The Bewitched Mate

Prologue *** Twenty-five years ago *** Brad, are you home? It echoed through their empty house. Morgan made her way slowly to the kitchen. Everything was exactly as she had left the house earlier this morning. The dishes are on the counter, and the coffee pot is still half full. Her plate from breakfast was still untouched on the island. There was no sign of her beloved Brad. Morgan started cleaning up the kitchen first, and then she would try calling Brad again. She’d tried calling Brad many times today, but she went straight to voicemail each time. After the dishes and the counters had been cleared, Morgan was about to reach for her phone when she heard a key in the lock. Finally! She turned to the door. There he stood. His hair was utterly wild, probably from how often he ran his hands through it. Whenever Brad got stressed, he tended to run his hands through his hair. Morgan searched for his eyes. His look would tell her everything she needed to know, but he didn’t look at her. “Brad, you’re home! Where were you?” Morgan reached out to Brad, but he avoided her. “Brad, talk to me. What is going on?” Tried Morgan again. Brad let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Morgan! I’m so sorry. My intention was never to cause you pain.” “What are you talking about, Brad? You-” Brad cut her off by holding out his hand. “Please hear me out?” Morgan nodded and gestured for Brad to speak. “I was happy with you, Morgan. I wasn’t looking, but I met my fated mate.” This was the first time Brad looked up, looking Morgan straight in the eye. The sadness was in his eyes. Morgan knew what this meant. She had lost her beloved Brad. Lose to a fated mate. The attraction would make Brad forget Morgan entirely and only see his mate. “For how long?” Morgan could no longer hold back her tears. “Almost a year,” Brad replied. He knew fully well that he had just caused Morgan immense grief. “It was the night of the gala. She was helping with the catering.” Morgan had fallen to her knees by now and was sitting on the floor, crying. With her hands over her face, as if she couldn’t bear to watch all this any longer, “So every time you had to go out, you were actually with her?” She looked up from her hands. The waterfall of tears swelled her eyes. Brad nodded, defeated. “It was not my intention at first. I wanted to reject her. I was genuinely happy with you, Morgan! But my wolf wanted to see her. He longed for her. Slowly the attraction grew until...” Brad didn’t know how to say this. If Morgan was already so sad and defeated, how could he break her down any further? “Until what?” Morgan’s voice was bitter. She realized all too well that their relationship was over. He had exchanged her for his mate. Something she, as a witch, would never experience. She knew it was a risk when she and Brad started this relationship. They had met in school, and all the years they had been together had given her the confidence that things would be okay. Maybe Brad didn’t have a mate, and they would get together. Today the hard truth came out. Her fear from years ago had overtaken her and completely overwhelmed her. Brad sighed, “Until the attraction was too strong to turn her down. Morgan, I don’t know how to say this. Abby she...” “Abby, what, Brad? Don’t give a damn and say what the hell you have to say!” Morgan was so annoyed, sad, and irritated that she was screaming now. The coldness in her voice let Brad know he needed to wrap up. Morgan would never understand the mate bond. She wouldn’t understand that Brad had honestly never wanted to hurt her. “I’m leaving you, Morgan. Alpha Hector from The Full Moon Pack offered me the Beta position, and I took it. Abby and I are going to raise our son in his pack.” It was those last words that made her furious, “YOUR SON? You had a relationship for twelve months without telling me, and now you’re having a baby?” Morgan was furious. “I want you to leave. GET LOST!” she screamed. Devastated and defeated, Brad walked out the door. The door remained open, and Morgan could see him get back into his car and drive away. Not once did he look up or back, as if she had meant nothing to him. “Let me teach you a lesson, Brad Conner!” She said, getting up. She went to the bathroom first. After throwing some water in her face, she looked at herself in the mirror. “That filthy dog will know who he’s been playing with. Whose feelings he has hurt!” she promised her reflection. With those words, she walked out of the bathroom, straight to her study. Once there, she walked over to the bookcase and searched until she found what she had come for. She was pulling a thick, comprehensive book from the shelf. With a dull thud, she put the book on her desk. With a deep sigh, she straightened her skirt and sat in the chair. She pulled the book towards her and opened it. After browsing, she landed on the page she’d been looking for. She ran her fingers along the text. Mumbling something to herself after she got up. She walked out the door. Morgan muttered a spell, and this immediately brought her to the border of The Full Moon pack. It wasn’t long before she saw Brad’s car approaching. She hid behind the bushes so Brad wouldn’t see her if he drove past her. When Brad parked his car in front of the pack house, a woman came out the door. She was holding a bundle. This had to be Abby and their son, she thought to herself. Morgan couldn’t hold back any longer and emerged from behind the bushes. In no time, she was with Brad and his mate. “Well, well, what have we got here?” Morgan had a fake grin on her face. Brad had led her right into the lion’s den, and now Morgan had every chance to take his luck away from him. Brad stepped in front of the woman and pup. “Morgan, what are you doing here?” his voice was calm but clear. “I’m coming to admire the baby. Isn’t that the way it is?” Morgan got slowly closer and closer. “Morgan, stop! Stop hurting yourself. I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I hurt you, but it’s over between us.” Brad turned to his mate and pup. His back turned to Morgan. “Did you really think you could get away with this, Brad? You crushed my happiness. Traded me for a dog and if that wasn’t bad enough, you also gave birth to a mutt with her. Your happiness ends here!” The distance between Morgan and Brad was now only a few steps. Abby held her son close, trying to protect him with her whole body. “Morgan, please?” It was all Brad could say before Morgan started casting her spell. It was a spell allowing her to destroy the mate bond, leaving Brad to live a loveless life. Before Morgan had fully cast her spell, warriors emerged from all sides. They circled her and some of them were already in wolf form. They snapped and growled at the witch, who wanted to enchant their Beta and his family. The magic rays hit Brad in the heart. Brad slumped to the ground, and at that very moment, Morgan laughed out loud. Her laugh could be heard throughout the territory and sent shivers down everyone’s body. The warriors who wanted to attack her realized she had vanished into thin air. The moment the warriors realized they had bumped into each other, not the witch, calm returned. “BRAD!” Abby cried. The warriors immediately turned their attention to their Beta. His lifeless body lay at the feet of his mate. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she anxiously clung to their son. Alpha Hector and Luna Nessa came running out. Alpha Hector immediately started handing out orders. “Get Beta Brad to the hospital and check the borders!” Luna Nessa had her arms around Abby and her son. “Come on, Abby, it’s going to be okay. He’s probably just unconscious. Listen, you can hear his heart beating. You’d feel it if she’d killed him.” At that moment, three warriors lifted the Beta’s unconscious body and took him to the hospital. “Come back inside, Abby. This is not good for Alex and you.” Nessa turned to her mate. “Hector, you don’t have a choice now. You need to contact Warlock Richard. Perhaps he can limit the damage.” Alpha Hector nodded and headed straight for the hospital, where Luna Nessa cared for the beta’s mate and pup.