Chapter 80-1
Troy
Claim
I struggled to wrap my head around the amount of power Janelle had. Since the dawn of time, wolf magic and witch magic were separate. Wolves were content knowing that witches couldn’t touch
wolf magic.
And yet here was Janelle who could manipulate a whole pack. I wanted to recoil in horror, but Janelle looked so damn alone on the floor. I had a feeling this was not the first time she felt like a
monster.
“The magic you are born with does not make you an abomination,” Saul said quietly from behind me. “Obviously your family has this magic for a reason, but we can all agree it is not so abusive that alphas can gain more power. Can he still use that power now that you’re out of the witches’
reach?”
Janelle shook her head. “The magic won’t sever instantly. There are layers and layers woven into the bond that will gradually fade. His hold on his pack is loosening, but it’ll take time before they’re
all free.”
“Huh. So he didn’t need to get his hands dirty to kill anyone. He could put a gun in their hands and have them pull the trigger. No wonder he was certain Kiana would agree to a pack bond. He probably would have killed half his pack to make it happen,” Willa said darkly.
Not half his pack. Just one. Despite the hard shell around Kiana, she hated to see anyone suffering.
“You lied when he said that he would kill you or drain you dry,” Kiana pointed out.
“Morven needs you alive, indefinitely.”
“If I told you what was really happening, you wouldn’t have gotten me out.”
Finn snorted. “You don’t know Kiana very well. She would have gotten you out. Morven is the last alpha who should be trusted with that kind of power. Troy won’t abuse it.”
The witch’s eyes were practically vacant as she stared at me. “My mother told me that no alpha can resist my magic. All it takes is one excuse to use it. At first, it’s to save, but the hero complex is easily twisted, and they become the villain. You’ll use me. They all do. Once I’m well and truly away from Morven, I need to leave. To take away temptation.”
“Troy would never be tempted,” Amelia argued. “You’re wrong.”
I cleared my throat. “She’s not. Magic does good in the world, but it often corrupts. It should never
be used. Not even once. Not even by me. What I can promise is that I will never blackmail or force
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you to use your magic. You’ve pledged your loyalty to me, and I will never use it against you. So
long as you don’t betray me, you have a home with me. That way I can keep an eye on you.”
“So if you ask me to use my magic…”
Claire
I wanted to tell her that I would never go that far, but I could already see scenarios where I would
break that promise. She was right. The hero complex was a dangerous one, but even more than
that, individuals often betrayed others to save someone that they loved.
“Deny me. And remind me that it’s my responsibility to protect you just as much as it is to save
whoever is in front of me.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded. “Will you tell your pack what I can do?”
“No. And neither will anyone else here.” I gave Willa a hard look, and she rolled her eyes. “You said Morven brought in other witches before he knew what you could do. Do you know what he’s doing
with them?”
“I don’t, and I’ve never seen them. I just can sense the differences in their magic. One is an elemental witch. An earth witch. I think they’re trying to replicate what Irene did to your territory. The land feels just a little bit different every day, but I couldn’t tell you why. I think another might be enhancing the soldiers. New guards go in to train, and by the end of the week, they’re like completely different wolves.”
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