“Am I right? Is there a witch at the top?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” she replied, holding up the mirror. “I’ve been scrying as often as I can, but there’s a barrier of shadow I can never break through. Even though I can siphon incredible power from the werewolves in town, I’m still limited. However, I think the answer may lie within your kuu. You’re the only one left in town that has one, even if it doesn’t work, but I wouldn’t dare tamper with them. The moment I do, they will know who I am and where Darius is. The only way to get the answers we seek is to study an active kuu charm. Yours is active and will likely remain that way even after you turn because it was never correctly fused with you.”
“Do you think the witches in the woods have anything to do with this?” I asked.
“Doubtful. If there is a witch in a position of power controlling these elders, her anonymity is for her own survival. Suppose every coven in the world were to know who she is, they would descend upon her with the prince of hell himself. If she is anything like me, she is meticulous, cunning, and she knows how to stay hidden from His sight.”
“Do you think she’s evil?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Willa responded. “She could be evil or greedy. If it’s the latter, she won’t last long. If it’s the former, that makes her formidable.”
Mosavi picked up the sack of herbs and stuffed them into his blazer pocket. “I’ll give consideration to that meeting. If there’s any merit to your theory, I’ll know for sure. There is no trust, though. He’ll try his tricks to strip me of my will and keep me in the wild where he wants me, so I will have you and Willa accompany me on the solstice.” His eyes glowed silver. “You will not refuse.”
“I won’t refuse. Jeez,” I said, holding up my hands.
His eyes faded back to their usual dark orange, but his shirt began to pop as he started to lose control over his human form. “You had better not be in on his tricks.”
“I think he only wants to see you again. Maybe you’ll both find a way to help each other.”
His blazer tore from the back as his werewolf form exploded in a show of fury, and he slammed his growing hand on the table. I jumped as the wood cracked, and claws erupted from his fingertips.
“This pie-in-the-sky mentality is unbecoming of a leader.”
“Maybe for your brand of leadership, but I like to consider every option. I think a good leader would be open to that.”
Mosavi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, a little calmer than before.
“Whether you’ll admit it or not, you like me and my pack. It’s something you’re missing, Darius.”
“You are assuming a lot.”
“You know, you both are always welcome at our house.”
“A prison cell has better aesthetics—”
“I would love to!” Willa interrupted, as Mosavi groaned and rolled his eyes. “And so would Darius. Especially with the holidays around the corner.”
“I thought we made plans for Italy,” Mosavi said with a slight whine.
“Screw Italy.” She turned and smiled at me. “Family is better. And speaking of family, maybe you and your brother can share a hundred years of wisdom from different worlds.” Willa kissed Mosavi on the cheek and followed it up with a light slap. “And I want to meet him since you’ve kept this valuable information from me.” She grinned, licking her front teeth. “You know what this means, right?”
Mosavi’s ears folded against his head, and he nodded, averting his eyes. “I will have the maid and butler strap me to the rack before you return.”
“That’s a good boy.”
“You’re both freaks,” I muttered, blushing.
“Freaks with a strong marriage that will last for eons,” Willa added. “Now, let’s see about getting you guys a nice big welcome home feast.”
“You’re going to get Roscoe coming here every day if you don’t stop.”
She held up her glass. “He’s good for business.”
Chapter 37
The Future Leader
The last time we’d seen Austin or Adam had been early yesterday when they’d come out for the free barbecue. While Adam had engaged in some small talk with Roscoe, the scratched-up Austin had kept quiet, grabbing as many bags as he could carry and scurrying into the hallway like a raccoon on a nightly garbage binge. Adam snatched a whole rotisserie chicken in his mouth before following, giving us a wave as he disappeared around the corner.
