Semua Bab Star-Crossed Wolves: Silver Moon Rising: Bab 161 - Bab 170

POV: Miranda ProsperoPapa's final lesson broke something fundamental inside me.The theory was elegant. Use reality manipulation on your own magical core, reshaping corrupted patterns into healthy ones. Simple in concept, nearly impossible in execution because it required manipulating yourself while conscious."You have to be both the sculptor and the clay," Papa explained. "Maintain awareness while fundamentally altering what you are. Most reality manipulators fail because they lose consciousness during transformation.""What happens if you lose consciousness?""Your power continues the transformation without guidance. Usually kills you or turns you into something that's no longer fully human." He demonstrated on a small scale, his hand briefly becoming translucent before solidifying. "See? Controlled self-manipulation. Now you try."I focused on my left hand, intending minor changes. Just making it glow brighter, then dimming the light. Basic control before attempting anything com

POV: Bea SharpeRescue came in the form of security teams navigating Miranda's reality storm.They pulled us from the collapsed corridor, checked us for injuries beyond the cuts and bruises we'd accumulated during the fight. Ben's shoulder was dislocated. My ribs were probably cracked. But we were alive and mobile, which felt like victory."Miranda's power surge is contained," Emilia reported. "Ferdinand managed to anchor her before she transcended completely. They're both unconscious but stable.""What about the mercenaries?" I asked."Retreated when the reality manipulation started. Apparently hired guns don't get paid enough to deal with existential magic.""Smart of them."We were evacuated to a medical facility where healers worked on our various injuries. Ben's shoulder took longer to reset than expected, and my ribs required magical acceleration to prevent complications."You two work well together," the healer observed while wrapping my torso. "The coordination during your fig

POV: Ben ArcherBea collapsed beside me once the healing was complete.Not unconscious but close, her body shutting down non-essential systems to recover from whatever she'd channeled. I pulled her against my chest despite my own weakness, holding her while we both processed what had just happened."Did I actually heal you?" she asked. "Or am I hallucinating from stress?""You healed me. With Alpha power that apparently includes abilities nobody knew existed.""My mom's going to freak out when she hears about this.""Your mom's going to be proud. Her daughter just manifested Luna abilities without formal pack bonding.""Is that what that was? Luna abilities?""According to the Council wolves who ran away, yes. The kind of power that only emerges when an Alpha female bonds with a pack leader.""But I'm not bonded to anyone. And I'm not pack leader.""Maybe you're supposed to be. Maybe your wolf knows something your conscious mind doesn't."She laughed weakly. "Great. Add that to the l

POV: Emilia GrecoThe verdict came three days later: guilty on multiple counts of conspiracy, psychological manipulation, and accessory to manslaughter.Ian showed no emotion as the judge read the sentence. Twenty years in a supernatural detention facility with required psychological evaluation and treatment. His parents sat in the gallery, their expressions suggesting this was an inconvenience rather than tragedy."The defendant will be remanded to custody immediately," the judge concluded. "Miss Greco, the court thanks you for your courage in coming forward."Courage felt wrong. I'd just destroyed what remained of my family relationships by ensuring my brother faced consequences. My parents would never forgive me. Extended family had already cut contact. I'd traded blood ties for moral clarity.Outside the courtroom, reporters surrounded me with questions I didn't want to answer. How did it feel to testify against my brother? Did I regret coming forward? What would I do now that my

POV: Ian GrecoThe schemes I'd deployed over the next three weeks were precise and vicious.First, I created evidence that Emilia was still communicating with me. Fake messages suggesting she was feeding me information about the cabin's defenses. The forgeries were good enough to create doubt even when she denied everything.Then I orchestrated a "failed" attack on the cabin that conveniently left Emilia unharmed while injuring others. Made it look like she'd known about the assault in advance and positioned herself safely.Finally, I spread rumors through channels they'd trust that Emilia had negotiated a deal with prosecutors. That she'd traded information about everyone at the cabin in exchange for immunity and protection from my retaliation.Each piece of misinformation was carefully crafted to exploit existing insecurities. Otto's paranoia about betrayal. Desi's guilt about bringing people into danger. Bea's distrust of people who reminded her of past betrayals.I watched throug