Alpha Ryker's Little Witch

Ryker's POV:

"Do you know how ludicrous you sound right now?" I humorously chuckled. Even as the words left my mouth, a vague groundless fear began to hitch itself deep inside.

"Yes, I know, but it's the truth, son. Didn't you just point out that something was wrong with me?" He wiped his mouth once, then pinched his nose between his index finger and thumb. "Yes, I did, but your story sounds implausible." The statement was meant to convince myself, but my beast and I gripped onto the possibility of everything my father had said being true. "Ryker." His posture had become stiff, with his feet planted firmly on the area rug. I took a closer look at his actions, and, in conclusion, his overall demeanor was discernably telling. He kept on scrunching his face up then releasing it in what I could guess an attempt to remain calm.

"Ry, you know your father. If there's one thing he candidly detests, it's deception."

What if they were playing a prank on us? I mean, they could if they wanted to, but then why would they joke with mine and my mate's bond?

"Your wheels are turning and so are mine. Can we just sit and let your parents talk? Please, Ryker, you and your beast know that your father isn't lying." My mate chimed into the conversation in support of my mother's explanation. "Tamara, didn't you hear the story my father shortly narrated? Have you ever heard of any evil wizards since you were born? Even if it were true that one such dark wizard existed, why would he want your womb of all the things. Why...?" "If we start asking questions without listening first, it will be all in vain. If you could just stop pacing up and down like a caged animal, maybe, just maybe, you could get answers to your questions." She cut me off in exasperation, running her hand through her short curly hair.

"Tamara, put yourself in my shoes. If your parents came home..."

"Stop right there! You are frustrating everyone with your stubbornness, and it's beginning to agitate me." Damn, this woman's mood could change swiftly.

"Because it's outlandish and improbable!" I waved my hands in the air with a groan making its way past my lips.

"Oh! Outlandish like the first time I tried explaining to you that I could unwillingly hear your thoughts?" She stood in anger, knocking down the dining chair she had been sitting on. I regretted ever doubting her words then. I still felt abashed at my recklessness that day.

"Didn't you accuse me of lying about the whole thing? You even went as far as bringing my long-gone parents into the issue. Ryker, you rebuffed my pleas. Why? Because in your mind, it was totally improbable. So, what happened when we later turned out to be mates? Huh?"

I couldn't even answer her question without regrets clouding my entire system. My eyes refused to meet with hers; I kept on darting uncomfortable glances toward her. I couldn't help but feel like I had miserably failed in making sure that the bad past we had was made up for.

"Wasn't I vindicated?" she continued after I remained silent and verbally unresponsive in shame.

"Now, you are going to sit on that fucking chair and listen to what your father has to say before you find me dead with my stomach cut and my womb missing." The last statement was enough to snap my head up. The mere ideation of my mate dead left my insides in chaos, churning in raw anger.

As much as I hated admitting it, her flare-up had finally put me in my place. Much like my own mother, my mate was no doubt capable of speaking sense into my obstinate mind. A spitfire she was indeed.

"Look, Tamara, I am sorry for speaking to you in such a manner that day. If I had known you'd end up being my mate, then..."

"Son, your excuses and ifs will only make it worse. The issue about the curse is much salient and dire as of right now." My father's impatience was prominently showing in his choice of words.

"You can sort your issues later. Tamara's life is prime." My mother backed him up, patting the chair beside her for me to sit. My little witch remained standing, sparing me no glance as I sat down.

"Evil wizards do exist, my son. They have long subsisted in our world," my father began after I settled down, and only then did Tamara sit down.

"They have remained latent for longer than people care to remember. My father, Zaid, used to tell me stories about them all the time. They walked on the face of the earth with nothing but the glint of dark, malevolent eyes.” He paused, fixing his eyes on mine before he continued.

"Before they became spiteful, it is told that they were a part of a big coven that was led by a very powerful high priestess. One of the wizards was not happy with the ancestors for choosing a woman to lead the entire coven, so he broke away." My mother poured him a glass of water, urging him to continue.

"Wait, so they weren't evil from the inception of the coven?" My little witch had become immersed into the story, compelled to investigate, inquire, and learn.

"Yes, Tamara, they were all good. In fact, they co-existed with our kind, constantly helping out in so many ways. Kind of like you right now." She nodded, leaning in on the table as my father continued.

"That is until one wizard became ravenous for insidious and crafty power. He wanted to rule the coven alongside the high priestess, but the ancestors exercised a veto against his egocentric request." I followed the entire narration, wondering why no one ever talked about it.

"So, he broke away like I said with 12 other wizards, and together they formed their own coven based on voracious interests for power and self-centered gains." My mother held his hand atop of her small one. She looked at him in pure admiration, love, and something else that I couldn't quite put a finger on.

"After they left, the ancestors broke the covenant they had with them, and the thirteen men decided to seek alternate powers. Dark magic.

"Having been previously under their ancestors, they knew where to find an evil wizard, and so they set out. Like them, he had served in line with the progenitors, but they cursed him and turned evil after he raped an innocent witch. "When they finally found him, it is said he took them to a higher dark being. There, every single one of them was bestowed with pure dark magic. The group teamed up with the previously cursed wizard joined by a vengeful intent. They plotted an attack against the good coven, nearly expunging the entire coven." He swallowed saliva audibly, shaking his head as he did so.

"Unbeknownst to them, one of the witches had foreseen the attack. They fought back and managed to annihilate all the wizards except one, the one who broke away. After he realized that he had been left alone, he retreated and went into hiding. No one ever heard of him again until we crossed paths."

"Does he have a name?" Tamara was so engrossed in the story; I could feel her interest peaking as my dad spoke.

"Addanc. That is his name, and he identified himself when he blocked our path."

"What about the good witches? How many survived the attack?" Like Tamara, I wanted to understand every single thing about this story. I mean, I was beginning to accept the fact that he might still exist.

What I failed to connect was how Addanc knew Tamara and why he would ask for her womb. There was no explanation in my mind whatsoever as to how he even knew about her being my mate.

"Only four survived two wizards and two witches, including the high priestess-and they later became couples. They were blessed with one child each, a boy and a girl," he further explained, watching closely as I took in the information. "Mother, what exactly did Addanc want?" I turned to her, catching her by surprise.

"As much as you have explained stuff about him and his genesis, you still fail to answer my simple questions," I pressed, my mate sending a baleful glare my way.

"What haven't we answered, Ryker?" My father raised one eyebrow quizzically.

"When you arrived yesterday, you said you didn't know I had a mate. Then now, you claim that the wizard asked for Tamara's womb. Please make me understand because your statement still remains farcical."

"Truly, we had no idea she was your mate, son. When we crossed paths with Addanc, he said the only witch remaining in this part of the country lives in our pack. He never said anything about her being your mate," my mother explained.

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"Of course, we knew he was talking about Tamara, but we didn't know she was your mate."

I was still skeptical of their words, but Tamara seemed to believe every word they said. She was a judge of character, literally. I would request her later to check their clouds. For now, I had another important question to ask. "Any idea why Addanc would ask for my mate's uterus?" My parents looked at each other, a silent communication linking them.

"We passed by Mimi's place yesterday, Ryker," my mother started, elbowing my dad to continue.

"She is on the verge of death; she doesn't have more than a week. Even so, she managed to clear some things up, especially about why the wizard is after Tamara." My father looked at Tamara briefly, creasing his eyebrows. "What does he want? I have never heard of the man before? How does he even know I exist?" An engaging, reflective silence enveloped the room.

"Tamara, have you ever heard your mum talk about your grandparents?" Tamara shook her head, tilting it to the side in a frown.

"Dark wizards are vengeful beings, insanely obstinate besides possessing dark magic. Addanc won't rest until he avenges the death of those wizards he lost during the attack to the coven."

His earnest tone compelled us to give him undivided attention.

"He will hunt every descendant left and make sure the bloodline has been expunged." He paused, looked at Tamara then uttered mind-numbing words.

"He will stop at nothing until he has your womb, Tamara. He is dead set on making sure you never conceive my son's child. A child born of an Alpha and a witch is a death sentence to him. He cannot allow it to happen. Just like Mimi said, he already knew you two were mates before we did."

My little witch's hand flew to her chest, her wide eyes fixed on my dad as if he had grown an extra head. She then lowered it to her lower abdomen, shaking her head in disbelief.

"But why? What does he want from me?" She threw her hands in the air, looking at me as she did so. I could only pull her closer to me while trying to control my emotions for her. But my father had not even dropped the real bombshell. "The high priestess that defeated Addanc and his evil associate was your grandmother. Her blood runs in your system, Tamara."