gift from Selene. Until he wants it again. That way he doesn’t have to be scared. It’s not a bad gift, but he shouldn’t be sad all the time.” Luna tucked her hair behind her ear as she studied Owein. “That’s not fair.”
Owein pulled back to stare at Luna, his mouth opening and closing. “Huh?”
“You can make it so he can’t use his power?” Pixie questioned, nearly breathless as she sank to the floor as though her knees gave out.
Luna shrugged like it was simple. “I don’t think he’ll want it gone forever. He’ll need it someday.”
“Owein, is this what you want?” I tilted his chin up to search his face. “Do you want to give up your power for now? It will mean you’ll have a lot to learn when you get it back, and it may never be as strong, I don’t know what will happen,” I warned him.
“Please take it,” Owein begged her, tears in his eyes. “I don’t want to be bad anymore.”
“Selene didn’t make you bad, silly,” she told him, her eyes beginning to glow as she grabbed his hands. “But she’ll keep it for now.” Heat washed over me from whatever Luna was doing, and Owein gasped before sagging against me, his eyes falling closed.
Luna yawned, and only Shannon’s quick hands kept her from hitting the floor. “Zev ate all the chocolate,” she murmured, before curling into Shannon’s shoulder and dozing off. “I came to see if you had more.”
Shell-shocked, we all stared at each other, no one daring to move a muscle. “Zev’s never going to believe any of this,” Pixie whispered before she flopped onto her back.
“Hell, I don’t believe any of this,” I retorted, tugging a blanket over the sleeping pup.
“This needs to end,” Alarick hissed, as he shoved to his feet. “I’m done with them using my pups and my pack for their own means. The Thunder Moon can’t get here soon enough.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Pixie
“I can’t do it anymore!” I stalked into the study and threw my clipboard against the wall so hard it shattered. Panting hard, I rubbed my eyes, pushing back the angry tears that scalded the backs of my eyelids. I had spent the last several days contacting the families of all visiting students here at Lupine Hollow Academy between my healing sessions with Raff. I was exhausted and had just finished a particularly vicious phone call with a student’s mother who had suggested that if Raff had only killed my mother when he’d had the chance, then he wouldn’t be blind at the moment.
“Poppy?” Zev murmured cautiously, as I flopped down onto one of the couches and pushed my head into the pillow to let out a screech of fury.
“I need a break,” I muttered into the couch. “I know we have to get ready for this, but seriously, guys, if you don’t get me out of here for a little bit, the next wolf that tells me off is going to get bloody.”
“Hey now, Tinkerbell,” Chann teased, reaching over to tug my hair. “It hasn’t been all bad.”
I grumbled, my temper unwilling to bend to his logic. Plenty of families had immediately shown their support and care for both Raff and Alarick, sending gifts, letters of encouragement, or their promises to show up and act as witnesses. Others had offered their hopes for a promising end to the duel, but had been too wary to leave their children behind the walls of the school—not that I could blame them. I didn’t want to be penned behind the academy’s walls with Gwyar myself, much less have children behind here with him. The bastard was twisted and manipulative, and while I didn’t think he was a pedophile, he didn’t seem opposed to hurting children, or threatening to, in order to obtain their packs cooperation in whatever he wanted, especially knowing the wards around the school would protect him from any outright acts of war once he was safely ensconced behind the walls.
“A lot have been,” I retorted, sulking. It wasn’t just the families of students that had me burning with anger, it was our own pack, many of whom had disappeared, slinking away through the night to Starlight Woods or other locations—possibly because they didn’t have enough faith in us, but more likely due to prejudice.
“What do you think, Chann?” Zev tugged my shoes off and began to rub my feet. “Do you think we can figure out some kind of trouble for us to get into for