Page 1 of Bewitchingly Hers
prologue
BARRETT
Icould smell her.My mate.
She was close.
Dragging my body towards the town, a fizzle of magic ran over me as I crossed through a magical barrier. Meant to keep non-magical beingsout.Discomfort shuddered through me. Like everything waswrong.It scraped against my skin, over every cut and bite. I let out a howl with the limited strength I had left.
All I knew is I needed to get to her. That she could fix me, somehow. My body was tired, and losing stamina fast. I couldn’t put weight on my back leg. My limbs ached, and my fur was matted in blood. Some of it mine, some of it from the creature that attacked me.
The barriers between our world andotherswere growing weaker, letting beings in between the cracks. Beings that had no place here among the humans. Not that they knew we were here. We’d ensured that for centuries, thanks to wards enacted to keep evil beings away. My town was shielded, much like this place. Ifit wasn’t for my job, I wouldn’t even know about them. Wouldn’t know about the creatures I fought to eradicate or the beings I sought to protect.
Every moment, every circumstance, every experience had brought me here. To mymate. Even the thought felt impossible, but I could feel her presence here.
How was this possible? I didn’t understandhowmy mate was here. A whine slipped free from my throat as I put more weight on my front paws, heading deeper into the town.
Pleasant Grove,the sign read.
I knew she was here—her sweet scent drew me to her. Yet everything around me smelled wrong. Gods, I’d never imagined this.Witches.
For us, mates were sacred. Finding yours, keeping them, that meant something to us. Would she even understand what we were?
I needed to see her. To scent her fully. To know my mate. To hold her in my arms and—what? I was broken. Damaged. In no shape to claim what was mine.
My wolf gave another whimper, knowing we couldn’t have our mate. Not in this state. I wanted to shift back, but he wouldn’t let me. He knew these wounds would be worse for me than him.
Raising my snout, I sniffed at the air, catching the scent of stale coffee and baked goods. But there was that underlying sweet scent, too. Like apples and cinnamon. Closing my eyes, I inhaled.
Yes. Find our mate,my wolf urged.She will help us.Would she? I could only hope.
The trail took me to a back alley, behind the coffee shop. It was stronger here, but there was no one in sight. The sun was disappearing into the sky, and soon it would be dark.
If the creature came after me again, tonight, I wouldn’t survive another attack. I could only hope that the town wards would be enough to keepitout.
I whimpered again, dropping onto my paws and staring towards the door.Where was she?
If this was the end, I just wanted to see her once. My mate—couldn’t she sense me, too? I couldn’t wait to find what color her coat was. To run with her in the forest. To learn why she was here, in this town of strange smells and witches.
Please,I begged, letting out a weak howl.My mate.
That was my last thought as the world faded to black.
CHAPTER ONE
eryne
Awolf’s howl distracted me from my peaceful contentment of watching as the sun drifted lower in the sky. It painted Pleasant Grove in the most beautiful orange and yellow hues, making it hard to look away. I’d always loved fall here—the nip in the air, the leaves crunching under foot—but our sunsets were something else entirely in New England. It made me wish I could curl up on my porch swing with a blanket and a cup of hot apple cider as I watched the explosion of color in the sky.
Maybe one day. I sighed, turning back to the empty storefront. It was the end of the day at the Witches’ Brew, the coffee shop and bakery I managed. We’d already closed for the night, and there were only a few things I had left to do before I could head home. There was a box of apple turnovers I’d stashed away earlier—they were my favorite—sitting in a box on the counter, waiting to go home with me.
My broom sat in the corner, since I’d already finished sweeping the floor, and the trash was emptied, the large black bag sitting by the door to take outside to the dumpster. Mostof the employees didn’t want to close, though I didn’t mind the busy work, since it left me a lot of time alone with my thoughts.
As an only child, I was used to that. I’d grown up having to entertain myself, and I’d never even joined a coven. Despite all the invitations from my best friends, I was happy alone.
At least, that was what I told myself.
Most of the time, it was true.
