I stared at my warriors with my mouth open. They had all come back, without the witch, and in their human form. I hadn't believed them when they told me what she'd done, so we had gone into the training house and then closed the doors and covered all the windows before they finally agreed to shift.

Pink. Completely pink. And not a nice faded pink or any of the sort. No. It was a neon pink that could be seen from miles away.

I would have laughed had the circumstances been different. It was such a silly and harmless thing, and the awkwardness radiating from my warriors was kind of funny. But the fact that the witch could play childish games with them this easily was terrifying.

I turned to Casper, who hadn't shifted. "Are you pink as well?"

He scratched the back of his neck and looked off to the side. "I haven't checked yet."

"And did she state any reasoning for this? Any demands for reversing it?" I scoffed and looked back at the warriors, who had all shifted back and were in the middle of putting clothes on again.

"She said you have to go to her if you want to talk to her," Casper informed.

I growled. The idea of a witch making demands of me irritated me.

"And she wants you to come alone," Casper added.

"Of course she does," I snarled.

Without another word, I turned and started walking towards the exit.

"You aren't seriously going to her?" Casper hurried after me.

"What else should I do?"

"You can't! She did this as if it was child's play. And remember, she has a dragon. They'll crush any lone wolf. Even you. And who knows what she might do to you?"

"That's exactly why I have to go!" I barked and turned back to him. "Or do you think I should let her do as she pleases? Let her kidnap all our children?"

"But what if she..."

"I can handle one little witch."

I didn't stay to listen to any more of Casper's protests, but set off at a run. When I reached the forest, I undressed and let Ghost out. My bones broke and reformed. Black fur grew to cover me. A process which went by in less than a second, and was as easy as taking a step from the frequent transformations.

One moment I was a human, then next, a gigantic black wolf. My wolf-form, Ghost's form, was bigger than any other wolf I had ever seen. Big enough for a human to easily ride me. And that wasn't all which were special about the body. When we shifted, or when our wolves pressed to the front of our minds when we were human, our eyes changed color. All other shifters I had ever encountered had golden eyes. Ghost, however, had red eyes. My parents had told me it was a sign of that he was particularly strong.

When I was fully shifted, Ghost picked up my pants with his mouth and started running towards the cave.

"We have to think of the dragon," Ghost reminded me.

"Are you afraid?" I teased.

Ghost growled. "We just need a plan."

"It's just dragon's scales that are tough. So we go for its eyes. One dragon can't be harder to take care of than the hoard of rogues we dealt with."

Ghost let out a rumble of approval. "And then we either get the witch to talk or kill her," he continued.

"We need find out what she's done with the kids. And how to turn the warriors back to their normal color as well," I pointed out. "I say we knock her unconscious and then lock her up."

We both grew quiet as the journey continued. It took us about one hour, even at our speed. Especially because the way up to the cave was difficult. There were no clear paths to follow, so it really was more of a climb than a run for a majority of it.

As we got closer, a scent started creeping up on us. A scent that was all too familiar. The scent of fire.

"Ignore it," I told Ghost, who whimpered in response. "We have a job to do."

He knew I was right and didn't protest. But he wouldn't have had to either. The scent grew stronger and stronger the closer to the witch's cave we got. Ghost picked up speed because of it. He had a lightness in his paws caused by his excitement. I wished I could have shared in it, but I couldn't ignore what it all might mean.

It can't be the witch, I told myself as the scent continued to grow stronger the closer to the cave we came. What would I do if it was?

For the first time, I hoped the scent would suddenly disappear like it usually did. I didn't want to have to make the decision I otherwise would have to.

Though a part of me already knew. I was already trying to find excuses and explanations for what I knew about her. Already feeling that there had to be more to the stories. Parts which had been lost or changed over the cause of countless of retellings.

I wasn't even sure she was the one at the end of that scent, but I was already questioning if she was responsible for the disappearance of the kids.

We got to an open area. A few flowers grew but no trees, making the mouth of the cave clearly visible. The scent was all around us, the fire warmed with its power, passion, and liveliness. Ghost wanted to run in, but I forced him to walk slowly.

As we entered, we could see the witch. She stood with her back to us by a table, her arm moving up and down a bit as if she was chopping something. She wore a flowy halterneck dress. Though her black hair covered her back, I could see the dress didn't. It was white and fit perfectly against her darker skin and hair. Her body was slender, and she was quite tall, though I knew she was at a perfect height to lean her head against my chest.

And she was mine.

Mine to protect.

Mine to care for.

Mine to love.

Mine.

Ghost let out a possessive growl while repeating the same word over and over. And there was such an immense joy in him as well. He was soaring with happiness and I did the same. I had longed for her for so long, lost hope in that she existed. But there she was, standing before me.

I couldn't care less that she was The Witch of the Mountain. That we told horror stories about her. At least not in that moment because she was mine.

A part of my brain reminded me of that she was dangerous and that I would do best to stay in my wolf form, but I found myself shifting into human, Ghost more than happily complying. We both wanted to talk to her and find out everything there was about her.

"You must be really stupid, arrogant, or brave to shift, mutt," she said as I put my pants on. Her voice was like a soft caress to my ears, though her words were harsh. Truthfully, I barely noticed what she had actually said. Too busy enjoying the melody. She had a slight accent that I found endearing.

I opened my mouth to answer, but I could not resist saying the word Ghost screamed in my head.

"Mate."

She turned around, and I caught her eyes, which were in the color of coffee beans.

Coming soon!

In two week to be more exact! First few chapters will be published on the 3rd of May. After that a new chapter will come every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

So be ready on the 3rd of May to find out why the wolves in the beginning are pink. And to properly meet Danae and Aidric, of course 😉

Stay blessed

Elena

❤️