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I shake my head and stand. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything else. Sit there and let us help you,” I admonish her kindly.

She sighs with relief and plops down in the nearest chair. I motion to Tiffany, and she quickly gets her a glass of water.

Once Sonia is taken care of, I hurry toward the gray truck she pointed at. It’s parked on the edge of the parking lot, and sure enough, a large orange box is sitting on the tailgate.

Hefting it with a grunt, I waddle my way back toward the sorting station. It’s heavy, but that just means that we’ve got more great donations.

Our annual School Supply Donation Drive is in full swing and it’s all hands on deck. As Luna, my job is to not only support Austin and our pack but also work with our neighboring communities on initiatives that give back.

This donation drive benefits so many less fortunate children and teachers in our community. It makes me proud to see the generosity of our pack play out in this way.

“Get off me, loser!”

“Get lost, pizza face!”

“Don’t call me that! You’re gonna regret it!”

The sound of a fist hitting flesh makes me whip around and I scan the parking lot, looking for where it came from. Another whimper and then another hit makes me set the box down to investigate. We’re at the community school, and there are lots of places to hide.

I let my wolf guide me as I hurry toward the sounds of the scuffle, my protective instincts kicking in. In the far corner of the parking lot, I see two young boys, one human, one wolf shifter, facing off. The human looks older and taller than the shifter, easily outweighing him. I look on in shock when I realize the human boy has the wolf shifter pinned against the brick wall of the school, his fist drawn back and ready to strike again.

The wolf shifter meets my eyes, and I see the golden glow flashing in them as he struggles to control his shift. If he changes forms here, it could expose us all.

"Hey!" I call out, marching toward them with my shoulders back and head high. "Break it up, now."

The human boy startles, not having noticed my approach, but he continues to lash out.

I pick up the pace, hurrying toward them in shock.

The human boy outweighs the shifter child, and he’s clearly inflicting the most damage. I watch in horror when he succeeds in putting the young wolf in a headlock and begins raining blows down on him.

"Hey!" I shout, grabbing the human boy's arm before he can land another punch. "I said, that's enough!"

The boy tries to jerk away, but I hold firm, using just enough preternatural strength to keep him in place. The wolf boy’s eyes flash amber as he glares up at the human, a low growl building in his throat. I can sense the wolf inside him stirring, ready to lash out to protect itself.

He's just a pup, ten or eleven years old at most. There’s a small rivulet of blood dripping down his cheek, and his lip is split open. Dirt covers his arms and legs, and the white T-shirt he’s wearing is torn in several places.

Sure, his wolf will make sure he heals, but the pain in his eyes isn’t just from physical injury. I don’t recognize him, and I wonder if he’s from one of the other packs.

My heart aches and I turn to the struggling boy in my grasp.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I demand. He just glares at me sullenly, refusing to answer.

"He started it," the human mutters unconvincingly. "He's just a freak."

I level my best mom stare at him.

"I don't care who started it. I'm ending it. You don’t use your fists to solve problems. I never want to see you acting like this again, do you understand me?"

The wolf shifter ducks his head, still breathing heavily. He lets out a vicious snarl at the insult, and I can tell he is struggling to restrain his wolf. I lay a gentle hand on his shoulder, willing him to stay calm.

"I think you both need to walk away and cool down," I say evenly. "Fighting won't solve anything."

The human boy scowls but turns and stalks off. I wait until he disappears around the corner before I crouch down to get a good look at this shifter child.

I soften my voice as I address him.

"Are you hurt?"