An expectant silence hangs in the air, broken only by my father's puzzled expression. ‘That’s impossible. May and Nina are wolves, not witches,’ he asserts in a serious manner.
Nina glances at me, a mix of uncertainty and worry in her eyes. ‘It’s okay, Nina, show them,’ I encourage her.
Hesitant, Nina nods, stands, and retrieves the wand from her back pocket. Swirling it around, she begins, ‘Aqua…’ and pauses.
‘Bedew,’ I whisper, offering the correct spell.
Nina gives me a small smile and nods. ‘Aqua Bedew,’ she says, and swirls of water materialize from the wand's tip, directing it into a cup on the table.
A pin-drop silence fills the room as everyone processes the unbelievable sight. Sensing the tension, May laughs nervously and seizes the opportunity for a quick exit. She grabs Gianna’s hand, stating, ‘I’ll show you to the guest house. It’s behind this packhouse,’ and hastily leaves the room, dragging Gianna along with her. The door closes behind them, leaving my parents and the others in astonishment and disbelief.
‘This is impossible,’ my father declares, rising from his seat. ‘This can’t be happening. Magic has been forbidden for many years. We only found out recently that a few witches still existed when you had that terrible fever, Magnus,’ he says, looking at me with worry.
Astrid, my mother, fixates her gaze on Nina with great apprehension. ‘Nina, you and your sister cannot experiment with this. You are already in danger. If everyone finds out you are cursed, knowing you can cast magic, too, will cause mass panic. Everyone will hunt you and May down. The only way to keep the secret safe is not to cast magic,’ she cautions with motherly concern.
I can see the internal struggle on Nina's face. She’s working hard to suppress her emotions and hide her feelings from everyone. It's evident how much being able to cast spells means to her.
‘We need to figure out how this is even possible,’ my father asserts, glancing around the room. All eyes turn to Leon and Amelia, seeking an explanation. Leon, equally bewildered, shrugs his shoulders. ‘I swear I do not know,’ he admits.
Amelia, however, bears the look of guilt written all over her face. Leon presses her, ‘Amelia?’
Amelia takes a deep breath, nervously hesitating before confessing, ‘Well, you see, there is something I haven’t told anyone before. I felt it wasn’t necessary to tell you all, and I didn’t want it to cause any worry,’ Amelia keeps her eyes downcast, unable to meet anyone's gaze. ‘Zenith purchased me to be John's chosen mate for two reasons. One reason was because I'm the daughter of an alpha, and the second was because he knew my grandmother was a witch. He was hoping the pups I would bear for his son would be blessed with magic and a wolf to make his pack unstoppable. Thankfully, you all came along and saved me,’ she reveals.
The room erupts in a collective gasp. ‘What!’ we all exclaim in shock.
Amelia continues nervously. ‘You see, my grandfather was a wolf. It turned out my grandmother was a witch. They knew it wasn’t right, and it was unheard of for a witch and a wolf being fated mates. They tried hard to avoid each other but found it impossible because of the mate bond. My mother and another child were born to them. Neither could wield magic, but both got their wolves at eighteen. My mother then had me, and I never could wield magic either. We all figured the wolf gene must have been stronger, and having two generations without magic, we thought it would never happen to future generations. Now it seems it's indeed happened… two generations later. Nina and May are half-witch, half-wolf,’ Amelia admits.
Silence envelops the room as we all exchange astonished looks, absorbing the revelation.
My father gives everyone a serious look. ‘None of this information is to leave this room, and neither of you girls are permitted to cast any magic,’ he says, his eyes landing on Nina. ‘I will leave it to you, Nina, to tell May she is to no longer cast magic,’ my father says sternly, not to be argued with.
Nina stands up and stares at my father defiantly, but she remains silent, instead running up the stairs without saying a word. I know she is upset, and I want to go after her, but my parents need to know the rest.
I stare at my parents, hesitating but building the courage to talk. ‘There’s something else you and Mother need to know,’ I tell my father in a low and worried tone.
‘What’s that?’ my father asks, forming a frown.
‘Moss… is dead. I killed him. He shifted and came at me, intending to kill me. He would have taken Nina back. I didn’t have any other choice,’ I tell them.
My father keeps his composure. ‘You did what you had to do to protect our pack members. I’m sure the wolf council will understand,’ he says, agreeing I had no choice.
I nod, relieved that my father understands the reasoning behind my actions. ‘That’s not all, Dad. Moss’s mother was there; she said she should have killed you years ago and will now get her revenge on me, too. It was clear she knew who both of you were, so you must know who Moss’s mother is?’ I tell them.
My parents give each other a worried look and glance at Leon. He nods, affirming they know Moss’s mother.
My mother stares back at me. ‘Did you see her wolf? Any of their wolves? What colour were they?’ she asks, panicking.
‘Moss’s wolf was brown with grey ears and a grey tail, and when his mother shifted, she was small brown and scruffy with a grey patch on her side,’ I tell them.
‘Vanessa!’ My parents say together in shock.
My mother makes eye contact with my father. 'The older woman with her would have been Alice,' she adds.
My father looks at Leon. ‘Have double the warriors at each post in case Vanessa and Alice attempt to attack us.’
I raise an eyebrow at my father. ‘I don’t think Vanessa would be capable of much harm on her own, though?’ I tell them.
My mother gives me a concerned stare. ‘Don’t underestimate her, son. Knowing Vanessa, she will have more rogues she knows somewhere,’ she says.
May enters the packhouse alone, tiptoeing by the dining room to assess the atmosphere. When met with our silent stares, she smiles nervously. ‘Gianna loves the guesthouse. I showed her where to find the towels and how to use the microwave since she had never used one before. Seeing as the air seems tense in here and I’m the only one babbling on, I’m going to go,’ she says with a forced laugh, pointing over her shoulder, and dashes away.
‘I’m going to retreat to my room, too,’ I tell my parents.
They nod and resume conversation with Leon and Amelia as Flint and Josie also take their leave.
May’s bedroom door is ajar, and I hear Nina telling May they are both banned from using magic. ‘This is so unfair!’ May protests. I close the door to my room, feeling sympathy for them.