Chapter 4: I Hope You Have a Plan B

ALPHA JORDAN

“Alpha, I hope you have a plan B.”

I can hear the irritation in Danny’s voice. I don’t know what to say. He’s right.

“Fuck. Get me the address for her shop. I’ll fix this.” I growl out the last part. The idea of a wolf apologizing to a witch leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I shouldn’t have let those rogues attack her, though.

But I was distracted by how beautiful she was. I’ve never seen anything like that creature she turned into. That was something else.

She was terrifyingly beautiful and devastatingly powerful. I have never seen a witch like her before. I have a feeling it is because there has never been one like her. I knew I should say something to stop the fight, but I was speechless.

On my drive, I kept thinking about how the small witch had stood up to my father. She wasn’t afraid of him at all. I was impressed by how she absorbed my energy and turned it on me. I want to know more about her. Danny was probably right to bring her in. If anyone could make my match work for me, maybe she could do it. I need to produce an heir, and I’ve run out of time to find the right woman.

The drive is long, and I don’t arrive until nearly four o’clock the following day. Her shop is quaint, and to the untrained eye, it was a harmless flower shop. I hear the soft ringing of a bell as I step inside.

“I will be with you in just a moment,” the familiar voice shouts from somewhere in the back.

“Oh, Cora, thank you so much. You are a lifesaver.” An elderly woman speaks in a sweet, shaky voice as she walks out of the back room.

The little witch emerges behind her. “Mrs. Sullivan, make sure he drinks that twice a day for the next seven days. He should be back to his old, ornery self in no time.”

I watch their exchange as the elderly woman, Mrs. Sullivan, stops and places one of her wrinkly hands on Cora’s face.

“You are truly a wonder. How much do I owe you, dear?”

Cora places her small hand on top of the woman’s and smiles warmly. “For you, it’s on the house.” She grabs a bouquet of flowers and hands it to her.

“Thank you, Cora.”

The little witch watches the old woman walk out the door before locking it and flipping the sign in the window. All of her sweetness is gone as she looks at me.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

I raise my brow at the venom in her tone. “I came to apologize and to ask for your help. I’m sorry about what happened. I shouldn’t have let my people be so rude to you. And I shouldn’t have let those rogues attack you.”

She steps behind the counter and pulls out several jars, removing their lids and filling them with various herbs.

“Oh, I see. So, it is not okay for Danny to request my help, but it is perfectly fine for you to ask? You know what I think? I think that you are fighting a war between your head and your heart. Your head is telling you to do what is best for your people, but your heart is telling you that you don’t want to be saddled with whatever wolf your father chose for you. Nothing I do will help you if you aren’t certain of what you want.” She keeps her angry green eyes focused on her task, not sparing me so much as a glance.

“But I know what I want. I have to produce an heir. And as much as I hate to say it, I don’t think I can do it without your help.”

She slams her hands down on the counter and raises her eyes to meet mine.

I like it. I’m not used to people having the boldness to look me in the eye. It’s borderline disrespectful for anyone to stare at me as long as she is staring now.

“Look, I can’t work miracles. In order for magic to work, the recipient has to be open to it and be clear about what they want. So, alpha, what is it that you want most?” Her green eyes are bright and have a faint glow to them that is nearly entrancing, only enhanced further by her long black hair that hangs loosely like curtains on both sides of her face.

“I want to ensure the future of my pack.”

A smirk forms on her full, pouty lips, and she shakes her head. She seals the lids on the jars, places a black messenger bag on the counter, then starts placing the jars in it. She closes the bag and secures the strap over her shoulder, then sidles over to where I am standing.

“Will this union ensure the future of your pack, alpha?”

I give a stiff nod. I watch her pull a strange glistening pearl from her pocket, tossing it to the ground. A portal opens in front of us.

“I drove here.” I look at her with a raised brow, and she bursts out laughing.

“Just get in the damn portal. I have no more time to waste.” She grabs my hand, and I can feel her energy crackling and snapping at our touch as she pulls me through the strange portal that lands us out front of my pack house.

“What about my car?”

She rolls her eyes and points to the driveway behind me, where my black BMW is parked.

“Happy?”

I take one last look at my car and turn to her with a flat expression. I don’t like magic, and there was no need to use it just to get us home. “Ecstatic. I will see that you have a safe space to sleep here.”

She adjusts the strap of her bag and begins walking toward the edge of the forest. “Don’t worry about me. I wouldn’t want to make your pack uncomfortable with my presence.”

I want to stop her, but the tone of her voice tells me it is best to just let her go. I make it only a few feet into the pack house before Danny spots me and rushes over.

“So? How did it go?”

I roll my eyes and sigh at his enthusiasm.

“She’s here, so I guess we will see.”

He looks out the door, then back at me with his brow furrowed. “Here? Where is she?”

I know he will not like my answer. “She took off into the woods.”

He lets out a low growl before storming out the door—no doubt searching for the little witch. As much as I know I have important things to handle, I find myself following behind him, walking deeper into the forest as we follow the familiar scent of lavender and sage.

Where has she gone? And will I get to see her beast again? I keep thinking about how beautiful her beast was. I want to see her again like that—even just once.