The Witch’s Regrets

Parental Guidance

Natasha pov

Natasha woke up and could immediately feel that her mother was in the house. Nat didn’t know how she felt about that so she decided to teleport to one of her favorite places on the territory to sort out her feelings.

It wasn’t much, just a small brook and a some large rocks. Nat went here often when Lili started to train with Jackson when they were back in high school. Natasha came here when her feelings were out of wack and she didn’t want her mother to pick up on them. Nat came here to cry and scream out to the moon goddess that life wasn’t fair. Every teenager did at some point in their angst ridden years.

To be honest Nat wished she could just disappear again, other than seeing the Braxton sisters this has been a total nightmare. It’s the sad truth that since meeting back up with her parents all she does is cry. Natasha wished she was stronger than this, but the old feelings old betrayal, resentment, and rage just come pouring out of her when she’s in her parents presence. Nat didn’t love her life in hiding, but she was safe. Nat was anything but safe now with Alexei being her wick.

Natasha heard movement in the forest and looked up to see two wolves coming through the brush. Nat immediately recognized Liliana’s wolf. The other Nat didn’t recognize, it was a midnight black wolf. The size was throwing her off, it was about the size of a she-wolf. Natasha saw the white crescent moon on the wolf’s hip and gasped. This was Callum! She couldn’t believe how big his wolf was already.

Callum came over and started nudging her in which Nat started giving him pats on the head. Callum suddenly curled up in her lap and Lili sat next to her just watching. Lili was the best friend she could ever ask for. Nat had missed out on so much of Lili’s life and she just showed up out of the blue. Lili didn’t hesitate to accept her with open arms. Nat just sat there for a long time and simply stared into the nothingness.

Natasha sat with the two wolf’s for about an hour until Lili started to nudge her side. Natasha knew that Lili was trying to tell her it was time to go back home. Lili was right, it was time to face the music.

Natasha decided to walk back to her home instead of teleporting, she thought it would give her time to work up her nerve. Nat didn’t know why she didn’t want to face her mother. Her mother will welcome her with open arms. The longer she was away, the harder it was to reach out, so Nat just stayed away. The fear of rejection is crippling.

Nat approached the house and could tell there was only her mother in the house. That was good, she didn’t think she could deal with both of her parents right now. Natasha opened the door and there her mother was; sitting on the couch drinking coffee just like any other day. Natasha ran to her mother crying.

“Oh my sweet girl!” Her mother cried and hugged her for dear life. Natasha simply relished in her mothers embrace; taking in her mothers floral scent, the feel of her soft hair on her cheek, the warmth of her embrace. Her mother was home no matter how mad at her she was, or how betrayed by her she felt.

“I’m so sorry Natasha. I’m so sorry I didn’t see, I’m sorry I failed you!” Her mother cried and Natasha couldn’t help but cry with her.

.

Alexei pov

Lex was waiting in a Starbucks in Indiana of all places for the person who called him. Why were Americans so obsessed with Starbucks? Alexei wondered if Natasha liked Starbucks anymore. He remembered watching American tv with her when they were younger and her mentioning she couldn’t wait to try a Frappuccino. Lex laughed at her and called her basic. Nat in return hit her with a pillow in his face. Lex gave a wry smile at the memory. He couldn’t remember when things turned sour in their friendship.

Suddenly some one sat down, Lex looked up and he could clearly tell there was a glamour hiding this woman’s true face. The woman was plain, thirties, white, brunette. It was clear the glamour was made with the intention for the person to be forgettable.

“Who are you?” Alexei asked not trusting this person for a second. The strangers magical signature seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“Don’t worry about that, all you need to know is that I’m going to help you take down the Volkov coven.” Alexei looked at this seemingly old woman with distrust.

“How do you think you are going to do that? No one dares to go against them.” Alexei stared at the woman critically, the woman took a moment to reply.

“Oh I have a plan, I’m going to make that bastard pay for what he did,” the woman said with vehemence. The woman gave him a burner phone and told him that she would be in contact with him. Alexei had a suspicion of who he just met with, but he wasn’t one hundred percent certain. He decided to called Iva before he left. Ivan picked up after two rings.

“Privet,” Ivan greeted him.

“I need you to track some one down for me, it may take awhile as she has been in exile for a couple of years,” Alexei explained.

“Who?”

“Julie, Volkov‘a rejected wick.”

“Why?” Ivan asked him.

“No questions, just do it,” Alexei ordered. Alexei went to the closest bathroom and decided to teleport back to his parents home in Moscow. The situation wasn’t progressing like he thought it should, and if his parents found out through gossip Natasha was his before Alexei told them, there would be literal hellfire to pay.

Lex teleported back to his childhood bedroom and sat on his couch as he reflected back on the meeting with the woman. Lex’s instincts told him it was a woman scorned who was looking for revenge, and that list was very small as far as he knew. Within the last 100 years anyway. Svetlana was out, as Lex would recognize her magical signature anywhere.

Luka had been with Svetlana for over thirty years, and while the list of women he had been with before Svetlana was plenty Lex’s gut told him it was Julie. That woman won the lottery when she came in for an interview and found out she was Luka Volkov’s wick. The power of being the coven leaders wick immediately went to her head from the stories he heard from his parents. Alexei didn’t have any interaction with the woman. He was either at the academy or out on assignment, Lex’s paths didn’t cross with Julie.

Lex was deep in his thoughts when there was a knock on his door. Lex should have known he wouldn’t have long before his parents realized that he came home. His mother opened the door.

“Your father is waiting for you in his office.” Dread filled his stomach, Lex hated going to his father’s study. Hell there were only two rooms in this goddess forsaken place that he tolerated. One was his room, it was his sanctuary, the other was his mothers greenhouse. Alexei had studied under both his parents since he was able to walk, he hated working with his father. His mother though, she brought him to her greenhouse and was patience with him in her teaching. It was the opposite of the beatings Alexei received with his father, and he cherished every moment of them.

It was the only time his mother let her guard down and spent any time with him. When the lesson was over Alexei almost could see the persona come back up over his mother, and she was the perfect wife and wick his father required. When he was young Lex resented her for it, as he got older he understood she was just doing what she had to, his mother had to survive his father. Lex walked down the hallway to his fathers study and quickly knocked on the door.

“Enter,” his fathers muffled voice called out. Alexei opened the door and sat in the assigned seat his father gave him when he was young. Alexei sat in the chair on the left of his desk or not at all. Lex sat down and waited until his father was ready to address him. Alexei waited patiently for over thirty minutes. This was no new game of his fathers, Lex had to sit her with a full bladder for two hours. His father finally addressed hims without warning.

“So I hear you found your wick?” His father sneered at him.

“Who told you?” Alexei asked his father and his father laughed.

“Oh son you should know hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” That f*****g b***h Anastasia! Alexei was furious, as if it wasn’t enough to tell Natasha, she had to tell his father.

“What are your plans son? She’s our ticket to the Volkov coven,” his father told him as if he didn’t know.

“Trust me I know, I’m not sure what I’ve tried so far hasn’t met with success.” His father looked at him closely.

“Explain,” he said simply. Alexei gave his father a brief rundown of what had happened, including the incident with the vampires. When Lex finished his father sat there for several minutes clearly thinking about the whole situation.

“The answer is simple son.” His father paused and he waited. “You have to kidnap her.”

“What?” Alexei asked shocked at what his father had came up with.

“She is your wick son, she is meant to be with you.” His father told him like he was a moron.

“What about Luka? He can stop us,” Alexei pointed out.

“No he can’t interfere with wick bonds, she is your wick and no one can interfere with that, not even Luka Volkov,” his father said with distain. “That girl is the future of the Volkov coven, now that future is ours.”

“Mine, it’s mine father.” Alexei told his father with glee. His father didn’t like it, but it was time for his father to know they Alexei was the one who would soon have everything. It would all start when he grabbed that little witch.