Romance

  Celena&#39;s POV
  Rose&#39;s words pierced my heavy despair like moonlight. Maya had rejected me, but Rose... she said she had a way! And she looked so confident, so lively. She was a good witch, having healed many in the pack before, well-liked by everyone. I trusted her.
  My heart beat a little faster with this new hope. Maybe... maybe I could truly escape this damn wolf instinct that always pushed me toward Jacob.
  I followed Rose to the small room where they prepared the ritual. I watched her rummage through dried herbs, oddly colored stones, and a jumble of small animal carcasses. I watched her prepare with eager anticipation, feeling my breath lighten slightly.
  Just as Rose was fiddling with those items, muttering incantations, and preparing earnestly, the door slammed open.
  Maya stood in the doorway, her face ashen. She shot Rose a fierce glare, then dragged her out witho

  
  Lily&#39;s POV
  As I watched Maya and Rose chatter away like two squabbling sparrows, recounting the events (interspersed with copious complaints about each other&#39;s behavior), my first thought was: Holy crap, I seriously need a jumbo-sized ice cream sundae right now, topped with a mountain of chocolate sprinkles.
  Suppressing wolf nature? Summoning forest witches? This sounded like the script for some low-budget fantasy flick, not something happening in my own backyard.
  I massaged my temples, glancing between Maya&#39;s stern expression and Rose&#39;s still-righteous demeanor, then recalled Celena&#39;s lifeless eyes... Alright.
  “So,” I summarized, “what you&#39;re saying is there&#39;s some ancient (and probably fake) witchy fairy tale ritual that might (but probably won&#39;t) summon something that could (in theory) fix Celena&#39;s problem, and one of you opposes it whi

  Maya&#39;s POV
  When that young werewolf girl named Celena looked at me with those hollow, almost resolute eyes and said, “I want you to help suppress the wolf inside me. Its thoughts are interfering with mine,” I swear my jaw nearly dropped.
  Merlin&#39;s beard! Suppress the wolf&#39;s mind? That&nbsp;was... that&nbsp;was&nbsp;like asking someone to chop off their own arm just because it occasionally flails uncontrollably! The wolf was an inseparable part of a werewolf&#39;s soul—its instinct, its power, its an amplifier of emotion. Suppress it? What&#39;s the difference between that and strangling your own soul?
  I stared at her pale little face, those once-bright eyes now filled only with exhaustion and struggle. A wave of immense sympathy washed over me. What torment must this poor child be enduring?
  “Dear Celena,” I tried to make my voice sound gentle yet firm, “I&#39;m sorry

Celena&#39;s POV
  Rose&#39;s words pierced my heavy despair like moonlight. Maya had rejected me, but Rose... she said she had a way! And she looked so confident, so lively. She was a good witch, having healed many in the pack before, well-liked by everyone. I trusted her.
  My heart beat a little faster with this new hope. Maybe... maybe I could truly escape this damn wolf instinct that always pushed me toward Jacob.
  I followed Rose to the small room where they prepared the ritual. I watched her rummage through dried herbs, oddly colored stones, and a jumble of small animal carcasses. I watched her prepare with eager anticipation, feeling my breath lighten slightly.
  Just as Rose was fiddling with those items, muttering incantations, and preparing earnestly, the door slammed open.
  Maya stood in the doorway, her face ashen. She shot Rose a fierce glare, then dragged her out without a word. The door slammed shut behind them, and I could faintly hear their hushed, urgent argui

Chapter 193