Under the moonlight with a shifter

Twenty Two

Petunia had started to undergo prenatal care when she had become a lot better and she was sure that the baby was in good condition. Sure enough, her wounds were healing a lot quicker than she imagined humanely possible and she felt empowered if not stronger. She was ready to take on both of her worlds with her newfound power and no one would stop her. For the sake of not only her, but her baby and that was either with or without Uriah.

Makita had invited her to their coven deep in the Bayou to an old plantation ground where single witches lived out their days. The ones who have met and mated moved off the grounds to live with their spouses and the coven almost reminded her of a sorority house. She wondered where the Warlocks lived and they were dispersed around the country.

She learned that the search for mates were more distressed than she believed because without it, many Source members lost their powers. It all sounded like a load of crap to her but the records go back to the Source enhancing humans to be able to withstand nature and giving them powers, but their powers were too much for them and they either used and abused it or some couldn't cope with the intensity so they took that power and split it in half. One half went to one person and the other went to another and those who had matching powers were mates. In some ways, it was a check and balance system where Source members were unable to reach their power maturity unless they found their mate and together, they could handle the power that was their birthright.

Petunia understood why her parents lied to her, her power puberty never happened and they thought she might have been those few who were born without one. The new world to her was alien and she had to worry about making sure the baby was okay and channel her powers correctly. That was one of the big reasons why she was currently at the coven. Makita had told her she would find someone to help her master the power that she had.

Her parents seem to know many of the witches and though she understood the meaning behind her parents lying to her, it didn't mean that she forgave them just yet. Makita was just one of many who came to see her and most likely ogle her quiet protector and his hunky younger brother. The two were still staying at a local hotel when her parents took pity on the two and offered the spare bedroom. Except one stayed on the floor of her bedroom just because she didn't want him in her bed.

She almost wanted to hate him for insinuating that the baby wasn't his but she partly understood where he was coming from. If she didn't have powers she would still wonder how it was even possible for her to become pregnant but she had the sonogram to prove it.

"Welcome to our Coven." Makita said to her as she watched in awe of the thirty witches that were before her. There were many of them and of many different cultures as she tried to see all the faces and feel the power coming from some of them. "Everyone, you know the Alamays, and their daughter. She has recently come to the dark side when her powers matured." She said in a booming voice that everyone could hear and listened to her.

"Our home is yours." She continued and many came to welcome her as they put their forehead to hers. Finally when they saw what they needed of her, they dispersed and Makita and a few others stayed to talk to them. "I had sought counsel with the Source Court and its big news of the two of you mating. Actually those old farts were pretty surprised per usual and probably having an aneurysm." She told them and Petunia gave her an odd look as she continued. "You being mated to a shifter is breaking a code of how many years...almost a hundred. The last mating between two different subspecies caused a war. And add that you're kinda prego."

Petunia gave her an odd look as she wanted to ask but thought better of it. "Why is it such a crime? I mean it's not like we asked to be mates or chose each other." She said and Makita shrugged as her braids fell over one another.

"The Council has a lot on their plates with missing and dead Source Members, kidnapped children, and the fact that the Dark Warlock escaped Enforcer custody."

"Why is the Warlock doing this?"

Makita wasn't sure how she wanted to answer without sounding too crazy but she said, "There's word that the Warlock is gathering a small Army of Source members to attack the humans."

"For what reason?" She asked confused as to how it had to do with him wanting to kill her and the baby. "We've lived in the shadows too long and some want the superior beings to no longer hide what we truly are." Makita said.

"But why me?"

"He knows you're expecting and like I said, last mixed mating was almost a century ago. The baby that is inside of you is a game changer and a possible new subspecies. A hybrid. Imagine a fucking shape shifting witch cub? Can shift in the blink of an eye and use some form of magic to annihilate you. Now that can be a good super soldier."

"But the baby would need to mate before it can access all this power. You don't think he's making an army of child super soldiers is he?" Uriah said as everything started to click for him. Makita glanced over at him as she said, "True, but we witches before we reach power maturity, can still do little things here and there. How about you cat boy, was there anything you could do before having to rely on your shifter?"

He knew about his people since he was born and being of a clan of Jaguar shape shifters, he had enhanced senses and could see fairly well in the dark. He was stronger than human men and not prone to diseases. He just couldn't shift fully. To answer her question, he could do a lot. Except the pain of not having mated and the chance of losing his ability to shift was a constant reminder and the same could have happened to her. From what he knew, she had bouts of emotional tendencies that doctors diagnosed her with a disorder and just recently she had overcome them after they had mated.

They were meant to be together apparently and he didn't know jack shit about what to do. Add on top was that he was going to be a father and he was panicked on the inside as if he was getting a crash course on how to be a man. He had a mate that he abandoned who had gotten hurt looking for him and then he had impregnated her and now that he wanted to man up to what he had done, she wasn't giving him the time of day.

In the span of three days, everything had happened so quickly and her life and the baby's was in danger. He just hoped he could save them before something he truly would not get a second chance at happened. Yet the dread in his stomach did not go away.