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“Why?” I whispered, feeling shaken to my core. I'd known the Sun Witches were evil, and that they'd been manipulating us, but I'd had no idea just how bad it was. “Why would they want to do that?"
"They want to sow chaos and conflict so that you all fight amongst yourselves instead of rebelling against them. Perhaps they're betting that you'll eventually implode and kill each other off."
"Which is exactly what happened at the Convergence," I said with a sigh.
"So it seems. And now they will swoop in and take control again."
I thought of the way the Leos and the Sun Witches were working together and knew she was right. Kaden had said similar things before, and I'd thought it was just an unhealthy hatred for all the packs and the Sun Witches, but it looked like he had been right—and it had been worse than even he had thought. I hadn't realized how bad it really was, or how deep the corruption went. How would we ever stop them?
"Can the packs be saved?” I asked. “If everything good has been bred out of the Zodiac Wolves, and they're all being controlled by the Sun Witches, is there anything we can do?"
“I don't know,” Celeste said. “I wouldn't even know where to start. I fear it may be too late for them."
I set my tea down and met her eyes. “No, I won't accept that. The people in the packs are not all bad. Even though I had a hard time in the Cancer pack, I know there are some good people there, and in the other packs too. I've seen it. My brother, Wesley, and my best friend, Mira, are good people. Some of the other shifters I met recently seem like they might be decent people too. Not every shifter is bad, and I won't give up on them."
“I hope you will be the one who will be able to save them,” she said, tilting her head and smiling at me. “You are certainly capable of it. But first, you need magic. Shall we head outside and get started?"
I blinked, and then quickly downed the rest of my tea, eager to get begin. "Yes, I'm ready."
We stepped outside onto the sand, and the moon was so bright overhead it cast a silver glow across the waves. Celeste stopped once we were close to the water and turned toward me. I had no idea what she was planning, but I was ready for it.
Celeste raised her hands and began chanting. I didn't understand what she was saying, but I felt the power growing all around her. No, around us. The moon's light got so bright I lifted my hands to shield my eyes, and that's when I realized I was the one glowing. Brighter and brighter until I felt like I would burst from the amount of power being poured into me. It quickly became uncomfortable, like there wasn't any room for any more of it to go, and I felt like I couldn't breathe from all the pressure inside me. I opened my mouth to tell Celeste to stop, that this wasn't going to work, and then suddenly some barrier broke down inside of me and the magic burst free, turning the whole area white.
I staggered from the release, sucking in a huge, ragged breath. As the burst of light faded, the power came back and settled inside me, right at home in my skin. I stared down at my still-glowing skin, mouth agape. It was true. I was half Moon Witch, and I could use the magic inside me. I looked up at Celeste, who was smiling like a proud parent, eyes shimmering brightly in the moonlight.
“Good, now we can begin,” she said.
CHAPTER FIVE
The moonlit glow slowly faded until my skin looked normal, but there was a feeling that stuck around, a power inside me bubbling just under the surface. It reminded me of when I'd gotten my wolf—a feeling that I was more complete, as if I had suddenly found access to a limb I'd never known existed before.
“Now you will be able to access your moon magic completely,” Celeste said when I glanced up at her, wondering what would happen next. “Before you were able to use it under duress, but now you should be able to call it at will.”
“Really?” If I could shoot out anything similar to the Sun Witches' sunbeams, I'd be able to fight them better in my human form. "But only when the moon is out, right?"
"No. Your magic will be stronger at night and under the moonlight, but the moon is always out there, orbiting the planet, even if you can't see it. Your moon magic will always be inside you too.”
That was oddly comforting. I opened and closed my hands, eager to use this newfound power inside me. Then I saw something flying overhead, that at first I assumed was a seagull until it got closer and I realized it was Larkin. She flew on a trail of silvery light like she was Supergirl and my mouth fell open at the sight.
"Will I be able to do that too?" I asked.
"Maybe," Celeste said with a small chuckle as Larkin touched down on the sand beside us. "Larkin will help with your training since she's the youngest witch here and went through training more recently than any of us."
Larkin—who was really in her forties despite her appearance—was the youngest witch here? Damn. They really were in dire need of some new blood.
“You will meet here every night to train,” Celeste continued. “Until we feel you are strong enough to go back and protect your pack.”
And save Kaden, I mentally added, as the moon's strength flowed inside my blood. The thought of being able to use this power to help Kaden and my pack sent a bolt of pride through me. No longer was I the outcast half-human shifter from the Cancer pack. I was a Moon Witch and the Ophiuchus pack alpha female—and I would use my combined heritage to save the other shifters.
“I'll let Larkin take over now,” Celeste said, as she stepped back and clasped her hands.
- Writer
