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.
Claire glares at me for a moment. ‘You know Boo-boo,’ she says as we walk away. ‘I think you’re spending too much time with Nina. I’m feeling very neglected, you know.’
‘I think you might be exaggerating, Claire. I only have science with her and wave to her when we cross paths at school. Although we both live in the Packhouse, we don’t see each other there often other than meal times, and even then, her seat is at the other end of the table. I have more subjects with you than I do, Nina.’
She perks up a bit. ‘Well, when you put it that way.’ She smiles.
My wolf is restless and wants to go for a run. I want to shift and race through the woods, but I push it to the back of my mind, remembering the witch had advised me to avoid shifting.
I’m happy it’s the end of the school day. Claire kisses me goodbye, and I catch up with Zak, Flint, Josie, May, and Nina.
‘Wanna climb some trees?’ I say.
‘All of us?’ Nina asks. I nod.
‘Last one, there is a rotten egg.’ Josie yells.
We all race each other through the woods on the way home to our favourite tree climbing spot near the lake. Nina is the first to arrive, then me, Flint, Josie, and Zak.
‘Zak’s the rotten egg.’ Josie laughs.
We climbed the trees. Burning my excess energy was helping to keep my wolf at bay.
We reach the top and sit together, silently watching the village of Shadow Crest for a while.
The restlessness was returning. We climb halfway down the tree, and I take my shirt and pants off and jump from the branch into the deep lake. Droplets of water from the splash reach the others.
‘Magnus!’ they all laugh. Once they climbed down, they hopped into the lake.
‘You boys have to turn around so you don’t see us in our bra and knickers.’ Josie yells. Zak, Flint, and I roll our eyes and face the other way in the water.
May, Josie, and Nina strip off their clothes. Josie yells out once they are shoulder-deep in the water.
‘You can look now.’
We turn back around and splash the girls. They squeal and splash us back.
‘Let’s see who can hold their breath the longest, two at a time. The winner goes on.’ Josie says.
Flint and Josie go first. Josie wins. It’s Zak’s turn to go against her.
This time, Zak wins and goes against May. Zak wins and goes against Nina, and Nina wins. It’s my turn to go against her.
We both sink deep down into the lake together on the count of three. We are a good two metres deep. We come closer to each other, trying not to laugh as we will lose air.
Suddenly, our eyes connect, and we relax in the water. My hand slowly reaches Nina’s face. My thumb caresses her skin, and she turns her face closer in my hand, closing her eyes.
When she opens her eyes, I’m closer. I want to taste her lips. We inch closer and closer until our lips almost brush each other. Then, a sudden force pulls Nina up out of the water. Confused, I swim straight up after her.
May is pulling Nina’s hair and trying to scratch her face.
‘You know I like him. How could you?’ May screams. ‘It’s bad enough I have to see him with that skank Claire, but you Nina? And you always wonder why I never see you as my sister!’ she screams. Flint and Zak pull May away from Nina, who is now crying.
‘Nothing happened, May.’ She yells back.
‘That’s because I stopped you.’ She storms out of the lake and grabs her clothes. I quickly pull Nina towards me, and she flinches.
‘Are you okay?’
‘No, I’m not okay.’ She cries.
‘We will find May and bring her home.’ Zak says. Flint goes with him.
‘Magnus, we can’t do this. That was too close. We almost and you’re with Claire, and I’m with Moss. It isn’t right.’
‘I know, but… it feels right.’
‘You will be Eighteen next week, Magnus, you already have your wolf, which means you can find your mate now, and in case you haven’t noticed, we aren’t mates as you would have felt the mate bond. I also assume Claire isn’t your mate because the mate bond would keep you by her side.’
My heart sinks. I hadn’t even thought about the mate bond. The warm tingle, the electricity that runs through your body when you touch each other, wasn’t there. I had made eye contact with Nina and Claire, and my wolf never submerged and declared either of them as my mate. ‘Claire will be hurt when you tell her she isn’t your mate, but it will hurt her more if you stay with her and find your mate in the meantime.’
Again, she is right. I look down into her eyes for a moment. I try to memorise this moment. Her beautiful doe-like eyes always get my heart racing. ‘Magnus, I’m sorry, we can be friends, but from a distance. I think it’s better if we stay apart as much as possible for the sake of the future Luna, your mate, and to avoid us getting hurt. I’ll be eighteen only a couple of months after you, and I’ll have my wolf and be able to tell if Moss is not my mate, then I will have to end the relationship and pursue my fated mate, just like you have to do.’
She gives me an empathetic look before I can say anything, swims out of the lake away from me, and returns to the Packhouse. I stay in the lake, frozen in place for what feels like an hour. As I leave the lake, I look at my pruned fingers and collect my clothing from the ground. I return to the Packhouse, now dry and dressed. Nina isn’t anywhere to be seen.
‘She is in her room, in case you are wondering?’ Flint says.
‘She said she wants to be left alone and will have dinner in her room tonight.’ Josie frowns.
May comes storming her way across the hall towards me. As she opens her mouth to yell at me, I quickly speak first.
‘May, can I talk to you privately for a moment?’
Her feet stop, and she gives me a look of confusion, which turns into a glimpse of hope.
‘Yes, I think we are overdue for a private moment.’ She smiles.
We go outside into the courtyard, away from prying eyes and ears.
‘May, you should be the first to know that Nina nor Claire are my fated mate.’
‘What? How’d you know that?’
‘Remember, my wolf arrived early. I can sense my mate now.’
‘Oh! But wait, that means I’m not your mate either, am I?’
‘I’m sorry, May, I never meant to hurt you, and I never meant to hurt Nina, and now I have to break up with Claire tomorrow at school, who is also going to be hurt by it. Today in the lake, that was me. That wasn’t Nina’s fault, and it was unfair of you to attack her like that. Just as I owe you an apology, you also owe Nina one.
She sighs and looks away, thinking about it.
‘You’re right. Jealousy got the better of me. Nina probably wishes I was dead. I’ve always been so nasty to her because I saw how she looks at you.’
‘Nina loves you, May. She would never wish that upon you. She even tried to protect you against Claire that day you got into a fight.’
‘You’re right. I don’t deserve Nina’s forgiveness.’
I place my hand on her shoulder. ‘Leave that for Nina to decide.’
May wipes the tears from her eyes.
‘Thanks, Magnus.’
