[Stephanie]
I didn't know what to say when I reunited with my mother, whom I hadn't seen in 18 years. But the tears flowing from my eyes and the tightness in my throat already responded for me.
It took me a long time to swallow the lump in my throat and call her "Mom."
"Steph, look at you. You've become so strong and beautiful." Mom let go of me and touched my face with her small hands, wiping the tears on my face. Her tear-washed eyes' were brighter.
I smiled at her and brushed her tears with my fingers. But I was more concerned about her appearance, "Mom, why are you in this state? Are you hurt?"
Mom shook her head and said, "I'm fine. It's temporary. When I get my magic back, I'll be back to normal."
"Where have you been for so long? Why did you become Witch Lassie? By the way, Patrick is now in a coma from poisoning. Art said you protected Pat's soul. How is he now? Father misses you so much. Have you told him you're back? And who is Gavin? And..." A million more questions were stored in my head. However, my mother's warm fingers on my lips stopped me from asking more questions.
"I know, I know. Sweetie, relax. I know you have tons of questions. I'll answer every one of them. Pat is safe now, and he's in the next room." Mom stroked my hair, gently reassuring me, although she now sounded like a little girl coaxing her toy doll as she spoke to me.
I surveyed the room's decor, a white ceiling, a hospital bed, and an empty vase on a white round table. This was in the pack hospital house, not my room. The electronic clock above the bed said it was 10:00 a.m. on July 28.
Wait, I slept for almost four days?
"Well, technically, our souls were swapped for 4 days. In other words, I have been in your body for 4 days." Rose suddenly spoke.
"Rose, what happened? Why did our souls swap?" I asked Rose. I asked Rose. Unexpectedly, I just had sex with Arthur and fell into a deep sleep. My body was occupied by my wolf's soul.
But after my question was thrown to Rose, my mind automatically helped me remember what all happened when Rose was in my body.
She frantically enjoyed Mrs. Grete's dinner and breakfast, scaring Mrs. Grete and Lily.
After my father learned the truth, she burped loudly and waved her hand to my father, who was too shocked to speak. She told my father, "Eric, don't worry, Arthur will find a way to fix it." Then she was back in my bedroom and fell asleep.
After breakfast the next morning, Arthur warned her not to wander off, and that Witch Lassie would come over immediately. Nevertheless, she seemed to have had enough of Mrs. Grete's food. Before lunch, Rose snuck out of the packhouse and dashed into Jenny's Kitchen, where she ordered a BBQ Spare Ribs, a side of fries, and a pan of fried chicken. When Arthur and my father approached her, she ordered an extra serving of handmade ice cream.
After meeting Arthur's Beta Chris, she put her arm around the middle-aged man's shoulders and smelled his mouth. The first thing she said to him was, "Hey, kid, you smell like chocolate doughnuts. Do you still have any left?" Chris' wide-eyed gray-blue eyes did a good job of showing his surprise and fear of 'me.' Then she was dragged away by Arthur.
After Witch Lassie, aka my mom, showed up, she held a bucket of popcorn and laughed at Lassie for being a little gnome. Then she asked Lassie when to make the roast chicken.
Lassie gathered Rose, Arthur, and my father in the study. She revealed that Patrick and I had half magical blood inside us and that she had been hunted by the dark wizard Gavin for many years after getting Phoenix blood in her last life. She had to frequently change her appearance and the scent of her body. Later, she chose to work in a bar deep in the Devil's Forest and secretly protect Patrick and me.
When she heard the bar in Demon Forest, Rose, who had been drowsy, immediately lifted her spirits and begged Lassie to make a roast chicken for her.
After Lassie agreed, she added that she guessed Gavin had come to the Demon Forest Pack when Carl tried to ask her if she could enchant a silver weapon. She had to leave temporarily to hide in a nearby human town until the day Patrick was killed.
Rose yawned and fell asleep on the table.
She sneaked out of the packhouse again and picked a random pack member-Kane's house when she woke up. She knocked on the window of his house and asked them loudly, "What are you having for dinner today?" Then, as expected, she was invited into the house by Kane's mom to join them for dinner until my parents and Arthur found her. Before she left, she took a jar of Kane's mom's homemade blueberry jam.
I almost freaked out when I recalled this. Because most of what was kept in my head were memories of eating, snacking, and sleeping that was useless. The most useful information was that my mom was a witch. Patrick and I were half magical. My mom really did work at the Demon Forest Pack's bar in my previous life to protect Patrick and me.
When Lassie narrated what happened the day Patrick died, which was what I desperately longed to know, Rose fell asleep. It was like the movie was about to get to the best part when the theater informed me it was closing.
Seriously? So, my wolf in my body would only eat and sleep.
The next second, another memory popped up.
"Rose, I have put Pat's soul back into his current physical body. If all goes well, he will awaken the magic power hidden inside him after getting the memories of his last life. He and Steph will influence each other, as they are twins and have the closest blood ties. If Patrick awakens to magical powers, she will also do so. I will use the power generated when she awakens to get Steph and your soul swapped back. So, I had to use magic to make Steph's body enter deep sleep." Lassie was explaining to Rose.
She was standing on the table with a very old book. Papers were scattered around her feet with patterns and characters that I couldn't understand.
"I can't understand it. What do you need me to do?" Rose tossed the gnawed clean bones back onto her plate. A plate of chicken bones was in front of her, and I guessed it was the roast chicken Lassie had made for her.
"You don't need to do anything. after Steph's body enters deep sleep, your soul will enter a dormant period. Whether or not you wake up depends on when Steph's soul wakes up." Arthur said, with more dark circles under his eyes, looking as if Rose had exhausted him.
"If everything doesn't go well, will I have to live in her body for the rest of my life?" Rose asked, sounding like a joke.
"No. No such ifs." Arthur said coldly, his eyebrows furrowed together because he was unhappy with Rose's joke.
Rose rolled her eyes, not daring to contradict him as well. It looked like her relationship with Arthur had gotten worse.
My father patted Arthur's shoulder, but the look in his eyes and his sigh implied that he was also worried about this 'if' coming true.
"If it all goes badly, Pat will take weeks or months to awaken. That would also mean I would keep Steph's body in a constant deep sleep state." Lassie said, her childish face really not suited for the worried expression of an adult-like frown.
"Then why are you guys telling me? Can't you just use magic on Steph's body?" Rose asked.
"Steph's body has the magic clan's blood. If you were to apply a spell directly to her, it wouldn't work unless she was completely defenseless or completely willing to accept it. Now that you're in control of her body, I need your full consent." Lassie said.
"Okay! I agree." Rose shrugged and agreed with absolutely no hesitation.
Arthur and my father looked at each other, both surprised at Rose's response.
I could probably guess the reason for their surprise. Rose loved human food, and if she wanted, she could have used my body forever to enjoy the food she loved. But now, she chose to risk the possibility of a long hibernation by returning my body to me and being my wolf.
"Do you have any conditions?" Lassie didn't act surprised but calmly asked Rose if she had any other requests.
"Come on! Promise one thing and ask for something in return? Don't imagine me as complicated as you human beings. " Rose waved her hand, stood up, and stretched, "Besides, I've had the best roast chicken. Mrs. Grete's fried meatballs are amazing. And Mrs. Watts' creamy gumbo is delicious. I am delighted today."