The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 105: Chapter 105

NOAH
Freya and Mathias looked at each other, something unspoken passed between them, and I could tell that whatever had crossed Freya’s mind was grim. A dimple formed between her brows, and her shoulders tensed in a bowed position.
My mind railed back to the pack, to what Maddie was doing right now, this exact moment that I was consulting a witch about another witch, because apparently the werewolf bullshit we had going on wasn’t enough— we had to include another species that I knew nothing about and had no clue how to fight, except for the Belladonna mixture I carried. That’s it, that’s all I’ve got. If she’s somehow immune to that, I’m fucked.
I pinched the bridge of my nose to stop myself from thinking about it, it, and everything else going on, and come back to the moment.
“Will someone speak?” I seethed.
Freya whipped her head around and looked astonishingly between Malania and me.
“For a witch to pull a stunt like that on a vessel’s wolf, they have to be either really powerful and secure in their magic, or—”
Another silence. I was sick of the silences. Just spill it!
“Or what?”
Freya flinched, and Mathias took a step to shield her.
“Or it’s someone who practices dark magic. Magic so dark it hasn’t been felt or seen in over a decade. We’re servants of nature, and many years ago, the wind whispered a warning of dark magic being used outside of the borders of nature. Many were afraid to step near it, unwilling to do what needed to be done. But ultimately, she fell to her own greed.”
Outside the borders of nature. On barren land where grass and trees wouldn’t dare to grow. Where the magic of nature held no power.
“She had forsaken everything that was good in her; the light vanished with a flick of her finger, and she gave herself to the shadows. What followed was gruesome, and her stories were buried a long time ago, never to be uprooted,” Freya continued. “Until now.”
I looked at Mathias only to see him already staring knowingly into my eyes. That must’ve been the witch my father helped him with. Mathias bowed his head in answer to a question I hadn’t asked.
“When my dad killed the witch,” I said, and stepped closer. Seeing the fear in Freya’s eyes humanized her. Knowing she could tremble and shrink in the power of another was assuring, and I could tell that she wasn’t a threat. Not to us, at least.
“How did you find her?” I asked.
It wasn’t he who answered, and a picture was being painted in front of my eyes— the way that Freya’s face held a constant softness, her thin, straight lips and the almond-shaped eyes.
The details were small but they were there.
“My mom helped track her down, and then your pack performed the biggest favour that nature has seen.”
“And who was she to you?” I looked at Mathias, needing him to answer now. I needed him to verify my suspicions.
A pit in my stomach grew and discomfort fell like a rock into the hole.
“She was my wife,” he said softly, the memory of her evident in his eyes.
“Oh,” Malania looked at Freya. Maybe if I hadn’t been so preoccupied with wondering if she’d kill us on the spot, I would’ve seen the resemblance sooner.
“You’re his daughter.” Freya’s hair covered half her face when she nodded, and it suddenly made a lot more sense why he had this barn filled with magical shit and why he was wary to call her for help. This place wasn’t Mathias, it wasn’t some crazy obsession. It belonged to his daughter— and I’m guessing to his wife when she was alive.
“Does that mean you’re half werewolf?” Malania asked. Good question. What mutation are we dealing with here?
“No, I only got the witch gene,” she grinned.
It took a moment to let everything sink in. I mean, it’s not every day you hear that a werewolf and a witch shacked up, but to find out they were married and had a kid? Don’t think there are any recorded instances of that. It was a somber topic, because Mathias’ wife died years ago in a conflict with rogues. It was never told that they had a daughter— I’m guessing to protect her from eyes and ears that may not be cheerful to hear about the interspecies relationship.
How did people not react when his wife never shifted?
I had so many questions, but all of them paled in comparison to the one at the top of the list.
“The dark witch you’re talking about was killed a long time ago. Did she teach anyone? Or have any children?”
Freya shook her head.
“Not that I know of. I’ll do my best to help you find her.”
“And that is all she will do for you,” Mathias rushed out the words and stamped them shut.
“Of course, we’ll take it from there.”
Freya’s chest rose, her shoulders slumped, and she cocked her head.
“To find her, I have to connect with your-” she paused for a beat. “Friend,” she said through a shadowed smirk. A gentle one. She knew Maddie wasn’t a friend, but she was playing along. Nobody knew what Maddie was to me. Neither did I, for that matter; due to the whole wolf-mess, I wasn’t sure if we were mates. All I knew, and it was unequivocally the truth, etched into my bones, was that Maddie was everything to me.
“I’ll take you to her.”