SECRETS OF THE WITCH
1558 Words
POV: Aurora
The howls wake me. Not one. Not two. Dozens of them. Rising through the night like sirens, carrying warnings I can feel in my bones. I bolt upright in bed, my heart racing. The witch's mark on my arm throbs with heat, pulsing in rhythm with the distant howls.
The door slams open. Maya rushes in, her eyes wild.
"Get up. Now. We're under attack."
"What?"
"Witches." She throws clothes at me. "They're at the borders. Get dressed and stay inside no matter what you hear."
She's gone before I can ask more questions.
I dress faster than I ever have, my hands shaking. Through the window, I see them. Lights in the forest. Green and black magic crackling through the trees like lightning. Wolves running, their forms blurring between human and beast. This is because of me. Because of the mark on my arm.
I ran downstairs. The mansion is chaotic. Wolves rushing past me, some carrying weapons, some already shifted. Children being herded into interior rooms. The smell of fear was thick in the air.
"Aurora!" Asher's voice cuts through the noise.
He appears in front of me, and my breath catches. There's blood on his shirt. Scratches across his face. His eyes glow pure gold.
"I told Maya to keep you upstairs."
"She told me to stay inside. I am inside." I grab his arm. "What's happening? Why are they attacking?"
"Because of you." He doesn't say it cruelly. Just fact. "The witch who cursed our bloodline. She wants you."
"Why?"
He looks at me for a long moment. Something passes across his face. Regret maybe. Or resignation.
"Because you're not just cursed, Aurora. You carry something else. Ancestral magic. Rare. Powerful. The kind that only appears once every few generations."
The mark on my arm burns hotter. "I don't understand."
"Your bloodline is old. Older than mine. Your ancestors were witch-wolves. They could wield magic and shift forms. That power runs in your veins." He grips my shoulders. "The witch wants that power. She wants to use it."
"Use it for what?"
"To make the curse permanent." His jaw clenches. "Or to break it completely. You're the key, Aurora. You can save us or destroy us."
The words from the pack meeting echo in my head. The prophecy. A cursed wolf will either save them or destroy them.
That's me. An explosion rocks the mansion. Green light flares outside the windows. Screams rise from the forest.
"I have to go." Asher releases me. "Stay here. Don't leave this room. Don't go near any windows."
"Asher, wait."
But he's already gone, shifting mid-stride into the massive black wolf I remember from the first night. He crashes through the door and disappears into the chaos.
The invisible rope around my heart pulls tight. Every instinct screams at me to follow him. To protect him. The mate bonds, clawing at me even though I keep trying to deny it.
I pace the hallway, useless. Helpless. Outside, the battle rages. Magic and teeth and claws. My pack, I realize. These are my people now, whether I asked for it or not. And they're dying because of me.
"You look troubled, little moon."
I spin around. Caleb leans against the wall, watching me. There's blood on his knuckles, but he's smiling like this is all just a game.
"Shouldn't you be out there fighting?"
"I was. Took a break." He pushes off the wall and walks toward me. "Wanted to check on you. Make sure you weren't doing anything stupid."
"Like what?"
"Like believing everything my brother tells you."
Something in his tone makes me stop. "What does that mean?"
Caleb looks at me for a long moment. Then he sighs. "He didn't tell you the whole truth, did he? About the curse. About why it started."
"He said a witch cursed your bloodline three hundred years ago."
"That's true." Caleb steps closer. "But he didn't tell you why. Did he mention that the curse was punishment? That someone in our bloodline did something to deserve it?"
My stomach drops. "What did they do?"
"Not they." Caleb's eyes meet mine. "Him. Asher. Three hundred years ago, in his first life, before he became what he is now. He betrayed her. The witch. She loved him, and he used her. Stole her magic. Left her to die."
"That's not possible. Three hundred years ago?"
"Alphas live long lives when they're strong enough. Asher's been alive for centuries, watching generation after generation suffer because of what he did." Caleb's voice hardens. "Every wolf that's died from the curse. Every child that didn't survive their first shift. That's on him. And he's never told anyone the truth."
I feel sick. "You're lying."
"Am I?" He reaches out and touches the mark on my arm. "Ask yourself why the witch wants you specifically. Why she marked you. Maybe it's not just about the magic you carry. Maybe it's about making Asher pay."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you deserve the truth." His hand falls away. "Because my brother will get you killed protecting his secrets. And because I think you're strong enough to handle the reality of what you're caught in the middle of."
Another explosion shakes the mansion. Closer this time.
"I have to get back out there." Caleb starts to walk away, then stops. "Be careful who you trust, Aurora. The mate bond makes you want to believe him. But bonds can be just as much a curse as the magic in your blood."
He leaves me standing there, my mind racing.
Is it true? Is Asher the reason for all of this?
I need answers. Real answers. I storm through the mansion looking for him. Wolves scatter out of my way. Some bow their heads. Some watch me with fear. The mark on my arm glows brighter with every step, like it's leading me somewhere.
I find Asher in the main hall. He's human again, talking rapidly with three other wolves. Blood drips from a wound on his shoulder, but he doesn't seem to notice.
"Asher." My voice comes out harder than I intend.
He turns. "Aurora, I told you to stay upstairs."
"Is it true?" I walk toward him. "Is the curse your fault?"
The room goes silent. Every wolf stops and stares. Asher's face goes blank. "Who told you that?"
"Does it matter? Is it true?"
He's quiet for too long. That's answer enough.
"You lied to me." Anger burns through my chest. "You made me think this was some ancient curse. Some random witch. But it's you. You're the reason everyone is suffering."
"Aurora." He takes a step toward me.
"Don't." I backed away. "Don't come near me."
Pain flashes across his face. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me! Tell me the truth!"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because knowing won't change anything!" His voice rises. "Yes, the curse is my fault. Yes, I'm the reason our bloodline is damned. But telling you won't break the curse. It won't stop the witch. It won't save anyone."
"It might have saved me from trusting you."
The words hit him like a physical blow. The bond between us twists, sharp and painful.
"I never asked you to trust me," he says quietly. "I never asked for any of this."
"Well, neither did I!"
The temperature drops. Frost spreads across the windows. The lights flicker. And then I see her. At the end of the hallway. Standing in a veil of smoke that curls around her like living shadows.
The witch. She's beautiful in a terrible way. Pale skin. Dark hair that moves like it's underwater. Eyes that glow green like poison. She wears a dress that looks like it's made of night itself. And she's smiling at me.
"There you are," she says. Her voice is soft, gentle, and wrong. "I've been looking everywhere for you, child."
Asher moves in front of me instantly. "Get back, Aurora."
"Oh, Asher." The witch's smile widens. "Still playing the hero after all these years. How precious."
"You're not getting her."
"I'm not asking your permission." Her eyes lock onto mine. Through Asher. Through everything. "She belongs to me. She always
has."
The mark on my arm burns like fire.
"No," I whisper.
"Yes." The witch extends her hand. "I want what belongs to me. Step toward me, child."
And my feet start moving. I try to stop. Try to fight it. But my body doesn't belong to me anymore. It moves on its own, carrying me forward one step at a time.
"Aurora, stop!" Asher grabs my arm, but I keep walking, dragging him with me.
"Let go," I gasp. "I can't stop. I can't.."
Step. Step. Step.
Closer to the witch. Closer to the smoke. Closer to those glowing green eyes.
"That's it." The witch's smile is triumphant. "Come home."
I'm five feet away. Four. Three.
Asher wraps both arms around me, trying to hold me back. "Fight it, Aurora. You're stronger than her magic."
But I'm not. I can't stop my feet from moving. Can't stop walking toward the woman who wants to use me. Destroy me. Break everyone I've started to care about.
Two feet.
One. The witch reaches out her hand, fingers stretched toward my face.
"Finally," she whispers. And everything goes black...
- Writer
