The Witch and the Wolf

Every time we lose someone, it feels as if a part of us dies too. When someone truly close to us—someone who understood and supported us—dies, our world is turned upside down. Life takes on a completely different dimension. You’re left alone with the secrets you once shared. You’re left alone, realizing that no one will ever understand it the way the person who’s gone did.

Io came from a line of witches; her mother was the last pure-blooded witch. It was hard to survive among humans when you were different. And her family was definitely different, because in addition to who her mother was, her father was a half-wolf. True, Bruno felt more like a wizard than a wolf. But that didn’t change the fact that the wolf in him was strong enough and recognizable to witches and other wolves. That was the main reason the family kept their distance from everyone. The union of a wolf and a witch had always been frowned upon.

In the neighborhood where Io lived with her mom Lily and dad Bruno, there was only one other family of wizards. Two old folks, not particularly powerful, but very devoted to magic. As Lily used to say, “They’re a little too magical for my taste.” They didn’t get in each other’s way, though, and that was a good thing. The elderly couple had no children, and Io’s parents weren’t pure-blood wizards and had never trained in their inherited powers. Magic that isn’t used fades away, like any skill that isn’t practiced. The elderly couple, however, had nothing better to do, so they decided to learn from scratch.

Lily was a true witch with a long tradition. She had incredible knowledge and knew how to put it to good use. She was wise and kind. She opened a small herbal apothecary in town. Io spent a lot of time there, diligently learning everything her mother knew. She didn’t socialize much; she had no friends. Her mother was her friend. Learning magic was important to her, precisely because of her.

Wizards learn magic from a young age; that gives them time to develop their powers. Parents can pass their abilities on to their children, or they can choose not to pass on their magic. Power that is practiced and used can turn its owner into a powerful wizard. If the knowledge is not passed on, it is lost along with all its power.

Io had already inherited her power from her father, who had died a few years ago. He had been killed by a family of wolves living in the next town. Her mother didn’t want to talk about it. They never met, never sought revenge. On the contrary, they went into hiding.

When her mother fell ill, something strange began to happen to Io as well. She didn’t tell her mother anything so as not to add to her worries. And now, left alone, everything had intensified, and the girl didn’t know what to do. She woke up frequently or couldn’t sleep at all; her whole body itched as if something beneath her skin wanted to break free. She dreamed of strange figures—neither human nor animal—and heard the howling of wolves. After a while, she couldn’t sleep at all, ate very little, and her body grew weaker and weaker. She thought only of this all ending as soon as possible.

She lay down that evening, hoping it would be her last night. Unexpectedly, she fell asleep and even had a dream. She dreamed of Lily, her mother. She was sad, pale. She couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell her. She just stood in the room by her bed and pointed to the bookshelf. Then she came closer and touched the girl’s cheek. Silently, she said, “I love you, everything will be okay.” And then she pointed at the books again.

Io woke up suddenly. She looked at her watch—she’d slept for ten hours and felt stronger. She knew she wouldn’t be there, but she turned her head anyway toward where Lily had stood in her dream. Her gaze wandered to the bookshelf. She walked over to them and began taking them out one by one and reading the titles. Most were about magic and the history of wizards. And then she picked up the next one; its title was “Magic vs. the Wolf.”

She wasn’t sure if this was the book her mother had meant, but the subject piqued her interest. The book’s author was her father. This intrigued her even more. Her parents hadn’t spoken much about Shapeshifters; her father had avoided the topic, and after his death, she had forbidden any discussion of it altogether.

She opened it to the first page;

- There are several types of Shifters. A Shifter can be of pure blood and transform into any animal of their choosing; I’ve even heard of cases where they can turn into another human. Then there are the wolves. Pure-blooded creatures who have transformed into wolves for generations. I don’t know if this is their own choice or if they’re a separate branch of Shifters. And the last type—a human bitten by a shapeshifter has the ability to transform into the animal that bit them. In any case, all these beings share one trait. Humanity and the beast live within a single body.

I have been studying them for a long time and still cannot understand where they came from or why wizards and shape-shifters hate each other so much. We are in no way dependent on one another; we do not get in each other’s way, nor are we interested in the opposing species. And yet, our encounters always end in death.

In my entire career, I’ve encountered only two instances where a wolf and a wizard were able to talk to each other, and even then, they both died. My father was a wolf; my mother, a wizard.

Io froze; for a moment she didn’t think, she just stared at the sentences. At home he didn’t want to talk about it, but he wrote a book. She took the book and headed to the kitchen, scratching herself a few times and moving her head around her neck, feeling the itching intensify again. Her heart ached for some inexplicable reason. She grabbed a piece of sausage and began to eat it, but she couldn’t taste it; she drank some water, but it didn’t feel like it could quench her thirst.

It had been like this ever since her mother died; nothing brought her joy, nothing could meet her expectations. It was as if she were searching for or waiting for something she had no idea about. She looked irritably at the rest of the food and went back to reading.

The following pages described in more detail why her father had begun this research and search for answers. He wanted to understand the reason why these two clans had come to hate each other so much. Despite this hatred, there were individuals who were able to love one another and start families. Her mother had died, and her father couldn’t cope with it. He died of longing and grief, which meant that his love was a true imprint. Imprinting was an unquestionable law among wolves. No one could go against imprinting, and yet pairs imprinted on wizards were, in essence, rejected by the rest of the pack—every pack.

- Wolves fall in love for life. They cannot live without each other. That is why my father passed away from grief, from longing for my mother – Io felt terribly sad; how terrible death must be when caused by sadness and longing. A few pages later, she found an interesting passage.

- When I asked Mom how it was that you and Dad found each other, she explained that she didn’t fully understand it herself, but when Dad showed up in the area, something came over her—she couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t eat, she felt as if something was missing, as if she couldn’t breathe properly, nothing brought her happiness. And one day she met him near the sawmill. She had brought lunch for her brother, and he had just been hired. She couldn’t describe to me what happened then. It was like a volcanic eruption. As if the whole world had ceased to exist and my father had filled it…

Io paused in her reading again. It was a bit like what she was feeling now. She wondered if her parents had felt that way too and began searching for that moment;

- When I met my beloved Lily, I’m not saying I didn’t fall in love at first sight, but it wasn’t the feeling my mother had described to me. She explained to me that I must have more of a wizard in me than a wolf. So I still can’t explain this phenomenon.

Io felt a little disappointed; she thought this would help her, but she kept reading. Years passed, and the book took on the form of a diary chronicling Bruno’s life and his travels. A further attempt to understand wolves and shape-shifters. She read about how her grandmother and grandfather had been cast out of the family because of their choice, but it seemed that for them, it didn’t matter much; the most important thing was simply that they could be together—the rest would work itself out somehow. She finally reached the part about her own birth and the struggles her parents faced due to a lack of understanding among wizards. They hadn’t found anything good among shape-shifters and wolves either. She found this passage

- Our sweetest Io is already ten years old, and it seems her wolf is much closer than mine ever was. She’s stopped eating, she doesn’t sleep. She says she has to go somewhere, but she doesn’t know exactly where. She keeps repeating the name Sean. If only my parents were alive. My mother’s experience with wolves was minimal, only what she’d learned from my dad. She passed on to me what she could, but it’s still not enough. I don’t know what to do; I’m helpless. Of course, I could just follow her and see where it leads us—is there a wolf at the end who’s her other half? But what if that wolf’s family kills her? What if they sense we’re wizards before we can explain everything? I wouldn’t dare do that. Lily has a plan. She’ll try to cast a spell on the little girl. It should work. She’s incredibly good at what she does…

The girl stared at the text for a few more moments, trying to understand what she had just read. After a few moments, it began to dawn on her that the reason she was feeling all of this was the spell. It had stopped working the day her mother died. That meant, as her father had written… her wolf. She had a wolf inside her. Only it had never been able to show itself because of her mother’s spell.

The itching suddenly seemed to intensify. Io panicked, not knowing what to do, how to act, or what would happen to her. She was afraid, and now she was completely alone. She read the book to the end, but there was nothing left about her there; her mother had cast a spell and everything had vanished. The last words in the diary read:

- I managed to get in touch with a family of shape-shifters in our area. I’m supposed to meet them today. I didn’t tell them I’m a wizard; I didn’t want to lose them. They also don’t know that I know they’re wolves. I pretended to be a statistician. I know they don’t have much contact with people, so they won’t ask if anyone has visited other families. Lily is really scared; she doesn’t want me to meet them. What I’m doing is risky, I know. But it can’t be that bad. My father was a wolf and he wasn’t scary at all, so why would they be?… I want to do this for our Io; we don’t know how long the spell will last. I want to check if there’s a Sean in that family.

Nothing else was written. Io sat down on the floor and let the tears stream down her cheeks. A wolf had killed her father—which meant he hadn’t listened to him, or maybe he had, but he didn’t want to hear about such connections at all. That meant wolves were evil, scary, and brutal. But now the question was, what would happen to her?

The next day, Io was woken by the phone.

“Hello, Io,” she heard in the receiver. She recognized the voice immediately; it was Maria, the woman who helped her mother at the pharmacy. “Sorry to bother you, but could we meet up?” she asked. Io had spoken with her briefly at the funeral; at that time, she’d promised her they’d meet and talk about the future of the little shop.

“Oh, sorry, Maria, it completely slipped my mind,” the girl said quickly. In truth, she had completely forgotten everything that mattered. She couldn’t focus on anything. She couldn’t, she didn’t want to. She didn’t know what she was actually supposed to do.

“It’s okay, but if you had time, it would be great to meet up for a bit…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she rubbed her forehead, “maybe even today—I have to go shopping anyway,” she suggested, realizing that almost a month had passed since the funeral and her supplies were truly running out.

- Wonderful – she heard the woman’s pleased and sincere voice – see you then.

- See you – she said and hung up the phone.

The girl felt lost, lonely, and didn’t know what to do with herself, and now the pharmacy on top of everything else.

It would be best to at least get rid of that problem. She stepped into the shower and stood there until finally only cold water came out; she quickly washed her hair and wrapped herself in a towel. It took her a moment to pick out her clothes, and when she was finally ready, she got into the car and drove into town.

Io’s cottage stood on a small hill surrounded by forest. The view was wonderful. Every sunrise and sunset seemed to happen just for the person standing there admiring it. She lived ten kilometers from town, and truly, at least in her lifetime, no one had ever visited them. Which she was happy about. Her house was full of magic; there were many magical items and herbs scattered everywhere, and in the kitchen there was even a huge cauldron for brewing potions. To a visitor, it would probably just seem eccentric. However, if someone who knew even a little of the truth were to visit, they might become suspicious.

The drive to town took no more than twenty minutes. Io was in no hurry. First, she stopped at the supermarket and loaded everything into her Jeep. She left the car in the parking lot and headed to the pharmacy, which was located across the street. The bell by the door jingled as she pushed it open. A short, plump woman with black hair and large red glasses came out from the back. When she saw Io, she jumped out from behind the counter and ran up to the girl, hugging her tightly.

“It’s good to see you, Io. How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “You look pale, and your eyes have a strange color,” she said, looking at her more closely. Io gently pulled away from her embrace and headed to the back room.

“Really, everything’s fine,” she explained briefly on the way.

As she entered the back room, she passed a mirror and glanced at it as if in passing. Her eyes, which were usually green, were now full of yellow specks. She didn’t let on, though. They sat down at the table and began talking about the future of the pharmacy.

Maria loved this store just as much as Io, so after an hour they agreed that Maria would continue working at the store for another six months and hire someone to help her. Io would prepare the necessary mixtures and deliver them to the store. And in six months, Io would return. They would only meet once a month to discuss issues and place orders.

“I’m glad we met,” Maria said sincerely. Io smiled as sincerely as she could and left the shop.

As she walked to the car, she felt that sensation again—an itch— and her heart began to race like crazy. She looked around in panic, and suddenly her gaze fell on the door of the local vet’s office. Her heart skipped a beat, then began to race again. She saw the clinic door open and a man run out.

She didn’t wait a moment and jumped into the car. She sped off with a screech of tires, which she was sure had caught that person’s attention. She drove home with her foot on the gas pedal all the way to the end. She slammed on the brakes and ran into the house, slamming the door shut and hiding under the table. After a moment, when she had calmed down a bit, she thought how silly it was to hide under the table.

The tears came unexpectedly as a flood of thoughts overwhelmed her. How was she supposed to go on living? Was she supposed to run away, to feel this way for the rest of her life, to be afraid, to not sleep? The thought struck her unexpectedly. She looked at the wooden beams on the ceiling; they would surely hold her. She grabbed a thick rope, tied a knot in it, stood on a chair, and looped it over a beam. The noose was ready. She stared at it for a moment and knew she wasn’t ready to do it yet—she didn’t have the courage. But it would be waiting for her. Her heart began to beat faster and her head started spinning; she had to sit down.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She froze.

“Hello, I know you’re in there,” a man’s voice said. And Io thought it was the sweetest voice in the world; she caught herself reaching to open the door. “Can you open it?” he asked.

“No, go away,” she snapped, pulling her hand back and taking a few steps backward. There was a moment of silence. And Io hoped that maybe he’d listened to her.

“I can’t,” he said after a moment, “please open it.”

“NOOOO!!” she screamed, crying.

“Sweetheart, don’t cry,” the boy said, and those words softened Io even more. “Tell me what you’re afraid of,” he asked in a gentle, calm voice full of sadness.

“Just go away,” she begged. She realized she was kneeling by the door. She sat down on the floor and hugged the door. She wanted to get to know him more and more.

- Do you know why I’m here? – he asked, not understanding what was happening.

- Yes, – she said, wiping away her tears – you think, – she took a deep breath – that you’re my partner – she told the truth.

“And you don’t think so?” he asked. She didn’t answer, unable to lie to him but unwilling to tell the truth.

“You can just leave me and forget about me,” she pleaded

“No,” he said, “please open it,” he asked gently, “or I’ll come in myself,” he threatened.

Io jumped up and took a few steps back, and a moment later the door creaked open and a stranger was standing there. She kept backing away, just shaking her head from side to side. The boy looked her in the eyes. She was slim, not very tall, with long brown hair reaching well past her waist. She looked at him, terrified. He stood there for a moment and quickly scanned the interior; for a moment his gaze froze on something, and his eyebrows furrowed while his nose flared, as if he were searching for something. It all lasted a few seconds. before returning to the girl’s face. He took a few steps forward and she stepped back; when he was finally close enough, she placed her hands on his chest, trying to push him away. She couldn’t.

“I don’t want you here,” she said, tearfully. He tried to grab her hands, but she kept pulling away, still stepping backward. Eventually, she had nowhere left to retreat and leaned against the wall; the boy pinned her against him with his arms and kissed her on the head.

“Honey, everything’s fine. Calm down, and everything will be clear. Please, give me a chance.”

Io just whispered NO. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was in total chaos. She couldn’t take it anymore; she needed air. She felt like she was about to run out of it. After a moment, her body went limp, and the boy felt her relax in his arms.

When she opened her eyes, she was lying in her own bed, and for a moment she felt just like she had before her mom died. She smiled to herself; the soreness was gone, and she felt no itching or pain. After a moment, however, reality hit her like a tsunami. She swallowed hard and looked around. She was alone. She got out of bed slowly, because she still didn’t feel steady on her feet. She cracked the door open and peeked into the living room. The front door looked completely normal—he must have fixed it—and then she noticed him. He was standing there, looking at her, holding her beloved knot in his hand.

“Will you tell me what this is?” he asked angrily.

She didn’t know why she felt guilty and even wanted to apologize to him. She just shrugged and went back to the bedroom. She sat down on the bed; after a moment, the boy came in and leaned against the doorframe.

- You’re a witch, he said. Io nodded.

- And you’re a wolf, she said, unable to look him in the eye; she didn’t want him to see her wolf.

- Will you tell me your name? he asked.

- Io.

- Io, he repeated. My name is...

- Sean, she said quickly. I know.

- Okay, he said, unsure how she knew. Then tell me what this is—he looked up to see what she meant—he was standing in the same spot, holding the rope. She took a deep breath

“I don’t know what to tell you, I really don’t,” she shrugged helplessly. “It looks like… I can’t lie to you, and the truth is hard to explain,” she confessed.

She heard the boy sigh deeply. He placed the rope on the table and moved toward her. She jumped up quickly, fleeing to a corner. He walked toward her slowly but with confidence.

“You can’t run away from me all the time.”

“I’ll leave town,” she snapped.

“I’ll find you,” he said quickly. “I know your scent.”

“I’ll cast a spell on myself and you’ll never find me,” she said, her voice a mix of anger and sadness. Sean paused for a moment, then nodded up and down and said, taking another step toward the girl.

“That’s why I couldn’t find you,” he explained, as if to himself, but out loud. “I mean, I could sense you, but I couldn’t find you. Why did you do that?”

“It was my mother; she wanted to protect me,” she explained.

“From me?” he asked, surprised. She nodded. He was already very close to her. “You can look at me.”

- No, and please go away—she tried to keep her heart from screaming at her mind.

- Io—he began slowly—your skin reacts to my touch—he said gently, touching her arm, and where he touched her, goosebumps broke out. “Your heart desires me,” he added, hearing it race with every step. He grabbed her chin and lifted her head, forcing her to look at him. But she kept her eyes closed. “Io, please look at me,” he asked, but she just shook her head, her hands clasped over her chest.

“You’re not giving me a choice,” the boy said and kissed the girl’s lips gently. Io gasped and opened her eyes. Sean froze, then after a moment he smiled and touched her cheek.

“And your wolf wants me too. Why are you pushing me away?”

“Because we’re completely different.” “I’m a witch,” she said, as if that explained everything.

Sean took a deep breath.

“That doesn’t bother me; you’re a wolf too,” he added quickly.

“I can’t be with you,” she said.

“Why?” he asked.

“There are many reasons…”

“Just give me one,” she looked at him with her beautiful yellow eyes, and then they vanished, replaced by a green gaze full of anger.

“Your family killed my father.”

Sean narrowed his eyes, confused, trying to remember anything.

“Are you sure?” he asked. She just nodded; the answer was immediate. “Come with me,” he asked, pulling her toward the door. She tried to resist and not let herself be dragged out, but it had absolutely no effect. He hoisted her over his shoulder and sat her in the passenger seat. He sat down behind the wheel and drove off. Io realized there were no groceries in the Jeep.

“I hid your food,” he explained.

“Thank you,” she said, surprised at how she could focus on such a detail.

“So tell me, how is it that you’re both a wolf and a witch?”

“My grandfather was a wolf and my grandmother was a witch,” she explained.

“See, we can be together too.” “He said hopefully. She didn’t answer. Her heart teased her, tempting her to touch at least his hand. She wanted him to hold her close and call her ‘darling.’ But her mind had to stay clear; she had to remember that she didn’t want a life like the one her parents had lived—in fear, uncertainty about herself, her children, and the future.

“We are,” he explained.

Sean’s parents’ cottage was on the other side of town, beyond the next hill. A wooden house surrounded by forest; if you weren’t looking for it, you’d never find it. Well hidden, far from prying eyes. Just like Io’s house.

“Come on,” he said, offering her his hand as he opened the door.

“I’m scared,” she said, looking at the house with fear, and Sean knew it was true. He stepped closer to her, touched her cheek, and after a moment felt tears streaming down one after another. He could guess the fierce battle raging between her heart and her mind. He pulled her out of the car and sat her on his lap, hugging her tightly.

“You’re safe here; I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he swore. She knew he wouldn’t give up anyway. She took a deep breath, filling her nostrils with his scent, and that somehow calmed her. Then her feet touched the ground, and they walked inside together. Sean opened the door and let her go in first.

“Mom, Dad!” he called out to his family. Two heads appeared from behind one of the doors. Io automatically hid behind Sean. “I wanted to introduce someone to you and explain something.”

He led the girl into the living room and sat down on the couch; Io sat next to him. His parents sat across from them in armchairs. Both of them were looking at the girl very carefully and closely. Their nostrils were flaring.

“Mom, Dad, this is Io,” Sean began – “Io said that our family killed her father.” – Sean stared at his parents, and Io froze, waiting for the whole truth. His parents looked at each other, and then his father rubbed his hands nervously, glancing at his wife. He knew she wouldn’t say anything, so he cleared his throat and began.

“We met your father over a dozen years ago—I mean, we only saw him once.” Io dug her nails into Sean’s shoulder, but it was clear the boy was in shock and didn’t even notice. “But we didn’t kill him,” he said quickly. “Your father called us pretending to be an extra; we had no idea who he was. As fate would have it, we had a visit from the pack’s guards; they were checking on how we were doing and whether we were teaching our son our secret.” Sean was out for a walk with them, showing them what he’d learned; your father was leaving just as they were returning. A storm rolled in. Sean was running toward us to show off his progress when lightning struck a tree, which leaned toward him. Your father used his power and saved him. He was a good man.

Io cried, unconsciously hugging the boy. Sean’s mother covered her face with her hands, and Sean himself looked as if he couldn’t remember it.

“You don’t remember because you were knocked back by the force of magic and lost consciousness, and we never told you about it.”

“Then who killed my father?” Io asked.

“The Elders,” he explained, “once it came to light who he was…” Something stopped him from finishing. Io didn’t need any more information.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” said Sean, holding her close. He looked at her parents and said calmly but firmly, “Io is my partner.” Her parents frowned.

“A witch?” her mother blurted out, and Sean growled.

- Io is mine, he growled like an Alpha defending what was his. - Half witch and half wolf, after her grandfather, he explained.

- I’m trying to explain to him that it won’t work out, the girl said, leaning out from behind her boyfriend’s shoulder. - But he won’t listen.

- It won’t be the easiest thing – his father began. And Sean growled again.

- I don’t care how hard it’ll be. You’re mine – he added, kissing her gently on the lips again. – Now come on – he asked. – Thanks for your time, I’ll be in touch – he added to his parents, slamming the door shut.

She followed him.

- Where are you dragging me now? – she asked sadly.

- I wanted to clear things up; now I want to get to know you – he explained, closing the Jeep door again.

When he sat down next to her, he took her hands in his and, looking straight into her eyes, said, “Darling, I’m so sorry about your father and the loss of your mother. Maybe it was meant to be that I found you now, to help you get through this hardest time in your life. I really love you, and I’m sure you know that wolves don’t fall in love every now and then, but rather once in a lifetime. Please let me take care of you.

“Sean…” she began seriously, and he smiled. “What?” she asked.

- I like the way you say my name – he said, kissing her on the lips, and this time she returned the kiss. She felt so good.

- Are you sure? Are you certain we can handle this? – she asked.

- More than anything else in the world – he replied.

They set off, and on the way, Io tried to figure out how to fix everything, how to scare him away, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to leave now. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of her house. Sean opened the door and, just like before, offered her his hand. She took it, and they walked toward the house. Io opened the door and stepped inside; she took a few steps and felt alone. She turned around—the boy was still standing in the doorway.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“This time, I want you to want me to come in. Invite me,” Io smiled and said.

“Please, come in.” Sean bowed slightly and stepped inside. In a second, he was by his partner’s side.

“And now I’d like to give you everything you need,” he said, starting to kiss her neck. His hands gently massaged her back. Io closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her.

“Right now, all I need is you,” she whispered. Sean lifted her up and carried her to the bed.

“And you’ll have all of me,” he promised. Io felt happy. Whatever happened, Io knew they’d make it work

THE END