Chapter 73

Amanda kicked Ophelia off of her, knocking her into a tree. Ophelia’s wolf whined when she hit the trunk.

Amanda closed her eyes as her emotions fueled her.

Easy, easy, Willow warned.

Amanda opened her eyes and watched as her body was engulfed in a green flame. Her power was surging, and she was ready to release. This release was far more potent than anything she had done before. The energy pushed through her and fired from her hands. A burst of magic shot through everyone around the pack land, forcing them to collapse to the ground. All the wolves had returned to their human form, and the witches could not use their magic.

Amanda dropped to the ground once it was over.

Hudson came to and looked over at her. He got up quickly and rushed to her side, protecting her from anyone who came close to her. Ruby ran to Amanda and clutched her in her arms. “Amanda, Amanda, can you hear me?” Ruby begged.

Hudson rested his hand on Ruby’s shoulder and said, “She’s alive, Ruby. She’s just passed out at the moment. She’ll wake up shortly.

Ruby looked at him with narrowed eyes and then down at her niece. She nodded in understanding and continued to hold her until she woke up.

***

Gretchen shook her head as she lifted herself from the ground. She looked around and saw Colson lying naked on the floor. He was starting to get up and turned to look at her. Gretchen turned away from him as her cheeks began to turn red. Colson chuckled at his shy mate and quickly put his clothes back on so she wouldn’t be embarrassed.

Zachary walked over and helped his mother up.

“What was that?” Madeline asked in astonishment.

“I believe that was Amanda,” Zachary answered.

Madeline’s eyes widened in amazement. “Well, that is one way to stop a fight.”

Zachary smiled and nodded. “Let’s get over to her before the others try to damn her from existence.”

They started walking, going to where they believed Amanda to be. They watched as more pack members formed around them, ensuring they were protected as they walked through the field.

As they got closer to where Amanda was, the pack started to circle to protect their Luna.

Amanda slowly started to stir. Her eyes opened, and she saw Ruby looking down at her and smiled. She sucked in a breath and started to sit up.

“Easy, you released quite a bit of magic from yourself,” Ruby told her.

Amanda looked around but didn’t see the others. “Where are Deak and Vita?”

A few of the warriors ran off to look for Deak and Vita. Hudson pulled Amanda up and into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked her in her ear.

Amanda nodded as she wrapped her arms around Hudson and sighed. They both looked up when they heard shrieking in the background.

“Let me go!” they heard her threaten. “Do you know who I am?”

Amanda rolled her eyes as she watched some warriors push Ophelia into the circle.

“We found this one trying to get away,” a warrior informed them.

Samuel stepped forward. “Release your hands from my daughter.”

Hudson nodded, and the warriors pushed her toward her father. Samuel growled at the warriors as he pulled Ophelia into his side.

“We found them!”

Amanda moved through the pack with Hudson closely behind her and watched as the warriors carried Vita and assisted Deak to where they were. Behind them, she saw three more warriors trying to handle Tristan. Amanda’s anger burned inside her as she looked at how badly hurt Deak and Vita were. Amanda’s fingers sparked with magic. She lifted her hand and clenched at Tristan’s throat.

“Stand away from him. His powers can shock you,” Amanda warned.

The warriors listened to their future Luna and stepped back. Tristan wiggled as he tried to release himself from the binds that held him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she cautioned. “You tried to kill me.”

Tristan shook his head. “It was Ophelia; she was the one who planned all of this.”

Everyone turned to look at Ophelia. She pulled away from her father and turned to run.

“Ophelia!” Amanda yelled. “One flick of my wrist and I can break your neck.”

Ophelia froze in her place, turned, and walked back over to her father.

In the distance, they started to hear yelling.

“Stop! Stop her! Do you see why she needs to be killed? She wants to control us all. She was able to strip us all of our powers.” Persephone said as she walked up. “That’s my son you’re holding. Release him now.”

Amanda released him as Persephone ran to her son and pulled him into her arms.

Madeline stepped forward and said, “She has not stripped of your powers. She merely immobilized your powers; they will return. She’s a witch, just like you. And your son has a lot of explaining to do.”

“She’s a hybrid!” someone else yelled out.

“A mixed breed.”

“She can’t be both.”

“Her coven and pack that she comes from are not against her having this kind of power or being a wolf, so neither should you. If you have a problem with it, then you will have all of us to deal with,” Madeline confirmed as she waved her hand at all the people around Amanda protecting her.

The witches and remaining pack wolves looked around and saw they were outnumbered.

Samuel quickly walked up and stood in front of his pack; he crossed his arms over his chest. “As Alpha of the Howler’s pack, we will not recognize her as a loyal member of the wolves and will no longer be an ally to the Stonecrest pack.

Hudson growled at the threat and ultimatum that Samuel was giving them against his mate.

Benjamin stepped forward, walked over to Samuel, and stood face-to-face with him. “As Alpha of the Stonecrest pack, will not be threatened by you or your pack. You already violated the laws of the treaty between the two packs when you kidnapped my son, the future Alpha of my pack, and his mate to kill them,” Benjamin said. “For a pack that doesn’t believe in mixing factions, you’ve been quite the hypocrite, not only to yourself but to your pack as well.”

Whispering had started between the witches and the Howler’s pack. Samuel looked at his members. He could see they were angry about his choices and for putting the pack at risk without their knowledge.

Persephone fidgeted in her place as the eyes of her peers judged her.

“I was only thinking about our coven being under the control of another wolf,” she confessed.

“She’s lying,” Vita choked out as she began to wake up.

Deak helped Vita to her feet as she walked through the crowd toward Persephone. “I was kidnapped and tortured by Tristan and Persephone. Samuel and his men were in on it too. They wanted to finish what the Lycan King had started and gain her power. They wanted control over the factions.”