just shy. Then the witches attacked. It had come as a complete surprise since my former pack had no quarrel with anyone let alone a witch clan.
It was during the attack that I learned of my mate's betrayal. My mate, Millie, had planned the attack for the main purpose of killing me. She'd fallen in love with the dark witch's high priest. However, being bonded with me meant they couldn't be together.
She'd also been poisoning our child 'a merciful slow painless death' she had described it as. It had sickened me that I had given up on finding my fated mate to be with her out of love.
Luckily, we had managed to fight them off but it had weakened us, our Alpha had given his life to end the battle for good. Those that survived the attack tried to recover but it wasn't the same, there were only a few alpha's who could have taken the leader role but we were all reeling. Everyone slowly started to move away over the following years.
I myself was too concerned about the health of my daughter. Every doctor that I took Aria to, had no idea what was poisoning her. They tried many treatments but nothing worked. In the end, I had to resign myself to the fact I might lose my daughter.
My Uncle had reached out and started asking me to move to his pack. At first, I'd resisted not wanting to trouble Aria with the effort of moving but as the pack dwindled down I knew I should.
So, here I was driving up the long drive to his home. My Uncle's house was on the outskirts of town and surrounded by the lush forests that lead onto the surrounding mountains.
It felt peaceful to smell the damp leaves and wet earth after the long drive. I hoped that it would help Aria in some way too.
"Are we here?" she asked.
"Yes my love, we are," I told her as I parked up.
My Uncle greeted us as I carried Aria up the stairs. He showed us to her room and I instantly laid her down and told her to take a nap.
"She is a beauty," my Uncle smiled.
"Yes she is, but she's getting weaker," I sighed.
He led me to his office and poured me a drink as I took a seat.
"Doesn't any doctor know what she is sick with?" he asked as he passed me the drink.
"They have no fucking clue, all they could come up with was some type of magical poisoning that leaves no trace. A young doctor suggested asking a witch to heal her."
My blood boiled at that suggestion. Why would I trust a witch with something as precious as my daughter after that attack? I'd bitten that doctor's head off. I apologised later on because I feared that he could be right.
"Well, I may have a solution but you need to be open-minded about it."
I stared at him with wide eyes and a small hopeful pang started to beat in my heart.
"We have a healer in our pack," he started. "A man I took in many years ago."
"A healer?" I asked sceptically.
"Yeah, he's amazing and I have no doubt he could heal little Aria."
"What aren't you telling me?" I asked.
He avoided my gaze and I was about to question it when a strange scent hit me. It was a mixture of oranges and a summer breeze all in one. It excited my wolf instantly but I couldn't answer why. There was something else too, something familiar.
It was only when the door to his office creaked open that it hit me. A witch, there was a witch nearby. My body immediately tensed as I realised that the entrancing scent was coming from the witch.
My wolf was bouncing around in my chest, urging me forward. He was yapping and running around as if he'd found his fated mate.
My heart thudded as my eyes widened at the thought. My fated mate? This male witch was my fated mate? What was the Goddess thinking?
I ordered my wolf to calm down and he whined at being silenced. My eyes steeled as I turned to face the newcomer. His scent was proving to be a distraction but I forced myself to remain calm.
A small man with dark eyes and short dark hair walked in. His pale skin highlighted his features making him a very stunning man.
I shook my head inwardly to stop myself from going there. I've never been attracted to men and I wasn't going to start with this male witch. No matter what my wolf or the goddess wanted.
My anger towards this witch seeped through me and he flinched and took a step back. I growled in warning and he instantly shrunk away in fear, leaving the room very quickly.
"Liam," my Uncle sighed.
With the scent gone, my head cleared and my wolf whined. He wasn't happy with me and instantly slunk away deep into my mind.