Chapter 1

‘Come on, Magnus, please play hide and seek with me,’ 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 Nina’s eyes, I huff, ‘I’m still mad at you for tricking me into putting salt on my cereal this morning instead of sugar.’

Nina’s face lights up with a smile. ‘The look on your face when you ate it, though, was so worth it,’ she giggles.

Why do you always enjoy making me the laughingstock of the family? Do you hate me that much?’

‘It’s not like that, Magnus. You’re my best friend, always and forever. We are just having fun,’

‘Fun! You’re not the one who gets into trouble for your little pranks and silly games. No one will take me seriously when I become the Alpha.’

‘Of course, everyone will take you seriously, Magnus. You’re overthinking it. Look, I’m sorry about this morning. Please play hide and seek with me?’ she says, batting her eyelids at me.

I’m struggling to say no and instead sigh, ‘Fine,’

‘Yay!’ She grabs my hand and pulls me along towards the large walled dam. ‘Now, last time was boring though, so this time I brought this.’ She removes a blindfold from her pocket and waves it like a flag in front of my face.

‘A blindfold?’

‘Yes, I’ll blindfold you, and you count to a hundred because I know you have been peeking, and that’s how you find me so easily.’

She isn’t lying. I never fully close my eyes to see which direction she goes. Because she is so tiny and petite compared to me, I kneel so she can tie the blindfold around my eyes.

Holding my hand, she guides me to a nearby area. ‘Okay, you can start counting now,’ she lets out a mischievous giggle.

‘Nina, this better not be another prank,’ I yell out as she runs away, but she doesn’t reply. Sighing, I start to count. As soon as I reach twenty, I feel a stronger vibration with each second. Following my gut instincts, I remove the blindfold to see I’m standing in the empty creek that leads water from the dam down to the river. I’m roughly fifty meters from the dam’s gate. Warriors open the gate to release water from the dam when it’s close to overflowing, which is right now. Water rushes down the creek, washing me away in the rapids. Nina runs alongside the stream giggling as I’m flung around in the water.

‘Nina!’ I yell and spit water out that has entered my mouth.

‘Enjoying your bath?’ she yells.

I grab a branch and pull myself out of the creek

‘Nina!’

‘Oh, don’t be so mad, Magnus. You looked like you were having fun,’ she giggles. Then, she turns and runs towards Shady Crest’s packhouse as soon as she sees me stomping towards her with a furious look on my face.

‘I will get you back one of these days, Nina!’ I yell and chase after her. She beats me back to the packhouse with great speed. She has always been very swift in her movements and known to be the fastest runner in our pack and can even outrun the warriors.

Entering the packhouse, I am met with my very unimpressed mother.

‘Magnus! You are wet and muddy. What on Earth have you been up to?’ She growls.

‘It was Nina’s fault,’ I say, pointing at her as she sits like a proper lady at the table, looking oblivious to my words.

My mother stares at Nina, then back at me with a frown.

‘Nina is as fresh as a daisy, as usual, Magnus. You are going to be Alpha one day. You need to take responsibility for yourself. Now I suggest you go upstairs and have a proper bath.’

‘But…’

‘No buts Magnus, now!’ she points to the staircase, and I glare at Nina. She is trying to contain a laugh behind her hand.

Storming upstairs, I run a bath and struggle to remove the clothes clinging to my body and slip over. I lay there staring out the window at the overcast grey sky.

‘Damn you, Nina, I wish if the Moon Goddess herself would curse you and not give you your wolf on your eighteenth birthday and remove your mate bond until the day I fall in love,’ I say out loud.

A flash of lightning suddenly hits the roof of the packhouse, and thunder roars in the sky. I stand up in surprise at the timing of the thunder and lightning, wondering if it was a sign from the Moon Goddess. Nah.

I sit in the bath of bubbles and think of all the times I played with Nina. Chasing her across a field, she quickly leaps as I fall into a deep hole. She had, of course, led me to fall into the hole. I think about last year when it was my tenth birthday, and she pushed my face into my cake as I went to blow out the candles. Everyone, especially her, thought it was hilarious. Me, not so much.

Just like the time she put the itchy powder in my clothes. I spent half the day scratching myself silly and tearing my clothes throughout the day in agony. The entire pack laughed. I always felt humiliated, as if I was the family's joke. How am I supposed to be the future Alpha when no one takes me seriously because of Nina?

Maybe if I completely ignore her and keep my distance, my family won’t see me as a joke anymore? I need my family to know I will take my role seriously as Alpha, and the only way to do that is without Nina in my life.

Content with my plan, I dry and dress and join the packhouse downstairs for dinner. First, my dad Alpha Ryker sits at the head of the table, then it’s my mother next to him, but I have never seen her sit in her chair. Instead, she sits on my dad’s lap, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Next to my mother’s vacant seat is my brother Flint, then my sister Josie, the youngest. Being the next Alpha in line, I sit next to dad on the other side of the table. Then we have my dad’s beta Seth with his wife Mia and their son Zak, then Gamma Kane and his wife Hayley with their daughter Trixie. Last but not least, at the other end is Leon, who is in charge of the pack warriors and his wife Amelia with their two daughters May and, of cour, Nina.

Ignoring Nina, I smile at May, who blushes, then I acknowledge my brother, sister, and the others. We eat our meals in silence, but Flint and Josie snigger and elbow each other.

‘Care to share with the table what seems to be so funny?’ Alpha Ryker asks them.

‘We were just talking about how Magnus went for a swim today and got washed away and that it’s probably the cleanest he has ever been,’ Josie says and bursts into laughter along with Zak and May. I slam my fork down and cross my arms. I want to glare at Nina but remind myself to never look at her ever again.

‘Kids, that is enough. Eat your dinner, or you can go without food. Your choice,’ Mother says with a firm voice.

As we quietly eat our meals, my dad talks about Vanessa and Alice, who fled from Shady Crest when I was born.

‘The emerald pack caught sight of two female rogues and a young boy rogue in their territory and are certain the females were Vanessa and Alice. They followed them to another pack that is not on record and think it may be a bunch of rogues creating their official pack.’

‘Shall I send warriors after them, Alpha Ryker?’ Leon asks.

‘It’s been ten years since they fled, and they haven’t seemed to have caused any more trouble. Ten years on the run is already quite the punishment,’

‘Well, if they are farther south and keeping to themselves, I don’t see the need to pursue them,’ Mother says.

Dad kisses her hand and nods in agreement.