CHAPTER 46
"Mother?!"
The dark witch stepped fully into the room, her presence extinguishing the last lingering warmth from the small hearth. The air thinned instantly, turning as cold, as the gray void churning outside the window.
"My sweet, rebellious little bird," the woman whispered. Her voice was like silk sliding over a blade—lighter, sweeter, and far more terrifying than Clara's had ever been.
"You always did have such trouble keeping your pets on their leashes."
Clara's mouth fell open, but no sound came out. She looked frozen in time, her white eyes wide with a soul-crushing recognition.
The powerful, arrogant witch who had spent the evening mocking Isabella was gone, replaced by a trembling girl facing her own creator.
The dark witch turned her head toward Isabella. Even with her eyes hidden beneath the heavy folds of her hood, Isabella felt the weight of a predatory hunger.
