Chapter 249 - His Mate or His Girlfriend

“NO!” Melanie shrieked.

Brad looked blankly at Sybl and then at Melanie. For a moment, his eyes glowed yellow and Melanie could practically feel him trying to fight the magic. Melanie felt the anger in her grow. She felt completely inadequate and severely inexperienced when it came to facing Sybl. But she had to do something!

“Brad, come here,” Melanie called, extending her hand expectantly.

Brad didn’t move. Sybl tossed her dark black hair back behind her shoulders.

“He can’t hear you, not really,” Sybl said nonchalantly. “He can only hear my voice. And will only obey my command. Whatever you’re saying comes out as garbled jibberish to his ears thanks to my spell.”

Melanie looked at Brad, now wishing more than ever she’d allowed him to mark her. She could have mind-linked him then through their mate bond. Still, Melanie held her hand out and looked at him imploringly, praying he'd come to her. Brad’s face was emotionaless, but his eyes were a different story altogether as she watched his wolf fight for dominance over the dark magic in him.

“Come boy, maybe I’ll offer you to Asmodeus as a sacrifice,” Sybl commented with a yawn. “He’ll need powerful souls to consume after being summoned.”

Melanie lunged, deciding there was no use stalling any longer.

Sybl expertly shot up an invisible wall around her and Brad.

“Join me and I’ll spare loverboy,” Sybl offered.

Melanie’s eyes narrowed into slits as she fell to the ground, palms flat against the Earth. The land began to shake and vines rose up from the ground where Sybl was standing. They began to wrap around her ankles. With a bored yawn, Sybl snapped her fingers and the vines inceinerated immediately into black dust. Melanie grit her teeth and channeled more energy into the earth. The vines grew fasters and thicker, this time with thorns. Sybl tutted, this time not even bothering to snap her fingers as the vines fell to the floor in heaps of black dust around here.

“I’ve got decades on you,” Sybl whispered dangerously. “You, an Earth Witch of merely 18, are no match for me.”

“But I can take you on any day of the month,” a new voice…an achingly familiarly voice, spoke up.

Melanie’s eyes widened and she took a few steps back in surprise. From behind Sybl, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes walked forward.

“No….how can this be?” Sybl breathed, completely aghast as she looked like she’d just seen a ghost. “You’re dead!”

“M….Mom?” Melanie asked with wide eyes.

Carey’s expressive blue eyes looked at Melanie gently, almost as if she was apologetic.

“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it Melanie?” Carey asked kindly.

Tears flowed freely down Melanie’s cheeks. How was this possible?

“You are not her mother!” Sybl shrieked angrily. It was the first time Melanie had seen her upset and it was not a pretty sight. Sybl’s face contorted into an ugly scowl as lines deepened and her eyes slanted towards Carey dangerously.

“Sorry you weren’t able to finish the job Sybl?” Carey asked with an arched brow.

“What?” Melanie asked in confusion.

Carey merely stood with crossed arms, her black combat gear contrasting with the green foliage around them.

“You’re supposed to be dead!” Sybl exclaimed, spit flying from her mouth. “He promised me!”

“So it was you!” exclaimed a new voice as Antonio came out from behind the trees. “Carey never killed herself!”

Sybl looked around angrily.

"It wasn't me!" Sybl anounced, looking at everyone panic-stricken. The one thing she hadn't wanted anyone to know was out now.

Flashback

"Took you long enough to realize I have your daugher here," Alistair sneered. "Some mother you are."

Sybl ran a hand through her hair unconcernedly.

"You know I've been busy," Sybl retorted. "And you didn't exactly offer up the information to me either otherwise I would have have found it earlier. You think you're so smart, holding on to her as a bargaining chip in exchange for my help. Well I'm here. And I'll help you with your stupid schemes but first, I want her back."

Alistair rolled his eyes.

"And how would that look to my pack? How would my beta feel if I handed his daughter over to an evil dark witch he hates? It's not as easy as you think, Sybl. Luckily I did you one favour. I got rid of Carey for us because I knew she'd never let me give Melanie to you when the time came. I made it look like she OD'd on her medications. It was easy enough when I have the right people under my payroll." Alistair chuckled thinking of his own ingenuity in the matter. "That beta-female was fiercely protective of her youngest pup despite being clinically depressed."

Sybl slammed her palms face down on the desk between them.

"Melanie is my daughter and I don't care about your stupid beta or stupid pack. I want Melanie back."

"In time," Alistair said calmly, inclining his head. "In time I will give her to you. Help me in my scheme to take over the Crimson Pheonix Pack. Melanie's fine here. Your spies can keep an eye on her and attest to the fact that she's living a good life in my pack. I will be stronger as the alpha of two packs. One disgruntled beta would make no difference to me."

"If I help you, you will join my cause and send wolves to fight with me when it becomes time to take back my old coven," Sybl countered.

Alistair held out a hand.

"Deal," he said with a sinister grin as the two shook hands.

End of Flashback.

"No," Antonio said shaking his head in disblief. His own alpha had been responsible for Carey's supposed death? He'd never liked Alistair but he'd listened to him out of respect. But he never would have imagined that the man would have stooped so low in his bid for power. Alphas were supposed to protect their pack, not kill them.

"But stupid Alistair couldn't do anything right," Sybl spat bitterly. "He may have defeated Xavier temporarily. By the time I came to take Melanie with me, I found out he'd been defeated and was in insenive care. Ruining my plans again. So I decided to wait until Melanie was older. Maybe when she was older and her powers began to manifest, I'd try again."

"But that didn't work either," Antonio grit out. "You sent those rogues to attack her. It's why she heard Carey asking for help."

"Yes well, if Alistair didn't finish the job, I guess I will," Sybl spat, shotting a stream of fire straight for the silent Carey. standing a few feet away from Antonio.

"Mom!" Melanie exclaimed tearfully, holding out a hand to try and stop the fire.

But that's when everyone was left flabbergasted as Carey threw up a wall of dirt within the blink of an eye, stopping the fire from reaching her.

"You'll have to do better than that," Carey smirked.

With her other hand, she created a current of electricity that shot straight towards Sybl.

Melanie breathed out in awe. How did her mother know magic like an Earth Witch?

Flashback to when Melanie was only four

“She’ll need help from people like herself,” Carey said to Maria.

“Well, as the only registered Earth Witch in Latin America, I think I’m more than

equipped for the job, right bonita?” Maria said looking down kindly at a

four-year-old Melanie.

Melanie squealed happily as she made a pile of dirt in the garden.

“When the time is right, you can contact me and I’ll be glad to train her,” Maria

said kindly. “She doesn’t have to join any coven if she doesn’t want too.”

Carey visibly relaxed, happy she’d made necessary arrangements for Melanie so her girl would never feel pressured into doing anything she didn’t want too.

“Well, now you have to show me your gift,” Carey said excitedly.

Maria coughed discreetly and beckoned Carey to follow her inside.

"Not out here, let's go inside," Maria said quietly. "Melanie should be fine for a few minutes out here."

Melanie stayed outside, playing in the dirt and unknowingly making small flowers bloom.

End of Flashback