The spell on her hands strengthened, and I blinked my eyes from the sudden bright light surrounding her. “I think Donovan and Sebastian would disagree. Is it worth it to fight now? Why not complete your ritual at the next full moon? Give us the chance to make our case.”
“Or else?” I asked.
She held up her hands. “I’ll do what I must.”
The circling wolves moved forward, but knocked into an invisible barrier that surrounded the brujos. They snarled and a few more Weres shifted as they ran at the barrier.
One of the coven members threw a bottle filled with red powder at the closest wolf, and it cut through the invisible wall. The wolf yelped as the glass smashed against his hindquarters and he went down in a whimpering heap as magic flashed.
They were going to fight. Over me. People—my pack—could get hurt. I had to stop this.
“Wait.” I took a breath.
“Non. You can’t—”
The fight started to grow around us. Wolves crashed into the invisible barrier, bones crunching as they hit. The witches threw potions into the pack. Some sparked in blazing fire. Others were more subtle, casting shadows or fog. But every vial sparked a chorus of whimpers. Pain rippled through the pack bonds and for the first time, I could feel each wolf—and every injury.
I had to stop this before it got out of control. I grabbed Dastien’s hand. “We get through the Tribunal and in a month, we’re right back here. Nothing will change, except this fight.”
He pulled me close, running his nose along my cheek. “I don’t trust them,” he whispered in my ear. “If we don’t press this now, I could lose you.”
I pulled back. “Impossible. We’ll get through this.” I cleared my throat. “We’ll wait,” I said to Mr. Dawson.
Sebastian shook his head. “Let us handle this.”
One of the coven members yelled an incantation in language I didn’t know. The ground exploded off to my right and howls rent the night.
At once, Sebastian shifted. A spell flew his way and he dodged it, but a blast of light hit another wolf who collapsed to the ground.
Wolves were getting hurt. Arguing about this was a waste of time.
I spun to Mr. Dawson. “We have to stop this.”
“I’m with Dastien. That’s a huge mistake. You give in now, you’ll be giving in to them forever.”
Non. Please. We have to do this now. You can’t let her affect our actions. Dastien protested through our bond, but I tuned him out.
It was too much. Spells flew, crisscrossing the night in streaks of jagged light. Wolves circled the coven, slamming their bodies into the barrier. It was chaos, and all because I couldn’t wait one month?
“Stop.” I yelled the word as loud as I could and backed it with alpha powers. Every wolf froze in place.
I held my breath, hoping that the brujos would stop, too. When no one moved, I said, “This isn’t worth fighting over. I’ll promise not to finish the bonding ceremony tonight if you’ll leave now.”
“Are you sure?” Mr. Dawson said softly to me, but every Were heard the question.
The night was quiet as everyone waited for my answer. I knew that what I was doing was right. I couldn’t let any more wolves get injured because of me. But that didn’t make this any easier. “Yes,” I said finally.
Mr. Dawson gave me a solemn nod before turning to Luciana. “You’re getting this much from us, but nothing else.”
She raised her head in the air, like she thought she was the queen of the universe, and I wanted to strangle her. “I need your word. The spell please.”
Spell?
Fur sprouted over Mr. Dawson’s face. “We won’t finish this bonding ceremony tonight. You have my word. I shall break it only on punishment of death by the gods above and below.” His voice was growly with the wolf. “Leave now, Luciana. Or we will remove you from our land.”
The fire went out of Luciana’s hands. “That’s all we ask.” She grinned, and my stomach flip-flopped.
I knew that smile. The feeling of dread that it invoked in me. That was what my premonition had been about. This moment.
She and the rest of la Alquelarre walked away, but I knew whatever they were plotting was far from over.
“Oh God,” I muttered. My heart was racing so fast that my hands shook. Dastien hugged me to his chest. “Did I do the right thing?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think we had any good option, but I was ready to fight for you. For us.”