Twisted Ever After

by Celeste Thrower

  “A witch has cursed this girl. We’ll figure out exactly why after we close her up. But first, bring me a blood regeneration potion.”

  Yana and Adrik scampered off, and I set to cleaning the gaping wound. After, I did a brief examination of her organs. None seemed perforated, which was a relief. A hospital was too far away and I may be a witch, but dealing with a hole in the intestines or stomach was beyond my capabilities.

  Two grueling hours later, I applied the last stitch and stood back to admire my work. “It looks—decent.”

  Adrik and Yana nodded in agreement.

  “Hopefully her shifter healing abilities will clear up the rough patches. Did you bottle up some of her blood as I requested?”

  Yana produced a small glass vial and handed it to me. I examined it. This should be more than enough to test.

  “Good work, you two.”

  My servants bent at their largest knuckle and sunk into a severed hand version of a bow and curtsy.

  “One of you clean up; the other, watch the wolf. Inform me immediately if she reopens the wound or wakes. I’ll be working with this.” I shook the vial, and the blood sloshed inside. Adrik and Yana began squabbling over who would clean, and I left them to work it out.

  I had a mystery to solve.

  The mirror-plated instrument pushed to the farthest reaches of the top shelf of my cupboard had sat unused for decades. After carefully moving aside a basketful of volatile potions that I kept in plastic pouches for easy transport, I pulled down the bowl. It was covered in dust, which I wiped off meticulously before pouring water into the basin. Once I was sure it was clean, I walked to my cupboard and extracted a vial of blood that I’d bargained from a seer a century prior.

  After another examination to ensure nothing floated in the water that would influence my magic, I felt reassured, and closed my eyes.

  “With this blood, I seek

  The knowledge held within.

  With seer’s blood, I give

  A tribute, now vision begin.”

  My hands lit up, as did the water. I unstoppered the vial containing Vassa’s blood and poured it into the water first. Then I uncapped the bottle of seer’s blood and forced the thick liquid into the bowl. The moment the seer’s blood hit the water, a horrific vision began to play out before my eyes.

  Vassa

  “The family you live with has been poisoning you.”

  The witch’s words ran through my head, once, twice, three times—but I couldn’t make sense of it. I wondered if she’d given me pain medication to dull my senses, but the ache in my gut told me otherwise. Thank goodness shifters healed at an accelerated rate. The only reason I’d been able to transform back into human aspect was because my body had already undergone significant healing in the hours that I’d been asleep.

  “Poisoning me? But wouldn’t I be dead? Or sick to my stomach?”

  “Not from this poison.”

  My eyes bulged, and Baba Yaga continued.

  “Aside from your wound, how do you feel?”

  I assessed myself. My abdomen throbbed and the skin there was hot from healing. But my breath came easy and despite the fight with the bear, my head, arms, and legs felt normal. “Good, I guess.” My answer was tentative, and I wondered if this was a trick question.

  “Strong?” the witch suggested.

  I tilted my head. Now that she mentioned it, I did feel strong. I might even be able to trudge the many kilometers home. “Strangely, yes. The adrenaline must not have worn off yet. It was so high when I was searching for the bear that I felt better than ever.”

  Baba Yaga shook her head. “That wasn’t adrenaline. It was your strength returning. Do you take medication for your weaknesses?”

  I nodded.

  The witch snorted. “Just as I thought. Vassa, that medication is actually a potion made by a witch to keep you weak. The witch wasn’t skilled enough to make a long-term potion, but your family took what they could get. They’re desperate to cover up your distinguished lineage.”

  “Distinguished lineage?”

  Baba Yaga poured herself two fingers’ worth of vodka and slammed it down. “Do you recall when I told you about the alpha who came to see me years ago? Before the pack wars?”

  “Yeah?” Where is this going?

  “While you slept, I tested your blood. In it, I glimpsed your history. That alpha was your biological father. I recognized him from your blood.”

  I sucked in a breath.

  “Yes, Vassa. Your alpha blood and the power within it have been manipulated by the family who raised you. The very family who were your biological parents’ betas.”

  My mouth fell open. “But other wolves can sense alpha magic. The family who took me in must be alphas or else the rest of the pack wouldn’t follow.”

  Baba Yaga arched an eyebrow, as if daring me to disagree with her further. I didn’t know what to say, but knew she must be wrong, so the tension in the room mounted as we faced off. Suddenly, there was a clatter across the room and we both jumped. Yana had knocked into a bowl on a high shelf, and the witch darted across the room to ensure it didn’t fall. When she reached it, she chuckled, smiled at her servant and held it up for me. The ceramic bowl had once been white but was now stained red on the inside.

  “It’s an old bloodletting bowl,” Baba Yaga explained, before setting the bowl back on the shelf. “Of course you’re right about alphas having powers over other wolves. As you said, the magic is carried in their blood. I must ask, does the alpha family you live with ever insist you get blood work done?”

  My mouth dried up. My acting mother, Natasha, had always said I required regular draws to ensure my medication was still appropriate. The medicine never changed, but I didn’t question her. It was one of the few times Natasha seemed to care about me, and I savored those moments.

  “I have my blood drawn once a month to see if my medication is still working.”

  “Or to keep a supply of your blood fresh. I suspect that the family you live with has been using your inherent magic to alter their birth station by injecting your blood into themselves. Alpha blood is incredibly powerful and will overwhelm that of other wolves. They are taking advantage of you.”

  I stiffened. “Does that mean my whole pack has been lying to me?”

  The witch’s lips flattened. “My intuition is strong that the rest of your pack does not know. I heard that during the pack wars one of the packs was decimated. I believe it was your family’s. The wolves you live with were likely sole survivors and sought to enhance their station from beta to alpha, which they could never be on their own as alpha blood is genetic. But with you alive—the previous alpha’s daughter—and a bit of dark magic, it was possible. Still, they had to keep their plans hidden or else they’d be ostracized. I bet that they moved to a new village to take advantage of the anonymity. With your blood injected in their veins, they would be strong enough to challenge other alphas and no one would question their status.”

  A tear slid down my cheek at the witch’s words. So horrible. So manipulative.

  So true.

  My body confirmed her words. With every passing second the truth pounded through me as my strength increased and my magic strengthened. The people who had raised me had not only abused me mentally and physically my whole life, they had been using me.

  And now that I knew the truth, I wanted revenge. I shot up from my seat. “I’m going to confront them—insist they submit and undergo a trial.”

  “A sweet, naïve sentiment.”

  “Trials happen all the time,” I scowled at Baba Yaga’s blatant disbelief. “They work nights so they’re probably at home asleep right now. I’ll wake them up and they’ll have to listen.”

  “It seems even the highest-ranked wolves are not the brightest in the bunch. The shifter way will not work in this case. Believe me.”

  “Why not?” I placed my hands on my hips. “You said yourself that pack business is none of your business.”

&
nbsp; “It’s a universal truth that cornered creatures often do terrible things. Can you take on a family of shifters desperate to keep their secret right now?” The witch gestured to my injury.

  Grudgingly, I shook my head. My abdomen was healing fast, but not that fast.

  “I thought not. You must be cunning. Weaken your enemy first and then make your claims in public. Show the rest of the pack your strength. In fact—” Baba Yaga stood and strode across the cottage. She went to a cupboard, opened the door, and pulled out a lantern. A dark smile crossed her face.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “What does it look like? It’s light to guide your way home.”

  Vassa

  It was already afternoon when I approached my family home.

  No. Not my family home. These wolves manipulated me.

  The house was still when I tiptoed inside; only the sound of loud snoring down the hall disturbed the silence. The false alphas owned a tavern and lived a nocturnal lifestyle. I wondered if Natasha had even checked my room before going to bed.

  She probably assumed I was in there and would inject myself with poisonous potion when I woke up, like a good little omega. A frown creased my face. Thank goodness I wouldn’t be staying long.

  Baba Yaga had instructed me to hide the lantern in the house, pack a bag, and go somewhere safe. I knew no more than that, but after meeting the witch I was following her instructions without question.

  After all, she’d discovered the truth and saved my life.

  I wondered why that was. The witch had a reputation for testing people who sought her aid in multiple ways. Perhaps she regretted turning my biological father away all those years ago? Or maybe the bear really had been enough of a challenge?

  Whatever the case, I was thankful I’d gone to Baba Yaga. Despite my wounds, I felt stronger than I had in years and more alive.

  Without the fabled wicked witch in the woods, I never would have known how I needed to change.

  I set the lantern behind the couch, pressed right up against the wall, so it could “do its work,” as Baba Yaga had said. Before I pushed the couch back into place, I noticed that the lantern’s color had changed. The light was now a strange green instead of luminescent yellow. The magic was working. I had to leave quickly.

  I had a single friend—the runt of our pack—to turn to for help. When I’d shown up on Dima’s doorstep she’d taken in my bedraggled appearance and yanked me inside, peppering me with questions as I made my way to her room. I passed out on her bed minutes later, promising I’d explain everything when I woke.

  Of course, things didn’t go as planned.

  Dima woke me too soon with a hearty shake.

  “Vassa! Something terrible has happened!”

  I blinked my eyes open and rubbed them hard. For the first time in years, I felt completely energized and my wound had almost totally healed. I supposed my body was extra efficient without the poisonous potion running through me.

  “What?” I mumbled.

  “There’s been an attack!” Dima’s brown eyes were wide. “On the alpha’s home!”

  I shot up. “An attack?”

  “Apparently, Melor came home from . . .” Dima trailed off, looking uncomfortable. I couldn’t care less. My betrothed often sought the company of other women. Natasha often claimed this was because I wasn’t womanly or wolfish enough to hold Melor’s interest. The jabs used to upset me, but not anymore.

  “Just tell me!”

  “He came home and found the rest of the family dead. There were shadows climbing the walls, and they attacked him. He fought back and some retreated into an enchanted object—a lantern. He solicited a witch’s opinion, and she claimed to have heard of such an object. Baba Yaga won it long ago from another witch. Melor and his little gang are going to Baba Yaga’s hut now. They plan to kill her.”

  My paws tore up the ground. The truth that I’d been poisoned for years resonated with each powerful step. I was faster, stronger, and more driven than ever before.

  And there was no way I would allow Melor and his friends to hurt my liberator.

  Although I’d only been there once, the path to the witch’s house was easy to follow as it reeked of wolf-shifters. There seemed to be six different scents. Six different wolves I would either need to force into submission using my alpha magic, injure, or kill.

  Familiar bits of forest began to flash by, informing me that I was close. I began to wonder what Melor would do when I arrived, but that thought was cut short by a wolf rushing out of the trees and slamming into me.

  I toppled and rolled. From the scent I recognized him as one of the weaker wolves in Melor’s gang. Using all my strength, I surged upward and took the wolf’s neck in my mouth. He tensed and stilled as a whimper emanated from his throat. Clearly I’d surprised this wolf by retaliating. Before I’d been too weak and would have lost, so I’d never challenged anyone. Ever. His musky scent filled my snout and every rage-filled cell within me insisted that I bite down, that I assert my dominance further in a brutal manner.

  As if sensing my fury, the wolf released a high-pitched whine. Quickly, I realized that he was as ignorant as me. He deserved an explanation and a chance to choose the right path. Keeping that in mind, I released him, darted backward, and stared him straight in the eye.

  You’ve been tricked. I’m the only one with alpha blood in the Longclaw Pack. Submit now, and I will show mercy.

  My words and magic hit the other wolf, and his eyes widened as the truth washed over him.

  Yield, I pressed. Or else.

  A minute passed. I crouched ready to make good on my threat when finally the wolf went down on his front paws in a gesture of submission. He’d recognized my magic, and knew what I said was true.

  As you wish, Alpha. His wobbly voice resonated in my head as his will bound to mine.

  By wolf-shifter law I was his new alpha.

  Go home and do not speak of what’s happening here.

  The wolf turned tail and ran. As soon as he disappeared through the trees, I caught the scent of smoke on the wind. I turned and my breath stilled as dancing flames caught my eye.

  Baba Yaga

  I rushed about collecting items I could not bear to lose to the flames. The halfwit wolves howled outside as they attacked the chicken legs to bring down my cottage so they could infiltrate.

  Little did they know, I had no intention of defending my home.

  My interaction with Vassa had changed me as much as it had changed her. In the hours since she’d left, I realized I wasn’t living my fullest life, and never would here. These woods would always be home, but they held too many dark memories for me to stay. Unlike Vassa, I’d never be able to start over here, not with the prejudices of centuries swirling about me.

  The time had come to move on.

  My mortar was filling up, but then I only needed space for myself, Yana, and Adrik, so I kept piling items in. I was nearly done packing my treasured collection of records when the growls and barks outside morphed into whimpers.

  I rushed to the window in time to see a glorious gold-furred wolf rushing at a gray one. Vassa took him down in one fell swoop and ripped his throat out. Evidence of another death lay behind her.

  The imbeciles didn’t submit.

  I knew this without a doubt. Vassa had been intent on submission before she returned to her home and she would have shown mercy to the fools burning down my cottage. They should have taken her up on the offer.

  Only three remained, two who looked prepared to fight to the death. The other hung back, calculating his options. Thinking fast, I tossed my basket of potion grenades into my mortar and waved to Adrik and Yana.

  “Hop in, darlings,” I gestured to the mortar. “We can’t let the new alpha have all the fun, can we?”

  I burst out my front door, my mortar heating with the flames that licked at its iron sides. Channeling other witches with a flair for the dramatic, I cackled maniacally as I hurled a pouch of potio
n straight at a wolf.

  It hit, exploded, and the wolf went down. Taking in the scene, I noticed that Vassa was fighting the largest wolf while another circled, waiting for his chance to take her down.

  I hurled a package of potion at the lurker. With agile wolfish abilities he dodged, but that was okay—I enjoyed a challenge. And so did Yana and Adrik, who joined in on the fun, hurling packages of deadly potions at the wolf.

  After a dozen missed attempts Adrik’s slammed against the wolf’s side and the creature collapsed with a thunk. I smiled down at my dark-hearted servant, who was bowing as if he’d just performed at the Bolshoi Theatre.

  A yip caught my ear, reminding me the fight wasn’t over yet. Vassa battled the largest wolf-shifter and even though she was a dozen times stronger than the night before, the other wolf was strong too.

  One guess as to who that cretin is.

  Vassa

  I lunged out of the way, and Melor flew by me, his teeth bared to rip me open. That had been close, too close. More than ever I wished that I had been allowed on more hunts with my pack; the extra exercise would have benefited me now. Although I possessed alpha blood, Melor had injected the same blood into his body, and the fight was an even one.

  I never loved you, you know.You were simply a means to an end. His words resonated through my mind, cruel and completely in character.

  I sprinted at him and snapped. A chunk of his hind leg and the taste of salt and metal filled my mouth as Melor released a whine.

  I never loved you either. I retorted. You smell and eat like an animal, even in human aspect.

  For a moment he looked stricken, but the expression vanished within the span of a heartbeat. I see there will be no going back to the meek little thing you once were. A pity. I’ll have to find a new alpha to mate with before your blood runs out.

  If you manage to leave this clearing, I jeered.