Alpha...

Josephine's

Conan-

I hadn't visited Josephine since my father died but the familiar smell of the salty sea hung in the air as it always had done. That and her awful herbal tea she insisted I take for my health. Even Jenna's face seemed to have screwed into a subtitle expression of disgust. Though I couldn't be sure that expression was wholly to blame for the tea.

"Relax" I whispered in her ear, noting the stiffness in her shoulders. She'd been like it all morning and the night before, her body rigid with stress and worry. I was concerned about what would happen to Jenna if Rowan did turn out like the majority of her predecessors before her. She'd disappear into that shell she'd built herself again.

I took Jenna's hand regardless of the disgruntled expression on her face and squeezed lightly. I'd been concerned at first that Jenna would never get use to my touch but after her birthday it became abundantly clear that my touch did as much for her as hers did for me, a lot. Of course without the mating push Jenna had begun to fall back it to the same routine of avoiding physical contact.

Something I didn't think I could handle to well, although it didn't take much coaxing from me to get her to forget her hang ups she still seemed to have over me. The more worrying problem at hand seemed to be that she still had them at all.

"how are you Jenna?" Josephine asked, sliding over some sugar and stirring her tea thoughtfully as she assessed Jenna carefully.

Jenna shifted uncomfortably and gave Josephine a tight lipped smile. "I didn't think we were here for me"

Josephine smiled politely "No but you'll have a very big part to play in Rowans life and I need to know if you're ready for the challenge"

"I'd do anything for Rowan" Jenna replied in a heartbeat, for some reason it filled me with pride. She was strong, I would never have thought it when I first saw in my office, thin and shaky.

"Well that's a good start" Josephine replied well naturedly. "Are you both familiar with the story of  Edwinna and Morganna?"

Jenna nodded and I replied with a firm 'yes'. When mother had died my father had often asked Josephine to look after me and she'd told me the story many times.

"The story is at best a theatrical representation of the true story. I'm afraid Morganna wasn't nearly as sweet as she was portrayed in the story.  She did however have an affinity for the earth and she was an incredibly powerful witch. The story tries to inform us of where our magic stemmed from and we believe it has a very close connection to the balance of the earth. Ying and yang. good and evil. Witches are blessed with the power to manipulate the forces around them and they can use this for both good and evil for example Morganna restored the forest to its former beauty but she also cursed her sisters bloodline. We are keepers, if you will guardians of the natural balance but Morgannas curse has reverberated throughout the ages and tainted the balance of good. Are you both still following?"

Jenna nodded her head and peered thoughtfully into her tea. I nodded. "You are guardians of nature?"

"Witches are the guardians of life and natural power, yes." She nodded taking a long sip of her own steaming tea.

"If the curse reverberated surely you would be affected and if you are guardians of natural power then why was she able to cast the curse in the first place?" Jenna said promptly, her hand tightening infentesmly.

Josephine smiled sadly and glanced at me. "Yes, Morganna's curse runs through my veins but over the years the power of her curse has begun to wane, I've exercised great restraint over the years. As for the how... well you're guess is as good as mine really. She was powerful, she controlled a vast amount of will and magic, anyone given that amount of power could dish it out as they please"