The Warrior’s Broken Mate novel Chapter 67

Elias and I spent some time alone in our room, just talking. I was trying to make sense of everything that had happened to me, while Elias was piecing together the events from that burning room. He said all the screaming I did made more sense now, but still, it didn’t feel real to him.

When we finally headed downstairs, everyone was gathered in the sitting room on the castle’s bottom floor.

Blair was still there–Elias had told her not to leave, and she insisted she wanted to stay and help us fight against my father.

I knew she hated him, but I wasn’t sure how she felt about opposing her own sister.

“Feeling any better?” Stephanie asked gently.

“Yeah, I guess,” I replied.

“Want something to eat? I can grab you something,” Luke offered.

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry,” I said, settling into one of the chairs. My eyes stayed locked on

Blair the entire time.

“You said you wanted to stay and help. I know you hate Dad, but what about Mia? I didn’t realize she was the black witch until now,” I said cautiously.

“She made her choice long ago. And so did I,” Blair replied. “I don’t have the best reputation, and a lot of people fear me. But that’s only because I had to survive after being rejected from my coven.”

“Why were you rejected? Because you left Dad and refused to follow his plans?” I asked.

“I was punished for my sister’s actions, too. She stayed and twisted magic for all the wrong reasons–everything we once swore against,” Blair said quietly.

“Okay… so now you want to set things right?” I pressed.

“I know what she’s done. I’ve been tracking her for years, watching her every move. She doesn’t deserve those powers. It’s taken me a long time, but I’ve finally crafted the perfect spell. I have all the ingredients I need. If I get close enough, I don’t have to kill her–I just take her powers. Force her to live out her life as a mortal. That’s worse than death. Death would be mercy,” Blair explained.

“I like that plan,” Elias said.

“Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

“Lyra, you have to understand–I really did try to get you out. That’s why I was banished in the middle of the night. They caught me trying to escape. I made it up to the attic, but Mia found me before I could reach you. I swear, I tried,” Blair said, her voice sincere.

I studied her face and knew she was telling the truth. It showed in her eyes.

“Well, that’s more than some people did,” I said, glancing at Rowan, who looked down, avoiding my gaze.

“Alright. You can stay. But you’re going to train me. I have power, and it’s growing every day. But I need to learn to control it–and that’s where you come in,” I declared.

“Absolutely,” Blair replied without hesitation.

I looked out the window–already midday. Outside, patrols were running the perimeter of the barrier, and everyone else had returned to their daily routines.

“I want to start now,” I said.

“Are you sure? You just went through hell last night,” Blair cautioned.

“I’m fine. I feel fine now. I’m tired, but that’s nothing new. Let’s get to it. Now that you brought me out of that hex, they’re going to know you’re here. Or at least that another powerful witch is. We won’t have the element of surprise anymore. So I need to know what the hell I’m doing,

I said firmly.

“And they could speed up whatever plan they have in motion,” Elias said grimly.

“Exactly. So let’s not waste any time–let’s get started,” I replied.

“Alright,” Blair said, standing up.

We walked through the castle, Blair following close behind as I led her toward the back of the building. We entered a room that, as far as I knew, was never really used for anything.

There were plenty of rooms in the castle that I wasn’t sure what they were for. Most had furniture, but we never used them–I honestly thought they were just wasted space. This particular room was different: empty, quite large, and perfect for whatever training we needed to do.

I closed the doors behind us and warned everyone to stay out while we practiced–I knew I’d need complete focus.

“Okay, why don’t you show me what you can do?” Blair prompted.

I demonstrated the protective shield I could summon, the fireball I could conjure with my hands, and how I could move objects through sheer will.

“Damn, that’s a pretty impressive start. You’re only sixteen, right?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah. Why?” I answered, curious.

“No royal that age has that much power. They only gain their abilities at sixteen, and it usually takes years of training to control them,” Blair explained.

“That might explain why my mother barely has any power–she never mastered hers,” I said thoughtfully.

“Could be. Do you want her involved in these training sessions?” Blair asked.

“No,” I said firmly, cutting the subject off.

“Alright then. The most important thing is learning how to fight with your powers. That’s what I’m here to teach you. You can move things and create fireballs–great starting points,” she said.

“I’m glad you think so. But I can’t make the fireballs any bigger than what you saw,” I admitted.

“That’s easy–we’ll work on that now,” she smiled.

“Alright,” I nodded.

We trained for about three hours before finally stopping. I went outside looking for Elias.

He was out beyond the castle grounds, actually outside the barrier, talking with several men.

From the balcony, I recognized one of them–Alpha Damon, the same who had attacked us at our last pack. He didn’t want me anywhere near his territory because he thought I’d cause trouble.

I headed down the stairs and stepped past the barrier, surprising the men gathered there, and walked up next to Elias.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“All these Alphas want permission to bring their packs here, for protection,” Elias explained.

“Seriously? Damon, you tried to kill us because you didn’t want me near you,” I said, disbelief clear in my voice.

“I know. And I’m sorry. But you don’t understand how bad things are getting for werewolves out here. Your father and that witch–they’re escalating. Something big is coming, and we’re all going to suffer,” Damon said grimly.

I exchanged a look with Elias. We knew Dad was planning something major, but no one knew what.

“Tell us what he’s planning. We’ll think about it,” I said.

“Have you seen strange creatures on Earth that shouldn’t be here? Ogres, dragons, things like that?” another man asked. I glanced at Elias.

That’s exactly what the black witch was unleashing on us–not long ago, trying to kill or capture us.

“Well, they’re going to open a portal to that world–to let all those creatures through and destroy Earth,” he continued.

“We don’t have the space to shelter all their packs. It’s way too many,” I said.

“I know. What else can we do?” Elias asked.

“I’ll talk to Blair. I’m sure she can put up barriers around their packs so Dad can’t find them. They won’t be attacked,” I said.

“Yeah. Let’s do that,” Elias agreed.