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POLARIS

“ A re you sure this is a good idea?” I ask nervously, glancing between my two best friends, who both nod far too eagerly for it to be true.

“Watching two men fight over my friend? Absolutely,” Bryony insists, making Minnie cackle as the three of us stand in Minnie’s bedroom, staring at our reflections.

“If it’s not safe for you, I don’t think we should go. There will be a lot of energy in that room,” I say, glancing at her in the mirror as she rolls her eyes at me.

“I expect there will be. I’m going to be fine,” she insists, and I give her a pointed look.

It’s been three days since she fainted in the medical center.

She refuses to tell Professor Juniper or the rest of her coven about what happened.

Foster knows, of course, but that doesn’t mean he likes me.

They released her the following morning, and although she has no recollection of what she was apologizing for, she seems fine.

Now, it’s fight night. A routine for Wylder at this stage, but this time, his opponent feels personal—at least for me.

“You’re insane,” I finally grumble when it’s clear she won’t budge on the matter, and she snickers.

“And you’re hot,” she retorts, winking at my reflection, and I roll my eyes.

This is entirely Minnie’s idea. I’m wearing a silver, sequined, halter-neck dress that compliments my hair, along with a pair of black sandals.

My hair is piled high on top of my head, with loose tendrils cascading and curling around my face, while my eyes are accented with a smoky shadow that Bryony insisted upon.

“They’re going to be brawling over you,” Minnie muses, clapping with excitement, while my gut churns with worry.

“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” I admit, concern getting the better of me as they both raise their eyebrows in question.

“Says who?” Minnie asks, adjusting the neckline of her deep-red dress while Bryony fixes her hair.

“I don’t want them to fight over me,” I mutter, feeling the tightening in my chest swell as they both shake their heads in disbelief.

“Maybe it will do them good and break the tension between them,” Bryony suggests, and I gulp, still uncertain.

“Does fighting have to be involved in that?” I grumble, and Minnie grins.

“Absolutely, since you never denied that they need to get along,” she states. I panic, but it quickly subsides when they both giggle.

I don’t know why I always expect judgment regarding Blaze, especially since I don’t fully understand it myself. However, he’s not the only one who feels a connection; the bond has ensured that.

“I mean…” My words trail off as Minnie, thankfully, waves a hand, dismissing the tension that courses through my veins.

Instead, she shifts her focus to Bryony. “Have you talked to your coven yet?”

“No,” Bryony quickly replies, her gaze falling to the floor. She was supposed to speak with them earlier, but I know she didn’t. Now it appears Minnie is discovering that fact as well.

She raises an eyebrow at her, and when Bryony finally lifts her head, a hint of embarrassment colors her cheeks. It feels strange to see that emotion on someone else for a change. “I want to wait until it’s safe,” she mutters, and I scoff.

“Safe? We’re never going to be safe,” I state, and she gives me a pleading glance.

“I know, but learning that I’m a center after spending all this time believing I was an elemental witch…” Her sentence trails off as she glances helplessly between Minnie and me. It’s a feeling I’m familiar with, and I hate that there’s no real sense of comfort we can offer her.

“Someone must be able to give you an explanation,” Minnie declares, her jaw tight as she stands firm, and I nod in agreement.

“Someone was using magic on me, suppressing me somehow. That’s the only possible explanation, but acknowledging that makes me question who I can truly trust.” Her shoulders slump, despair overtaking her, and I wish I could alleviate the stress she’s facing.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as Wylder does with me. She leans into the embrace, returning a half hug in response.

“Don’t be sorry, just distract me, please,” she says, and I nod, determined to fulfill her wish.

“If you want a distraction, let me show you my brother laying claim to our bestie here,” Minnie sings, pulling her cell phone out of her clutch before spinning the screen for us to see.

“Wait, your brother did what?” Bryony asks, shifting us both for a better view of the screen, and I gulp as the wolf in question appears.

“Listen up! I don’t give a fuck who you think you are or what you might be capable of.

What matters is your allegiance to this pack and what it stands for.

That not only includes every single person present here today, but also those who aren’t, those who are family, and those who are family by invitation.

Polaris Beauchamp is family by invitation.

Let that fact be known by every wolf. I’m aware someone decided to try to take matters into their own hands at the blood kin assembly and almost caused her harm.

When I find out who it was, and believe me, I will find out, there will be consequences.

But more than that, if I find out that anyone so much as looks at her with cruel intent, they will face the same repercussions.

Any. Fucking. Questions?” His chest heaves, hands clenched at his sides as he snarls at everyone.

I’ve never seen his eyes so bright, swirling with flecks of gold I never knew existed.

“Why are we protecting other factions now? It was strange when you did it protectively as a pack the second she stepped on campus because some fucking vampire was mean to her, but what’s this about?

Are you claiming her?” someone calls out.

I can’t see their face, but the voice belongs to a man, not Bianca like I would have expected.

“You’re damn fucking straight, she’s claimed,” he barks back, and an audible chorus of gasps rings out around the gathered crowd. I’m sure I can hear Minnie chuckling in the background, but a grunt quickly washes it out.

“But she’s a witch.”

“Does it look like I give a shit?” Lincoln cracks his neck from side to side, his nostrils flaring as he glares around the room.

“It’s not right,” a girl calls out, but it’s too far away for me to determine if it’s Bianca. If it is her, Lincoln doesn’t acknowledge her directly. He continues to speak to them as a group.

“I’m the fucking Alpha. I say what’s right and what’s not,” he bites, and the video ends.

Minnie gleefully places her cell phone back in her clutch while I stand gaping in shock.

“How does that make you feel?” Minnie asks, pressing her lips together to stop herself from chuckling, and I shake my head, unable to formulate an answer when Bryony does it for me.

“She’s embarrassed, but she loves it.”

I roll my eyes as I take a step back, dismissing them both as I stomp toward the door.

“Whatever, let’s go.”