by Gwen Knight
“Juniper…” Piper murmured. “This doesn’t feel right.”
Screw not feeling right. I hadn’t felt right my entire life. The way I saw it, this was the only chance I had at ever feeling right. So what if there were risks? As long as those burdens fell on me and only me, I accepted them.
I eyed the witch. “Promise me this spell won’t affect anyone else. Only me.”
“The cost is all yours, dear. As for everything else, only you can say. But you’ll finally become a true werewolf. And isn’t that what you wanted? Just remember. Two days. You must become mates by sunset February sixteen. Otherwise…”
“I become a real wolf, permanently.”
“Do you accept these terms?”
I drummed my fingers against the counter and contemplated my choices. My life right now sucked balls. This was a real chance for me to change who I was. Yes, there was a risk. And if it all went wrong, I’d never see my friends or family again.
Of course, it wasn’t as though I’d remember them. But they would remember me.
If I did this, I’d need to keep everything to myself. The last thing I wanted was to upset my family. And if I failed, I’d have enough time to prepare and say my goodbyes. I’d lie. Tell them I was leaving to attend college, to find my own life. Convince them to let me go.
Clearly, I’d made my decision. So, with a deep breath, I straightened to my full height. “All right. You have a deal.”
The witch’s mouth spread unnaturally wide. “Do follow the instructions, my dear. One tonight, one at first morning’s light. Try not to forget. The consequences could be…disastrous.”
Lovely. I eyed the witch a second longer before finally reaching for the chocolates. Now or never, right?
Resigned, I lifted the first square and studied it. Looked innocuous enough. “When will it start to take effect?”
“Not right this second. This sort of thing requires a little bit of time. You’ll notice an increase in your senses, and then your body will tell you when it’s time to shift.”
All right. If all went well, perhaps I’d have this entire deal squared away tonight. I shot a glance at Piper and shrugged. “Bottom’s up.” Before she could utter another word, I tossed the chocolate into my mouth and chewed.
Mm. Smooth.
Tasted like the Caramilk bars I used to love as a child. I forced myself to chew a couple more times before swallowing.
Silence descended on the shop.
Piper hovered next to me, hands pressed to her mouth as she studied me for any sudden changes. I waited for the side effects to kick in, bracing for the kidney failure or muscle pains. Not even a hint of drowsiness. So far, so good. In fact…I felt the exact same.
Anticlimactic if you asked me.
“That’s it?”
The witch lowered down onto her seat and resumed her reading. “That’s it, dear.”
I didn’t feel different at all. No mood swings, no excessive hair growth…nothing but a minor headache pricking at my temples. “I feel the same.”
“I said it would take time. Now, if you don’t mind, I do have a business to run.”
A quick glance around the shop revealed that we were still the only patrons. “There’s no one else here.”
“That you can see.” A knowing smile chased across her face. “Have yourself a wonderful night, and I’ll see you in two days’ time.”
“To ensure I remain a proper werewolf, right?”
“Of course, dear.”
With a final nod, I turned toward Piper. Some of the horror had slipped away, and she seemed more curious than anything.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Great.” Better than great, in fact. That little treat had to be the world’s best vitamin. A few more moments passed, and already I felt stronger than ever. Was this how werewolves always felt? I was sure I could lift the witch’s counter over my head.
“Good.” Piper released a tremulous breath.
Holy hell. I heard it. The faint stirring of the air, the thumping of her pulse. This was amazing.
“Then let’s go. Okay?”
“Sure.”
Relieved, she nodded. “I’ll feel a hell of a lot better once you talk to Mathis and get all this squared away.”
“Right,” I mumbled, her words not quite registering. But once they did, I cocked my head and asked, “Who’s Mathis?”
3
Piper sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wide. “What do you mean ‘who’s Mathis’?”
“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’?”
She blinked in rapid succession, then glanced down at the platter I held in my hands before whispering, “No…”
A low chuckle rose through the shop. I turned toward the sound, only to find the witch bowed over her thick book, her fingers gripping the aged parchment as she cackled.
Jesus. The sound was nerve-wracking. Sent a chill right down my spine. She wheezed for breath, then straightened and wiped a tear from her eye.
Her laughter certainly wasn’t infectious.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
“Juniper.” Piper appeared before me and gripped my shoulders hard. “Who is the alpha of our pack?”
Oh, that was simple. “Conrad.”
The color drained from her face. “Conrad stepped down two months ago.”
“What?” I laughed under my breath. “No, he didn’t. We just saw him at Rumor’s wedding, and…” I paused. The wedding. Something felt off. I couldn’t quite lock onto the wedding. I remembered Rumor walking down the aisle, though no one had escorted her. And then…everything went hazy.
Conrad.
I knew I’d seen him, but he’d looked different. Beaten and submissive, though still a dick.
“Conrad stepped down,” Piper repeated, her words slow and intentional. “And Mathis took his place.”
My brows knitted together. Who the hell was this Mathis? A transfer from another pack? Someone I hadn’t met yet, perhaps.
“The man you’ve been in love with for like half your life!” Piper shouted.
I gave a small laugh. “What the hell drugs are you on?”
She lifted her hands to her head and buried her fingers in her hair. Eyes closed, she spun away from me and released a frustrated cry.
“Piper, what—”
She whirled around. “Why are we here?”
What kind of question was that? I glanced down at the platter. “You know why we’re here.”
“But do you?” she demanded. Her eyes were wild, her face flushed. And beneath it all was a sense of hysteria that had my pulse rising.
“We’re here because I want to become a werewolf.”
“All right, so you remember that. But not Mathis?”
“Hard to remember someone you’ve never met,” I laughed.
“You have met him!”
“Look, what the hell is going on here? You’re freaking me out!”
“I’m freaking you out? Jesus, Juniper. What’s worse is you don’t understand how bad this is.”
The witch’s laughter swelled behind us.
White hot anger rippled across Piper’s face. She spun on her heel and stalked toward the counter. “Is this funny to you?”
“Hilarious,” the witch cackled. “The side effects were right there on the card. She agreed to the risks.”
“Side effects?” I chased after Piper and snatched up the card from the counter. “It said excessive hair growth and muscle pain, not—”
“Memory loss,” Piper finished. “But just Mathis? Nothing else?”
My eyes narrowed as I read the card over one more. And there it was, right next to kidney failure. How had I missed that?
“Magic is magic, dear. Some say it has a mind of its own.”
“You did this,” Piper growled at the witch. She clutched the edge of the counter, her arms trembling. “You made her forget Mathis so she can’t fulfill your stupid agreement!”
“Piper—
”
“Shut up, Juniper. Not another word out of you.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” the witch said with a wink.
“Why would you do this?”
“Me?” She pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes unnaturally wide behind her lenses. “I didn’t do a thing, dear. Your friend did this all to herself. Magic is fickle that way.”
Piper’s clawed hand shot across the counter, and she gripped the old woman by the collar. “Undo it. Now. If she can’t remember Mathis, then this whole deal is pointless.”
What the hell was she talking about?
The shrunken woman lifted her chin, her eyes lighting up with mirth. Right in front of us, the years melted away, and she morphed into a beautiful young woman. With a beaming grin, she lifted a hand and squeezed Piper’s wrist. Pain flashed across Piper’s face, but she held fast, refusing to release the now-young woman.
“Werewolves,” the witch purred. “Seen one, seen them all. You think you’re better than us. Every last one of you. You think we don’t see how you look down on us? And yet, when the slightest thing goes wrong in your life, you come running to us with your tails between your legs. Three of my coven sisters are dead. Because of your pack. You dragged my sisters into your mess. And now you think I’m going to help you?”
“We had nothing to do with that!” Piper shouted.
“My sisters had nothing to do with your alpha. But that didn’t stop your people from stomping in here and demanding we help you. And how were they thanked?”
I winced. Eviscerated. All of them. From Rumor’s descriptions, it hadn’t been pretty.
“Your whole pack is going to get what’s coming to them.”
“Not if you’re dead first,” Piper snarled, her beast lighting up her eyes.
“You think that matters?” The witch scowled. “My death won’t undo this curse. I’ve long since included that small contingency in all my spells. If you kill me, you seal your friend’s fate.”
Piper’s upper lip curled back over a pair of glistening fangs. “I don’t believe you.”
The witch leaned in closer, her own lip curled as she raked over Piper with an unimpressed glare. “Does it smell like I’m lying?”
Something flickered across Piper’s face, then she released the witch and spun around. Her golden gaze snapped to me. I caught my breath, my pulse ratcheting at the sight of her wolf so close to the surface. “Get your ass in the car, right now.”
“Piper—”
“Now, Juniper!” she barked before tearing out of the shop.
I flinched when the door slammed shut behind her. I’d never seen her like this before. I stole one last glance at the witch, awe silencing me as she morphed back into the shrunken old woman. Which was her true form? I had a feeling we’d never know.
“Juniper!” Piper shouted from the parking lot.
Shit.
I snatched the second chocolate off the platter and took off after Piper. The moment I stepped outside, I froze.
My God. Everything had changed. Enveloped by a world I’d never before seen, I paused and absorbed every bit of it. The sights, the sounds, the smells…I’d always wondered what it would be like to look through the eyes of a werewolf. My fantasies had been lacking. I stared off in the distance and watched as snowflakes fell miles away. I could hear the vehicles rumbling on the intersection, smell the pulp factory two towns over…
Sweet merciful Zeus, I could see the crevasses on the moon.
“Juniper!” Piper shouted. “Get your ass in this car right now, or so help me…”
I didn’t bother telling her that she didn’t need to yell. I liked my ass firmly attached to my body, thank you. I trotted toward her, my nose lifted in the air as I inhaled a spicy fragrance. It wasn’t until I opened the passenger door that I realized the scent came from her. Anger, perhaps? I stored the fragrance away for future knowledge.
“I can’t believe you,” she snarled as she slid behind the wheel. “I told you not to go through with this. I warned you about playing with witches and their damn consequences! But you had to go off and do your own thing. You’re just as stupid as Conrad.”
Ouch. Yup, that barb stung. Maybe my actions had been a touch selfish, but I was desperate. I was so tired of being the odd woman out.
“And what about Mathis?” she continued. “You said no one else would pay the consequences. But how do you think he’s going to feel when he finds out you’ve erased him from your memories? And all so you could become a werewolf.”
I eyed her. “I don’t know what to say.”
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, the leather stitches popping. “Shut up. Just shut up and let me think.”
I sank into the seat and did as she ordered. But the whole ride home, my mind spun. From the little bits of information I’d gathered at the witch’s shop, Mathis was the alpha of our pack. Someone who had taken over after Conrad. I pinched my brow and focused. I remembered Rumor telling us about the sister witches’ deaths. Killed by Alasdair, Rumor’s biological father and a member of the fae court. Right. And when the truth had come out, Conrad had stepped down. Though, I couldn’t quite remember why. It felt like the memories were there, but out of reach. Try as I might, I couldn’t grasp onto them. Some things were as clear as day, others murky and dim.
Piper turned and pulled into a driveway leading up to an unfamiliar house. I leaned forward and peered out the window, studying the dark blue shingles and white edging.
Once parked, she turned and glared at me. “You smell different already. Mathis is going to notice right away.”
I lifted my arm to my nose and drew in a deep breath. Sure enough, my scent had changed. Gone was the faint aroma of my grapefruit body wash, and instead, gentle notes of forest and fur clung to my skin. Inwardly, I beamed. This was everything I’d ever wanted in life—to become one with the pack, to feel wanted and accepted, to run beneath the moon. Piper didn’t understand. Her whole life, she’d fit in. She didn’t know what it was like to watch from the outside.
“I can hear your pulse,” I murmured. “Smell your laundry detergent. I know you had the ham at dinner, and that you spilled some cocktail sauce on your skirt.” The witch had assured me the changes wouldn’t all come at once, but this was still faster than I’d anticipated.
“God, would you shut up.” Piper curled a lip. “We don’t walk around telling everyone what they smell like. You’ve never heard us tell anyone they stunk like pizza, have you?”
Ah, my first werewolf faux pas.
Piper turned off the radio and drowned the car in silence. “I want you to listen real close. Mathis is going to lose his shit when he sees you. Like legit, lose his mind. Everyone in the pack knows he has feelings for you. You were just too stupid to see it. And when he finds out you made a deal with a friggin’ witch, for him, we’ll be lucky if he doesn’t kill us right off the bat.”
Kill us? I shivered, not particularly enjoying the sound of this guy. “So, don’t tell him.”
“Don’t tell him?” She choked on her voice, her eyes slipping shut as she drew in a deep breath. “You sure make one stupid werewolf. This whole deal of yours is contingent on you mating with him.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. “What?”
She flexed her hands. “When you get all your memories back, I’m going to kill you. God, I could throttle you right now. Mathis. Our alpha, and the man you’re in love with. You wanted to become a werewolf, right? Well, that can only happen if you become his mate. You have two days, Juniper. Two. And if you and he don’t become mates, you’re going to spend the rest of your days on four legs, howling at the moon.”
My mouth fell open. She was insane. Seriously. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“Welcome to my life,” she grumbled.
I fidgeted in my seat. It was another one of those fuzzy memories. With a frown, I slumped into my seat.
“So, you’re going to go in there. You’re going to tell him about t
he spell. You’re going to tell him that you have two days and that if you fail, you’ll become a true wolf. You’re not going to tell him that you don’t remember him. And then you two are going to become mates. Get me?”
“What?” My head swung in her direction. “I don’t know this guy! And you expect me to just mate with him?”
“Do you have a better idea?” she snapped. “I can’t believe you dragged me into this shit.”
“I won’t pretend like I know him.”
“You do know him!” she shouted, her voice loud in the cramped confines of her car. Without another word, she shoved open her door and stomped up the driveway. I followed after her, then stared up at the house. Nothing was familiar. Not even the sign that read Reed Residence.
“Piper…”
“Be quiet. Let me handle this. I swear to you, Juniper. If you don’t remember him when he opens this door, I’m going to kill you.”
I eased up the sidewalk, my stomach a nest of wriggling nerves. “Wait,” I hissed before she knocked, and pulled her backward. “You said he’s the alpha, right?”
She rolled her eyes.
“So…how should I act around him? I mean…I’ve never been a wolf before. And the alphas never treated me as one.”
Her face softened. I guess it was a legit question. “He’s not going to be happy. Especially with everything our pack has just been through the past two months. So, don’t make eye contact with him. Aim for the collarbone, or hell, the carpet. Don’t argue with him, don’t challenge him, and don’t interrupt him.”
Oh, he sounded like a peach.
“Don’t question him, don’t raise your voice. Pretend they’ve summoned you to the principal’s office. Meek and apologetic.”
“Are you sure I wanted to take him as my mate?”
“Only with like every breath you took,” she deadpanned.
Maybe I needed my head examined.
“Ready?” she asked.
Hell no. But that didn’t stop her from knocking.
4
Her knock resounded through the house.
