002 - Living In Isolation

ALTHEA.

I had become accustomed to living alone after my mother died two years ago.

I had no idea about the cause of her death. I just found her not breathing in the middle of the forest of the red mountain after two days of non-stop searching for her. 

My mother would never abandon me for more than 24 hours without notice. This time, she told me she would gather herbs at the mountain’s east end, but she would return before nightfall.

The night came, and the morning followed, but she was nowhere home. 

I waited until lunchtime, and when she didn’t appear, I prepared to go after her.

The forest was full of creatures beyond what a human mind could comprehend. Shifters were everywhere. The bears and the wolves were the most commonly encountered, according to Mom. But as much as they were dangerous and everywhere, I was lucky to have never met one.

And I hoped that I would find my mother before I crossed paths with any shifters or any other species, not from the human realm. I was not scared of them, but I was aware I was weaker than them, so I was not taking any chances. 

I set off on my journey. It took me two days of non-stop walking and following her traces.

My mother would never tread the forest without leaving traces of her magic for me. So the moment I couldn’t find more after following the path of her initial leads, I knew it meant danger for both of us.

But I kept walking. 

At the end of the second day, I found the answer that I was looking for. Her body was lying on the cold forest floor, slightly covered in mud and dried leaves.

She was dead for more than forty-eight hours. 

I spent the whole night crying beside her, hugging her cold body as if my cries and pleas to the spirit would bring her back to life. But it did nothing. 

My name is Althea Vitali — a solitary, light witch. 

My mother had taught me many magics and spells, but none of them were about bringing the dead back to life.

It was prohibited by the law of nature. But I wish I tried to know more about it because, at that moment, I wanted her back, and I didn’t care if I were to violate any laws.

I had no one but her. 

I didn’t meet my father. I didn’t even know his name. 

Mom told me she lost contact with my father even before I was born, and she thought it was better that I didn’t know who he was. 

I was okay with that. I have a mother. I would survive. 

So when my mom died, my world came crashing down. But slowly, I had learned to accept that I was bound to be alone in this life.

I was sixteen at the time.

For two years, I lived in isolation. I could count on my ten fingers the number of times I went down the mountain into the nearby city to buy things I needed. But mostly, I make use of everything around me to survive. 

So far, I am surviving. I had no complaints. I was thriving with nature.

I splashed the water around me as I giggled heartily. I was in a small lagoon under a beautiful waterfall, two kilometers away from my small cabin.

Bathing naked in this place is what I consider a luxury. 

The water was chilly at this time of the year, but a little magic helped warm it up, and voila! I have my own warm, private bath, with nature surrounding me.

Living alone wasn’t that bad.

I ran my hands on my hair, flattening it, before I lowered my body into the water and swam deeper, picking up the trinkets I dropped earlier to keep me entertained.

I was swimming peacefully when my heart began to beat rapidly for no reason at all. 

This usually happens when I sense danger. I paddled and made my way up to the surface, and the moment I did, my eyes widened before a scream escaped my throat.

“Aaaaaah!” My eyes locked with a very naked, huge man standing by the edge of the lagoon, straight from where I was. 

I kept screaming, but I remained in my spot, just looking at him, until I realized something was moving in the middle of his body. 

He had a growing erection. 

And spirits! It was huge, and it was still getting bigger. 

I had never seen a naked man in flesh, that I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening and my pussy from tingling. 

My head slowly tilted up to look at his face. His eyes were swirling with lust as they focused on something, only for me to realize that he was looking at my breasts as the waters sat below them. 

Instead of covering my nakedness, I spread my arms open and summoned leaves from the ground to swirl around him, creating a tornado in his space.

“What the fuck?” He growled. 

I wasn’t expecting his loud voice, so I lost focus on my chants, and the tornado disappeared.

I prepared to do another one, but the huge man jumped into the water and landed in front of me. 

I knew I was doomed. 

Water splashed all over my face and my feet slipped. I screamed as I fell back.

I was gasping for air when his hands gripped my arms and held me up, putting me back up, but he was holding me so tightly that it was already painful.

“Let me go!” I screamed as I tried to get away from his hold. My hands tried to reach any part of his body, scratching and clawing him, but I was nothing compared to his big frame. 

“Calm the fuck down!” He growled, and it made my body go rigid. But before I could plead for my freedom, he pulled me towards him, slamming our naked bodies together. 

My breasts were pressed against his hard stomach, and his hard thing was poking at my navel. 

I couldn’t breathe.

“Calm down, or my wolf will come out.” He said in a low, raspy voice, and a chill ran down my spine. I had no idea if it was because of the word “wolf” or because his voice sounded rough yet so sexy.

He’s a shifter. A werewolf. No wonder his build was too perfect for a regular human. 

I closed my eyes, trying not to be affected by his naked body against mine, but I couldn’t help panting. Every part of my skin was tingling, as if they were excited to touch him.

“Get away from me…” I mumbled. I had to, or I would collapse soon. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

How would I tell him I had never been this close to any males before? That his naked body was setting a fire inside me? And despite being submerged in water, I could feel something leaking between my thighs. 

“Don’t hurt me…” I knew I could protect myself, or at least try to unless he was a powerful werewolf, but I would never be able to fight him off without my crystals and runes. Besides, his presence was making my knees weak and my stomach churn.

“If I wanted to hurt you, you’re already dead by now.” He said in a cold voice that it snapped me back to reality. He was a stranger, and that meant danger. 

“What is your name?” He asked.

“I don’t owe anyone my name. Why are you here?” I asked back.

“I have a business here.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“You’re dead now if I wanted to kill you. You wouldn’t even have any time to speak.” He spewed his words, laced with irritation. 

“Let me go,” I said in a firm voice, my teeth chattering. The warm spell I placed on the water vanished and cold was already enveloping my body.

I didn’t realize I was leaning heavily on him when he abruptly let go of me. My feet slid again and I was about to crash into the water when I felt rough hands on my ass and on the side of my breast.

“Can you fucking balance yourself?” He growled while my hands widened because I could feel his calloused hands on my private parts. “How fucking clumsy can you be?”

“You, freaking monster! Get your hands off me!”

“The fuck!” He growled one more time and let me go. My body fell over to the water and I began flailing my arms so I could float. I was expecting he would help me again this time, but the help didn’t come.

I eventually found my balance, but anger was brewing in my chest as I stared at him. “This is my private spot! Leave!”

He had already made his way onto a big stone in front of me. He scoffed as he turned around and crouched, his hard cock pointing in my direction, which was almost parallel to my face.

I was still furious with him, but I couldn’t explain what I was feeling at the sight of his manhood. Excitement? Curiosity?

But there was no way I would let him know that.

“Have you got no decency?” I cut him before he could speak. “Get that thing off my face!”