Chapter 92: An Invitation to Heal
**Thelma Zane’s POV:**
It was clear to me that Dorothy couldn’t continue living in that house. The walls of her home bore witness to too much pain, a space incapable of offering her solace or a proper
environment to grow and learn. She deserved better–something brighter, safer, and full of opportunity.
The palace had more than enough empty rooms, didn’t it?
With care,
I broached the idea. “Dorothy, have you ever thought about moving to the palace? You could stay with me. There’s no one my age there, and honestly, I’m bored to death. If you moved in, we could go to school together, train together–it would be so much fun. What do you think?”
Dorothy raised an eyebrow, seeing right through my thinly veiled suggestion. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she said, “You can just say it, Thelma. This house isn’t fit for anyone to live in.”
Caught, I gave a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to sound too harsh.”
Dorothy shrugged, her smile lingering.
I half expected her to refuse. Dorothy was independent, shy, and often resolved her problems alone. But instead, she surprised me.
“Would your parents–the Lycan King and Queen–be okay with that?” she asked. “The palace is a highly secure place. I doubt they’d want someone like me staying there as a guest.”
It wasn’t a no.
“Don’t worry,” I said quickly. “They like you, Dorothy. They trust you. I wouldn’t even need to convince them! If you agreed to move in, I bet my mother would have Kara kick
me out of my room just to give you the most comfortable one!
Dorothy pretended to consider this, a mischievous glint in her eye. “If that’s the case, maybe I shouldn’t accept your invitation. I wouldn’t want to ruin Miss Thelma’s unique and noble status in the Queen’s heart.”
-Laughing, I tackled her playfully and wrapped my arms around her waist. “You’re not getting out of this, Dorothy. You *have* to move into the palace. That’s an order from the noble Miss. Thelma!”
Still laughing, Dorothy relented. “Since it’s an order, how can I refuse?”
And just like that, Dorothy became the first permanent guest of the royal palace.
When I approached my parents with the idea, they agreed almost instantly. I suspected they
had already looked into Dorothy’s background and history, though they never mentioned it to
- me.
Sometimes, they still treated me like a chilld. Did they really think I would go to Dorothy’s house and stir up trouble without understanding the gravity of the situation?
While helping Dorothy set up her new room, I shared my suspicion with her.
“I have to admit, my parents are clever,” I said, adjusting the curtains. “I bet they knew everything about your family the moment they heard your name.”
Dorothy was arranging her books, her focus unwavering. “They’re wise,” she said lightly.” After all, they’ve had to make decisions for an entire kingdom. Besides,” she added with a wry smile, “your first encounter with my grandmother was… memorable.”
“She provoked me first,” I muttered, thinking of the wild woman my mother had arranged to be taken care of elsewhere. “She’s unstable, and it wasn’t my fault.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t your fault,” Dorothy said.
For a moment, she grew quiet, her hands still as she stared at the shelf in front of her. It was as if she was looking beyond it, lost in thought.
“When I was little, I hated my grandmother,” she began, her voice soft but steady. “She didn’t. starve me, and she did raise me, but I still hated her. Every time she burned me with silver, yelled at me for no reason, or tossed out my things like trash, I wished she would just disappear.”
Her words cut through the air like a blade, raw and unfiltered.
“But then,” she continued, “I’d feel guilty. She raised me, didn’t she? Isn’t the debt of raising someone greater than any grievance? And didn’t she have her reasons for the things she did?
She paused, taking a deep breath. “I spent my entire childhood and adolescence torn between these two feelings–resentment and guilt. They were like two warring forces in my mind, constantly battling each other. Sometimes, I thought I might be going mad, arguing with myself like a person with two minds.”
I stepped closer and hugged her gently, hoping to lend her strength.
Dorothy gave a faint laugh, though it lacked humpr.
“I struggled with these feelings until the day my bloodline awakened,” she said. “The shift happened, and my abilities as a witch surfaced alongside my wolf. I became a wolf with sorcery –or maybe a witch with a wolf. Either way, it only made things more complicated.”
She leaned her head on my shoulder, her voice growing quieter.
“For a long time, I didn’t know what to do. But then the Lycan King appeared, and then you appeared. Suddenly, my world expanded. I began earning witchcraft, stepping into my
Chaper 92 An invitation to Heal
potential as a prophet witch, and even participating in missions to protect the kingdom. I started to see the bigger picture, to understand that the world wasn’t as small or as simple as I had believed.”
She smiled faintly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “I realized I didn’t have to make life harder for myself. I could listen to my heart, choose my path, and believe in both the Moon Goddess and the Goddess of Fate. I could be both wolf and witch.”
She fell silent for a moment, then chuckled softly
“The only unresolved issue is my grandmother” she said. “She hurt me, yes. But now I see that she’s been hurting for a long time, too.”
Her expression grew serious, her voice resolute. That doesn’t excuse her actions. She suffered, but that was never a reason to inflict suffering on me. I understand that now.”
I held her closer, pride swelling in my chest. Dorothy had endured so much, yet she had emerged stronger, ready to embrace her identity and face her future.
In that moment, I knew her decision to move to the palace wasn’t just about leaving a painful past behind. It was about stepping into a new chapter of her life, one where she could finally heal and grow.
