Page 97 of The Witch’s Daughter

Everything I’d learned, and the male I’d become, was all because of that brave little witch.

You need to trust that she’ll be okay.

What about when she isn’t? What happens when she needs you and you don’t show up?

We’ve been over this. You’ll only push her away. Like the other day.

She needed to hear the truth, he snarled at me. And she handled it. You’re the one that doesn’t understand our mate.

When it came to her, he always thought he knew best. But he was acting out his insecurities. She wasn’t abandoning us.

I had to trust that she was all right. That she could handle herself, without me. What good was I as a mate if I couldn’t give her what she craved?

Right now, she wanted the freedom to prove herself to her family.

I didn’t like it, but I had to remain steadfast.

This is a stupid, dangerous human plan.

One of the healers stepped from the tent. Everyone stopped talking as he checked his clipboard.

“Gabby Theow,” he called.

A thin woman with long black braids stood at the sound of her name and headed to the tent. That had to be number nineteen or twenty. Less than a quarter of the warlocks and witches gathered here today.

Gabby went into the tent.

The talking around me resumed again.

Ahmad leaned against the post to my right. “So… Alpha. You don’t smell mated.”

And you smell like you bathe in shit. My wolf growled at him.

Amir laughed. “I’m going to need a nap this afternoon to make up for the lack of sleep last night. Did anyone else hear all those feral moans?”

Those sounds weren’t for you.

I growled louder, which just caused the two hyenas to laugh harder, and I seriously contemplated smashing their thick skulls together.

“Don’t listen to them.” Gentry sat on the dirt in the shade, rolling a smooth pebble between his fingers. “They’re just jealous they haven’t met their own mates yet.”

“Didn’t he meet her when we were like six, though? How dumb did they have to be to not know something like that?” Amir elbowed his brother.

“Bro, don’t judge kids.” Ahmad sobered up a bit. “Not cool.”

“Sorry.” He hung his head. “I didn’t mean to touch on old wounds, Alpha.”

I’m going to kill them both.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to tune the twins out, and walked a distance away. The merciless sun heated the earth under my feet. I leaned into my power, feeling the richness of the soil and life that thrived there to help steady me. Flies buzzed in the distance. I caught bits of others’ conversations, and the pointed looks cast my way.

If I was a lesser male, it might’ve stung. But I knew who I was. And I trusted the earth beneath me knew too. It was only Tisiphone I worried about.

Like always.

This is foolish. It goes against nature. My wolf snarled and paced. She said she’d be here. She isn’t. Either she doesn’t want to come. Or can’t.

My wolf was making my head spin.