Chapter 58: Morrigan’s Desperation
Morrigan POV
The pure light from those horrible children hit me like a physical blow, and I stumbled backward, my shadow form flickering. For the first time in centuries, I felt real pain.
"No, no, NO!" I screamed, clutching my head as memories I’d hidden long ago came flooding back. A little girl with dark hair, crying alone in the woods after her pack rejected her. That girl had been me, before I learned that power was the only thing that counted.
The children’s innocent energy was unraveling my carefully made shadow magic. I could feel my power over the Silver Peak wolves weakening with every second. Beta Marcus shook his head in confusion somewhere in the forest. Alpha Thompson was blinking his eyes clear of darkness. One by one, my beautiful dolls were remembering who they really were.
"This isn’t how it’s supposed to work!" I growled at Elder Iris, who stood protectively in front of the children. "Love makes dogs weak! I’m making them stronger!"
But even as I said it, doubt came into my mind. The dark magic that had given me power for so long suddenly felt... empty. Cold. Like trying to fill a bucket with holes in the bottom.
I’d spent three hundred years perfecting my control magic, turning pack after pack into my faithful servants. It had always worked before. Why were these children different?
"Because you’ve forgotten what real strength looks like," Elder Iris said softly. "You think control means love, but you’re wrong. Love is letting go."
"Shut up!" I lashed out with darkness tendrils, but the crystal pool’s light dissolved them before they could reach her. "You don’t know anything about me!"