Rejected by the Alpha of Fire

Riddles of a Witch

Helio’s POV

She left the room. I caught the scent of her tears, and I felt my anger rise. Raising a hand, I drew the fire out of the fireplace, leaving the parlor cooling and dark before storming out. The turmoil of the Moon Goddess Ball still swirled within me. This whole day—my mother, Cindra, Kora, and the future that was still uncertain—felt like kindling and pressure in my chest.

I needed to run.

The idea of fresh air in my hair—my fur—and the scent of the forest beckoned me. I headed to the nearest exit of the castle and shifted into my wolf form, my clothing ripping away as I let the heat and flame envelop me, burning away my humanity until I fell on all fours cloaked in fur. My tattered clothes dropped on the castle steps, and I left them behind. Some servant would find them and dispose of them. I couldn’t care less.

The fastest path from the castle into the densest part of the forest took me around the gardens. With each thud of my paws against the ground, I felt some of that tension fading, yet my mind seemed more out of sorts than ever. What if I had to marry Kora? What kind of future did that hold for me? We’d drive each other crazy, I was sure, or have the most distant marriage in the four kingdoms. I gave us maybe a year before we gave up on trying to make it work. Would the prospect of having that brand on my forehead be better than dealing with the headstrong woman who didn’t even think to smile when I told a joke?

I ran faster as my thoughts shifted. What about Cindra? What would become of her if she were to marry Knox? Or worse, if he rejected her?

Shit, should I care? Would I have to watch her marry him? What if they were actually happy? Cindra was weak. I knew enough about Knox that he’d probably not be bothered at all having her as a wife. He’d just find a mistress and ignore her.

It almost felt unfair.

I growled, running faster and charging further into the forest. I didn’t want to think about it any longer. I lost myself in the scent of the woods and the simplicity of my thoughts when I was in my wolf form.

Soon, I reached a stream. My mouth was dry, so I stopped to drink, but as I did, I caught the scent of something odd. I turned, following the smell upstream until I found myself outside a quaint cottage. Off to the side, an old woman tended to her garden, and as I came to a stop, she went still, looked up, and turned to me.

Her eyes were a milky white like she might be sightless, but I swore she was looking at me.

Looking into me.

“Prince Helio,” she greeted me and turned toward the door. “Please, come in.”

I hesitated for a moment, debating the wisdom of entering a stranger’s home. However, everyone in the nearby village and lands was loyal to my father. There was no danger in going into this woman’s home.

After all, if all else failed, I could just burn it down and escape. I walked toward the door as she disappeared inside. Then, a pair of shorts flew out and smacked me in the face.

All right. She officially had my interest. I shifted back into my human form, finding it ironic that I was putting on clothes to be around a sightless woman, but I did put them on before I entered her home.

Stepping into the woman’s cottage, my senses were assaulted with a myriad of strange scents that I couldn’t untangle or make sense of. The shelves were adorned with ingredients that seemed distinctly mystical, yet she didn’t have a cauldron bubbling away, nor were there any obvious signs of witchcraft in progress. One moment it smelled spicy and warm, and the next my nose itched with the ticklish scent of pepper. Then I inhaled fresh eucalyptus.

What is this sorcery?

“Your arrogance must be because you’re young,” she said, her tone clipped and matter-of-fact. “It’s good you don’t often go running this far into the woods. Some other old lady might have a grudge against your family.”

She set a tray of tea and cookies on the table and sat down. I eyed them cautiously and watched her remove the lid of a jar of sugar, turning it toward me, an oversized spoon sticking out of it.

“Do you? Have a grudge, I mean?”

She grinned so big her face became a mask of wrinkles. “If I did, I wouldn’t serve you cookies.” I eyed the tray of goodies as she poured herself tea. “Are you going to sit down?”

I took a seat and declined the refreshments. She didn’t seem offended as she sipped and took a few bites. Her peculiar demeanor and the aura of mystique that surrounded her left me on edge.

Curiosity tugged at me. “How do you know who I am?”

“Is that really what you want to know?” She looked at me with those milky eyes again that sent a shiver through me. “To answer the question you actually want to ask, I called you here because of your future.”

Called me here?

A Seer.

I’d heard about them, but they were exceedingly rare. Most people thought they’d died out or simply left the werewolf territories for one reason or another. And yet, here one sat, nibbling on a cookie that cast notes of ginger into the air around us. I wondered how long I’d be able to sit here with all the overwhelming smells. My wolf was already growing restless for fresh air.

“I hate your father, but I’ve stuck around for my own reasons,” she said, humming.

“I have no interest in magic,” I said. “I don’t believe in it. Other than the usual.”

“You don’t believe? But you know that your father does.”

“He did—before my aunt died.”

“He does,” she insisted. “And you’re friends with those who believe.”

“Cole’s family has their reasons, but not me. I believe in making my own way.”

She laughed again. “Ah, the folly of youth. You shift into a beast and control fire. What is that if not magic?”

My face heated as she kept laughing.

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Magic is not some force that requires your belief or cooperation. I called you here because I have been moved to do so by the very thing you don’t believe in.” She smiled wryly. “Magic saw fit to give you a warning about the war and doom coming toward you. If you must believe in anything, believe that it will come if you continue to do nothing… or rather, continue on this path you’ve chosen.” She hovered her hand over the plate of cookies, fingers fluttering as she considered her choice. “Would serve you and your father right, but I suppose you’re young enough to take pity on.”

“What does that mean?”

Helio, my mother’s voice came from the back of my mind, through the mind-link, barely a whisper across the distance. If you’re late for dinner tonight, your father and I won’t be happy.

I grimaced. I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t want to hear about my absence later, either.

“I have to go.”

“Is roast more important than your future?” She hummed, selecting a puffy white cookie with honey drizzled on top. “The future of your people? Though I suppose the Azer pride has always taken the forefront in the actions of your forefathers. How could you be any different? Making your own way the same way they did…”

I looked back at her. “Don’t speak as if you know so much about me or the decisions the Azer kings have made and will make.”

She smiled, slow and devious, before taking a bite.

“When there’s no R, you’ll know why.” She tilted her head. “Then I wonder what you’ll believe in.”

My mind whirled in confusion. What did she mean by that? When there’s no R, you’ll know Y? I couldn’t decipher her words, and with a lingering sense of bewilderment, I left the Seer’s cottage to fulfill my familial duties, knowing that her ominous message would continue to occupy my thoughts.

Damn Seer and her mind games.