Chapter 94 Mean Girls Attack
POV: Luna
The next day, Cole's advanced combat class feels different.
More tense. More aggressive.
Cassandra's Circle is here. All five of them. Watching me with those calculating eyes.
Cole notices immediately.
"Today we're working on defensive magic under pressure," he announces. "You'll be partnered. One attacks. One defends. Then switch."
He starts pairing people up.
And of course, I get paired with Claire. Cassandra's second-in-command.
"Wonderful," I mutter.
"Problem, Miss Eclipse?" Cole asks.
"No, sir."
"Good. Remember, this is controlled combat. Defensive magic only. No lethal force. No intentional harm."
But the way Claire is looking at me suggests she has other plans.
We take our positions in the training circle.
Claire attacks first.
She's supposed to use basic offensive spells. Ones that would test my defenses without actually harming me.
But the spell she casts is enhanced. More powerful than it should be.
I barely get my shield up in time.
The impact drives me back several feet.
"Too much power," Cole warns Claire. "Dial it back."
"Sorry, Professor. Got carried away."
She doesn't sound sorry.
She attacks again. And again. Each spell stronger than the last.
I'm defending well. But it's taking everything I have.
My wolf starts to surge forward. Defensive instincts kicking in.
No. Not here. Not in class.
But Claire keeps pushing. Keeps attacking.
And I realize what she's doing.
She's trying to make me lose control. Shift in front of everyone. Prove I'm dangerous. Unstable.
"Switch," Cole calls.
Now it's my turn to attack.
I cast a basic stunning spell. Proper power level. Controlled.
Claire deflects it easily.
"Is that all you've got, Eclipse? I expected more from someone so 'powerful.'"
She's taunting me. Trying to provoke me.
I ignore her and cast again.
But the other Circle members are doing something.
I feel it. Multiple magical signatures working together.
They're enhancing Claire's shields. Making them stronger than they should be.
Which means my regulation attacks won't break through.
Which makes me look weak.
Or forces me to use more power.
Either way, they win.
"Use more power," Claire taunts. "Or are you afraid of what you might do?"
Cole is watching intently. Seeing exactly what's happening.
Why isn't he stopping this?
I cast again. Slightly more power. Still controlled.
Claire's enhanced shield holds.
"Pathetic. They say you're Eclipse. But you fight like a puppy."
My wolf surges harder. Demanding release. Demanding to prove our strength.
I push it down. But it's getting harder.
"Maybe your boyfriend died because you were too weak to save him."
Rage explodes through me.
Before I can think, before I can stop myself, my wolf comes forward.
Partial shift. Claws. Eyes. Enhanced strength.
And my magic amplifies.
I cast the same spell. But this time it's wrapped in Eclipse power. Silver. Wild. Unstoppable.
It tears through Claire's enhanced shield like paper.
Hits her square in the chest.
She flies backward, slamming into the wall.
The class goes silent.
Everyone staring.
At me. At my partially shifted form. At the proof that I'm more dangerous than normal wolves.
Cole steps forward calmly.
"Well done, Miss Eclipse. Excellent instinctive integration of wolf and magical abilities."
Wait, what?
"That was the point of this exercise. To push students to their breaking point. To see who can access their true power under pressure." He looks at Claire, still slumped against the wall. "And to identify those who break rules in the process."
He turns to the other Circle members.
"I'm aware you were enhancing Claire's shields. Multiple students casting support spells. That's not allowed in one-on-one exercises. Five points from each of you."
They look furious but can't argue. He caught them.
"Miss Eclipse, you may return to normal form. Class is dismissed."
I shift back, my heart still racing.
Did I just... did Cole just defend me?
Students file out quickly. Whispering.
"Did you see her eyes?"
"She partially shifted in the middle of spell casting."
"That's not normal."
Cassandra's Circle walks past me. Claire has recovered but looks shaken.
Cassandra leans in close. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
It's not even subtle. Just a blatant threat.
But she says it quietly enough that Cole doesn't hear.
Then they're gone.
Cole approaches me.
"That was well done. Truly. Most students can't integrate wolf and magic simultaneously. Certainly not second years."
"They provoked me."
"I know. That was deliberate. They wanted to expose your wolf nature. Make you look dangerous."
"And I fell for it."
"No. You demonstrated controlled power. There's a difference." He pauses. "Luna, Cassandra's Circle is escalating. They see you as a threat. Both to their social standing and to their safety. They won't stop until you're gone or neutralized."
"I know."
"Then be prepared. Because their next move will be worse than spell enhancement in class." His expression is serious. "They're working with someone. Someone teaching them dark magic. Blood magic. Advanced techniques they shouldn't have access to."
"You know who?"
"I have suspicions. But no proof." He hands me yet another book. "This one contains counter-curses. Specifically against Blackwood family magic. I suggest you study it carefully."
"Why are you helping me so much?"
"Because I don't like seeing talented students destroyed by petty rivalries and dark magic." He starts to leave, then pauses. "And because you remind me of someone I once knew. Someone who had great power and even greater enemies. She didn't survive. I'm hoping you will."
He walks away before I can ask who he's talking about.
My grandmother? Another Eclipse?
I don't know.
But the weight of his words sits heavy.
Someone powerful. Someone with enemies. Someone who didn't survive.
Is that my future? Destined to be destroyed by my own power and the people who fear it?
No.
I won't let it be.
I'll survive this. All of this.
Cassandra's Circle. The shadow caller. The trials. Everything.
I have to.
Because if I don't, then Claire's taunt was right.
I'll be too weak to protect anyone.
Too weak to matter.
Too weak to survive.
And that's not acceptable.
So I'll keep fighting. Keep training. Keep growing stronger.
Until I'm strong enough that no one can threaten me.
No one can hurt the people I love.
No one can destroy me.
Whatever it takes.