Page 15 of Cursed Wolfsbane

Uncle Vale comes to a stop on the grassy area in front of the wall Bastian and I watched the sunrise from. The grass is a vibrant green, loving the cold, wet weather as much as I do.

“I’m going to give you the command to shift, Briar. It might feel unnatural at first, but you should get the hang of it pretty quickly. You’ve always been a fast learner. Once I’ve had you shift back and forth a few times, you’ll try on your own. Sound good?” Uncle Vale moves to the center of the grass and gestures for me to come over to him.

“Sure,” I agree as I walk toward him. I know, oh, somewhere between nothing and jack shit about shifting. I’m happy to go along with whatever he thinks is best.

“It’s not going to work, Dad. Briar doesn’t respond to alpha commands,” Malachi chimes in.

Uncle Vale laughs. “You’re powerful, son. But you’re still a developing alpha. I’m very confident my command will work.”

Malachi looks skeptical but doesn’t disagree. He, his brothers, and Aunt Abbie all sit on the wall to watch us. I feel like I’m on display but try not to let it get to me.

Once I’m in front of Uncle Vale, he tells me, “Shift.” His words reverberate through me. A shiver shakes along my spine from the unpleasant sensation. Other than my skin crawling, nothing happens. His brows lower in confusion as he watches me. He tries again. “Shift.”

Something perks up in my chest at Uncle Vale’s command. It feels… old, somehow. Far older than I am. It seems to stretch in my chest and sends warmth flowing through my limbs. Everything feels warmed up, like I just took an easy jog. I’m alert and ready for something. What that is? I don’t know.

“For everything Evangeline said about him, I expected him to be more intelligent than this.”Dido’s voice drips with disapproval.

I choke on my laugh. Uncle Vale raises an eyebrow at me in question, but I just shake my head. Closing my eyes, I ask,What’s he doing wrong?

“He’s antagonizing your wolf, who is much more powerful than he could ever hope to be. She and I have little tolerance for being ordered around. Tell him to cease, or we will make him stop.”

My eyebrows rise at Dido’s threat. I guess Uncle Vale pissed her off. I’m super glad I’m not him right now. Angering a millennia-old queen is pretty low on my list of to-dos. “My wolfwould like you to stop alpha commanding me. She said she’ll make you stop if you don’t.”

“Your wolf?” Uncle Vale tilts his head in confusion.

That’s right. Apparently, my wolf is unique—at least according to Patrick. They probably don’t have an ancient badass for a wolf. “Yeah. Dido, the Queen of the Phoenicians, is my wolf,” I answer him casually.

“It’s true,” Uncle Vale breathes, the words scarcely audible.

“Oh, holy fuck! What? How?” Bastian exclaims at the same time.

Uncle Vale scrubs one hand over his face. He explains before I can. “Briar’s a direct descendent of Dido. There’s historical evidence that Dido was reincarnated into her descendants. It’s been generations since anyone has confirmed it firsthand since females haven’t been able to shift for a while. As the firstborn daughter, Briar is the one who would have Dido as her wolf. Evie said this was possible, but we were never sure. How certain are you that your wolf is Dido, Briar?”

“I’m pretty sure. She talks to me and calls herself Dido. I also met her in my dream after Patrick almost killed me. Mama was there too.” My breath hitches at thoughts of my mom. I rub my breastbone absentmindedly as I try not to drown in missing her. Life is so much better than it was even a few weeks ago. Yet, missing my mom still feels like a gaping wound in my chest.

“She can talk to you?” Uncle Vale’s voice is full of awe.

My forehead scrunches in confusion. “Yeah. Can’t your wolf talk to you?”

His lips tilt up in a small smile. “No, Bee, our wolves can’t speak to us. Mine and Kai’s wolf can communicate feelings to us since we’re alphas, but they still don’t actually talk to us. Anyone who isn’t an alpha doesn’t get any communication from their wolves. The average wolf is just another side to its shifter counterpart.”

“Huh. How do you ask them to do stuff for you, then?” I wonder if they have to play Pictionary or charades with their wolves. I can’t decide if that’d be fun or annoying.

“We don’t,” Malachi cuts in. “We have to pull power from the magic provided by our wolf. Part of learning how to shift is learning how to shape the magic.”

“Oh,” I mutter intelligently.

“Since alpha commands don’t work, can you ask your wolf to shift, Briar?” Uncle Vale asks me.

I give him a nod.Can we shift now?

“Yes, child. Close your eyes. Search deep inside yourself for your wolf and your magic.”I do as Dido tells me to. With my eyes squeezed tightly shut, I hunt for my magic. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be looking for until I spot a bright blue flame flickering in the middle of the complete darkness of my mind.“Now grab that flame and pull it to you, all while thinking about transforming into a wolf.”

Taking a deep breath, I reach for the flame in my mind. I expect to get burned, but all I feel is a gentle warmth surrounding me. Picturing my black wolf in all her fluffy glory, I hold that image until I feel like I’m free-falling.

Instinctively, I want to let go of the magic and brace myself for hitting the ground. Hoping Dido won’t let me fall on my face, I keep holding on to the magic. When I stop falling, I hesitantly peek one eye open. Glancing down, I see that my legs are covered in black fur, and I have paws instead of feet.

A huge smile breaks out across my face, which probably looks terrifying with all my sharp wolfie teeth. I shifted on my own—well, with a little help from Dido. But mostly on my own. I’m totally getting the hang of this.

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