Chapter 14 - Hunter
“I'm worried about Arianna,” Tyler says after we've tended to the necessary preparations for the ritual Delilah wants to execute with Arianna's help.
The two witch-wolf hybrids stand over a fire in the meadow holding hands, while the witch we caught in Oakland sits on a crate chained to poles that have been secured into the ground.
“Why are you worried about her?” I ask my friend, who shoves his hands into his pockets.
“She's pregnant,” Tyler admits with a nervous grin.
“Oh.” I glance at the girls. “Is it safe, then?”
Tyler shrugs. “Delilah seems to know what she's doing. I trust her. She says it won't harm the baby.”
“Well, I'd be concerned, too.”
Just then, the witch, Gwen, lifts her head in Delilah's direction. “You know you're not supposed to use magic when you're not concentrating. It can harm you,” she warns, and Delilah gasps.
Her eyes flicker to mine, burning like the fire in front of her with remnants of our passion from last night. I freeze momentarily, until she tears her eyes away.
“I don't know what you're talking about, Gwen,” Delilah defends flatly, but even I can hear the slight quiver in her voice that betrays her dismissal.
I myself haven't stopped thinking about what happened last night, and I can only imagine that it's the same for Delilah. I have no idea why she'd secured walls between us when we'd been so intimate, but it feels like I'm not making any progress with her.
Even after making love to her.
Blood rushes to my core, a natural response to picturing Delilah's naked body under me, but I clench a fist, my jaw tightening as I push away those thoughts. Now's not the time to be thinking about our failing relationship, even if it might be what's causing her to lose her focus.
“I got this,” Delilah assures Arianna, who leaves the fire and joins Tyler's side.
“Delilah said she'll perform the rest of the ritual herself,” Arianna whispers to Tyler, who breathes a sigh of relief.
“Remember, you need to focus, Delilah,” Gwen reminds her, and Delilah nods in response as if there's a silent understanding between the two.
It's unnerving to watch Delilah place her hands on Gwen's head, then close her eyes and lift her face toward the starry sky.
She mutters something in Latin under her breath, the flames licking behind her as if she's invoking the fire to power up the ritual. Her head snaps down, eyes wide as she stares at Gwen with milkiness clouding her pupils.
A silence stretches densely around the meadow, a chill running down my spine when the only sound we hear is a crow cawing in the forest and flapping its wings over the canopy of trees before soaring over our heads and disappearing into the night sky.
Delilah finally lets out a drawn-out breath, her body weakening as if her knees are about to give out from under her.
I race to her side, catching her in my arms just as her eyes return to their normal color.
“Delilah!”
“It's okay, Hunter,” she pats my shoulder, gathering herself and straightening up. She turns apologetic eyes on Gwen, shaking her head slowly. “Gwen is innocent. She's a lone witch and isn't part of any coven.”
Gwen nods. “I told you, I don't know who the dark lord is. I've never been in a coven before. I've lived my whole life in that cabin in the woods, hiding from the humans.”
Arianna and Tyler come closer.
“I saw four witches in Oakland, working with the dark lord,” Arianna tells Delilah, almost pleading with her.
Delilah is shaking her head, clearly shaken by what she saw, and more remorseful toward Gwen when she offers the other witch a hand to help her get to her feet.
“I know what I saw, Ari, and this woman is innocent,” Delilah says gently, not becoming defensive but maintaining her stance as she proceeds to release Gwen from the shackles that bind her.
She's wearing a guilty look as she releases the other witch, and I'm suddenly compelled to help her take off Gwen's chains.
“Everything she's said about being a lone witch and not being a part of any coven is true. I saw it with my own eyes through the vision I just had.”
“Just because she's a lone witch doesn't mean she's not involved,” Tyler argues.
“Are you denouncing my vision?” Delilah narrows her eyes at Tyler, which comes as a surprise because of how close they were in black ops.
It was only a few weeks ago when she helped Tyler and Arianna, a newly emerging witch who needed Delilah's help to uncover her gifts.
That's how I know Delilah must have seen every bit of evidence that proves Gwen's innocence.
“Would you like me to do that again? Arianna can have the vision this time.”
Tyler sighs, hanging his head. “Sorry, D. It just seems strange that we'd be led to the wrong witch. Don't forget, she attacked you that night.”
“I didn't attack you, Delilah, I swear,” Gwen whispers as she wrings her free hands, staring with doe eyes at Delilah. “I thought my life was in danger, I was only—”
“Shh…” Delilah consoles Gwen with a pat on her arm. “Like I said, I know what I saw, and it proves that you're not involved.”
Reading the room—or rather, the meadow—I can see that Tyler and Arianna aren't convinced, skeptical eyes focused on Gwen. Seeing into her past would have shown Delilah any red flags, and she isn't the type to be gullible or believe anything without solid evidence.
Clearing my throat to cut through the terse silence, I step forward and direct my gaze at Tyler.
“Why don't we keep Gwen around? Perhaps Delilah and Arianna can perform a ritual that might reveal why we captured the wrong witch,” I suggest, and Tyler contemplates the suggestion with a slow, thoughtful nod.
“I think that's fair, considering we found her in Oakland, where the dark lord was supposed to be. I don't think it's any coincidence.”
“Yeah,” I nod. “And until we figure out why, she can stay here in Scarborough.” I turn to Delilah. “There's a little empty cottage behind your house, right? Gwen can stay there for now.”
Delilah's jaw drops, and she blinks her eyes in disbelief as she stares at my face, clearly bewildered by the way I took charge.
“Y-Yes,” Delilah concedes, glancing at Gwen. “Gwen can stay there, close to us.”
“Are you sure?” Gwen asks confusedly, to which Delilah nods.
“I think it's our best way forward, Gwen. Like my friends said, it isn't a coincidence that we found you, even if my vision proved your innocence. We have to figure out why we were led to you, and if the warlock is tied to you for some reason, maybe targeting you, you'll be safer here, anyway.”
Gwen nods, while Arianna agrees that this is the best way forward. That's when Delilah glances at me and mouths a sincere, “Thank you,” before she proceeds to show Gwen to the empty cottage with Tyler and Arianna following them back to town.
A sense of pride swells in my chest, and I'm glad I made the right decision by backing Delilah up. Floating on that feeling, I follow my friends and my wife to the cottage behind her house, hoping that this will bring us closer.
***
Being surrounded by the Shadow Fang Pack in the pack center is bittersweet when I find myself becoming drawn to the feeling of belonging.
A flicker of hope passes through me as I set the table for communal lunch, catching myself smiling at the way Gwen mingles with some of the locals, like the owner of the library who'd shown me kindness when I first arrived in Scarborough.
I'm greeted by Arthur as he walks through the door, the man who's next in line to be the Shadow Fang Beta, and he comes over to ask about Gwen.
I explain the situation to him, and how Gwen was the witch we caught when we wrongfully believed she was our culprit, and now she's agreed to stay in Scarborough until we can figure out why we were led to her.
“I'll keep my eye on her, just in case,” Arthur assures me as he stares curiously at Gwen, who's approaching us now.
I notice him staring, accustomed to the way Arthur is tense around she-wolves. We've barely spent time together, but the big, burly man has been good to me, and I consider him a friend now.
Chuckling, I lean in and whisper to him, “Lower your shoulders, dude. Too stiff. She won't like it.”
Arthur's ears turn beet-red as Gwen comes over, wearing a pleasant smile I haven't seen on her before. She's clearly enjoying herself mixing with the other pack members, and I know Delilah will appreciate this since she wants to make up for catching the wrong witch.
Gwen takes in the sight of Arthur with a visible gasp, then purses her lips.
“Hey, Hunter. Is Delilah still in the kitchen?” she asks sweetly.
I'm just about to respond when the hinges on the door leading to the kitchen creak to signal movement, and I turn in time to find Delilah coming out with a pot. I rush over to help her, and she smiles sheepishly as she passes me the pot.
“Thanks,” she says before turning her attention toward Gwen. “Hey, how are things going?”
Delilah passes me to head to Gwen, her scent freezing me on the spot as it enters my airways. With its sweetness comes a flicker of dread, a reminder that perhaps I'm getting too comfortable around Shadow Fang.
What's the point, if she won't acknowledge our relationship, dismissing what happened the other night as casual and “just sex?”
Though I've been becoming fond of being in this pack, even going as far as showing Gwen around this morning as if I've been in Scarborough all my life, I can't ignore that there's one place I don't feel welcomed.
Delilah's heart.
After what I did in the past to lose her, I can't blame her for being so cold toward me.
That's why I can't risk getting too comfortable around here. If I can't win Delilah's heart, I'll just resort to my old ways of being a lone wolf, hopping from one pack to another, and counting on my friends to welcome me, as they always have.