Maia 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, presumably home.
Knowing I can cut her off with a shortcut, I run in a different direction. She might think I’ve given up and slowed down. I know I’ve overtaken her because her scent intensifies as I reapproach her. Choosing the right moment, I pounce on her gently and shift back into human form.
I pin her down on the ground with my bodyweight and hold her wrists in my hands high above her head. We’re panting and trying to catch our breath. Lowering my face to hers to speak to her, our lips are almost touching
‘You’re my mate,’ I say, in between breaths.
‘No, I’m not,’ she retorts. It hasn’t escaped my notice that I’m lying on top of her stark naked.
I do not move because I don’t want her running off again.
‘I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know why you are running away from me and how you could manipulate the wind like that? We are mates.’ I explain.
My hands, still on her wrists, suddenly feel very hot. I
look at my hands pinning down her wrists and see balls
of flames in her hands.
‘Impossible!’ I say, falling back off her in surprise.
‘I am not your mate! I’m going home, and you won’t follow me!’
Two flame balls whoosh through the air at me and grow as they get closer. I dodge one, and the other just hit my arm.
‘Argh!’ I run to the river and drop to my knees, awkwardly leaning into the water to cool the burn.
Good thing werewolves heal quickly.
Maia is gone: I can’t see her.
‘Where are you, Maia? Please don’t be afraid of me,’ I shout, heartbroken that I might have just lost her for good.
Shifting back into my wolf, I howl in sadness.
Maia
A werewolf? I’m mated to a werewolf? I’m not a werewolf. How is this possible? Of all the werewolves, Alpha King Damon?
Running with the river, I see the forest up ahead. Thank goodness I’m almost home. It’s dark, a storm is brewing, and I’m teary.
Waiting for the storm to pass, I find a small cave and sit down on its cold stone floor, thinking about Damon. I marvel at how our skin feels when touching and pressed against each other. I want to touch him, and I want him to touch me because I know it would feel different to the way the soldier touched me. I wonder if this is how husbands and wives think about each other? How much contact do married couples make? I’ll have to ask Vivian when I see her.
Ember sprints toward me almost home and leaps into my arms against my chest.
‘Hello. I’m so sorry. You’ve probably been so worried about me. I missed you so much,’ I tell him, burying my face in his fur behind his neck. We cuddle together on my bed, and I fill him in on my travels. He nuzzles my face with his furry face to comfort me. He is telling me I’m safe now.
I sit by the base of the waterfall outside my cave and enjoy the sounds of the forest: the water splashing into a small pool, the birds singing, the trees rustling, and the breeze blowing through my hair.
I think about Damon, how he spoke to me, how he made me feel he cares, how he pinned me down on the ground, and how he stared into my eyes. Men must not have the same bodies as women – there was definitely something between his legs pressing into me when I was pinned under him.
He is the Alpha King! Werewolves are ferocious evil creatures. I can’t believe I fell for his sweetness and his sincerity. He would probably kill me and feed me to his pack.
I have to ignore my need to be near him. I need to distract myself so that I can forget him.
I subconsciously draw circles in the water with my pointer finger, and instead of the water moving aside, it forms spirals where my finger has been. I intuitively stand, still drawing circles with my finger, and the water levitates in an ongoing upward spiral. I wave my hand around like I’m waving a magic wand, and the stream of water follows and spirals around me. I laugh in amazement.
‘Ember, are you seeing this?’ Ember nods and is just as excited as I am.
Wanting to explore my new power, I focus on the water at the foot of the waterfall and, using both hands, levitate a large amount of water in a wave high above me, eventually forming a giant sphere of water. I clap, and the sphere of water explodes into myriad drops of water that pour down on me like rain.
Ember and I prance around joyfully. I’m basking in how every drop feels when it lands on me. Time feels like it stands still. I’m left saturated and happy. I sit on the wet grass, showered in water drops again, when Ember shakes himself off. All I can do is laugh.
Ember runs to a large boulder. It’s one I always complain is in my way. I follow him, lean on the boulder, and watch him scratch at its surface like he is digging for gold.
‘Ember, there’s no way you can dig a hole in this rock….’
I touch Ember’s scratches on the surface and feel myself focusing again, entranced. The boulder vibrates and sinks into the ground, lower and lower, until it’s at grass level and no longer in my way.
‘Are you seriously telling me I could have moved this boulder this whole time?’ Ember brushes his head against my leg, affirming my question.
‘What else I can do?’ I kneel on the ground, place both hands on the soil and focus.
A small vibration intensifies before the earth underneath my hands rumble and quake, causing nearby trees to sway erratically, some even toppling over. I shriek at the big earthquake I have just generated.
‘Ember! Go to the cave!’ I shout, thinking of his safety.
We run inside the cave, and the ground outside continues to roar and split, subsiding a few moments later.
‘Oops,’ I say.
Alpha King Damon
Troy mind-links Eric and me about an eight-year-old boy named Zayden who is now in his care after buying him from a slave auction in Shadowguard. Zayden is the sole survivor of the Mystic Pride massacre, and his father, Alpha Ezra, is dead. Troy is somewhere near Bramblemore, and Eric is at Moon Crest Castle.
Maia said there were soldiers in the forest. They must be the ones who attacked the small villages. I say.
Who’s Maia? They ask me in unison.
My mate.
The girl from your dream? Eric asks, incredulous.
The exact one. I say.
I can’t wait to finally meet our Luna! Troy says excitedly.
There’s one problem there, Troy. She ran away.
What? What do you mean she ran away? Troy asks, confused.
Eric is also confused. I inhale and exhale sharply before responding. My brain needs the extra oxygen to explain this next bit.
She doesn’t seem to be a werewolf. I can’t sense or smell her wolf. She doesn’t smell human either. Her eyes are violet, and she has the power to create fire and control the wind. When I told her we are mates, she became scared and ran off. I say.
Her description is the same as the girl in the tales I heard about in the villages. Troy says, quickly relaying the story of the Forest Princess to Eric and me.
The Forest Princess is my mate? I ask, surprised.
Sounds like it. Troy replies.
I’m in the castle library, looking through a history book. It has tales we heard when we were children. You know the ones about the witches, mages, vampires, fae, sprites and orcs? Maia’s description matches the description of the sprites mentioned in this book. Eric says.
A sprite? I ask. Are they insane? Eric continues.
It says here there are five types of sprites, four of whom have the power to control one element only. The main four are Pyrokinetic sprites, Hydrokinetic sprites, Aerokinetic sprites and Geokinetic sprites. The fifth is extremely rare and is born only through the Primal sprite’s royal bloodline. The Primal sprite has power over all four elements. They’re so rare that primal sprites skip a few generations before another is born. A Primal sprite is rare and equivalent to a mage who can also manipulate elements. The difference is that some mages can also cast certain spells, whereas a sprite cannot.
So, my mate is the forest princess and a rare primal sprite?
Correct! Eric replies.
We’re silent and in disbelief, trying to process all this new information.
Alpha King Damon! She’s the answer! Maia is meant to help us fight this war! With her powers, we can defeat King Fenris! Troy says excitedly.
Troy, I don’t know about that, sure, it sounds great, but you’re forgetting something. She. Ran. Away! I say. Eric sighs.
You need to find her, and you need to persuade her to help us. Show her you need her by your side as your mate, Luna and Queen. Eric says. I pause in thought.
I’ll look for her. I won’t give up on her. I also need to check the smaller villages to ensure they’re okay. Troy, meet me near the forest border with our new recruit. I tell him.
We’ll see you soon, Alpha. Troy replies.
