Chapter 45: Their Cursed

Cullen

When my office door shut, I grabbed Remi by the hips and pulled her to me, wrapping her in my arms tightly. Something was bugging me about the witch and the added complication of her being Gentry’s mate put me on edge. I buried my nose in Remi’s soft hair and inhaled deeply, breathing in her apple perfume. Her small arms snaked around me, hugging me back.

“What’s wrong?” she linked. She had finally gotten the hang of mind linking down and was able to link us individually or together. I did not answer her right away, not knowing how to describe it. “Are you worried about her intentions still?”

“Yes,” I linked her.

“I don’t fully trust her yet, but I trust that you and Calder won’t let anything happen to me,” she said squeezing me tighter. Maximus purred in my head at her words. She really had fully accepted the mate bond in every way. She trusted Calder and I unconditionally; I just hoped that meant she would listen without questioning us if it came to that.

I loosened my grip on her. She stepped back looking up at me with her crystal-clear blue orbs. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Calder interrupted our moment. “Let’s go and freshen up before dinner. We should probably let father know the witch will be joining us,” he said. I nodded to him.

“Why don’t you and Remi go on and I will find father,” I said. I looked down at her. She gave me a bright smile and nodded. She reached up on her toes to kiss me sweetly. “I will meet you for dinner shortly,” I told her. She left me and went to Calder’s side. They left my office holding hands.

“Maybe the little witch is trustworthy,” Maximus reasoned in my head.

“Maybe she wants to hurt our mate,” I countered.

“The Moon Goddess would not have given us a cursed mate if we could not break the curse,” he reasoned once more.

“I will break the curse. I just don’t know how close I am going to let the witch get to my mate,” I said.

I strode from the room and went to find my father. Luckily, he was in his office. I knocked before entering the room. He looked up from the document he was reading and gave me his boisterous smile. “Cullen, son, what brings you in here? News about your wonderful mate? I was hoping you and Calder would be busy making me some grandpups,” my father said. I rolled my eyes.

“No, father. It is about Remi but not pups,” I said.

“Oh well, soon then,” he said with a smile. It was clearly no secret that we were completely mated as she wore both our marks. “What did you want to tell me?”

“You remember the witch you put Calder in contact with to help us figure out the warlock that placed curse on her family?” I asked.

He nodded his head. “Yes,” he said. “That wonderfully talented one. Samantha, I think it was?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “She came to us again about wanting to help us find Voldigoad. We met with her today and let her meet Remi.”

“I see. You should tread carefully son,” he warned. “Witches can be crafty. Not all work with ill intent but their culture is extremely cutthroat. I would hazard that they may even more ruthless than werewolves in their pursuit of power. And she is a smart one. Smart ones can be dangerous.”

I nodded. “We will be keeping her closely watched. But you should know, she is Gentry’s mate.”

His eyes shot up in surprise. “The witch is your Beta’s mate?” he questioned.

“Yes. When she arrived today, he knew. We allowed them a brief moment before the meeting then they left together after. They will be joining us for dinner tonight,” I told him.

“Aren’t you three a fun lot,” he said rubbing his hands over his face. I gave him a puzzled look. “The Council will be less than enthusiastic to learn that not only are the future Alphas mated to a cursed she-wolf but the future Beta is mated to a coven-less witch,” he explained.

“She is coven-less?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes. All I know is that she was groomed to become Coven Mother from a young age. She has extraordinary magical talent and knowledge. Why she is not the Coven Mother or how she left, I cannot attest to though.”

I mulled this over for a moment. Why would a witch leave her coven? If she was as smart and gifted as my father claimed, why did she not ascend to Coven Mother?

“Well, it is almost time for dinner to be served. I should go collect your mother,” he said standing up. “She has been having the most wonderful time training Remi, by the way. Your mother is over the moon with joy for the girl. She is very special according to your mother.”

My chest warmed at the praise for my mate, but I didn’t show my father that. “Thank you,” I said. “She is taking her duties seriously. I have no doubt she will be a fit Luna when we take over.”

My father smiled at me as he walked around his desk. I turned and headed for the door. My father left to track down my mother. I went towards the stairs to go down to find Calder and Remi, hoping they may already be in the dining room. Before I got there, Jaime intercepted me, stopping me in my path.

“Yes?” I said flatly.

“Don’t act like that, Cullen,” she said.

“What do you want, Jaime?” I asked in a bored tone. Every moment of my time that was taken up dealing with her was cutting into my time with Remi.

“Your little attempt to find the author didn’t work,” she said nonchalantly. I narrowed my eyes. “Did you think it would be that simple to find the warlock who cursed that little bitch?” I let out a low growl.

“I don’t know how you know but stay out of it, Jaime,” I threatened.

“Why? So, the weak little thing can become Luna?” she sneered. I growled again.

“You need to watch yourself,” I told her.

“Just because you marked her, does not mean I am going to let this happen, Cullen. She knows nothing about us. She could never be Luna,” she said. I always thought she was moderately annoying but now she just infuriates me. I don’t know how I tolerated her before now.

“That is not your choice, nor do you get a say in the matter,” I said. I moved to walk around her. She turned as I passed her. “Just wait and see,” she said as I walked away from her. I was clenching my fists trying to reign my temper in at her insolence and challenge of Remi. She had no right to question me or my mate. She was selected from a pool of unmated she-wolves. She was never destined to be Luna, she was simply deemed good enough.

I entered the dining room to find Benson chatting with Calder and Remi standing with them. She turned and locked eyes with me as soon as I walked in. Her face flashed with concern as I approached. She turned to me and tilted her head. I shook my head as I stopped in front of her. I leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss. She linked our hands and brought her other hand up to wrap around my arm as she turned to face the conversation again. She gently stroked my arm as we stood there. Her gentle rhythm eased my anger.

“Hey there, Cullen,” Benson greeted me. I gave him a nod. “I hear our future Beta found his mate and we get the privilege of meeting her tonight? That is if they even come out of his room,” he chuckled.

“Yes. Should be enlightening,” I said. Cullen gave me a sideways look. Remi continued to stroke my arm while patiently enduring the chatter.

Remi

When Cullen arrived, I immediately knew when he walked in. But when I laid eyes on him, I could tell he was seething with anger. I was confused. Did something happen with Cassius? He was not this worked up over the witch being Gentry’s mate, was he? When he came over to us, he just shook his head, and I knew he didn’t want to talk about it. He gave me a quick kiss. I intertwined our fingers and brought my other hand to wrap around his arm. Whenever he is upset, it seems to help when I am touching him, or he can smell me. I ran my fingers lightly up and down his arm, hoping it would ease his anger. I knew it was helping because I could feel the tension in his arm easing away.

Benson seemed interested to meet Gentry’s mate although neither Cullen nor Calder mentioned that she is a witch. I wondered how the conversation between them had gone when they left Cullen’s office. Cassius and Nicole joined us then. Nicole was excited to meet Gentry’s mate as well. I wondered if he had taken her to meet his parents yet or when he would tell Pip. She was going to be so upset that she wasn’t here.

While everyone chatted, I realized that there were a lot of people crowded around our normal dining table. Benson’s mate had also arrived, and the twins’ younger brother was seated ignoring the rest of us. I wondered if it was always like this when wolves find their mates. I hoped Samantha wouldn’t be overwhelmed by so many people. It seemed like everyone here was genuinely excited for Gentry. He definitely deserved to find his mate.

The stars of the night finally arrived. They were holding hands and Samantha was blushing slightly. She looked up at Gentry and whispered something to him as they approached us. When they got over to us, we all stopped and turned our attention to them.

“I guess everyone already knows. This is Samantha, my mate,” he said introducing her to everyone. He went around and told her everyone’s name, getting to the twins and I last. “And you have already met Calder, Cullen, and their mate, Remi.” He was so animated; it was clear he was over the moon right now. I stepped forward to greet Samantha. Cullen wouldn’t let go though so I pulled him forward with me.

“We’re so glad to have you with us,” I told her with a smile. She still made me a bit nervous, but Gentry’s happiness was infectious and I felt safe with everyone around. “I hope this isn’t too much.”

She gave me a bright smile. “A little unexpected but I am happy to meet everyone,” she said.

“Why don’t we all sit down? Gentry are your parents joining us tonight?” Nicole asked.

“Not tonight ma’am. I will introduce them to Sam in the morning,” he told her.

“Let’s sit, dinner is about to be served!” Cassius boomed. He was always so cheerful, and he was clearly happy to meet Samantha as well. Everyone took their seats. Gentry sat next to Carson with Samantha on his other side and Benson following her. As we sat, Cullen and Calder both placed their hands possessively on my thigh under the table. I gave them a small smirk.

“So, Samantha, where are you from?” Benson asked her.

“I actually mainly reside in the Ordinary Realm not far from the Boundary,” she told him.

“Oh, maybe that is why your scent is off,” his mate said.

“Oh, no ma’am,” She clarified. “That is because I am not a werewolf but a witch.”

That peaked everyone’s attention, even Carson. “I came here to help the twin Alphas break the curse over their mate. I was not expecting this, though,” she said with a small smile.

“Isn’t that just wonderful?” Nicole cooed. “We are all so happy to see that Gentry has finally found his mate. He has been waiting for you since he was about 5 years old!”

Gentry blushed. “Luna, that's an exaggeration…” he said.

“It’s too late anyway. We already took Remi to the tree house,” Calder said jokingly.

“You did?” he laughed. “I almost forgot about that!”

Dinner was brought out and served. The conversation continued. It eventually moved away from the excitement of Samantha and Gentry and moved to more normal topics. Cullen was quiet through dinner. He occasionally gave a one-word answer to a question directed his way but otherwise he was silent. His hand never moved from my leg under the table. I wondered if this was his way of trying to calm his own nerves or being protective. Gentry and Samantha left the table before the rest of us, and I suspected they were going to his room. I wasn’t sure how quickly other wolves usually went through the mating process but their flirting during the meal was evident.

When dinner was over, Calder said he had something to take care of before coming to bed. He left me with Cullen to go back to his office. Cullen snaked his arm around my waist, holding me close to him as we walked out of the dining room.

“Are you tired, love?” he asked.

“Mmmm. Not really,” I said.

“It’s still light out. How about we go for a walk?” he suggested. I gave him a big smile and nodded. He led us outside and we walked towards the gates. When we walked through the gates and away from the pack house, I wondered where we were going. My eyes scanned the area around us, and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it was. There were houses and buildings that looked semi modern but had a very rustic, frontier feel to them.

“Is this where the rest of the pack lives?” I asked. He nodded and gave me a small smile.

“We are basically a large town of our own. Many of the pack members work together in these shops and they live in the houses all around here,” he explained.

I looked on in awe. I hadn’t been outside the pack house grounds yet and this was amazing. We walked around the streets near the pack house. Cullen explained that we wouldn’t be able to walk through the entire pack as it was simply too large. The longer we walked around, and he showed me things, the more he relaxed. I think he needed to be away from the pack house and work for a little while.

I listened intently as we walked around. We were stopped a few times by pack members, young and old. Although Cullen didn’t seem to know all of them personally, he spoke to everyone with patience and care. The children seemed to love him and were fascinated to meet me. I didn’t notice until we were headed back towards the pack house much later that we were getting some negative glances from others along the way. Cullen must have noticed them as well because he squeezed my hand and pulled me a little faster.

“Cullen, do other pack members know about the curse?” I linked him. He looked down at me, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. I felt a weird sense of shame at the looks we were receiving.

“Not many should know outside of my parents, Gentry, and the Council. Of course, Jaime knows but I cannot imagine anyone else would know. Why, love?” he replied. I just shrugged and tried to keep my eyes forward. Cullen stopped us and turned me to face him. He didn’t let go of my hand but brought his other hand up to cup my face. He sighed as he stared down at me with his steel grey eyes. We stood there for a moment in silence.

“Are you sure about working with the witch, love? It isn’t too late to change your mind,” he asked me. His voice was low and hoarse. My heart clenched. He was so worried.

“Yes. Cullen, I think we need to let her help us. I don’t think we have to worry about her,” I said softly. He just nodded and continued to look down at me. I stepped forward and rested my head on his chest. He engulfed me in his arms. “Why are you so worried?” I whispered.

He was quiet for a moment. Finally, he said, “I already caused you so much pain and heartache. I was wrong before to want to reject you and try to stay away from you. I can’t bear the thought of letting you get hurt again.” I just cuddled up closer to him. “Let’s go to our room, love. It’s getting late,” he said. I nodded my head. He kissed the top of my head before we broke apart and headed back to the pack house.