Forgotten Magick

Chapter 3: Faith. Pt, 1.

Seth’s Torment

Seth and Arys returned relatively quickly after they had found the present Celeste had left behind, Seth went straight into his room the blanket still in his jacket. Silently he closed his door and walked over to his bed and sat on the edge, taking the blanket in his hands to bring it up to his nose. Seth took in the scent of hers that lingered in the cotton fabric, even though the smell soothed his aching chest Seth couldn't help but furrow his brow in distress. Seth was prepared to be alone in his life, with no fated mate. He was also alright with his mate potentially being human, there was something to defend with that, but he did not know if he could deal with the fallout this would cause. Seth grew up on the cautionary stories of witches, of course, he was now old enough to liken them more to the human stories of the boogeyman but Seth remembered the day he grew a little too curious.

Seth was around sixteen at the time when he approached his grandfather and asked a simple question, "pap-pap, are witches really all that dangerous? They're basically humans right?" the grave look his grandfather told him enough. Still, he held onto every word as his grandfather spoke of the old history, something he had learned in school but the schools never talked about what happened after the great spell of Supreme Luna Elina. However his grandfather was able to fill in the holes, he explained " when I was just a new born pup the spell that bound the hunters to us was broken... Before we knew it every one was being wiped out; the Fae, Vampires, were-folk, and elves...the lot of us.. except for us and the witches but we wolves knew we were next. I was 10 when I first saw the panic on my father and grandfathers face.. next thing we knew hunters were everywhere and not a damn witch in sight.. We never found any proof but I knew, even at the age of 10, they had something to do with the spell becoming undone then they abandoned the rest of us..." Seth saw the horrors reflected in the deep-set wrinkles of his grandfather's face. The population of werewolves after the binding spell had risen steadily, nothing compared to the original numbers but they were rising generously but then dipped considerably after the binding spell was broken. They had essentially been brought back to square one, if not even further back.

This theory was corroborated by their pack elders and other pack elders across the region, the Alphas of the region came together and discussed how the coven houses around their territories seemed to go unaffected with no loss in numbers. Of course, all of this went without true evidence, no one had even spoken to the witches in years! However they never attacked the wolves directly, and one Alpha had been wise enough to suggest caution. He advised that treaties were not to be broken unless the Alpha's were prepared to incur the wrath of witches. Though no one really was, no one knew what kind of tricks and spells they had access to.

Seth still lived by that advice, in truth wolves lived in fear of witches, they lived as though witches never existed in the hopes that it would maintain the fragile peace. Since then wolves had been able to adapt to the constant threat of hunters and population numbers had stabilized, but the situation he was in could set them all back again. He was afraid this would open Pandora's box. All these things ran through his mind as he held onto the blanket and stared at the black fabric, Seth wrestled with himself as he held the belief that one should never reject their fated mate. It was an insult to the Moon Goddess and to their wolves, especially for an Alpha. A chosen mate wouldn't fit as the bond between the Alpha and Luna would be so much weaker, but rejection would leave someone even more vulnerable. As the thought of rejecting Celeste came to mind Seth felt a quiet rage build within him, he knew that was Regal and the threats of desertion would soon follow. So to save himself the grief Seth threw the idea from his mind. Tradition begged that he accept the girl as his, tradition begged that he mate and mark her, and tradition also begged that he bring her to his people. His head told him all the different ways that that would go wrong, his head told him that this would tear his pack apart, his head told him none of this would end well if he abides by tradition.

Despite all this Seth couldn't bring himself to relinquish the blanket, only doing so to take off his jacket and pants. He wrapped the blanket around himself to let her scent envelop him, at least for now he'd let himself forget about the stress of it all and allow the mate effect to take over. Seth crawled under the sheets of his bed, bunching up the black blanket, and hugged it close to his chest and face. For the first time in a long time he could feel himself relax into his bed, he felt the tension in his muscles fade away as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Sooner rather than later he fell into a blissful sleep.

In the morning Seth woke refreshed and relaxed, he had fallen into such a deep sleep he had found that he hadn’t moved from the position he had fallen asleep in. In fact, he even woke up with sleep wrinkles all over his face and body. It truly had been so long since Seth had experienced such rest. Seth rubbed the sleep from his eyes before reaching over and turning off his alarm on his phone, he decided to lay in bed just a moment longer. Taking hold of the black blanket that lay bundled in his arms, he brought it up to his nose and took in a deep breath. He was thankful that his own scent hadn’t overpowered hers during the night, she was still with him. It seemed that the witch had even thought ahead giving him the bottle of oils, though it didn’t contain her lavender signature it still brought him peace.

Seth took hold of the small bottle that lay on his nightstand, he carefully pulled on the cork plug and released the mixture of scents. Allowing them to surround him and fill the room, he found himself feeling a flurry of emotions and sensations. Seth could feel his skin clearing and rejuvenating itself, it was a tingling but cool feeling, refreshing almost. Seth could also feel his mind-opening, his thoughts were clear and he had a very good feeling about today for some reason. Not to mention the peace and sense of love that filled his heart and soul, it felt like a warm hug around his entire being. His sore muscles and joints started to relax and mend themselves, like a white light had washed over him burning away all his sins and pains. Most of all however he felt himself grow in strength and courage, he felt almost renewed. It was a magickal feeling, to say the least.

Seth allowed himself to enjoy the feeling for a little while longer, reveling in his mate's magick. She didn’t even need to be with him to make him feel like the most powerful man in the world, she was so far away and the mate bond hadn’t even been acknowledged by her, and yet she was already fulfilling her role as Luna and mate. Seth smiled dearly as he looked at the vial of yellowish liquid, her gift to him. Goddess was he ever glad that she listened to whatever divine being that spoke to her, that was if, in fact, Regal was telling him the truth.

He would know if it were true when they would meet, the first time his hand would touch her skin he would know. There were some things about the mate bond that could not be replicated by spells or hexes, such as the electric tingle that graced once touch at the presence of their mate. There was also the mate bond pull, the one he felt the other day when he was leaving the clearing. Seth plugged the cork into the bottle though the feelings that surrounded him lasted, he smiled more as he tucked it and the blanket carefully away. Seth made sure that both items were well hidden in his room, not wanting any of the Omegas tasked with his room to find them and start rumors.

Quickly after he was sure his secrets were tucked away safely, Seth made his way to his washroom to clean up and get ready for the day. As Seth walked into the washroom he turned to the large mirror and noticed something very wrong, he blinked several times and even vigorously rubbed at his eyes but no matter what he did the vibrant green glow that replaced his hazel eyes would not go away. Seth knew that Regal's wolf eyes were green but it was nothing close to the almost florescent glow that now lingered, what would he do?! Seth wouldn’t be able to step out of his room, or even see anyone if this didn’t go away.

“Relax Seth,” said a seemingly proud Regal, Seth shook his head and shouted “how the hell am I supposed to calm down?! Look at my eyes Regal! This isn’t normal!” Regal chuckled inside Seth’s mind before speaking again “relax boy, you are fine. This is what happens when a witch and a wolf mate, she is brining out your inner magick. She is making you stronger. This will not last, this is happening more than likely because of the concoction you smelt. You feel stronger don’t you?” Seth sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose a small headache starting but he conceited “yes Regal I do, but I can’t just walk out of my room like this. My pack would quite literally start a witch hunt no matter what I tell them.”

Regal rolled his eyes before stating “the effect is not permanent, I keep telling you to relax for a reason. Take your shower, let the warm water calm you. Accept the magick and let it flow through you freely, when you are calm the magick will calm as well.” After that Regal receded to the back of Seth’s mind. Seth did his best to relax, he looked away from the mirror as to not start a new panic and started the shower. After a moment or two to let the water warm up he stepped in and did as he was told, he let the warm water wash over his body, and slowly but surely he felt his muscle relax and the headache withdraw.

Seth spent almost 20 minutes in the shower, making sure he was well relaxed before stepping out. He held his breath as he grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and looked up in the mirror. He held his eyes shut, the anticipation making anxiety rise, after a few moments Seth finally opened his eyes. They were his regular ol’ hazel eyes. Seth smiled and gave out a sigh of relief, pumping his fist in the air in excitement, though as he let his excitement take over him Seth noticed the glow slowly returning.

Seth quickly calmed down, clearing his throat and nodding at his own reflection. Seth heard Regal chuckle in his mind before he noted “magick is highly tied to emotion which is why even though witches are boastful of their powers, they are very proper and demure in attitude. Children are taught the discipline of controlling ones emotions, though those lessons are only truly learned after tragedy or an accident of their cause.” Seth c****d an eyebrow as he dressed for the day, his curiosity about witches and witch culture grew immensely throughout the past couple of days. Ever since he came to terms with the fact his mate may be a witch. He wanted to be prepared as possible for when or if he assumed the role of Alpha Guardian.

“What do you mean tragedy or accident? How far are we going here Regal?” Seth asked with concern, Regal seemingly grew grim as the question sat between the two souls. Regal finally said “if a child is powerful enough and experiences intense emotion, it is possible for casualties to happen. More often than not it is a parent or a sibling, other times its a teacher or a mentor. Essentially who ever is in the area trying to console the child…” Seth stopped in his track, halfway through pulling up his pants, he quickly asked, “and what happens to the child who caused the casualty?!” Seth could feel a fit of anger rising. Regal did the wolf equivalent of throwing up his hands in defense before answering “Nothing, the children aren’t punished or prosecuted. Witches merely consider this an occupational hazard, a parent would rather die than let a child's power consume them.”

Seth’s brows shot up again in surprise “consume them?!” he exclaimed accidentally aloud, Regal nodded before saying “if a child cannot come to terms, accept, and control their powers it will consume them. Their power will turn inward and the body quickly decays over a matter of days. The birth of a witch is also very violent and terrible, if not done properly the mother and babe could die. There is many risks to being a witch boy, things aren’t easy because they have power. That power comes at great cost sometimes..”

Seth frowned as he thought about that, sure being a wolf wasn’t always great. A pup's first transformation was very painful as they got used to the cracking and reshaping of the bone structure, and births could be difficult if the mother was too small, but it was nothing compared to what Regal had described. Pups didn’t go savage, pups didn’t have to worry about accidentally killing their parents. Most risks of being a werewolf was one of two things; becoming rogue and having your wolf take over, or the rejection of a mate.

As Seth finished putting his outfit for the day together, preferring to stick with well-pressed dark jeans and a white button-up shirt. He tucked his shirt in his pants and put on a nice black leather belt with a silver belt buckle that depicted a wolf's head raised at a pale blue crescent moon behind it. He finished his ensemble with a pair of black Vessi sneakers with a white bottom and his grandfather's watch. The she-wolves of the pack were exceptional at making clothes, the cut and fit of his shirts were always just right. Tight enough to provide style and definition but not too tight as to restrict movement or flexibility. He gave himself another once over and decided he looked acceptable before he left his room.

It was 7 a.m as Seth walked through the busy halls of the packhouse, it was the time where all the wolves and pups woke up and started their days. Pups started school in an hour which meant mothers and fathers had very little time to get them dressed, packed, fed, and to the school itself which was a building just off to the left of the packhouse. The opposite of the training building. Seth needed to keep himself pressed against the hallway walls in the morning, the packhouse was larger than most as it housed many families and over the years Alpha's continued to expand the packhouse as accommodations were needed. This meant pups, lots and lots of pups.

"I'm so sorry Alpha!" Spoke one tired mother of 3 before shouting at her pups to stop running in the halls, truly though Seth didn't mind. The adults and teenagers of the pack knew better and were respectful, he knew pups listened to no one but their instincts. The mornings were normally this hectic as parents got their children ready for school and themselves for work, training, or other tasks that needed to be dealt with. Those his age knew better than to go anywhere near the kitchens in the morning, parents had enough to deal with without hungry 20 something-year-olds taking their pups preferred breakfast before they had a chance to sit down at the table. Instead, they all had a nonverbal agreement to wait until the children had been sent off before descending on the cooks like a pack of vultures, or in their case hungry wolves.

Seth used the chaos as an opportunity to lose himself in thought, no one needed the Alpha's help this early. The only thing he could help with was wrangling the pups, but he tried that once and only made matters worse for the parents who angrily shooed him away. Another Alpha may have seen that as a sign of disrespect, Seth could only see it as his fault. He was informed that an entire class of pups had been considerably late that morning, and those same families were late for their work. He had made sure none of them had been reprimanded, however, it was now a running joke that Seth would need a nanny or two to help his future Luna.

Though his thoughts were not with the pups and families, his thoughts were with the witches. Seth had made with a way to his office and immediately sat in his chair, shoulders on his armrests and hands pressed together. He was tight-lipped as he mulled over the new information Regal provided, how was he supposed to lead witches? He hardly knew a thing about them and what he did know scared him deeply. It made him think of his mate, what had she been through? What pain had she carried on her own for years now? He could tell she was powerful, but what was the price for that power?

Then a brisk knock on the door, “come in Arys” said Seth said rather gloomy. Arys came into the room shortly after and looked at his friend, Arys sighed heavily and asked impatiently “what is it with the girl now?” Seth huffed and threw a stack of paper at him “it’s not just the girl you know, think about it, if she is my actual mate then at that point I have to lead not only wolves but witches too. Regal’s told me some stuff but man it’s heavy… I-if a little witch doesn’t accept or control their powers it consumes them and they die of organ failure! O-or if the kid can’t control their emotions they run the risk of killing their parent! Arys! Remember how angry you were at 13?! Could you imagine trying to control those emotions when you have no f*****g idea what they even mean?! At least as adults we have the ability t-to think about why we’re feeling what we’re feeling, when you’re a kid it’s just blind rage or sadness! How the hell am I supposed to help them with that?! The f*****g fear that just because you’re going through puberty you might kill your parents!”

Arys had taken a step back and grew rather somber, he hadn’t known that either. An obvious truth was slowly dawning on them, they really knew nothing about their neighbors; their pains, hardships, and hazards. Arys ran his hand through his hair as he let out a deep breath, he gave his friend a defeated look as he said “I.. I don’t know my guy.. That’s a lot..” Seth laughed and nodded as he answered “well we better figure it out, you’re still my Beta. You’re still my second in command, so you’re going to help me help those scared children… and until we confirm that she is not my mate, I’d like to work and act under the presumption she is. That being said you know how prepared I like to be for any given situation, so let’s get to work”

Arys nodded to Seth and grabbed a chair to sit in front of Seth' who could see his friend trying to mentally amp himself up, “ok! So tell me everything that Regal has ever told you about witches and I’ll info dump what Lonan has told me about them too, then we’ll see what we have and where we have holes..” Seth nodded scooting himself forward a bit against his desk as he added “and get Missy too, we’ll need her book again and whatever knowledge she has... This is a big puzzle and we need as many pieces as possible…” Arys nodded briefly before his eyes glossed over casually. He was linking his mate, he also more than likely added to bring food. Arys was always hungry, like a boy who was still growing the man could eat a horse in its entirety and still be hungry.

The boys got to work as soon as Arys returned to the present, Seth started as he went on a long monologue about every comment and conversation he and Regal had since he was first aware of his wolf. Every huff and puff Regal gave during every witch lecture at school, every conversation with his father and grandfather, and every counterargument Regal had against the teachings. Missy had walked in about halfway through the 2 and a half-hour talk. She had come in with everything that was asked; the book, her brains, and the delicious cooking of Mr.&Mrs.Voss. Two heaping plates of eggs, sausage, hash browns, and a bowl of beans. Missy had to carry everything on a tray there was so much food.

“Don’t make me regret this later…” Missy warned as she put down the bowl of beans in front of Arys while giving him a stern look, even though she was so small compared to Arys she was still able to make the large man cower under her gaze. Missy took a seat on the couch in the room with her own plate of toast, two eggs, berries, and avocado slices.

Next was Arys’ turn to talk about his wolf’s knowledge, it was similar to Regals. Much of the same ‘witches are good, very powerful, trustworthy, and super knowledgeable’ lectures, though there was a piece of information that Lanon had brought forward that Regal was rather reserved about. “Wait?! Regal, my Regal was the last Alpha Guardian?!” was the last thing Seth could say before the beasts came out in a roaring thunder.

Regal came right to the forefront, Lanon was pulled to the front by his Alpha’s roaring command. The two snarled and growled at one another before Regal roared “WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!” Lanon lowered his head as he explained “my Alpha, this pup is not a prideful one. I saw no signs that he would misuse your name or legacy, his Beta has not even said a single word of your name sake and he has known for a while now. Forgive me my Alpha, I regarded these boys as trust worthy.” Regal stood tall as he narrowed his eyes “this is not about trust..” He growled before continuing “DO YOU WISH TO INFLATE THIS GOOD PUPS EGO?! DO YOU WISH TO MAKE HIM FEEL MORE IMPORTANT THAN HE IS?!” then Lanon met his Alpha’s eyes and dare to state “my Alpha, he IS more important than he believes himself to be. He believes himself merely an ordinary Alpha, he believes himself an ordinary wolf. He is not. He is your successor. He IS the next Alpha Guardian, and he our kinds future! He must know his life’s significance!”

Regal snapped at Lanon “HE IS STILL A SERVANT TO HIS PEOPLE! HIS LIFE DOES NOT TRUMP EVEN THE LOWLIEST OMEGA!” Lanon, now over his Alpha’s temper tantrum, snapped “ALPHA REGAL FORRESTER! FOR ONCE LET YOUR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS GO AND RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION WE ARE IN!” the two large and burly men spend a few moments breathing heavily and angrily at one another. Until the little, and loud, Missy spoke up. “Alpha Regal! I ask for your ear!” she spoke loudly and clearly, to which Regal looked over to her with little patience and nodded. “Oh! Okay!” said a surprised Missy as she jumped in her skin, she cleared her throat and started. “I understand what you’re saying, trust, but I mean you’ve been with Seth for a while now right? Like his dad is a BEAST, don’t tell him I said that, but Seth knows the value of life and his people. That being said, Lanon isn’t wrong either… If this is really what’s going to happen, if Seth is going to be the next Alpha Guardian, then he needs to know who you are in your entirety. He’s just that kind of guy. He needs to have Plan A, B, C, AND D, before he even starts what ever it is he’s doing! This will change our lives, for generations, it will also change the world. Seth needs to be aware of this, his role in all of this and he will need you. In all your truth.. Alpha..”

Missy bowed her head and sat down again, the two men looked at each other once again. Lanon spoke first “my mate is not incorrect my Alpha, you know I am loyal to you until the end of time but we cannot ignore the impact this will have. As well, Regal.. Elina.. This may be what she was talking about..” Regal’s eyes shot open wide, Seth’s face started to contort in waves of different expression. It passed from pure rage, to consideration, to sorrow, and lastly defeat. Regal fell back into the chair behind them and receded to the back of Seth’s mind. Lanon had quickly done the same.

Seth and Arys’ bodies sat completely still for a while, Missy got up and rushed over to her mate’s side. “Arys? Arys?! Baby are you okay?! What happened?!” she exclaimed as she held her mate's face between her hands, it took a moment or two more but they had come back to the present. “I’m alright sweetness..” Said Arys in a very groggy voice, rubbing his eyes as he tried to reassure his mate. “That was bizarre... Regal just jumped forward and pushed me all the way back, I couldn’t see or hear what was going on..” Seth took a glass of water and started to chug it, Arys followed suit and asked “why does my voice feel so horse?”

Missy sighed before sitting back down on her spot on the couch “your wolves took full control, I guess Regal didn’t want Seth to know about him being THE Regal Forrester. Something about not wanting to inflate Seth’s ego, wanting Seth to remember his life is not more important than the lowest Omega or something like that. But when Lanon brought up Supreme Luna Elina that’s when your wolves relinquished control. Lanon and Regal were just having a straight up screaming match for a bit there.” Arys chuckled a little as he listened and as Missy finished her explanation she looked over to her adoringly and said “Lanon says that you did well, that you were brave and logical in the face of an angry Alpha. We are both very proud of you my love”

Missy blushed and waved her hand dismissively but Seth could tell that in their heart and mind Lanon and Arys were doting on and praising their mate, Missy always had a certain glow when she would get praised by the both of them.

Seth dismissed both of them, he knew that Lanon would want some privacy with Missy and her wolf. It was something that Seth had noticed a while ago, pride and doting for wolves often took a rather adult turn. Besides, tending to and nurturing the mate bond as an important part of werewolf culture and he had denied Missy her mate for a few weeks at that point. They deserved the time together.

Though now Seth was alone, not even Regal was with him as he had receded to the deepest part of Seth’s mind. His thoughts were his only company. What was he going to do? He wanted a mate, he wanted to accept her and the role that had been thrust upon him, but Seth wasn’t sure if he could handle it. He had no idea what he was going to be walking in on, not even Regal knew the witches of the present day as they had become rather secretive and completely isolated. It was maddening, not having Celeste in front of him was torment.