The Alpha’s Mate Who Cried Wolf

Chapter 78

I’m wrapped in Magnus’s arms when I wake up. ‘Please tell me today isn’t today?’ he murmurs.

‘All right, Magnus, today isn’t today,’ I grin.

‘Er, it’s really today, isn’t it?’

‘The day the wolf council’s three-boofhead alphas return to tell us whether they support or oppose the

witches staying here and what they plan to do if they oppose it?’

‘Yeah

that day.

Look, I’m sure they’ve come to their senses and realised that allowing witches into our pack is a

wonderful thing now that they’ve had some time to think about it.’

I guess I’ll spend the day with your father to see if our warriors are prepared as a precautionary

measure,’ he says.

‘Sure, I’ll spend the day in the basement with the other witches until the wolf council arrives.’

Immediately after breakfast, the witches head downstairs.

*Can I come to watch you all make potions?’ Josie asks.

‘Sure,’ I smile. May and Josie walk with me down to the basement.

‘So, have we figured out what potion we are making today?’ I smile.

Everyone shakes their heads.

‘We couldn’t agree on one,’ Fern says.

I walk over to my book of potions and flick through the pages.

Resistance to heat, Resistance to the cold, breathe underwater, Swiftness, Deadly nightshade,

Wolfsbane, Elixir of Truth, Elixir of Fire, fertility, Ooh elixir of the dead sounds interesting?’ I say.

Fern, Ria, Ela and Lilac all gasp.

*Luna, you can’t choose the elixir of the dead. It’s far too dangerous,’ Fern warns. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Fern is correct. ‘Drinking the potion allows you to see ghosts, and poltergeists can injure you if you

encounter one, Ela explains.

“Oh, well, how about we practice some new spells then?’ I say, placing the book of potions down.

Suddenly an idea hits me. “We

should all go the town library to the forbidden room,’ I say, pulling the key up from around my neck.

“What’s in the forbidden room?’ Lilac asks.

‘Spell books and lots of them and other interesting items that must be hundreds of years old.’

Everyone looks at each other with a nod and smiles.

‘Let’s go,’ Ria says

We arrive at the library I lead them to the back room with the locked door and use my key to open it.

Then, pulling my wand out! flick the tip, and it lights up. Fern and Ela flick their wands up, too,

‘Illuminate,’ I say, lighting up the whole room.

Woah!’ They all say ‘Luna, do you even know what this room is?’ Fern asks.

“Yeah, it’s the forbidden room. It’s been locked for hundreds of years, so no one could access any of

the books as magic was never allowed.’

Luna, this room isn’t just to lock books away. This table isn’uust a table. It’s an altar. This room is a

secret witches’ study and an ancient one

Ooh, really?’

‘I believe Fern is correct, take a look at all of this, and these volumes are centuries-old’ Ela replies as

she rolls one of the scrolls out onto the alter, ‘Even these scrolls appear ancient.’ ‘This is a gateway

spell to access the Realm of Shadows, she exclaims. It’s the home of vampires. It’s also where Alec,

the Vampire King, has his fortress.’

‘These aren’t ordinary spells, Luna. As she reads the titles on the other scrolls, Lilac exclaims, “No

witch, wizard, or mage even knows how to cast half of what’s in this room.”

There is a burlap sack in the corner of the handle of an old broom made from a branch, the bristles

made from sticks. I take the burlap sack over my shoulder and place a couple of books and as many

scrolls as possible carefully inside the bag.

“We should take as much as we can back home,’I say.

‘Luna, there are a lot of spells in here that are quite harmful. Maybe we should leave them? They are

locked in here for a reason,’ Ela says

‘Ela is right,’ Reaper mind-links.

I take the scroll Ela had rolled out on the alter, tie the red ribbon back around it, and place it in my bag.

‘It’s fine. I’m just going to take some of it and read it. I won’t need to actually cast any of them,’ I

reassure them all.

I take the gleaming athame with the black handle and silver inscriptions, and they grimace at each

other. The knife has a blue gem at the bottom, and the blade is silver at first, then purple, and finally

black at the tip. There is a black leather sheath near it. I place it in the sheath and tuck it into my belt.

Reaper flies over my shoulder and snatches a book from one of the bookcases. Then he flies back

over to me, drops it in my hands, and lands on my shoulder again.

If you’re going to start collecting magical weapons, you need to learn about them at the very least to

keep yourself safe.’ Mind links Reaper, I fix my gaze on the book I’m holding.

I read aloud, ‘A Witches, Wizards, and Mage’s Guide to Weapons, then nod at Reaper and stuff it into

my burlap bag.

I grab the Quill sitting in a vat of black ink, go to the bear corner of the room, and draw a circle with a

star inside. No stones. | think with my hands on my hips and look at the old stone wall with small

crumbling parts. I collect five crumpled rocks and place them at the tip of each star point.

*There, now we have a permanent port to get here,’ I smile. ‘Let’s go back home. Yiselda and the wolf

council will be arriving

soon.

1 step into the circle, thinking of home and appear by the bonfire near the packhouse. Then, the others

appear behind me, and we return to the packhouse.

instead of joining the girls upstairs, I go to my room, sit on my bed, and open the burlap bag.

While I start reading the book on weaponry, Reaper sits on the window ledge and looks out.

My mind wanders back to Alec, and for some reason, I want to see him again. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous,

Nina,’I say. Reaper turns to stare at me

“Did you know that talking to oneself is a classic sign of insanity?’ Reaper mind-links.

‘Yeah, yeah,” say, waving my hand towards him. I probably am insane?’

“Why would you think that?’ he asks

“When I’m not thinking of Magnus, I’m thinking of the Vampire King. There has to be something wrong

with me?’ I reasoned.

Reaper stares at me silently as if analysing me, and the silent looking starts to creep me out, so I return

my focus to the book of weaponry

There are odd-shaped stalls with various gem forms atop them, wands with multiple patterns and

jewels, Chakrams, charms, and jewellery Finally, I’ve progressed to knives and athames. I scroll

through the pages and find the identical athame I had discovered in the forbidden room. Magnus has

come home before I get an opportunity to read it

“Nina?’ he exclaims. I put the book down, puuit back in my bag, and dash downstairs. Reaper follows. I

leap into Magnus’ arms

and kiss him on the lips. Electrifying sparks fly through my body every time he touches me, and I can’t

get enough of him. He cradles my face in his hands. He says.

I love you.

‘I love you, too,’ I say with a smile.