My Long Lost Mate

"Luke, about yesterday—the village—what will you do about it?" I questioned him, blowing hot breath into my free hand in an attempt to warm it up. We were outside of the manor, taking a little stroll in the snow-covered field. "There is definitely something strange about it."

"I know," he stopped walking, taking my other hand in his to warm it with his heat. "I've already sent someone there. He should be back tomorrow—or two days at most."

"What do you think happened to those people? They looked... inhuman."

"My best guess would be witchery," he said, rubbing his thumbs on both of my hands and gently squeezing them. "Actually—that's my only guess. There's nothing else that could possibly turn humans into something like that."

But why? A few ideas came to mind, but none of them were worthy of being called the answer. None were fitting enough. 

Luke took notice of the questioning look on my face and said, "Witches are often wicked creatures, and they will go to any length to achieve their goals. This village must be a part of whatever they're up to, and we need to find out what it is. Any plan of a witch is never a good thing to us."

"Do you think this was done by the same witch who was after me?"

"Most likely," we resumed our trek, our hands entwined inside the warmth of his coat pocket. "But there could be more. What was her name again?"

"Greta."  It was an unfamiliar name—a faceless name.

"Ah, yes. Greta," he repeated. "Not only is she after you, but she's also the one who—most likely—turned the village into such a shambles. All the more reason to find her, no?"

"I think—I think we should return to the church," the words left my mouth as a hitch, a pang of regret immediately washed over me. Though I hated to be there, we needed to search for whatever things we failed to find yesterday.

"Are you sure you want to go back there again? I can go—"

"Yes." I didn't want to leave him to handle this on his own, especially since it involved me. At the very least, I wanted to help, even if only a little. I didn't want to be stuck at home doing nothing when he could be out there risking his life.

He sighed in defeat, knowing that I wouldn't want to change my mind. "Okay."

We were surrounded by stillness as we continued our stroll, both of our gazes fixed on the snow dancing in the light. The weather grew colder, piercing my bones and turning my nose red from the cold. With every exhale, my breath would appear as a tiny cloud in the air, and so did Luke's. 

The silence between us was comfortable and not the kind that was suffocating to bear, allowing both of our minds to be preoccupied with our own thoughts for some time. 

I couldn't help but worry if I was involved in the witches' scheme. I've never known a witch in my whole life, so why would they need me to be in their plan? Furthermore, this no longer only involved me. It involved more lives than one, the village. 

The more we learn about the village, the more likely we are to find the witch.

"Why do you think the witch is after me?" My voice appeared to be more strained than I'd expected, causing Luke to stop to look at me.

He must have noticed my fear, the fear of repeating the same thing all over again. I'd been imprisoned in my father's underground room, then the rogues' cave, and now this... I can't even bear to think about it.

Perhaps I've grown too accustomed to the comfort he always gave me that I'm afraid of losing it.

He grabbed my shoulders and swung me around to face him. "I'm not sure why, but I'll never let them take you from me—not again. I'd been foolish to let my guard down and caused the rogues to take you away from me, but that'll never happen again. No one, not even your father, will ever be able to take you from me. I'll protect you, I promise." 

His red eyes were determined. His rage from the previous kidnapping didn't seem to have subsided—even with the rogues all dead. 

"It seems that I've found myself such a dependable mate," I chuckled, tiptoeing to brush his hair clear of the falling snow. "Hearing you say that makes me feel better."

Despite my attempts to lighten the mood, Luke didn't seem to want the same thing. He looked down at me with what seemed like a hurt expression on his face, then drew me into his embrace. 

"My little rabbit," he called, sighing and ċȧrėssing my hair. "I'm so sorry for all that you've been through. Whenever I think about it, I—I feel like shit. I should've protected you better, and I should've met you sooner. You wouldn't have to suffer so much if so. I'm so sorry—it's all my fault."

I jerked away from his embrace, disbelief creeping in. "Why is it your fault? All the things that happen are never your fault. It's my fault for having such... such shitty luck."

"But you're in danger because of me," he deadpanned. "The rogues, the witches, they're all probably after you because you're my mate. While you're my strength, Violet, you're, at the same time, my weakness. I wanted you to feel safe, away from—"   

"You gave me more safety than danger, Luke." I looked at him dead in his eyes, exploring all the emotions that were visible in them. "I've never felt so safe as when I'm around you. I've always lived my life in danger, Luke. And for the first time, you gave me the safety that I've always sought, so please—please don't say that this is your fault."

He opened his mouth to respond but then shut it again. Seeing it, I pulled him into another embrace, leaning my head on his ċhėst. 

"Truthfully, you gave me more than just my safety—you gave me my happiness. I'm happy that I'm here with you, Luke," I hugged him tighter, "What do you think will happen to me if I didn't meet you that night?"

"Which night?"

"The night you saved me from my father."

A few moments went by in silence before he said, "You'll probably still be in that wretched house, and I'll probably still be looking for you. I don't even want to imagine that happening." 

"Exactly," my voice came out almost a whisper, but I smiled regardless. "You saved me from my greatest danger, Luke, so don't ever feel guilty about all the things that happened because I know everything happens for a reason—even the bad things." 

"Okay," he exhaled his breath, planting a soft kiss on top of my head. "I'm glad you're here with me—despite the danger, despite everything." 

"As I am."

He pushed me away slightly and looked down at me, smiling as he did so. He flicked my nose softly and said, "Come on, it's freezing. We should hurry inside before your nose turned any redder."

I quickly agreed, nodding my head vehemently as I broke away from him. When we distanced away, his warmth dissipated, and the cold crept in, leading me to wrap my arms around my body in search of more warmth.

As we walked back to our manor, I noticed a blue light coming from the forest, catching my attention amongst the coldness on my body. I noticed the urge to go closer to the light, the urge to find the source. 

My eyes roamed to find the source, only to find the blue flower I'd once almost touched. Among the trees, among the snow, there stood one blue flower—strong and beautiful. It was still as beautiful as I'd remembered it and still as enchanting as ever. 

"Violet," Luke called, quickly catching my hand to stop me from going. As if hypnotized, I snapped away and regained my focus to stop myself from giving in to the urge. When I came to my sense, I'd walked towards the flower, hand reaching out. "You're bewitched."

I retreated my hand as the realization of what I was trying to do dawned on me. The blue flower had bewitched me yet again, and Luke had been the one to stop me each time.

"I—sorry," I chuckled, scratching my head sheepishly. This time, the urge was too strong, and if Luke hadn't called me, I wouldn't have realized I'd been walking towards it. 

He flicked my forehead softly, reminding me of the danger once more. "It's highly poisonous, so be sure to push the urge away whenever you come across this flower, okay?"

"Yes, sir," I saluted him, and he laughed it off as he dragged me back to the manor. 

Before we could walk away from the flower, a shadow appeared from behind it, plucking the blue flower off the ground. Upon plucking, the shadow walked out of the forest, and under the sunlight, the shadow turned into a figure of a woman with long black curls, a basket full of blue flowers on her hands. 

"What a pleasant surprise during the day, Alpha Luke," she clasped her hands, a smile decorating her lips as she said so.