‘Do you want me to call your parents to come to pick you up from school?’‘No, I’ll stay,’‘I’d prefer you go home and put ice on your face, Magnus.’‘Look, I’m staying, okay? If it makes you feel better, I’ll rest here for the next period until recess.’‘Okay, well, I’ll get you an ice pack then.’She returns a moment later and hands me the icepack; I hold it against my swollen black eye for the next hour. Then, finally, the recess bell goes. I toss the icepack onto Nurse Carla’s table and walk to the cafeteria. Students stare and whisper as I walk by them.‘I heard he knocked Moss out and almost killed him.’‘Well, I heard he picked Moss up with one hand and threw him halfway across the oval,’Well, at least the whispers and rumours were to my liking. Entering the cafeteria, Claire lets out a gasp and races towards me. She cups my face.‘Boo-boo, I heard there were rumours a fight broke out. I did not know it involved you. Oh, my poor snookums,’ she says, embracing me. I notice Nina
It’s the end of the school day. Josie and Flint meet at my locker.‘Hey, bro, ready to go home?’ Flint asks.‘I’d rather them not see my face, but I don’t have a choice. So I suppose we better get home so I can face the music.’Nina was home before us, and, as expected, mum and dad were standing at the front door looking as mad as a hatter himself.‘Magnus, we received a phone call from the school today stating you got into a fight with the new boy and, from looking at your face, I’d say they gave us accurate information.’ Mum says, unimpressed. Dad walks to me and places his hand on my shoulder.‘Son, what were you thinking? You will be Alpha before you know it, and here you are, beating up the new boy. You have some explaining to do.’‘I may have accidentally nudged him at PE, and it turned into a fight.’‘And why did you accidentally nudge him?’Perfect timing. I look over Dad’s shoulder as Nina approaches. Dad raises his eyebrow at Nina, then back at me.‘I see… well, I hope we d
Claire stands on her front lawn looking for me. She is wearing a pink fitted dress with one sleeve and some frills with her freshly curled hair draped over one shoulder. Claire looks simply gorgeous. She races up to me with a smile on her face.‘Oh Boo-boo, I’m so happy to see you,’ she says, giving me a peck on the cheek. I realise I may have been ungrateful towards Claire all this time. She seems to like me a lot, and although she can be pretty overbearing, she has been nothing but supportive and sweet towards me. I can’t help but feel Nina will never forgive me and never want to be my friend again. It’s a hole inside me that will be there forever, but I shouldn’t make others who care about me suffer. Nina has moved on, although I would have preferred her to move on with anyone other than Moss. I can’t help but sense something is off about that guy, but I need to focus on what is in front of me.‘You look lovely, Claire.’She steps back and does a twirl. ‘I’m glad you like it. Let’s
‘I said no, now leave me alone!’‘Come on, babe. Just a little kiss is all I’m asking for.’ Sean says.‘Let me go, you jerk!’Sean is holding her arms against the wall of the house. She can’t move. I walk up behind Sean and put him in a lock hold. I break his arm. Nina jumps at the sound of his arm snapping.‘If you ever touch her again, I will kill you.’ I say as my eyes turn entirely black. There is a force inside me struggling not to kill him, not to rip his head off now. It’s overwhelmingly powerful. I have felt nothing like it in my life. I’m fighting myself as I also fight Sean down as he tries to escape. He is screaming and holding his broken arm. I fling him into the swimming pool. It's that, or I snap his neck, and the last thing I need right now is to end up in wolf prison.I hunch over heaving. My muscles feel as if they are growing bigger. I think I’m slowly growing bigger and stronger. I’m overwhelmed with anger, and I’m struggling to control it.Everyone has run out of t
My mother falls to her knees and tries to comfort me. I’m covered in sweat and feel immense pain.‘What is wrong with him, Ryker?’‘I don’t know. Magnus shouldn’t be in pain. I’ve never seen a shift like this before. Something isn’t right. Let’s get Magnus to his room and call the Pack doctor.’Seth, Leon, and my dad carry me to my room.‘He’s got a fever.’ Mum says, touching my forehead.Seth leaves to get the Pack doctor while mum stays by my side, wiping my face with a cold face washer. My whole body is shaking, and I cannot speak.‘Maybe it has something to do with shifting early?’ Dad suggests.‘Maybe.’ Mum frowns.The pack doctor arrives and takes my obs.‘He has a fever, but I’m struggling to see how it has anything to do with shifting. And you mentioned he was in immense pain when he shifted back?’‘Yes, he was screaming in pain, doctor.’ Dad says.‘I see, well, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ll take some blood samples and see if I can find any
‘My curse?’ Nina says.‘Yes, your curse.’ She replies.‘Are you implying Nina has been playing with magic and cursed my son?’ mother asks.‘No, but she has a curse shadowing her. It’s affecting Magnus.’‘I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken? I’m not cursed.’ Nina says.Yiselda looks Nina up and down.‘Oh, you’re cursed, sweetheart. I can see it lingering all around you.’‘What kind of curse? How do I get rid of it?’‘What kind of curse, for I do not know and how to break it. Only the one who cursed you knows how. Until then, you are stuck with it.’‘How do I find out who cursed me, then?’‘Only time will tell.’ She looks back over at Magnus and approaches.She hovers a hand over him and says an incantation. ‘The fever will break soon. But, in the meantime, until the curse breaks, I suggest you tell him to avoid shifting.’‘Why is that?’ mother asks.‘It’s going to hurt every time he shifts.’ Yiselda takes her leave without saying another word.‘We need to have a pack meeting immediatel
I wake up in the nurse’s office with a throbbing headache and look around the room.Flint is with me.‘What happened?’‘Moss decided dodgeball wasn’t over yet… he ran up behind you and threw the ball at her head with all his strength and knocked you out. He is in the principal’s office.’Nina runs into the nurse station and takes my hand.‘I heard what happened. Moss should not have done that. I’m so sorry. I will talk to Moss and make sure he does nothing stupid again.’‘Nina, it’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologise.’‘He just doesn’t like us being friends again, but he will have to accept it.’Claire runs in takes my hand from Nina’s grip. ‘Boo-boo, are you okay?’‘Yeah, every minute that goes by, the pain subsides.’The nurse walks in, ‘That’s because you have your wolf now. You will heal quickly.’ She smiles. ‘Do you feel okay to return to class?’‘Yes, I think I’ll be fine.’ I say and get up from the bed.‘Thanks for checking on me, Nina. I appreciate it.’ I say, waving.
I don’t want to go to school today knowing I have to end things with Claire. Sometimes I have to wonder if it’s me who has a curse. Everyone who seems to care for me ends up hurt. I force my feet out of bed, knowing what I need to do. I get dressed, wash my face in the basin, and head downstairs for breakfast. Everyone is already halfway through breakfast. I must have slept in. Everyone greets me except for Nina. Her eyes stare vacantly at her bowl of cereal as she swivels the milk around with her spoon, lost in thought. As soon as I sit down, she stands up and grabs her schoolbag to leave.‘In a hurry?’ Leon asks her.‘I’m meeting up with Moss so we can walk to school together.’‘Okay, honey. You have a great day.’‘Thanks, I will, Dad.’She runs out the door. Zak, May, and Josie are ready to leave. I grab my bag and join them.‘Have you talked to Nina yet?’ I ask May.‘No, last night I went to her room, but she ignored me and wouldn’t open the door.’‘Nina has gone through a lot. Sh