A Witch's Howl

Found

For the past week, I'd been on a rollercoaster of emotions, questioning everything from my morality dabbling in dark magic to the very fabric of reality itself.

Enter Marx, the philosopher who'd been occupying my mind lately. Marx believed our minds were shaped by social and material factors, and truth was objective. Basically, anything could be truth if our minds perceived it as such, influenced by our environment.

"Sarah's doing better," Sebastian interrupts my musings.

"Careful there, buddy. Sounds like you're more into her than me. Don't forget, I've got a mean swing," I tease, giving him a side-eye.

He scrutinizes my face. "That would be quite interesting. What's on your mind?"

"Marx," I reply promptly.

He raises an eyebrow, a hint of jealousy creeping in. "Who's Marx?"

"He's a philosopher," I explain with a smirk.

Sebastian grins. "I can philosophize."

"It's basically a witchcraft thing, babe. Keep up with the times," I retort.

"Why is philosophy tied to witchcraft again?" Sebastian asks, looking genuinely puzzled as he settles onto the couch beside me.

"Because philosophy is all about understanding human nature," I say, rising from the couch. "But I don't need philosophy to tell me Sybil's got something up her sleeve."

"She hasn't bothered us in a while," Sebastian notes.

"Yeah, that's her modus operandi, remember?" I remind him. "It took her six months of scheming before that attack on your pack."

"The one that killed my dad," Sebastian says, the pain evident in his voice.

"That very one," I reply sympathetically. "So yeah, she's probably scared of me to some extent. But that doesn't mean she doesn't hate me too."

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Donny rushes in. "Hey, Lily, Alpha Sebastian!"

"Bestie!" I exclaim, happy to see him.

"You're gonna hate me," Donny says, his expression nervous.

"Why?" I ask, sensing trouble.

"Lily, I need your help," Matilda's voice echoes from behind Donny.

"Absolutely not," I instinctively refuse.

Matilda sighs and approaches, but the dishes start rattling warningly. My temper was already frayed from messing with dark magic.

She halts. "Listen, I'm sorry for—"

"You're really going to apologize now, when you conveniently need something? And then use peer pressure to manipulate me into your unethical behavior?" I lash out angrily.

"This is pointless," Matilda tells Donny.

I glare at Donny. "And you, what kind of friend are you?"

Donny meets my gaze. "Lil, what she did to you was messed up, and even I'm still angry with her. But I've never planned behind your back, especially with her."

"But for once, I think you should hear her out because this is relevant to our investigation," Donny urges.

I sigh, relenting because of Donny's plea. "Fine. What's so important?"

"The whole pack is..." Donny trails off, mimicking snoring.

"Huh?" I'm confused. Matilda looks embarrassed.

"The Dark Shadow pack is asleep," Sebastian clarifies, dialing a number on his phone.

"Matilda?" I turn to her, seeking clarification.