“Shut up about your stupid uncle!” Estelle yelled. High spots of furious color stained her pale cheeks. “No one cares! You take back what you said, or I’ll… I’ll…stabyou!”
Ignatius looked down his nose at her, as though she was a belligerent cockroach. “With what? Your spoon?”
Estelle made an inarticulate sound of pure rage. She lunged for the boy again, hands balled into fists.
Buck caught her by one wrist. She was so tiny, it took no effort at all to hold her back.
“That’s enough, Estelle,” he said, and felt her go submissively limp. He let her go again, though he stayed close by just in case she made another move to murder her fellow camper with the nearest cutlery. “Too many axes around to start flailing about.”
“Ignatius.” Honey turned to the boy. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing that wasn’t true,” he said defensively. “She shouldn’t be here. This is a camp for shifters.”
“We were talking about our animals, and what it was like when we shifted for the first time,” Finley volunteered. His gaze slid sideways to Archie. “And… some of us noticed Estelle wasn’t really joining in, and started pestering her about it. And eventually she had to admit that she hadn’t shifted yet.”
“Which is completely normal!” Beth put in. She’d moved to flank Estelle, though Buck wasn’t sure whether this was in support or to tackle her if she went for Ignatius again. “Don’t listen to him, Estelle. Lots of people don’t shift until they’re teenagers, or even adults. You’ve got just as much right to be at camp as any of us.”
Estelle sniffed, swiping the back of her hand across her nose. “I am too a shifter. Iam.”
“Of course you are.” Beth put an arm around her friend, and Buck let her draw Estelle away. “Rufus wouldn’t be able to talk to you if you weren’t. And we’ve all seen your powers. Your unicorn is there. She’ll come out when she’s ready.”
“Ignatius,” Honey said, still in that ominously calm voice. Light glinted from the ax blades. “Apologize to Estelle.”
“Or what?” Ignatius’s lip curled. “You’ll ground me?”
“No,” Honey replied. “I will call your uncle and tell him he is wasting his money.”
Buck had expected Ignatius to brush off the threat, but to his surprise, it hit a nerve. Color drained from the boy’s face.
“You—you wouldn’t dare,” he stuttered. “My uncle—”
“Was very insistent on you spending the summer at camp,” Honey interrupted. “But if you cannot treat your fellow campers with basic respect,youdo not belong here. You have a choice. I can call your uncle and tell him to collect you. Or you can apologize to Estelle. Now.”
For an instant, Ignatius seemed to waver. Then he hunched his shoulders, head dropping.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
The apology was directed more at the floor than Estelle, but it was clearly as good as they were going to get. Honey must have come to the same conclusion, because she prompted, “Estelle?”
“What?” the girl protested. “Heinsultedme.”
“You still shouldn’t have attacked him,” Honey replied. Her eyes, usually so warm, were as hard as the steel blades of the axes. “Apologize to Ignatius.”
Estelle screwed up her face, eyeing the boy with extreme distaste. With clear reluctance, she mumbled, “I’m sorry I tried to punch you in the face.”
From her mutinous expression, Buck was pretty sure she’d added a silent, privatebut only because I didn’t succeed in breaking your nose.Still, it would have to do.
“Good.” Honey’s flinty gaze swung to include the rest of the pack, who all abruptly found something fascinating about the breakfast table. “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my pack. You’re here to learn teamwork and friendship, not play petty dominance games. I won’t allow any of you to spoil someone’s summer. Don’t think that I won’t send anyone home if I have to, because I will. Without hesitation. Do you all understand?”
There was a meek chorus of, “Yes, Honey.”
“Good.” Honey rapped one of the axes on the table. “Now finish your breakfast and clear up this mess. I want you all ready and waiting when the bell rings for the first activity.”
She strode off without waiting for a reply. Buck found himself following, like a piece of paper caught up in a hurricane. Honey marched out of the dining hall, round the corner—and then, with a greatwhooshof breath, collapsed against the side of the building.
“Oh God,” she mumbled. “I am so, so fired.”
“If Zephyr comes out here, pretty sure it’ll be to give you a raise.” Buck had never wanted to kiss a woman so much in his entire life. “Woman, you were magnificent.”
