Aurora's POV
Kael didn't take his eyes off me after that morning in the garden. Not even for a second.
I became his shadow and as always stowed under his arm, perched on his shoulder, curled in his lap, at every meeting, every meal, every minute. It should've felt comforting and safe. But it didn't.
It felt like a cage.
Because while he was holding me tight, something darker was happening all around us, quietly, and deliberately. And I could feel it coming in like smoke through the cracks in the walls.
It didn't take long to show.
I had first noticed this at lunch.
The air was unusually tense. Elara was at Kael's left, acting the perfect hostess, but her gaze followed everyone too closely, especially mine. Liam arrived late, his clothes wrinkled, his smell mixed with something bitter and strange. And then there was her.
That lady who looked very much like Kael. My mind couldn't place who she was.
Yet, I noticed Kael ignore her existence.
She strode into the room as if she owned the estate and dressed in a velvet gown with bright red lipstick.
Every one of her gestures looked fake and her laugh quite reach her eyes.
And the worst part? She stared at Kael and said. "I see your appetite's returned, little brother. I suppose watching a friend come within an inch of death brings you back to your roots."
I stiffened in his lap. Death? Who almost died? What friend? And didn't she just call him her brother?
Kael didn't even flinch. He continued cutting his steak, acting cool and cold like she didn't exist.
"Aren't you going to talk to me?" She asked, her voice tight.
Kael set his fork down, and he spoke calmly. "When are you leaving, Camila?"
Oh, so she was Camila? No wonder they looked alike.
She had come sooner than I had expected or maybe I had calculated wrongly.
But wasn't she supposed to arrive today? Anyways. It doesn't matter.
She blinked, with her fake smile freezing on her face. "When you quit being a child and do what I ask."
He reclined in his chair, his eyes cold as ice. "Take care of your own mess, Camila."
Camila frowned. "Don't be a brat."
Kael responded with a steely stare. "I am not your brother at this moment."
The silence that followed snapped like a whip. Even Liam looked up from his plate.
I sat still, my tail twitching with anxiety.
They didn't seem to have any sibling affection towards each other and they showed it.
Camila came off mostly as a desperate polished charm. And that little glance she stole at Elara?
For a while, I was scared. Everyone was aiming at each other's throat, but the most frightened in the room was Liam.
Later that same afternoon, Kael called another council meeting in his study. I perched on the edge of his desk, pretending to take a nap. But I was focused on every word.
By now I knew a couple of them wanted me dead and gone.
I sensed the tension beneath Liam's smile. I caught the small curl of Elara's fingers as Kael dismissed her suggestion too hastily. And when the council finally broke up, I crept through the gap in the study door.
I was tired of sitting still.
I walked through the manor's halls, as silent as breath, and listened to the murmuring behind doors. They were mostly of no use to me and I left.
Everyone kept saying different things and I got bored even when I caught the maid and one of the pack betas kissing in the store room.
From the east wing, I heard Camila laughing. Surprisingly, she sounded so angelic. It was much different than during lunch.
She was up to something.
That evening, I waited until Kael had fallen asleep — curled on the couch, his arm thrown across the cushions that were where I normally lay.
I slid by him and ghosted down the halls to the garage.
And I saw Camila walking fast and looking around. She kept walking into the woods and turned around again.
I hid and came out when she looked away and got into the driver's seat of a mini truck.
I moved faster and did the only thing the self-respecting magical feline could do. I hopped into the trunk.
It was dark. Cramped. It smelled of perfume and fine leather. I ducked down as the engine roared to life and we pulled away from the estate, into the night.
The ride was winding and I had to stay still, hiding under a blanket that was laid close to a tyre.
A patchwork of gravel and asphalt smeared together as the car sped down country roads. I gripped tighter to the blanket with each turn.
My heart raced. But I didn't move. I needed to know where she was going and what she was hiding.
Eventually, the car slowed. Then stopped.
She got out of the car and I didn't wait. I slipped out before she could see me, my paws soundless on the earth.
Her heels clicked on gravel as she walked ahead into the woods. I trailed on, crawling low in the brush.
But the forest was dense, trees consuming sound and was starting to scare me. One moment she was in front of me, the next moment she disappeared.
Panic flared in my chest. I ran ahead, looking for her scent. But I got nothing.
"God dammit," I said under my breath. "Smart, Aurora. Real smart. Alone. In the woods. As a cat."
Then I heard her. But her voice was different.
"Hey there, little one."
I froze and turned around frightened.
She emerged from between the trees like a specter. She was wearing clothes like every normal person and had pretty slippers on her feet.
Her hair fell in dark waves. Her skin was sort of pale, but shone at every touch of light and her eyes were dark green.
She was as beautiful as a fairy-tale creature.
"Awwn, you poor creature. Are you lost?" she crooned, getting down low. "What are you doing out here?"
I stayed still and my muscles seized.
She reached out slowly, brushing a finger behind my ear. Her touch was gentle. She smelled like lavender and I wanted to sniff her all day. Though, I was still curious about her.
And I had completely lost track of Camila.
"Let's get you warm," she said, rising with a graceful tilt of her head. "My home is not too far from here. Come on, little one. Follow me."
I listened to her soft kisses and wondered how she would feel if she knew I was human. At least technically. I used to be and I hated the annoying kissing, baby sounds she was making at me.
I shouldn't have followed or even let her carry me. Every instinct screamed not to. But I did.
Her house was simple and nestled behind a wall of tangled vines and wild roses. There were beautiful lanterns decorating the front porch. It felt like a Hansel and Gretel story, but I was hoping I'll never have the chance to be imprisoned by a witch.
She took me in, and the sudden warmth enveloped me. It was cozy, and almost top perfect for a house. The shelves on the wall had books filled on every part.
I didn't know why but they intrigued me. I couldn't take my eyes off them. Then I noticed some symbols on the wall. It almost looked like the witch's rune.
Maybe she's a fan of witchcraft. People these days. But wait…I already met a werewolf and his pack and the moon Goddess.
Then, I stopped thinking. What if she was actually a witch?
She set me down on a soft cushion. "There we go," she whispered, brushing leaves from my coat. "You're far from home, aren't you?"
I tried to act cool and meowed. It was low and uncertain.
She gave a small smile. "Hmm…Pretty cat," she said and patted my head.
She took her hand away and continued. "With a human soul. I wonder what you did to make them send you back like this."
Every hair on my body stood on end. My heart stuttered in my chest.
She stared at me, then smiled wider. "Oh, darling," she said softly. "I can always tell. There's something in your eyes."
She turned, pouring dried petals into a kettle. "You're special. Different. Magic."
I didn't answer. Everything started to piece up in my mind and I almost fainted.
Those books…the symbol. Oh no.
"My name's Estelle," she said calmly. "What's yours darling?"
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," she added, glancing over her shoulder. "Not yet."
I crouched lower on the cushion, my eyes scanning the house and her face.
She smiled and it scared me.
Estelle was a witch.
And she knew exactly what I was.
"Oh God. I am so screwed," I murmured and she smiled.
"Come here," Estelle said calmly, stretching her hands out and my eyes widened in horror.