Witch in wolf's clothing - Namaari

Chapter 3: Not All Witches Are Bad

But it's my mother who breaks the silence first. She looks at her mate and says, "Our daughter has a point. Why shouldn't she gain experience by studying elsewhere? You've all trained her from a young age to be a warrior. She can defend herself."

My father rubs his eyes in frustration. It is then that Nikolaj looks at me and hesitantly says, "Sis, I'm all for you studying in another pack, but why Silvermist? Can't you choose somewhere else?"

I look directly at Nikolaj. "Of all people, I thought you would be happy I wanted to go there. You're such good friends, 'best friends' even, with the three soon-to-be Alphas of the pack."

Nikolaj hesitates. "Uh, yeah, but that doesn't mean I agree with everything that happens in their pack. I'm a man, but you're a woman, Namaari, and half-witch too..."

"And so what?" I retort.

Father speaks again, his tone firm but concerned. "The Silvermist pack has many good qualities, but if there's one thing I have to criticize, it's how they treat their women. Besides, dear daughter, you are a witch, and you should never be ashamed of that, but you know, with the war seven years ago... the coastal packs don't trust witches at all. Your mother hasn't set foot there for years; they're afraid of her."

My thoughts drift back to the war. It was a dark time for our packs.

Seven years ago, a massive coordinated attack by rogues and witches wielding dark magic struck the coastal packs and some of the closest packs within our kingdom. Each pack in our kingdom fought back valiantly, and eventually, the rogues and "dark witches," as the werewolves call them, were driven far back into the mountains along the coastline. But the cost was high; there were many losses, even within our kingdom. Some Alpha lines were completely wiped out.

My uncles and aunts, along with my cousins, were spread across various packs within our kingdom to rebuild, strengthen, or lead the packs. My grandfather, Alpha Anaphiel, died in that war, and shortly after, my grandmother Thessalia passed away from the grief of losing her mate.

There were rumors that a witch had cursed the mother of the triplets in the Silvermist pack. I don’t know if it's true, but I do know that the coastal packs harbor a deep hatred for witches, even more than they did before. My mother has tried everything to ease the tensions, but for now, she doesn't travel to the coastal packs or interact with them.

My father, Wakeem, sighs heavily, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Namaari, you have to understand. The hatred and distrust for witches are still very strong, especially in the coastal packs. It's not safe for you."

"But Father," I plead, "isn't that all the more reason to try and change their minds? To show them that not all witches are evil? We can't stay afraid or let others define us by their fear and ignorance."

Dad's gaze softens slightly, but he remains resolute. "I appreciate your courage, Namaari, truly. But your safety is paramount, and the Silvermist pack is not yet ready to welcome a witch, especially not my daughter, as she deserves to be welcomed."

"Please, Nikolaj," I beg, turning to my brother. "Could you put in a good word for me with the triplets?"

Nikolaj laughs awkwardly, noticing our father's intense stare. "Uh..."

It's our mother who speaks next. "Maybe Namaari is right. If Nikolaj can convince the Alpha triplets, then she can go. I believe she can show their pack that not all witches are bad. Quite the opposite."

Nikolaj nods slowly. "I can discuss it with them. I'll even visit them during the next break."

Nester looks at our father and adds, "You know she can defend herself."

Naveed joins in, "Dad, we all got to study elsewhere. You can't deny your smartest child the chance to expand her knowledge."

"Plus," Nester continues, "it's important for her to see how other packs live."

"And the triplets won't dare harm her, knowing she's my sister," Nikolaj adds.

Naveed grins, "And she's a princess, an Alpha's daughter. Your daughter."

Father sighs deeply, finally giving in. "Okay, but if I hear one bad thing, you come back immediately. I'll lock you in your room for the rest of your life, and the Silvermist pack will have hell to pay."

My heart leaps with joy. "Thank you, Father! Thank you, everyone!"

My mother smiles at me. "We believe in you, Namaari. Make us proud."

I nod, determination coursing through me, and look at Nikolaj. "Thanks, bro. This means a lot to me."

Nikolaj smiles back. "No problem, sis. I'll do my best to make sure everything goes smoothly. Just promise to be careful."

"I will. I promise," I say, feeling the support of my family.

After dinner, I sit in my room, feeling nervous as I wait on my bed. Suddenly, the door opens slightly, and I see a cellphone slide across the floor toward me. Zephyr becomes visible again. I pick up the phone and say, "Thank you, Zeph. I hope Nikolaj doesn't realize his phone is missing."

Zephyr responds, "Nikolaj is training with Nester and Naveed right now, so he won't be looking at his phone for at least an hour."

I start searching through my brother's contacts and find one of the triplets, Kaynim, at the top of the list. I cast a spell to make my voice sound like Nikolaj's.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" Zephyr asks.

I nod, determined. "No matter how well Nikolaj knows the triplets, they will never allow a witch into their pack. I have to earn their trust before revealing that I'm a witch. I'm not sure how much Nikolaj has told them about me or if he mentioned that I'm a witch. But beyond that, I don't want them to know I'm the princess. I'm always the outsider, but this is my chance to see who likes me for who I am, not because I'm an Alpha's daughter or a princess. So many people are fake to my face, and it makes me sick."

Zephyr chirps, "Wow, your voice sounds much sexier now."

I laugh. "Let me make the call before the voice-changing spell wears off."

I dial Kaynim's number, my heart pounding as I wait for him to pick up.

The phone rings a few times before Kaynim picks up. "Hello?" he says, his tone casual yet slightly amused. "What’s up, Nikolaj? Already tired of your own pack and want to come back to Silvermist?"

I hesitate for a moment before responding. "Hey, Kaynim. Not quite, just wanted to ask for a favor."

Kaynim senses something is off and asks, "Everything okay with you, Nikolaj?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just need a favor, and I know I can count on you."

"Spit it out," he replies. "We're good friends, after all."

I take a deep breath. "There's a woman in our pack, named… uh, Ari. We want to give her the chance to study at a good university as a reward. Her father did a favor for our pack a long time ago, and we owe him."

Kaynim is quiet for a moment before responding, "There aren't many women studying at our university, you know that. What rank is she?"

I hesitate again before answering, "Omega."

Kaynim laughs, his tone mocking. "Why would I want someone like that at our university, Nikolaj?"

"Listen, Kaynim," I say, trying to sound convincing. "She's special. I wouldn't ask if I didn't believe in her. It's a favor to her father, and it would mean a lot to me."

There's a pause on the other end of the line, and then Kaynim sighs. "Fine, as a favor to you.”

"She'll need a place to stay and support. Can you make sure she has everything she needs?" I ask.

"Yeah, yeah," Kaynim replies, sounding slightly exasperated. "I'll tell Father we're showing our goodwill by taking in a guest. Just remember, you owe me one for this."

"Thank you, Kaynim. I really appreciate it," I say, feeling a wave of relief.

"And hey, are you still planning to visit us next vacation like we talked about? It's going to be a busy few weeks with the start of our last year at university and Father preparing us to be Alphas. We won't have much time to talk."

"Yes, of course. I'll see you then. Thanks again," I reply, just as my voice starts to change back.

I quickly end the call and let out a sigh of relief, grateful that the conversation went well. Zephyr looks at me, his eyes filled with curiosity and concern. "Well done, Namaari. That was close."

"Yeah," I say, smiling. "Let's hope everything goes as planned."

I quickly scroll through Nikolaj’s contacts, finding the numbers for Kaynim, Tazzym, and Zyméo. With a few swift taps, I change their numbers to my own, ensuring that any messages or calls from Nikolaj to the triplets will come to me instead. Then, I whisper a spell to ensure that if any of the triplets try to contact Nikolaj, their messages won’t go through and ends up on my phone instead. But like Kaynim said, they'll probably text very little or not at all in the coming weeks. Or that's what I hope.

"I'm sorry, Nikolaj," I murmur. "Normally, I love involving you in my schemes, but this time I have to lie." I glance at Zephyr. "I hope Nikolaj can forgive me."

I think back to what Kaynim said about being busy and hope that they won't notice until the next vacation. "Kaynim's voice sounded so... masculine, strong, and..." I shake my head to clear my thoughts. "Focus, Namaari," I mutter to myself.

"Zephyr, can you take the phone back to Nikolaj without being seen?" I ask.

Zephyr nods, taking the phone in his mouth. "Thanx, Zeph," I say, patting him on the head. "Now, I have one more person to talk to before I can leave."