The closest mate specialist was a she-wolf named Evangeline. She was located just out of New Orleans, running a small shop that specialized in everything supernatural with her mate. At least, that’s what was advertised in her website. Whether or not any of that was credible was up in the air, even the otherworldly had scammers. Still, Cohen had emailed her, and she had responded by saying that he was welcome anytime.

He decided to take that weekend off, to go and visit the shop and just be away from the pack for a few days. Despite his best efforts, Lennon had insisted on going too, which was how they ended up in his truck, hours of road ahead of them.

Lennon took over the radio, playing some pop playlist on her phone through the Bluetooth feature his truck had. It annoyed him that he knew most of the songs, and that he was singing along to them at seven in the morning. They had stopped for snacks before they got on the road, and Lennon decided to try to have a deep conversation over gummy snakes and peppy music.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asked cautiously, like she was hedging to a serious topic.

“You just did.”

“Shut up.” She punched his arm lightly but continued with her thoughts anyway. “What’s it like, knowing who your mate is? What does it feel like?”

He thought about it for a few moments, keeping his eyes on the road. The highway leaving their hometown only had two lanes and was super old, but soon they’d been getting on a bigger freeway. The farther away they got, the more agitated he felt. Axe was pacing in his head, upset that they were leaving their unclaimed mate alone. Like anyone in their right minds would want a Necromancer as their mate.

“It’s suffocating.” He quietly replied, feeling tired all of a sudden. “I think about him all of the time, about what he might be doing or if he’s okay. Even though I don’t know anything about him, I want to be with him. I want to know everything about him. Our bond is weak too, and that bothers Axe a lot, which is causing problems between us. It’s like he’s a parasite. I want him out of my head.”

“Do you wish you could just accept the bond? Do you think it would be easier?”

“I don’t think so…” Cohen wrinkled his nose. Even entertaining the idea of accepting him felt wrong. “Even if the pack would accept him, witches aren’t exactly known for their loyalty. He probably wouldn’t have any interest staying in the pack and I wouldn’t be okay with not having my mate close.”

“But I mean… if the Goddess chose him for you then maybe you’d actually be a really good match?” She mumbled.

“Or… she’s testing me? Are you trying to convince me to accept him?”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“He’s not an option. He can’t be Lennon. You have to understand that.” He pleaded, and they feel into an uncomfortable silence.

Things were relatively quiet after that, leaving Cohen with his thoughts for hours on end while Lennon occupied herself with her phone.

He hated his thoughts. He kept dwelling on the fact that most wolves looked forward to the day they found their mate. It was supposed to be the happiest day of your life, feeling that spark that instant connection. The world was supposed to right itself; everything was supposed to make sense the moment you looked into their eyes. With Silas… nothing felt right. When he had looked into Silas’s eyes, he had seen a rival. An enemy. Someone dangerous who could destroy his life while hardly lifting a finger. The witch didn’t even know the power he held over him, and Cohen would be damned if he every found out. The second those eyes had turned black, so dark it felt like he was looking into a void, he knew he was going to have to do anything in his power to reject him and live the life of an Alpha without his soulmate to ground him.

Cohen’s life would be much easier if he were straight, and he despised that he wasn’t.

He was glad when they finally got to Louisiana that night, they got a motel room and ordered pizza, deciding to visit the shop in the morning. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, tired from driving all day and belly full of greasy pizza.

Cohen’s dreams as of late almost exclusively consisted of Silas. They were always out in the woods, the witch in wispy clothes and flowers in his blonde hair, as he flitted about like he belonged there. Except, the real Silas would probably never be caught dead in white, and probably wouldn’t frolic in the foliage for fun. It made it easier, the Silas in his dreams being starkly different, because then he could remind himself that the witch wasn’t actually like that. It was easier to hate him that way.

This dream was different though. Not just because he wasn’t in the forest, it looked like he was in a bedroom, but it also felt different. Dreams were usually blurry edges and distorted images, but his vision was crystal clear. Silas was sitting on a pristinely made bed, in his usual black attire, watching something with amusement in his silvery eyes.

“Did you know that you own exactly one piece of white clothing?” Someone asked, appearing from the closet holding a white t-shirt. It was Isaiah, Silas’s weird neighbor that always seemed to be around. He was wearing a grey t-shirt that was too big on him that fell down to mid-thigh. Cohen couldn’t tell if he was wearing pants or not, but Goddess, he hoped so. “And it still has the tags. You’re ridiculous.”

“I think my stepdad bought that for me.” Silas shrugged, “I don’t know why you’re so concerned about my clothes. All you wear is patterned button downs or baggy clothes.”

“Exactly! It looks good on me.” Isaiah huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in defense.

The witch quirked an eyebrow, “Does black not suit me?”

“No…it definitely does.” Isaiah grumbled, eyeing Silas appreciatively. The way the human was looking at his mate made Cohen see red, but he had no control over his body. He couldn’t even look away, he was just forced to watch this unfold.

“Then quit going through my stuff and come here.” Silas beckoned him over, and Isaiah sat in his lap like he belonged there. Then they were kissing, and it felt like the witch had grabbed his heart and squeezed it. Silas’s eyes fluttered close, his arms circling the human’s waist. He wanted to think that this was just a dream, but everything was too clear, and this felt too real. His chest was aching.

Isaiah broke the kiss and started giving Silas’s neck attention. The witch’s eyes snapped open then, those black demon eyes on display. They seemed to scan the room for a moment, then he was looking right at Cohen. His stomach dropped. Could Silas really see him? He still couldn’t move, despite the witch that was scowling at him.

He made this strange gesture, with the hand that wasn’t holding onto Isaiah’s waist, but it was confident and concise, and Cohen’s vision went black.

Cohen sat straight up in the hotel bed, cold sweat making his pajamas cling to him.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The next morning, they got ready for the day. Cohen felt like shit because he’d barely slept, so they dropped by a Dunkin’ Donuts on their way to the little shop. The sugary coffee buzzed through him as they pulled up to this little strip mall a few miles outside of New Orleans. The shop, named The Counterspell, sat wedged between a very sketchy looking spa (that probably gave happy ending massages) and a Family Dollar.

“This is the place?” Cohen asked, nearly incredulous. Seriously, this place looked like they sold fake tarot cards and advertised synthetic rock as rose quartz.

“Maybe they’re going for an inconspicuous look?” Lennon shrugged and hopped out of the truck, leaving Cohen no choice but to follow.

A bell chimed as they entered, and the inside of the store was worlds different on the inside. It was much more spacious on the inside than the outside of the store suggested, and there were plants and mismatched rugs over the tiled floor. Shelves of books and bottles with strange liquids were placed accordingly, and Cohen spotted a few reading nooks here and there. Christmas lights were strung up, shining rainbow colors over the low-lit shop. It smelled of freshly baked bread and ginger, giving the entire shop an even more cozy vibe.

“Hello!” A woman greeted from behind the counter. She had dark skin and an easy smile, but her eyes were predatory. Though her demeanor was easy going and generally nonthreatening, Cohen still found himself sizing her up, but only because she was an unfamiliar wolf. “Welcome to the Counterspell. What are you youngins doing in here today?”

“I heard you were a mating specialist.” Cohen mumbled awkwardly as Lennon immediately fucked off to the rock section. So much for being there for emotional support.

“Ah… yes. Generally, for inter-species matings.” The older wolf nodded. “My name is Evangeline, but you can call me Eva. Would you like to talk in a more private area?”

“Sure. My name is Cohen, by the way. Is it okay if my friend stays up front?”

“Of course.” She nodded, then gestured for him to follow her to the back. He was taken to an office-like area, but it was just as cozy as the rest of the place. There was a desk that looked like an organized mess. Eva ignored it though, instead going to sit in the corner of the room that hosted an armchair and loveseat facing each other.

He sat down on the loveseat, while she started a pot of coffee. “Do you want any?” She asked, but he shook his head. His veins were still buzzing from the sugar overload. Once her cup was made, she sat across from him. “So, I charge by the hour of course. Usually, I counsel already mated couples… but that’s fine sweetie. Just tell me a little bit about your predicament.”

“I want to reject my mate.” He began, and Eva was immediately frowning. Still, he continued, “My wolf wouldn’t let me because I’m not the dominant…” He felt his pride hurting at saying that aloud. As an Alpha he kind of expected to be the one to protect and provide for his mate, so saying that he wasn’t as strong as his mate made him feel weak. “So yeah. I’m just hoping there’s something I can do. Some sort of alternate route I can take.”

Eva was quiet for a few moments, then she stood up. “My mate might be able to help, but you’ll have to explain to us why you want to reject them. I’ll be right back.”

She started to leave the room, but then a woman was popping her head into the office. She smiled, in a soft way that didn’t quite sit right with him, at Eva, “What did you need me for, honey?”

“Oh, I hate it when you do that.” Eva rolled her eyes, and the woman stepped into the room. “This young man here wants to reject his mate, so I figured you might be more helpful than me.”

Cohen realized two things simultaneously. First that they were clearly mates, if not by the way they were looking at each other, but by the kiss the lady laid on Eva’s cheek. Secondly, was that this lady was a witch. He didn’t realize it at first, but that’s probably because her energy was way different from Silas’s. Silas’s aura was like a flare gun to him, alerting everyone and everything within a half mile radius that something dark and dangerous was in the area. This woman was much more subtle, not nearly as oppressive, but it was still undeniably witch.

He jumped up almost unconsciously, perhaps to defend himself, but he quickly hid the hostility, instead attempting to smile. “Oh, hello.” He greeted and waved awkwardly. “My name’s Cohen. Nice to meet you.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Cohen was shaking by the time he walked out of the couple’s office. He barely made it through the shop, tossing Lennon the keys to his truck and mumbling something about being back within two weeks. Then he was running, his body automatically knowing where the closest forest was. Once he was in the cover that the Louisiana trees provided, he shifted, succumbing to his instincts and letting more complicated thoughts melt away in favor of the feeling of his paws pounding against the muddy ground and the smell of prey in his nose.