Chapter 7 Unexpected Friendships

Ronan caught himself smiling every time he thought about the stubborn little witch and her talking goat; he had barely learned anything except that she really hated the mate bond and would pull out her wand the moment she felt threatened. The little stick scared him more than he was ready to admit. He had fought wolves three times his size, but somehow a stubborn witch with her wand unsettled him. he felt shivers travel down his spine just thinking about the fire spell she had thrown at him. She fascinated him; he wondered if it was one of the side effects of the bond.

His eyes drifted lazily around his room; they landed on the empty bed on the opposite end. The reality of his life crashed down hard and fast; he sat up and pressed his hands against his forehead. He had responsibilities to handle. Things he had to settle quickly. There was Lucan's gathering to worry about, and Malek still hadn't come home, and half the pack was waiting to see if he would make a move. Ronan stood up and reached for his coat. There was also the problem of his mate. A wolf with a witch for a mate should probably know what he was dealing with, and he would soon be leader; he couldn't afford to be blindsided.

"Research' he told himself.

He was going there to do research; the place just happened to be a shop with a stubborn witch and a talking goat.

It was a complete coincidence.

He shoved his hands into his coat, straightening the collar before he stepped out.

He paused at the door, his eyes on the empty bed.

What if Malek came back and found the house empty?

Staying in wasn't exactly helping; it only made him worry more. Malek brought a lot more trouble than he had anticipated, but he would be lying if he said the boy didn't make his life interesting.

He sighed softly as he closed the door behind him.

Violet sat on the floor, arranging the new books Aunt Bell had brought in the day before. The books on the bottom shelf shuffled to make room for the new arrivals.

The bell above the door chimed; it was a different tone than usual. livelier. She stood and wiped the dust off her knees. Aunt Bell stood behind the counter, trying to tame a book that wouldn't stop screaming. ' The Crier, ' she called it. It revealed the emotions of whoever held it. Aunt Bell insisted the previous owner must have broken it. Basil and Violet believed she had been scammed. It was the first thing they had ever agreed on. It left a sour taste in her mouth. Basil had looked at her in horror when she agreed with him. he turned away and busied himself with dangling trinkets. The book finally fell silent, and everyone let out a breath.

The door swung open, and the lanterns brightened. Everyone turned towards the door. Violet clenched her jaw when her eyes caught Ronan's silver hair.

"It's Violet's friend," Bail teased. His tone was heavy on the word friend

Aunt Bell gasped loudly before Violet could react.

"Vi, you didn't tell me you've made a friend. Ooh, he's a handsome one too," Aunt Bell cooed.

Ronan threw a smug look at Violet; she looked away quickly,

"He's not my friend, Aunt," She corrected, her voice low.

"Oh, you're cold," Basil laughed. He tilted his head and rubbed his horns against the edge of a shelf, a satisfied grin on his face.

Ronan ignored Violet's comment; he leaned on the counter, giving Aunt Bell a small smile. "Aunt? Aren't you a little too young and beautiful to be an Aunt"

Her cheeks turned a soft pink. "Oh my, he's a charming little wolf, isn't he?" She reached for his cheeks and squeezed softly.

Ronan rubbed his right cheek when she let go, his eyes wide. How did she know he was a wolf? His smile returned; Violet must have talked about him, and here she was pretending he never crossed her mind. Behind him, Basil laughed, finally bored of scratching his horns.

"What do you want, Ronan? " Violet asked. She inhaled through her nose, her smile thinning with every passing second.

Ronan's smile widened.

"I'm looking for a book." He pointed at the shelves behind the counter. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but he knew it would be a book about witches.

"What type of book?" Violet raised an eyebrow. He had probably never read a book in his life; he was here to get under her skin, but she wouldn't let him. She would control her temper.

Her eyes twitched when she remembered he had called her a violent little thing.

Violent, he said.

She watched him with a blank expression as he rubbed his chin, pretending to think.

"What do you hope to gain from this book you're searching for?" Aunt Bell asked, now under the counter.

Violet had no idea how she got there so fast or what she was looking for, and she did not want to know. She turned away from her aunt and faced the silver-haired man in front of her.

"How to tame a troublesome witch. Probably." Basil's voice came from behind a shelf; he peeked at Violet, then turned away when she looked at him.

Ronan let out a soft laugh.

Violet's fingers twitched; she desperately wanted to reach for her wand. She wanted to do something, something small, like turning his hair black or making him short.

Aunt Bell's head hit the top of the counter as she pulled herself out, a big round crystal in her hand.

She dropped the crystal on the counter, wiping away the dust with her sleeve.

"So you want to know about witches?" She asked Ronan

"I want to know as much as I can," Ronan said.

"Great! I can teach you; let's have tea"

"Yes"

"No"

Violet and Ronan looked at each other, how quickly their answers had overlapped.

"I'd love to have tea with you," Ronan added; he did not take his eyes off her.

Aunt Bell led into the back rooms; Violet made sure they wouldn't touch as he walked by.

Basil followed behind, a mischievous grin on his face.

"You should stay here; don't kill the vibes," he said as he walked by.

Violet ignored him and looked around the shop; the shelves rattled, and trinkets shifted.

Violet couldn't help but feel the shop was trying to comfort her.

She tried to ignore the laughter from the kitchen.

That silver-haired man wasn't even funny, and Basil sure wasn't.

When she couldn't take it anymore, she stormed into the kitchen