Maia‘Maia,’ Grace says.‘Yes, Grace?’ I smile at the young girl in front of me.‘Can we come to your forest and meet Ember one day?’‘Sure. I’d love to show you my home. And I'm sure Ember would love to meet you,’ I say excitedly and smile.‘Perhaps when this war is over,’ Vivian says, exhaling and folding her hands in her lap. The girls nod and run off again.‘Vivian?’ I say. ‘Where’s your mate?’ I ask.‘Only werewolves have mates. Humans have husbands. I had a husband: it was love at first sight. His name was Derrick. We were married a few weeks after meeting and had our girls not long after. When they were two, he died in a mining accident. The mine collapsed and killed him and twenty other men,’ Vivian says, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.‘Oh. I'm so sorry,’ I say, watching her dab her eyes.‘I don't know if I could love another man. I know Derrick would want me to. He’d want the girls to have a father, but I just haven't be
Beta TroyIn Shadowguard, a slave auction is about to commence. Twenty-five children between the ages of five and fourteen stand side by side in a row, with their hands tied with rope. They’re bruised, dirty and malnourished. A man walks toward a small cage, and a growl emits from within it.Excited and shocked, the crowd is divided between those who view the wolf pup as a commodity and those who view him as an animal to be feared.The auctioneer drags the young boy out of the cage and demands he stands. The boy is so exhausted and weary that he falls over into the dirt. I’m disgusted but must know the fate of this poor boy.After lunging at the crowd of spectators, the auctioneer punches him hard in his stomach, winding him, and knocking him over. I make eye contact with this young soul—defeat and grief blaze in his eyes.‘A real genuine wolf pup! Not just an ordinary wolf pup! This one has Alpha blood. He’ll be the strongest farmhand you’ve eve
Alpha King DamonWe don’t stand a chance at winning this war with fifteen thousand warriors, so we stop at Mist Falls and Wolfwell, recruiting everyone able to fight and increasing our number to eighteen thousand.After a few days, we reach Thornwell, a town halfway between our packhouse and the forest border. We decide to train the recruits for a few days there. Thornwell is a decently-sized village with a river running through the forest border and into human lands.For the past few nights, I’ve had the same dream of my mate. I see only the back of her long dark hair, and every time I try to get closer, she vanishes.I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. The war should have my full, undivided attention, and yet, here I am, pining after a girl I don’t even know. I yearn for her: to touch her, to kiss her, to smell her violet and honey scent, to hold her in my arms.My wolf has been uncontrollable because our unspoken mate bond is driv
Alpha King DamonMaia wilts like flower petals under my touch when I put my hand on her face but stiffens when I mention the word mate.‘My kingdom has been waiting a very long time for their Luna and their Queen,’ I say. Her breathing is heavy, and she is starting to panic.She is my mate. She should be just as excited as I am. I’m struggling to restrain my wolf, and here she is, reacting unexpectedly to our connection.I tilt her head up with my hand under her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her mesmerising violet eyes stare into my wolf eyes, and I register her fear. She screams, then runs. Forest detritus, dirt, leaves, and twigs swirl around her as she runs, and I’m knocked backward by a strong gust of wind.I am in disbelief and awe, wondering how she could do that with the wind.I pull my clothes off and discard them in a trail, continuing the chase in wolf form.Even in wolf form, I can only just keep up with her as she follows the river,
Alpha King DamonIn Thornwell, while sitting in a communal tent and holding a pint, I give my pack the good news about meeting my mate. I tell them a little about her, how I don’t think she is a wolf, and how she became scared by my claims of our mateship before running off. A few ask me how I will find her. I tell them I don’t know but that I will.They roar and cheer and chink their pints against mine in congratulatory gestures. They’re relieved and happy they’ll finally have a Luna.I yearn to have her beside me. If I could just hold her in my arms like I did when I found her by the river, it would make me the happiest man and wolf in all of Mysteria.We head to Mystic Pride, passing through Moonstone River, east of the forest. We smell the stench of death before we see the bodies. Alpha Ezra's head has been placed on a spike, and a crow pecks the flesh. I shoo the crow away, pull the spike out of the ground, and add it to the growing pile of hea
Alpha King DamonFollowing Maia’s scent, I come across a beautiful plum tree with many fresh, ripe plums on the ground deep in the forest.I pick one up and bite into it. Its wine-coloured juice runs down my chin messily. I suddenly hear a scream and know it’s Maia. I quickly undress, shift into my wolf, and run towards Maia, which leads me to a spot with a cave. A soldier I do not know hovers over my mate. I pierce the flesh of his neck with my fangs and rip a large chunk out, killing him instantly.Maia sits up and looks at me in fear. I shift back into human form and cover myself with my hands. I slowly approach her. ‘Your safe now.’ I say gently. ‘I won’t hurt you.’ I assure her. Her shaking subsides. I gently pick her up sparks form from where our skin touches. I walk over to the waterfall and step in until I am chest-deep in the water.She stares at my chest, and my body hardens. Thank goodness she can’t see her effect on me under the wate
MaiaDamon tucks my long black hair behind my ear.‘We should go to my cave,’ I say, and he lifts me and tells me he will carry me home. I have butterflies in my stomach, and Vivian mentioned butterflies. I put my arms around his neck and rest my head against him as he walks.We sit beside the waterfall to watch the stars and admire the moon. Ember curls up on Damon's legs and soon falls asleep. With our fingers, we draw pictures in the air by forming lines between one star and the next. Damon asks me to guess what he is drawing.‘A fish?’ I guess.‘No. How you got a fish out of that, Maia, I don’t know. It was a fox,’ he says, and we laughed.The night is warm, so we undress and leave our clothes near the cave while slipping into the pool beside it. Ember sits on a rock, watching us. I flick a heap of water at Damon.‘You're in trouble now, Princess,’ he says, laughing.‘Really?’ I ask him playfully.He splashes me repeatedly before d
MaiaI draw figure eights in the water with my feet while I’m deep in thought. If Damon is telling the truth about werewolves, why is there going to be a war? Villages have been told stories that aren't true! Would the war still happen if humans knew wolves are kind? Will I have to help defend Moon Crest Valley? What happens to all the innocent people like Vivian and her children?A very broad, bulky man with black, dirty, scruffy hair appears in front of the trees. He is bigger than Damon, at least half a foot taller. He has brown eyes and doesn't look very friendly. I stand up, face him, focus and summon fireballs in my hands.‘You’re definitely the Forest Princess with those flames and those violet eyes,’ he says with a husky voice.‘Don't come any closer, or I will hurt you!’ I yell.‘No need to yell. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to talk,’ he says, sitting down on a rock near the waterfallI close my hands, extinguishing the f
MaiaDamon stands up and faces everyone.‘Let this be a lesson to us all, we must not fear each other, and we must embrace and accept each other's differences. Do this, and we can live together in happiness,’ Everyone cheers.Hugo approaches.‘I hear you’re looking to hire a nanny?’ Hugo asks. Damon and I both look at each other and burst into laughter.‘Hugo, I think we have a position more suitable to your liking that needs filling at the castle?’ I say.‘Oh, what position would that be?’ Hugo asks with keen interest.‘I'm looking for a knight, but he must be the best and most loyal knight I could ever ask for. So, what do you say, Sir Hugo?’ I smile at him.Sir Hugo looks at me with the greatest respect and kneels before me. ‘It would bring me the utmost honour to serve you, my Queen Maia, and you Alpha King Damon if you would have me?’Damon smiles and nods in approval.Hugo walks away proudly.The Orc children run up to Hugo and playfull
MaiaI run towards all the children and tap a little orc boy on the shoulder.‘Tag, you’re it,’ I giggle and runoff.He chases me, laughing.‘I'm going to get you,’ he yells.Ember comes running up to me, leaps onto my chest, and knocks me to the ground. I playfully grab him and lift him into the air above me.‘Ember, I think everything is going to be okay now,’ I smile.Sparkles begin to swirl around Ember. He is suddenly too heavy to hold. Different colour swirls engulf him, then two arms appear, then two legs and long red hair. Ember falls flat onto me as my arms can’t hold his weight anymore. Our foreheads bump together on impact.The girl before me is very pretty and around my age with beautiful long hair like mine, but in a lovely shade of red. Her skin is fair, with cute freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes are green, and she has a cute little nose.‘Maia!’ She yells in excitement and wraps her arms around me.‘Ember, is that you
MaiaMy body trembles. I can't lose Damon. I can’t let King Fenris kill him! Flame begins to erupt from the ground beneath my feet, and everyone steps back in fear. The ground shakes vigorously as the harsh wind blows dust, debris and leaves around. The sound of thunder roars in the sky, and lightning whips through the clouds. My breathing becomes heavy, and the elements become stronger and more ferocious with each passing moment.I’m now engulfed in a ball of flame, wind, water and debris, and it’s only growing bigger.I try to calm my emotions to tame my powers, but I have lost all control of the elements. I know everyone here is now in danger of being killed.‘Run,’ I yell to the warriors and soldiers.‘What is she doing?’ King Fenris yells as he steps back, still holding the knife to Damon's throat.‘Everyone needs to move now, or you will be killed. I think she is losing control of her powers,’ Hugo shouts to everyone. Hugo helps an inj
‘Maia, the war is about to begin. The army is waiting for your order to march forward into battle,’ Troy says.I nod and run ahead. I am now in front of the army of warriors. They wait for my command.‘My people,’ I yell.They all immediately kneel.‘As your Luna and Queen, I stand here today to fight by your side, free our Alpha and our King, and free everyone from the wrath of King Fenris!’The warriors and villagers all cheer and roar. They begin to thump their chests with their fists in a beat of war. It’s the same beat I heard in the dream I had.I turn and start running towards the forest. I raise my right arm and create a ball of flame.‘Charge!’ I yell. They run into the forest following my lead, still beating their chests in rhythm.We are in the forest, and I can see the army of soldiers charging toward us. The wolf warriors shift into their wolves. They are huge, at least three to four times the size of a regular wolf. They lunge at the soldiers, some yelp in pain as spea
Alpha King DamonWe pass through Wellmore and can see the army up ahead. King Fenris and his army set up camp outside the forest.‘King Fenris looks angry about something,’ Hugo says.‘I wonder what has happened? It won't be long until nightfall, we can watch them from here, and as soon as it’s dark enough, we can move closer and find Maia,’ I say.Hugo nods.‘I will go into the camp first. Hopefully, they haven’t noticed that I haven’t been around,’ Hugo says.We sit and wait until nightfall.‘Alright, Alpha, I'm going in. If you don't see my signal within the hour, then you can suspect something is wrong. Otherwise, if you get my signal, you know it's clear to sneak in,’‘Hugo,’‘Yes, alpha?’‘Thank you for helping me save Maia,’Hugo smiles,‘Whatever you say, Alpha,’Hugo walks towards the camp.It has almost been an hour since I saw Hugo.‘Come on, Hugo, what's going on?’ I say out loud to myself.Finally, I see Hugo’s signal. I quickl
MaiaIt’s early morning. King Fenris unchains me from the chair and waits for me to stand up. After a moment, he realises I have no intention of moving.‘Maia, get up now.’ He yells. I keep my head down. My cheek still hurts. All I want is to be in Damon’s arms.King Fenris takes my arm and drags me from the tent to his horse. Despite my best efforts, my emotions cause my elemental power to go into defence mode, causing my wrists to burn. As King Fenris releases me to the ground, I sob in agony.Looking up, I see thousands of soldiers giving me a look of pity. Only a few of them smirk. Tears begin to roll down my face.‘Is this what you all want? You all have the power to stop this,’ I yell. King Fenris knocks me out to stop me from convincing his men to stand up to him.Upon waking, I realise I am in King Fenris's arms. We are mounted on his horse.‘My love, nice of you to join me,’ he says. I look around to see where we are.‘Have we
Alpha King DamonI am running towards Shadowguard village. I know Hugo is following me, but I ignore him. I want to bite his head off for kidnapping Maia. If he didn't take Maia in the first place, she would be safe by my side.We arrive at the village. I need rest to regain my strength. King Fenris and his army would have left here this morning. He is possibly near Wellmore now.Eric mind-links me. He informs me of all the new pups that have been born, and the she-wolves are well but are all concerned about not seeing their mates again.Tell them there is hope that we will win this war and reunite them with their loved ones soon. We have humans from West Wallow on our side who are also willing to fight this battle, declare Princess Maia queen, and dethrone King Fenris. I mind-link.I may be able to assist Maia in claiming the throne, Alpha. After conducting some studies on elemental sprites, I discovered something intriguing this morning in a li
Sir HugoI want to kill King Fenris with my bare hands. He has Maia back in the iron cuffs that I regret putting her in when I had kidnapped her. I’m going to help free you, Maia. You are very brave and will make one hell of a Queen.I discreetly pull the reigns back, turn my horse, and head behind the army. I remain there until the soldiers and King Fenris are out of sight. I approach the villagers and tell them I have a plan that can help the princess, but I can’t do it without their help. A few hundred villagers follow my orders. I send a hundred of them to Hackle Spire Village and another hundred to Limestone village. The rest follow me to Shadowguard village and spread the word of what has transpired and that we should choose Princess Maia to be our Queen and put an end to King Fenris. I inform them the werewolves are not cruel and that the rumours are all lies, revealing King Fenris made him and other knights and soldiers spread the lie
I walk away towards what used to be a vegetable garden and kneel. Then, digging holes with my hands, I plant the seeds a few meters apart, place my hands on the ground, and concentrate.Everyone is silent, watching on in curiosity until the ground beneath them starts to shake and rumble.Everyone is panicking except the little girl standing next to me, watching the apple seeds sprout and grow into large apple trees. Hundreds of apples form on all the branches. I stand up to admire the trees and turn to see thousands of people staring at me, amazed. They shout their gratitude towards me and pluck the fruit from the tree devouring the fruit while other villagers approach me with different seeds. I continue planting and growing the seeds into ripe fruit and vegetables until I feel faint. I realise I need rest to regain my power back.King Fenris approaches me.‘My love? What is the meaning of all this?’ He asks.I speak as loud as I can for them to all hear what I say.‘King Fenris, the