Alpha RykerWe enter Shady Crest territory, right at nightfall. Vanessa and Alice walk in front of Kane with their wrists tied together while Leon leads the pack warriors. Alpha Zenith's warriors are all spread out, making them easy targets. Our arrival must have sounded an alarm. They retreat toward the packhouse.'Alpha Zenith knows we're here,' I yell out. Seth is mind-links me: Alpha! 'They know you're here!''Good!' I say.'Oh no!' Seth says.'What is it?' I ask.'It's Astrid! You need to hurry! She's shifting!' Seth says.'Seth, tell Astrid I'm coming for her. I will be with her as soon as possible,' I say.'Leon, Kane, we need to move fast! Astrid is shifting!' They nod. Leon and I shift into our wolves. Kane supervises Alice and Vanessa in his human form.'We will be right behind you, Alpha!' Kane yells out. We run until we can see the packhouse. There are hundreds of pack warriors ready and waiting for us. I shift into my human form and put my pants on. I scan the area for A
AstridFocusing, like Ryker, told me to. My body shifts back into human form. I open my eyes to see myself lying in Ryker's arms. I lock eyes with him, but this time, I see him through my wolf's eyes. 'Mate!' I say, and the world around me disappears. I feel a magnetic rush of endorphins and dopamine sweep through me—the attraction and lust I have for Ryker increase dramatically. I want to touch him, hold him, mark him and tell the world he is 'mine'. My arms wrap around his neck. 'Ryker, I missed you so much! I'm so sorry for leaving.'He wraps his warm, masculine arms around my waist and presses me to his chest. He cups my face in his hands. 'It's okay, babe. I know you didn't want to leave. I'm here now, and that's all that matters.' We stare into each other's eyes, and our mouths smash together. My body ignites with the intensity of our passionate kiss. It sends overwhelming, hot shivers down my spine. We eventually part from the kiss and pant.Ryker lets out a little growl and
Giggling and blushing as Ryker nips my ear playfully, I let out a slight growl. He puts me on the bed and crawls toward me, kissing me passionately. 'I love you,' I say, staring into his eyes. 'I love you. I've wanted nothing more in my life,' he whispers.'I want you to mark me, Ryker. It's time the world knows I belong to you and you, alone.'Are you sure you are ready?' He asks as his eyes glisten longingly into mine. Ryker pulls me on top of him, so I'm sitting fully on his lap. He caresses my back as we kiss with intense passion. 'Ryker,' I whisper.'Astrid,' he whispers. He grazes the spot on my neck, readying himself to mark me, and bites down with his protruded fangs. An overwhelming sense of love and euphoria rush through my body.My fangs protrude, and I hover over the marking spot on Ryker's neck before biting down on his skin. Intense drowsiness overwhelms me. I bite into his nape, marking him before I slump into his chest and instantly fall asleep.The sun shines on m
Three months later,Gently waking Ryker up, I cover his handsome face in kisses. 'I don't want to wake up,' He murmurs. I throw a pillow at his face. 'Hey!' He sits up and throws a pillow back at me. I lean backward, dodging the pillow. I poke out my tongue: 'Ha! You missed!' I tease.'Oh, did I?' He says, jumping out of bed and running toward me, flinging me over his shoulder and whirling us around in a circle. 'Ryker! Stop!' I giggle. 'You'll make me sick,' I say. Ryker stops.'Well, you're no fun!' He feigns a pout. 'No fun? We are always having fun,' I state. 'True.' He says, lifting me over his shoulder.Ryker runs into the dining room downstairs with a grin on his face. I scream his name the whole way down. 'Ryker!' I yell, trying not to laugh at his playfulness. Finally, he sits in a chair and pulls me onto his lap. 'There, I put you down,' he says, winking at me. I roll my eyes. 'Did you roll your eyes at me, Luna?' he laughs.Everyone at the table eats in silence, smi
I feel like and look like a beached whale struggling to get out of bed. 'Ryker!' I call out. A moment later, I hear Ryker running up the stairs. 'What's wrong? Is the baby coming?' He asks. I laugh.'No, we're fine. I just can't sit up. My belly is so huge.' Ryker smiles and walks over to the bed to help me sit up before kneeling beside me and placing his hands on both sides of my belly.'I can't wait to meet you, little one. It won't be much longer now,' Ryker says, kissing my stomach. Ryker pulls me to my feet, helps me dress, and we walk downstairs for breakfast. I think twice about sitting on Ryker's lap when I'm as big as I am. Instead, I pull out another chair, breaking our morning routine.'Wait,' he says, standing and sitting down in the chair I have just pulled out. Then, he gestures for me to sit in his. 'You're so sweet,' I say, smiling at him. 'Only the best seat in the house for you, my love,' he says, giving me a wink and a smile.'Astrid, you must let Hayley and I t
'Ryker! My Dad! He kidnapped me!''Are you at your father's house?''No, we aren't at his house. I'm in a big, old shed or run-down, abandoned factory. I've never been here before.''Leon is bringing me a map. We'll mark all the abandoned buildings and sheds and check each one.''You need to hurry. Dad said he would kill our baby.' I hear a ferocious growl through the link.'I'm going to kill him if he lays a finger on you or our baby.'Dad grabs my hair. 'Are you even listening to me? Or are you too busy zoning out?' He yells. 'Ryker is going to find me, and he is going to kill you for this!' I yell. 'Your precious Ryker, hey, so, he's your baby Daddy?' he says.'Yes. Ryker is my mate!' I reply. 'Your mate? And what kind of term is that?' He asks. 'The Moon Goddess chose us to be together. We are soul mates,' I say. He smirks and stands, picking the chair up and throwing it. I watch it smash into pieces. 'Please don't. I'm begging you,' I say as Dad approaches me.He picks up t
Amelia and I sit on the porch drinking tea, heavily pregnant with our second babies, while Magnus plays with little Nina. Amelia and Leon's daughter aptly named Nina because she was such a small, tiny baby, and Nina means 'little girl'. I think it's pretty cute. We laugh as little Nina holds in a mouthful of water and squirts it into Magnus' face. Then she pokes her tongue out at Magnus and runs away. Magnus chases after her. 'Little Nina and Magnus are the complete opposite of each other. I say it would be interesting to see if the Moon Goddess chooses them as mates?' I giggle. 'I don't know. Every playdate we have, Nina wears poor Magnus out. She is always playing tricks on him. She is so silly and cheeky, and he is so serious and sensible,' Amelia says, laughing. 'I think I need to go to the bathroom,' I say. 'Me too,' Amelia says. We both call out for our mates. 'Ryker!' I yell. 'Leon!' Amelia yells. They both appear. 'Is the baby coming? Are you okay?' Ryker asks, concerned
‘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
More thunder and lightning flash through the sky above us and turns into a wild storm raining down on us. As I hold Nina in my lap, I feel the electric static where ever our skin touches. It feels amazing. Our eyes turn black. ‘Mate.’ We say in unison. Nina lets out another scream. ‘Try not to fight it, Nina. It will hurt less if you let your wolf take over.’ I say, stroking my fingers through her hair. ‘It hurts,’ ‘I know, babe. I’m here, and I will help you through this.’ She nods and tries her best to relax. Black fur covers her as she shifts into her wolf. My breath is taken away. Her wolf is pure black with a white-shaped star on her forehead. ‘Nina, your wolf is so beautiful. You even have a white star on your forehead. I’ve never seen anything like this.’ I say, stroking her fur. She steps back, prances happily in wolf form, and then nudges into my shoulder. ‘You want me to shift too?’ She shakes her head. ‘Well, if the curse is broken, I should no longer feel any pain
We sit by the fire and keep warm. I lay on my back and looked up at the stars. Nina lies on her back next to me.'I miss my mum and dad.' Nina says.'I miss my family, too.''Would you believe I'm even missing May?''You, miss May? Never.' I smile.'What if it's months or years until we ever see them again?''We have each other. You and me now against the world until I find my mate.' I sigh.'Yeah.' Nina frowns and stands up. 'I'm going to go for a walk.''I'll come.''No, please stay. Some time to myself is what I need. I won't go far. I promise.' She says with sadness.'Oh, okay.'I watch as she wanders further into the darkness of the woods. Why did she become so sad suddenly? She is going through a lot, having no wolf, a curse, and a witch hunt after her. I wish I could hold her, smell her mint and lavender hair, and tell her everything will be okay. If I could choose my fated mate, I would select Nina in a heartbeat.Nina returns with red puffy eyes. She has been crying.'Are you
I chase after her.‘I’m sorry, that never crossed my mind.’ I fall to my knees. ‘I’m the biggest idiot ever to exist.’ Nina stops running and turns to look at me. ‘We were the best of friends once. I thought the pack saw me as one big joke. I pushed you away and ignored you for years because of it. Then I made things even worse. I cursed you, and now you don’t have a wolf. And you won’t be able to sense your mate until I find mine. All I ever wanted was to protect you and keep you safe, but all I’ve done is cause you hurt and pain. I’m so sorry. Will you ever forgive me?’ I cry.Nina morbidly approaches me and falls to her knees in front of me. Our knees are touching. She takes my hands and holds them in hers. I can feel her hands trembling.We gaze at each other with tear-filled eyes. Nina bursts into tears and wraps her arms around my neck. I hold her tight and cry into her soft brown hair.‘All those years, you say you ignored me; you never did. Every day we had breakfast and dinne
Nina takes a step back, putting distance between us.‘Why would you do that to me? Why would you put a curse on me, Magnus?’ she yells.‘She is cursed?’ someone yells.Nina looks at me with tear-filled eyes and a look of anger and hurt in her eyes.‘Well, that’s one less thing I don’t have to tell.’ Hank says.Nina and I glare at him. ‘Nina has a curse that affects your dear future, Alpha. He can’t shift naturally without severe pain, as you all know, but you don’t know it’s because of her curse!’ he shouts and points to Nina.Everyone glares and point at Nina.‘No, leave her alone! It’s not her fault.’ I say, pulling Nina behind my back.‘I have the proof that Nina is not what she seems. She has no wolf because she is a witch and cursed you, future Alpha.’ he shouts and points a remote up, pressing a button. The projection screen shows a video of Nina and me and the lake earlier today. Nina is casting spells.There is a sudden uproar of pack members and people from other packs yellin
‘You scared me, Magnus! Don’t sneak up on me like that again.’‘Sorry.’ I say, ringing my shirt out.Nina moves over to a dry area on the grass. I sit opposite her.‘What are you doing, Magnus?’‘Monitoring you, so you don’t get caught.’‘I will not get caught, Magnus.’‘What spell are you going to try now?’ I say, changing the subject.‘There is one here called The Blinking Spell, which says to focus on an area you can see in the distance, wave your wand, and say Skedaddle Dash. This will port you in that area. This spell can make you blink or teleport up to a one thousand metre radius at a time.’‘Think of how quickly you can get to school with that spell?’ I laugh.Nina rolls her eyes and stands up. She walks roughly five metres away from me and looks past me into the distance.‘Okay, here goes nothing.’ She says, waving her wand. ‘Skedaddle Dash!’She disappears for a split second; I suddenly felt a weight on my lap. I look down to see Nina blushing as I hold her like a baby in my
‘This is impossible.’ My father says, standing up. ‘This can’t be happening. Magic has been long gone and forbidden for many years. We only found out that a few witches still exist when you had the terrible fever, Magnus.’‘Nina, you and your sister cannot experiment with this. You are already in danger. If everyone finds out, you are cursed and that it affects Magnus and now to know you can cast magic. It will cause mass panic. Everyone will hunt you and May down. The only way to keep the secret safe is not to cast magic. My mother says.I know how much being able to cast spells meant to Nina. She was trying hard to hold back any tears and hid her feelings from everyone.‘We need to figure out how this is even possible.’ Dad says.We all look at Leon and Amelia. Leon shrugs his shoulders.‘I’m in just as much shock as you all are. I swear I do not know.’ He says, then looks at Amelia, who has the look of guilt written all over her face. ‘Amelia?’ Leon says.‘Well, you see. There is s
As soon as the sun rose, Leon came out to the car.‘You look worse every time I see you, Magnus.’‘Are the girls ready to go? I want to get out of here.’ I say, ignoring his observations of me.‘Yeah, I’ll tell them to hurry it up.’‘Good.’ I say and sit in the front passenger’s seat.The girls climb in the back, talking to one another as I stare out the front window. I pull the visor in front of me down and slide the panel across, exposing the small mirror. Leon wasn’t wrong when he commented about my appearance. The bags under my eyes have only gotten bigger and darker. I notice May give Nina a look and gesture her head at me. She was hinting to Nina to say something to me. Nina glares at May, shakes her head no, and looks out the side window, avoiding me.Leon enters the driver’s seat and puts the radio on to break the silence.May sings along to half the songs throughout the day. We stop for petrol and Leon buys snacks for everyone while we are there. The girls tell Leon they are
We arrive at the car.‘I’ll mind-link Alpha Ryker and let them know we have Nina and that we are safe.’I open the back passenger door—Gianna steps in, then Nina. May sits in the front. My heart rate increases as I get to sit next to Nina. I unzip the bag at my feet and pass out a bottle of water to everyone. Nina and Gianna scull the water down before I hand them snacks. They moan as they eat the food, especially Gianna. She eats a packet of chips, a muesli bar and three chocolate bars.‘This is so good. I’ve never had food like this before, not even when I was at the orphanage.’ She says with her mouth full of food.‘We will get you a proper meal when we reach the next town.’ Leon says to her while adjusting the rear-view mirror.As we reach the town, we park outside the diner. We raced inside, causing a lot of attention from the diners and staff. We sit at the nearest table and wave the waitress over. She takes the pen from behind her ear and the notepad from her pocket.‘What woul
The older woman grabs the younger woman’s shoulder but stares at me.‘It’s over for now, but this won’t be the last you see of us.’ She hisses.I growl and step towards them. May places her hand on my back.‘No, let them go. We need to find Nina. We can worry about them later.’She says as the two women quickly shift and run away. I shift back and yell in pain. After a few minutes, I’m in my human form. Leon shifts back as well.‘Nina!’ I cry out.There are dead bodies everywhere. Gianna is sobbing. May approaches her and unties her from the post and the rope from her wrists. I hear a moan and a mumble and run towards the sound. Pushing a couple of bodies aside, I find Nina.‘Nina, I’m here. You’re safe now.’ I say, untying her wrists. She squints her eyes, letting them adjust. The look of relief shows on her face. She sits up and lunges into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck, and cries into my chest.‘You came for me. You found me.’‘Of course, we came for you, Nina. I would s