Chapter 4

ISABELLA'S POV

By the time my legs began to ache so badly that every step felt like a punishment, the palace had long disappeared behind the trees. I pushed through another stretch of trees, hoping to find a road or a settlement before darkness fell. The sun was already sinking behind the mountains, leaving a faint strip of orange above the distant peaks while the forest around me began to darken.

I needed somewhere to spend the night. I couldn't keep walking blindly through unfamiliar territory, especially with no weapon, no food, and no idea which lands I had entered. Bandits and rogues roamed the wilderness, and a lone woman wandering through the mountains after dark would make an easy target.

I was considering whether to find a tree with enough shelter beneath its branches when I spotted a building through the trees. A cabin stood in a small clearing, its roof uneven and its wooden walls almost black with age. Weeds had grown around the entrance, dead leaves covered the narrow path leading to the door, and one of the shutters hung crookedly from its hinges.

It looked abandoned.

I approached cautiously and pushed the door with my shoulder. It opened with a long creak, revealing a small room coated in dust. A wooden table stood near the wall, and a chair lay on its side beside a cold fireplace. There were no fresh footprints on the floor, no belongings scattered around, and no signs that anyone had lived there for years.

I stepped inside and looked around. At least I had found shelter. I could worry about food and water in the morning, but for now, I needed a roof over my head and a fire to keep the cold away. If I could make myself comfortable enough to sleep until sunrise, I could continue my journey with a clearer head.

I left the cabin to gather firewood before the remaining sunlight disappeared. The forest floor was covered with dry branches, though finding enough wood that wasn't damp took longer than I expected. I collected what I could carry, then returned to the clearing and searched for a few more pieces of bark and twigs to help start the fire.

By the time I finished, the sun had nearly vanished. I carried everything inside and stacked the wood beside the fireplace. There was an old iron pot hanging above the hearth, but it was empty and covered in grime. I ignored it and concentrated on getting the fire started.

After several attempts, a small flame caught among the dry twigs, gradually growing until the firewood began to crackle. Warmth spread through the room, and I sat on the floor beside the hearth, holding my hands toward the flames. My stomach still ached with hunger, and my mouth felt dry, but at least I had somewhere to sleep. I could survive one night without food or water.

Then the cabin creaked.

I glanced toward the ceiling, assuming the sound came from the old timber settling as the temperature dropped. Another creak followed, louder than the first, and the floor beneath me gave a faint shudder. I turned toward the door just as the last light disappeared from the windows.

Something changed.

I watched as the cracks in the wooden walls began to close. The faded boards darkened, taking on a rich, polished finish, while the dust covering the furniture lifted into the air and vanished. The crooked chair righted itself, and the bare table stretched into a long, dark surface covered with glass bottles and strange objects.

I scrambled to my feet.

Candles ignited along the walls, one after another, without a hand touching them. The fireplace roared, sending sparks up the chimney, and the empty iron pot above it began to swing gently. A second pot appeared beside it, followed by a third.

All three hung over the flames, their dark metal sides reflecting the firelight. Thick liquids bubbled inside them, releasing clouds of coloured steam that curled toward the ceiling. Something with too many legs clung to the rim of one pot before slipping into the mixture, and I stumbled backward, unable to tear my eyes away.

Shelves emerged from the walls, crowded with jars containing dried roots, feathers, animal bones, and substances I couldn't identify. Bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling beside small charms made from twisted branches and polished stones. Strange symbols glowed across the beams, their light pulsing faintly as if something beneath the wood were alive.

The cold, abandoned cabin had become something entirely different.

It was a witch's cabin.

I stood in the middle of the room, unable to understand what I was seeing. I had entered a building that appeared to have been deserted for years, with nothing but dust, broken furniture, and an empty fireplace. Now there were bubbling cauldrons, enchanted symbols, and enough strange objects to make my skin prickle.

Just as I was trying to make sense of the changes around me, a voice spoke from behind me.

"How can I help you, child?"

I turned so quickly that I nearly stumbled. An old woman stood beside one of the enormous pots, dressed in a long black robe. Her grey hair fell loosely around her shoulders, and she was busy mixing something inside the bubbling cauldron with a wooden spoon. Several bottles and bowls sat beside her, filled with things I couldn't begin to identify.

I stared at her, then glanced toward the door.

"How did you get in here?" I asked. "Did you just appear out of nowhere?"

The woman stopped stirring and looked at me.

"I should be asking you that, child. What are you doing in my cabin?"

"Your cabin?" I glanced around the room again. "I thought this place was abandoned."

"And yet here you are." She returned to stirring the mixture. "People, and even werewolves, don't wander into this cabin without a reason. Usually, there's something troubling them that they can't resolve on their own."

I shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to make of her words. There was something unsettling about the way she spoke as though she already knew I had come here carrying trouble.

"I'm not looking for anything," I replied. "I only needed somewhere to spend the night."

The old woman gave me a knowing look.

"Is that so, child?"

"Yes." I glanced toward the door again. "And I appreciate the shelter, but I don't need any help. Thank you."

I was about to turn toward the door when the old woman faced me again.

"Fate brought you here so I could help you, child. Tell me what's troubling you, and I shall help you change your fate."

I hesitated, studying her more closely. Her nose was long and hooked, several teeth were missing from her mouth, and her dirty fingernails were so long that they curled slightly at the tips. There was something unsettling about her appearance, especially now that I could see her clearly in the candlelight.

"I told you, I don't need....."

Before I could finish, the words changed.

I began telling her everything that had happened back in Ashen Pack. The accusations, the stranger in my bed, the letters they claimed proved my betrayal, and Zane's refusal to listen to me. I told her how he'd stripped me of my Luna title, broken our mate bond, and banished me before the entire pack.

The words poured out of my mouth so quickly that I could barely keep up with them. I hadn't planned to tell this woman anything, yet I couldn't seem to stop. I even described the humiliation of walking through the palace gates while everyone watched and judged me.

What was happening to me?

I tried to close my mouth, but another sentence came tumbling out. I didn't understand whether the witch had cast a spell on me or whether something else was at work. All I knew was that I was telling a complete stranger things I'd never intended to share.

By the time I finished speaking, the strange urge to reveal everything had vanished as suddenly as it had come over me. I blinked, finally feeling in control of my own words again, and stared at the witch in disbelief. Had she cast a spell on me?

"Tell me what you want, child," she said, setting her wooden spoon aside. "Name it, and I'll get it done right away."

My lips trembled as the humiliation I'd endured came rushing back. Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I struggled to speak through them.

"After everything that's happened, I can't go back out into the wolf world as I am." My voice broke. "The story of my betrayal must have reached every pack by now. Wherever I go, people will recognise me as the Luna who betrayed her Alpha. They'll look at me with disgust, and no pack will want to take me in."

I wiped my cheeks, but more tears followed.

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life running away from people who hate me for something I didn't do. I want to find somewhere I can live peacefully, earn my own living, and rebuild my life without everyone judging me."

My gaze dropped to the floor.

"I just wish nobody could recognise me anymore. I wish I could have a different face and go out into the world without carrying the name of a traitor everywhere I go."

The witch watched me for a moment, her expression softening.

"I've heard your cries, dearie," she said. "I'll grant your wish right away."

I lifted my head, confused by her certainty.

"Wait..... what?"

The old woman smiled, revealing the gaps between her remaining teeth.

"Come closer, dearie. We're going to give you a new face."

I stared at her, unable to make sense of what she'd just said.

"A new face? You mean a spell that makes people see me differently?"

"No." The witch raised one long, dirty finger. "I mean changing the face you were born with. Your bones, your features, everything that makes you recognisable. When I'm finished, nobody who knew you before will look at you and see the woman they remember."

My tears stopped as I tried to understand her words.

"Can you really do that?"

The witch held out her hand.

"Come here, child. There's much to be done before morning."

I looked at her hand, then at the strange instruments and bubbling cauldrons surrounding us. I had entered this cabin hoping to find a place to sleep. Now an old witch was offering to change my face so completely that I could leave my past behind.

I took one cautious step toward her.Her cold fingers touched my cheek.

A sharp, unfamiliar pressure spread beneath my skin, and I jerked away with a cry.

The witch tightened her grip on my chin.

"Don't move, child."

Something shifted beneath her fingertips.

And I felt the bones in my face begin to change.