The Witch Prophecy

by Mary Goldberger

  Caden got up and walked around to sit in his chair. “I am about to get to the bottom of that. Jessa, can you call the real estate agent back about that house,” he handed over a sheet of paper. He stopped for a second before he told her, “Tell them that I want to see it this evening if it is all possible.”

  Jessa took the sheet of paper, but looked at him weirdly. “Won’t they think that it is suspicious since as you already paid for it then you must have seen it?”

  Caden suddenly smiled. “I am sure that you can come with some reason why I need to view the house again, Jessa.”

  Jessa narrowed her eyes at him, but then a smile crossed her face as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

  Timothy walked over and pulled up a chair to the desk. “I will go over the pack statements that we received recently. Are you calling the bank?”

  Caden nodded his head as he lifted the phone receiver already punching in the phone number for the bank. Abella flashed through his mind for a few minutes before his friend, and the manager of the bank came on the line. He promised himself that he would call her later after they finished their work.

  “Hi, Jason, it is Caden,” he said his tone respectful. “I need to talk with you about my account.”

  Their conversation lasted over an hour as Jessa and Timothy finished their tasks, and headed out to get something quick to eat when Caden was on hold for a second while Jason made a call to one of his teller’s, Caden told them. “Go get something to eat.”

  “You have an appointment with the real estate agent around four,” Jessa told him.

  Caden nodded his head as Timothy said, “There were other charges on the account from what I can see, but I believe Jason can tell you more about them.”

  Caden’s eyes closed as he took a deep breath before he opened them and told them with a crooked smile, “Thank you for your help. I am sorry if it ruined your plans.”

  Both shook their heads and Timothy said, “It concerns the pack so you don’t have to thank us.”

  As they were walking out, Jessa asked, “Would you like us to bring you something for lunch?”

  Caden began to nod his head before he shook it ‘no’. “I think after I am done, I will head over to Abella’s house. Maybe I can talk her into going out to lunch with me before I have to review the house.”

  Jessa and Timothy laughed, and waved goodbye as Jason came back on the line. As the door closed behind them, they didn’t see the dark scowl that came across Caden’s face at what he was being told.

  “So we are leaving in two days on the trip that you promised me, right?” Trixie asked leaning her skimpy clad body against Devin. Devin gave her a charming smile as he leaned back against the headboard running a hand down her arm.

  “As promised, we leave in two days’ time,” he told her kissing her temple as she moaned. “When we return, the house will be finished and we can move in. All of this is because of my generous son and his lovely fiancée.”

  Trixie glared at him and he laughed as he pulled her on top of him. “She was useful, baby, and very useful. Besides, you are better in bed than anyone else.”

  Trixie smiled at him as she leaned down and kissed him, and he slid them down underneath the covers.

  In her own room, Jenna stretched in her bed with a smug look on her face. She thought about going up to where Caden was sleeping for the moment, but decided to wait. Now that the witch was gone, she knew that Caden would be ready to start again. Her mind was deep in that fantasy when her cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” she said absently although there was a tone to her voice that told her caller she was extremely pleased.

  “Hello, Jenna,” Briac said, and Jenna frowned not noticing that there was slight indifference to his voice.

  “Hello, Briac, how are you doing?” She could care less, but until Caden realized she was the one for him then she would keep Briac around, after all he was her mate.

  “I am doing well, and yourself?” Briac asked aware that her voice wasn’t creating the excitement that it normally did, and his wolf seemed to be indifferent to her.

  “I am doing well although Caden is being insisted as usual,” Jenna fibbed laughing lightly.

  Briac frowned as he thought about her words, and then he asked, “So is everything okay with the pack? No more rogue attacks?”

  Jenna laughed before admitting, “Those stopped as suddenly as they started, and now with the witch gone, things will go back to normal.”

  Briac’s eyes widened at the news, and he wondered what happened as they made small talk, but when they finally hung up, Briac was more worried than ever.

  “Briac,” Alpha Stone called him harshly, and Briac turned to him with an apprehensive look. “We need to get going.”

  Briac nodded his head, but as he passed him, he said to Stone, “Something is wrong there. Can you call Alpha Caden to see if everything is okay? Also please ask about Abella.”

  Stone stared at him darkly, but nodded his head in confirmation as Briac headed out of the house following the others.

  “Briac seems to be worried about something,” his mate said to him as she walked over to him.

  Stone nodded his head as he pulled out his cell phone and kissed her cheek before dialing a number. “I think he may have a reason to worry.”

  Caden sat in his office with his head slightly bent as he listened to Jason tell him about the charges that had been added to the pack’s account.

  “So how much are we in debt for?” Caden interrupted without hesitation.

  Jason stalled for a moment before he said quietly, “Almost sixty thousand dollars. The account had enough to cover most of the purchases but not everything.”

  Caden let out a sharp breathe before he told him, “Take the money from my private account and cover the debt. Also, Jason, I want the information on all the charges.”

  Jason sighed heavily before he said, “I will fax you the information.” He spoke to his secretary before asking, “What are you going to do?”

  “Return everything,” Caden said bluntly.

  “What about the trip that is already paid for?” Jason asked.

  Caden sat back in his chair and said on a long sigh, “I am going to call and ask for a refund explaining what happened, and cancelling it.”

  “They may not allow any refunds at this late date,” Jason advised him, and Caden closed his eyes leaning back his head against his chair.

  He thought for a second before he smiled. “Didn’t you tell me that your daughter and her husband didn’t have a honeymoon due to work, and lack of funds?”

  “Well, yes, but…” Jason started only for Caden to interrupt him.

  “Then they can have the trip as my gift,” Caden told him.

  Jason laughed as he told him, “You know that you don’t have to do that?”

  “True,” Caden said without mincing words, “But as it was bought in my name then I can do with it what I please.”

  “What are you going to do about them?” Jason asked his voice sharp with tension. He knew what Caden was, as did his father before him although they were human, but he saw Caden as a close friend even though they rarely spoke to one another now days due to being busy.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Caden confided, and he reached into his pocket for his cell only to discover that he left it upstairs in his room.

  “Damn,” he murmured softly, and his wolf growled lowly within him. Caden worried about how indifferent his wolf seemed to the current situation because the last time his wolf was like this, he lost control of him and spent that week away from the pack.

  Right now, the pack needed him more than ever, and his wolf snarled at him I know.

  “All right, Caden, I will help you out on this end,” Jason told him. “As you requested, from this day on, only you and Timothy have access to the account.”

  Caden nodded his head and before Jason could say sorry, he spoke up, “It isn’t your fault because she had all the informatio
n required to get into the account and claiming to be my fiancée helped her tremendously.”

  “Unfortunately, she was good and targeted someone who wouldn’t ask too many questions,” Jason told him both knowing that wasn’t the only thing the person received from her.

  Caden hung up the phone a few minutes later and leaned on his desk with his eyes harsh, and his face in a tight mask of fury. He needed to speak with someone and reached for the phone with only one person coming to mind in that instance. His wolf started to shift with anxiety as her cell phone rang with no answer, and Caden felt uneasy at the lack of response as he looked at the clock on his desk.

  He had just replaced the receiver when it rang and he picked it up with a quick, “Abella!”

  There was a short pause before Alpha Stone said dryly, “I guess that answers one question of mine.”

  “Oh, Jerry,” Caden said wearily slumping in his chair. “I thought it was someone else returning my call.”

  “I gathered,” was the response back. “Caden is something going on? Briac left a little while ago on a mission but asked me to call you.”

  Caden sat back in his chair, and laughed humorless before explaining what happened since this morning, and Caden realized that half the day was already gone, which brought something else to mind.

  “Have you made the phone calls yet?” Stone asked his own tone harsh with understanding.

  “Not yet,” Caden replied absently his wolf starting to howl in worry.

  “I suggest you do it before anything else happens,” Stone advised him, and Caden knew he was right.

  After they spoke a few more words, Stone hung up and Caden dialed another number listening to the ringing before the voice mail came on.

  Something is wrong, his wolf growled, and Caden knew it too. Unfortunately, he had to fix the pack issue first, which for some reason and for the first time, it was second to finding out about Abella.

  He shook his head as he punched in the number on the fax that Jason sent, and within seconds, he was talking with the owner of the Mercedes Company where recently a new Mercedes Benz had been purchased. He learned that the car hadn’t been delivered yet due to the owner had wanted some upgrades installed before delivery. Caden explained the situation, and the manager, at first, was unwillingly to believe such stories.

  Caden made an appointment to see him in an hour’s time, and as he hung up the phone, he realized that was going to be the best course of action with the other purchases too. As he stood up from his chair, his eyes were hard with anger and worry. Anger of what someone had done with the pack money that wasn’t just one person’s to do with as they pleased, and worry over Abella who he hadn’t spoken to since yesterday afternoon.

  Grabbing the papers, he headed out of the office locking the door behind him and setting the hidden security system his mother had installed before her death. He never used it until now because he trusted his pack members, and Devin had left shortly after Caden was announced next Alpha.

  He hurried upstairs to his room for his cell noting that he had no new messages, which increased the anxiety inside him.

  Timothy and Jessa were pulling up as he opened his car door, and Timothy said without hesitation, “I will come with you.”

  Caden almost shook his head, but thought a minute before he nodded his head in agreement deciding that it was a good idea.

  “Jessa,” Caden called out as she gave Timothy a kiss and started inside. As she turned to him, he said urgently, “Try to find out where Abella is because she isn’t picking up her cell.”

  Jessa frowned as she said slowly, “I haven’t heard from her today either.”

  Caden’s eyes narrowed into slits that Jessa said worriedly, “I will check on her, Caden.”

  Caden nodded his head and climbed into the car as Timothy gave Jessa an apprehensive look as he climbed in the passenger seat, and Jessa watched them leave before she hurried inside the house.

  It took Caden and Timothy the rest of the day besides the meeting with the real estate agent to go to each business and explain what had happened.

  They settled into the car later that evening as the sky started becoming dark and Caden sighed wearily as he leaned his head back against the headrest.

  “We’ve got that cleared up,” Timothy stated with the same weariness. He turned to look at Caden and said, “I think it was smart of you to offer to cover the additional cost of the upgrades on the car when it gets sold again.”

  Caden sighed before admitting, “Although the company should’ve been more diligent, I didn’t see why they should lose money, or charge another person for the upgrades that weren’t originally there in the first place.”

  “What about the trip?” Timothy asked leaning his seat back so he could stretch out.

  Caden laughed as he opened his eyes and stared out into the darkness his wolf increasing the pacing inside him that he started earlier.

  “Why not let someone else use it instead of wasting it?” Caden turned to Timothy his black eyes lit with fury, “Besides, I rather let someone else have it than that bastard.”

  Timothy nodded his head in agreement and asked once they were heading for home. “What are you going to do about them?” He paused briefly. “Jenna?”

  Caden didn’t answer right away, but as they pulled up in front of the pack house, he said, “I am calling the Council after I get something to eat. As for Jenna,” he stopped there and sighed. “As for Jenna, although I would like nothing better than to nail her, there is no real proof that she was involved.” Timothy snorted at that information, and Caden grinned tiredly.

  “Briac will be calling me shortly,” Caden commented, and Timothy looked at him in shock. “I think I will leave Jenna to Briac, but,” Caden turned to Timothy his face set, “for now on, Jenna isn’t allowed inside the office.”

  Timothy heard the implied threat in Caden’s voice, and nodded his head at the order.

  “Let’s get inside,” Caden stated opening the door.

  They had barely opened the door when Jessa came rushing out of the living room, her face pale and her hands shaking.

  Caden and Timothy both reacted as they hurried towards her and Timothy asked, “What is wrong, Jessa?”

  Her eyes were wide in her face as she turned and looked behind her, and Caden followed her gaze to Cicely and Jed standing in the archway of the living room.

  “What…” Caden started only to stop when suddenly his wolf howled in anger. Before Caden could suppress him, his wolf took over and forced him to shift in the middle of the hallway. Pack members came running out at the snarling and howling, but they stopped suddenly stunned at the sight before them.

  Devin and Trixie came downstairs at the commotion, and Devin started to smile as Caden lost control of his wolf.

  Caden’s wolf turned suddenly and looked directly at him, and Devin stepped back at the fury in those black eyes before the wolf turned and dashed out the door.

  “What happened?” One of the pack members asked fear in their eyes although the pack knew that Caden wouldn’t let his wolf hurt any of them.

  “I guess Caden’s wolf understood why we were here,” Jed stated quietly his silver eyes staring out the door where Caden disappeared.

  Timothy turned to them with questioning eyes, and Cicely answered his unasked question, “We just discovered that Abella was taken last night after work, and we think we know who did it, but…”

  “We need Caden’s help,” Jed finished finally turning to look at Timothy his eyes hard with anger and something else that Timothy couldn’t describe although for the first time since he shifted, he felt fear go through him with that one look.

  Abella opened her eyes slowly as her head throbbed, and when she tried to move her arms they wouldn’t budge. She looked up to see herself suspended from the floor by chains her wrists shackled, and she grimaced as she let her eyes scan the room.

  “Well, well, the little cousin has awakened,” a voice drawled with a li
ttle sneer.

  Abella turned her eyes into the corner where now she noticed a closed door before her kidnapper stepped into the light.

  Abella let her grey eyes narrow on him as she asked in a controlled voice, “What do you want from me?”

  “Well,” he drawled out before he laughed. “Your life for one thing, but what I want more than anything is something that will take some time.”

  He smiled at her after saying this and Abella clenched her teeth together as fear rolled through her, but she clenched her hands tightly around the chain keeping from showing that fear to the man in front of her.

  He strolled over to her his hazel eyes wide with anticipation and when he reached her, he ran a hand down her face to rest on her throat. He tightened his hold slightly cutting off Abella’s air supply, but Abella only started at him.

  “Think you are tough, huh?” He whispered before he tightened his hold causing Abella to gasp before he laughed and let go. “Well, for what I have planned, I truly hope you are.”

  He looked at her again before he turned and headed back to the door calling over his shoulder, “Once I break you, I will be the best witch hunter in the world out ranking even your father.”

  Chapter 23

  We need to go back, Caden told his wolf some time later after running through the forest full out.

  I know, his wolf snarled back before they collapsed on the forest floor. I knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

  We still are not sure, Caden argued back in a rough voice knowing that being here wasn’t getting them answers.

  His wolf sighed heavily as he allowed Caden take back control and Caden shifted in the middle of the forest cursing under his breath that he had no clothes available at the moment.

  “Here,” a voice said suddenly as a small canvas bag landed in front of him, and Caden’s head snapped up as his body went into a defensive stance.

  Jed merely looked at him his silver eyes bright with a light that Caden had never seen before in the old man.