Chapter 37
Felix
A week later.
“No, not like that,” Dina hurried to fix my mistake.
“You need to make more room between them. See, like this.” She moved some dirt around and planted the herbs with much more space freed up around them.
“Then we can watch them grow over time.” I nodded and handed her the other plants we needed to plant today.
We’d all felt Joel’s betrayal hit us harder these last few days, with the castle slowly emptying out and leaving us with fewer people, we noticed his absence even more.
Dina had been locked into her room all week, only Cole had been allowed in.
I still had no idea what went on between them, but Cole seemed determined to be there for her, and she seemed to rely on his comfort, even if they’d only just met, what, two weeks ago or so?
Not that I was one to judge…
“Perfect!” she beamed, getting the hose ready to water them.
This garden project had been my scheming way of getting her outside for a bit, allowing the sun to hit her skin and make her happy.
Cole was sitting on a garden chair looking over at us as we worked, refusing to part ways with Dina, even now where she was happily tending to the new plants I’d ordered.
“Did you ever see the deer again?” she asked, pointing to the plant that seemed to be thriving again.
I shook my head. “No, do you think it got sick from it?”
“Hmm,” she said, eyeing the plant. Then she gasped, her hand flying over her mouth.
“What is it?” Cole demanded, having somehow sprinted over here in seconds.
Dina pointed to the plant. “That is a Vullis Mira.”
“Yea?” I replied, not understanding whatever epiphany she’d just gotten.
“Felix, that plant can be poisonous to witches, but only if we digest it.” Her words slowly sank in.
“No,” I breathed. “Joel?”
She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “He was poisoning us.”
Cole muttered a curse under his breath before taking Dina back inside again. So much for my genius plan.
I couldn’t believe Joel had made us sick, not some far away magical trick like we’d believed.
And here I’d thought it was an animal. But thinking back, I was weird how the deer had only targeted one plant.
I sighed to myself, whether Joel had done these things because he planned to save his sister or not, they were still actions he’d made.
Yes, he’d poisoned us and spied on us, but in the end, he saved Dina from death, even though he knew he would die himself.
His sister?
I quickly grabbed my phone to text Sev.
Me: Do we know which of the Silver Lock witches is Joel’s sister?
I placed my phone back in my pocket so I could finish with the garden.
I had hoped for Dina to be here for longer, but I understood her need for some rest after figuring this out.
She’d fallen for Joel hard and fast, that much was obvious.
Even if he did love her back, he still betrayed her trust, knowing his coven would kill us all.
I shivered at the thought.
Dusting the freshly planted herbs with some crushed crystals, I felt a presence behind me. I smiled, continuing to work, happy to pretend I didn’t know Sev was there.
I felt the air move behind me, and then his hands came around my waist, his lips finding my neck. I hummed, needing him even closer.
“Hey, you,” I whispered, letting him lick and nip at my neck.
“My Felix,” he whispered softly.
“Yours,” I agreed, like I always did.
“Did you see my text?”
He hummed. “I will look into it.”
“Dina figured out why we all got ill.”
He stiffened. “How?”
“Joel used one of my plants to poison us. It’s only harmful to witches, according to her.”
His lips continued their trail, moving up to my jaw. “I still find it hard to believe Joel did all of that. I am sorry for allowing him into our home.”
I turned around, making sure he met my gaze. “He even tricked Peter. Don’t take on guilt from his actions. He did what he did, for whatever reason, but we can’t blame ourselves. We need to move forward and heal.”
“Hear hear!” Samantha agreed, her tone lighter than it had been only two days ago. She walked with her body tucked into Liam, hopping on her one remaining leg.
I hurried to stand. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”
She rolled her eyes. “I need to move, if not I’ll go insane.”
Liam smiled fondly at her. It was so confusing seeing them so in love when they’d bickered nonstop when I first met them.
It was Sev who told me they were fated but had had some issues.
But Liam claiming her had saved her life, offering her his strength.
It could’ve also cost him his life, had he been too late, death would’ve claimed them both.
We walked back inside with Liam and Samantha; they wanted to say goodbye before packing up their stuff.
Their pack had already left, but Samantha’s leg had needed more time to heal, so they’d stayed behind.
When they left it would just be Sev, Peter, Giro, Dina, Astrea, Claire, and me here, unless Cole decided to stay, too, which I believed he would.
“Take care,” Sev said, helping Samantha into their car. “And keep us informed if anything happens.”
She smiled at him, then at me. “We will. Even with everything bad that happened with the Silver Lock Coven, I still feel grateful for how things turned out. Now we have more friends and allies. I like that.”
“Me, too,” I said, shaking Liam’s hand. “I like knowing we have your backs and vice versa.”
“It’s how it should’ve always been,” Liam agreed, shaking Sev’s hand before getting in the car.
We stepped aside and watched their car as they drove down the road, the trees swallowing it from sight.
“Think Cole will stay?” I asked, holding Sev’s hand as we walked back inside the castle.
“I believe he belongs here.”
We’d considered hiring a new cook, because if we were honest with ourselves, we all despised cooking, and we did have the money for a fulltime cook.
And we wouldn’t be risking them being another spy, since the Silver Lock Coven was no more.
But even with all the logic pointing towards hiring someone new, we all still felt guilty for replacing Joel.
It was stupid, considering he’d betrayed us. Feelings were hard.
“I like cooking,” Cole surprised us by saying. I hadn’t even seen him come into the kitchen. I was cooking with Giro while Sev and Peter sat and looked through some papers regarding my shop that would be sold soon, if we could trust the realtor’s word on it, that was.
“Really?” Giro asked, his tone obviously pleased.
Cole shrugged, leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest casually. “I was the one cooking in my pack. It was my job.”
“And it’s not anymore?” I questioned, knowing he still hadn’t told any of us when he would return home.
He shook his head, frowning at the stove where I was grilling some chicken. “I no longer feel like I belong with the pack. Would you be okay with me staying here? I’ll gladly cook for you, since it’s my passion and hobby, and I’ll try to help out where I can.”
Sev beckoned him over to the table, tucking the papers away for now. “You are welcome to stay here, but I need to know that you are certain this is what you want. As you know, werewolves need their pack, so we would become that to you.”
Cole sat down opposite them, and nodded. “I want you to be my pack.”
“Why?” Peter asked.
Cole sighed. “Because Dina is my fated.”
Giro gasped while I could only smile. Dina deserved to find her one true love, and after all of this drama with Joel, she needed it even more.
“Does she know?” Sev questioned, his tone kind.
“No,” Cole admitted. “I don’t want her to feel like she owes me something while she’s dealing with Joel’s betrayal. I knew from the moment I scented her. I was just biding my time and figuring out how to approach this.”
“So, you would not end up like Liam and Samantha,” Sev finished for him.
“Exactly,” Cole smiled. “I had to hear them bitch and bicker for too long. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not myself.”
“Does Samantha know?” Peter asked, hesitantly.
“Oh, yes,” Cole grinned. “I told her as soon as I could. She already knew that meant I would likely leave the pack, but she only wants me to be happy.”
Peter looked relieved knowing that. “I feared she would get possessive if she knew.”
Cole’s grin widened. “Pack leaders are known to be protective over their pack, but when a fated comes into the picture, everyone knows a wolf must follow. I doubted Dina would leave you behind. I saw how much you care for her, and her for you. Luckily, I find myself feeling at home here, so it wasn’t a hard decision to make. ”
“We just need Dina to know about it, too,” Sev reminded him.
“When she’s ready,” Cole agreed. “I don’t want her to feel forced into accepting me. Besides, waiting for her won’t be a hardship. As long as she accepts my presence, I’m happy.”
A sob came from the kitchen doorway.