Selena POV:“Let’s go out,” Argon said finally to the group, giving no apology for the private conversation, and turned towards the exit. Lamont gave me a quick look that showed that he was displeased. Some of the others had the same expression but there was no malice behind theirs, more of perplexity. Yes, I had made a mess. Duncan wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. I placed my cheek against his chest, stiffening myself against letting his emotions, most likely expressing disappointment in my actions. I was disappointed in my actions. Could I not get anything right these days? Should I even be counted on to work with magic?“Shit,” I whispered against Duncan’s jacket, fisting the material in my hands. “Stop it. Stop thinking like that,” he said smoothly, gently rubbing his hand up and down my back. “I messed it up again,” I muttered.&ld

Selena POV:I woke up to the shrill sound of the home phone ringing in the wee hours of the morning. The sun had not yet broken the horizon and seeing that Duncan’s phone remained cold on the bedside table, I knew I had to pick it up. He must have been exhausted after spending a day and a half with a half-catatonic me. He stirred as I scooted off the bed and I had to reassure him that I was okay and for him to rest before I made my way to the phone. When I pulled it to my ears, I felt a yawn overcome me. “Good morning, Selena. Come to the greenhouse for another lesson with me in Life element. We need to get you up to par.”I wasn’t surprised at the voice of Lamont on the other side. “Two sessions in a day?” I asked, just in case. “Practicing the ritual is different from a lesson in Life magic. You are so tired because you don’t have a good grasp of your element. Once you learn how t

Duncan POV:The month slipped into the next with little difference, except for the days becoming shorter and the leaves on the trees showing seasonal decay. The days were monotonous but tense. Every morning, Selena woke up for lessons, the two of us went to training for the pups, and then practiced with the ritual against the magic eater. It kept all of our schedules full. It sometimes felt like there was not a moment to breathe with the amount of work we had to accomplish between the two of us. Selena continued to work with Lamont and not everything went smoothly, but she seemed to take advice to her heart and kept trying until she excelled at every lesson. I could see she had gained some level of reluctant respect from Lamont for her perseverance. Eventually, they started to have more civil conversations rather than heated confrontations. Witches called on by Lamont started to come over on the weekends to participate in learning the ritual as they would be p

Selena POV:The next morning, I woke up to find myself entwined with Duncan. Our limbs were a tangled mess. It was hard to tell where one of us began and the other ended. I was slowly learning that Duncan was a close contact sleeper. I was also learning that I liked it. A lot. When I was in his arms, I felt safe, protected, and at ease. “You’re awake,” Duncan said softly. I turned to see he was watching me. His eyes filled with softness. “We better get going. I have arranged the run to happen before breakfast and no one wants to keep a bunch of hungry wolves waiting.” My stomach clenched with panic. I didn’t think the run would take place as soon as I opened my eyes. “I, uh, I am not sure I want to go. I don’t feel so good this morning.” My lie was pitiful at best. I could have said I was tired but Duncan knew that was not the case. Even my injuries were healing surprisingly fast. “Selena,&rdq

Selena POV:I raised my hand to stop him from talking. “Firstly, pack members are treated a certain way and I wasn’t. Therefore, I have no ties to you. Secondly, you forced the young, unmated women in your pack to go into heat and hunted them down. That is against moral bounds. You also forced a half-breed who was not of age and tried to use her as a pleasure station.” I didn’t want to say it in front of Duncan, but I had to. “I am sure the council would be ready to hear my side of the story. Considering that I am mated to the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, I am automatically a member of this pack. You have no jurisdiction over me. If you wish to try me for killing that slimy beta of yours, you can ask the council and the witch coven. I would be happy to comply with any demands you have.”“Witch coven…” he whispered to himself. I felt Duncan curl his arm around my shoulder in a show of support. I didn’t