“And oh,” she tilted her head, smiling wickedly, “Remember last week? When you saw me and Elstan bathed in the full moon? That wasn’t an accident.
“I made sure you saw. Elstan gets very loud when he’s excited, doesn’t he? I bet the sound of him moaning is still echoing in your brain.”
She leaned closer, voice like a whisper of a blade against my skin, “If not, I can always give you another show. Just in case last week wasn’t clear enough.”
My heart clenched.
“No need, Dasha. I’ve had enough,” I said, my voice low but steady. “But you better try harder if you want to get rid of me.
“I didn’t stay because I wanted to. I stayed because of my promise to your twin sister, Daisy.”
She scoffed dramatically as she spat, “Oh, come on! Daisy has been leveled to the ground for years now. She won’t care anymore—she’s dead.”
Just as I opened my mouth to snap, we heard it. The front door opening and two familiar voices filled with laughter.
“Look, Charlet! It glows in the dark!”
“Let’s show it to Dasha—she’ll love it!”
The twins were home with Elstan.
Dasha's eyes sparkled with wicked calculation. “It's better for you to know your place, right?” she whispered sweetly, walking toward my nightstand.
Then she swept her elbow back. My bedside lamp crashed to the floor, the ceramic shattering into sharp pieces.
Before I could react, she shrieked and threw herself onto the shards. Her scream was bloodcurdling, echoing through the entire house.
“Ahh! Help!”
I stood frozen, stunned by how easily Dasha twisted reality into a nightmare.
Soon, footsteps thundered up the stairs and as they came to my room, Elstan rushed past me, dropping to his knees beside her.
“Dasha! Dasha, what happened?”
Dasha sobbed harder. “I…I was only asking Jennete if we could live peacefully, but she got angry and pushed me.”
Elstan turned his head slowly, his gaze ice-cold and sharp like daggers.
“Is that true?” he asked me. “Did you push her?”
“No, Elstan,” I said, voice barely above a whisper.
But before I could explain more, Dasha had acted more.
“Jennete, please…” Dasha’s tear-filled eyes met mine, her voice trembling. “Don’t act like this. If you really don’t want me around Charlie and Charlet, I’ll stay away. Just don’t hurt me again.”
“No!” Charlet screamed, running toward her. “No, Dasha, don’t leave this house!”
“Yes, Dasha, we love you!” Charlie shouted, glaring at me with pure disgust. “Dad, help Dasha.”
“Jennete! All this time, I’ve been kind to you only because Dasha never made a problem out of the messes you always created in front of her.
“But this time,” he grabbed me hard until my wrist hurt, “I can’t forgive you. You’ve hurt her twice in one day!”
“But I didn’t do it, Elstan,” I said, forcing myself to stay calm even as my pulse raced.
“Liar!” His eyes blazed as he barked. “Then can you explain why you’re standing here unharmed, while she’s bleeding on the floor?”
“She threw herself!” I shouted, my voice cracking with disbelief. “She did it herself!”
Elstan sneered, his grip tightening. “So now you’re accusing her of self-harm just to make you look better? How pathetic that sounds!
“Now, you better reflect on your mistakes and face the punishment.”
Before I could speak the rebuttal aloud, he dragged me outside.
“Elstan, where are you taking me?” I gasped, stumbling behind him as he led me out of the Alpha’s house.
And then we came to the silver jail.
“No, you wouldn’t…” I whispered.
But he did.
Elstan’s voice echoed behind me, sharp and final. “Stay here for a week and clear your mind. And I swear—if you go near Dasha again after this, you’ll leave this pack for good.”
He slammed the cell door shut. The clank of the lock rang like a death sentence.
“Elstan!” I cried, “You know I can’t stand small spaces! Elstan, please!”
But his footsteps were already fading.
What came next was a silver dagger whistling through the air, slicing into my side with a sharp, unforgiving pain that spread like wildfire.
Blood soaked my dress in seconds and the world around me lurched and blurred.
But through the flickering haze, I saw them—Charlie and Charlet.
Two shadows framed in the torchlight, no longer the giggling children I once rocked to sleep, but cold-eyed silhouettes—twin wolves raised on venom.
Charlie sneered, his eyes glinting coldly, “Didn’t we say, if you don’t leave immediately, you’ll regret it?”
“Yes! So, you better be with Mom, underground!” Charlet echoed, her voice twisted with a childish cruelty that did not belong to her.
A choked gasp escaped my lips. “Where... where did you get that silver dagger?!” I cried, clutching my bleeding side as my knees gave out beneath me.
The twins, who used to need help tying their shoelaces, who once painted messy little flowers for me on Mother's Day, that time stood like tiny reapers, armed with blades and poisoned hearts.
“Dasha once said that silver could kill wolves, so we brought it especially for you, wicked witch,” Charlie said, lifting his chin with pride.
My eyes widened, trembling. “Dasha... what did she do to you?” I whispered, almost too quiet to be heard. “What has she turned you into?”
They did not flinch nor even hesitate.
“You better leave this world right now,” Charlet hissed, her eyes wide, wild—so full of hatred it cracked something inside me.
“Die!” they screamed in perfect unison.
The second dagger left Charlet’s hand like a silver promise.
It spun through the air—slow in my fading vision, like time itself held its breath—before it slammed into my chest.
Right over my heart.
