Anger pulsed through his body. He could never imagine having such controlling parents, his own mother had been overly excited to hear he had found his mate. His wolf howled with frustration and resumed his steady pacing.
'I will come for you.' He replied and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Determination filled his chest, in nine months he would be having a little one. Excitement and nervous tension pooled in his stomach. He jogged to his truck and headed to the alpha then the store. He needed to move out of the house he shared with two other guys and needed one of his own for himself and his family. Even though he had a few months to prepare, he wanted to get started sooner rather than later. I'm going to have a family. The idea rolled around as he hit the gas. His wolf grinned at the idea of having a little boy to play and shift with.
CHAPTER THREE
Jina
*Nine months later*
JINA'S EYES SNAPPED open and she searched for her newborn. The precious bundle of joy, Luna, wasn't anywhere in sight. Dread settled into the pit of Jina's stomach as she jumped out of bed. Her feet wobbled under her and the memory of last night's tea filled her mind. Her mother had given her some cinnamon tea before bed and now she felt more groggy than normal, even with being a new mother. Damn it, she spelled me asleep! Anger pulsed through her body as she bolted out of her room.
"Mom!" Jina yelled and exited her room. She kicked the door open only to find a perfectly made bed. Magic pulsed from her body as she ran to the bathroom attached to her parent's room.
"What's going on? Why am I so freaking groggy?" Celina rolled her shoulders in the hallway then her gaze met Jina's. "She didn't..."
"Luna is gone, and I know they spelled me to sleep." She shoved her hands through her hair, trying to figure out where her parents might have taken her little girl. Why is my mother so fucking cruel, separating me from my baby? More questions raced through her mind.
"Why would they do this?" Celina rubbed her shoulder then the base of her neck. Jina stormed down the hallway into the living room. The need to feed her daughter grew stronger as her breasts swelled up. She wanted to hold Luna close and run to Dominic so no one could take her again.
"I don't know, but where ever they took her, I will find my daughter." Jina's heart raced as magic pulsed stronger from her body. Days before she delivered her precious baby girl, she had planned on running back to Dominic. Even if she had to keep the magic to a minimum, she felt it was worth the risk. Being away from him for eight long months had been unbearable. She had been released to be able to move away from the coven whenever she wanted. Nothing held her back except being completely exhausted with a newborn and the night before her stitches finally healed up. She could walk without wincing every few paces.
"Jina, your phone is ringing." Celina broke her focus and Jina used her magic to bring her phone from the other room and saw her mother's number. She gritted her teeth and let go of a breath. I can do this! She wanted to be strong against her parents. Even though they raised her to respect her elders, Jina wouldn't just lay down and lose her daughter over their fucking fears.
"Mother, where are you?" Jina yelled at the phone.
"Is this Jina Lyco?" a male voice asked after clearing his throat.
"Yes. Why do you have my mother's phone?" Jina glanced at her sister and she put the phone on speaker so they both could hear. The guy cleared his throat again, sending fear into her heart.
"I'm sorry to inform you that your parents were in a car accident, the railing broke and they went off a cliff edge. We also found a car seat but no child." His calm even voice sent chills down her spine. The breath stilled in her lungs and her heart tightened. She shook her head a few times while staring at the phone. This can't be happening, she was in my arms last night! She can't be gone! Her face was wet, and Celina cleared away a tear or two. Jina lifted her gaze and saw tears streaming down her sister's pale face.
"No, where's my daughter?" Jina fell onto the ground and more tears rolled down her cheeks. "She's only a week old!" Panic filled her voice but the words the guy spoke next didn't register with her brain.
"No, we won't be able to pick them up," Celina spoke at the phone and rubbed Jina's back. "I'm so sorry sister."
Jina dropped the phone and raced to the door. "Text Dominic and tell him to meet me at the border." Her heart ached as Celina nodded, speaking to the officer and typing on the keys. Jina couldn't bear staying in the house another moment, she bolted out of the house and into the trees.
"No!" she screamed, and power pulsed from her soul. Losing her parents had been one thing but her newborn had been too much. Trees creaked as her magic pulsed from her body. She kept shuffling toward the border but stayed in the forest. Tears clouded her vision and branches scraped at her face and legs, but she kept going.
The cool air would normally bother her, but she just kept moving. Part of her wanted to just keep going, away from her problems, away from the death. A cold numbness clenched at her nerves threatening to consume her.
"Jina?" Dominic's worried voice carried through the trees and she turned to find him running toward her.
He passed the border and she pushed some of her magic into the boundary spell. She didn't want his wolf going crazy in his mind. Her own mother had recommended it be put into place only a few weeks ago, any wolf passing through would have their beast becoming restless inside their mind. It would cause them to shift, giving any witch the opportunity to kill them without being in trouble. My own mother is gone with my Luna.
"I can't..." She shook her head and he pulled her into his arms. Warmth flooded her freezing body.
"What's going on? I wasn't meant to pick you up till tonight." He kissed her head and rubbed her back. "Where's the baby?"
"My parents took Luna." She sniffled against his chest and more tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Okay, but you said you had a backup with the purple necklace." Dominic's calm voice should have brought her peace, but the pain only grew stronger. She had to break the awful news about their little girl. Jina swallowed hard trying not to let her voice crack.
"I received a call, Dominic. There was an accident, my parents were pushed off a cliff. They found a car seat but no..." A sob broke through her lips and her whole body shook.
"No, that can't be." He shook his head. "Use the spell, maybe they dropped her off before they crashed."
"Why wouldn't they leave the car seat?" Jina's heart hurt more with every breath. She wanted her daughter back, and more than anything, she wanted to rewind to yesterday morning and leave before her parents took her Luna.
"Please, just try." He lifted her chin to meet his pleading gaze.
"They are all dead." She pushed away from him. "My precious baby girl is gone." Jina shook her head and dropped to her knees. They stayed in the same spot, Jina shook from her sobbing while Dominic rubbed his hands together. After a few minutes, he kneeled down next to her.
"We can handle this together." Sadness filled his voice as he reached for her, but she couldn't handle his touch. Being close to him would only remind her of the loss even more. Her little girl had darker skin and curly brown hair from his side.
"I need to get back and plan the funeral." She pulled herself away from him.
"Are you still moving in with me?" Dominic rubbed his neck, hurt filling his brown eyes.
"I..." She looked at the ground. "I'm not sure. I need time to grieve."
"She was my daughter too, Jina. We need to lean on each other," Dominic growled and Jina lifted her chin.
"And if my parents weren't so worried about her suddenly shifting into a wolf, Luna would be in my arms right now." She put her hands over her heart and tried to stop the tears.
"So, you’re going to blame me?” He pointed at his chest.
“No, I’m blaming my parents, but I can't look at you right now without seeing Luna." She cleared her face and stood on shaky knees. "Maybe after the funeral you can come get me, but I need my coven right now." Jina took in a
deep breath and shuffled away from her mate. The longer she stayed near him, the more everything ached. Walking away from him was the second hardest thing she had done, the first had been listening to the officer claim her daughter was dead.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dominic
*Thirty-three years later*
DOMINIC ROLLED OUT of bed and headed for the shower, his hard-on didn't want to go away the last few days. He knew it all had to do with his mate. After meeting his daughter, who he thought had been dead for thirty-three years, his little mate kept coming up in his dreams. They were more vivid now than they’d been in years.
He placed his cock in his hand and rubbed himself, images of Jina during their last time filling his mind. Her blonde hair splayed out on his bed. He missed his mate so fucking bad. After a few minutes, he reached his release and then washed his body.
After thirty-two years of not seeing her, he had moved into a place of constant sadness. The night she told him she needed to stay in the coven a little longer, part of him expected the two of them to come back to Columbus, Ohio after her parent's and daughter's funeral. He had his own little funeral for his baby girl and grieved. After not hearing from her for a year, he gave into the idea that she chose her coven, as her parents wanted, instead of him. Once ten years passed, it seemed easier not to try to anymore since all his letters were never returned.
About ten years ago, he had accepted it was easier for her to stay in her coven and forgave her. With no hair to wash, he climbed out of his shower and dressed quickly. Three long decades of being depressed as all hell and today would be just another day of missing Jina. Dominic pulled on his black hat and strolled outside.
His daughter's mate, Hunter, had been like a son to him for years and now his real parents were glaring at him. The Jones' hatred for witches wasn't a secret, but Dominic had always let it slide. Now that his witch daughter had mated with their wolf son, things had been tense.
Brauc, the alpha, pulled up in his pickup and hopped out. The power of being the alpha pulsed from his friend, but it didn't faze Dominic after being so close to him for years. So much had changed over the last few days, with finding his daughter to be fully alive and mating with his neighbor's kid. Hunter was a good guy, raised by a family who hated witches. Some kind of family issue that happened before he met Jina.
"What's up?" He wasn’t expecting a visit from his alpha today, which threw him off.
"I've just received some interesting news." Brauc scratched the back of his head. "Have you checked your phone?"
"I thought I heard it buzzing when I woke up." Dominic pulled out his cell to find two messages from Hunter and one from his daughter. He still couldn't believe she didn't die with her grandparents in the car crash. He had spent at least a decade of mourning her before he could get up without crying.
Hunter texted him, 'We had some problems in the coven.' His messages were vague, making Dominic nervous. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions.
'I met Mom. She's really nice.' Luna had sent her message late last night after he fell asleep. Good, she's getting along with her mother. That's good news. Dominic held back a smile as he backed out of the message to click on Hunter's messages.
'We are on our way back with someone.'
"Who do you think Hunter is talking about when he said, someone's coming back with them?" Dominic tossed his phone at Brauc. A smirk lifted the alpha's lips for a split second sending a tightness through Dominic's chest.
"Well..." Brauc raised one of his brows, then hummed the wedding march, horribly and completely off-key. Dominic swallowed hard. The idea of seeing Jina after so long made him both nervous and excited all at once. His wolf perked up, wanting to see Jina's soft curves and beautiful smile.
"You don't know that for sure." Dominic took in a breath. He didn't need his wolf getting excited for no reason. Brauc's phone buzzed and he laughed while throwing his head back.
"Oh, I know for sure." He turned the phone and Dominic saw a photo of an older Jina driving her little red car. A few times when she had been pregnant, she drove it to the border to meet him. That was before everything had gone to hell.
"Why is she coming here?" His wolf bounced around like a kid on a sugar rush. He tried to push him down and tried to think of a reason that didn't involve him. Dominic needed something to ground his wolf, to keep himself from taking his mate and hiding her away from the damn world. Keeping her all to himself and never letting her go again. Damn it, she never answered your fucking letters all those years ago. Why would she want us now? he asked his wolf, who just shrugged off the concern and kept bouncing around.
"She was kicked out of her coven for protecting Hunter and Luna. At least that's the gist I got from reading Hunter's messages." Brauc shook his head. "I came over in case we might have issues with them." Brauc motioned toward the Jones' home.
"Tommy pulls something like that again, I won't hesitate to neuter the bastard." Dominic ground his teeth as he remembered finding Tommy over Luna, about to kill her. He had bit his witch daughter changing her into a wolf-witch, something Dominic didn't know was even freaking possible. He was just glad she didn't die because of the change. He knew personally a few humans had died from being bitten by a wolf.
"As your friend, I can't blame you but as the alpha, I would need you to resist." Brauc put his phone in his pocket and handed Dominic his phone back.
"Where are they?" He wanted to know how long he had till he faced his mate. He rubbed his hands together as he usually did when the nerves set in. The memory of the last night he saw her flooded his mind. Maybe after the funeral you can come get me, but I need my coven right now. Her words vibrated through his mind. He had offered to come get her in every pitiful letter, but he had received silence in response. No letter, text message, or even phone call. He made damn sure to keep his number the same all these years just so if she called, it would get to him.
"The picture was taken at the border about ten minutes ago. I would bet it's not going to take much longer." Brauc smiled. His friend seemed to be enjoying Dominic's torture.
"If she was kicked from her coven, she will probably be in a hurry to try and get to the next one who will take her in." Dominic rolled his shoulders. He wanted his mate to live with him, but he knew better. Having a witch mate meant she needed a coven and most covens didn't want wolves too close, which made their options slim. If not downright nonexistent.
"I did hear through the wolf vine there is a coven protected by wolves in Nevada. It could be a good spot for you two to get a fresh start. It might be a long trip, but I can make a few calls," Brauc suggested. The idea gave his wolf hope, but Dominic did his best to quell it.
"I heard about it too but if I go anywhere with her, I need to make sure she wants to actually be with me again." Last time broke him in half when she left him. Watching her leave and not chasing after her had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. Part of him wondered if he should have driven down and demanded to see Jina, but he had been too chicken to be rejected again.
"You jumped into your bond paws first and didn't think. There's a lot of baggage there, but I have faith you two can work it out." Brauc smiled with reassurance in his eyes.
Dominic kept quiet as he scratched his bald head, some fluke gene from his father's side made him bald but his wolf had plenty for the both of them. He needed something to do as his wolf took to pacing inside his mind. Any moment, he would see his witchy mate and he didn't know what to expect. Would the anger resurface after so many years or would he just be glad to see her, willing to forgive and forget every damn mistake they made? She might even still be mad at him and blame him for not trying to do more.
Brauc clapped his hands together as he turned toward the road. Dominic followed his gaze to see Jina turning onto his street. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders, even as she aged, she was still beautiful. His cock twitched. His eyes were so focused on his mate, he barely registered Hunter's car driving in front of h
ers.
Hunter pulled into his driveway with Luna in the front seat. For years, Dominic had imagined what his life might have been like if Luna hadn't been taken away by Jina's parents. The reality of seeing both of his girls again almost brought him to his knees. So much had changed, and he wanted to freeze time so he didn't have to deal with his problems with Jina.
"Here we go," Brauc whispered into Dominic's ear as everyone climbed out. Luna beamed at Dominic and he gave her a small smile, but his eyes moved back to his mate. What the hell am I going to say? Hello, seemed flat and he couldn't just grab her and toss her ass over his shoulder caveman style and tell her she couldn't leave again. His wolf grinned at the idea of having her in his bed again. Her legs spread for him, ready and waiting. Come on, I already have a hard-on, I don't need to be throbbing too! His wolf chuckled in his mind. No, he couldn't do it, no matter how badly he wanted to. Dominic took in a shaky breath just as Tommy, Hunter's brother, stormed their way. Here we fucking go.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jina
JINA'S HEARTBEAT RANG in her ears as she stared at Brauc breaking up the fight between Hunter and his brother. Luna, Hunter, and Brauc walked into Dominic's home, leaving Jina alone with her mate. After thirty years of not seeing him, she couldn't believe he was only a few feet away from her. Part of her wanted to be raging pissed at him for never coming back to get her but after her niece had left her, she had become less angry with the world. Well, less angry with the wolf population.
"Hello, Dominic." Jina tried to calm herself down but nothing worked.
"What are you doing here?" Dominic clenched his fists. Not the warmest welcome ever but she didn't expect much more. She didn't deserve more if she were honest with herself.
"I'm here because I have no place to go." Jina swallowed hard. "When I protected Hunter after he saved my life, Cherish had to kick me out instead of starting a war inside the coven." Her chest ached as Cherish's face the night before filled her mind.
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