More thunder and lightning flash through the sky above us and turns into a wild storm raining down on us. As I hold Nina in my lap, I feel the electric static where ever our skin touches. It feels amazing. Our eyes turn black. โMate.โ We say in unison.Nina lets out another scream.โTry not to fight it, Nina. It will hurt less if you let your wolf take over.โ I say, stroking my fingers through her hair.โIt hurts,โโI know, babe. Iโm here, and I will help you through this.โShe nods and tries her best to relax. Black fur covers her as she shifts into her wolf. My breath is taken away. Her wolf is pure black with a white-shaped star on her forehead.โNina, your wolf is so beautiful. You even have a white star on your forehead. Iโve never seen anything like this.โ I say, stroking her fur. She steps back, prances happily in wolf form, and then nudges into my shoulder.โYou want me to shift too?โShe shakes her head.โWell, if the curse is broken, I should no longer feel any pain when I s
โCome on, Magnus, please play hide and seek with me,โ Nina begs me with her large, brown, doe-like eyes.I walk towards her with abrupt haste. She steps back until she feels the bluestone wall against her back. I tower over her with ease. My mother, Astrid, the Luna of Shadow Crest, always reminds me that when I was born, I was double the size of a regular wolf baby and almost a foot taller and much broader than any other ten-year-old. She says I may even become the mightiest Alpha of all one day.Glaring down into Ninaโs eyes, I huff, โIโm still mad at you for tricking me into putting salt on my cereal this morning instead of sugar.โNinaโs face lights up with a smile. โThe look on your face when you ate it, though, was so worth it,โ she giggles.Why do you always enjoy making me the laughingstock of the family? Do you hate me that much?โโItโs not like that, Magnus. Youโre my best friend, always and forever. We are just having fun,โโFun! Youโre not the one who gets into trouble for
The next day I walk straight past Nina and ask May if she wants to climb some trees with Zak and me. I can see Nina's eyebrows crease in confusion out the corner of my eyes as May and I have rarely ever spoken to each other, nor have we ever played together.โSure,โ she smiles.โOkay, letโs go.โ I smile and wave for her to follow.Nina stands there watching us, then runs after us. โHey, I want to climb trees too, you know!โI stop and face her. โNo, only my friends can join,โ โWhat are you talking about, Magnus? Iโm your best friend?โโYou were never my friend,โ I growl and regroup with others.Ninaโs face turns sombre, with a hint of confusion.โThatโs harsh, donโt you think, Magnus? You and Nina have been the best of friends since you were both babies,โ Flint says.โNo, they forced us to be friends, our motherโs planning constant playdates every day, and if she were my best friend, she wouldnโt be getting me into trouble every day. Nina no longer exists to me,โ I snarl.Flint and J
After a couple of months had passed, Nina stopped greeting me each day, knowing I would not respond. Now in high school, she had become a loner. Keeping to herself in class and went to the library at recess and lunch. May would elbow me and glare if she caught me staring at Nina, but she would always get jealous and cranky at any girl I glanced at. โStop elbowing me, May,โ I growl.โStop staring at Nina then. You havenโt spoken to her in seven years, yet you are always staring at her. Besides, you should just be focusing your attention on me. Everyone knows we will be mates,โ she beams.โNot if I can help it.โโYour such an ass Magnus,โ she growlsโYes, Iโm told daily by many girls I have a nice ass,โ I smirk.โWho is telling you that? I demand to know their names right now,โ she says, glaring at every female in the classroom.โMay, you need to get over it.โโNo, you need to get over Nina!โI glare at May, making her cower back in her seat.โI canโt get over someone I was never into
โMagnus, nice of you to join the class. Just because you are the future Alpha does not mean you get special privileges. Now take your seat before you get yourself detention,โI growl under my breath, โYes, Mr Thomson,โ and plonk my books onto the table and sit next to Nina.Nina stiffens in surprise as I sit beside her. She looks at me and is trying to contain a smile. I try to tune her presence out and tune into Mr Thompson. He talks about different types of soil that are low in nutrients and high in nutrients. Ninaโs pen flicks back and forth as she listens to Mr Thomson. Her hands are small and dainty, and her nails have been freshly manicured and painted with a very light, subtle pink. Her long brown hair drape down her arms. I watch as she tucks her hair behind her ear, revealing a gold earring and exposing her nape. My eyes focus on the nape of her neck. I feel my heart racing. I break out into a sweat and feel my heartbeat pounding erratically through my chest.โMagnusโฆ Magnus!
Without greeting Mr Thomson, I enter the science room, place my bag on a table, and sit in silence, avoiding eye contact with Mr Thompson and Nina.โLate again, Magnus,โ he huffs with his hands-on hip.I shrug my shoulders and look away. Nina is sitting four tables away. Itโs obvious she also isnโt happy to be here.โWell, if you two think you are both going to sit here in silence, then you have another thing coming,โNina and I turn our attention back to Mr Thomson.โI have borrowed some tools and a spare tabletop from the woodwork room. You will both spend detention fixing the table you broke,โโWhat! But I never broke it,โ Nina protests.โDo not care, Nina, now come and take this hammer,โ he growls.I abruptly step down from my chair and march to the teacherโs desk, muttering and mumbling in dissatisfaction. Nina takes the nails and hammer, and I carry the tabletop. Nina kneels next to the broken table and assesses it closely. I kneel opposite her and place the tabletop down.Mr Th
And then it happened. It all hits me at once, that dreaded feeling but tenfold. That feeling when a hole in the ground opens up and just swallows you whole. Guilt. What have I done? She didn't make the Pack think I was a joke. It wasnโt her responsible for all the pranks. It was me all along.โThereโs the nest,โ she says, not realising the bombshell she just dropped on my head.Nina hovers over the nest. I climb next to her as fast as I can. She stretches her hands out to put the baby bird back in its nest.โCareful,โ I say, cupping my hands under hers. Nina looks up at me for a moment, and we lower our hands, gently placing the bird back in its nest.โThere you go, little guy,โ I say and give it another gentle pat on the head.The sun is setting, and the moon is rising. Itโs a breathtaking sight. We sit next to each other and watch its beauty in silence, the comfortable silence. We lean back on our hands, and our pinkies touch, but neither of us moves our hand away. I want to apologi
Sitting up, I look at myself in the mirror. My hair is a ragged mess from tossing and turning, and I can see slight bags under my eyes. My back feels okay, just a little tender, but nothing that can stop me from going to school. I shower and dress in jeans and a tight-fitting black shirt showing my muscular physique with my favourite pair of black sneakers. As I comb my hair back, it flings back into the shabby style, giving me the ruggedly handsome look instead of the sleek, pretty boy look I usually go for. I take my seat at the table for breakfast.โMagnus, darling, how is your back, dear?โ mother asks.โItโs fine. It wasnโt anything major, to begin with.โโIโm glad to hear,โ she smiles.I see Nina down the other end of the table, talking to her parents while eating her breakfast. Josie is constantly looking between Nina and me. Itโs time to go to school. Nina grabs her bag and races ahead of us. I want to catch up to her, but she is faster than me. We have an assembly this mornin
More thunder and lightning flash through the sky above us and turns into a wild storm raining down on us. As I hold Nina in my lap, I feel the electric static where ever our skin touches. It feels amazing. Our eyes turn black. โMate.โ We say in unison.Nina lets out another scream.โTry not to fight it, Nina. It will hurt less if you let your wolf take over.โ I say, stroking my fingers through her hair.โIt hurts,โโI know, babe. Iโm here, and I will help you through this.โShe nods and tries her best to relax. Black fur covers her as she shifts into her wolf. My breath is taken away. Her wolf is pure black with a white-shaped star on her forehead.โNina, your wolf is so beautiful. You even have a white star on your forehead. Iโve never seen anything like this.โ I say, stroking her fur. She steps back, prances happily in wolf form, and then nudges into my shoulder.โYou want me to shift too?โShe shakes her head.โWell, if the curse is broken, I should no longer feel any pain when I s
We sit by the fire and keep warm. I lay on my back and looked up at the stars. Nina lies on her back next to me.'I miss my mum and dad.' Nina says.'I miss my family, too.''Would you believe I'm even missing May?''You, miss May? Never.' I smile.'What if it's months or years until we ever see them again?''We have each other. You and me now against the world until I find my mate.' I sigh.'Yeah.' Nina frowns and stands up. 'I'm going to go for a walk.''I'll come.''No, please stay. Some time to myself is what I need. I won't go far. I promise.' She says with sadness.'Oh, okay.'I watch as she wanders further into the darkness of the woods. Why did she become so sad suddenly? She is going through a lot, having no wolf, a curse, and a witch hunt after her. I wish I could hold her, smell her mint and lavender hair, and tell her everything will be okay. If I could choose my fated mate, I would select Nina in a heartbeat.Nina returns with red puffy eyes. She has been crying.'Are you
I chase after her.โIโm sorry, that never crossed my mind.โ I fall to my knees. โIโm the biggest idiot ever to exist.โ Nina stops running and turns to look at me. โWe were the best of friends once. I thought the pack saw me as one big joke. I pushed you away and ignored you for years because of it. Then I made things even worse. I cursed you, and now you donโt have a wolf. And you wonโt be able to sense your mate until I find mine. All I ever wanted was to protect you and keep you safe, but all Iโve done is cause you hurt and pain. Iโm so sorry. Will you ever forgive me?โ I cry.Nina morbidly approaches me and falls to her knees in front of me. Our knees are touching. She takes my hands and holds them in hers. I can feel her hands trembling.We gaze at each other with tear-filled eyes. Nina bursts into tears and wraps her arms around my neck. I hold her tight and cry into her soft brown hair.โAll those years, you say you ignored me; you never did. Every day we had breakfast and dinne
Nina takes a step back, putting distance between us.โWhy would you do that to me? Why would you put a curse on me, Magnus?โ she yells.โShe is cursed?โ someone yells.Nina looks at me with tear-filled eyes and a look of anger and hurt in her eyes.โWell, thatโs one less thing I donโt have to tell.โ Hank says.Nina and I glare at him. โNina has a curse that affects your dear future, Alpha. He canโt shift naturally without severe pain, as you all know, but you donโt know itโs because of her curse!โ he shouts and points to Nina.Everyone glares and point at Nina.โNo, leave her alone! Itโs not her fault.โ I say, pulling Nina behind my back.โI have the proof that Nina is not what she seems. She has no wolf because she is a witch and cursed you, future Alpha.โ he shouts and points a remote up, pressing a button. The projection screen shows a video of Nina and me and the lake earlier today. Nina is casting spells.There is a sudden uproar of pack members and people from other packs yellin
โYou scared me, Magnus! Donโt sneak up on me like that again.โโSorry.โ I say, ringing my shirt out.Nina moves over to a dry area on the grass. I sit opposite her.โWhat are you doing, Magnus?โโMonitoring you, so you donโt get caught.โโI will not get caught, Magnus.โโWhat spell are you going to try now?โ I say, changing the subject.โThere is one here called The Blinking Spell, which says to focus on an area you can see in the distance, wave your wand, and say Skedaddle Dash. This will port you in that area. This spell can make you blink or teleport up to a one thousand metre radius at a time.โโThink of how quickly you can get to school with that spell?โ I laugh.Nina rolls her eyes and stands up. She walks roughly five metres away from me and looks past me into the distance.โOkay, here goes nothing.โ She says, waving her wand. โSkedaddle Dash!โShe disappears for a split second; I suddenly felt a weight on my lap. I look down to see Nina blushing as I hold her like a baby in my
โThis is impossible.โ My father says, standing up. โThis canโt be happening. Magic has been long gone and forbidden for many years. We only found out that a few witches still exist when you had the terrible fever, Magnus.โโNina, you and your sister cannot experiment with this. You are already in danger. If everyone finds out, you are cursed and that it affects Magnus and now to know you can cast magic. It will cause mass panic. Everyone will hunt you and May down. The only way to keep the secret safe is not to cast magic. My mother says.I know how much being able to cast spells meant to Nina. She was trying hard to hold back any tears and hid her feelings from everyone.โWe need to figure out how this is even possible.โ Dad says.We all look at Leon and Amelia. Leon shrugs his shoulders.โIโm in just as much shock as you all are. I swear I do not know.โ He says, then looks at Amelia, who has the look of guilt written all over her face. โAmelia?โ Leon says.โWell, you see. There is s
As soon as the sun rose, Leon came out to the car.โYou look worse every time I see you, Magnus.โโAre the girls ready to go? I want to get out of here.โ I say, ignoring his observations of me.โYeah, Iโll tell them to hurry it up.โโGood.โ I say and sit in the front passengerโs seat.The girls climb in the back, talking to one another as I stare out the front window. I pull the visor in front of me down and slide the panel across, exposing the small mirror. Leon wasnโt wrong when he commented about my appearance. The bags under my eyes have only gotten bigger and darker. I notice May give Nina a look and gesture her head at me. She was hinting to Nina to say something to me. Nina glares at May, shakes her head no, and looks out the side window, avoiding me.Leon enters the driverโs seat and puts the radio on to break the silence.May sings along to half the songs throughout the day. We stop for petrol and Leon buys snacks for everyone while we are there. The girls tell Leon they are
We arrive at the car.โIโll mind-link Alpha Ryker and let them know we have Nina and that we are safe.โI open the back passenger doorโGianna steps in, then Nina. May sits in the front. My heart rate increases as I get to sit next to Nina. I unzip the bag at my feet and pass out a bottle of water to everyone. Nina and Gianna scull the water down before I hand them snacks. They moan as they eat the food, especially Gianna. She eats a packet of chips, a muesli bar and three chocolate bars.โThis is so good. Iโve never had food like this before, not even when I was at the orphanage.โ She says with her mouth full of food.โWe will get you a proper meal when we reach the next town.โ Leon says to her while adjusting the rear-view mirror.As we reach the town, we park outside the diner. We raced inside, causing a lot of attention from the diners and staff. We sit at the nearest table and wave the waitress over. She takes the pen from behind her ear and the notepad from her pocket.โWhat woul
The older woman grabs the younger womanโs shoulder but stares at me.โItโs over for now, but this wonโt be the last you see of us.โ She hisses.I growl and step towards them. May places her hand on my back.โNo, let them go. We need to find Nina. We can worry about them later.โShe says as the two women quickly shift and run away. I shift back and yell in pain. After a few minutes, Iโm in my human form. Leon shifts back as well.โNina!โ I cry out.There are dead bodies everywhere. Gianna is sobbing. May approaches her and unties her from the post and the rope from her wrists. I hear a moan and a mumble and run towards the sound. Pushing a couple of bodies aside, I find Nina.โNina, Iโm here. Youโre safe now.โ I say, untying her wrists. She squints her eyes, letting them adjust. The look of relief shows on her face. She sits up and lunges into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck, and cries into my chest.โYou came for me. You found me.โโOf course, we came for you, Nina. I would s