The Witch's Mate

Assistance from Friends

Nora's pregnant stomach was showing more with every passing week. But she was getting stronger too. Her and Penny would practice all of the time as I did most of the chores around the cabin. I didn't mind. I liked watching Nora laugh and smile. She was no longer having her night terrors but she still had bad dreams.

"Will you tell me what happened?" I said one night after I heard her wake up crying. Nora was in a cold sweat and my arms stuck to her as I held her close.

She sobbed and I just held her. She sat up and turned on the lamp by the bedside. She wiped at her face and I just laid there watching her.

She held her stomach and then said, "I just keep dreaming that I'm going to lose this one too. Because I'm going to be too weak." I grabbed her knee and nuzzled my head into her. She giggled. "You're like a dog, Red."

"We're not going to lose this baby. I'm going to protect you. Both of you. I won't allow it. I'll be much faster this time. You don't have to worry." She put her arms around my fluffy head and hugged me to her. I wiggled out of her grasp and asked with a smirk, "Would you like to go for a run?" She smiled and nodded.

The morning of July here wasn't too cold in the mountains, but I still had Nora grab a jacket for herself. I run fast, the wind will whip around her.

I undressed and Nora put my things in a backpack. I turned into a werewolf and my wife climbed onto my back. She gripped my tan fur and then we were off.

My paws dug into the forest dirt, shoveling and kicking back pebbles and leaves behind me. The sound of my heavy breaths exiting my open mouth filled my ears. The wind in my face was making my eyes water.

I felt free.

I felt uncontrollable.

No one could stop me.

No one could hold me down.

The weight on my back then brought me back to my senses. I needed to protect all of it. My wife, and my child. Witches are coming. The only witches I ever fought and new were the ones living with me. But I've seen my own men up against them and die. There must be a way to defeat witches before they can cast a spell on you or something.

I slid to a stop and perked my head and ears up. They twitched as they inhumanly caught noise of someone moving in the woods. It was the noise of a human.

"Why must we walk?" I heard them at such a far distance.

"Because. We can't be detected." Another answered. There were two—no three people. I sniffed them deeply.

"Red, what's wrong?" Nora asked. I gestured for her to get off my back and she did. I turned into a human knowing well that I wasn't able to mind-link with my own mate because she was human.

"I hear strangers hiking. But they seem unusual."

"What are they saying."

"Things like they can't be detected." I listened some more and Nora was quiet as I did my thing. "There's three of them. They're traveling lightly. They're tired. Very tired." I heard their slow steps and heavy breaths. "They're heading towards the cabin." I turned back into a wolf and Nora immediately climbed back on.

Instead of going to the cabin I took us to the hiking party. I turned human and Nora and I sat behind some brush to hide ourselves. She squinted her eyes to look at them. Then she gasped.

"What?" I whispered.

"I know them."

"Good or bad?"

"I'm not sure." She seemed unsure of herself. Knowing her past she probably didn't have a lot of friends. "But they came to see me." I nodded and we ran back to the cabin. I quickly got dressed and Nora began to cook breakfast. I kept looking out the window.