My Long Lost Mate

Despite the smile decorating the woman's face, Luke only scowled at her appearance. 

"Maggie," he sneered. "What are you doing here?"

"What a warm welcome coming from you, Alpha Luke." The woman laughed at Luke's displeasure, lolling her head back. "As you can see, I'm only here to collect a few blue flowers for my needs. No need to be so tense." She raised her basket, showing us the blue flowers gathered inside.

She's... she's a witch, isn't she? Luke told me that the only ones who could touch the blue flowers without getting poisoned were the witches, and so he asked a witch to plant those poisonous flowers around his manor to prevent unwanted visitors. What is a witch doing here? 

It was my first time meeting a witch, though I didn't know which kind of witch was the one before me right now. Based on the stories I've heard about witches, I've always thought a witch would look hideous, but this witch—she's far from hideous. Her skin was pale as snow, her hair dark as the night—and so were her eyes. She was wearing a normal brown-colored dress, her long dark curls tied messily into a bun on her head. 

She was beautiful and as normal as any other woman I'd seen. Without the blue flowers on her hands, I wouldn't even be able to tell if she was a witch. 

But that still didn't answer my question. Why is a witch here? She was supposed to hide if she didn't want to be dragged to the stake, but here she was, roaming around in broad daylight without any fear of the stake. Perhaps Luke was a bit on the lenient side with the witches?

I frowned at the thought. 

What if—what if she's friends with that Greta, and she's here for me? No, no. That wouldn't be possible, as she said herself that she was only here for the flowers. Relax. She didn't seem to hold any danger, and Luke also didn't seem wary of her—though he did seem very displeased with her presence. 

Her eyes, which lingered on Luke, suddenly turned to me. She raised one of her brows at the sight of me, a smile reappearing on her lips. "Would you mind introducing me to the young lady standing next to you, Alpha Luke?"

"Yes," he flat-out refused her, unamused. "There's more harm than good in you knowing her."

"How you sadden me," she cried out, but her expression didn't seem to be what she'd said. Her expression told me that she was intrigued by something—by me. She continued to scrutinize me, her eyes going up and down and up again. 

Luke, noticing my growing uneasiness from her stare, pulled me by my hand and started to walk away from the witch. "Please return to your home once you're done." 

"Is she—is she the girl from the cave? Your mate?"

Luke glanced back with a huff. "What if she is, and what if she is not? It's none of your business, is it?"

"If not, then it's fine, but if yes—" she raised her hand to her mouth, hiding her laughter, "—it would truly be hilarious." 

"And might you tell me what's hilarious about it?" Luke frowned, and I couldn't help but follow. Was she passing judgment on me?

"So she is your mate?" She gasped, the amusement clear on her face. "I thought you hated witches, but here you are holding a witch in your hand. Perhaps that hatred of yours has finally—"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Luke cut her off, glaring at the witch. 

What? What exactly is she on about? Was she accusing me of being a witch? That's complete nonsense. I've never heard of such gibberish in my entire existence. She must have gone mad from touching all these blue flowers. 

"Oh, my. Please forgive me." She put her palm to her mouth, lightly slapping her lips as if she had just made a slip of the tongue. "Are you perhaps keeping it a secret from him?" she asked, turning to me.

"W-what secret are you talking about?" I asked, baffled.

Maggie remained composed in the face of my bewilderment, shrugging her shoulders casually and saying, "The secret of you being a witch, of course." 

The air around me still, and the birds were chirping gleefully as if they were gossiping about whatever was going on right here. Despite the nonsense, Luke tightened his grip on my hand and listened to the witch.

"That's rubbish!" I retaliated, enraged by her accusation. "Why am I a witch?" 

"And why are you not a witch?" She frowned. "I'm only saying you're a witch because you're obviously one."

Luke, who had remained quiet for some time, finally opened his mouth. "Are you telling the truth? Is it true that she's a witch?" 

Maggie's frown only deepened when she realized we both had no idea about this matter. "Are you saying that neither of you knew she was a witch? Even you yourself?" She pointed at me. Seeing the confusion on both our faces, she chuckled. "How... fascinating. No wonder there's something a little odd about you." 

Am I really... a witch? How come I'm a witch? She's got to be cracking jokes! I'm certain of it. I've never had any supernatural—or, should I say, magical abilities. I was always... human. There's no way that I'm a witch. It's impossible.

"I'm not a witch. I'm a human." I remarked, and she cackled. "It's true! I don't have the thing you witches have! I don't have magic in me!"

"Then why don't you prove it yourself?" She raised her basket, offering me the blue flowers inside. "I'm sure you'll have no issue touching these flowers."

My attention was drawn to the blue flowers, again feeling compelled to reach out and touch them. I—I don't want to trust her. I don't want to believe that I'm a witch. Witches are... evil. I don't want to be one of them—no, I'm not one of them.

I wanted to prove her wrong. 

I reached out my hand, allowing the urge to touch them to control me. For the first time, I wished to be poisoned by those flowers—because I'm a human. 

"No," Luke caught my hand. "There's no telling if she's telling the truth or not. Should she lie, there's no antidote to the poison—you'll die. I'm not going to take the chance." 

Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes in response to our doubts. "So this is the extent to which you have placed your faith in me? I must say, it's quite superficial. I'm deeply offended."

"Because you're not the type to be trusted," Luke said as he drew me away from the flowers and the witch. 

She chuckled when she heard it and quickly agreed. "True. But why would I deceive you? It doesn't do me any good. I'm merely saying what I see. As you may know, only fellow witches can recognize their own kin."

We fell silent, either trying to make sense of what she'd just said or trying to refute. I found the latter to be more suitable for me. 

"Well," Maggie clasped her hands, smiling. "Feel free to come and find me when you finally decide to put greater faith in my words. Good to see you here, little sister." She winked at me, then turned on her heels to return to the depths of the forest.

I frowned at the way she addressed me. 

She came uninvited, then leave as a storm. She'd made a great mess of my mind, instilling in me the dread and fear of sharing a kinship with her. 

What would happen to me if I turned out to be a witch? Would there be more danger in store for me? I—I didn't want to be burned at stake. I've grown up hearing about witches and their evil deeds, but what would I do if I were the wicked witch from the tale? 

"Violet, calm down." Luke turned me to face him, his hands cupping my cheeks. "We have yet to know if she was telling the truth, okay? She could be lying, and she does that a lot."

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize that my body was trembling—trembling with the fear of being a witch. I couldn't be a witch. Maggie must be lying. 

"But what if—what if she's telling the truth? Then what will happen to me? What will happen to you... to us?" I avoided his gaze, looking down at my feet. 

Witches were practically everyone's sworn enemy; they were hunted down, slaughtered, and reviled. If I was indeed a witch, having me as their Luna would be disastrous for Luke and the pack—no, for the whole werewolves kind. 

"Then nothing, Violet." He raised my chin for me to meet his eyes, staring deep into me as if ȧssuring me that my fear was better unfounded. "Whether you're a witch or not, you are still you. Nothing will ever change that, and nothing is going to change between us either."

I didn't answer him, my fear still clouding my thoughts. The idea of being a witch was so terrifying to me that I couldn't bear to consider whether or not it was true. It couldn't be true. Luke then rested his forehead against mine, breathing out more words of ȧssurance for me to hear.

"Whatever happens, Violet, you're staying with me—because you're forever my Luna."