As soon as daylight arrived, we hit the streets and showed my ceremony's group photo with Nina in it.‘Excuse me, sir, have you seen this girl?’‘No, sorry.’‘Excuse me, miss, have you seen this girl?’‘No, I haven’t.’We are just about to call it a day when an older lady looks harder at the photo.‘I haven’t seen the girl you are looking for, but I have seen him.’ She says, pointing to Moss standing behind Nina in the photo.‘Are you sure? When and where did you see him?’ I ask.‘Moss, I think his name is. He is the future Alpha of a pack of ruthless, mongrel rogues.’‘He’s a future Alpha?’ I say, in complete shock.‘Yes, his mother is well known around here too, and not for good reasons either. Their pack members are always stealing from all the surrounding towns and villages. They have even kidnapped she-wolves and force mateships between those she-wolves and their rogues.’May, Leon, and I look at each other in shock at what we are hearing.‘We have to tell Alpha Ryker.’ Leon says
We trudge down the left tunnel, holding our magically lit sticks in the air that illuminates the cave. Leon, still in wolf form, grabs a rat and eats it.‘So gross, dad!’ May says.Leon ignores her and finishes his meal. We continue through the tunnel to find another two tunnels.‘We go left.’ I say before May even asks.The tunnel becomes smaller. I have to bend my head down to fit. After what feels like hours of being in here, we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.We can hear yelling in the distance and approach with caution. Peeking our heads out, it is almost nightfall. I touch the end of the lit stick. It’s not hot, so I tuck it into my pocket to hide the glow. May does the same. We follow the sound of people yelling. There are some thick bushes nearby. I signal for Leon and May to follow me. I crawl into the bushes and inspect the commotion.A large circle of stones with sticks and branches in the middle are waiting to be set alight. An oversized stone chair carved
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
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
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
‘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
‘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
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
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