Chapter 6 Bond breaking research

"Aunt Bell, what do you know about bond breaking?" Violet sat at the edge of the kitchen, legs crossed, her face buried in a book.

Aunt Bell stood at the counter, smoothly slicing vegetables. She paused and glanced at Violet, who sat comfortably.

The only sound in the room was the pot boiling over. "What do you want to know?" Aunt Bell asked.

"Well, I recently got into werewolf nonfiction.” Violet considered telling the truth, but pushed the thought away when she realized she’d have to admit she’d snuck out after Aunt Bell had explicitly told her to stay in.

She set the book down and looked at her aunt, who had gone back to slicing.

"They never say anything about breaking a mate bond"

"That might be because mates breaking bonds is a bit rare." Aunt Bell stopped slicing and raised the knife to her chin; she pressed her lips flat

"Except one of them dies," She added.

Violet's eyes narrowed slightly, her tongue pressed against her cheeks. Was that what he meant when he said it would be extremely painful? She shook her head. He was an idiot; there had to be another way.

"So, that's it? You have to die to escape. What if you don't want a mate?" The words came out heavier than she expected; her annoyance had slipped through.

Aunt Bell must have noticed because she had turned around, her back leaning against the counter. The stove switched itself off, and the lamps dimmed slightly. Violet swallowed.

"What's going on? I want in," Basil yawned as he strutted in; his hooves clicked across the floorboards in a slow rhythm. He marched towards Aunt Bell and set himself down beside her. The lamps brightened, and Violet felt the lump in her throat settle.

"Gossip," Violet muttered beneath her breath. Basil's ears perked up instantly. he narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

Aunt Bell chuckled, "As I was saying, I don't know much about rejecting bonds, but I know that you have to be certain"

Violet looked down at her hands; she pressed her thumb against her palm. She was certain; she didn't want to be anyone's mate. Especially since she had no say in it.

Aunt Bell turned back towards the counter. She shoved her hands into her apron and pulled out a biscuit and lowered it to Basil's mouth. He swallowed it in one gulp.

"At the end of the day, fate is fate for a reason." Aunt Bell's voice softened as she spoke. She exhaled as she picked up the knife.

Violet clenched her fist. She would cheat fate if she had to. She had one goal and one goal only: she wanted to go home, and her mother would have a heart attack if she found out she got into a mate bond the first day she arrived.

Violet had more questions; she opened her mouth to speak but pressed them shut instead.

Asking any more questions would raise suspicions; she wanted to know if there was some kind of ritual she would have to perform to reject a bond.

The question hung at the tip of her tongue. She leaned back on her seat and picked up her book.

"What do you know about fate, Violet?" Aunt Bell asked.

Violet looked at her from the edge of the book. "Not much," she said.

"I believe it was my fate to open a magical shop," Aunt Bell said, smiling. She rubbed the top of Basil's head and stepped away from the counter.

The cupboards flew open, and plates and spoons shot out, landing softly on the table. Spices sat beside the pot, and herbs floated above.

Violet had never witnessed magic used so casually. It fascinated her.

Her gaze lingered on her Aunt; she knew how powerful she was, and she remembered how disappointed she had been when she found out she had settled for a simple life as the owner of a shop that was alive.

"I doubt fate dropped you in the middle of nowhere," Violet murmured.

"It dropped you," Basil quipped.

Violet ignored his little jab. Aunt Bell's warm voice interrupted their little squabble.

"I believed I would become a powerful mage. Now I believe this was the best possible option, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else." The lamps brightened even more. Plates rattled, and cupboards opened and closed.

Violet was learning about the shop, but its mood was as clear as day: joy.

Aunt Bell dragged a seat close to Violet and sat down.

"I don't know if your mother told you, but we used to be traveling witches"

Violet's jaw fell open; she tried to imagine her mother never settling down, casting spells and going on adventures.

She couldn't reconcile that image with the strict woman she knew to be her mother.

"Those were the days," Basil sighed.

"Oh, yes! Your mother grew tired of life on the road, and I continued my journey; it eventually led me right here." Aunt Bell's eyes grew round and bright as she reminisced about

her days as a travelling witch. Although she missed them, she was content with what her life had become.

Spoons clinked together, and Aunt Bell turned immediately.

"Ooh, it's ready," Aunt Bell laughed.

She rushed to the stove and was back with a tray. She set a bowl down in front of Basil; his tail twitched slightly.

They ate in silence. Aunt Bell would hum a tune a few times; it was a soft attempt to fill the silence. Violet tried to remember where she had heard it.

At night, Violet watched the moonlight from her windows. She thought about how different her life was in the city, about her plans to graduate as a top mage and eventually prove herself to her mother. Prove that she was more than a stubborn witch.

She thought about her aunt and how content she was with her simple life. Violet saw it as a complete waste.

She would never settle for anything less than a great life and certainly not as a random wolf's mate. Tomorrow she would pull every book on werewolves and find out how to destroy the stupid bond.