Chapter 1: Maeve

I’ve been working for Beta Trevor for three years. Over that time, I’ve created spells and potions to keep his daughter, Gwen, out of trouble and keep his Alpha, Alpha Carter, unaware of what his daughter is really doing. Beta Trevor wants her to be the next Beta and if his Alpha knew what a conniving, manipulative, abusive person she was, he’d either demote her or more likely, he’d banish her from their pack.

It has taken a lot over these three years to keep my family together. Beta Trevor promised me that if I did what he wanted, he’d keep protective services away from me and I’d be able to keep my brother and sister with me. If not, he’d make sure I never saw them again. I have no reason to doubt him. And three years later, I’m finally turning 18. Finally able to petition the courts to become their legal guardian. Of course, that all depends on if I survive.

A year ago, Beta Gwen approached me, wanting her own spell. She insisted that I keep it a secret from her father, also using the only tool the wolves have against me, my family.

Gwen has set her sights on Alpha Richard Holstin, the Alpha of Shadow Falls Pack. He had been in his position as Alpha for nearly a year and in that time, he has yet to take a mate. Gwen has decided that rather than being a Beta, she wants to be a Luna.

When she first approached me, I warned her not to go against the Guardians. Even among witches their power is renowned. We’ve all heard of the vampire war and the hunter war. There are tales of power so strong it’s like a bomb going off and even that Guardians have the ability to raise the dead.

Personally, I would never have willingly gone against them. But I have no choice. I’m all that Meadow and Tate have left. After Beta Trevor killed our parents, I had taken a week trying to figure out what to do. I was only 15, my brother and sister were both so young. I had no idea how to support them, how to keep child protective services from taking them away from me. And the last thing we needed was to be separated. More than ever, we needed each other.

Beta Trevor had disposed of my parents’ bodies, giving me the ashes that he said were theirs as his ‘appreciation’ of me helping him with the potion. I had scrubbed their blood away, Meadow helping me in the end. We had cried, ranting angry tears at the unfairness of life and our hatred of the werewolves that did this to us. We did our best to keep Tate as far away from it as possible, but that was a hopeless dream, since my fear of something bad happening to him forced me to keep him close.

In the end, the three of us sat together, in the back room where the double chocolate chip cookies still sat going stale and talked about it. We decided, as a family, that we would keep the shop open, that would be our income. We’d have to sell the house and for that, I had to create a spell where both Meadow and I looked like our parents. We had signed the documents and put the money into my parents’ bank account. I used the money from the house to purchase a small apartment above the shop.

Meadow and I also decided that we should set up accounts in all of our names, just in case anything ever happened to one of us. Knowing that my life was forfeit if the Guardians ever found out what I was doing for Beta Gwen, I began putting extra money into their accounts every month. I need to know that if, or more accurately when, I am killed, that they will be safe, or at least have enough money to run and hide.

Today, Gwen is back with the items that I told her I needed to finish this spell for her. What she doesn’t know if that I’m putting in a loophole into the spell, a way to break the spell if it doesn’t cast. However, once it is cast, there will be no going back.

“Are you sure you really want to do this?” I ask her for the hundredth time.

“Stop asking me. Just do as you’re told, or I’ll have child services at your house before you can get home tonight.”

I really hope the Guardians never find out about this and if they do, I hope they never find out it was me that helped her. They are powerful allies but even more powerful as enemies.

I stir the contents of my cauldron. Cliché, but there it is. It works great with the humans, they love this shit and willingly give over their money.

I finish the spell, pour the contents into a bottle and stopper it for her. I give her the instructions on what she needs to do.

I watch her walk out of the shop. I have a terrible feeling that all of this is going to come crashing down around me.

I see Meadow pass Gwen on the street, watching her as she goes. Gwen doesn’t even seem to notice Meadow, so excited with her spell.

When Meadow comes in, she looks at me. “So, what did the Bitchy Beta want this time?” She asks.

“She brought me what I needed to finish the spell.” I say, watching as Gwen gets in her car and takes off.

“What personal item did she bring you?” She asks, doing air quotes when she says 'personal item'.

I wrinkle my nose. “His sperm.”

“Ewwww, does she know she has to drink that potion?” Meadow says, making gagging noises.

“She didn’t seem to care.” I tell her, turning my attention to her.

“Meadow, you need to remember what I told you. If this goes badly, and I feel in my gut that it will, you need to take Tate and run. Do you hear me?”

Meadow gives me a long look. We’ve talked about this many times. She doesn’t want to leave me, but we’ve both agreed that we need to protect Tate.

She clenches her teeth before nodding her assent.