The Dark Side
I dropped to the ground awkwardly, not quite standing but not on my butt either. My head snapped in her direction as I got to my full length.
I was still in the shop but it appears she must have taken Nate outside and locked the door. I clearly remember how to fight, how to defend myself. However, I'm weaker right now. I don't have half as much stamina, who even knows how 'powerful' I am without my wolf.
"No need to worry, I'm not going to harm you, sweetie." She smiles.
For what it's worth, Mariska is really pretty. She has long brown hair and small but strong facial features. She's petite and clearly Russian. I wondered though if she actually looked like this or if she did some anti-ageing spell.
"I just needed to propose this to you without Ivan's goons listening. Or Nathaniel whispering in your head, I swear."
I nod signalling for her to continue. I was still too frightened to speak. I didn't trust her an ounce if Nate was holding on to me that tightly I knew better than to get comfortable.
'I'm okay.' I link both Nathaniel and Elisha.
I knew it wouldn't calm them down but at least it was something.
"I can temporarily make you a witch. Obviously, you will be a dark witch but it will only be temporary. We've been living under Krushchev's thumb for over fifty years. It's horrible and has to come to an end.
Now if I make you a witch you will have The Howlers, Nathaniel's wolves, The North Packs' wolves and yourself all against him.
I know you'll only be one witch. But you'll be dark. That's all you need. Dark witches have no rules. You could make them all more powerful than Ivan. You could control that entire battle as a dark witch."
"If I'll be that powerful why don't I just fight him myself?"
"You die, I die. You'll be channeling me. You'll be powerful, not invincible," She rolls her eyes, utterly annoyed, "You'll still be impossibly easy to kill off. So with the distraction of the wolves, he won't know which witch they're using. Your upper hand will be the fact that he doesn't know you'll be a witch.
You need to keep it to yourself."
"What's the catch?" I raise a brow.
It might seem like she's helping me but she's still a dark witch, there's always a catch. Also, I'm really only helping her. Me wanting my wolf back just plays onto her plan perfectly. She doesn't even need to lift a finger.
Yes, I wanted to go after Ivan but this is more on Mariska's terms than it is mine. However, that could work to our advantage. The power will be much stronger now with both our anger and determination to kill him.
We might actually just be invincible.
"You defeat him you get your wolf back. You don't you stay a dark witch."
I had every intention of defeating him, I had every intention of making him pay for the year I missed out on.
There was no losing in this game.
"You up for it?" She smirked.
I scoffed. Is that a rhetorical question?
* * *
Walking out of the little shop I felt a little weary. I knew I wanted to make Ivan pay, I knew I wanted my revenge but I thought I'd have more time to prepare for it. Mariska's plan sounded like it was fully mapped out and had to happen as soon as possible.
I don't know the first thing about being a witch. I'm not even the least bit powerful right now. Why would she think leveraging my wolf for this would be the right call? I have a ton of training to catch up on and a lot of my muscle to recover.
I'm not at my best, she should know that being the one who knocked me out for so damn long.
"Did she do anything to you? God, Alex is going to kill me." Nate rambles.
"What did she say to you?" Natalia asks.
"Uhm," I checked the coast for 'Ivan's goons, "Nothing. Everything's alright, I'm alright." I give a tight-lipped smile, "Let's go back home."
I didn't know how safe it was to say anything aloud and she had made it very clear that her strategy would be the only advantage. So I didn't want the wrong ears to hear any part of her plan.
"And your wolf? Is she back?" Elisha searched my eyes for anything.
I sighed, "No. She said Ivan would kill us all if she brought my wolf out again. I'm stuck like this."
'Until Ivan is defeated.' I linked them all.
This is precisely why I chose this group of people to go with. I don't have to say anything aloud because Elisha and I have the twin link and the other two can read my thoughts.
Natalia did teach me how to control and send them out. So I can 'link' them and block them from reading my thoughts when I don't want them to.
Truthfully it's a lot more work than I thought to block off my thoughts. It's not just a barrier like it is with Elisha, it's fully thinking about someone not reading your thoughts. It was such a damn hassle.
"Now. Let's go home apparently, the walls have ears."
Once we entered the PJ Nat hastily lead me to the only room and shut the door. For the first time since I had met her, she seemed frantic and on edge.
I almost regretted my decision, she was making me so nervous.
"What did she propose?" She repeats.
"Excuse me?" I whipped out the 'play dumb' card.
I knew she was on to me and I knew there was a reason she was so worried. I just wasn't sure I wanted to hear it, she can keep her worry to herself.
This trip has already taken a turn I didn't expect, or perhaps I was just naïve from the start. How stupid of me to think Mariska, someone Ivan trusted enough to hex me in the first place, would just smile and un-hex me just because I asked.
"I know Mariska, if she told you about defeating Ivan she gave you an ultimatum. What was it?"
"Natalia..." I drawl.
"She made you a witch, didn't she? Why would you agree to that Elijah? She's a dark witch she can only make you a dark witch. Being a dark witch is dangerous. It will eat you up the same way it still eats up that mate of yours."
My eyes widened, eats up that mate of yours?
"What?" Her eyes grew when she realised what she had said whilst mine became slits.
She knew what was wrong with him this whole time? Does that mean Nathaniel knew? Goddess, does that mean Alexander knew?
They all kept it from me.
"Alexander's a dark witch?" I continued.
"Yes."
The image of him a year and a half ago in that cellar with Ryan came rushing back. His dark eyes with no sign of any emotion or human or wolf being present, his voice that was all demonic and scary, his full-on rage.
The day I got shot came back too. The day Nathaniel had called me, hoping I would calm him. His eyes were the same, his voice was the same, the rage was there and his howl still rings in my head.
Is that what happens to a wolf who is not supposed to be a dark witch? Why wouldn't he tell me? That's something you definitely tell your mate.
Do his brothers know? Where they all in on it too? Does the Pack know? How long has he been living with the darkness inside him?
I hadn't so many questions storming inside my head, I couldn't fathom the bomb that was just dropped. If this hadn't happened, when in the hell was he going to tell me?
Was he even going to?
If I didn't feel like getting home before, I definitely felt like getting home now. I needed my questions answered and I needed those answers from Alexander himself.
Waving her hand dismissively she continues, "But that's his story to tell."
It's a story I'm going to have to dig out of him. I need to know what happened to him. I need to know how he got cornered into becoming a dark witch, I need to know why his own twin knows nothing of this.
"How come his brothers don't know but you do?"
"Same reason you came to me. He thought I could help him. Unfortunately, I couldn't... Have you seen him when the dark side takes over?"
"Yes."
"It's in full control when his eyes darken like that. That is just one of the effects of tempering with dark magic as a wolf," She pitifully shakes her head, "You might as well have signed a deal with Lucifer himself." She left the room.