Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
It was like a mental map with Talia in the middle.
Her jaw fell slack as she could see the U-shaped formation where she woke up, and she clearly felt the opening that looked like it was made of water. The portal.
It was fantastic!
In the direction they were walking, the forest was getting denser and there was a river, and a small waterfall… Talia gasped.
“What?”, Axel asked.
“I think there are people. That way.”, she pointed into the darkness.
Axel was impressed. He was checking in that direction, but he didn’t find anything. It seemed that Talia’s abilities extend beyond his.
“Excellent. Let’s go that way.”, Axel said.
Singing and chants filled the space, accompanied by soft jingling sounds.
The bonfire created shadows that flickered to create the illusion of trees moving and colorful smoke spreading in the area came with the sweet scent of herbs.
Cassandra, Talia, and Axel approached the small clearing carefully and squatted behind a waist-tall bush to see what was going on there.
To their relief, there were no dragons or ogres, but women. More than a dozen women, all looking to be in their twenties or thirties. They sang and danced in a circle around the fire, their bodies swaying gracefully in the same rhythm, each with her own moves.
Bells around their ankles jingled softly, and as much as it seemed random, every few seconds the women would stomp in unison, causing bells to burst melodiously.
Talia’s eyes widened when she realized how much flesh was exposed. Each woman had a loose string around her waist and two small patches of cloth dangling from there, barely enough to cover the buttocks and the intimate bush in front. Their breasts were bare, bouncing and swaying as the women danced.
Axel released a slow groan, and Talia glanced at him apprehensively. Was he having a seizure? He was blinking rapidly, and his face was so red that it looked like he will explode or pass out.
It took her a moment to realize that his senses were overstimulated with the allure of those women.
“I thought that as a werewolf, you saw plenty of naked people.”, Talia said in a whisper.
Axel cleared his throat. “Yes, before and after the shift and not like this. Besides, I’m celibate not a eunuch!”
Talia stifled a giggle. Everything since Talia and Dayson marked each other was gut-wrenching and Axel’s comical predicament made Talia’s tense nerves snap.
“You think it’s funny?”, he sneered, and he might look intimidating if not for the redness of his face.
Talia’s shoulders shook from suppressed laughter.
“Shh!”, Cassandra shushed them. If they were spotted like this, they will be seen as peepers, and that can’t be a good thing.
“Who are you?”, a stern voice came from behind, and Talia, Axel, and Cassandra froze.
The trio whipped their heads that way to see a slender woman with chocolate-colored skin. She had golden markings on her arms and face, and a golden cloth over her precious parts below the waistline.
Talia noticed that the woman didn’t have bells around her ankles, and the scent of herbs from the fire masked her scent. With all the singing, they didn’t hear her approach. They were careless.
The woman crossed her arms under her bare breasts, giving them a lift and Axel swallowed audibly.
Talia stood up first and greeted the scarcely dressed woman. “My name is Talia. These are Axel and Cassandra. I apologize. Our intention was not to sneak up on you. We wanted to ensure there are no dangers before we approach you.”
Talia stopped talking when she realized that there was no more singing and jingling around the bonfire, and she could feel many eyes on her back.
“Continue”, the woman demanded.
Axel cleared his throat and put his hand on Talia’s shoulder, silently telling her that he will take over. “I am Alpha Axel, from the Midnight Guardians pack. We are seeking witches. Are you one of them?”
The woman cocked an eyebrow. “Witches?”
Axel nodded while struggling mightily to maintain eye contact and not look at her two peaks that rose and fell with her breathing.
“Our friend was influenced by black runes, and we hope to find a way to dispel it.”, Axel said and turned to Cassandra. ‘Show her the parchment with runes’, he said through the mind-link.
Cassandra shuffled to get the parchment from her backpack.
The woman’s brows furrowed when she saw the writings.
“You are not from here.”, she said flatly.
“No. We came from far away.” Axel didn’t want to mention the portal. He was still not sure if those were witches or just girls frolicking in the forest. And the fact that she didn’t give them her name, or any other relevant information was rubbing him the wrong way. “Do you know of witches? If yes, can you point us in the right direction so we can be on our way?”
The woman ignored Axel’s questions. She turned to look at the parchment that was in Cassandra’s hand. “Where did you get that?”
“It was passed onto me from my teacher.”, Cassandra responded.
“You do dark magic?”, the woman asked stiffly.
Cassandra opened her mouth to respond and then closed it. She had a feeling that just responding ‘yes’ was not a wise move.
“I am the Oracle in the Midnight Guardians pack. I perform ceremonies and cast spells when needed.”
“Dark magic?”
Cassandra swallowed hard. “We don’t look at it as dark or white. It’s just magic.”
The woman turned to Talia. “And you? Are you also doing magic?”
Talia shook her head. “I don’t know how to do magic. That’s why we are here. The man who got affected by black runes is my lover. He was unconscious for three days and when he woke up, he was not himself. I need to find witches so I can get him back.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.