Hunted by my Shadow.

Please note these chapters have not been fully edited. Changes could occur for final draft. Any issues with plot not lining up let me know. Thanks. 😈. I forgot to mention that this story is also contracted with Galatea. Therefore I am only able to upload five chapters here. Once I finish it, it will all be on Galatea.

Josette

“Who the fuck are you, witch?” His voice echoes in my mind, sharp and unrelenting as I stumble out of the portal.

I want to scream, to cry but instead I collapse to my knees, the world blurring around me. I feel lost, adrift in a storm I can’t control.

I force myself to look up at Zelena, who watches me with a careful, unreadable eye. My voice is barely a whisper, cracked and broken. “Is she really gone?”

Zelena tilts her head slightly, her expression softening just enough to be noticeable. “Yes,” she says, her voice steady and firm. “The sorceress has been ripped from you. She’s gone now, banished to the void forever.”

Her words should bring relief, but instead they leave an ache in their place. A silence I don’t know how to fill.

She holds out a hand and pulls me to my feet. As soon as I stand, I look over her shoulder and spot a large, gloomy castle, its dark spires disappearing into the misty sky. I freeze for a moment, awe-struck by its sheer size and haunting beauty.

“Home,” Zelena says, pointing toward the towering structure. I nod quickly, still taking it all in.

We move quickly through the castle grounds until Zelena pushes open the heavy front doors.

The moment we step inside, every witch turns toward me.

Their stares pin me in place. Cold. Suffocating.

My pulse spikes as uncertainty claws through my chest. Do they see me as one of them now? Or will I always be the outsider standing at the edge of their world?

Whispers and voices surround me, filling my mind. Their thoughts swarm my head. Overwhelming. Endless.

“Wolf witch.”

“It’s her, she’s the one.”

My eyes dart around the room. Their lips are pressed tightly shut. They aren’t speaking, not with their mouths anyway.

“Zelena, is this normal?” I test, reaching through my mind.

A collective gasp ripples through them.

Zelena nods slowly. “This is unexpected.” Her lips never move.

Everyone freezes, until Zelena’s commanding presence takes control again.

“Little witches, listen carefully. It seems we’ve formed some kind of collective hive mind. I can’t say much about it right now, but we need to understand what we’re dealing with.”

Her shoulders stiffen.

“We need the off switch,” she says firmly.

I clutch my temples, forcing my will into the link, trying to close whatever the hell this is.

It works. My mind seals shut, like a heavy door slamming closed between me and them. Each witch is left only with her own thoughts again.

For a moment, nobody speaks as we glance at one another.

Yet every time my eyes meet theirs, they greet me with a knowing smile.

“They’re accepting me,” I whisper, my throat suddenly tight.

Zelena clasps her hands together. “Now, now, little ones, give Josette some space.”

They scatter, drifting toward their rooms. I watch them go, their chatter fading until the place feels quiet and empty.

We continue through the castle. Despite the dark stone and gloomy halls, it feels oddly comforting.

Candlelight flickers across carved banisters and black stone walls, throwing shadows through the corridor.

I stop in my tracks. “Zelena, what was that all about? What is a hive mind? For witches? Sounds more like bugs to me.”

She almost smiles. “I’ve read about it a few times, but I’ve never seen it in action. Some witches have abilities others don’t.” She pauses before adding, “Some can create a hive mind, linking everyone together.”

“Like a pack,” I say, nodding slowly.

“Not quite,” Zelena corrects me. “One witch can open the hive mind and invite everyone in, but only her. And they must be in your proximity.”

“I need to learn to control it,” I murmur.

Zelena gives a faint smile of agreement. Without another word, she starts walking again, and I follow close behind.

We cross a long hallway and stop at a large oak door. Pushing it open, Zelena gestures inside. “This will be your room, young witch.”

I step inside, silent, my chest heavy with turmoil. The ache of leaving Kage behind is unbearable, his sacrifice playing over and over in my mind.

But the last look Kage gave me before I stepped through the portal was hatred.

It haunts me.

Should I tell Zelena about it? The thought flits through my mind, but I dismiss it. She would probably send me away right now.

Instead, I take in the room around me. A dark canopy bed sits in one corner, a small vanity in the other. I walk over to the mirror catching my reflection.

My breath hitches. The tiny scars on my face remain, but the deep cut on my forehead is gone. My hands tremble as I inspect my body—no bruises, no cuts. It’s as if nothing had happened.

I turn to Zelena, my voice shaky. “What happened to me?”

Her brow arches slightly. “Time has been rewound, Josette. All the good… and all the bad has been erased. In this timeline, you never met Kage, so the scars you bore from him no longer exist.”

Her words hit me like a blow. I nod as realization sinks in. Curtis. Isolde. Does this mean…?

“Does that mean they are still alive?” I whisper, the words barely audible.

She nods, watching me carefully.

“Today has gone back to the day you escaped the Night Wing Pack. All the days you endured beyond that no longer exist. But saying this, Curtis, his lapdog, and that wretched traitor Isolde are still alive.”

“You didn’t tell us this before it happened,” I mutter, my jaw tight.

“I didn’t want to make it worse,” she replies, her voice low, eye flicking away from mine.

My fists clench at my sides, my emotions a whirlwind of regret and anger. Then, a thought strikes me like lightning—Chrissy.

I grab Zelena’s hand without hesitation, tugging at her urgently. “You have to take me to the Night Wing Pack. Now.”

She folds her arms, breaking the contact.

“And why, dear witch, would you want to do that?”

“My friend,” I plead, my voice desperate. “Chrissy. She’s in danger. We need to go immediately.”

Zelena sighs, clearly annoyed but not declining my request. “Fine. Take my hand, and think of where you want us to go.”

Closing my eyes tightly, I picture Chrissy’s bedroom. The night is still dark; surely, she must be asleep.

My stomach twists as Zelena’s magic swirls around us, pulling us through the fabric of reality.

When we land, I find myself in Chrissy’s room. It’s dim and quiet, save for the faint glow of a small bedside lamp. She stirs suddenly, jolting upright the second she sees me.

“Josette?” she stammers, sitting up and rubbing her eyes as though trying to convince herself this is real.

She frowns, her gaze scanning me with concern. “What happened to your hair?” she asks, her eyes lingering on the vibrant red strands. Frustration bubbles up inside me as I shake my head. “I’ll explain,” I say, reaching out to her, “but we have to hurry. They’re coming for you.”

Her face pales as fear grips her, but she doesn’t hesitate. She grabs my hand, and I pull her close. Zelena chuckles darkly from the shadows, already preparing the portal. In an instant, we’re whisked away, returning to the safety of the coven.

Chrissy stumbles behind me, her face ashen, her eyes wide with unease. She looks around the grand castle.

Her head turns slowly as she takes in the towering walls and strange symbols etched into the stone.

“Are we… with the witches?” she asks hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Zelena snorts from the corner, but I nod quickly, gripping Chrissy’s shoulders in an effort to reassure her.

“I know this is a lot to process, Chrissy,” I say softly. “But so much has happened since I left.”

Chrissy shakes her head.

“Josette, you’ve only been gone a few hours. What happened?”

I begin to explain, carefully relaying the events that unfolded after I left the Night Wing Pack. I gloss over the more gruesome details.

Chrissy listens intently, her wide eyes shifting between belief and growing horror.

“They killed me, didn’t they?” she finally asks, her voice trembling.

I pause, not wanting to lie. I give a slow, heavy nod.

She bites her lower lip, her hands covering mine where they rest on her shoulders. “Thank you for coming back for me, Josette. I owe you my life.”

“And I owe you mine, Chrissy. Consider the debt repaid.”

Zelena’s voice cuts through the moment, shattering it like glass. “Well, wolf, you still owe me a debt. Make yourself useful around here.”

Chrissy straightens, nodding quickly. “I’m a cook. I can—”

Zelena claps her hands, interrupting her. “Perfect. Teach Ola how to cook something edible for once. And by the way. You better cut that pack bond, right now. Wouldn’t want them sniffing around here now, would we?”

Chrissy grimaces and does what’s needed. She collapses to her knees. I rush to her side, helping her back up. I know instantly that she severed the pack bond. It must be excruciating, but deep down, it’s the only way.

“I did it,” she stammers, her voice trembling in disbelief.

“You did,” I whisper. “You don’t need them, you never did.”

A young witch emerges from the shadows of the foyer, drawing our attention, her presence quiet but commanding. “You called for me, Aunt Zelena?”

“Yes, Lilly,” Zelena replies. “Show our wolf guest to a room.”

The girl nods curtly, eyeing Chrissy warily as she waits for her to follow. I bite my lip, silently cursing the tension that always lingers between witches and wolves.

A sweet memory of Chrissy flashes through my mind.

Lilly stumbles backward suddenly, catching herself against the wall. Her eyes widen.

“I saw that,” she whispers.

Her eyes meet mine, and they flash. “I saw what you saw. She helped you—she was nice to you,” Lilly mumbles. “How did you…?”

My mouth slightly opens, having no idea how it happened. I can only shrug.

With a big smile, she holds out her hand to Chrissy who steps forward gingerly, but the hesitation doesn’t last. The two of them smile at each other before Lilly leads her to her room. We watch as they walk away, quietly chatting.

Zelena is already watching me when I turn back around.

“Did she really just see a vision of Chrissy?” I ask.

She nods slowly. “I saw it too, Josette.”

I gasp. “I have to learn how to control it, Zelena. What if more visions pop up?”

“Calm down. I’ll show you how to control them—starting tomorrow.”

“How?”

“You need to embrace your inner witch, that’s how, young lady. But don’t think it’ll be easy,” she says firmly.

“I need to learn everything, and fast, Zelena.”

“And what’s the rush?” she asks, raising an eyebrow before adding with a sly smirk, “Hoping to conjure a love spell, perhaps?”

The thought flickers in my mind, but I dismiss it immediately.

“No,” I say quietly. “I have two wolves and a witch to kill.”

That catches her attention. Zelena straightens, her smirk fading into something more serious. “Yes, Josette, they need to be eliminated. But there is one big problem.”

I dip my head, solemn. “Kage. If I manage to kill them, I’ll have to hide forever. Maybe he won’t care too much about Curtis and Sam. But Isolde…” I shake my head.

Zelena’s hands grip my shoulders, her fingers digging in with surprising force.

“You’re right. Kage won’t be happy when you kill her. So when you do, you’ll have to disappear. But don’t fear. I know the perfect place for you, far from all this darkness. You’ll see, when it’s time for you to go.”

Her features darken, resolve hardening her expression. “I’ll keep Isolde away from the coven. I’ll train you, teach you everything I know. Then you can end this—once and for all.”

My response comes sharp and sure, “I’ll do it. I have to.”

Zelena leads me down a secret passageway, to a dimly lit library, the air thick with the scent of aged parchment and dust. Rows upon rows of old, worn books line the shelves, their spines cracked and faded. She scans the collection with practiced ease, pulling out three massive tomes and unceremoniously dumping them into my arms.

The weight nearly drags me down, and I wobble, barely managing to steady the stack before it topples to the floor. My arms ache under their weight as I stare at her in disbelief.

“Go on,” she says briskly, gesturing toward the door. “Read these. When you’re done, there’s plenty more where that came from.”

I glance down at the books, their cracked leather covers and yellowed pages screaming of ancient knowledge and endless hours of work. “These are huge,” I protest, my voice teetering on the edge of a whine. “It’ll take me weeks to get through all of this!”

Zelena’s lips twitch in amusement. “Then you’d better get started. Chop chop.” She claps her hands once for emphasis before turning on her heel, leaving me to stagger under the weight of not only the tomes but the knowledge she’s just thrust on me.