NIRVANA “Be serious, Nirvana,” the female wolf spirit just said my name. “Wait. How do you know me?” I felt goosebumps erupt all over my body. “You died by a dark magic and brought back to life by magic. Your soul has been saved. You are pure and chosen to have an animal spirit to protect you, guide you, and help you protect the people you care about from the evil that walks on earth, but you must never abuse it.” “Excuse me? I’m far from pure. I think you got the wrong, wolfy girl.” “We had never been wrong. I symbolized power, loyalty, and guardianship.” “Uh-huh. I’m dreaming again, am I? But I say hard pass. I died once, and I can’t do it again.” I cleared my throat. “Look, I died and was brought back to life, and I’m taking this second chance to good use, helping people, enjoying life, and being with my loved ones, but not to be controlled by whatever you are. You look cool, though, like an astral projection in Dr. Strange.” “You need me, Nirvana, to help fight evils that
KNIGHT Everything just felt right, and it scared me. It was my first time waking up in the morning with the same woman wrapped in my arms. Nirvana was a light sleeper who liked curling and tangling around me. “Morning.” I kissed her shoulder blade. “Breakfast in bed?” “No way. Zarah and Grandpa are leaving today.” She turned to me to kiss me on the lips, quickly got up, and went to the bathroom. I had to get on my ass as well. I typed an email to my assistant that I’d be taking a vacation for the whole week. When she came back, she was wearing different pajamas. “Did you change your clothes?” “Yup. I kinda fell last night, but I’m good. My butt didn’t hurt anymore.” “Be careful. Where did you fall?” “I slipped in the patio. No biggie. I was just clumsy.” “Okay.” I didn’t know, but I felt she wasn’t telling me the whole story. “I’ll go down if the squad is already awake.” “At this time, they are. I’m going to use the bathroom. See you down in a bit.” When I went down, sh
NIRVANA “I’ll take your grandfather with me and send him home.” I suddenly felt emotional that I wanted to cry. “I’m grateful.” “I’ll see you soon, honey.” Grandpa kissed me on the cheek. “Be safe.” “You, too. Love you, Grandpa.” “Love you, too.” I was still standing even though the portal had disappeared minutes before me. I didn’t know what I would become if I were raised by a different person. I was glad my grandfather was there for me growing up. “Your grandpa is a strong man. He’s going to be okay.” I looked at McKaye. “Yup. After what happened to me, it’s just that I don’t wanna be far from him.” “We can visit him. At least once a month.” “That’s a great idea, Mac.” “Vana, we’re going to the pack house. Are you coming with us?” I turned to Kailin. Knight was standing next to her and smiled at me. “Let’s go?” “Sure.” I climbed on his bike, and he revved it up. It purred and roared off down the road. The trip to the pack house was thrilling as I rode with Knight o
NIRVANA “My team will win, Nirvana.” He smiled confidently, taking a bag of chips from Kailin and a can of beer and soda from McKaye. “Oh, full of confidence. I like that.” “Yes!” Knight just stood up and clapped his hands after his team earned points. “Go, guys! You can win this again.” “We’ll get a touchdown, alpha.” Kaleb teased him. “Good luck, buddy,” Knight teased back. “Who gives the prizes?” I whispered to Kailin. “The alpha.” “Really?” “Yeah. He also sponsors some college boys who can’t afford like the twins. That’s why he’s protective of them, of everyone, actually. Their parents are working class, but they also have kids in high school.” I felt proud of Knight, knowing he wasn’t just about getting rich or being a protective alpha. He truly cared for these people and the boys. “Next month, there will be a game between two packs. We lost in the last game.” “Ouch.” “Yeah. Just by two points,” Knight still proudly said. “Yes!” Kaleb was also competitive, trying to
KNIGHT Holy shit! I was advanced. Nirvana was still standing when I sped up. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was ahead of me, standing under the tree at the finish line. “How?” I went to her, inspecting her from head to toe. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Please don’t tell anyone. I want to keep it to myself first. I need to know my strengths and weaknesses. I want to know if there are repercussions. Maybe there are side effects. And I’m terrified.” “Sweetheart, you don’t have to tell me. My priority right now is to keep you safe, and to do that, I shouldn’t tell anybody. Does Zarah know?” “While we were meditating, I think I went to the flowers in the backyard. That’s why I asked you if there were hydrangeas, because I felt like I saw them and touched the red flowers in the pot, but I wasn’t sure. I was sitting before Zarah, and the next thing I knew, I had somehow fallen off my seat. It was like a blow of wind threw me away.” “You didn’t run fast like the Flash.” She chuck
KNIGHT Nirvana shook her head. “Go ahead.” I followed Kaleb into my office and locked the door behind me. Nirvana didn’t have to come with me because she could probably hear our conversation, even if this were soundproofed from human ears. “Is something wrong?” “No. Who went to scout the parameters last night?” “Gage and Tucker are in the south to west, and Luka and Fabian are in the north to east. There were campers outside the territory. They’re humans.” “Don’t trust anyone, even humans. I’m afraid Cadogan will come to us to retaliate. Then, this warlock problems. How can I deal with that when I don’t even have the power to defeat him.” “What about the warlock that healed your mate?” “He’s hunting that asshole. If he loses and gets thrown into the underworld, we’re doomed. Even though Zarah is powerful, there’s no way she can defeat him alone. She needs her entire coven, even covens all over the world.” “I’ll make sure our parameters are secured. You can take our best enfor
NIRVANA “So, I’m going home with this death trap again?” “You’re safe with me, Nirvana.” He kissed me on the lips before helping me put on my helmet. “I promise.” “You’re lucky I trust you.” “Yes, I know I am the luckiest. I have a beautiful woman riding with me.” He turned on the engine, and his Ducati purred like a kitten. “See you later, guys.” I climbed on his bike and waved at Kailin and her father. “You both take care,” Lennox said. “The boys will follow you behind.” Knight pulled out the gate instead of going towards the road where we came from his home earlier. “Aren’t we supposed to be going to the vineyards?” “I’m taking you on a joyride. It’s a fine night, sweetheart. There’s a good burrito stand not far from here.” “And I’m supposed to be your biker’s girl?” The word biker’s girl made him laugh. “Would you be my girl?” “Whatever, alpha.” I tightened my arms around his abdomen. I knew he would never intentionally put my life in danger. The night was beautif
NIRVANA “What the fuck are you doing?” Knight was pissed off. He did a feral growl from within his chest. “Saving both our lives and our pack are on their way.” “Get back, Nirvana. This is not the time of heroism. I’m supposed to protect you.” He was seriously pissed off. I thought he was going to explode. “Get on the bike, now! I was startled when he used his alpha tone on me. I swallowed hard and defied him again. “I can’t. I’m sorry. Just trust me on this, okay?” “Fuck, Nirvana. You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know these people than I do.” “I think I have a pretty good idea what kind of people we’re dealing with. Please, just go and bring the money.” When my chin trembled, I bit my lip. He gripped my wrist harder. His eyes began to glow. I knew his wolf was pissed off, and he was losing his control. “I’m not leaving you to those animals. I’d rather die than have their hands all over you.” “Don’t shift. You can’t show them who you are and shoot you instead. Let