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?”