24: Werewolf Princess

Opal and I both turned toward the shuffling, and we noticed the stall door was closed.

I stared at the narrow gap beneath it.

Someone was inside.

"Who's there?" I called, but nobody answered. "Come out before I turn you into a snail."

I raised my hand, although with the amount of alcohol currently floating around in my blood, there was a decent chance I'd accidentally turn myself into the snail instead.

"I said come out now!"

Still nothing.

"This is your final warning."

Finally, the lock clicked, and the stall door slowly opened. Then a girl stepped out.

She was beautiful, with dark skin, vibrant black curly hair and the brightest golden eyes I'd ever seen. Her coat was wrapped tightly around her body, and she looked young.

Very young.

More importantly, I could sense she was a werewolf.

"Please don't hurt me," the she-wolf whispered.

I lowered my hand slightly. "What's your name, wolf?"

"I...it's Anna," she gulped.

"And how much did you hear, Anna?"

Her fingers tightened around the front of her coat. "Everything."

Fuck me sideways.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, you're a witch."

"Yes, I'm aware of that part. But do you know who I am?" I stressed the I.

She shook her head.

"I'm Winifred Whitmore."

Her golden eyes widened. "The most powerful White Witch to have ever lived!" she gasped.

That was a stretch, but I'd take it.

I straightened slightly.

"Yes. Exactly. So you know what I'll do to you if you say anything about what you just heard?"

"I won't." She shook her head quickly. "I swear I won't say anything."

"Good."

"But..."

There was always a fucking but.

"Please, can you help me escape my stepmother?"

I stared at her.

"What? Are you shitting me?"

Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Great.

I couldn't deal with crying women. Crying women were how I'd ended up helping Ava in the first place.

"What did you say your name was again?" Opal suddenly asked.

"It's Anna."

Opal moved closer and studied the girl's face. Something changed in her expression.

"Annabelle Nightingale."

The girl's face went pale.

Opal took another step towards her. "You're the late king's daughter."

I blinked.

Then I looked at Anna again.

"Wait! This girl's the werewolf princess?"

"Yes, her father was King Barnabas."

"Please keep your voices down," Anna begged.

"The knights." My head turned towards the bathroom door. "You're who they're looking for."

Anna started trembling.

"Please, you can't let them find me. I'm not going back to that place."

"What happened?"

"My stepmother." Her voice cracked. "She's cruel. She's determined to have me killed before my twenty-first birthday."

"What happens on your twenty-first birthday?" I asked.

"I become queen. I am my father's successor."

Well, fuck me.

Tonight just kept getting better.

"How old are you now?" Opal asked. "You look so young."

"I'm sixteen."

"Shit!"

I wiped a hand over my face.

Sixteen.

She was practically a pup.

For one stupid moment, I thought about Mount Hecate.

Then I immediately killed the thought.

No.

Absolutely fucking not.

Ava and her daughter were already enough to start a war with Alastor Drexel. Ashley would bring Alpha Roland and possibly the Vampire King into the mess if the Elders agreed to take her.

And now the missing heir to the werewolf throne was standing in front of me.

If I brought this girl anywhere near Mount Hecate, every royal guard in the kingdom would tear the supernatural world apart looking for her.

I couldn't do it.

"Look, I'm sorry, kid, but I can't take you with me."

Anna's face crumbled. "Please."

"I can get the knights off your tail for a few days. I'll cast something to confuse your scent and send them in the opposite direction, but after that, you're on your own."

"Please, I have nowhere else to go."

"I can't."

"They're going to find me."

"Anna..."

"They'll take me back to her." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please. I'm begging you to help me."

I looked away.

Fuck.

Ava.

Ashley.

Rachel.

And now Anna.

When the hell had I become a rescue service for traumatised she-wolves?

I couldn't save everyone.

At least, that was what I told myself.

"Opal, I'll ask the Elders about Ashley when I get home. I'll send their response to Ava. But I can't help Anna," I stated. "For now, take Anna through the back door and help her get away from here. The front is crawling with palace guards."

Opal looked disappointed.

She didn't argue, though.

Maybe because she knew I was right.

Or maybe because she knew arguing wouldn't change my mind.

Anna wiped her face, but the tears kept coming.

"I'm sorry," I told the young princess.

She didn't answer.

I left before her crying changed my mind.

The palace knights were still questioning people when I returned to the main room, so I whispered a quick spell beneath my breath and sent the idiots chasing a false scent several miles in the opposite direction.

That was the most I could do for her.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself on the way home.

The moment I arrived at my cabin, I checked Ava's elixir. It had finally cooled to the correct temperature, so I bottled it before reaching out to Mother Ursula.

I explained everything Opal had told me about Ashley.

Mother Ursula listened.

Then, just as I'd expected, she said no.

Of course she fucking did.

I stared at the bottle sitting on my table and thought about Ava.

Something told me she wasn't going to like that answer.

I tore off a tiny piece of parchment, dipped my quill into the ink and wrote four words.

The Witch Elders said no.

There.

Short. Simple. Not my problem.

I folded the note, whistled for my hawk and waited until he landed on the windowsill. I secured Ava's elixir and the message to his legs before running my fingers over his feathers.

"Straight to Luna Ava. Don't let anyone see you."

He blinked at me.

"Especially her homicidal husband."

I whispered the enchantment and watched him launch himself from the windowsill before disappearing into the night.

I stood there for several moments, thinking about Ava, Ashley and the sixteen-year-old princess I'd just sent into the darkness.

Fuck.

I needed to retire to the Caribbean after all of this.