We ran to the pack, to see everyone and everything in utter chaos. There was tension everywhere and it took me all I had not to clutch my head a howl at all the screaming going on in the pack mindlink.

From a distance I saw Absalom and Abel trying to calm the wolves down and get them to safety. Smoke rose up and covered the entire sky, preventing the light slowly coming from the rising sun. But while there was smoke I saw no fire, no damage the pack seemed fine, apart from the apparent fear that terrorized everyone there was no physical damage.

I shifted immediately I saw Every coming towards me with my white lace dress. I quickly slipped into it and turned to ask questions, noticing Malik in Jeans and a shirt. Leonard and some other wolf I assumed was the delta were already giving him details of the situation.

Wow, he even cared to wear a shirt.

"What's going on?" I asked" I'msure I heard an explosion just now, why is there smoke but no fire?"

"We have a shield, barrier, like a dome surrounding the entire pack" the delta answered.

"A barrier? So then why are you guys always guarding your pack terrority like crazy people?"

"It only works against magic" Malik stated matter of factly.

"A magical shield? How come I've never sensed it? How did I get in if that was the case?"

"It's more of an alarm system, Luna." Leonard pointed out.

"But it stopped the explosion"

"Yeah it did, but I'm not sure it going to do so again if we are shot" the delta stated "Alpha it's already cracked, in multiple places. We have to evacuate."

You mean leave the pack grounds? Never" Malik growled.

"I'd love to agree with you Alpha but I think Naphtali is up to something" Leonard said.

Malik growled again, his anger on a constant speedy increase.

And just like that, a sense of dangerous familiarity began to crackle dangerously in my magic, my eyes snapped to the sky, in the direction of the rising sun. An extremely large ball of fire headed towards the pack. An I was certain there was no shielding this.

"Too late, get everyone under cover, now!" I yelled as I ran towards the parabola of the massive fireball headed towards us.

Malik took off running just behind me, as soon as I reached the centre of where the ball was heading, Malik was dragging me away.

"What are you doing?" I asked digging my heels into the ground to prevent further movement.

"Getting you to safety, I'll deal with this myself. " he growled.

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard, they is a massive fire ball headed here, brimming full of witches magic and you're going to take care of it? How?"

"I don't know, I just am, it's my duty to protect my pack." He muttered stubbornly.

"Well so is mine, I'm the Luna now and stop trying to act all chauvinistic with me right now. Besides I'd prefer to be mad at a not toasted version of you." I frown.

"You forget I heal almost as fast as you do." I rolled my eyes.

"You fool, you can't heal if you're dead, which is what you'll be if you stay out here." I warned him.

"So you expect to leave you out here?"

"Yes" I nodded " now go" I gestured towards the pack house.

"You're kidding right?"

"Look this thing is almost here, and I don't know what magic was strong enough to create a barrier, invincible and quite enough that I couldn't sense it, but I can't reciprocate it. The best I can do is the pack house so go!"

"I'm not leaving you out here, and the barrier was spelled by one of the southerners."

"The mages? No wonder I couldn't detect it, their magic is so natural I'm sure it was made of the air itself." I muttered to myself.

"But fine if you insist on staying," I walked closer to him and cast a spell, kissing his cheek.

"What was that?"

"Your own personal shield, can't have you getting caught in withchy cross fire." I walked back to stand in the path of the fire ball that looked as big a the sun now.

"Well, well sisters how about that reunion."

************************************

I cast a spell as the fireball broke into the barrier, speeding towards me. Pushing a small tornado into my palms I held the ball stopping it from touching the ground. I was all well too familiar with this spell if it touched and thing it exploded and consumed everything in it's path. The ball continued to spin pushing me into the ground.

My feet hurt and I felt my bones snap as I broke into the ground.

I screamed as I tried to fight with the immense ball of energy.

"Iris? Iris stop, don't hurt yourself!" Malik yelled at me.

"If I do? Everyone will die!" I screamed back, struggling.

"So what else can you do?"

"I'll have to absorb the magic"

"All that? Isn't it going to be too much?"

"We have no other choice, Malik, I have too?"

"What can I do?" He asked, begging in his tone.

"Catch me when I fall" I said and I let the air in my palms dissipate as cast another spell and touched the ball. The magic immediately began to seep into my body through my palms and it felt incredible at first. But as soon the size began to dwindle the power felt too real and too massive. My blood felt like it was boiling and my head like it was about to explode. But I kept at it until the last embers of the flame were suffed out and into my body.

My entire being felt alive, and I was literally drunk with power. But this was all wrong, it was black magic, of course. What else was I expecting? I needed a release because the longer it lived in me the more prone to corruption I was.

So I took to the air, when I was high enough with an ear splitting scream I let out the magic. Fire spread out around me, snuffing out the clouds around. And the instant I had calmed down I fell. Just as I expected I'd be paralyzed from the magic.

But I did not hit the ground, Malik caught me and held on tightly. And just like the now clear sky, for the first time in a few hours I felt relieved and happy to see him. Truly grateful that I had someone to catch me.

"Iris? Iris, are you okay?" He called out to me, kneeling down to lay me on the ground and inspect better.

"I'm fine, just immobile at the moment, use of black magic has that effect on a person" I sighed laying lifeless on the ground.

"Oh thank goodness" he sighed "what about the witches?"

"Judging from the amount of magic in that fireball they are probably facing the same fate as me right now, they won't attack right now." I smiled a bit "we have some time."

He nodded, picking me up and heading into the pack house with me.

Immediately we were in, Aria and Leonard were by my side asking Malik obvious questions. To which he answered, much to my surprise.

"Why do you look like shit?"

"Ah, Absalom, caring as ever." I grinned at him, he grinned back.

"Iris you're okay right?" Aria asked me for the... well many times now.

"I said I'm fine it's just a little after effect of the black magic." I replied.

"So you're saying it normal to lose every movement in your body as an after effect of black magic?" Absalom asked.

I nodded "so the other witches are experiencing the same thing?" I nodded again.

"If it has such dangerous consequences why do it?" Leonard asked.

"Well Leo, why do people do bad things? Why do people like to break rules?" I asked, he shook his head in understanding.

"Besides you don't get paralyzed until all the black magic is out of you, even a slither of it can keep you going" I explained.

"So if that's the case shouldn't we be worried what if the witches still have black magic in them?" Malik asked.

"No witch is stupid enough to leave black magic in her system for too long" I stated matter of factly.

"Why?" Aria brushed a stray stand of frizzy hair from my face.

"Because black magic is corrupting." I answered her.

"And that is a problem for evil witches because..." Absalom inquired.

I sighed "we witches like to stay in control, there is a saying "control you magic, before it controls you, if it controls you, then that's be tragic'. Because of the magic we possess our rationality must always be in control. That why we barely ever shift or lose control because if our magic gets out of control. It not only destroys everything around you. It destroys you as well. A mad witch is as good as dead, and black magic only fuels the magic within you to take control."

"So they are going to wait out the paralysis? How long will that take?" Malik asked.

"It depends on how long it's been in their bodies"

"What about you?" Absalom asked.

"Well it was in my body for less than five minutes, so if the math is right I'd say I'd be like this about four hours" I smiled. I'd shrug but my face is the only part of my body I can move.

"Four hours? That's a while." Leonard shook his head.

"Yeah, which buys us time to prepare for their next attack." I said.

"When do you think that will be?" Malik growled clearly upset that he felt so helpless at the moment.

"It's hard to say honestly, but it will be best if we just got ready for anything as soon as possible." I sighed.

"Then that's exactly what we are going to do."