A Wolfgirl’s Pet Witch Ch. 04 (Patreon)

November 10, 2022

NOTE: And I got this chapter edited too. Made some changes based on everyone's feedback in the last one.

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- CHAPTER 4 -

The village hall was a large simple building that served as the covered meeting place whenever a situation arose that required public discussion. In some ways, it was designed like a barn, though it had no doors to cover its three openings on three of its sides, allowing plenty of light inside, and making it feel very much like an outdoor space.

Today, it would be the place of a murderer’s trial.

A woman who had slain a man in cold blood.

Butchered him gruesomely, indirectly framing me for the murder.

But, who would now be punished for her evil deeds.

There was a raised platform toward the back, the straw-littered space not really having any seating, aside from a few wooden chairs that were rarely used. Most people just stood, including those on the podium. However, I fully intended on snagging a couple of those chairs, because I quite literally wanted front row seats to the spectacle about to unfold.

There was already a crowd when Rose and I arrived, with her wearing her leather collar in plain sight as usual, her hand holding onto my arm despite me being the shorter one, even if the difference was only a few inches. She was adorned in a simple navy-blue dress with a brown leather corset wrapped around her waist that complemented her tan skin. Alternatively, I was dressed much more like a boy, simply wearing brown leather trousers and a beige linen tunic. An outfit that I knew would draw everyone’s attention for extremely different reasons.

The women with disdain.

The men with lust.

I at least knew Rose thought my ass looked amazing in leather.

Better than any guy’s ass she’d admired, including Troy, the man she was originally supposed to marry.

It was noisy prior to us entering the village hall, but the loud discussions quieted down much quicker than I was expecting as all eyes focused on us.

“Good afternoon, Lucian,” I greeted the handsome older man, currently standing near the platform, no doubt being expected to testify to his own experience the previous night. “I bet you’re tired,” I added sympathetically, snagging a couple of the chairs tipped on their side out of sight, and then hoisting them above my head with ease as I moved to sit close by.

The crowd on my left, the show on my right.

The well-built codger simply nodded in agreement, seeming a little wary, but speaking nothing of it.

I decided to sit in the chair that would be a little closer to the crowd, to essentially use my physical presence as a shield for Rose, wrapping my arm around her shoulders comfortably, not wanting her to feel overly unshielded from the weight of their gazes.

She’d been alarmed and stressed when I told her what happened, though I couldn’t be certain if that was on her mind now. Her tan skin was still fairly flushed from all our activities this morning. Surprisingly, I had managed to fall asleep after all, just for a few hours, and upon waking up to soft kisses, I’d been a different kind of hungry all morning.

Poor Rose hadn’t even really had breakfast or lunch yet, despite it being afternoon.

Assuming the two carrots I’d fucked her with, and made her eat, didn’t count.

Who knew carrots would become my favorite vegetable?

Rose certainly wasn’t complaining.

But now, it was time to be a little more serious.

Everyone who intended on being here was gathered, and I could hear a group of people walking from the other side of the building, their footsteps slow, with a couple of women sniffling like they’d been crying. Possibly the murderer and a family member.

Hard to say.

Had no idea if the bitch was going to face her trial with a brave face, or try to fake innocence, even despite the evidence against her.

Terryn, my deceased father’s friend, came in first, leading the group. Followed by Dante and Bartolomeu, along with a couple of other men I didn’t recognize. And then, Mr. Fairburne was leading the prisoner in, as another man held onto the wood planks around her neck, tugging on her like a dog on a leash. No sign of any other woman, despite what I’d heard, though someone was shuffling into the crowd of people, as if seeking out a specific individual to stand with.

The murderer’s head and wrists were in a pillory, the wooden boards locking her in place, her hands looking extremely pale, as if the openings for her wrists were far too small even for her. Shame and guilt were in her expression, her eyes averted as a few of them helped her get on stage for all to see, the man tugging on her pillory forcing her to get on her knees before he let go.

No doubt to avoid her trying to run away.

He was really aggressive about it too, almost seeming as if he had an invested interest in the situation. Perhaps he knew the guy who had been killed. Hard to say, since I still didn’t know who the victim was.

The woman was a bit younger than I initially realized though.

Now that I was really looking at her, she couldn’t have been older than early thirties. Easily a decade older than me, but just younger than I initially assumed when we first stumbled upon their house. Her husband was a bit older at least, perhaps in his forties. A decade between them, for sure.

Everyone was already silent thanks to my presence, hardly anyone having spoken up since I arrived with Rose. And if I hadn’t already known that wasn’t normal behavior, then it became really obvious when Bartolomeu focused on everyone in confusion, not having noticed me yet, even though I was in plain sight.

Realizing I should put on a different kind of front, I removed my arm from Rose’s shoulder and crossed them instead, likewise crossing my left leg over my right, getting nice and comfortable, my own expectations plainly visible.

The mayor finally noticed me, my movement catching his eye.

“Oh Ms. Abelson,” he said loudly, using my last name respectfully since we had an audience, giving me an overexaggerated bow. “How nice of you to join us.”

I scoffed, speaking just as loud so that I’d be heard clearly. “I’m not about to sit around and wait to see if this bitch tries to blame me for what happened last night. Not only have I abolished the yearly sacrifices that my grandmother imposed, but I’ve also been awake every night, ensuring there’s no danger, while everyone else in the village sleeps soundly. No way in hell am I going to miss this and chance her tarnishing my reputation.”

Bartolomeu’s expression was tight. Smile forced. “Of course, Ariana the Wolf. I personally would never allow such a thing to happen. Now,” he added, clapping his hands as he focused on the crowd. “I’m sure most of you have heard what transpired last night.” He made a large one-handed gesture to me. “Ariana has so kindly avoided trampling in the fields, and so didn’t immediately notice that someone had been killed so mercilessly in the middle of one. As I know quite a few of you have come to see, what was done to the poor man is a horrid sight. It appears his neck may have been cut, causing him to die quietly, before he was so dreadfully mutilated.”

At that, the woman on trial unexpectedly glanced at me with an intensely pained and almost pleading expression, only to glance away just as fast, her dark blue eyes filling with tears as she focused straight down.

Unfortunately for her, I had no pity for the bitch.

She was actually very pretty, but clearly a sadistic monster on the inside. There would be no sympathy from me.

Her fault for trying to place the blame on me.

The mayor continued. “I will begin by stating my own testament of events, and then the other witnesses will have their turn. Lastly, we will allow Margaret the option to offer a defense, prior to deciding on her punishment.”

Ugh, such an ugly name to go with that pretty face.

“Kill her!” someone unexpectedly yelled out. “She deserves worse!”

“Quiet!” Bartolomeu demanded. “Do not interrupt or you’ll be asked to leave!”

The man didn’t respond.

The mayor continued. “Very simply, as I’m sure you all have heard, Lucian came to get me upon hearing about a murder, and I rushed in the middle of the night to meet up with Dante, Terryn, and Fairburne. I shall not speak of what may have happened prior to that, but Dante quickly led us to Ariana, in her human form. After a short discussion, I asked her if she could track the culprit’s scent. She transformed into the Great White Wolf, and led us to the river, where we surmised that the culprit must have washed off. However, Ariana was able to continue tracking her scent and led us--”

Someone called out again, this time a man, only curious, but interrupting him.

“How did she track a scent that was washed off?”

I scoffed loudly at that, suddenly having everyone’s attention. I almost yelled my response. “You know how bad a wet dog smells, right?” I said, my arms and legs crossed tightly. “Well it’s the same for me, except in reverse. Tracking her down was easier after she got wet. Led me right to her house.”

A few murmurs went through the crowd, but no one responded.

Bartolomeu continued. “And Ariana did lead us directly to her house. We mistakenly thought her husband was the culprit, but Margaret’s soaked clothing was on the washing line. And Ariana confirmed the scent belonged to her.” He paused. “Now, Dante, if you will.”

The well-built middle-aged man nodded and began recounting his version of events, starting with him hearing me whistling to him, which immediately prompted another interruption, just on that part.

My whistle was so loud he heard? Even though he’d apparently stepped indoors?

Realizing they needed an illustration, I rolled my eyes and held my fingers up to my mouth, whistling so loudly for a brief second that a few people slammed their hands over their years.

“Happy now?” I taunted, again eliciting a few murmurs, but no response.

No one questioned Dante again as he spoke of informing Lucian first, before he personally went to wake up Terryn and Mr. Fairburne, who lived fairly close to each other. He then proceeded with a similar account of events, adding a few extra details that the mayor had left out of his account.

The others went then, recounting the exact same events, just different perspectives, until finally there was no one left except for the culprit herself.

Everyone was already quiet, but they got even quieter when Bartolomeu gestured toward the woman on her knees, so disgracefully splayed in front of everyone.

“Now, before Margaret gives her testimony, I should first share that she has admitted to this crime, and is prepared to accept the full consequences of her punishment. Nevertheless, we shall--”

Unexpectedly, someone shouted at the top of their lungs, their voice young and raw, almost breaking as they nearly screamed.

“No!” a young woman cried out. “Just tell them! Tell them the truth!” she pleaded.

Everyone was shocked by the outburst, by the desperation in her tone, and Margaret reacted to it, her dark blue eyes filling with more tears, her face flushing red as she looked like she was about to fall apart.

Bartolomeu quickly hushed the individual, focusing on Margaret.

“Well?” he said simply. Expectantly.

He didn’t even seem to be overly surprised by the outburst, as if he’d anticipated it, seeming to know that it was coming. Or at least that it might come.

I couldn’t help but frown.

The outburst could be sincere, but I had already anticipated a ploy on the culprit’s part to look innocent. To try to explain away how this was really my fault somehow, or how she mysteriously had a good reason for butchering some random guy.

Yet, she didn’t say anything right away.

The aggressive looking man who had dragged her onto the stage finally spoke up then.

“Speak wench,” he snarled, grabbing onto the edge of her pillory roughly, as if he was trying to wake her up.

She gagged as if choking, only to start coughing, prompting the mayor to raise his hand at him to stop.

Once she caught her breath, she finally attempted to speak, her expression intensely pained.

“I…I was planning on having an affair,” she managed, her face turning red with grief, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Someone in the crowd started crying.

Nearly sobbing.

I thought I heard someone fall to their knees, but couldn’t see who it might have been.

“Liar,” the man snarled, only stopping with the one word when the mayor raised his hand, taking a step toward him this time, as a warning.

Margaret continued. “But I…I changed my mind. He was being too rough. He pulled out a knife. Tried to force me.”

“Liar!” the man snapped louder this time, grabbing the wooden planks around her neck and wrist roughly.

Dante immediately stepped in, and pushed him back.

“Leave, if you refuse to be silent,” he demanded. “You know you have no right to be here, under these circumstances.”

The man’s jaw was clenched tight as he took a few steps back, shifting his gaze back toward the woman with spiteful eyes.

But, the woman didn’t continue.

Her face was almost blood red as she visibly tried to hold in a sob, tears streaming silently from her eyes now.

I was biting the inside of my cheek as I stared at her, irritated by this turn of events. She’d still be punished for what she claimed happened, since adultery was still a big deal to these idiots, but it wouldn’t be as severe if she was able to convince everyone it was to protect herself from the guy she butchered.

The mayor cleared his throat. “Margaret, this is the first we are hearing of this,” he said firmly. “Why have you not spoken of this sooner? You’re facing death here, and you’ve neglected to mention this prior to this moment?”

She didn’t respond right away, sniffling as she tried to collect herself, her dark blue eyes darting back and forth as if she was searching for a valid explanation. Her voice was strained. “I…I would rather die than live, and lose everything,” she finally managed. “My husband will leave me. My family will be shamed. My sister…” She couldn’t continue.

Bartolomeu waited for a few seconds, before focusing on me, much to my surprise.

“Ariana, what say you?” he asked seriously.

Dammit.

I grimaced, taking a deep breath. “Well, clearly, it’s either a very clever lie, or a very unfortunate truth. Hard to put a woman to death when she might have actually been the victim here,” I said, just stating the obvious, knowing it was on everyone’s minds.

He nodded, seeming to take that as indication, shifting his gaze back to the crowd.

However, he was wrong.

It wasn’t indication of anything.

I was still pissed.

“However,” I added aggressively, finally standing up without warning, only to jump on the podium with them, causing everyone to freeze solid. “Innocent or not,” I snarled, taking a heavy step forward, aggressively toward her. “She tried to blame me for this murder! By making it look like a beast did it! And that alone is worthy of death in my eyes! I’ve been nothing but good to you people, and this is more than an insult!”

Everyone looked alarmed by my outburst.

By my unexpected rage.

Margaret spoke up immediately, terror lacing her voice.

“I didn’t try to blame you!” she pleaded. “I was just trying to make it look like an animal killed him! I didn’t want anyone to know what happened! Didn’t want anyone to know I was involved. Please! You have to believe me, I never meant to place the blame on you!”

I crossed my arms and glared at her, my eyes flashing gold.

Everyone got real stiff, real fast.

“And how am I supposed to believe you?” I demanded. “Is there anyone here who can vouch for you? Anyone who can testify to your propriety? Anyone who can convince me you’re not a lying bitch?” I snarled.

She immediately hung her head, looking defeated, her entire body shaking.

I assumed because there was no one to vouch for her.

However, then she parted her lips to speak, her tone defeated.

“My…my little sister,” she whispered. “Mabel.”

My body tensed at that.

Mabel?

I knew of a Mabel.

A girl my age, who was exceptionally shy.

To the point that I wasn’t sure I’d heard her speak two words in my entire life, even though I’d crossed paths with her a few dozen times. Granted, now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure I’d really seen her in a while. Not in a few years. Perhaps not since I was much younger.

I had avoided most people for a while now to begin with, especially once I was turned into a werewolf, but even before then, after my father was chosen to be the sacrifice. I also tended to help out with the more laborious jobs, like harvesting the wheat, and while I was sure she probably helped out in her own way, I was around the guys my age more often than the girls.

All I remembered of her was that she was a girl with exceptionally light hair, the color of dried straw, her eyes a light shade of blue.

Unexpectedly, I heard Rose get up behind me, prompting me to focus back at her in surprise.

Her deep brown eyes were searching the crowd.

“Where is she?” Rose finally demanded. “She’s here, isn’t she? I heard her call out earlier.”

I was surprised she was getting involved, but when someone raised their hand -- not the girl in question -- Rose began walking directly into the throng of people, quite a few of them moving to get out of her way as she walked straight over to the woman who had raised her hand.

It was only once enough people had parted that I realized the girl in question was on her knees, her face in her hands, her entire body trembling.

She’d been the one to cry out earlier, begging her sister to just tell the truth, the one who had fallen to their knees sobbing.

Rose crouched over her, speaking to her softly as she laid her hand gently on her back.

Having way more empathy for the girl than I ever could.

“Mabel, you need to speak up for your older sister. This isn’t a jest. Your sister could die today.”

“It was me!” she unexpectedly cried out through her hands, shaking violently. “I was the one who went with him! He was hurting me, and my sister stopped him! It was me,” she sobbed, beginning to wail now.

“Liar!” the aggressive man cried out again, clearly pissed.

Except, I was even more pissed.

And for an entirely different reason.

I bolted off the stage so fast the boards broke underneath my feet, rushing for her with all the delicacy of a stampeding horse, knocking into several people hard enough to throw them off their feet, as I reached the girl, grabbing down at her chest, fistfuls of her dress in my grasp as I hoisted her straight up into the air.

Lifting her off her feet entirely.

“Stop!” Margaret pleaded.

“Ariana?!” Rose said in shock.

My voice exploded out of my throat. “What in the hell is wrong with you?!” I snarled, her blue eyes wide in terror as she stared down at me. To the point that she began pissing herself. I didn’t care. My gold eyes were so bright that they were reflected in her dilated midnight pupils. “Your sister is about to be put to death for murder, and what?! You’re just going to cry like a baby while she accepts a punishment she doesn’t deserve?! So what if that’s humiliating for people to know, is hiding the truth worth your sister’s death?! Stupid twit! I’m about to kill you both for this foolishness! Truly, this is a foolishness that deserves death! Both of you! Even if your sister is punished for adultery, how is that fair to her?! How is it fair she loses her husband, just because you were so selfish to admit what really happened!”

I didn’t realize I was shaking with rage, my thin arms holding the girl almost straight above me, until Rose finally spoke up.

“Ariana,” she pleaded simply.

Grimacing, suspecting she was scared too, I dropped the girl into a heap, the pathetic creature trembling violently in her own piss as if I’d just traumatized her even worse than whatever she may have suffered the previous night.

But I was still angry as hell.

“Shit, this is absurd!” I scoffed, walking back toward the podium, so I didn’t have to barge through the crowd. “Whatever! I’m leaving! Obviously this bitch killed him, one way or another! You can figure out how you want to handle it.” I turned toward the side entrance to leave, my voice still loud as I spoke more to the mayor. “Punish her, don’t punish her, I don’t care. Just so long as everyone knows I wasn’t responsible.” I abruptly stopped at the side entrance, looking back to glare at the crowd again, my eyes still bright, my tone becoming a low hiss. “Just so long as everyone knows you do not want to be on my bad side. And just to make it clear!” I focused on Margaret, the woman staring at me with wide eyes. “Trying to make it look like I killed someone is a great way to earn my ire! Stupid bitch! Next time just slit his throat and report what happened! Damn foolish bitch!”

And with that, I stomped out.

More than ready to be done with this headache.

Rose didn’t follow, but I was fine with that. I knew she would come if I demanded it, but I wanted the villagers to trust her, and witnessing her sincere empathy was one way to help in that endeavor. So she could stay however long she wanted.

As for me, I wanted them to know not to mess with me.

So I had no qualms about my outburst, even after I calmed down.

No qualms at all.

It was not wise to get on my bad side.

And they knew that now.

If they had any doubts, they definitely knew now.

I could be their savior.

Or their worst nightmare.

Their choice.

However, one thing did change after I rinsed off in the river, realizing that the stupid girl had gotten some of her piss on me, and managed to cool down some.

The reason why her older sister would try to lie for her.

More than likely, Mabel wasn’t married yet, and there wasn’t a man around who would take her now. Which meant, it was either Mabel lose her future, or her older sister did. Clearly, Margaret had gone to extremes to try to hide this from everyone, to protect both of them, but in the end, it came down to one or the other.

But now, a worse truth was out.

Mabel was ruined, at least in the eyes of these stupid humans, and her older sister was a butcher of men, something far worse than just a defender of her younger sister.

Everyone who chose to see the mutilated body parts witnessed for themselves what that woman did, and it was disturbing by anyone’s standards. Anyone but mine. Because it was the act of a monster, not a person, even if they were in human skin.

Though again, things did make a little more sense now.

I went back home to wait for Rose, but she didn’t return until after the sun disappeared below the horizon, long enough that I normally would have left for the night. Long enough that I did leave the house, and transformed while I waited out of sight, feeling a little concerned the longer she stayed out.

When I finally spotted her, she looked like she was in a rush to get home, opening the door urgently as she stepped inside.

I’d left a few candles lit for her, and it seemed she assumed I might still be home.

“Ariana? Ariana, I’m so sorry I didn’t come home sooner. Are you…” Her voice trailed off when she began checking all the rooms, realizing I was really gone.

I figured it might be best if we both had a night to put some distance between us and the situation, so that we could speak level-headed about everything tomorrow, in case she didn’t like something I did, so I didn’t plan on answering her call.

However…

Just as I turned to go deeper into the forest, I heard a quiet sniffle.

Dammit.

I didn’t want her to cry.

Quickly turning around, I made a dash for the house, waiting until I was at the porch to shift back into my human form, hearing her gasp when I began stomping up the stairs.

“It’s me!” I called out the moment I opened the door, not wanting to startle her more.

Slamming the door behind me, I rushed forward as she rounded the corner into my arms, hugging me tightly. I turned my face to kiss her on the cheek, just as she seemed to do the same, our lips meeting instead. We shared a really intimate kiss for a few long seconds in the dim candlelight before she pulled away.

She was definitely crying.

“Oh Ariana,” she whispered with a sniffle. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t realize how late it was. I should have come home sooner.”

“I forgive you,” I said sincerely, moving my hand down to grab her ass. “I thought it might be wise to wait until tomorrow to talk anyway.”

She just blinked at me for a second, her face so close to mine. “But why?” she finally managed. “Are you angry at me?”

“Why would I be angry at you? I’m the one who made a big scene.”

“But you didn’t hurt anyone,” she countered, only to grimace. “Well, not seriously, anyway. I guess you hit a few people when you went to grab Mabel, but they’ll live. And I thought maybe you’d be mad I didn’t go with you.”

I gave her ass a tight squeeze, loving the color it made her face. “I may force you to wear a collar, Rose, but I would never force you to wear a leash.”

Her face flushed even more.

My tone became more sultry. “Unless you wanted me to use a leash,” I teased.

“A-Ariana,” she stammered.

I grinned, giving her a quick peck on her full lips, before continuing. “So how did things turn out?” I wondered. “I’m assuming you stayed with Mabel, right?”

“I did,” she admitted, though I was far from surprised. “She’s…well, she’s feeling pretty horrible right now.”

I sighed heavily. “Yeah, I guess it didn’t help that I scared the piss out of her.”

Rose shook her head. “No, she’s actually thankful you yelled at her.”

“She is?” I said in shock.

“Mabel is extremely shy, and she didn’t know what to do, and was just doing what her sister told her. She’s used to her sister being the one to defend her, so all she could do was beg her to just tell them what really happened. But you yelling at her made her realize she should have been the one defending her sister at that point.” She sighed. “It’s just, this is the first time she’s ever been in such a situation, where her sister was the one who needed her help.”

“Stupid girl,” I hissed.

“Please don’t hate her,” Rose said gently. “Getting her to talk at all is like trying to milk a bull.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, well you can sure milk a bull, just won’t get the milk you were hoping for.”

Rose laughed at that. “I love you so much, Ariana.”

I sighed. “I love you too. But what about the sister then?”

Rose took a deep breath. “They’re still debating that. She’s still locked up, and they plan to resume discussing it tomorrow. Might even be a few days before they decide. There are some who think she shouldn’t be punished at all, and others who are pushing for her to get some form of punishment. Mainly the guy’s older brother.”

“The guy on stage?” I assumed, being confident she’d know who I was talking about.

“Yeah, the one who was being rough with her. Normally he’s in charge of dealing with people who break the rules, so it was kind of expected that he would be there, but I guess he was warned not to intervene in the trial, or else he’d be asked to leave.”

I focused on her in shock. “So then, who is watching her right now? Because she might not be alive in the morning if it’s that guy!”

Rose’s deep brown eyes widened in shock. “I don’t think…I mean, that seems extreme, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, well, he might at least rough her up. Because clearly he doesn’t believe her, and she literally chopped his brother up.”

“What should we do?” she asked seriously.

“Do you know where she’s being kept? I’d at least like to check on her.”

“I’ll go too. I’ll show you the way.”

I decided not to argue with her. I’d already spent most of the day away from her, and realized I really wanted her to come with me, if for no other reason than to spend more time with her. Thus, we wasted no time heading back out the door, and stalking through the alleys between houses.

It was rare to have someone commit any kind of serious crime, and even more rare to need to confine someone for any length of time. Usually, if someone got in trouble, then they were given a punishment, such as being strung up, whipped, or both, and then they were released, the punishment alone warning enough to avoid doing anything bad again.

In rare cases, a repeat offender might get a more permanent punishment, such as a thief getting a finger chopped off, followed by their entire hand if they did it again. But it was rare for someone to be put to death, aside from the yearly sacrifices my grandmother had demanded.

Honestly, I almost wondered if that was a reason for the low crime rate, but couldn’t be sure.

I supposed if the crime began to increase over the next few years, then I’d know.

Either way, I personally had no idea where they kept people who needed to be retained, so I was glad Rose knew where to go. Turned out to be a small building next to the mayor’s office, not far from the village hall, a section of the room hosting a large metal cage that had Mr. Fairburne’s blacksmithing work written all over it.

I was relieved to find Lucian at the door, whittling a piece of wood with his knife, the man seeming surprised to have visitors this late. He sat right back down after letting us in, but didn’t resume his whittling.

“Hey gramps,” I said cheerfully. “Glad to see you here.”

His eyes narrowed at that. He was never much for words, but he did respond. “Someone has to watch her. Make sure no one bothers her, at least.”

“She been fed?” I wondered, my tone playful. I enjoyed teasing him.

His eyes narrowed again. “She’s been given food. I’m not going to force her to eat.”

I assumed that meant she wasn’t into the whole ‘eating thing’ right now. I supposed that made sense, given her circumstances. “Mind if I talk with her?” I asked directly.

He focused back down at his wood, his knife beginning to cut into it again.

He was silent for a long few seconds.

No doubt he was well aware that the request was a pretense.

A common courtesy.

I didn’t need to ask permission for anything.

His voice was quiet as he responded. “Just don’t go breaking her out,” he mumbled. “Or hurting her,” he added, as if he wasn’t sure which way I might go.

Freeing her, or punishing her myself.

It was obvious he knew his words were only that -- just words that had no power behind them.

He certainly couldn’t stop me from doing either.

My tone was cheerful. “Nah, you should know me, gramps. I’m too lazy to do anything too crazy.”

His eyes narrowed at that, but he didn’t respond.

I took that as invitation to proceed into the dimly lit room.

Margaret was awake and definitely aware of my presence. Her dark blue eyes were focused on me in the darkness of her makeshift prison. It was obvious she was well aware there was no one to save her if I decided to end her life. The strong older man guarding her certainly wouldn’t be able to stop me.

He probably wouldn’t even try.

Instead just whittling his wood as I slaughtered her in the same room, the old man knowing I’d probably leave him alone at least, if he behaved and ignored me.

Margaret had a cot of hay to sleep on, but otherwise there weren’t any comforts.

I could smell the piss in the bucket in the corner.

“Hi again,” I said cheerfully, moving to have a seat on the ground with my legs crossed, my brown leather trousers creaking from the strain of my strong thighs. “Fancy seeing you here.”

She didn’t respond, clearly not amused.

Rose got down on her knees next to me, sitting on her heels, clearing her throat, her tone much more gentle. “I spent most of the day with Mabel. She’s…well, she’s upset with herself, as you can imagine, but she’s going to be alright.”

Margaret turned her face away, her expression pained, her bottom lip trembling.

I spoke up again, shifting my weight a little as I crossed my arms and sat up straighter, my leather trousers creaking slightly from my movement. “Don’t think she should be upset with herself?” I assumed.

The woman glared at me. “That bastard tried to take advantage of my sister!” she snapped. “And now she’s loathing herself for something that’s not even her fault?! She’s the victim here! Not me! Not him! Her!”

I frowned at that. “Yeah, I guess you have a point.”

She scoffed, looking away again, not responding.

I continued, dropping my arms, my hands in my lap. “Honestly though, this is still really stupid. You should have just slit his throat and then reported what happened. I’d slap you for this foolishness, just to knock some sense into you, but I’m afraid I’d break your neck if I did.”

She shivered at that, growing tense now.

Probably because she knew the metal bars were only keeping her in, but were absolutely not keeping me out.

I continued, my tone more lighthearted. “Maybe next time, just come find me and I’ll hide the body for you.”

She stiffened even more at that, only to glance at me and then at Lucian, who was still just whittling away.

“Ah, don’t worry about gramps. He’s fine. And he knows I’m mostly kidding,” I teased, only for my voice to drop. “Mostly,” I emphasized darkly.

She glanced at me, only to look away again. “Would you really…” Her voice trailed off.

I sighed heavily, reaching over to place my hand on Rose’s thigh, her dark blue dress soft against my touch. “Honestly, I don’t know, since I don’t really know you or your sister very well. But I’m sure we could have at least dealt with all this in secret. Without the whole village finding out. Just the mayor and a few others.”

She scoffed at that. “Everyone would have found out, either way. Nothing stays secret forever. I was trying to protect my sister’s virtue.”

My tone was hard again. “And you think she values that over your life?” I demanded, causing her to flinch. “She’d never forgive herself if you were put to death, and honestly, she’d probably just kill herself if that happened.”

Margaret flinched again, probably because she knew I was right.

I sighed, crossing my arms again tightly over my chest. “This situation is horrible, but how you handled it was just stupid.”

“Yeah, well I’ve never killed anyone before!” she snapped. “I’m not exactly an expert at it. I was just trying to save my sister, and when I realized he was dead, I was trying to hide what I’d done.” Her eyes began filling with tears, and she turned her face away. “Dammit, not that it mattered. Everyone knows now anyway.” She sniffled. “My poor baby sister,” she whispered sincerely.

Rose placed her hand on my shoulder.

I glanced up at her, concerned that she thought I was going to say something insensitive. But she wasn’t looking at me, her eyes full of tears as she stared at Margaret, appearing more like she’d touched me for her own comfort. I sighed heavily, reaching up to cover her hand with mine.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care, or want to care.

I just wasn’t very empathetic anymore.

Not after becoming a werewolf, and not after a year and a half of my grandmother training me to show no mercy. Although, I did feel like I cared at least a little. I just wasn’t going to cry over it, was all.

But I was fine being here for Rose.

Fine with showing concern for her at least.

I took a deep breath, deciding to shift subjects a little. “So has anyone touched you inappropriately since you got caught?”

Margaret glanced at me in surprise. “N-No,” she stammered.

“You don’t sound too certain of that,” I pointed out.

“Well, I didn’t much like being in your mouth!” she snapped. “Or under your paw!”

I stared at her in surprise, only to laugh. “Just be glad I care about my reputation,” I chuckled.

Her voice was strained. “Would you have really killed me?”

I frowned at her, my expression dark. “I was very angry to find that mess you left. Pissed that I might be blamed for it.” I forced my tone to become lighter. “But no, I don’t think I would have found a good reason to kill you. Not when I knew the humans would deal with it.”

She shivered at my use of the word ‘human,’ not responding.

I continued. “So then, aside from me, no one has touched you inappropriately?”

She scoffed. “Honestly, I’m shocked you even care.”

“Will you just answer the damn question,” I snapped.

She sighed heavily. “No. No one has even so much as struck me, let alone touched me in a way I could complain about. Not yet, at least.”

I figured she was referring to the possibility of getting whipped as a punishment.

Hard enough to leave scars on her body for the rest of her life.

I took a deep breath, making a decision. “I’ll talk to the mayor and see if I can convince him to let me be responsible for your punishment.”

Margaret focused on me in alarm. “What will you do to me?” she asked in concern.

I frowned. “Probably make you be my servant for a few months. Make you clean our house, maybe pull weeds. Stuff like that.”

“Ariana,” Rose said in disbelief. “I don’t mind doing those things.”

I focused on her in surprise, hoping she didn’t think I was planning on making them my pets, since that wasn’t my intention at all.

I only wanted one person, my pet witch, and by no means would I become just another version of the nightmare they endured the previous night.

I might put in the effort to teach the sisters some basic life lessons, maybe humiliate them a little to teach them those lessons, but that was it.

I sighed. “I’m trying to avoid her getting strung up and whipped, Rose. Better for you to make her get on her hands and knees, and serve as your chair, than the alternative. At least this way, she won’t have any permanent scarring.” I shifted my focus back to the woman when I saw that Rose understood my intention now. “Which would you prefer? I’ll probably have to figure out ways to make it a punishment, but I promise not to physically harm you, at least.” I paused. “Although, it will be like being in here, in this cage. No seeing your husband during that time. It is supposed to be a punishment, after all.”

She didn’t respond for a long few seconds. “W-What about my sister?” she finally whispered. “Can I see her?”

I shrugged. “Rose is friends with her, so if she happens to invite her over, then who am I to deny her that?” My tone became more firm. “Honestly, I realize what happened is horrible, but I’m seriously considering putting a collar on her and training her like a dog to open that damn mouth of hers and speak.” I scoffed. “Starting with barking, since apparently she can’t even do that, it seems.”

Margaret grimaced, her expression giving me the impression that she thought I was kidding. “She…She was just doing what I told her.”

“Yeah, except she’s old enough to wed, and can’t even speak up to tell a man that she’s not interested. Honestly, her timid attitude has always been a disaster waiting to happen. It finally just happened in the worst way possible. Even most shy girls can at least speak up when they don’t want something.”

Her grimaced deepened, not arguing with me.

I sighed. “So what will it be? Your punishment in my hands, as servitude? Or your punishment in their hands, as whipping?”

Her expression pained. “If they knew I had a preference, doubtful they would agree to it.”

I scoffed. “Only four people will be aware of your preference. And I trust Lucian to not gossip like an old woman.”

The man scoffed at that, causing me to grin.

I really loved teasing him.

Margaret glanced at the good-looking codger, and then sighed. “I would prefer to avoid the whipping,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be scarred for the rest of my life.”

I abruptly stood up, surprising my pet witch, who looked up at me in confusion. “Great. Then I’ll go find the mayor and talk to him now, just to make sure my position is clear. Let’s go, Rose.”

“Oh, umm, okay,” she managed as I tugged her to her feet, seeming flustered by our unexpected departure.

As we went to leave, I stopped in front of Lucian, noting that he was still just aimlessly cutting the piece of wood in his hands. He looked good in his linen tunic, his muscles bulging even though he was completely relaxed. The only real sign of his age was in his graying hair and wrinkles in his handsome face.

I grinned at him. “You ever make anything? Or you just like to whittle until there’s nothing left?”

He gave me an uncomfortable glance, not responding.

I was confused by the look, only for my eyes to widen when he reached into his pocket and pulled out something small, holding it out to me. I could see a thin leather strap, but nothing else as I held out both of my small hands for him to place whatever he had in them.

I then stared at the chiseled and polished piece of wood in my grasp, just stunned by how nice it looked.

I’d just been teasing him, but this piece was really pretty.

And clearly, he had made it for me, though I realized he’d been exceptionally hesitant to actually give it to me.

A polished wolf’s head, just a little smaller than my palm.

The pointed ear carefully carved with a hole just big enough to attach the delicate leather strap.

“Is this for me?” I said in surprise, not having anticipated receiving a gift, wondering how many hours, and perhaps how many tries, it had taken him to make it look so beautiful.

He grunted, going back to his whittling, looking embarrassed now. “Not like you can actually wear it. You get so much larger when you transform that you’d lose it the moment you did.”

I was completely stunned. “Yeah, well, I try not to tear my clothes off every time. I can take this off when I strip naked.” Holding onto the strap, I let the wooden wolf hang for a second, before slipping it over my head, the strap just large enough to comfortably get it around my neck. “Thank you,” I then whispered sincerely, focusing down at the pretty piece in my grasp. I then grinned at him. “If I had a thing for men, then this would have totally won my heart over. It’s so sweet of you.”

Lucian’s face flushed slightly, only for his eyes to dart to my face in surprise as he fully registered my words, followed by them widening slightly as they darted to Rose’s face, shifting downward to her leather collar. He then immediately returned his focus to his whittling, completely composed.

Outwardly, at least.

His heart was racing now.

I tried not to laugh, a big grin on my face. “Aww, you’re cute for an old man. I’ll cherish this gift forever,” I added, abruptly leaning toward him to give him a brief hug.

He tensed as I wrapped my arms around his neck, not budging so much as an inch as I teased him a little with the warmth of my body, before pulling away with a satisfied smile.

“Be nice to my prisoner,” I said cheerfully as I grabbed Rose’s hand and opened the door, my tone dropping a little. “The Wolf likes it when you take good care of her friends.”

Lucian didn’t respond, still tense after my hug, his hands not resuming his whittling as the door closed behind us.

I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself in amusement.

Nothing had turned out how I expected it to, but I was still looking forward to having my fun.

Fun with the men who all seemed to fancy me and were just begging to be teased.

Fun with the woman who needed to be punished for causing me problems.

And fun with the younger sister who needed to learn to speak up for herself when it mattered.

I’d still make Rose my priority, but when I wasn’t spending time with my only lover, I had a lot of other things to keep me busy. New tasks to keep me entertained, new things that would be fun.

Who knew the entire village would become my new playground?

Either way, I was in a good mood as I intertwined my fingers with Rose’s and led her into the darkness of the nearest alleyway.

I still planned on seeing the mayor soon, but I first wanted to take care of the excitement that had formed in the pit of my stomach.

And I knew my pet witch would be more than happy to comply.

FEEDBACK: Thoughts on this chapter? What did you like? Dislike?

Trying to balance Ariana being a monster and her also being at least somewhat empathetic.

Chapter 5 >>