The Werewolf's slayer (Werewolf series Book 2)

Chapter 14

June again watched the pack show tenderness to the little lynx shifter. The young cub had been well tended to for the past few days as she processed and grieved the loss of her parents. Her injuries had healed nicely thanks to Joesph's expert care and a shifters healing speed. All that would remain are the mental scars but those may never recover. June knew that for a fact her mind was still torn about what had happened before this unusual pack had found her. 

Walking out of the front room June walked into the forest breathing in the scents around her and letting the sounds of nature calm her. As a weather witch just standing in the breeze calmed the storm raging within her own heart. June walked further from the house towards the stable and the last of her thoughts calmed enough for her to look back to her past. 

Sitting on the loft above the horse pens June's legs dangled as she hummed a soft tune. A neigh here and a stomp there from the horses before the animals settled again. The effort took to climb the ladder in her small body always made June scorn that she was made the way she was. 

Closing her eyes several images played behind June's eyes most involving her mother and her coven. A witches' coven acted much like a pack of wolves in their hierarchy with a few differences. But the main similarity was that a coven had a leader in much the same way a pack had an alpha. The coven leader. June remembered her with bitter fondness. The leader was her mother Grace a well-seasoned witch with two elemental powers passed to her from her parents. Junes mother Grace had mastery over both the weather and flame. The flame was dangerous and June shuddered at the thought of it. 

She had reached up to her left arm and she winced as she felt the burn there. The injury right over her covens mark a sign of her banishment. There were painless ways to remove the mark but her mother had opted to banish her by flame. The reason for her banishment was difficult for June to think about but she remembered the saying 'look not toward the past but the future, only look back to learn' 

Her life in the coven as a child wasn't all that special despite the fact she was the leader's daughter. All the special treatment was focused on her older siblings, Rylen, Hugo and Stella. Rylen her eldest sister next in line for the position of the leader if unchallenged. Hugo is a rare male witch born to her mother and her human father. And stella, perfect Stella always crying when she didn't get her way. June's parents had seemed to love them more than they had her. Why wouldn't they? June thought herself undeserving of love. Shocking white hair instead of the beautiful platinum that her mother and sisters shared, dull grey eyes and the shortest body of anyone she knew. 

Tears gathered in June's eyes as she hugged her knees to her chest and wept softly. She was a woman grown but would never develop more than what she was. Small breasts, small hands, small hips and baby face. At 5ft even June constantly goyt mistaken as younger than she was. Her mother had been sick when she was pregnant and June's growth had been stunted. It made her an outcast in the coven. 

Tensions always ran high in the coven and with several individuals capable of magic and one wrong move would lead to disaster. None more so than when her siblings had tried to get rid of her. They had cornered her when she was out and threw sleeping powder at her before dragging her to a man. A man that she had thought would court and ask for her hand one day. However, the kind man she had known was not as kind as she thought. Before she could be bound to him June had lashed out with her magic and killed him. The vile man had harmed many innocent children and June had only been ignorant of the truth until that moment. 

The violent use of her magic also killed Stella her sister and permanently altered Hugo. It was a wonder Rylen came away unharmed but then again Rylen was proficient in shield spells. After years of abuse under the thumb of Stella, June felt free but that freedom would not last forever. Grace found out immediately and rushed to the scene and upon seeing Stella's body and Hugo's injury her sorrow and rage turned toward June. Her mother had used her destructive power to burn her and then her weather abilities to fling June as far away as possible. June ran then, shoeless and with nothing she ran from the only home she ever knew and the endless cruelty she endured. 

She had almost died and then a grey werewolf appeared before her and the rest well that's history now too.

"June" Her name came from Joesph's voice and the vampire looked at her with concern and true understanding. 

"Oh Joesph, I didn't see you there, is there anything you need" June responded quickly jumping to her feet and wiping her face of the dry tears on her cheeks.

June jumped back as Joesph jumped into the loft without the need for the ladder. The vampire clearly wasn't going to leave her alone in her misery. 

"June did I ever tell you how I. A vampire. Came to be with a pack of wolves" Joesph asked as he gestured to the hay where June was just sitting. 

Taking a seat June shook her head before responding. 

"No you haven't, I'll admit I have little knowledge on how you all came together apart from glimpses now and again" June admitted as she sat again across from the vampire. 

"Before I tell you. Hear this June. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes and with lives as long as the ones we have there will always be a few skeletons. You are beautiful and you deserve love and that is my strongest wish for you. I'm sorry for reading your mind but I can't sit back while a pack member is in pain" Joseph said his green eyes kind and caring as if he fully believed his own words. 

"Alice is a lucky woman to have you, Joesph" June replied as more tears gathered in her eyes. 

It felt good to have someone care about her finally. Maybe she might have a mate too. Hope flared in her heart before she could snuff it out and she focused on Joesph for him to tell his story.