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Love Rose x
"I think they are spells."
"Eve?" I break away from my thoughts and turn to Kate who was watching me with a scrunched up expression on her face.
"Are you alright? You look distracted." I could sense the worry in her voice.
I just shake my head and force a smile. "Do not tell anyone about this." Zac's stern voice replayed in my head and I couldn't forget the way his body had trembled and his eyes clouded over when he had seen my birthmark. I knew he was serious when he told me to keep this a secret and for once I didn't want to disobey him.
"Oh I'm fine, I'm just worried about Zac." I whisper, turning my attention back out of the window.
Only an hour after he had seen my mark, he had gathered a few of his guards, including Jayden, and they had left before daybreak- for what Zac never told me. He was acting so suspicious and it had made me so nervous and on edge.
I still remember the hurry he was in, pulling on a new change of clothes, despite the fact he was still injured, and mindlinking his men to be ready
outside. He had tried his best to not scare me, but his rushed movements and worried eyes sparked in me a great deal of dread.
"Where are you going?" I had asked, clutching his hand, fully aware that it was dark outside and he had only just come back from fighting hunters.
Zac turned to me, looking me straight in the eyes. It was the first time he had done so, ever since he had made the sudden announcement that the mark I had on my body since birth was not actually a birthmark but in fact spells.
"I'll be back before you know it." he said once again making me bubble in fury. Not again, he can't just say these words and then leave me behind to worry about him.
"Zac, please..." I pleaded, tightening my hand around his, hoping that he could see the sincerity in my eyes. I didn't want to be alone again.
His eyes softened and just when I thought he was going to listen to me, he leaned forward and kissed my hair.
"You'll be fine." He said, "I'll make sure you're fine."
And then he left and now hours later I was still waiting for him to come back.
★★
"Oh Eve, don't worry." Kate tried to ease my mind, "It's probably the hunters again, he'll be back before you know it."
I wanted to scream. Why was it that just like her brother, Kate thought those words would make me feel comforted, because it bloody well doesn't! In fact it just makes me more scared and makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep.
I breath in a deep breath and calm myself.
"I need something to keep myself occupied," I say to Kate, desperate to keep myself distracted from my thoughts.
"Ah ha!" Kate smirks, pointing a finger in the air, "that's actually the exact reason why I came to find you."
Her overly ecstatic voice made my insides squirm.
"Everyone is super excited to get to know you more." She explains. Oh dear. "And with my brothers birthday coming up soon, some of the pack members are putting together a party and as Luna and his mate, they all want you to come and help."
I raised an eyebrow, "It's Zac's birthday?" I ask.
Kate nods, "Yeah in a week." A week? That's so close. Why didn't I know about this?
"Is it bad that I didn't know that?" I ask sticking my bottom lip out to the side. Surely as his mate I should have known this detail.
"Oh don't stress about it." Kate shrugs, linking her arm through mine and leading me down to the main hall.
★★
Before we even stepped into the room, everyone was already standing up and as I walked in, they all bowed low.
I was used to people bowing when I was with Zac, because I always assumed they were bowing to him. But now I realised they were also paying respect to me and it felt unnatural.
"Luna!" I heard someone call and I turned to see Kiera, Zac's aunt, running towards me, her sparkly heels tapping against the floor.
"Oh I'm so glad you made it," she squealed in my ear, practically shoving Kate away from me, "I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about your own mates birthday." Her laugh was obnoxious and I pushed down the growing urge to punch her in her pretty face.
I faked laughed with her, knowing better than to tell her I hadn't even known his birthday was so close.
"Oh how could I forget." I smile, internally throwing daggers at the woman. I turn away quickly, surveying the rest of the room, where everyone else was standing around politely. I noticed some familiar faces from last night and made my way towards them, sparking up small conversations as I made my way around.
So far it was a pleasant experience and I was made to feel comfortable by everyone. It was still unnerving to be called 'Luna' and despite the politeness I recieved, I could still tell people had their guards up around me. From the discussions we were having it was obvious that Zac's birthday party was going to be extravagant.
My attention turned to the corner of the room where a bunch of children were sat around playing games and their laughter and playfulness intrigued me and I politely excused myself from the table I was sitting at and made my way slowly towards the children.
I stopped abruptly when I noticed two familiar looking looking faces in the crowd.
Oh my god.
The two children turn to me, oh please God no, I think, when i see the flash of recognition on their little faces.
"It's that human!" The boy, Danny, shouts and I feel my cheeks flush when I get flashbacks of the day I was corned by these two kids and a part of me had genuinely thought I was going to die.
"Shut up Danny!" his sister shoved her brother, "that's our Luna!" she yelled and I felt a slight relief in my chest. Thank God, surely they wouldn't dare to hurt their beloved Luna.
The girls exclamation made all the other children pause and turn to me and after a few seconds they all bowed.
I smiled at the sight. It was just so cute.
"Hi everyone." I greet and they all smile back, some of the younger ones with their toothless grins.
"Hi Luna!" They all shouted back in unison. I was about to tell them they could call me Eve, but then decided not to bother. I had tried to get their parents to address me by name but they had all looked at me as if I had suggested we go and strangle little kittens.
"What are you all doing?" I ask and that was enough for all of them to shout out in excitement and practically drag me around showing me eagerly what all of them had been up to.
Only twenty minutes later and I was completely exhausted, yet part of me craved to do it all again. I had missed this part of my childhood- having fun and playing around with other kids. That's probably why I had so much fun with the children, it was as if my inner child has taken over.
I sighed as I sat down finally, watching with a smile as the children continued to play. My eyes trailed over each and everyone before finally landing on two kids that were trying to hide away in the corner.
I could tell straight away who they were from their blonde and brown heads.
"I told you we shouldn't hurt her, but you're the one that said we need to kill her." Em said to her brother and the boy stood sheepishly, with eyes downcast as his sister told him off.
"Yeah but I only said that because daddy-" Danny attempted to explain himself.
"But she's the Luna, Danny!" Emma was having none of it.
"Is everything alright?" I interrupt and both children stumble back at my sudden appearance. Emma quickly shuffles behind her brother in fear.
I hold out my hand, "Hey it's okay, I'm not here to hurt you."
They both stand away from me, scared expressions on their face. This is probably how I looked when they attempted to kill me, I think, part of me still annoyed at our first encounter. Oh for goodness sake Eve, they're bloody kids.
"Are you angry at us?" Danny asks, his voice quiet and barely audible.
I shake my head, "Of course not, but what you guys did was not very nice. It's not a good thing going around trying to kill people."
Danny's eyes begin to tear up and I look around worried that people would suddenly think I was bullying the children.
I kneel down in front of them and gently put a hand on his shoulder. "But I'll forgive you this time, as long as you promise never to do it again."
Both of them frantically nod their head and I try to hide a smile.
"Well then shall we be friends, Danny and Emma?"
It was comical the way they looked at me, with their big eyes and open mouths.
"You know our names?" Emma asks, her cheeks blushing.
"Of course I do, I'm the Luna." I smile and they children smile back at me, their little faces lighting up.
Suddenly I feel a presence behind me, their large figure casting a shadow across me.
"Daddy!" both children exclaim and I turn my head in shock at the sound of a familiar accented voice.
"Luna." Sven greets as he bows before picking up Danny and Emma, who are quickly dwarfed compared to the size of his muscled arms.
Sven is their dad?
Its obvious I was bad at hiding my shock and surprise but Sven swiftly ignores my expression.
"I would like to apologise for the way I treated you when we first met. It was unacceptable and unforgivable. Please punish me."
His tone was so monotone and blank that I hadn't even realised what he was saying at first.
"Er- Punish you?" I ask with wide eyes.
He nods.
I stare blankly at him, completely bowled over by his request. I knew that when he had taken me to the basement, he wasn't aware that I was Alpha Stones mate, I mean even I had no clue. Plus I had a feeling deep inside that he had already been punished by Zac, so there was no reason for me to punish him further.
My gaze fell on his children who were looking between their father and me with worried glances.
"Alright." I say with a smirk, "I punish you to do a fifty push ups with Danny and Emma on your back."
The surprise on Sven's face was amusing but not as entertaining as the excitement on his children's face.
"Yahhhy!" They both squealed and I smiled at them before nodding at Sven and walking towards Kate who was watching me from afar.
★★
"I didn't know you were on such good terms with Sven." Kate notes as we both headed back to the main pack house, after saying our goodbyes to everyone.
I laugh, "Not Sven exactly, more his children." I reply, to which Kate laughs.
"Oh God I know," she says, "who knew that such a scary looking guy like him could have such cute little kids."
?★★
I could smell him the moment he came home.
His earthy smell was too obvious to miss and it called to me, making me move towards the door before I could even think. But before I could reach the handle the bedroom door open and two thick arms wrapped around me.
"I told you i'll be back." he whispered and I held my arms around him, feeling like I could finally breathe.
"Yeah and you said I wouldn't notice," I pulled away to look him in the eyes, "but I did."
Zac smiles but it doesn't really reach his eyes. "I'm sorry" he says, but I notice he doesn't sound hugely apologetic, perhaps because it was hidden under the worry in his voice.
"Are you going to tell me where you went?" I asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.
He's hesitant at first but then says, "I have someone you need to meet."
I look up at him, his height meaning he towers over my slight build. "Who is it?" I ask.
He doesn't skip a beat, he growled due to withheld anger,? "Someone who can tell us why the fuck you have black magic on your body."
★★
I hold tightly to Zac's hand as he leads me down to his office. I'm reminded of the first time I was in his office, the same one where I fainted when he tried to strangle me. Funnily enough the memory only makes me smile.
But that memory is the only amusing thing because as we enter the room I noticed the hushed, tense atmosphere.
The first person I noticed was the guard I had met the day we were going back to my pack- the one with the really scary eyes. He was the hardest to miss with his formidable build and 'don't mess with me' look. He was standing next to Jayden, who as usual smirked at me when I followed Zac into the room.
"Jasper." Zac nodded to the guard with the scary eyes. So his name is Jasper. The man nodded back in reply, his eyes straying momentarily to me and as he bowed. I forced a smile back, though my heart pounded wildly in my chest, he was just too intimidating.
I quickly looked away and to the other members that were in the room.?
There were two other men, who I had seen yesterday when I was introduced and I remembered them to be elders of the pack. The were both tall, well built men with an air of authority surrounding them. One was brown haired with a thick beard, hiding most of his face, while the other was so blonde, his hair seemed white in the light. Both nodded to Zac and I, though their eyes seemed fixed on me.
The final person in the room, who I had only noticed when brown haired elder moved to the side was a young man, probably in his early twenties. He was tall and thin and almost looked like he would break in half if the wind blew too hard. His pale face turned to me and his eyes were big and brown with silver flecks throughout. Those eyes peered intently at me and his mouth gaped open as he took me in.
"Demelza?!!" He yelled, his hand shot up to cover his mouth in shock.
Everyone in the room, including Zac turned to face me, their eyes questioning and I stared blankly back at them, not having a clue about what was going on.
"Her name is Eve and she is my mate." Zac finally stated with a growl towards the weak looking man.
He cowered at the growl and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry Alpha Stone, she- she just looked like som-eone I knew." he stuttered with a strong
English accent.
"What's going on?" I eventually asked when I realised no one was telling me anything.
The man ran his thin hands through his oily black hair and slowly looked up from the ground to my face, yet not looking me in the eyes.
"My apologies Luna," he finally whispered and I could pick up the fear in his eyes, "my name is Demarcus, at your service."
I glared at Zac who was avoiding my gaze. Finally he said, "Demarcus is a Witch trained in black magic."
"A witch?" I glanced back to Demarcus who was still cowering away and I wondered how on earth this man was a witch. There was nothing extraordinary about the man- certainly nothing magical.
"He's here to look at the marks on your body." Zac finally admits when I look back at him still confused.
Zac beckoned Demarcus to come forward and he does so slowly, cautious not to move too fast.
"Can you show him your mark?" Zac asks me tentatively and I can feel the worry building up inside me. It was clearly a bigger deal than I had thought, especially if Zac had brought a Witch back just to have a look.
I cast a glance around the room and it's obvious from all their intent gazes they were all curious too.
I look up once more at Demarcus, a slight sheen of sweat was building up on his forehead. His silver flecked eyes slowly brightened when I lifted the edge of my shirt up and the birthmark on my abdomen was exposed.
There was absolute silence in the room.
Demarcus' hand began to reach out to touch the mark but before he could Zac swat it away with a growl.
"Touch her and you die." he threatened and quickly Demarcus nodded furiously.
"I'm sorry." he whispered, "it's just the mark is incredible." There was unadulterated awe in his voice which made me peer down at the mark myself, to make sure we were looking at the same thing. Maybe it was because I had gotten used to it since it was part of me since birth, but I had never thought of it as incredible- unique perhaps, but never incredible.
"The magic behind it is so powerful," Demarcus continues, his voice similar to what a child's voice in a candy shop would sound like. "I've only ever felt such power once before."
"What does it mean?" Zac asked sternly, I could feel the irritation in his voice and it makes Demarcus take a step back and look away from the mark.
"It's a suppression spell." he finally revealed. "Witches usually use it when they want to hide their identity and their magic."
"I'm not a witch." I quickly interject when I feel accusatory gazes on my face. Me a witch? That's ridiculous.
"Can you break it?" Zac's voice interrupts and I look between him and Demarcus.
Demarcus hesitates, gulping as he looks back at the mark and then up to Zac.
"I can try Alpha Stone, but like I said the magic that forged this mark is so powerful I cannot be sure that I can break it."
I let my top slip back down and I feel like my whole world is being shaken upside down.
"There is something else." Demarcus continues, and I close my eyes not sure if my mind can take 'something else.'
"What is it?" Zac takes the lead.
"There are traces of another spell on the Luna." Demarcus explains, "but it's been broken."
"You said you had another mark that's disappeared, right Eve?" Zac intense eyes turn to me and I nodded.
"Please can you draw it out for me?" Demarcus asks, looking at me, yet still refusing to share eye contact.
I nod my head, deciding i have nothing left to lose, and grab the pen and paper that Jayden had handed me. The symbol, despite the fact it had somehow disappeared, was still engraved in my mind, so I quickly drew it as I remembered.
However when I handed the paper back to Demarcus he gasped in fear and quickly said a word in a hushed whisper which caused the piece of paper to ignite in flames and? burn to ashes.
Demarcus stumbled away from the ashes on the floor, his eyes wide in fear and his face drained pale. His eyes quickly roamed over me and he continued to back away.
I clutched at Zac, frightened at the reaction from Demarcus. He honestly looked close to passing out.
"STOP!" Zac growled as he wrapped an arm around me, pushing me slightly behind him, sensing my fear.
Demarcus stood still at Zac's demand but his fear still evident.
"What does the spell mean?" the blonde elder finally asks when no one speaks.
"It-it is-" Demarcus can hardly speak, "it is a Death spell."
What do you guys think? A death spell?
I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am.
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