The Wolf Witch (The Coven: Shifter Magic Book 1)

THE WOLF WITCH THE COVEN: SHIFTER MAGIC CHANDELLE LAVAUN CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Epilogue Also by Chandelle LaVaun THE NIGHT REALM READING ORDER About the Author CHAPTER ONE INEZ “The Death card does not mean you’re dying. No es la Muerte.” “It doesn’t?” Suzanne sighed so hard she slouched in her chair across the table from me. “I’ve never pulled that one, and I hate it. They should call it something else then.” I laughed and continued to shuffle my deck of tarot cards. Diosa mía. “You’re not wrong. It is poorly labeled. Pero . . . I think the shock of seeing it plays into the meaning.” She arched one blonde eyebrow. “And what meaning is that?” “Change.” I shrugged one shoulder and tapped my neon-yellow-painted fingernail on the top of the tarot card labeled Death. “Not quite as forceful and traumatizing as The Tower card, pero . . . change nonetheless.” She scowled and ran her fingers over the rose quartz beads on her necklace. Those blue eyes of hers were so full of fear it was practically written in her irises. “Change?” “Sí. Cambia.” I nodded. Tarot cards weren’t my favorite, I preferred making potions and working with amulets and crystals, but my clients loved having their cards read. And I was a businesswoman who knew happy clients made return clients. Suzanne was one of the few friends from school I still kept in contact with. For that, I read her cards whenever she wanted. I nodded and sat the deck facedown on the table I’d covered in a purple velvet cloth. “It represents an end in something to make way for change. A death of something in your life —not someone. It comes to you as a major arcana card because it’s powerful and met with fear and apprehension, like maybe you wouldn’t have changed this thing without being forced to. But it’s needed. It’s for growth. You will be better on the other side of this change, however bittersweet it may be.” “So . . . does it tell me what kind of change?” She leaned forward and tapped on the other cards lined up. “What do these mean?” “What does it mean that three majors leapt out at the same time?” She narrowed her eyes on me. “The cards are sassing me enough without your help.” “Lo siento.” I chuckled and tapped on the second card. “Three majors jumped out at you, Suzanne. Sabes esto. You’re a witch, so you know that means you’re about to be called the fuck out.” She groaned and ran her hands through her hair. “I know, I know. That’s why I’m here. Just break it down for me? Tarot was never in my skill set. I can never remember what the cards mean.” “The pictures help.” I winked. “Death, The Moon, and The Fool. Honestly, it means new hair, who dis?” Suzanne threw her head back and laughed. “Inez, stop it!” Making my clients laugh during their readings was a priority. It lightened the mood, especially on readings like this when I knew in my gut I was about to flip her world inside out. I knew what Suzanne’s problem was, but she needed to realize it for herself. This reading was merely a tool. We were both witches. We both knew. She just needed someone to say it out loud. “The Moon represents the deepest parts of ourselves—the parts the sun does not shine on . . . the parts we have to dive deep to inspect.” I smiled at the next card. “The Fool means you’re going on an adventure. But those are just the jumpers. Let’s get into the actual spread.” Suzanne nodded and leaned forward so her chest was pressed against my wooden table. Her blue eyes focused on the deck of cards lying between us. “I’m ready. Rip me apart.” “That’s what she said.” Suzanne snorted and then rested her forehead on the table, her whole body shaking as she laughed. When she finally sat upright, she had to wipe tears from her eyes. “You’re terrible, Inez.” Y por eso me quieres. “All right, ready for me to flip?” She bit her bottom lip and nodded. Some tarot readers liked to spread the deck of cards out across the table and have their client pick them. Some just flipped cards off the top of the pile for each. Since the reading was about them, I did whichever my clients preferred. I needed them to connect to it. In my experience, most of my clients who were witches like me preferred to have me just flip the cards off the deck. They knew the Goddess would put the right ones in their path. “Okay, past, present, and future here we go.” I flipped three cards off the pile one after another, lining them up in a row. Suzanne’s face paled. “Oh boy.” “For your past is Eight of Swords. Present is Four of Swords. And future is Six of Swords—” “Sounds like a war.” “Well—” “Pull clarifiers. For each of them. Please.” She scrunched her nose like they smelled bad. I nodded and flipped three more cards. “Eight of Cups in reverse, Six of Cups, and Ace of Cups.” If possible, Suzanne’s face fell even more. “Cups are the emotions ones, right? Like romance and stuff?" "Well—” “Oh Goddess, I’m at war with my heart?” I opened my mouth, then shut it. “Actually . . . yes.” She groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Don’t sugar coat it, Inez. Give it to me.” “You came in here wearing rose quartz—” “I know, I know.” She whimpered. “Inez?” My little sister Marta had her