Chapter 0002

AMARA.

"Then stay there but don’t sleep. Do you want me to take off your shorts? But I have to rip it apart if you don’t want to move."

"Yes, please," I replied in a soft voice.

Claws erupted from his nails before he ripped my shorts open. I felt the air on my ass as he tossed away the torn piece of cloth before his hand went up inside the back of my shirt.

"I will just unclasp your bra…"

I nodded my head again with my eyes closed as I tried to steady my breathing. The burn was still there, but having Jace around helped calm my senses.

"Shit.." I heard him mutter under his breath as his fingers fumbled on the clasp of my bra.

"Fuck. How on earth do I take this off?" His voice sounded annoyed, and I couldn’t help but smile despite the pain in my body.

I bent my arm and reached for my back, but before I could even touch my bra, I heard a piece of fabric rip, and I knew he had destroyed my favorite sea-blue undergarment. Same old Jace — sometimes he would get impatient.

I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck as I hugged him tighter. I just want to go to sleep now. "That’s my favorite," I mumbled against his skin.

"You need to tell me where to buy those, and I’ll buy you a new one. Damn those little clothes, why does anyone need to wear them anyway?"

"Hmmm…"

He untangled my arms from his neck before he held them and withdrew my body away from him. "How are you feeling? You look too pale?"

"I’m so tired and burning…"

"You need to fight it if you want to shift successfully."

"It’s painful."

"What happened to the brave girl I knew who could take down anyone in her way? A little pain and you’re giving up? Come on, Amara, you can do better."

I was about to answer him back when a screeching pain erupted again from my spine as if it were being pulled out of my body. I screamed at the top of my lungs before I sank my teeth into his arm, biting him hard.

"Mother fucker!" Jace growled, and it was the first time I heard him growl so loudly that it hurt my ears.

I snapped out of my senses as my eyes widened, fear flitting in them. My bite must have hurt too much because his eyes were dilating and his arm was too red with my bite mark. I was sure there were wounds as blood was visible in them.

"I’m…" I was not able to finish my words as my face twisted with pain, making me arch my body, and I stumbled backward.

"Amara!" He growled again while I tried to crawl away from him.

"Stop! Please make it stop! Goddess, please!" I pleaded through my cries and tears began trickling down my face as my body stiffened, but my elbows and knees were still buckling.

Jace crouched in front of me, his eyes dilating and his jaw clenching as he cupped my cheeks, his thumb brushing against the corner of my mouth. "You’re doing great, brave heart…"

I forced a smile when he used the term he would always call me when we were younger — when I kept climbing those tall trees even though I kept falling on my ass.

"I don’t know how to be brave tonight. It’s too painful, Jace."

"I’m here. Do you remember what I always told you when you got scratches and wounds?"

"The pain will go... away."

"Right. It will soon be over and you will forget about the pain."

I nodded my head as I bit my bottom lip a little too hard to suppress my cries.

"Does your gum itch?"

I nodded. "It’s painful now…"

"Open your mouth..."

I slowly parted my mouth and closed my eyes. The pain was still too much, but Jace’s hands on my cheeks were making me brave. He didn’t let go and continued to caress my cheeks until I could feel my saliva dripping but I couldn’t stop it.

I heard movement as his hands withdrew, and tears fell from my eyes, although they were closed.

Did he move back because my saliva was dripping? He was probably grossed out.

I heard a piece of fabric being torn. I snapped my eyes open and saw him with a piece of my shirt, and he gently wiped the drool off the side of my mouth. And it just made me cry harder.

"Hey, don’t cry. You’re making me feel so useless because I can’t help you." His sounded hurt.

If he only knew I was crying because I wasn’t expecting him to do this for me.

"I promise you, once you meet your wolf, the pain will be worth it. So just hang in there, brave heart." He rested his forehead against mine, his peppermint breath fanning against my face. "Zero and I, can’t wait to meet your wolf, Amara. I’m sure she’s as beautiful as you."

Then it happened.

A screeching pain erupted in multiple places in my body — my shoulders, stomach, spine, limbs, knees, elbows, everywhere. I just wanted it to end, so I let another torturous scream escape my throat before I heard my bones snapping one by one.

And the gums that had been painful and itchy for a while now began ripping — something was coming out.

My eyes darted back to Jace as he scooted backward without taking his gaze off me. The wide, smug grin on his face and the pride flitting in his eyes gave me the assurance I needed. I was doing things right.

Soon enough, my screaming filled the forest around us until it turned into a howl of triumph. Fur sprouted out of my skin, and my face elongated as fangs erupted from my gums.

Before I knew it, I had already shifted.

"Holy mother fucker! You’re a black wolf!" Jace exclaimed. His eyes rounded in awe, but he remained fixed on his spot.

My head tilted down to look at my paws.

He wasn’t lying. I am a black wolf. An Alpha wolf.

Ice.

My wolf’s name was Ice. How ironic was it when I was all black?

Ice whimpered and slumped her body to the ground, telling me that she wanted Jace to approach us, but since we couldn’t mindlink him, there was no way to let him know we wanted him to come to us.

This felt so strange. My wolf was so happy to be out and kept chattering in my head while I remained silent and still in awe of everything.

I have a wolf at sixteen.

Ice tilted her head up, and our eyes locked with Jace’s piercing blue eyes. He was no longer smiling, and the brooding Alpha that I see all the time was back.

Where was the nice Jace earlier, the one that cradled me in his arms?

‘Did we do something wrong, Ice?’ I asked my wolf, confused at the sudden change in his mood.

Ice didn’t answer and just whimpered.

And just like in a movie, Jace’s face slowly twitched into a warm smile as he spread his arms open as if welcoming me for a hug.

"Come here, brave heart. Don’t be lazy. Get up and practice walking…" His voice sounded excited, and it made Ice excited as well. She pushed her body up and bravely threaded her way to Jace, slipping and sliding twice before she was able to get her footing.

"There you go! You’re fucking beautiful! I wish I knew your name. But I guess I have to wait until Amara tells me." Jace’s face looked so happy that I had no idea if I should be happy as well or get jealous.

He liked my wolf, and I wonder when he will look at me that way.

My name is Amara Grace Mikaelson.

Firstborn Alpha Female. Sixteen years old. And yes, I’d been harboring a crush on the eighteen-year-old, soon-to-be Alpha, in front of me. I had no idea when I started noticing that the hugs I was giving him were no longer the brotherly hugs that I was used to, that he had been occupying my thoughts whenever I was alone, or that I hated all the females throwing themselves at him.

But I kept it all a secret and acted as if he meant nothing to me.

No one had to know. Especially not my best friend Catherine - Jace’s younger sister.

"Would you like to play? Run with me? Every young wolf needs to run after they shift for the first time…" Jace asked, his hand running and smoothing against my fur, and I was basking in the attention he was giving us, even if it was just to my wolf.

"How about you lick my face if it’s a yes, or push me away if it’s a no? So…" He smiled, and his deep dimples offset his chiseled jaw.

Could this male be more handsome than he already is?

My eyes widened when Ice raised her paws and pushed Jace’s shoulders so that he stumbled backward, but she didn’t let go and instead hovered over him.

‘What are you doing? I want to run with Zero!" I snapped at my wolf.

Oh, Goddess! First day, and I was already fighting with her.

Ice huffed in my head as if teasing me before her head leaned down and began licking his face.

Jace laughed heartily before he cupped her jaws while she continued licking his face. "Aren’t you a tease?"

Yup! That’s exactly what I was thinking.

And I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my lips this time. Jace seldom smiled at me or anyone else, so it warmed my heart that he was smiling and laughing at the moment, even if he was sharing it with my wolf and not directly with me.