As Ella sat in the house’s cozy kitchen with Markus and Lupa, she couldn’t help feel a little out of her comfort zone. Jana was busy catching up with Sofia in the other room, and while Ella was glad that her friend was having a good time, she felt understandably nervous about being on her own with two werewolves.

On their way to the kitchen, Lupa had grabbed a bathrobe for herself to slip into, which made Ella feel slightly better. If nothing else, it was easier to concentrate when she wasn’t also trying to avoid eye contact with a hot naked wolf-girl.

Markus had brewed three mugs of herbal tea, and placed a bowl of homemade venison jerky on the table. The three of them sat around the table, each waiting for one of the others to speak first. 

Eventually, Ella broke the silence by addressing Markus. “So if you’re Sofia’s son, and Lupa’s dad, does that make you the pack’s alpha male?”

Markus exchanged a bemused look with his daughter, before they both started laughing.

“I think you’ve been reading too much bad fiction, young lady.” laughed Markus. “We wolves don’t believe in such backwards concepts. We all work and hunt together as equals.” He looked at a picture on the wall of his children. “True, the pups are taught to respect and listen to their elders. But once they reach adulthood, we’re all equals.”

Lupa smirked slightly at her dad’s speech. “That being said… You still do pretty much anything Nana tells you to.”

Markus gave his daughter a sly grin. “And you’re exactly the same with your mother, despite you being 26.”

As Lupa laughed and playfully shoved her father’s shoulder, Ella couldn't help feeling a little jealous of the friendly relationship between the father and daughter. She had always hoped to have something like that with at least one of her parents. Sadly, Jerry was far too dull and boring, and the less said about Karen, the better.

Looking to change the subject, Ella decided to ask some more questions. “So what’s the story with Jana and your grandma? You two didn’t recognize her at first but she and Sofia seem to go way back.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed you knew.” said Markus. “I can’t give you the full history, but I can tell you what mom told me.” He sipped his tea and sat back in his chair, getting ready to tell a story.

“When my mother was just a little pup, my grandparents found the magic lamp. It was 1930, and they were living in Norway. They were young lovers from two different tribes of wolves, traveling together, finding themselves and…. if we are being honest, probably not being very attentive parents to my mother.”

Lupa interjected, “Not everyone is cut out to be a parent. In a tribe you have people who can help… but lone wolves like them…”

Markus nodded and continued. “My grandmother was Romani, so they frequently stayed with her people in their travels. One night, they met an old man who claimed to have found a pirate’s treasure trove earlier that year. He was very drunk, probably spent most of the treasure on booze. All he had left was an old lamp that had been among the treasure and was trying to find someone who would trade the lamp for a fresh skin of wine. A very good price for what they got out of it, but a lousy deal for the drunk.”

Ella nodded “Not too different from what happened to me. I found the lamp in a yard sale.”

The wolves gave a little laugh at that. “But you see, they only bought it because my mother wanted it. It was just a cheap brass oil lamp decorated with a mosaic of colored glass. My mother wanted it as a jewel encrusted teapot to play with.”

“I guess the lamp can change shape…” Ella said to herself. Making a mental note that it could be a way to help them better hide it later.

“I would love to know what grandma thought when she went to have a tea party with her dolls, and a redhead in a pirate outfit popped out of nowhere.” Lupa said with a bite of jerky in her mouth.

Ella choked on her tea from the force of that mental image. “Pirate outfit?!” She spluttered, trying not to blush at the thought. She now couldn’t help her mind from placing Jana in costumes from several of her steamier romance novels… No! What was she thinking?!

“Yes… Well, anyway…” continued Markus, “My mother was the first to discover the genie, so she became her new mistress. She was 3 years old at the time.”

“Oh god…” Ella let that sentence sink in, “A 3 year old in the possession of Jana’s lamp?! That would be either catastrophic, or adorable… Or both...” 

Markus smiled “Luckily, my mother went adorable. She wished for a pony, a giant cookie and for Jana to be her friend.”

“Mister Olsen…” Ella smiled. “Your mother sounds like she was the cutest child in history!” 

The wolf let out a bark of a laugh, “Don’t make that decision too soon. You haven’t met Logan yet. But now just think about it; the confusion of my grandparents when they came home and find a horse named Coco trying to eat the carpet, a cookie the size of a mattress in the hallway, and their daughter having a tea party with a mysterious red head!” 

Ella smiled at the mental image, but her expression fell when she saw that Markus and Lupa weren’t smiling. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “What happened then?”

Markus sighed. “It’s not a part of my family history that I’m proud of. I know that my grandparents came to regret their actions later, and tried to make up for it. But that doesn’t excuse what they did to Jana when they found out what she was…”

“Oh no…” Ella could guess that the wishes of two poverty-stricken werewolves in the early 1930s would not be as innocent as a 3 year old girl’s.

“Exactly. Not to mention they were abusing the system. My grandma and grandpa took three wishes each instead of three for both of them. My grandmother made her wishes first.” Markus ticked them off on his fingers, “She wished for a mansion, then for wealth… and worst of all, she wished for Jana to be their servant until my grandfather had used his wishes.”

“They did what!?!” Ella cried out, “She’s a person! No one deserves to be treated like that!”

Father and daughter seemed genuinely impressed by the outrage. They knew Jana wasn’t just a servant to this young woman. Ella took a deep breath to calm herself, “I’m almost afraid to ask, but how long did she live like that?”

“Ten years…” Lupa said, ashamed her family was capable of that. “Ten years as the one and only servant of a huge estate. She cooked, she cleaned, she tended the grounds, provided security, and most importantly was the nanny and tutor to Nana.”

Even with magic that amount of work felt inhuman for one person. “That’s horrible!”

Markus sighed “Like I said, we aren’t proud of it. Don’t worry, I’m told Jana put up a fight. She would clean badly, writing swear words in the dust, or mess up cooking anything that my mother wasn’t going to eat. She once served my grandfather a completely raw steak that she made look cooked by painting it with shoe polish!... of course since he was a wolf with simple tastes, raw meat and leather shoes were both his favorites, so that prank backfired.”

“Please tell me this story has a happy ending.” said Ella.

“Sort of..” said Markus, “My grandfather had the problem that he wasn’t very specific with his wishes. His first wish was simply to get a screenplay he had been writing turned into a successful film. Jana took the screenplay to Hollywood, and sold it to a guy for $50.”

“...And was it made into a successful film?” Ella asked.

“In a way, yes.” chuckled Lupa. “The screenplay was heavily edited and rewritten, to the point where the writer Jana had sold it to was able to pass it off as his own. Great-grandpa’s screenplay eventually became “The Wolf-Man”!” She finished the sentence as if she had just gotten to the punchline of a joke. Even Markus looked amused, before noticing Ella’s perplexed look.

“Oh, you probably don’t know.” He said, grinning. “That film is considered by us werewolves to be one of the greatest unintentional comedies ever made. The designs and characterizations of werewolves are so inaccurate that it’s hard not to laugh at them. To be honest, a part of me is almost proud that a relative of mine helped to create it.”

Ella felt immensely proud of Jana upon hearing this story. Hearing that her friend had been abused in such a way was heartbreaking. But it felt good to know that she had been able to fight back against her abusers and remain such a funny, caring and positive person.

“Anyway…” Markus continued, his smile fading slightly, “My grandfather was not happy with Jana’s actions. He used his second wish to ensure that Jana would be a better servant. She was forced to complete all her tasks without question or complaint, and she had to do them all properly; no more pranks, and no more twisting words.”

Ella could barely take it. Her hands covered her mouth as she tried to imagine how horrible it must have been for Jana. To not be able to say no, or even complain. Being forced to complete every task with a smile, all while she probably would have been screaming on the inside. 

Lupa walked around the table, and sat next to Ella, placing a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Oh, Ella!” she said. “I’m so sorry. I know this must be difficult to hear.”

Markus paused, as he looked down in shame. “My mother always told me...” he muttered. “...the only times when Jana seemed to be genuinely happy, were when she was with her. She saw Jana as a friend, not a servant, and always let her choose what games they played.”

Ella stared at her tea for a long moment, thinking about the struggles of her own life. “Sometimes all it takes to make it through something that horrible is just one good friend… But what happened then? They were almost out of wishes by that point.”

“Well…” said Markus, “That’s where this story takes a turn. They were living in Norway at the time, close to where my grandfather’s clan had been. It had been a peaceful place for them, until April of 1940; when the Nazis invaded Norway. Needless to say, they complicated matters.”

Lupa picked up the story for a bit, “Since they were considered a mixed race couple, and great grandma was a Romani with a lot of money living in a mansion, they drew a lot of hate and attention pretty fast.”

“I’ll bet…” Ella said silently, not expecting this surprise twist to the story, though if she had known anything about history outside of her own country she would have seen it coming. “So what then? Jana used her magic to protect them?”

“Oh no, they were able to take care of themselves at first.” Lupa said, with a somewhat wicked grin. “The Gestapo kept coming to the mansion to try and take them, and they routinely had their throats torn out or their guts ripped open and left for the crows.”

“That’s one thing I will always respect my grandparents for.” added Markus.

Ella choked on her tea for the second time since the story had begun. “They killed Nazis with their bare hands!”

“Don’t be silly, they did it with their claws and fangs!” said Lupa. The wolf-girl spoke about her family disemboweling Nazis in a weirdly casual tone. “They were wolves after all, they weren’t going anywhere with the brown shirts without a fight.”

“... That’s probably the coolest thing I have ever heard of…” Ella said, her voice soft with awe and respect.

Markus smirked, “Of course they couldn’t keep that up forever. Every time, the Germans came back with more and more soldiers. After a while, my family had no choice but to run, leaving behind everything they couldn’t carry with them. With their lives in danger and Jana’s magic limited, the four of them finally started to make peace. My grandparents saw how much they truly cared for my mother, and how horrible they had been to the one person capable of keeping her safe.” 

He sighed, seeing that his mug of tea was empty, only now realizing how long they had been talking. “I won’t go into too much of the details of their time on the run. That’s a long story on it’s own. In the end, after one attempt on their lives too many, my grandfather knew he had to use the final wish. He begged for Jana to get them to someplace where his family could be protected.”

Ella could guess where the story went next, as she remembered what Jana had told her about Rhea, the witch who had protected the werewolf village for centuries. “Jana knew about Rhea and her promise to protect werewolves.” She said, slowly. “I guess she teleported them across the sea to safety.

Markus nodded. “Exactly. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs, but they had their lives and that was all that mattered. They thanked Jana on bended knee, begging her forgiveness for all they had done to her… I don’t know if she ever did forgive them. Once she knew my mother was safe and she had said her goodbyes, Jana asked Rhea to send her lamp away, to give her a chance at peace if only for a little while…”

“I can take over from here…” said a voice from the doorway, making the three of them turn to look. Jana had entered the room with Sofia. The genie was assisting her old friend towards a chair by the table.

“Nana! You’re up!” said Lupa, immediately standing up to lend the 93 year old woman some extra assistance.

“Mom!” said Markus, in a surprised tone somewhere between joy and concern. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Oh, stop fussing, dear!” laughed Sofia, as she lowered herself into the chair. “I’ve just been catching up with Janny. Telling her all the things that happened since we last saw each other.”

“You’ve clearly lived quite a life” said Jana, smiling at her old friend. “I’m so proud and happy for you, Sofia.”

“So…” said Sofia, turning to look at Ella. “You’re Janny’s newest mistress? She’s told me all about you. How you’re giving her all this freedom and choice. I just thought I’d let you know, you’re a wonderful young lady.”

It was at that point that Ella finally realised something. Jana had initially introduced her to the wolves as a girl, and they had all been completely accepting. No one had even done a double take or given her a confused look. Ella understood that she usually appeared androgynous at best, so why was everyone so quick to accept her as a girl?

“Ella? Is something wrong?” said Jana, apparently noticing her mistress’s perplexed expression.

“I… well no, nothing is wrong.” Ella realised she was smiling. “In fact I probably shouldn’t be complaining but… How does everyone here know I’m a girl without being told? I know I’m not passing that well!”

Sofia gave a spirited laugh for someone who looked so old and frail, “Oh there’s no great secret to that my dear. There is a magic in this forest thanks to the fae folk that we share it with. They not only help protect us, but at times they help us in subtler ways.”

“Fae folk? You mean like… fairies?” Ella began to feel an excitement in her chest that she hadn’t felt in years. She had always loved hearing fairy stories as a kid. She had secretly watched “WINX Club” when no-one was looking, and had even owned a book on the mythology of fairies. Sadly, Karen had thrown the book out years ago and WINX had been taken off the air.

“So you’re saying there’s magic fairies in the woods, and they’re making me look more like a girl?”

Jana put a hand on her mistress’s shoulder, “Do you remember when we first met, I said I could see that you had a girl’s soul? Thanks to the magic in the air, everyone else can see it too.” The genie magically summoned a handheld mirror which she handed to Ella, who stared into it excitedly. 

Ella couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly had changed, but there was no mistaking the feminine face staring back at her as her own. Her usually messy hair seemed longer and more voluminous, as if she had been to a stylist. Her skin seemed smoother and her lips were more full and less chapped. Finally, her eyes shone like they never had before; she had the pretty eyes of a woman from a classical portrait.

Ella was quiet for a moment, staring into the mirror before turning to smile at Jana, “So… this entire town would always see me as a woman?... Can I live here?” She was only half joking. Living in an adorable village in the forest that would never misgender her sounded like a wonderful idea!

Sofia smiled softly, “Someday maybe. For now it’s better for you to see a bit more of life, before you put down roots. You’ve still got some wishes to use up from what I hear.”

“Right…” she couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. For a moment she had thought she wouldn’t need to go back home at the end of the day. She tried to shake the feeling, “So what happened once you and your parents got here?”

Sofia made a shooing motion at her son and he stood to attention. “Markus! You know what I want, pup! Get this old mama wolf a drink.”

Markus sighed and rolled his eyes, opening a liquor cabinet, and fixing his mother a small glass of scotch with a lot of ice, “Just a little one ma. It’s still early.”

“At my age, any time is a good time for a drink.” Sofia said, grinning at Jana, who seemed shocked that this was once the adorable little Norweigen girl she’d known, all those years ago.

“Good boy!” said Sofia, as Markus handed her the drink. She took a big sip and sighed in satisfaction, “There we go. Now where was I… Right, my parents and I were safe and were finally getting their act together.”

“Took them long enough.” Ella muttered under her breath before quickly covering her mouth, “I’m so sorry! It just slipped out!”

The old woman laughed again, “Don’t worry about it, dearie. Janny can tell you, the pair of us had thought and said much worse about those two back in the old days.” Sofia looked over at Jana, who blushed, remembering some of the very colorful vocabulary she had screamed into the pillows. In four different languages no less!

Sofia continued her story. “When me and Jana were alone, she was allowed to speak her mind. I learned all the best swear words from her whenever she was letting off steam!” She took another gulp of scotch, emptying the glass. “I don’t feel bad about it, they were terrible parents back then.”

Sofia sighed, as she stared into her empty glass. It sounded like she had needed to let off some steam with that rant. “But then…” she said, her voice cracking a little. “Everything changed when those fascist monsters started trying to break the doors down. We lost our home, our money... Nearly lost our lives, and we were the lucky ones…”

Jana held Sofia’s hand as she spoke. “It’s ok, Sofia...  I’m here for you.”

The old woman smiled at her old friend, and carried on speaking. “After we escaped, and had settled down, Ma and Pa changed, and not just by becoming better parents. They felt they owed the tribe their lives and did everything they could to give back. I think they finally understood how vile and uncaring they had been, and wanted to make up for all those years of cruelty.”

Ella and Jana both looked up, attentively. This was a twist that they had not expected this story to take.

Sofia continued “When we first came to the village, it was warm and welcoming but rather… primitive. Just simple huts with torches for light. My parents, who were used to living in luxury, wanted more comfortable lives for those around them. They used what skills they had to help the tribe make some amazing quality of life improvements.” 

“Wow...” said Jana. “I thought the village had changed a lot since I was last here. But I never thought it would’ve been thanks to those two. How did they do it?”

“Well…” said Sofia, “They started by trying to help build houses but that didn’t get too far. They didn’t have the right equipment at first. It was their idea to have Rhea’s students travel to nearby towns to buy supplies from the outside world. Many of them still had connections and knowledge of the outside world that the wolves lacked. With those resources it wasn’t long till we had nicer homes and beds and electricity for everyone.”

“Buy supplies?” repeated Ella. “The pack makes money? How?”

“Oh, nothing too fancy.” said Markus. “We keep bees so we started by selling the honey. Then Grandpa began teaching the others how to make it into mead, which sold even better.”

“My mother also made and sold jewelry.” added Sofia. “She knew how to find amber in the woods, and make all kinds of necklaces and brooches. She passed that knowledge onto others, and we soon became very popular at farmers markets and craft fairs.”

Jana was almost speechless. “I can’t believe they did all that. The same people who neglected their child, and forced me to be their servant…”

Sofia nodded. “I understand, Janny. They knew that they could never undo the things they did, and they never once asked me to forgive them or to forget their actions.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “But I truly believe that they did change, and not just for the sake of redemption. They wanted to help others because they wanted to. Because, in the end, they were good people.”

Jana looked down at the floor. She didn’t quite know how to process this. Even 1000 years as a genie, could not prepare her for this.

Ella placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Jana? Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” She whispered. “I think I just need time to think about this.” She turned to Sofia. “Are they… Are your parents… nearby?”

Sofia nodded. “We planted two trees when their ashes were scattered. If you want, we could pay them a visit.”

Jana contemplated this, but shook her head after a moment of thinking.  “No. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

Sofia smiled. “Don’t worry, Janny. I understand. They put you through a lot. You’ll need more time than most of us to think things over.” She slowly got up and gave the genie a warm hug, which Jana gratefully accepted.

After sitting back down, Sofia turned to Lupa, who had been listening to the conversation with great interest. “Lupa, sweetheart? Could you do me a favor?”

“Of course, Nana.” said the younger wolf, “What do you need?”

Sofia looked at Jana and Ella, who both seemed a little emotionally drained by the story. “Why don’t you take our guests down to the springs? I think Logan’s over there, and the girls could use some cheering up.”

“Logan?” said Jana. “Your grandson?”

“That’s the one!” said Lupa. “Come on, you two. I’ll explain along the way.”