Page 70 of Ruined Wolfsbane

“Why do you think the wolfsbane won’t kill me if it kills all the other lady wolves?” I ask, feeling the hope of getting out of this alive slipping through my fingers.

“Because you’re the reincarnation of Dido. Did your worthless mother not teach you anything?” Patrick roars in my face. I instinctively flinch back at his anger, tensing for a punch or slap.

When no pain follows, I straighten up and glare at him. “Mama was not worthless! She taught me plenty. She just didn’t spend her time filling my brain with outrageous tales!”

This time he does slap me. My head whips to the side from the force of his blow. The sharp smack makes my cheek throb and aggravates the injury on the back of my head. It takes a few moments for the room to stop spinning.

“Don’t talk back to me, you sniveling little brat!” Patrick screams before attempting to reel his anger back in. He paces back over to the table before turning back to me.

“I think I’d know if I were the reincarnation of Dido. How can you even know she’s reincarnated?” I question. It would be cool if I were, but I’m pretty sure I’m just a regular human that’s gotten mixed up in this.

“You’d know if you had access to your wolf. You don’t. There’s always been speculation that Dido reincarnated. Do you know the true version of the Aeneid where Dido is killed by a potion, not the gods?”

I nod, thinking back to the story Bastian told me.

“I guess your mother did teach you something,” Patrick snarks. I don’t bother to correct him. “Virgil’s version is what the Knights of Aeneas would like everyone to believe. The other one is the true version of events passed down through generations of wolves. Carthage wasn’t a human city. It was a refuge for wolves. Dido was Queen of the Lycans.”

My eyes widen in surprise, but I don’t say anything, too enthralled by the story to speak.

“While all wolves know the story, most don’t know what happened after the mage realized Aeneas had tricked her. When the mage found out she was responsible for Dido dying, she reversed the love spell, but she was unable to heal Dido’s mortal wounds.

“She did, however, offer Dido a choice. The mage could cast a spell to help Dido die quickly, or she could place a reincarnation spell on Dido, allowing Dido to be reborn to get her vengeance on Aeneas.

“With the love spell removed, Dido could think clearly again. In her rage at Aeneas for his duplicity, she chose reincarnation and suffering a painful death. The mage sacrificed her own life to perform the spell. From that day forward, the first female child born to Dido’s line has been her reincarnation.”

“But Dido didn’t have children,” I cut in, confused how the spell could work.

“She did. A girl with her late husband. Dido was pregnant when her brother killed her husband. She hid the pregnancy and her daughter out of fear that Pygmalion would kill the daughter too. After her death, her trusted aides raised her child to be the next queen of Carthage.

“Dido’s daughter and the rest of her line knew of Aeneas’s treachery and Dido’s quest for vengeance. Their pursuit for justice for Aeneas’s cruelty is the reason for the long-standing feud between Carthage and Rome. That and Aeneas’s obsession with finding a way for humans to have magic,” Patrick finishes casually, like he didn’t just tell me one of the wildest stories I’ve ever heard.

I open and close my mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say to that.

“Let’s say I believe you about this whole reincarnation thing,” I start, not convinced he’s telling the truth. Curses and spells seem like make-believe. To be fair, I’d have said the same thing about shifting before Patrick showed me. “If I am Dido’s reincarnation, why don’t I know about it?”

Patrick lets out a long-suffering sigh, like he can’t believe I’m this dense. “It’s been prophesized that one of Dido’s line will be the key to unlocking shifting for female wolves. As such, Dido’s line has been hunted to near extinction. Your mother must not have told you to keep you safe, not that it worked.”

Things click into place as he talks. “That’s why my mom was with you, wasn’t it? You found out about Mama being part of Dido’s line and threatened her, didn’t you?” I ask, voice rising as I finish.

“Ah, so you’re not as much of a moron as you seem. Yes, I did blackmail her. Do you know how much money you’ll make me as the first female wolf to shift in centuries? I already have buyers lined up,” he tells me casually.

I shudder in revulsion at the thought of being sold to someone. The trickle of fear in my chest tries to grow into a raging waterfall, but my grief over my mom smothers anything else I feel.

“If your mother didn’t agree to marry me, I’d reveal to the whole world that you are Dido’s reincarnation. Your mother couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt, so she married me.”

Anger flares bright in my chest. Patrick destroyed mine and my mom’s lives. For what? A slim chance we’d fulfill a prophecy?

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I scream at him from my chair, unable to move my limbs enough to get up. “Did you poison Mama with wolfsbane?”

“I had her drink the potion, yes. Unfortunately, she was too weak to survive. Such a waste,” he says passively, like my mom dying was a mere inconvenience.

I let out a wordless scream full of anger and pain. He killed my mom to cash in on a stupid fucking prophecy that clearly isn’t true anyway. Tears slip down my cheeks as I think about how senseless her death was. If it weren’t for Patrick’s greed, my mom would still be here.

“That’s right. Get angry. It will pull your wolf to the surface.” Patrick’s eyes light with a feverish gleam at the prospect of getting what he wants.

Unfortunately for him, I’m pretty sure I’m dying. My mouth and face are numb and tingly. My heart is beating sluggishly, and my breaths are coming in short pants. My stomach is also cramping, and I feel like I’m going to puke. All sure signs of wolfsbane poisoning.

I can’t help the small smile that plays on my lips. If I’m going to die, at least I can spite Patrick as I go.

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