The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 39 - Marcus and Alice

"Were you expecting anyone?" Kamryn asked Gary.

"No. Joshua, take them to the hidden room." Gary looked at his beta and then looked back to Kamryn and Anna. "Are you okay with hiding? I know you could teleport out of here, but I would like to have you here, depending on who this is." "Yes, we'll hide. Let us know as soon as it's safe to come out." Kamryn and Anna followed Joshua. Gary turned to Shila.

"You go with them. I don't want Santi or anyone working for him to know about you, or he'll try to get his hands on you." Gary smoothed her hair back from her face and gave her a light kiss. Shila smiled up at him.

"Okay," They hugged, and then she followed the others. Once they were in the hidden room in the basement of the pack house, Joshua stayed with them so he could relay information by mindlink from Gary. "I removed the shield so the person could get through," Anna said, so Joshua could tell Gary.

Gary was pretending to read something on his phone while he waited to see who the surprise visitor would be. All he could think about was Shila and keeping her safe. They had only found each other a few minutes ago, and already there was chaos surrounding them. He looked up when he saw two figures walking toward him. A man and a woman were both smiling, but they weren't genuine.

"Hi, Alpha. My name is Marcus, and this is my mate Alice. I'm a warlock, and she's a witch. Santi sent us to check in with you to see how everything was going and if you've found any more useful information." Gary looked at the two and felt they had an ulterior motive, so he would tread lightly.

"Nothing so far, but I'll let him know as soon as I do." He said dismissively, hoping they would leave.

"We also wanted you to provide us with the location of the witch Elsie. Santi still has an interest in her and thinks that she may prove useful even without her magic." Alice said with a snakelike smile. Gary felt chills just being in their presence. He noticed Alice and Marcus' eyes were completely black. He quickly mindlinked Joshua so he could tell Anna and Kamryn what they wanted.

"If Santi wants to use Elsie, we need to get her before they do. Tell him to give them her general location, but about 100 miles in another direction from the cabin. That will give us enough time to teleport her out of there and put her somewhere else. It will also still be close enough that they won't think Gary deceived them. I don't want to give Santi any idea that he's working with us." Joshua relayed everything Anna said to Gary. "What's his interest in Elsie? She's nothing but a human now." Gary asked, feigning interest.

"You're just a dumb wolf, so we know you wouldn't understand this, but she's a witch from Spirit Energy. That means even without being able to perform spells or use magic, Santi can tap into her powers. This will help us get him on the throne." Marcus smiled and looked at Alice. They both started laughing, making every pack member within earshot feel like running to hide. Gary could tell something was off about the two, but he didn't know what. "What coven are you from?" He asked and saw them exchange a look.

"That's not your concern, wolf," Alice said coldly.

"Why did Santi send you here? He never sends anyone to check on me; typically, we talk on the phone." Gary stated, looking into their black eyes.

"All you need to know is that he did. You better watch your back. Remember, he has eyes everywhere, so if you think you can betray him, think again. Santi is not the trusting type. You can expect drop-in visits from time to time to make sure you're doing the work you were hired to do. Now tell us where Elsie is so we can deliver her to Santi." Marcus smirked at Gary. He gave them the forest she was in, but not the exact coordinances. They took off as soon as they had the information.

*"Joshua, bring them out."* He mindlinked his beta. Anna placed the shield before they stepped outside. Just in case they were still hanging around.

"Have you ever seen them before?" Kamryn asked Gary as they joined him outside. Shila immediately went to his side, and he put his arms around her; her presence made him feel better.

"No, this is the first time Santi has sent anyone to spy on me directly. He's had people in the area, but no one ever came onto pack lands. They were creepy. Their eyes were completely black, and their voices were off, like their voices weren't their voices. Does that make sense?" He asked, looking at Anna and Kamryn.

"Most likely, something was done to them. It sounds like some black magic or something worse to make them that way. Did they give you their names?" Anna asked. She wanted to see if she was able to pinpoint what coven they had come from.

"Alice and Marcus," Gary said, noticing the color drain from both Anna and Shila's faces.

"Are you sure those were their names?" Anna asked in a whisper, looking at Shila.

"Yes, why do you know them?" Gary said, holding Shila a little tighter.

"They're Elsie's parents. They have been overseas for almost a year. They were supposed to be researching new spells and potions. Alice is my dad's sister. How did Santi get to them? They were the sweetest people." She looked at Shila again, who was nodding in agreement.

"Yes, they always treated me kindly." She snuggled closer to Gary, liking how her body felt so alive with him touching her.

"Kamryn, we need to get to Elsie now. Who knows what was done to them, but if their eyes are black, they're filled with evil now. We can't let them get to the source of Elsie's power." Anna pulled him toward the trees so he could shift. "Gary, we'll be in touch. Please let us know if you need anything." Kamryn said as they disappeared out of sight behind some trees. Gary looked down at Shila and smiled.

"My little mate. You have made my heart happy by coming here today. You give the pack hope that all will be okay when this is over." He took her over to the steps of the pack house and sat down, pulling her onto his lap sideways. He buried his face in her silky hair and smiled when he felt her shiver.

"I'm sorry, I'm not a powerful witch. I'm nothing like Anna." Gary looked into her brown eyes and stopped her from saying more.

"You're my mate, and luna, you're powerful enough as you are. Don't ever apologize for being you." Shila felt her heart bursting from his words. All she'd ever wanted was to feel like she belonged somewhere, and now she did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.

"Thank you. I'm happy to be here too. I was scared I would never meet my mate. You make my heart feel whole." She kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.

Gary pulled away from her slightly and looked at her sweet face. He slowly brought his mouth to hers and kissed her. They both trembled from the sparks flying around them that seemed to be binding them together. When they pulled apart, both were breathless. She looked into his eyes with a shy smile.

"I don't have any experience. I've never kissed anyone, and I'm still a virgin." Shila said softly, knowing that was all going to change.

"I'm a virgin too. I've only kissed one other girl, but that was when I was a teenager, and my wolf and I didn't like it. We've been waiting for you." Gary leaned down to kiss her again, and she felt her heart melting.

"Can you show me our bedroom?" Shila asked with a twinkle in her eyes. Gary was speechless. He could smell her arousal from their kiss, but he didn't think she would be ready for anything more than kissing.

"Why do you want to go up there?" He asked hoarsely. If they were alone, he didn't know if he could control himself. She leaned against him and whispered in his ear.

"I think it's time we lost our virginity." Shila was feeling bold with the help of her wolf. Gary jumped up and held her in his arms as he ran into the pack house and upstairs. She didn't have time to even see where they were going. When he got to a door at the end of the hall on the fourth floor, he stopped and looked down at her.

"Are you sure you want this now? We can wait until later." He asked, even though his pants were feeling uncomfortable.

"Why wait? We've been waiting so long already, and we're mates. Make love to me, Gary." She kissed him, and he shoved the door open, carrying her inside. He quickly mindlinked his beta, telling him to not bother them the rest of the day. He was spending time with his mate.

Anna and Kamryn teleported to the cabin in the woods. Anna shivered when she saw it and put a shield around it so they would know if Alice and Marcus showed up while they were there. There were no good memories for her here apart from meeting Kamryn. They walked cautiously around the cabin but saw no signs of life.

When they knocked on the door, no one answered. Anna tried the handle and slowly opened the door. She gasped when she looked inside. The place was torn apart, with clothes and food thrown everywhere. They walked around in disbelief. "Do you think Elsie did this?" Kamryn asked quietly. The place gave him the creeps now.

"I don't feel any other energy here other than hers. Let's check outside." They went outside and began walking the perimeter. There was no sign of Elsie anywhere. They walked as far as the spell allowed her to go, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Do you think Marcus and Alice beat us here?" Kamryn asked.

"No, I would feel their energy if they had. This has to be something powerful to be able to break her free of my spell without me knowing. Let's get out of here before anyone else shows up." Kamryn shifted into Legend, and they teleported back to the palace. Anna was worried about who had taken Elsie. If Alice and Marcus were working for Santi, then who else wanted her?