My Auburn Witch (18+)

Chapter 2: Answered Prayers

 Ash P.O.V:

The minute I stepped into the clearing, I could smell it. On the icy wind, the sweet smell of sugared berries and honey. Was it possible?

‘No!’

“Brother? What is wrong with you?”

‘What if it is though? I should have followed her to be sure. But, she can’t be a wolf otherwise she would have known.'

“Ash!” I turned my eyes towards my brother as he sat on the leather sofa in his office alongside Tuncay; his arm resting along the back of the chair with his leg crossed over the other. Tuncay was busy colouring in some daft picture in a colouring book, but he looked happy to be hanging out with his dad and me.

“Brother, I think I saw her.”

“Saw who?”

“I, don’t know. She smelled so sweet, but surely it isn’t possible?” Victor gestured for me to continue. “Another mate.” His eyes grew wide, then glossed over. Not a second later, did Elizabeth appear through the door with Penelope sat upon her hip.

“Ash, is it true?” I shook my head.

“I, don’t understand. I already had a mate.”

“She listened...” Liz mumbled under her breath and smiled at her daughter as her fingers entangled in her mother’s ice blonde hair.

“What are you on about?” She glanced down the corridor before stepping further into the office, closing the door behind her.

“I have been asking Selene and my mother for so long, I thought it would never happen, but it has. They sent her to you.”

“Wait, let me get this straight. You have been asking the Moon Goddess and your mother, to send me another mate?” Liz smiled so brightly, but it soon faltered when my brow began to furrow. "What on earth made you think I was ready to love again? Or that I even wanted too? Samantha was my life. No one would ever replace her!” Elizabeth set Pen down on the sofa next to her brother and approached me slowly.

“Ash, you are Victors’ brother, and my family. I want to see you happy. I thought this would be something that could do that.”

“Well, you're wrong!” Victor stood as the volume of my words increased.

“Brother, calm yourself. This is a good thing. You know Elizabeth only did this with the best intentions.” A long breath left my lips as I tried to reign in my initial anger.

“Ugh, I know. I’m sorry Liz. I’m just not over my Sam.”

“This new mate, is not meant to replace her. It is simply another person to love.”

“I have enough of those. My family is enough.”

“Is it?” Victors voice was low. He understood my pain, even if he had never experienced it himself. He had been there at my lowest moments; talked me down from so many stupid ideas. And Elizabeth, she was the sister I never had. She had included me in everything, and made sure all our pups were healthy and well-loved, growing in a close nit family. Sam was in our hearts every single day, and I saw her in our daughter’s eyes every time she looked at me.

Elizabeth took my hand as it hung down at my side and held it to her chest. Her eyes closed, and then reopened, purple shining in her orbs as she tried to read me.

Her powers had grown over the last few years, and she was growing more and more confident in her abilities. Not only could she change the size of her wolf, but she had found an ability to sense the future. She always denied whether she could see it, but if anyone knew, it would be Victor. I looked at her as a smile reappeared on her lips, and as the purple was replaced by her icy-blue eyes, her words were nothing but simplistic, and gave nothing away.

“I think you should go find this girl. You know, check her out.” She turned away and picked up Penelope, and taking Tuncay’s hand, left myself and Victor alone in the office.

“I bloody hate it when she does that.” Victor smiled as he moved to sit behind his desk.

“Yeah, it's irritating sometimes. I can never seem to surprise her anymore.” I had to laugh.

“I’m sure that’s not true. You f**k up all the time.” He scowled at me as I sat in one of the armchairs facing him, but I could see the playful smile on the corner of his mouth. He let out a sigh.

“I know this must be weird for you, but Elizabeth is right. You deserve to be happy. It’s been 6 years since Samantha passed. You need someone, even if it is to control that impulsive mind of yours.” I stared past my brother and out the large window behind him. The forest was white, frozen in a crisp white vale, but all I could think about was this woman. Her fiery, long red hair. Her scent.

“I don’t know if I am ready.”

“Well, how did you feel when you saw her?”

“My wolf went crazy, obviously. He was pained as she disappeared into the forest. But, I felt guilt. Like my feelings were betraying Sam.” Victor lent forward in his chair and placed his elbows on the dark oak desk between us.

“Listen to me closely, brother. What happened to Sam was not your fault. You didn’t kill her. Nicki did, and Elizabeth saw to her. Sam would never want you to be alone, Ash. She loved you.” I stood from my chair frustrated.

“You cannot tell me how I should be feeling. You don’t know how this feels. Can you imagine the roles reversed? If Elizabeth was the one to have been murdered.” His eyes travelled down to stare at his hands as the clasped together.

“I will not pretend to understand. I just wanted you to hear some advice that I know you are not telling yourself.” I let out an angry breath, and turned to head out the door. I was in no mood to hear anyone else’s ‘feelings' about this situation. If I wanted to love again, then I would. But I didn’t. No woman would ever come close to my Samantha, this woman included.

*****

“Daddy?” Esme came to sit beside me on the sofa after dinner, and I pulled her close beside me and snuggled her within my arms in front of the warm, open fire. She was still so small in my eyes, but she was growing fast. At 7 years old, her looks had started to change. Her brown hair was as wavy as her mothers, and her eyes, just as beautiful. Her little nose sat daintily on her face, and her cheeks were always Rosie. If she was anything like Sam, she would grow into a real heartbreaker.

“What’s up, mouse?”

“You seem sad.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. Is it because you miss mummy?” How do you explain this to someone so young and innocent? Esme never really knew Sam. She was still a small pup when the pack fought the Rogue King, but I would tell her stories every day about her and she had grown up looking at her photos; I had them up all over the house.

“I will always miss mummy.” It pained my heart to talk of her sometimes, when I was feeling particularly low. With the knowledge of this woman in existence, it felt worse.

“Do you think I will ever have a mummy?” I shifted in my seat to look at her closely.

“You already have a mummy.”

“No, one that can cuddle me and read me a bedtime story.”

“What’s wrong with daddy’s stories?” Her giggle lightened my mood enough to join in the laughter.

“Your princesses' sound like boys.”

“Ohh, really?” I tried to raise my voice high enough to imitate a woman, but she was right. It sounded like a young boy whose balls hadn’t dropped yet. Her laugh grew louder as she squirmed in my hold. “Ok, ok. I get your point. I could ask Auntie Liz to come and read to you if you like? Or Nora?” She shook her head.

“No. It’s not the same.” My shoulders dropped and a long sigh escaped through my nose.

“Come on, mouse. Let’s get you ready for bed. You’re smelly and you need a bath.”

“No I’m not!” I sniffed the air reacting accordingly.

“Phew. You are!” Esme leapt from the sofa and ran towards the stairs behind us.

“I’m not!” I knew this game before it had even started. I jumped up after her and walked towards her as she screamed in a playful giggle, darting up the steps towards the bathroom.

“Yes, you are!”

As I left my sleeping pup in her bed and closed the door, I was faced with the silence of our home. No matter how many lights I switched on, and noises I would make, it remained empty. This house was meant to be filled with happy memories of our family, and it was, to a point. No memory, however joyful, would satisfy my hollow heart. Esme was all I had now, and the thought of her one day finding her mate and leaving me was bittersweet. I wanted her to be happy, of course I did. But it would be at my expense.

I walked along the hall towards my bedroom and closed the door, kicking off my shoes and escaping out of my clothes as I headed to my en-suite.

The shower rained down on me as I stood still below it, allowing the water to flow down my limbs like it did every day. I closed my eyes, remembering the times I spent with Sam in times like these. Her laugh filled my ears to the point where I believed they were real. No matter how hard I tried, she haunted my every waking moment, and my dreams. Her brown hair and soft skin. The sparks.

Goddess, how I missed those sparks.

When I finally climbed into bed, I lay looking at the photo of her by my bedside. She looked so happy, and when I took that photo, she was. We had spent the day hiking; her hair was wild and windswept, and her cheeks were nipped red by the cold. She was pregnant with Esme at the time, and I didn’t even know.

“Sam, I think I found another mate today. But, I don’t want to betray you, or what we had. Please, give me a sign. I need to know what to do. You were my everything; you still are.” My fingers grazed the glass, as if I could touch her once more, before reaching up to turn out the lamp beside me. When I was finally submerged in darkness, every noise of the house and the outside world began to fade away. Peace at last, if only until my love joins me within my unconscious world.