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The next few days proved very busy, but while I was relieved to have my siblings home and safe, I was also sad when it transpired Sienna's mind had indeed been broken by Wanda in a final act of spite. Therefore, our oldest sister had to spend the rest of her life in a secure facility, but on the plus side, the people running the facility knew what they were about when it came to victims of mind control, and they assured us Sienna would get the absolute best protection and care in the world.
Wanda was removed to a facility as far away from Sienna's as possible, and while she was now reduced to the mentality of a toddler, the people there were understandably stricter; they had a high rate of mind-broken offenders often leaving one last nasty tangle in the works of their ruined minds that could resurface after years of dormancy, and each staff member had been trained extensively in how to counter those dormant tangles and bring them to heel before they became a Real Problem. Therefore, Wanda was never left alone for an instant, and each staff member assigned to her care were on constant vigil, never letting their guard down for a second. There was the possibility Wanda's mind wasn't as broken as she'd have us believe, and I lived on edge for the next few months, fearing a resurgence of her nastiness.
In the end, I had nothing to worry about; Wanda died in June of natural causes, and her spirit and that of her wolf were scattered to the four winds so she couldn't find and take control of Sienna again. Once she'd crossed the Wheel to face judgment, we all breathed a sigh of relief, only to have that relief turn to shock and sorrow when Sienna died only hours after Wanda's final crossing, and we were all horrified to learn just how deep Wanda's spite ran. Her nasty tangle had in fact been well hidden inside Sienna's mind, and, rather than suffer her oldest grandchild to go free, she'd elected instead to take Sienna with her. But the staff at Sienna's facility were well trained in these sorts of spiteful tricks, and, with the consent of Sienna's heartbroken familiar, the staff scattered her soul to the four winds to ensure Wanda could never get a hold of her in the afterlife. Blackjack then departed, presumably to go back to the same realm Whisper had come from, and we were all very heartbroken and bitterly angry at Wanda for being such a spiteful cow. 134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGqhRyc3XB
Joanna's twins were born some time after, and we all kept a close eye on them to make sure Wanda hadn't planted anything in them that would see them taken from us before they could even draw their first breath. Mercifully, Sebastian and Nikita were free of any traps their great-grandmother might have woven for them, and as they grew older, it became clear they were destined for each other. Even so, it fell to their mother to give them The Talk when they were old enough to understand such things, letting them know they were free to love each other as much as they wished, whether it be as siblings or mates. The twins took this on board, but when they turned sixteen, they couldn't choose anyone else, and we all backed their relationship 100% 134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH58bj5UBK5
Zach and I had had a good long talk about these matters once things with Sienna and Wanda had been sorted, and we agreed that we'd grown too much for our childhood bond to have any real effect on our feelings for each other. Roger, who'd been as unwitting a pawn in the whole Wanda affair as his son-in-law, offered him the chance to make a future with one of his other daughters, and Zach chose Honey, who, like the rest of her siblings, was as nice as Sienna hadn't been. It had transpired, furthermore, that Sienna had been as rotten to the core as we'd all believed, and Wanda had exacerbated these traits. The rest of her siblings were as lovely as Sienna had been rotten, so I was very pleased when Zach and Honey tied the knot not long after their niece and nephew tied their own knot. 134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YKCU2euOz
I myself had decided to stay single, instead opting to travel the world, but while the travel was amazing, I always ended up getting a wee bit homesick, and before long, I'd be back in Reading to spend time with the family, and to watch as my nieces and nephews grew up and had cubs of their own. My parents never pushed me to try and find a mate, understanding that sometime, the single life was the best thing a witch or a werewolf could choose for themselves. 134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAwOWntNNB
Besides, I had a task to accomplish; I didn't want to let Whisper down. So I used his vast resources to mend the breach between witches and werewolves, and over time, Wanda's realised kingdom came to fruition, but with willing particpants instead of captive slaves. Stonehenge came the center, and one of my many grand-nieces became the first queen of the new kingdom. I served as her advisor, and when her son took the throne, I became his advisor. Each king or queen after that asked for me to serve, and I became a family retainer of sorts. I didn't mind; it was good to pass on my knowledge and experience to each generation, and I knew Whisper would be proud of me. I could feel him watching me sometimes, and I almost had to laugh at his bending of the rules just so he could be close to me.
And in time, the day came when I was ready to lay down my mantle. I'd trained my successor, and as they were given their investiture, I snuck away and left the massive crystal and gold palace. Outside, the sun was shining brightly in a flawless blue sky, and a gentle breeze was rustling the grass. Stonehenge itself meditated in grey silence, and when I stepped into the circle, I saw a black wolf lying at his ease on the grass. 'Took you long enough,' he said, rising to his feet.
I went to my knees and hugged him tightly around the neck. "Missed you too," I said against his fur.
Whisper chuckled as I let go and stood, putting a hand on his back. 'I can't wait to show you the other side,' he said.
"Then let's not wait any longer," I said.
Together, we stepped into the portal his former superiors had created - clearly they were in on this whole thing - but I wasn't afraid of what waited for me on the other side. I had Whisper, and the entirety of forever to get to know him.
And that was worth the wait.
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