Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Horace's POV

I patted her cheek gently. "Come on, Open your eyes, Please."

Her head rolled to the side, then I saw her chest rise and fall.

Thank the moon.

My wolf was going insane inside my head, “Mate, Our mate, Protect her”

"I know, I am trying."

I slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her carefully. She weighed almost nothing, her dress was torn and filthy. Dark bruises covered her arms, Someone had hurt her.

I built a secret cabin two years ago when I needed space away from pack politics. No one knew about it, not my father, not Duane, No one.

I started walking, holding her against my chest. My wolf wanted me to shift and run, but I could not risk dropping her.

The walk took nearly an hour. Every few minutes I looked down to make sure she was still breathing.

When I reached the cabin, I kicked the door open, laid her gently on the bed and immediately started a fire in the fireplace.

Within minutes, flames were crackling. I lit the oil lamps too.

Now I could see her properly. She had dark hair that fell in tangled waves past her shoulders. Delicate features. She looked young, maybe seventeen or eighteen. And she was beautiful.

But something was wrong. I could feel the mate bond between us, pulling at my chest. But when I looked at her with my wolf senses, I noticed an emptiness inside her. A void where something important used to be, and faint traces of magic lingered on her skin.

“Magic. She was a witch”

My stomach droppe ‘My mate was a witch’

This was bad. Werewolves and witches were enemies, the laws were clear. Any witch found in werewolf territory was to be killed on sight. Any werewolf who helped a witch was a traitor.

But she was my mate, the moon herself chose her for me

I pulled a blanket from the chest and tucked it around her carefully.

Then I found what food I had stored. Some bread. Hard cheese. Dried meat. I put it all on a plate near the bed.

I pulled a chair close and sat down to wait. My wolf, Silver, paced restlessly.

"She needs space. She has been through something terrible."

Finally, her eyelids began to flutter. Her eyes opened slowly, they were brown, Deep, warm brown.

For a moment, she just stared at the ceiling. Then her eyes found me. They went wide with fear.

She tried to sit up fast but gasped in pain and fell back.

"Easy," I said quickly. "Do not move too fast, you are hurt."

"Where am I? What is this place?"

"You are in my home. My cabin." I reached for the cup of water I had prepared. "Here. Drink this."

She drank greedily. When the cup was empty, she handed it back.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was those wolves attacking and then another wolf came and then..." She trailed off. "You. You changed from a wolf into a man. How is that possible?"

"I am a werewolf. We can shift between human and wolf form."

"I have never seen it before. Witches do not usually get close enough to werewolves to watch them shift."

"You are a witch," I said.

She flinched. "I was, not anymore. They stripped my powers, ripped them right out of me. Now I am just human, weak and useless."

"Who did that to you?"

"My coven. They said I was too dangerous, that I could not control my magic. So they decided it was safer to just take it away and throw me out."

Anger burned in my chest. "They threw you into the Forbidden Woods knowing you would be killed."

"That was the plan. And it almost worked, If you had not come along..."

"But I did come along, and those rogues will not bother you again."

"Rogues?"

"Werewolves without a pack. They live wild in the woods. The ones that attacked you were young and stupid."

"You fought all five of them. I saw you. You were incredible."

"I am the Alpha's son. Fighting is what I am trained for."

"The Alpha's son? You mean your father is the leader of a werewolf pack?"

"Yes, Alpha Magnus of the Crescent Moon Pack. Does that frighten you?"

"It should. If your father is the Alpha, then he probably hates witches. And here you are, hiding one in your secret cabin."

She was right. Father would be furious, His brother was killed by witch magic during the Great War. He would never accept a witch in his territory.

"My father does not know you are here, and he will not find out. This cabin is secret, I built it myself."

"But you cannot hide me forever. Eventually, someone will notice you disappearing, they will follow you."

"Then we will deal with that when it happens. Right now, you need to rest, we can worry about the future later."

"Why are you helping me? You are a werewolf, I am a witch. You should want me dead."

"I could never want you dead. You are my mate."

She stared at me "What does that mean? Mate?"

"It means the moon chose you for me. You are my other half. The person I am meant to be with for the rest of my life. Do you not feel it? The connection between us? Like a string tied from your chest to mine?"

She was quiet. Then, in a whisper, "I feel something, I thought I was imagining it."

"You are not imagining it. The mate bond is real and powerful, I know this is confusing and frightening, but I promise you, I will keep you safe Gwen"

Her eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"What is it? Your name?"

She hesitated. "Guinevere."

"Guinevere," I repeated, It felt right. "I am Horace."

"Horace. That is a strong name."

"My father chose it." I gestured to the plate of food. "You should eat something, you look like you have not had a proper meal in days."

"I have not. The coven only fed me bread and water for the last week."

I handed her the plate. She took it and started eating. Slowly at first, then faster. She tore into the bread. The cheese disappeared. The dried meat was gone in seconds.

When the plate was empty, she looked embarrassed. "I am sorry. I did not mean to eat like that."

"I think you were hungry. And I am glad you ate."

She set the plate aside. "Horace? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why me? Why would the moon choose me as your mate? Why would you be stuck with a weak girl like me?"

The pain in her voice made my chest ache

"You are not weak, You survived something terrible today. You had your power ripped away and were left to die, and yet here you are, still alive, Still fighting. That is not weakness, Guinevere, that is strength."

"I did not survive on my own. You saved me."

"And I would do it again a thousand times over." I reached out to touch her hand, she did not pull away. "The moon does not make mistakes. If she chose you for me, then there is a reason. Right now, all that matters is that you are here and you are safe."

She looked down at our joined hands. "I do not understand any of this. Yesterday I was a witch in a coven. Today I am a human hiding in a werewolf's cabin. Tomorrow I do not know what I will be."

"Tomorrow you will still be my mate. That will not change."

She finally smiled. A real smile this time. "You are very determined, Horace."

"When it comes to protecting what is mine, yes." I squeezed her hand gently. "Now, you need to sleep. Your body has been through trauma. Rest will help you heal."

"Where will you sleep?"

"On the floor. I will keep the fire going so you stay warm."

"That does not seem fair. This is your bed."

"And you are my mate. My comfort does not matter as much as yours." I stood up and grabbed a blanket. "Sleep, Guinevere. I will be right here if you need anything."

Within minutes, her breathing deepened as she fell asleep. I sat by the fire, watching her rest. But as I stared into the flames, worry gnawed at me. How long could I keep this secret? How long before someone discovered her?

She was my mate, and I would die before I let anyone harm her.