CHAPTER 2

CRYSTAL

It's been three days since I rescued him from that accident with my car. What started as a total downer turned into something straight out of a supernatural movie.

Checking him out from across the room, I couldn't believe it. The little guy went from looking like a total wreck to practically brand new. His scars were there, but they were fading fast. It was like he had some kind of crazy healing powers, way beyond what's normal. Then it hit me - he wasn't just any normal pup. Nope, he was a werewolf cub. His eyes, man, they held this ancient knowing. It felt like we had some kind of connection that went way back.

Heart pounding, I stole a glance out the window at the mountains where the temple to Hecate stood. The goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea.

My folks were out there, doing their whole goddess-worshipping thing. And here I was, bringing this wild secret into our home, keeping it hidden from them. I couldn't help but wonder how they'd react when they found out.

As the cub curled up in a blanket, letting out this little sigh, I promised myself I'd do whatever it took to keep him safe. We had something special, deeper than just a chance.

Then, I got up and scooped him up, cradling him gently. Taking a seat on the floor, I grabbed the first aid kit and got to work. This little dude didn't even flinch like he knew I was on his side.

And let me tell you, something wild was happening. He'd grown, like, doubled in size. Now he looked more like an Alaskan dog, all strong and sturdy. It was like he'd found a whole new gear of life.

Then I saw his eyes - a striking blue with this speck of black, like a star in the night sky. It was seriously something else, like a touch of magic right there.

But his left eye was a different story. He was struggling to open it, and I could tell something was up. The wound hadn't healed right, and an infection had set in. It hit me hard, you know? Some things just don't fix up easily, even with all the magic in the world.

I dabbed on the medicine as gently as I could, hoping it would ease his discomfort. While I worked, I whispered words of comfort, promising he'd get better soon. The pup gazed at me with those big eyes, like he understood.

It was way past bedtime, the whole world wrapped in this deep, quiet darkness. I'd finally crashed out after making sure the pup had a good meal and some shut-eye. I was dead tired from the past few days. But then, out of nowhere, I heard it. This soft, pitiful whimper cut through the silence like a knife. I jolted awake, heart pounding like crazy. Without even thinking, I fumbled for the light switch, flooding the room with a soft, warm glow. I sprinted over to the pup, and there he was, squirming and hotter than a furnace. It was like he had a piece of the sun inside him, blazing away. I reached out, my fingers brushing against his fur.

He was burning up, fever running wild. Panic gripped me, scrambling for a plan. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The source of his misery was crystal clear - that stubborn, messed-up left eye. It was the one thing that just wouldn't get better, a pain factory.

Being an empath as a witch, it's a mixed bag. I got this fucked up gift from my great-grandmother. It skipped my mom and grandma and landed square on me. Some folks acted like it was a reason to leave us out of the fancy witch circles. But right then, feeling the pup's pain rip through me, I knew what it meant. It was something I couldn't dodge, a link that tied me to this pup in ways words can't capture.

I was standing there, wrestling with this choice, like a mental boxing match. Using dark magic to patch him up was a risky bet, with a cost that felt heavier than anything I'd dealt with before. Dark magic, the kind even FREYA MEYARS, the priestess of witches, wouldn't mess with. In my head, I could hear my ancestors giving me the whole "I told you so" speech. They'd always warned about the sketchy stuff lurking in the magical shadows, the kind of power that played by its own rules. But then, I looked at the little guy, shaking with fever, his eyes losing their sparkle. Time was slipping away, and his little life was hanging by a thread. So, I said to myself, "Screw it."

I pushed past all the doubts that were crowding in. I grabbed that ancient book from its secret hiding spot, pages full of secrets that went way beyond my pay grade. It was a relic from the Emberwood witches, a place where the power and mystery of the elite witches did a never-ending tango.

As I flipped through, the words practically jumped off the page, a promise of a fix wrapped up in shadows. The incantations buzzed with this energy that sent shivers right down to my toes, a pulse that filled up the room. There was this nagging thought in the back of my head, though. Would the Emberwood witches get wind of this? Could they feel the shake in the magic web that linked us all? My family resides here at Lunaheim with the outcast witches, who were on a whole different level from the high and elite witches, but even different worlds had their crossroads.

So there I was, chanting away with those dark magic mantras, and suddenly this creepy black smoke engulfed us. It swirled around like a crazy storm in the dead of night, wrapping us in its eerie, forbidden power.

Then, BAM! With a huge boom, the smoke vanished, leaving the room feeling charged, like right after a lightning strike. My heart was in my throat, and my breaths coming fast. I was terrified. Had I blown it? The dread was thick in the air.

But then, right in front of me, it was like a miracle. The pup, who'd been in so much pain, was lying there all calm and steady. It was like some soothing magic had washed over him, replacing his torment with this peaceful stillness. I reached out to touch him, almost afraid to believe it. He wasn't this burning furnace anymore. His body had turned back to it's normal temperature, a sign that the magic had done its thing.

A smile spread across my face, relief washing over me. It worked. I did it. The pup was chill, and pain-free, at least for a little while.

I settled back in my spot, the weight of the night's craziness still hanging in the air. Soon the sleep started pulling me under, and I let myself drift into dreams, knowing that for now, the pup was okay, free from all that hurt and pain.

Without knowing what was about to come, and the consequences for using dark magic.