Hazel’s POV
The moment my eyes met Aurora’s, I knew something was wrong. She’d looked at Caspian, and then back at me, giving a sharp nod before whispering something under her breath I couldn’t quite catch.
Then, without another word, she turned and walked ahead into the woods. Caspian and I followed in silence.
The forest around us was eerily quiet, the kind of quiet that made every twig snap feel like a gunshot. As we walked, I noticed how familiar everything felt—the bend of the trees, the twisted vines, the crunch of dried leaves underfoot. It was all too familiar.
Then it hit me.
This place... I had seen it before.
In my dreams.
I paused for a moment, heart pounding in my chest. The air smelled of burnt herbs, and ahead of us was a small wooden hut. Smoke curled from the crooked chimney in thin, ghostly streams. It was exactly the same as the one from my dream. The same tilted roof, the same moss-covered stones around it. Every detail.
She was standing by the doorway, the witch. Her cloak fluttered slightly with the wind, and her face was hidden under her hood. Without a word, she gestured us inside.
Aurora went first. Caspian followed, glancing back at me for a brief second. I stepped in last.
The inside of the hut was darker than I expected. Strange symbols glowed faintly on the walls, and a single candle flickered on a wooden table in the center of the room. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, brushing our heads as we sat across from her.
She tilted her head and looked at me, then at Caspian. Her voice rasped like dried leaves.
"I see you brought his brother, not him."
I stiffened, trying not to show any emotion. "Who are you talking about?"
She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "The monster."
"What monster?" I asked, playing dumb.
"The monster," she repeated, eyes locked on mine.
Caspian leaned forward slightly. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
I leaned toward him, pretending to whisper, "She means Cayden," with a slight smirk.
His eyes flicked to mine, sharp and confused, but before he could say anything, the witch hissed.
"Why are you calling my brother a monster?" he asked, voice suddenly hard. " Do you even know who he is?"
"Oh, I know who he is," the witch said. "He’s the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. A monster disguised in wolf’s clothing."
I blinked.
She continued, "That man is not who you think he is. And your biggest mistake was making a child with him."
A lump formed in my throat. So she knew. About the baby. About everything.
She leaned back slowly. "You came here to learn the truth about yourself. I will keep my end of the deal, because I know exactly what happened to Dahlia. I won’t make her mistake... but in return, you will give me one thing."
I narrowed my eyes. "What thing?"
"The one thing you don’t need," she said with a crooked smile. "Something you can give easily. Something you’ll be happy to part with."
I hesitated, but nodded. "Fine. If you tell me who I am, I’ll give you what you want."
"Then it’s settled." She leaned forward. "Stretch out your hand."
My heart skipped. I remembered this part—Dahlia told me the same thing back at the high-house.
I hesitated, but then stretched my hand out.
"She brought the white silver blade," the witch muttered, reaching for a case.
Caspian’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. "What are you using that for?"
"I just need her blood," the witch said dismissively.
"Then use a pen. Or a needle. Not a huge, cursed-looking knife!" Caspian’s voice was sharp now. "You’ll infect her or worse—she can’t heal from everything."
The witch turned to him, amused. "Protective. I like him."
I took a breath. "It’s fine. I want to know."
He looked at me, jaw tight, but said nothing.
The witch drew the silver blade and made a small cut across my palm. The metal burned against my skin, but I didn’t flinch. She caught the blood in a scrap of white cloth, then dropped it into a cup filled with a thick, dark liquid. She began to chant, her voice echoing in a tongue I didn’t understand.
Smoke—white and swirling—rose from the cup.
Then she looked at me.
"Perfect," she whispered. "Exactly as I suspected. Hazel... you are very special."
I swallowed. "What do you mean? What am I?"
She grinned. "Not so fast. A deal is a deal. I tell you what you are... after you give me what I want."
Aurora’s voice was tight. "And what exactly do you want?"
The witch turned toward her slowly. "The child," she said with a wicked smile.
The world went still.
I blinked, heart stopping.
Caspian stood up so fast his chair toppled over. "What?"
The witch rose, lips curling. "That child will bring nothing but ruin. Trust me. You’ll be more than happy to sacrifice that baby in the near future. This is a generous offer."
"No," I said, barely able to find my voice.
"The child," she repeated, reaching toward my stomach. "I can take it out now—"
"No!" Aurora shouted, and a flash of light erupted from her palm.
The witch flew backward, hitting the wall with a sickening crack. But she stood back up almost instantly, brushing soot from her robes.
"You’ve stepped into my circle," she said coldly. "There’s no walking out now."
She moved her arms in slow, strange motions. "You either give me what I want and walk away with answers... or I take the child myself—and kill all three of you."
Her eyes locked on mine, and her grin widened. "Shame to kill you before you realize how powerful you truly are."
My breath caught in my throat.
But even as fear squeezed my chest, something else flickered inside me.
Hope.
Because I hadn’t come here alone.
Before I could say anything, the witch raised her arms and screamed, "Versa!"
The entire hut vanished in a flash of blinding white light.
We were suddenly standing in the middle of the forest, the cold night air hitting us all at once. Beneath our feet, white symbols glowed on the ground, etched into the earth like glowing scars.
Aurora’s voice was barely a whisper beside me.
"We are doomed."