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Forbiddenwas one of those words that practically dared me to break a rule. I frowned. “Since when?”
“Since a witch had a wolf’s babies.” She lifted her gaze to meet mine. “Years ago, before Mathias ascended to Alpha, the previous leader of the Salem Pack fell in love with a witch from our coven. Or at least he thought he loved her. But his wolf didn’t recognize her as his mate. And because she wasn’t a werewolf, they both believed she couldn’t get pregnant.”
I’d heard something about that story from my mother when I had been growing up. She’d also told me that the shifter gene was carried on the Y chromosome and passed from the werewolf father to his twin sons. “A woman needs to be bitten to carry a werewolf’s children, right?”
“Ahumanwoman.”
I blinked. “We’re still human.”
She tipped her head slightly. “Every magical family bloodline has a touch of Fae. You know this. The source of our power is in our bloodlines.”
I shook my head. “So what are you trying to tell me?”
She sighed. “I’m telling you one of our witches gave birth to the former Alpha’s sons. Twin shifters with witch blood.” Before I could ask if that was bad, she went on. “They were banished, shunned from both the wolf pack and the coven.”
“Why?”
She stared at me as if I might put the pieces together, but I couldn’t figure out why a surprise pregnancy would mean excommunication, especially not for the children who had no say in the matter.
Lillian cleared her throat. “The universe instituted checks and balances within the supernatural world. Shifters are stronger than humans and have heightened senses. They could rule the world, but they can’t conceive children unless the female is a werewolf too, and fate chooses their one true mate. That rule keeps their population in check. And witches can use the elements to create magic and spells that could potentially allow us to rule over the humans, but our bodies are mortal, fragile. Vampires have both strength and the ability to control humans, but they can’t walk in the sunlight. Do you see?”
Now I did. “Those wolf cubs have magic in bodies that are stronger and faster than humans.”
“Exactly. That’s why the coven and the pack agreed not to mingle our bloodlines. The best way to keep that from happening was instituting a rule forbidding our witches from dating any of the werewolves and vice versa.” She sighed as she met my eyes. “Hopefully their mother never taught them how to harness the witch blood flowing through their veins. When Mathias returned from WWII, he took on the responsibility of leadership, even though he was not the son of an Alpha.”
And he never found his mate.
“What happened to the boys?”
“I don’t know.” Lillian shrugged. “We never saw them again.”
Before I could ask her anything else, the bell rang on the front door. I turned just as a set of broad shoulders filled the doorway. The man wore a black trench coat and a very wet, black fisherman’s cap.
“Can I help you?” I asked as I walked through the maze of store racks and displays.
He reached up and removed his hat, revealing a head full of dark-copper hair and green eyes that a girl could get lost in. Not me, of course, but…some other girl.
“Is Lillian here?” He scanned the store as if he barely noticed me.
Did this guy actually know Lillian? I’d never seen him before, and with the dark magic spells becoming more frequent in Salem, I wasn’t going to lead a stranger to our aging high priestess. “Let me check. And you are?”
He finally looked at me, but his gaze was cold and indifferent. “Zeke. I’m a friend of Mathias.”
I blinked, taking him in again. He must’ve been a werewolf, but he didn’t seem like any of the hulking ones I’d ever met. Yes, he was built and looked physically strong, but the werewolves I’d come in contact with would’ve just shoved me aside. No doubt Zeke had heightened senses and probably could tell Lillian was close by her scent, but he didn’t move. The aggression I’d witnessed from werewolves was either very hidden or…contained.
“Just a moment.” I didn’t wait for a reply as I headed back to the tiny supply room. It had been a third reading room at one time, but as the store expanded, we needed the space for incoming shipments.
Lillian was inside, digging through a box of salt lamps. “Have you seen the extra power cords for these?”
I shook my head. “Someone named Zeke O’Brien is here to see you,” I said, keeping my voice down. Though, if that guy was a werewolf, he no doubt had heard Lillian’s voice already. “He says he’s a friend of Mathias’s. Should I tell him you’re gone for the day?”
She looked up at me with a crease between her brows. “Zeke’s here?” She set the box aside. “That can’t be good.”
I followed her back out to the front. Zeke had his trench coat opened now, exposing the wet Henley stuck to his chiseled chest like a second skin. My mouth went dry.
I quickly reminded myself he was a werewolf. What was wrong with me?
Lillian offered her hand. “Hi, Zeke. How is Mathias?”
