‘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 something I have told no one before. I didn’t see the point until now.’ She takes a deep breath. ‘My grandma was a witch.’
‘What?’ Everyone shouts in shock.
‘My grandfather was a wolf. It turned out my grandmother was a witch. They knew it wasn’t right, and it was unheard of, a witch and a wolf being fated mates. They tried hard to stay away from each other but found it impossible. My mother and another child were born to them. Neither could wield magic, but both got their wolves at eighteen. My mother had me, and I never could wield magic. We all figured the wolf gene must have been stronger, and having two generations without magic thought it would never happen to future generations. Now it seems it happened… two generations later. Nina and May are half-witch, half-wolf.’
We all look at one another, taking it all in.
‘None of this information is to leave this room. Nina, I will leave it to you to tell May she is to no longer cast magic.’ My dad says.
Nina stands up and runs up the stairs without saying a word. I know she is upset.
‘There’s something else you and mum need to know, dad.’ I say.
‘What’s that?’
‘Moss… is dead. I killed him. He shifted and came at me, intending to kill me. He would have taken Nina back.’
‘You did what you had to do to protect our pack members. I’m sure the wolf council will understand.’
‘That’s not all. His mother was there. She said, “You will pay for this. I should have killed your mother long ago, and now I will kill you too!” You must know who she is?’
Mum and dad give each other a worried look.
‘Did you see her wolf? Any of their wolves? What colour were they?’ she asks, panicked.
‘Moss’s wolf was brown with grey ears and a grey tail, and when his mother shifted, she was small brown and scruffy with a grey patch on her side.’
‘Vanessa!’ Mum and Dad say together in shock. My dad looks at Leon.
‘Have double the warriors at each post if Vanessa tries to attack us.’
‘I don’t think Vanessa would be capable of much harm on her own, though?’ I say.
‘Don’t underestimate her son. Knowing Vanessa, she will have more rogues somewhere.’ Mum says.
I leave the table and go up to my room. May’s bedroom door is ajar. I can hear Nina informing May that they are both banned from using magic.
‘This is so unfair!’ May says. I continue to my room and close the door.
I fall backwards onto my bed and stare up at the roof.
After a while, there was a knock at my door. It’s May.
‘Um, hey, Nina is wondering if she could borrow the spellbook from you, please?’
‘She knows you are both banned from casting magic and spells. So I can’t loan either of you the book. Even I shouldn’t have the book.’
‘Please, Magnus, let her borrow it just for tonight?’
I sigh and walk over to my school bag, unzip it, and take the spellbook out.
‘I will give it to her, though.’
‘Okay.’ She smiles and follows me.
I stop and face May.
‘Alone…’ I say.
‘Oh… I’ll just be going to my room then.’ She says, annoyed.
I knock on Nina’s door. It surprised her to see me, but she saw I held the book in my arms.
‘Come in.’ she says, stepping aside.
I hand her the book, but I don’t let go. ‘Promise me you won’t get caught casting magic?’
‘I’ll try my best not to get caught.’
‘That’s not a promise, Nina.’
‘I suggest you study as much as you can tonight from the book because I’m only letting you borrow it for tonight.’
‘One night?’ she protests.
‘I’m not risking you being exiled or hunted down, Nina. However, if you need to study the book in the future, we will do it together so I can at least keep a watch out for anyone snooping around.’
She looks at the spellbook in thought, looks up at me, and nods.
‘Deal.’
‘Tomorrow is your wolf ceremony, and it will be a busy day. So read what you can now and get some sleep. You will need all the energy you can get for your first shift tomorrow night.’ I smile.
She walks me to her door and closes it behind me. My wolf wants to shift and go for a run. He is very restless all night. I struggle to get any sleep. Everyone is having breakfast. I’m surprised to see Pipsqueak at the table but then remember she is Zak’s mate, so it’s only natural she lives in the packhouse with him now. We give each other a smile and a wave. Zak enters the dining room with a growl and pulls Pipsqueak from her chair.
‘Mine.’ He growls, glaring at me.
‘Gee, is it normal for the mate bond to make you so possessive?’ I ask.
‘Sure is.’ Mia laughs.
‘The mate bond is a funny thing to experience.’ Seth smiles at Mia.
‘It’s the most magical feeling.’ Mum says. ‘It’s like static electricity when you touch each other. You can’t stop thinking about your mate and yearn to be with them every second of the day. You feel broken and empty whenever you are apart. And let’s not forget the mind-blowing sex you have.’ Mum laughs.
‘Mum!’ I growl.
Almost everyone at the table is blushing.
‘What? It’s only natural, dear.’ She shrugs.
Amelia clears her throat.
‘Nina will get her wolf tonight. I’m so excited.’
‘Yeah, exciting.’ Nina mumbles.
‘Let’s hope there is no drama’s this time, unlike Zak’s wolf ceremony where Nina had been kidnapped.’ Mum says with a nervous laugh. Nina leaves the table as soon as she finishes breakfast. She runs upstairs and runs back down, now wearing a backpack.
‘I’ll be back in time for the ceremony.’ She yells.
‘Okay, sweetheart.’ Leon says.
I decide to sneak out and follow her. She ends up by the lake and pulls the spell book out.
‘Aqua Bedew.’ She says, twirling her wand. I watch as all the water comes together like a tornado. Then, all the water from the lake is gone and swirls up in the air.
‘Cool.’ I say, standing behind her. She flinches in fright, and the lake’s water drops like a giant blob. The impact causes water to splash onto us.
She glares at me, drenched in water.
