Chapter 3 Amara Gets Evicted

• Glinda paced inside her chamber as Elaine and Hazel watched with furrowed brows.
• “Would you stop it, Glinda? Sit down, you are making me dizzy.” Elaine protested.
• She obeyed and sat on the couch while chewing on her fingernail, still fidgety.
• Hazel, being the rational one among the three, asked, “Aren’t we supposed to be rejoicing that the Horned God seemed interested in Amara? You know what it means, right? Abundance? Stronger protection for animals and supernatural entities in the forest? What are you fussing about? Besides, he is a God. Isn’t it supposed to flatter us that one of us captured the attention of a God?”
• “It’s not that I’m fussing about it, Hazel. You’re right, it’s good for us, but at the expense of Amara. He only comes during the Spring to mate. He is bound to the cycle of death and rebirth. If Amara truly captured his interest, he would surely mate and impregnate her and disappear afterward. The issue is not about Amara carrying his child, she wouldn’t see him again before giving birth to their child. And our Amara will have to raise their kid alone.”
• “Aren’t those stories just myths?” Elaine chimed in.
• “Were you hiding under the rocks, Elaine? They were true. The Horned God mates and impregnates the goddess during spring. Their child is bound to be born on the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, and the Horned One would die on the Summer Solstice, the shortest night of the year. His death does not ‘actually’ mean death, but just a transitional stage before he is reborn again. It is a phase in his cycle of life and rebirth,” she paused for a while, pondering. “Amara is not a goddess but an ordinary witch, a hybrid at that. So the life cycle of the Horned One may not apply to their child. Their child will be a hybrid of witch, werewolf and a third God, and may not be bound by the life cycle of death and rebirth. It means, the kid will grow as usual. Without a father. It’s as good as abandonment.”
• “We are here for her, aren’t we, Glinda?” Hazel cooed.
• “We are, but what worries me is if Amara gets pregnant every Spring, and no one will co-parent with her. Of course, we will support her, but having both parents is different. I’ve been there, Hazel. You know how much I struggled. Until now, I still couldn’t tell Agatha who her father was. Although she already stopped asking and may no longer be interested in it, Amara’s case is different. She is still young. How can she handle being a single mother?”
• “Oh, come on, Glinda. You are younger than Amara when you got pregnant with Agatha. What are you talking about? This is the reason why the younger generation of witches is emotionally and psychologically weaker. We are putting on layers upon layers of protection to prevent them from getting hurt, which only weakens them. Do you think shielding them from pain and preventing them from failing is caring? No. It will paralyze them in the long run. Let them do their things. Let them fall, rise, then fall again. Let them get hurt, heal, then try again. That’s the only way they would learn. We can’t live their lives for them. They have to do it on their own,” Hazel argued with serious expression.
• No one spoke for a while. Glinda realized that Hazel was right. Amara is 21 years old now, a couple of years older than she was when Agatha was conceived, and she survived. Also, Agatha had spent her life independently since she was 16, with no friends, no relatives, and no support system to rely on. And yet she figured things out on her own, and she has also survived with flying colors. She let out an exasperated sigh, knowing there was no other way out of it but to trust Amara.
• “The decision is not ours to make, Glinda,” Hazel added, and the three hugged each other.
• Meanwhile, in the River Bed Pack.
• “Why did Mom send you back all of a sudden, Amara? Did you do something wrong? Aren’t you getting along well with the rest of the forest population? Or the witches? Or the vampires? What happened?” Agatha launched a cocktail of questions without giving Amara a chance to answer.
• “No, Mom. Something happened in the forest. Mimi didn’t explain why she sent me back here but she sealed the coven and forest floors from me. She doesn’t want me back in the next three months.”
• “But why? Only you?”
• Amara shrugged without saying a word.
• “Be honest with me, Amara. What mischief did you do?”
• “I didn’t do anything, Mom. Why don’t you believe me?” Her voice was elevated and her tone slightly agitated.
• “What’s with that tone?” A thundering voice sounded from the stairs. The mother and daughter duo turned to see Nathaniel climbing down the stairs with his hands tucked inside his pockets. His face was unreadable, but his hardened gaze was fixed on his daughter.
• “Is this the way to talk to your mother? Is this the product of the overpriced education we gave you, Amara? To disrespect your mother?” He reprimanded.
• “Dad.” She quickly got up from the couch and ran toward her father. She climbed two steps higher than Nathaniel was and jumped onto his back to piggyback on him. Her hands tightly circled his neck and legs around his waist. She settled her chin on his shoulder and said, “I miss you too, Dad.”
• Nathaniel’s expression instantly shifted into a playful one, chuckling. “When did you come, young princess?” He asked as he continued descending with Amara hanging on his back like a koala.
• “Just now, Dad. I was evicted by Mimi,” she answered, pouting like a spoiled child, and Agatha couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Her eldest daughter has always been a mixture of mischief and tenderness, and she always gets away scot-free since Nate and Bastien always protect her.
• “What did you do this time? Mimi will not evict you without a reason,” he said, slowly lowering himself so that Amara could get on her feet. He sat beside Agatha, and they shared a passionate kiss.
• Amara quickly covered her eyes with the palm of her hand. “Geez, Mom, Dad, get a room!” Throwing her hands in the air with feigned annoyance, the couple burst into laughter.
• When the laughter died down, he asked, “Is that what you were talking about before I came?”
• “Yes.” Agatha and Amara answered in unison.
• “It’s good you’re here, little princess. Willow and Freida will turn sixteen next week. We can celebrate together. I'm sure Mimi will come, too.”
• “Okay.”
• Just then, Sebastian pushed the main door. His eyes were fixed on his eldest daughter with an unreadable expression. “Hi, Dad. What’s up?” Amara asked before getting to her feet to welcome Sebastian.
• He approached her and extended his arms for a hug, settling his lips on the crown of her head.. Amara immediately hugged her father back. “I miss you, Dad.” She stayed inside Seb’s loving embrace for a while before he pulled out to kiss Agatha.
• Amara covered her eyes for the second time. “Not again. Geez. Can the three of you stop with the PDAs? You’re not young anymore, Mom, Dads. Seriously!”
• “I couldn’t wait till you find your mate, Amara. Once it happens, let’s have this conversation again.” Agatha said dryly.
• Silence loomed over the room for a few seconds before Seb cleared his throat and asked, “Amara, have you talked to your mother about the entity you encountered in the forest?”
• Agatha’s eyes widened. “What entity?”
• “I’ll take that as a no then,” Seb added, chuckling. “I happened to join the blood delivery team at the coven and saw Mommy Glinda. We talked for a short while, and she told me that our little princess here,” he paused to pinch Amara’s nose, “has been evicted. But she was reconsidering the eviction notice as we speak.”
• The crease on Agatha’s forehead deepened. “Why am I the last to know about this? Amara, come clean with me. Get up!” She ordered firmly, pointing to a place in front of her. Amara quickly got to her feet and stood before her mother with her hands clasped together.
• “Start talking, young lady,” Agatha sounded strict as always.
• Things are always like this. Agatha strictly reprimands their daughters, but is extremely considerate to Nas and Sean, to the point of spoiling them. Sebastian and Nathaniel, on the other hand, spoil their daughters rotten and admonish the two young Alphas. Perhaps this family structure is what keeps the balance in the family.
• “Mom,” Amara started. Her gaze swept from left to right, meeting the gazes of her parents one by one before opening her mouth.
• “I saw the Horned God in the forest.”