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“Rubbish,” Willa said with a hand wave. “We’re all witches. It comes with being female. Every midwife in the world is considered a witch. The unknowable feminine—that’s who we are.”

  “Unknowable feminine?” Moona laughed. “You’ve been reading poetry about Gaia again, haven’t you?”

  “Don’t be flippant about the Great Mother. That goddess has always been misunderstood. Poor Gaia—she has my sympathy.”

  “I don’t think Gaia really cares what anyone thinks of her,” Moona said as she slid the basket onto the table. She looked at her mentor. “The fairies said Gaia showed up in human form to help save the new fairy queen from the old one. Can you believe that? Wish the Great Mother would help the wolves out once in a while.”

  “I’ve never known the Great Mother to get involved with fairies all that much. But she’s an enigma, Gaia is,” Willa stated.

  Moona shrugged. “Well, someone broke Leelu’s curse and I’m glad. I only had one more vial of that tree serum left. It takes a lot of damn trees to distill something so concentrated. That was a whole lot of work and I never got paid for it.”

  “I tried to tell you Queen Arraign was never going to help you. She hates anyone who isn’t a fairy. I hope the new queen isn’t like that,” Willa said, wagging a finger.

  “She isn’t. Leelu will be a good fairy queen. You should see the hot guy who’s going to be king. No doubt he’ll keep her in a good mood.”

  Willa laughed. “You need to get laid, Moona. Go find Jared. Even if he can’t fix your problems, I bet he’d make you feel a whole lot better about life.” She pointed a bony finger at Moona. “Stay away from magicals and their deals. Someone your age ought to know that.”

  “And I told you I’d make a deal with the devil himself to fix my problem,” Moona said.

  “Hush now. Such strong words bring reality shifts,” Willa replied. She padded over and peered into the basket. “Lovely pickings, my lovely wolf.”

  Moona snorted. Willa always called her a wolf, but she knew it was to placate her. “If you don’t need me for anything more, I’m going to take a walk before I eat. All that spell chanting and hyper-focusing gives me a headache. I need a nature fix before I start the day.”

  “Fine, but don’t be gone long. You’re getting a visitor soon. Damn vision won’t leave me alone, but I can’t see who it is or what they want. There was a time when I saw everything. It sucks getting old.”

  “People come here for healing help, not for social calls. I’m sure it’s for that,” Moona said as reassuringly as she could. Friend or foe, she and Willa would deal with them together.

  Willa arched an eyebrow. “It could be someone who’s remembered tomorrow is your sixtieth birthday. It also could be someone who doesn’t want you to live to celebrate it.”

  “I was trying not to think of my birthday. All turning sixty means to me is that I’ve been failing to be a werewolf for a very long time.”

  Karen grunted and shook her head. “Sixty is nothing. In werewolf years, that’s like saying someone’s turning thirty. You look damn good for your age, Moona. I wish I had aged so well.”

  “You look like a human witch to be feared and respected. That’s a very good thing to have accomplished in your life,” Moona said firmly.

  “Finding true love is a better thing to have accomplished—it was something I didn’t get done in all my years. I’m pushing you to give Jared a chance because I don’t want you to end up alone like me.”

  “You’re not alone. I live with you—most of the time,” Moona said, but her heart leaped at the thought of Jared coming to see her for her birthday.

  She knew he wouldn’t though, not after she’d shut him down in front of so many pack members the other day. Even a determined wolf like Jared had his pride.

  Unless you counted her. Moona had no pride.

  She only had curiosity and a soul that demanded answers. Knowing what was stopping her from shifting would be the best gift of her life no matter the age she’d reached.

  “I’m going to tell Sha to stay with you while I’m gone—just in case someone unfriendly does stop by,” Moona said as she headed out the door.

  2

  When she was a few miles away from the house, Moona heard the snap of a nearby limb and moved to the side automatically. Following instinct allowed her to successfully dodge the snarling, snapping wolf diving at her. The animal shot by her and landed a few feet away from her where it immediately morphed into a woman—an annoying, bratty woman who’d been tormenting her since they were kids.

  “Beth.” Moona lowered her tone and growled at the female determined to be her nemesis. “I may not be able to shift, but I have all my wolf senses.”

  “You have nothing but luck, Moona. I don’t know how a wimp like you manages to inspire lust in our alpha,” Beth replied sharply, flashing her canines. “Soon you will be dragon food and my troubles will end. I’m going to laugh when that happens.”

  Moona grunted. “The dragons aren’t planning me any harm. There’s no reason for anyone to worry.”

  “And no one will soon. Jared is being challenged for alpha. When he is defeated, you will be banished from the pack for good. I will see to it.”

  “Will you bury that dead horse for howling out loud? I’ve banished myself already,” Moona informed her, snorting at the jealous female. “Or haven’t you noticed that I don’t live with the pack?”

  “The pack still comes to you.”

  Moona shrugged. “They come to me for healing. Willa isn’t as young as she once was. She’s been training me to do her job after she dies.”

  “That’s stupid. You’re not a healing witch,” Beth said coldly.

  “No, I’m not,” Moona agreed, glaring at her unwelcome guest. “I’m a healing wolf like my mother was, or have you forgotten her gifts?”

  “Unlike your parents, you’re not a wolf at all. You’re a weak human with delusions,” Beth spat. “Your parents should have killed you when you were born. Perhaps I should do it before you age another day.”

  “Keep up the smack talk and I’m going to give you a hoo-hoo rash that will spread everywhere… and I mean, everywhere, Beth,” Moona warned.

  “Why can’t you just do the pack a big favor and go live among your own kind?” Beth asked.

  “Why can’t you be less ugly so I don’t have to look at your sour puss face? If you really believe I’m human, why do you keep coming to check to see if I’ve changed into a wolf yet?” Moona asked in return.

  “You want to be a wolf? Let me show you how it’s done.” Beth held up her hands and they both watched them morph into wolf claws.

  Sighing, Moona reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of pink powder. She leaned forward and blew it on the wolf. Beth’s claws immediately shrank to human hands with pink painted fingernails. The effects of the youth powder wouldn’t last, but it would drive the heinous she-wolf away.

  Moona laughed when Beth looked at her frail human fingers and screamed in rage. Beth secretly hated her human side and kept strict control over it. That was ridiculous since most werewolves spent far more time as a human than wolf.

  “Come at me again and I’ll regress you to a fetus,” Moona warned.

  “Fix me back, Moona,” Beth demanded.

  Moona shrugged. “Can’t. You’d need a real witch for that. Maybe you’ll get lucky and what I did will wear off in a week or two.”

  Neither of them saw the red dragon flying over the surrounding trees until it landed gently beside them and shook the ground under their feet.

  Moona turned calmly and bowed her head as if a dragon came to visit her every day. It was her ‘fake it until you make it happen’ strategy. It had served her well in her life to pretend confidence no matter what she was feeling.

  “Greetings, New Boss.”

  “Hello, Moona. Am I interrupting?” Elenora asked.

  “Nothing important. Beth was just leaving,” Moona explained, her tone firm. She turned back to Beth
and glared. “Jared is alpha, and wolf or not yet, I’m still my parents’ daughter. Anyone that challenges him will die by Jared’s hand or mine. Feel free to spread that one among your father’s supporters. Go ahead. I want you to.”

  Saying nothing in reply, Beth sized up the giant red dragon. She changed into a wolf and ran off through the woods without saying a word of rebuttal or goodbye.

  “Do you think she believed your threats?” Elenora asked.

  Moona shook her head. “No, but wolves know the value of a strategic retreat.”

  “I heard what she said to you. Dragon hearing is very sharp.”

  “Beth is all howl and no bite. Her father once challenged my father for pack alpha and lost. The mercy my father showed hers has made her perpetually angry. This has been going on since we were children.”

  “Sounds like you’ve matured and she hasn’t,” Elenora observed.

  “I don’t know how mature I am, but Beth doesn’t understand that I’ve been showing her mercy all these years. If I wanted that she-wolf dead, I could make her dead without laying a wolf paw on her. When my wolf gets out, she may go for Beth’s throat to get even for the years she’s tormented me.”

  Elenora morphed from her dragon into her human self. She’d recently learned to do it and conjure clothes at the same time. It only worked if her concentration was fully on what she was doing. She was surprised that it worked today given her distracting fascination with Moona. It was interesting that the female believed herself to be a wolf despite having no proof whatsoever of it being true.

  Her mouth quirked over Moona’s bragging. “If I were your pack mate, I would believe your threats.”

  “And you’d be right to do so. Every healing antidote contains the recipe for the original poison. Beth’s lucky I carry youth powder with me for defense instead of wolfsbane.”

  In the distance, a bobcat yowled loudly. The Jezibaba’s head whipped toward the sound, but Moona only rolled her eyes.

  She yelled into the nearby trees. “I’m joking. I would never use wolfsbane on anyone, Sha. Come out of the woods. The dragon is here for me, not for you. She’s friendly.”

  Elenora sniffed the air and smiled. “Do you talk to bobcats often?” she asked, fascinated more than ever.

  “Just Sha. She keeps following me around. That bobcat’s impossible to ignore.”

  “So, you live with a human healer witch and have a bobcat following you around,” Elenora said summing up. “If a person wields magic and has a cat familiar…”

  “Sha is definitely not my familiar. She’s just a pain in my ass. Personally, I think Willa trained her to keep tabs on me.”

  Elenora laughed. She found the easily irritated Moona likable but couldn’t put her finger on why. A bit of camaraderie, maybe? She hadn’t always been the most pleasant witch. “I thought we could begin our work on finding your answers today.”

  Moona nodded. “Whatever it takes—I’m more than ready.”

  “Good attitude. First, I would like to meet your witch mentor and talk to her. How long have you known your healing witch?”

  “All my life. Willa and my mother were best friends.” Snorting, Moona turned and started the walk back to the house. “Willa’s going to shit when she sees the Jezibaba has come to visit. You’re like a rock star in the witch world.”

  “Really? Should I come as a dragon to really impress her?”

  Laughing for the first time in ages, Moona looked at the strange female strolling next to her. “Do you honestly think your dragon side is more intimidating than your witch one?”

  “Well, I did until you laughed at my question,” Elenora replied.

  “You never had to use your dragon form to return a rogue wolf shifter back to his pack. Every alpha I know respects you for your sense of pack justice and at the same time fears you getting involved with their business. Your red dragon form just makes you…”

  “Look like I weigh enough for two dragons instead of one?” Elenora interjected, chuckling over the words.

  “Hanging around with those silly fairies must have made me crazy,” Moona said. She chuckled and looked away to keep from laughing hysterically. “If the Great Jezibaba doubts herself, why the hell am I coming to her for help?”

  Elenora grinned at Moona’s taunt. She was a massive dragon, and her mate, Damien, appreciated every pound, but flying her own big ass around was still a challenge.

  And landings were always iffy.

  All the elements had to be just right for a graceful touch-down like the one she’d made next to Moona. She had Jasmine, her dragon daughter-in-law, to thank for her vastly improved flying and landing skills.

  She turned to the woman who wanted to be a wolf. “I’m still learning to be a dragon, but I’m the best damn witch you’re ever going to come across. Like I said before, I can’t promise you the results you want, but I’ll do all I can to help you find your answers.”

  “So tell me the truth then. What do you think I am?” Moona asked flatly, well practiced at not getting her hopes up. She wasn’t even holding her breath for the Jezibaba’s answer.

  Elenora chuckled at the ploy. “I think you’re desperate. That’s usually the point in a person’s life where the important shit finally starts to happen. I sense a breakthrough is just around the magical corner for you.”

  Moona huffed. “That sounds like a fortune cookie. I can already see this isn’t going to go like I hoped.”

  “Probably not,” Elenora replied. “But that’s what makes life so interesting.”

  Willa met them at the front door, herb basket in hand, and bowed her head. “Welcome, Great Jezibaba.”

  “Thank you, but I prefer to be called Elenora now. The Jezibaba has permanently retired,” Elenora explained.

  Willa looked at Moona, looked at the Jezibaba, and then lifted a brow. “Really?”

  “Outside of paying back the occasional favor,” Elenora replied.

  Willa looked at Moona. “I dropped tea on the mudwort and ruined it. We need some more. Get some for us, will you?” She pushed the basket into Moona’s reluctant hands.

  “Now?” Moona asked in surprise.

  “Yes. Now,” Willa said sharply. She looked around. “Sha, go help Moona find some more mudwort.”

  A yowl in the distance prompted Moona to sigh loudly. It also cemented her suspicions that Willa and Sha were conspiring to torment her.

  “Hurry, Moona. You’re wasting time staring at me. I’ll make some tea for the Jezibaba while you’re gone,” Willa said, heading back into the house.

  Elenora covered her mouth to hide her smile. The elder witch had winked while Moona had been searching the woods for her bobcat.

  Moona sighed again and turned to her last and final hope for answers who was now going to have to wait for her to finish witch chores first. “Willa’s the worst nag in the world. I better do as she says before we get started.”

  Elenora grinned when she heard Moona give a sharp whistle before breaking out into a full run. The woman ran too fast for a normal human. And she didn’t smell human—not exactly. What in the world was going on here?

  “Come inside and I’ll tell you everything,” she heard a voice say from inside the house.

  “I swear becoming a dragon has ruined all my psychic protection skills. Everyone seems able to read my mind these days,” Elenora grumbled as she entered the tiny house and closed the door.

  3

  “So tell me, Willa. What do you think Moona is?” Elenora asked.

  “Full-out stubborn,” Willa answered, cackling with laughter when her idol smiled at her joke.

  “Besides that,” Elenora prompted, grinning at the elder witch.

  There was a batch of perfectly usable mudwort by her elbow on the table. The errand had been a ruse. The elder witch had obviously sent Moona away so they could speak to her alone.

  Understanding that Willa was protecting Moona in some fashion, Elenora had evoked a privacy dome over the house to help keep t
heir discussion from passing beyond the two of them. The ability to do such a thing had been one of the best gifts Morgana the Red had ever given her.

  “Do you really think Moona’s a wolf?”

  “Oh, I know she’s a wolf.” Willa rose from her seat and went to refill their teapot. “Moona’s mother and I were the best of friends. Leah wasn’t born a wolf. She became one in her lifetime. When she hooked up with Moona’s father, Leah established herself as the alpha female in Rick’s pack. After that, she led a mostly happy life as a werewolf.”

  “I know for a fact that Gaia revoked all turnings long ago. Only the ancient ones can still change a human with a bite. Who bit her?” Elenora asked, as fascinated by Willa the Healer as she was by Moona.

  “No one bit her. Leah’s change was the result of a spell that worked better than I ever imagined it would. The human part of her was dying from a human plague. The spell gave me a way to save her life.”

  Elenora frowned and tried not to judge. The witch had evoked a spell nearly all magicals avoided because it came at an extremely high cost. Almost no one was willing to pay it. She was surprised Willa had. “You used the metamorphosis spell.”

  Willa nodded. “Yes. Leah lost her true humanity forever, but she lived long enough to mate Rick and make Moona. You can lecture me all you want about the ethics of what I did, but I’d do it again in the same circumstances. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that love is the strongest magic of all.”

  Since the elder witch was correct, Elenora sighed and bit back the lecture she normally would have given. Still… she had to know the gory details. “What price did you pay, Willa?”

  “Fifty years of my own life, which is why I look so damn old at a hundred. Even glamour spells don’t work on me,” Willa admitted. She stared at the witch asking all the questions. “In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. It was worth every year I gave up even though Leah and Rick both ended up dying early. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how ugly pack wars can be. It took their deaths to calm things down in their pack.”