Fie Wright's P. O. V
Althea raises her eyes from me, the pleasant grin on her face turning into a slight frown as she scans the door behind me with a shake of her head. It's almost as if she's trying to listen to something that she knows is already there.
I am one second away from asking the woman what exactly is the matter but then stop as something clicks in my head and I feel the faintest blush creeping up onto my neck.
I guess you can't really fool a witch now, can you?
Locking eyes with Althea once more, she dips her head in a deep nod just as the familiar glances from me to her with a guarded look settled deep in its eyes. I watch the way the witch deftly runs a hand through the fox's soft orange hair and I'm almost tempted myself to reach out and pet at it.
I would if I wasn't worried about the animal snapping my fingers off in one fell swoop. No matter how talented a Mage Malleus is, I don't think even he's that good to restitch my fingers and get them working back to their full capacity.
"You may tell him to come inside." Althea says in a rather serious tone, her face slipping the sunny smile off, but not getting any bit hostile. Simply watching me with deep regard. I clear my throat and try my best not to look sheepish or caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
I need to learn to act unaffected when things like this happen. It won't work out well for me to act like a deer caught in the headlights whenever I'm slightly thrown off my game.
'You heard her.' I throw wryly at Malleus. The man not even bothered with his lack of stealth as he barges into the room, kitten cradled in his arms and only slightly offsetting the stern appearance that he has on his face. Althea's once calm facade is now thrown out the window. The sight of the fur ball in my mate's arms causing her eyes to grow to the size of saucers as she vehemently shakes her head. The fox deftly slips out of her lap and settles its body in front of her, posing itself low to the ground and ready to attack at a moments notice while its master clings to the chair for dear life, her legs propped up beneath her on the soft cushioning almost as if I just shouted;
The floor is lava.
"Don't worry. She's just a kitten. She's harmless I swear." I try my best to calm the woman down, coaxing her to relax with soothing words as the look of alarm slowly fades away.
Glancing at Malleus, I throw him a look which practically says 'get that kitten out of here' but he takes no heed. Not taking any chances with a potentially vindictive witch who could light us up into flames at any moment. But I don't think it's fair to play with her emotions like that. She genuinely looks like the kitten could smite her ass instead of it being the opposite way around.
"She's with Malleus, don't worry. I won't let her come near you." I say softly, to which she nods, slowly starting to sit back in her position.
"We made an agreement," Malleus chimes in, taking a seat next to me while still cradling Sushi. "We want to know about the black magic in the forest. Remember what we said before you came with us. I upheld my end of the deal. Now it's your turn. Please." He ends after a swift nudge in the ribs from my side.
It doesn't count a single penny to be polite.
Althea makes an odd noise and I go to ask her if she could repeat herself but then realise she never really spoke at all. The odd noise she made indicating her Familiar to come to her, almost as if the animal was some sort of comfort mechanism for her. As soon as the Familiar settles into the witches's arms, she regains her lopsided smile and her eyes go back to holding the weird spark they previously held.
"I know of the black magic in the forest," the witch starts out with a firm nod of her head. "In fact, it was my mother who is the cause behind it." Tilting my head to the side, I scoot subconsciously closer to my mate as his free hand comes to clasp at my own, just as I pipe up.
"Why would your mother do something like that? Did she have a personal motive with someone? This isn't only affecting one person in particular but its sporadic, clinging to people at random." I barely realise how I'm rambling until I catch myself about to vomit out some more words, what Malleus said before about me rambling now latching onto me.
Althea ponders over my words, processing what I said, and then speaks up after a few moments of silence. "I can't really tell you the motive behind my mother's actions although I would if I could."
"Why can't you tell us?" Malleus asks with a raise of his brow and I can already tell he thinks this is just some witch's ploy to protect her mother.
Althea doesn't seem particularly phased as she lets out a giggle, tilting her head to the side as her black hair frames her face. "Isn't it obvious? Silly me, I thought it was common knowledge. I forget only witches know of these things. My mother killed herself." The grin tugging at her lips offset her words completely and only now do I feel like I'm the presence of someone who could be partially unhinged.
"A witch has to be strong to cast such a spell. Black magic deteriorates the user's health immensely and the more powerful the magic, the worse the side effects are. Considering the depth of the magic used and how it's still in effect, I'd say this is what took the life out of here." She muses with puckered brows, almost as if she's considering the possibility.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." I say somewhat awkwardly, never knowing how to console another person, especially when it consists of a personal loss.
Althea doesn't seem to take my words to heart as she casually waves her hand through the air. "No worries. I wasn't really a fan of hers. She kicked me out of the coven so she was dead to me ages ago."
Malleus and I blink up at the woman, unsure what else to say at her words. What do you even say to someone who gets kicked out of something like a coven? I'm sure it's equivalent to a wolf getting thrown out of a pack and essentially becoming a rouge, not that rouge's are bad of course. We don't automatically disbar stray wolves and brand them with a title that some connote to negativity.
"May I ask why she kicked you out?" My mate asks slowly from behind while I squeeze his hand, not in a show of support but just enjoying the way the sparks erupt into a frenzy at the added pressure.
I could almost sigh in content.
Althea nods her head actively, showing us she doesn't mind any sort of prying. I could almost call her an open book, but it's going to take a bit more of poking and prodding before we can trust her entirely, even though I've already warmed to the somewhat quirky woman.
"My mother was the head of the coven and considering I was her daughter, it was supposed to go to me once I got a proper hold of my powers, but that woman was as psychotic if there ever was one. She didn't want me to take over her position. She didn't want anyone to, so she made an example out of me. Put a false blame onto me and then exiled me with threats of stripping me of my powers if I ever came back. She had her way for a good few years but then she performed that spell, trying to show off most likely in order to not let the other coven members try to get rid of her." Althea pauses with a wistful look on her face and I would have ended up apologising, but considering the relationship she has with her mother, I don't think she'd take too kindly to me looking at her mother in good light.
"Little good it did her because she ended up killing herself instead. Karma." Althea ends with a slight grin on her face while I scoot back just a tad, getting closer to Malleus and the safety of Cleo Catra.
"We need a plan," Malleus says after a moment of silence, unsure what to say to her previous words and so diverting her attention to something else, "That magic needs to be dealt with immediately. First Fie's previous Luna was affected, then Fie herself and now a few other wolves who still haven't recovered fully and are in the regaining their energy as we speak. Even the wildlife in the forest is deteriorating at a fast pace." The concern on Althea's face is inherently apparent and after a second or two of consideration, she nods her head.
"I assume our agreement still stands?" She asks once more, getting a curt nod from Malleus.
I bite down on my tongue, trying to reign in my curiosity as to the so-called arrangement. I'll be completely honest and admit that a green little monster rears its head as well, not liking that Malleus and this woman share a secret that I don't know a thing about.
"You will have a place to stay even within this very castle if you so wish."
Oh, that's it?
'Yes. Now stop getting jealous.' Malleus' words in my brain have me grumbling under my breath. I really am that transparent, huh?
Althea takes in a deep breath, looking down at the fox calmly watching us all as we converse.
"Very well. I will request permission for the rest of my coven to come. We can do it near the outskirts of the forest if you wish for it to not happen to close to the city. I would do it on my own but I fear if this magic took the life of my mother, it won't be easy for just me to do." She explains, but I find myself picking at something in her words, not sure if it's a lie she just got caught in or there is something I'm missing.
"Coven? Didn't you say you were kicked out of it?" I question while absent-mindedly playing with my kitten's soft fur.
"Oh yes, but now that my mother has died, I am once more the rightful heir to be the head witch. I was actually in the middle of talking it out with my previous members when Malleus and the other wolves came into our territory." I nod, letting up on my subtle interrogation.
Malleus sighs and gets up after another moment, to which I follow along just as quickly. "I cannot allow all your coven to come this close to my city and my mate for security reasons. I will allow two more members at max and they will have to go through a screening as well as yourself by my Head Mage. I am sure you understand." Althea nods quickly, getting up herself as she scoots to the other end of the room with her next few steps, eyeing RuPaw in case she needed to get away as quickly as possible.
"Of course. I understand. Will tomorrow at dawn be okay? I would like to sort this matter out as soon as possible, just as much as you do." Althea rebuts. Malleus and Althea exchange a few more words before we're leaving the room and putting distance between the feline and the fox.
Malleus intertwines our fingers as we make our way down the hall, pulling me closer into him as he holds the kitten with his other hand, her not giving a single care in the world as she lays outstretched and watches the people passing by us.
"What would you like to do now? I'm all yours for the rest of the day." Malleus says to me while my head whips up in excitement, eager to spend all my time with him.
I ponder my mate's words for a few seconds before realising what I'd like to do.
"How about we go for a run with our wolves? It's been a while." I say, already excited at the thought of running for miles with my mate since the last time we ran was back at my Pack. Before Malleus can reply to me however, I frown when I realise he's been walking nonstop to get to Althea and I'm sure he'd much rather enjoy a relaxing day instead of running about even more.
Malleus pulls us down another hallway as he nods in agreement without giving me a chance to offer up something else, "That sounds nice actually. My wolf would probably like to stretch his legs out for a bit since we didn't get to run in wolf form this time. Let's drop this one off and then we can head out." He says to which I nod, happy he seems into the plan as much as I am.
We stop at Ezra's room, depositing the kitten into an eager Ezra's hand and an attentive Rui who assures us she'll feed the kitten and also keep an eye on her own mate in case he gets too out of hand.
"Let's go," Malleus mutters as we make our way down to the lower levels of the castle so we can exit through the gardens. I already have a place in mind. "I have one condition though." Malleus announces as we step into one of the gardens that's more forest than tamed lawns.
"What's that?" I ask, already going to agree to his demands as I slip off my shirt, ignoring the way his blue eyes darken even further at the sight of my bra clad chest.
"We get to take a bath together." He murmurs but he doesn't seem all that into the thought as he was a few moments ago, watching with keen eyes as I undress myself further.
"Get to shifting." I say with a huff, enjoying the starved look in his eyes while I channel my wolf forwards. My mate complies just as I lower myself onto all fours, my wolf taking over as easily as breathing.
This time I'm the one subjugated to what my mate was moments prior. My wolf practically drooling at the way his abs tense with his ministrations, each muscle flexing with every layer of clothing that he discards. I have to physically pry my eyes away from him as his hands drop to his boxers, a knowing smile on his lips as he begins to shift.
A wet nose prodding at my snout has me opening my eyes as I sit up, admiring the large frame of his wolf which dwarfs mine in comparison. I stay in place since I already know what's going to happen, watching as Malleus whines repeatedly while rubbing his wolf's scent onto every bit he can manage to reach while I take the moment to do the same.
Another swift prodding at my lower back now has me straightening up as my snout latches onto my clothing and I lower myself down a bit before sprinting away as fast as I can. Malleus easily follows me, the only sound being the heavy smacking of our paws against the harsh ground and the wind whistling into my ears. I know Malleus thinks we're running without a destination in mind but that's far from the truth for me as I take up the lead, eager to take me to where I've been only once before.
It's not like I can rely solely on my memory but I try and figure it out as much as I can, somewhat knowing I'm going on the right direction as my nose stays close to the ground and scenting the entire forest around us. A familiar path soon emerges and I can tell Malleus has caught on as he makes a strange sound in the back of his throat but this spurs me on even faster.
Soon enough the gentle sway of water reaches my ears and I feel pent up excitement. The area holding significance to me and my wolf as I slowly come to a pause as the twig filled forest ground now opens up into mud strewn and pebble filled ground that stretches out till it touches the lake in front of us.
Jogging the short distance, I discard the clothes a safe distance away while Malleus trots up behind me with a sharp look in his eyes.
'How come you chose this place?' Malleus asks in intrigue as he comes to sit besides me, the water lapping at my paws as I dip them into the lake.
'It's where you had your first kiss, virgin.' My wolf let's out a throaty laugh to which Malleus' let's out a huff, turning his big head towards me and pinning me with his one eye.
'It was your first kiss too my Queen. Don't you forget that.' The tone in his voice has me huffing in faux discontent. My cavalier attitude not slipping by the wolf as he jumps onto me before I can even react, pinning me down with his paws.
'Shift.' I don't question his words for a single second, my body distorting and rearranging itself just as Malleus flips us over while shifting into his own form so that I'm not laying down on jagged stones and pointy pebbles, instead I'm chest to chest with my gorgeous mate as he grins down at me.
"This feels very familiar." I say with a goofy smile, the memory of heat one of absolute pain and exhaustion but still being apparent to me in a fond light after the moments we shared together.
Malleus raises a hand to smoothen my hair back, his other hand dangerously resting on the small of my back as I try not to think too hard about it.
"I love you." Malleus whispers to me softly, the two of us in our own little bubble as I lean down and place a soft kiss to his lips, nuzzling his nose with my own before I let out a sigh of bliss.
"I love you too, wolfie." My nickname doesn't appease him as he lets out a huff, deciding I'm not worth the conversation as he starts kissing my neck and over to my mark instead. I nearly convulse at the pleasure that shoots through my nerves like an electric shock. Shaking my head, I try my hardest to clear my lust driven brain but when I glance down at my mate I can tell he's in no better a state than I am.
Threading my hands through his thick hair, I lean down till my lips caress the shell of his ear although I know for a fact we're far away from both prying eyes and ears.
"No one can see or hear us here can they?" I ask nonetheless.
Malleus shakes his head, unable to speak as his breathing gets heavy. Clearing his throat, both his hands tighten around my waist this time.
"None. No one. There's a privacy field all around this area." He says in a voice that's deeper than usual.
I decide I'll pester him with questions later about this 'privacy field' since I have more important things on my mind.
"Good." I say with a nod as I sit up, straddling him while he raises a brow.
I can tell Malleus has been controlling himself ever since that moment in the shower, desperately wanting to take things further but worried about his wolf. This time however, I grin up at him as I slowly move, knowing this won't work up his wolf enough but will do wonders.
"I'm just returning the favour." Is all I say, enjoying the way Malleus' eyes light up in intrigue.
——————
AN: I did it once and I did it again hehe. How do you like the chapter? To your liking I hope.
How would you feel if there wasn't any sort of big action scene or hardly any action scene at all? I'm not saying there won't be but I'm just asking you know? 👀
Question: Would you rather have seven fingers on each hand or have seven toes on each foot?
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