**Author's POV**
The Witch's hut…
It was a dark and dank little place. It smelled like moldy straw and dirt.
This was not the kind of witching hut you’d expect to find sitting on the edge of a forest in the middle of the night. In this case, it stood on a hill overlooking the entire town. The hill itself looked as if it had been built over centuries and the old stone was worn down by time and weather.
The whole hill was surrounded by thick forest, with small trees here and there growing in between the boulders.
The Witch sat on top of her hut and gazed at the town that lay below her. Her eyes were closed, but she could feel the cold wind coming off the mountains surrounding her, making the grass tickle her bare legs and the tips of her ears. It made her smile. This is what life really should be like. Just a nice quiet cottage, the breeze blowing through your hair and birds chirping from the nearby tree branches.
Her feeling of bliss was interrupted by a rustle somewhere deep within the bushes behind her. A squirrel skittered away into the darkness, his tail brushing against the ground. Then it all happened very fast. Before the little animal could move more than three steps away from her, a massive, shadowy figure stepped out of the woods directly in front of it.
She gasped. “A wolf!”
The wolf tilted its head back slightly, so it could look up at the witch. Its eyes glowed in the moonlight. They reminded her a bit of her parents' own. Like two pools of water reflecting the moon above them. Yes, she was a hybrid. Half witch and half wolf but hadn't been able to shift, so she decided to focus on the second part of her; the witch part.
The wolf didn't do anything to the squirrel, but headed towards her direction. For a moment there, she got scared, but she found hope in the fact that she was a witch and could do anything if it tried to attack her.
To her surprise, the wolf shifted back to someone she knew. Her eyes widened, but she sighed in relief.
She got down and went to meet her. “Zora!” She called.
“Hey, Sage.” Zora smiled.
“You haven't visited me as a wolf before. Why the heck did you do that today?” She asked with her hands akimbo as she looked at Zora, who was putting on her clothes.
“It was so urgent that I had no choice but to sprint here.” She answered.
“Seriously?” Sage rolled her eyes as she led the way into her hut.
When they were in, Zora looked around.
“Why are all these plants around the house dying? Have you been neglecting to feed them?” She asked.
Sage groaned. “Don't remind me. It's not my fault the house won't heat up. Besides, those herbs smell good, they're doing me a favor.'' She smiled, remembering how she had used one to hypnotize a hunter before. That night was memorable as he took her to a world of bliss.
“Well,” Zora said and leaned against the door frame while she watched the other girl pull a pot out of the cupboard, “At least the garden isn't going to starve.” Zora smirked.
Sage shook her head and chuckled as she dropped the pot on the floor.
“What have you been doing lately?” Sage asked and put a hand on her hip. She knew perfectly well what the other girl had been up to, but couldn't help asking anyway.
Zora plopped to the chair with a sigh. “I've been trying to get the throne I told you about, but it's not working.”
“What do you mean?” Sage asked and sat down round her enchantments table.
“I don't know how it happened, but all of a sudden, she changed drastically from the once shy and introverted person she was to a ruthless monster. I just witnessed her being crowned Luna just now,” Zora explained.
Sage gasped. “No way!”
“That's not even the part that shocked me. She told me that she had found her mate. Even the guy confessed to me that she was his mate and he loved her so much.” She explained to Sage, who paid keen attention.
“Are you for real? But, I gave you a portion to add to her drink so that it would hide her scent in a way that her mate won't be able to find her anymore and she wouldn't be able to find him too. Didn't you do as I asked?" Sage asked.
“I did exactly what you asked, Sage. I don't know how it happened. I thought she was lying at first, but it was plain and obvious.” Zora sighed in frustration.
She had visited Sage for help that time because Elora had told her what the elders said about her not getting the throne until she had found her mate and gotten married. She didn't want that to happen, since she and Lucien were after the throne as well. And now all of a sudden, things changed.
Sage sighed and muttered some incantations under her breath, then started drawing something in the air with her finger. There was a spark and then the room filled with a gentle glow. Sage sat cross-legged on the floor as she continued to draw a pattern in midair. She hummed as she did so, and then she stopped moving altogether, her eyes staring at nothing, as if she wasn‘t really here with Zora anymore. She looked as if she were deep in thought.
“Sage?” Zora nudged Sage. “You still with us?”
She slowly opened her eyes.
“I was trying to find a connection and look into her heart, but all I'm getting is revenge. She craves revenge and that is why she's acting that way.” Sage explained.
Zora was confused. “Revenge? Why is and what is she wishing to avenge for?” She asked.
“I tried to check that too, but it all faded into nothingness.” Sage answered.
“So, what do I do?” Zora asked.
“I'll figure something out but for now, get close to her, earn her trust and return to me. I'm going to give you a mind control potion.”