The Beast And The Blessed

Sixty-Five: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

Killian shifted back to his Lycan, his joints popping loudly at the sudden change as he stood tall in front of me.

"Come out!" He demanded. The Alpha command was thick, and even I felt the need to step toward him at his order. His body shook with anger, and while I was excited to have shifted, I was in no way ready for a fight in this form. I had no training in my fur... I had barely learned how to walk.

My gaze moved to the mouth of the cave, wondering if our guards would come to assist, but there was only silence.

The magic in the air grew thicker.

I shifted, not worried about my lack of clothing. My training had all been in my human form, and I wanted to be ready to fight.

My fingertips touched Killian's back, and his fur bristled as a female peaked her head around the corner of the cave above us before transporting down to stand only twenty feet away.

We both took a step back at the action. The only person that we had known who was strong enough to do that was Joselin. Even then, her ability wasn't as clear. She flickered in and out, while the stranger before us popped from one place to the other.

The power she must have had to master that skill was terrifying.

She was breathtaking. Her long ebony hair was curly and wild. Her eyes were a pale, sea-green. I shivered when I met them and found them locked on me. "You have grown so beautiful, my dear."

hair on Killian's hackles rose. For me to have grown meant that she had seen

words. The underlying threat made me anxious. While he had been doing better to control his anger and reactions, pissing off a witch with no backup, especially one as powerful as she

serves me correctly, this is not the first time." She laughed as she pulled her gaze away from me and landed on my mate. "You seem to have a habit of bringing women to my home. First the witch, and now

height, we didn't have very much in common. There was little to no resemblance in our coloring. While she had black hair, I had brown. Her lips and eyes were bigger than mine were. We both had green eyes, but

narrowed my eyes at her in disbelief as I failed to find a matching feature, anything that would confirm that

of hurt to go over her face, but

I birthed you myself. Right here in this very cave, as a matter of fact." She lifted her arms, palms up, to gesture toward her surroundings. But I refused to

desperate to know if she was a threat to our safety or just a threat to my mind and heart. Either way, I would come out damaged from whatever happened

real parents. My mother had told me herself before she died that they had found me and taken me in. If the wrong person learned that fact, they could use it against me. I wasn't stupid enough to blindly trust a witch when I knew witches were

to." She smirked as she watched me step to Killian's side, not bothered by my being nude. "We are connected by our blood. If you try, you can feel it. You may have shifted, but the other part of you hasn't gone anywhere. If anything,

hand staying on Killian's side as he eyed her with distrust. He shifted to place his shoulder ahead of mine to shield me in case anything

wrong. I could feel the magic in the air with every ounce of my being. Having her here, someone to connect it to, was like fine-tuning an instrument. The pull

the connection between us. It helped to reassure me that she was not lying. But knowing she had been here this whole time, only a few hours away made

and nothing will ever be able to mute or turn that part of you off." The witch

Killian growled as

I saw that you had his eyes and hair, I figured that your wolf would be the same. I'm glad that you share at least that with

of my torso to protect me as

are my mother, where were you?" My voice cracked as she gestured for

here." She smiled sadly as she continued to

did you abandon