a cry lodged in my throat. Shannon was bleeding heavily. A chunk of her arm was torn away by the wolf who had attempted to grab Luna from her. “No!” I shouted, as the wolf lunged again. I was too far away to stop it, even as I pushed myself forward, and Rhiannon—still under the power of my command—jumped between the assassin and the pup. The red wolf’s jaws closed on her throat, blood soaking Luna’s golden hair and spraying her face in a macabre display. I slid across the grass, tumbling forward to press one hand against Shannon, and forced my power forward to stop the bleeding. I thrust the red wolf away with the other as howls and snarls began around us once more.
“No more!” Luna screamed, her face turning to the sky. Her eyes were blind, silver eviscerating them completely. Her hair spiraled in golden ringlets as it blew in a nonexistent wind. “No more!” The words were a shriek that had all the wolves howling in pain and cowering to the ground as the little girl lifted to hover in the air.
Bodies collided into me as Zev, Ian, Chann, and Alarick rushed me, their heads tilting with mine as we watched the small figure rise above us with power pulsing from her in waves.
“Anyone got any ideas?” I asked, continuing to heal Shannon as I looked up warily at the glowing little girl now a solid ten feet above my head.
Pray? Zev offered weakly, his wolf’s eyes as nervous as my own.
Light washed through the clearing, forcing the blood into the ground, and I swallowed hard. “Luna?” I called. Her head tilted, her fathomless eyes of solid silver landing on me. “Pup, I know this is hard, but I need you to stop now.”
“No more,” Luna repeated, the words echoing strangely as she continued to bathe in the light she had created. The wolves shrank underneath her, some staring, others whimpering, as she hovered weightlessly above us.
“I know, no more,” I repeated, “but that means we need to go home.”
You could try command? Chann suggested nervously, and Luna’s head whipped to him. Nope, I was wrong!
Yeah, somehow I don’t think that’s the right answer here. Alarick’s tone was dry.
“They’re bad. They have to be punished,” she declared, her eyes glowing brighter as she glared across the field.
“I know you’re scared, pup,” I began, trying again. “I’m scared too. I’m sure a lot of these wolves are scared.” She looked around the clearing, her head tilted to the side as if she was listening. “Don’t you think they just want to go home also? Back to their pack? To their pups?”
A baby growl worked its way up from her throat, though her lips didn’t move. “No more,” she repeated.
“Luna.” I firmed my voice, forcing her to look at me. “No more what, pup?”
“No more hate!” Tears built in her eyes, falling like drops of moonlight to soak the ground below her. My wolf howled her pain, needing to comfort the pup, frantic that she was out of our reach.
“Then you can’t hate them,” I told her gently.
“Well said, Penelope Miller.” I recognized the ringing voice, and my eyes narrowed as I focused. Luna’s lips hadn’t moved, had they? “Come now, little one. You’re worrying your pack.” First a shimmer, almost a mirage, and then a woman was suddenly holding Luna’s hand. She was tall and slender, her skin almost translucent, and her hair was done in a series of braids, the strands in varying shades of blonde. Her eyes were silver, her dress a swirl of silver and gold. She held Luna’s hand in hers, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they were still midair. A shadow appeared on Luna’s other side, a silhouette in the gloom, and then a man emerged, gently taking her other hand. Like Selene, he was tall. His skin was deeply tanned against the jet black of his hair, and his eyes were as dark as the night behind him. His clothing was as shadowy as the rest of him, a direct contrast to Selene’s brilliance.
Selene and Faron. The names echoed through our link, possibly said by all of us, or maybe just felt by us.
“You did what I asked of you, Pixie,” Selene said, her voice echoing down to us as she smiled. “You kept her safe while she came into her power. It has been many centuries since I have been able to bring my beloved to this earth, although