Despite the agony, I gather enough strength to address Hank with defiance. ‘You can’t do this, Hank. You can’t blackmail me into mating one of your sisters.’
Hank remains resolute, unfazed by my protest. ‘I won’t force you, Magnus. You will choose to do it to save your friend. If I let it slip that she has a curse, we all know pack members will hunt her down and kill her.’
A low growl emanates from my throat, and another wave of pain surges through me. Zak and Flint rush to my aid, helping me to stand. Nina's eyes show concern, and she pleads, ‘You can’t do this, Magnus. You can’t choose one of Hank’s sisters and pretend she is your fated mate! I can pack my stuff and leave Shadow Crest right now. I could never live with myself if you had to be mated with someone you were forced to be with.’
The thought of Nina leaving Shadow Crest, leaving me, sends my wolf riling and my heart heavy. ‘No, I could never live with myself if you ever left Shadow Crest… left… me. No matter where you go, someone will always be after you until they find and kill you,’ I reply.
‘What do we do?’ She asks, desperate for a solution.
Zak, Flint, Josie, and May watch the unfolding drama with sorrowful faces. Determination fills me as I place my hands on Nina’s shoulders and gaze into her beautiful eyes. ‘I will do whatever it takes to protect you, Nina.’
‘Which sister is the oldest?’ I ask Hank.
‘That would be Addison,’ Hank replies with a sly smile, seemingly confident in the success of his manipulation.
Josie can't contain her disbelief. ‘You can’t be seriously thinking about doing this, Magnus?’ She exclaims, her voice betraying her incredulity.
‘What other choice do I have?’ I reply, more to myself than anyone else, grappling with the grim reality before me.
Josie glares at Hank, her expression shifting from disbelief to something more sinister. ‘We could kill him,’ she suggests with a manic smirk.
‘Josie, that would only worsen the situation, especially if the evidence is led back to us as the killers,’ I tell her, aware of the implications such a rash decision could bring.
Hank stares at us, mortified that murdering him could be an option for us. ‘If you ever tried to kill me, Moss would know you were all behind it,’ he quickly says, a hint of fear in his eyes.
Hank is right, but I knew killing him wouldn’t help the situation.
‘What if your sisters want to find their fated mates?’ I challenge, hoping to reason with him.
‘Please,’ Hank scoffs dismissively. ‘We all know you’re a catch and going to be one of the strongest Alphas in the land, and with a pure white wolf, any she-wolf would give up their fated mate in a heartbeat for you,’ he states arrogantly.
‘I need time to consider this. At least give me that?’ I reply.
‘Fine, but I will inform my father and Addison of the proposal and that you will consider it. However, I won’t mention Nina’s little curse to them, for now, anyway,’ Hank smirks, revelling in the power he thinks he holds.
I nod hesitantly. ‘Let’s go home,’ I tell everyone.
We return home and meet in Nina’s bedroom.
‘We need to all brainstorm a way out of this. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to have a mateship with Addison,’ I assert to the group.
Unified nods follow, and just as we start discussing strategies, a knock on the door interrupts our huddle. My mother, Astrid, enters the room with a reminder. ‘Time for dinner, everyone,’ she announces.
‘Okay,’ we respond in unison, abandoning our plans temporarily.
We descend the stairs and enter the dining room to join our parents. The ambience feels strained, and my father notices our subdued mood. ‘You lot are extra quiet tonight,’ he remarks, his keen eyes studying each of us.
‘It’s just been a long weekend, Dad, and after all, it was my wolf ceremony, and Nina was in a car accident,’ I remind him, deflecting attention from any suspicions he might have.
‘That’s true,’ my father acknowledges, then drops an unexpected bombshell. ‘Seth was able to speak with Moss today.’
An eruption of gasps resounds in the room, and we fixate on my father in stunned silence.
‘He had some cuts and bruises, but otherwise, he’s fine. Moss claims it was too much for Nina to watch you shift in so much pain, so they left. Then Moss said he saw he was being chased and attacked by you in your wolf form. He freaked out, causing the car to crash. Moss knew you were only there to harm him and not Nina, so he left Nina knowing she would receive immediate care. He thought it best to flee for his safety and to not take the need for medical attention off Nina by him being there.’
I can't help but roll my eyes at Moss’s ludicrous claims, but Mother takes it in stride. ‘Well, that explains that,’ she says, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.
Leon, however, doesn't share the same sentiment. ‘Are you saying that Magnus is the one that put my daughter in danger and not Moss?’ He growls, shooting me a disapproving glare.
A heavy silence falls upon the room, and Nina, attempting to speak, finds herself unable to speak her thoughts.
I stand and stare at Leon with defiance. ‘I would never intentionally put Nina in danger. She was supposed to be there while I shifted, and Moss wouldn’t allow her to stay.’
‘Even so, Magnus, that’s no reason to hunt someone down! The car accident would never have happened if you never went after Moss in the first place,’ Leon shouts.
‘If Moss hadn’t taken her away from me, it would not have happened,’ I growl.
‘Nina isn’t yours!’ Leon shouts and stands.
The room falls silent. My fists are clenched from anger.
‘Nina is not your mate,’ Leon continues. ‘You will soon be the Alpha when you find your mate. Your selfishness and recklessness have me worried that you are incapable of being the alpha and might jeopardize this pack,’ he says angrily.
‘How dare you speak to me, your future alpha, that way!’ I glare at Leon.
‘How dare you endanger my daughter’s life!’ He argues.
My father slams his fist on the table, silencing us both.
‘Leon! Magnus! You both need to stop this. This was an accident, and thankfully, Nina will be okay.’
Nina races over to her father and places her hand on his arm. ‘Dad, Alpha Ryker is right. It was an accident. Magnus would never do anything to hurt me intentionally,’ Nina cries.