Her mother had never struggled like this. Ever.
“I don’t understand,” Violet finally said, setting the pen she had been holding down onto the journal and forcing herself to sit back in the chair.
Mabel was quiet, not saying anything, but Violet could wait. In the past, her mother’s silence could often break her. How interesting, that the roles were now reversed.
“You never finished your training, Violet, so some things were never revealed to you. You... fought too hard. You never learned to be like all of the elements.”
“Mom, less cryptic, more direct.”
“We don’t control anything, honey. The spells, the magic, all of it... we’re not the directors. We’re the carriers, of a sort. What magic wants to do, it wants to do. And sometimes, yes, it takes our advice, but it never does exactly as we want it to. You demanded too much of it, and every time, magic reared up in your face to make you fear it, to fear what you could not control. What happened at the town line, what happened to the town... All I said, as we left town, was that I hoped we had enough time to get away, before anyone followed. What happened after...”
“Stop,” Violet said, her eyes losing focus on the wall in front of her.
What the hell was her mother saying? The spells, all of it... sure, yes, okay, they would use magic and herbs that didn’t really have powers to help them concentrate, and the words would help them to focus, but it was all just... intention and nothing else? Intention that was controlled by the magic itself?
What the hell were witches even doing?
“So the control that witches say they have over magic, it’s—“
“Violet, this doesn’t mean that we’re like humans. Our blood, it runs with the magic. That’s why we can feel things, why we can sense things. That’s why the magic listens to us, and takes our words and our advice. But it’s… a coaxing. You have to be focused or else the wrong thing might happen.”
“Which is why you always tell me to relax. Which is why you always told me to not be afraid. Which is why you always told me things would only get worse unless I listened to you.”
With each statement, her jaw had tightened, and she gripped the phone harder.
“Violet, I never meant for—“
“What the hell did you ask for, when it came to Henrik and I? There were herbs and rope and candles. What was it all for?”
“A show of things matters, in the right circumstances, because—“
“Oh my spirits. Mom. What were your intentions?”
“Distance. Physical distance. I wanted the pair of you to remain separated until you had finished your training and no longer fought against magic.”
Physical...distance?
Her mother had quite literally manifested physical distance between a wolf shifter and his fated mate, all because she was worried about her daughter, what, falling even more in love with the wolf she was destined to spend her life with? Unbelievable.
“Congratulations, mother. I think you managed that one quite well.”
“Violet, no—“
“You know, for the first time in a long time, I actually want to be a witch. Most of my life, I hated this, hated this responsibility, but I’ve been enjoying this, enjoying being able to help the community, being able to help Garoureve. I felt like I was doing some good to heal the wounds that you created, but—“
“That’s what being a witch is! You’re there to help guide the pack! They can’t listen to the magic like we can!”
“What happened between you and Mr. Reeve, Mom? What was he right about? What were you wrong about? Do you want to tell me that next?”
She received no answer. Only more silence.
“Again, congratulations. You did a phenomenal job at creating physical distance between myself and my mate, because every time we touch, we burn ourselves. Do you know the pain we endure, every second that we are around each other, knowing we can’t touch, that we can’t truly be together? Seriously, amazing.”
“Violet, listen, if you just—“
“No, you listen. The next time I call the coven, it will be to demand answers, and I will have them. But right now, I’m too upset to even talk to you any further, or to organize my thoughts enough to gather a full picture. And until then, I don’t want any of you calling me back. Do you understand?”
Silence, again. She hated the silence.