AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Our eyes met, and in that brief exchange, I could see her disbelief in the slight widening of her eyes and slackening of her mouth. Then, she burst into incredulous laughter. I stood with my hand out in front of me for longer than was comfortable. When it became apparent she had no intention of shaking my hand, I lowered it back down by my side and glanced at Clawson. He stared at Eleanor and seemed as uncertain how to respond to her as I did.
“I can’t believe out of all the shifters in the world, I saved a goddamn Blackwood.” Eleanor was clearly grouping me in with my less-than-noble ancestors. “Jaxon left that little tidbit out of my briefing packet.”
“Watch your tone,” Clawson snapped. “Ridge is a wonderful alpha and has done no wrong. He isn’t to blame for the actions of his forefathers. Witches don’t have the best reputation, yet he’s here speaking politely with you.”
I appreciated his defense of me, but also didn’t want to evoke her scorn. It would only lead to somebody being insulted. Instead, I offered Eleanor a nod. “Welcome to Blackwood Creek. We didn’t expect you so soon, but we’re glad you’re here to mentor Lola.”
“Save the niceties,” Eleanor snapped, her green eyes flashing. “I’m just here to do my duty and help the new witch learn her craft. I don’t plan on sticking around to find out why this town is crawling with so many packs or why you have them on lockdown. I have no interest in any of you, just the new witch.”
I could see her standoffish attitude was putting Clawson on edge, but I understood her hesitance and desire to remain neutral. “Very well. I’ll take you to meet Lola.” She waved me off when I tried to carry her suitcase, and the three of us made our way to Lola Kipling’s office.
Eleanor’s reaction to Blackwood Creek interested me as we navigated the streets to Lola Kipling’s office. Her statement at the gate of only being here to do her duty to train Lola was at odds with how she behaved as she saw the different packs and patrols. She was subtle about it, but my Uncle Vincent’s lessons in being a good alpha had taught me to school my reactions and to pay attention to the nuances of facial expressions. Those lessons had been invaluable to me—not only as alpha, but also in my business endeavors. It was clear, to me at least, that the witch was taking more than a fleeting interest in the town.
Our route to Lola’s office took us past the construction site. Eleanor’s eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. She seemed especially interested in the new homes that were so near completion, some already housing new families.
“What’s happening here?” she asked. “A lot of building going on for a little town in the middle of nowhere.” Her tone was scornful.
I balled my hands into fists, feeling my nails digging into my palms as I willed myself to remain collected. We needed the witch, so if I had to keep calm and make nice, then so be it.
That didn’t mean I had to like her tone. It had taken a lot of hard work to bring all these shifters from different packs together, and then I’d thrown money into having the homes built for them as quickly as possible.
“I owed the shifters who came to fight the hunters a decent home, especially the ones who arrived with children,” I explained. “I couldn’t make them sleep in the woods forever. Their parents had come at my call, and I wasn’t properly organized. So, I hired the building contractors here in town to build these homes, and, in turn, the displaced shifters got jobs. As you can see, they’re starting to move into them now. We should be finished with the next phase in three weeks, and hopefully, the final ones will be completed in six.”
“Morning, Alpha, how are you?” A family moving their belongings into one of the new houses called to me as we walked past—the Proctors, if I remembered correctly. Eleanor gave me a curious look as I waved cheerfully at them.
She carried on with her pretense of disdain, but I wasn’t so sure she was as uncaring as she would have us believe. Still, I wanted to see how she interacted with the kind-hearted psychiatrist. I couldn’t entrust Lola to the unfamiliar witch until I was absolutely certain she’d be safe. I wanted to be sure Eleanor held no resentment for the way her services had been engaged.
Lola might not be a shifter and part of the pack, but she was one of Tori’s closest friends, so I would watch over her as if she was a member of the pack. If anything went wrong and she got hurt? There was no doubt I’d feel Tori’s wrath.
We passed the library, reopened now with a new librarian—it would be a long time before I could walk in there and notsee Tori laying bleeding out on the floor—and arrived at Lola’s office. Eleanor’s eyes widened as she read the sign that hung next to the door:Dr. Lola Kipling, M.D. – Psychiatrist.
The front door took us directly into the small waiting room. It was neatly appointed, painted in a soothing blue. Lola’s medical certifications, framed in dark wood, were prominently displayed in the center of the wall. Three comfortable chairs were placed around a small table that held some magazines, and a diffuser emitting a lavender scent was plugged into the wall.
Opposite the chairs stood two doors. Behind the door on the right was a hallway that led to a flight of stairs going up to Lola’s private quarters. Behind the other door was her consultation room. Above the door, a red light blinked.
I pointed to the light. “She must be in with a patient right now. Hopefully, she won’t be long. Why don’t we take a seat?”
Showing no signs of hearing me, Eleanor stood with her hands behind her back, inspecting Lola’s certificates. After I exchanged a look with Clawson, he shrugged and sat down, stretching his long legs out in front of him. An uneasy silence settled over the room.
I was about to sit when the door to the consultation room swung open, and a shifter I recognized from the Montana Pack walked out, her eyes red and puffy. Lola was behind her, typing something on her phone.
When she looked up and saw me, she hurried to see her patient off. “All right, Gillian, I’ll see you same time next week, but if you need me, you know how to reach me.” She closed the door and turned around. “Ridge, Sheriff Clawson, is everything okay?”
Eleanor directed her attention towards Lola and studied her. She didn’t say a word to Lola or even acknowledge that Clawson and I were still in the room. She stood and eyed Lola from her feet up, but didn’t say a word.
The silence dragged on, and I couldn’t take it in anymore. “Lola,” I began, but Eleanor stepped in before I could say anything more.
“You are Lola?” she demanded.
Lola turned to me, Clawson, and back to Eleanor. Her eyes widened, and her lips flattened into a tight line.
I didn’t want to upset the witch, but as Clawson had already pointed out, I’d been perfectly polite to her. I’d tolerate her rudeness to a point, then I wouldn’t. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Eleanor spoke again. “You are Lola, correct? The novice witch? My name is Eleanor. Jaxon Hyde advised me you are an untrained witch. I am here to mentor you.”
Lola’s entire demeanor changed, and she clapped her hands. “I can’t believe you’re finally here! I mean, yes, yes, I am Lola. Lola Kipling. Tori told me all about you. Thank you so much for agreeing to train me.” She was practically bouncing on her toes. “I’ve been looking forward to learning more magic to help the good people in this town.”
Eleanor raised an eyebrow and scoffed at Lola’s enthusiasm. “Well, don’t get too carried away. Magic isn’t all fun and games.” She glanced over at me and Clawson, then waved a dismissive hand. “You two may leave. I’ll take it from here.”
