HIS MATCH

01.

Unravel.

River.

I always want to see the best in people, even the ones that hurt me, its one of the things that changed in me when I finally decided to accept myself but at times, acceptance is hard, not everything thrown your way is easily acceptable, some of it just hurts and keeps hurting. What Riley told me last night was still weighing on me, I had so many questions for Julian, could I ask him and would he answer, what about me, wasn't I something worth considering before just throwing me away, it all churned in my head until I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to shove it aside and plaster on a smile crafted for situations like these, seemingly effortless but breaking on the inside.

"Good morning baby brother, I will have six doughnuts, a box of plain vanilla muffins, banana bread and a square of sour bread." Riley asserted as he walked into the bakery, I had left him at home because I had to prep the bakery early. "Morning honey." I replied reciprocating the kiss he placed on my cheek. "Big order boss, can I get some?" Danton asks Riley who refused right then, making the lycan whine lowly. Riley was a classic heartthrob, any man, woman or beast would want him, and they never stopped since he didn't have a mate according to everyone else. "Aside from Danton wanting you to fill him with cream, what's the big order for?" I questioned teasingly and Riley narrowed his eyes on me.  "Its for a mini party at the office, Clover is bringing her one year old to work, and the cute little dude is turning one today." He explains making me wonder how my brother was such a nice a boss to his employees then turns into the devil when they have a project to work on and finish, if he could, he would whip them.

"That's so nice, wish I could see her baby too." Danton yet again interjects into the conversation making Riley sigh in non existent exhaustion, along with making me laugh. "Cheer up Danton, wont there be a ceremony for welcoming the pups into the pack?" I asked and he nodded, realization finally coming through. "I can just see her baby then, which is totally fine." He exclaims as I check off Riley's last order. "Cash or card, I accept both." I mumbled and he chuckled. "Put it on my tab." He cheekily responds picking everything up from the counter top. "Will do, bye honey." I answer leaning upward to kiss his cheek and he does well to bend a little. "Bye babe, see you later— you are coming to the office later right, we have that thing." He reminds me and I nod, the thing was a project he was working on, it was the different house plans for different families in the pack, and since the witches noticed his talent in design, they hired him to do their house plans for coven members.

I waved my brother off and turned for the kitchen where the rest of my staff was busy at work, we were a mixed bunch, humans, wolves and witches, there haven't been vampires in Winchester for a very long time, I never asked why, but with the magic surrounding town, at times it feels like it wards them off, I've never been affiliated with the coven so I wouldn't accurately know, just like the pack, my true affiliation was Julian, but right now, I couldn't think about him, so I got into kneading dough for the croissants we would sell after lunch, usually for the people who hadn't had anything to eat all day because they were too busy, it happens. As much as I didn't want to think about Julian, thoughts of him still came to mind and a dizzy spell, it caused me to sway a little bit. "Whoa, mister Brooke, are you okay?" An employee asks as Danton rushes in to help me.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I assure them as I'm led to my office. "I think I should've eaten more in the morning." I joked and Danton scoffed. "You think, you need to take care of yourself boss." He chides as I accept a bottle of water from the other person who had helped me to my office. "I will be okay Danton." I assured as he nodded and left with one last glance at me. I knew I wasn't okay, but I couldn't worry about that, I had a business to run and errands to get to. As I grabbed my bag and phone someone burst through the door. "Elder Errin, what are you doing here?" I asked as the sudden bang of the door was a surprise and the pack elder being here was even more astounding. "I need your help, my granddaughter is missing, and you're the closest witch I know who'll help." She desperately explained, I could see the fear in her eyes so I nodded.

Leaving my bag, I grabbed my phone only. "Danton I'm going out for the rest of the day, will inform you of nay changes, make sure you sign off on the stock coming in!" I yelled toward the tall man and he nodded as I followed the elder out. "Where did you last see her?" I asked the lycan. "Home, playing in my backyard, she was there one minute, the next she was gone, I called the alpha and he came, we tried scent tracking her but there is no trace at all." She explained as she drove straight into pack territory at a terrifying speed, once we were parked by her house, we made a beeline for the backyard. "Here." She asserted as I noticed her daughter Selia there with several other wolves. "Tell me he agreed to help?" She begged and I nodded toward Selia. "I'll do my best." I offered as I walked past her.

"Can you feel it?" I asked Elder Errin and she refused. "Phesmatos revilium arnophium." I mumbled a spell beneath my breath and the sand around us began to move, rising into the air and creating shapes. "Show me." I whispered and the sand showed what had happened when Selia's daughter had been taken, she didn't vanish on her own, another lycan had snatched her and vanished into the woods with her but his face was covered, the sand swirled one more time and fell to the ground the effect of my spell vanishing with it.  "That was cool?" Fate was really playing games with me now because I knew that voice, it had haunted some of my dreams. "Hello River." Julian asserted, he was here too, with her, so it was true. "Hello Julian, elder Errin, she was abducted, I can do a locator spell and try to find where she was taken to but I will need a few ingredients." I explained and the woman along with the other wolves came closer, it hurt seeing Julian with her, hurt realizing that they were already acquainted, she was after all someone and something I couldn't be.

So I focused on the more important task, a kid kidnapped. "Angel trumpet, angelica root, wolfsbane, I already have the grounded crowsfoot." I exclaimed and they all got into action as directed by the elder, I expected Julian to follow his betrothed but he stayed behind, which was only a trigger for me. "You look good." He mumbled and I remained silent, flipped my hair to the side and continued with preparation for my spell. Making a knife appear from thin air I used it to carve a small tetragram on the ground, then proceeded to carve runes on the ground, soul, mind, life and finally innocence. The lycans returned with what I needed and I quickly got to work spreading the ingredients on the tetagram, when it was all mixed everyone stood back. "Sagnio efferati vestus phalto." I chanted lowly as the air grew thick with magic.

"Incendia." I said the final word setting white flames on the tetragram, it flared up then began to change, like a beam of stretched light it shot up into the sky, then bent and began going in the direction of where elder Errin's granddaughter was. "You might want to follow that." I suggested to the lycans and they took off in the direction of the beam. "Aren't you coming with, we might need backup." Kara suggested and I shook my head in refusal. "Its just one rogue, against a pack of lycans, I'm sure you'll be okay, the spell will lead you directly to her, goodluck." I explained walking away from the elder's backyard, I would've helped, I wanted to but Julian being there and Kara aswell, I couldn't do that to myself, I needed to figure my own way from here on out.

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Saint_Jay