My hands tremble against the frozen earth. The corruption no longer yields so easily to my touch. Each pull of taint feels like dragging a boulder through mud; I''m exhausted.

Stop. Selene''s command rings sharp in my mind. You''re exhausted.

She''s right. You need to pull back now.

The corruption fights my attempts to draw it in, thick and viscous. My earlier confidence crumbles as my magic strains to pull in more corruption. It''s hungry.

Sweat trickles down my spine despite the bitter cold.

I try to pull away, but the corruption clings like tar. My arms shake with the effort to break free. The magic inside me churns, no longer the smooth current it was before.

Get up. Selene''s teeth close gently on my coat sleeve. I''ve cleared a lot of space, and it''s no longer unsafe for her to be by my side. Let go.

"I''m trying." Panic edges into my voice. The corruption wraps tendrils around my magic, and my magic grabs onto it like a starving child. "It won''t let go."

Focus. Grimoire''s presence wraps around my mind. Your magic belongs to you. It is under your power. You are in command.

The corruption pulls harder. My vision blurs at the edges. The buzzing under my skin turns to needles of ice.

Fight it, little witch.@@@@

I close my eyes, concentrating on Grimoire''s voice. On Selene''s steady presence. On Lucas waiting for me back at Wolf''s Landing. On Lisa who needs me strong and whole.

On all of Westwood, who have come to accept me as their Luna.

The corruption''s hold wavers.

I yank my hands back from the earth, falling backward into the snow. My chest heaves as I gasp for air. The magic inside me whirls like a storm, making me dizzy; if it were truly sentient, I''d describe it as angry.

Breathe. Selene presses against my side, her dog-breath in my face as she licks me desperately. Just breathe.

Marcus and Vanessa have been there for every purification trip; they''ve seen how much I''ve done in the past. It must be a huge shock for them to see different this patch is than the others.

"Yes. It was very large."

Vanessa shakes her head, already digging through her pack. "Here. Small sips." She presses a water bottle into my hands. "Your body temperature is all wrong. We need to get you warmed up. I have some energy bars, too."

The water tastes like heaven on my parched tongue. I hadn''t realized how thirsty I was until that first drop hit my mouth.

"Careful," my ever-present healer warns. "Not too fast."

Greg paces at the edge of our group, his agitation clear in every movement. The other wolves mirror his unease, though nothing happened during the purification. Maybe they can sense how close I came to losing control.

You weren''t as close as you think, Grimoire says, but I disagree.

If he and Selene weren''t there...

You would have won in the end. It just would have taken longer.

The vote of confidence gives me a little boost.

"We should head back," Marcus says. "It''s getting dark, and you need rest."

My body betrays my exhaustion. My hands still shake, and the magic inside me feels raw and unstable, and uncomfortably full.

"The corruption isn''t going anywhere," Vanessa adds, misinterpreting my silence for reluctance. "We can come back tomorrow after you''ve had proper rest and food."

The mention of food makes my stomach clench. When did I last eat? The morning feels like it happened in another lifetime. When Vanessa hands me an energy bar, I crunch through it like it''s the best treat I''ve ever tasted.

Everything''s more delicious when you''re starving.

You should use some of your stored magic to heat the area around you. Be careful with it. Then flush some through your body. It will temporarily relieve your exhaustion so we can return home without too much delay, but it isn''t a cure. It''s more of an illusion than anything.

Sending a burst of acknowledgement in Grimoire''s direction, I chew on another bite of my energy bar as I send out my magic to surround me in heat, much as I had done to my wolf-shifted bodyguards when they pulled the sled.