Star Blessed

Worthwhile

MERIBELLA

"You've not said a word since we left."

Thorne's statement barely registered. Agonizing indecision warred with anger, turning her stomach into a battlefield of glass winged butterflies. To get what she wanted, she would have to betray everything she believed, but to stay true to herself, she had to give up her dream.

"B?"

Blinking, she realized they'd pulled up in front of her cottage. Her friend sat still in the driver's seat, a question painted on her face. "Sorry- it's just-gods, I don't even know."

"Why don't you start with what happened after they kicked me out?"

"Better come on in. This may take a minute."

Once inside, Meribella heated water to make tea, hoping the vanilla and lavender would soothe her nerves. Nerves that only intensified when she opened her refrigerator and spied the large fish taking up most of the space. How was that only this morning?

She set a cup in front of Thorne and wrapped her fingers around her own mug, inhaling the sweet scent before taking a deep sip. Her friend pushed her tea to the side, and placed her palms on the table's surface. "Spill."

"What do you know about werewolves?"

The witch was silent for a moment. "Are they not shifter Fae?"

"That's what I thought too, but no. Werewolves are descended from a group of men called the Brotherhood, men who protected and led their communities by studying and worshipping nature. They learned the magical properties of plants and stones-"

"They sound kind of like sorcerers," Thorne interjected.

Meribella just shrugged. "I guess I don't know much about them, but Alpha Mac said people compared them to Druids."

She let her thoughts wonder back to the small office, where Mac had described the birth of the werewolf:

"Their first leader, Alfric, rescued a wolf pup, and people whispered that the wolf bonded his spirit with him in thanks. He was faster than normal men, stronger, had better eyesight. His sons were given the same gifts, and the Brotherhood became known for their bonds with the wolves.

"When the Uprising began, the Brotherhood aligned themselves with the humans and witches. Alfric was old and frail at this point, but he wanted to fight. His wolf, called Anou, was dying, but he too could feel the call to battle. He told Alfric to kill him, drink of his blood, and he would have the ability to become a wolf at will. He would be a human who could shift."

Mac's eyes had gone unfocused as he spoke. Somehow, his vile nature lessened, his rough edges softened as talked about the beginning of his people.

"Go on," Thorne whispered, enraptured by the tale Meribella was revealing.

"Mac didn't go into a lot of details here, but there were some in the Brotherhood who perverted Anou's sacrifice. They slaughtered their wolf brothers and stole their spirits. When Alfric confronted them, he was murdered. And all of his sons."

"Oh gods."

Meribella sniffled. She and her family had always held the lives of animals in high regard. To kill an animal who had already given so much was beyond abhorrent to her. "Gods is right. After the demons were banished to the Underworld, the goddess Lupa descended to punish the Brotherhood. For the sins of destroying a family, they would never have their own. They would keep their ability to shift, but the wolf inside of them would fight for control, and only human women could bear a child for them."