“Come in,” I say, feeling ridiculous as I invite her into her own house. “Come and sit down in the living room with me. Would you like some tea?”
“In a minute,” she replies, following me. “I’ve got some things for you first.”
“Oh?” I ask, sitting down on the couch and turning to look.
Scarlett sits down beside me and shows me the two big bags she’s carrying. Inside is a selection of beautiful clothes—skirts, dresses, pants, and blouses, as well as pajamas and sweaters.
“Oh, these are beautiful!” I gush, pulling things out to look at. “Where did you buy them?”
“I didn’t,” she says proudly. They were made by me—well, and other members of the textiles guild. I’m responsible for the embroidery.”
“This is exquisite,” I say, looking at a pattern of entwined leaves and ferns around the hem of a skirt. “You really did this?”
“I did,” she grins. “Brad mentioned you didn’t have any clothes, so all the girls donated a few pieces. You really like them?”
“I do!” I answer enthusiastically. “I don’t think I’ve ever had clothes as nice as these.”
“Well, get used to it,” Scarlett grins again. “The guilds are constantly competing to be the most popular, and I’m sure you’ll have baked goods, produce, fruit, and handmade delicacies being delivered to your door very soon, being the alpha’s mate!”
“Oh,” I mutter, realizing that everyone must think that, and that by now, news of me being here has spread to the next pack.
“Aren’tyou the alpha’s mate?” Scarlett asks, getting comfortable on the couch. She gives me a secretive little grin. “How did you end up in this town, with no belongings with you, not even clothes?”
“Well, I was running from an ex-boyfriend,” I admit, deciding to just straight up tell the truth. “He was tailing me, determined to do me some pretty serious harm. I’d been running for quite a while.”
“Did you come here looking for Brad?” she asks. “I mean, obviously, you knew him. You wouldn’t have just become mates overnight with a total stranger!”
I chuckle. “Actually, that’s kind of the crazy part. I did know Brad, but I didn’t come here looking for him. I hadn’t seen Brad in years, and I never thought I would see him again.”
“Ooh, this is exciting,” Scarlett says. “Let me grab a snack so I’m fortified for the conversation.”
She hurries off to the kitchen and comes back with a tall glass of chocolate milk and a plate of cookies. With a cookie inher mouth and chocolate milk in hand, she gestures for me to continue.
I sigh, letting the weight of the memory lift as I prepare to share the burden with someone else. “I met Brad years ago, in Vegas. We dated for a couple of months. I know…that doesn’t seem like enough time to form a real attachment to a person, but I really did. There was this feeling in the air when we were together, I just can’t explain it.”
“Like magic?” Scarlett asks.
“Actually, no,” I answer. “It turns out I’m a witch, too, and being with Brad didn’t feel like magic. Magic feels exciting, but also scary. It’s unpredictable. My time with Brad felt…safe.”
I swallow back a hard lump of sorrow, fully understanding the irony of how safe I felt versus what actually happened.
“Oh, sweetie,” Scarlett says, rubbing my arm. “I can already guess this didn’t end well.”
“No, it did not,” I answer. “Brad just disappeared. It was insane. I even went to the police. I was so sure he wouldn’t just leave me, I thought something had to have happened to him.”
“Wow,” Scarlett whispers, reaching for her milk and taking a thoughtful sip. “I can actually kind of relate to this, but you finish your story first. What happened next?”
“I was practically grieving for Brad when I met Paul. There was heaps of space between us at first. I just wasn’t ready. He seemed to really understand that, and just stayed at a distance, supporting me. Then it…evolved. Suddenly, I couldn’t live without him, and he was in every single element of my life.”
“Could be bliss, or a nightmare,” Scarlett muses, lifting her milk in a little toast.
“Itwasa fucking nightmare,” I mutter. “I didn’t know, but he’d turned all my friends against me. When I finally realized what had happened and tried to get away, the hooks were in too deep. I persisted, and then he tried to burn my fucking house down.”
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Scarlett exclaims.
“Yup. While I was inside it.”
“Add Mary, Joseph, and the holy spirit!” Scarlett shakes her head. “You got out okay?”
