I Will Not Brew Your Potion

In the seventh year after we fled to the human world, my thirteen-year-old daughter, Thea, was hailed as an international alchemy master.

No matter how complex the formula, Thea could brew an extraordinary potion.

But there was one potion Thea refused to brew: a simple calming potion. She was afraid that if she ever brewed it, she might be tempted to forgive that man.

So, when the man named Kian Vaughn appeared at our doorstep with a legendary "Tear of the Stars," begging Thea to brew that very potion for him, she just calmly shook her head.

"That's not necessary, sir. I don't brew that potion."

Kian's eyes went red. He lunged for Thea's hand, trying to pull her toward the rare ingredients.

"Impossible! Aren't you an alchemy prodigy, Thea? You've always wanted a Tear of the Stars—and I've brought it for you! From now on, just tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you."

Thea coldly pulled her right hand away.

"That's not necessary, sir. I can earn what I need for my ingredients. You should save this for that little pup of yours."

Kian felt his heart plummet. He immediately pulled Thea into his arms.

"What are you talking about, Thea? You're my only child!"

But Thea just gave him a bewildered look.

"Didn't you say Miss Croft's daughter was the only one worthy of being your child? Didn't you give her the Wolf King's Fang Amulet you promised me?"

At this, Thea gave Kian a faint, chilling smile.

"That's fine, Mr. Vaughn. Since you favor Miss Croft, then you should be protecting her child. My mom is all I need."

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1

Kian Vaughn's mind was reeling. No matter how many scenarios he’d imagined, he never expected his daughter, Thea, to be so unflinching.

What he didn't know was that Thea and I had already given him countless chances, but he had chosen to ignore every single one.

In the five years after our bonding ceremony, he had countless opportunities to tell us the truth—that he was the Alpha of the Stone River Pack. But he said nothing.

Every time Thea offered to brew a potion for him, he would brush her off.

"Of course, but I'm short on cash right now. When I have the money, I'll buy you a proper alchemy station."

For five years, I took Thea to the marketplace every day, where we sold enchanted bookmarks just to scrape by.

And he just watched. For five whole years.

Every time we packed up our stall, Thea would ask me, her voice full of hope, "Mom, did we earn enough for the alchemy station? I want to brew a calming potion for Dad. It's the first one I ever learned!"

Each time, I would count the coins in our pouch and shake my head.

"We're still a little short. We'll save a bit more tomorrow. We're almost there."

Finally, in the month before Thea's birthday, as I counted the bag of loose change, my heart leaped. We had enough to buy the cheapest, most basic alchemy station.

But when I took Thea's hand and we arrived at the werewolves' Moonshadow Market, I saw him. Through a scrying pool in the main hall, I saw Kian standing with his ex's daughter, showing blueprints to a master dwarven craftsman.

My hand trembled as I pointed at the gleaming laboratory reflected in the pool. "What is that?" I asked a werewolf beside me.

The werewolf's face was filled with envy. "That's the alchemy laboratory the Alpha of the Vaughn pack ordered. The whole thing is powered by the Heart of the Wolf King. It's worth an entire mine."

An entire mine. In an instant, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

People had hinted that Kian came from a powerful family, but looking at our drafty little house and threadbare furniture, I could never have pictured him as a mighty Alpha.

Looking back, I can only imagine what a trial it must have been for him, enduring that rundown house for five years.

Seeing my silence, Thea asked, "Mom, is Dad a really powerful werewolf? Did he order that alchemy station for me?"

She was too young to grasp the tangled connections between them all. Looking at her simple cotton dress, I opened my mouth, but no words came out.