Chapter 69 - From a witch to a bitch

**Hopes pov**

I squeeze Callums hand as we step up to Zandras door. I’m nervous but I’ve wanted to visit her since we got back yesterday. Of corse she opens before we have the chance to knock.
“ Hope! Finally! Come in.” She stepped aside and let us through.
“I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner, we needed to get the new group settled and I wanted to spend some time with mom, Anna and Thomas.”
“ No need to apologize dear, you are here now. Callum, are you staying?” She looked at Callum who was still standing beside me after I sat down on a chair.
“ No, I promised to show Joe and some of the others the grounds, he wanted to visit the temple as well. But its always nice to see you.” He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek before giving me a kiss goodbye and left.
Zandra sat down, pouring us a cup of coffee. We sat quiet, taking small sips until I decided to break the silence.
“How much do you know?” I ask her. She takes a few more sips before answering
“Some..I know bits and pieces..I know you cross paths with him..with Ambrogio.”
“ I did..he showed up at the cave..Aaylas cave..I went there and I found Joe and the others living there, they had been for years. Then this Tony, short for Antonio showed up, he is a vampire..a trueborn..apparently he likes..our kind and he has been helping them..anyway, he came there to warn them that his father was on his way there, with his girlfriend..” Zandras eyebrows went up, she was really surprised.
“Girlfriend? He has a girlfriend? Another bloodsucker I suppose?” She rolled her eyes at the thought.
“ Actually, no, she is not a vampire..and she is his mate..the Gods answered you prayer.”
“ Not a vampire? A human?..Oh, poor girl..”
“ No, she is a hybrid..half witch, half wolf..” I observe her as I give her my answer, I can see her brain working feverishly with the information given to her. I reach out to Luna. “Can we show her everything instead? Like that live feed thing?”
“Zandra, listen to me..I am going to show you everything..is that ok? But I warn you, it will be emotional so if you want to stop, we stop and take a break ok?”
Zandra rise from the table and goes to her cabin under the sink, I know what she has there..she return and put the bottle beside her, without open it. She light a cigarette and smoked it without saying anything, we just watched the smoke swirling in the air between us. I have never been a smoker myself, but I have never been bothered by those who smoke either, the scent has a calming effect on me. Apparently my dad was a smoker, one of the few things my mom has told me about him.
“Now, I’m ready” She says and put out her cigarette in an ashtray, lean back in her chair, closing her eyes. I mimic her and hand over to Luna. Besides the delicate information it was pretty cool, watching everything Luna showed Zandra..like seeing a movie from my own eyes.
*“ Zandra..my Zandra..”* The emotional look on Ambrosio’s face as he talked about her was probably the thing that made her ask for a break.
She opens the bottle and let it sit for a minute while she gets two glasses and then pour us a glass each. Its red wine and I take a deep sip, watching her, trying to decipher the expressions on her face.
“ She was always a wild one that one..Zara..she use to come here as a child, such a sweet girl, but she never really fit in. That thing she does, when she make other scream in pain, thinking their brains are melting..its her own invention. She saw it in a movie or a tv-series and was hellbent on learning to do it..and she did, unfortunately, she used this pack for her experiments, which meant that she was not welcome back in the end. I still talk to her and I visit her a couple of times a year..She is a talented witch..right between light and dark.” Zandra let her memories flow our link, showing me the young girl. She is sugar-sweet, and she revives a dead mouse in Zandra’s garden.
“Wow, she brought it back from death?” I’m amazed at what I see.
“ Yes..and that is the time I started to worry..that is dark magic.”
“Who was a witch? her mother or her father?”
“ Her father..Zion..her mother Maribelle was a wolf from a lowland pack.”
“ How come she looks so much like you?”
“ Its our gene pool..the light side of our magic shows in our apparent’s..I look a lot like my mother and every light ascendant to me share similar traits.”
“And those who turns dark?”
“ There has only been a few in my bloodline..they look nothing like me..nothing at all.” Seeing her face made me leave the subject alone.
“ Are you ready to continue?” I ask. She takes a deep sip from the wine and again, leans back and close her eyes.

“ He has changed..” Zandra say after seeing all my memories. She dosen’t cry and she dosen’t seem angry. Just full of thoughts.
“ Do you think it has to do with Zara?”
“Maybe..it sure seems to help.. I can't belive they chose her to be his mate..or actually, I can, she was the perfect choice if they want to stop the wars..”
“ Do you think it will?”
“ No..Ambrogio may not start anything, that doesn’t mean his children won’t..or other packs of wolves for that matter..”
“ How do you feel about all of this Zandra?..I mean..I know you hate him and you want him dead.”
She think about her answer for a while before taking out a cigarette, light it and let the smoke fill her lungs.
“ If he being alive can save our people from a early death..then who am I to say anything about it?. Who am I to go against the wish of the Gods?..I will be here the day he dies, even if it is from old age. But, for this to work..for the wars to stop..well, like I said, it dosen’t matter if the two of you have a silent understanding. You have to make sure everybody else is on board.” She fills up our now empty glasses with the rest of the bottle before carrying it to the sink. She stays there, looking at something on the window sill. An old lamp of sorts.
“I never lit it again..after the night I came home and found my parents. That time it showed me a terrible future. This time it might be different, this time the vision might be brighter..” She slowly lets her fingers lightly travel over the thin glass before turning to me with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“ Thank you, for sharing this with me..I think you better get back, you have new people in your pack and a lot of Luna responsibilities. We will continue to talk about the future, but for tonight..well..lets just say its been a lot”
“ Of course Zandra..just promise you will reach out if..if you need anything..or need to talk about thoughts around this..just anything ok?”
“ I promise.” This time the sad smile on her face reached her eyes and she wrapped her arms around me, holding me there for a while.

It was getting dark when I stepped out from Zandras house. No children where on the playground, warm lights came from the windows on the houses around me, it was a calm evening. Suddenly someone is stepping out right in my path, making us almost collide. It only takes a split second for me to identify her.
“ I heard you where back..just couldn’t stay away huh?” Tina throws her hair over her shoulder, looking at me with cold eyes. Luna rises but I tell her I got this, what kind of Luna would I be if I can’t handle a girl like Tina?
“ Tina, nice to see you again..what are you doing here?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“ Looking for you actually..you see, when I heard you left, I knew everything would go back to how it should be..then you came back, I mean seriously..who does that? What kind of Luna leave her pack after a vampire attack in the first place?” She snickers.
“ Well, not that it is any of your business, since you are not part of this pack but it was a little more complicated than that.” I’m trying hard to not let her get to me but she is really really annoying.
“ Sure..anyway, I have these friends, I told them about you..well, first I told a vampire, I thought he could help me get rid of you..but he didn’t..but my new friends, they are very fascinated..your blood apparently kills vampires..you are the ultimate weapon for hunters. And the best part..while they have you, draining you for that poison in your veins, I will be here and glue Callums heart and pack together again.” She smiles, an honest smile, like she is trying to convince me that everything will be ok.. I feel a chill down my spine when I realize how crazy and delusional she actually is. Before I can even answer, I feel two sharp objects penetrate the back of my neck and my field of vision rapidly shrinks. As everything turns black, Luna is sending out a distress call, to everyone and anyone she can reach.
(((HUNTERS!!!)))

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*Author Note: Thank you for reading!
This is my first book and English is not my native language so please leave a kind comment to point out mistakes. (spelling or grammar)
* Make sure to like and please comment on the chapter if you enjoyed it!