Arriving at school, Claire follows me, sulking. ‘Boo-boo, I was hoping we could talk?’ She pleads.
I narrow my eyes at her. ‘Stop calling me Boo-boo, and I’ll give you five minutes to talk to me,’ I reply.
She hesitates momentarily, then reluctantly agrees, 'Oh, okay then, B-Magnus…'
With my arms crossed, I lean against my locker and wait for Claire to speak. Impatience flickers in my eyes as Claire gathers her thoughts.
'What is it?' I ask, my tone cutting through the air.
'I was hoping you would reconsider... us? I want us to be together again. Magnus, I miss you,' she pleads, attempting to caress my bicep, but I deftly move away.
'I'm not interested, Claire,' I tell her sternly.
'But I don’t want to be with anyone else,' she insists, with subtle desperation in her voice.
I level a penetrating gaze at her. 'Claire, you say that now, but you will eventually meet your mate and want to be with him. I’m going to be late for class. I’ll see you around,' I declare, severing the conversation and striding away.
Claire’s eyes well up from the rejection, and she storms off to her class.
At lunchtime, in the privacy of the library, Pipsqueak adjusts her thick glasses, her eyes revealing both concern and determination. 'I heard about what happened at your w-wolf ceremony. Are you alright?' She asks, her voice softening with empathy.
I nod, acknowledging the news has permeated the entire school. ‘Yeah, I’m fine, but I need to update you on everything else. Nina told her boyfriend, Moss, about the curse. He has told his friend Hank, and now Hank is using it against me to choose his sister as my mate. I spoke with his father, Alpha Mason. I stretched the agreement to a year until I have no choice but to choose his sister, Addison, as my mate. Otherwise, Hank would tell everyone about Nina’s curse, which puts her in danger of being hunted down and killed. So, I have one year to break the curse, which will get me out of the mateship agreement.’
Pipsqueak processes the information, her analytical mind working to find a solution. 'I s-see,' she says, pushing her thick glasses closer to her eyes. ‘And we still have no clue what the c-curse is? Did you find any relics or s-symbols in her bedroom?' She asks.
'No, we tore the room apart and found nothing,' I reply, defeated.
'So, we can rule out that type of c-curse, then? What was another way to curse s-someone? Didn’t it mention b-by a witch or a mage?' Pipsqueak furrows her brow.
'Yes, but I don’t think mages exist anymore, and there is only one witch I know of, and she had never met Nina before the day she came to see me. She has no reason to curse Nina,' I explain, attempting to eliminate potential sources of the curse.
'I g-guess the only thing we can do is wait for the curse to affect Nina to give us any clue or lead to work on,' Pipsqueak sighs.
'What if that doesn’t happen for years to come?' I voice the worry in my mind.
'Then you will have no choice but to accept Addison as your m-mate,' Pipsqueak says solemnly.
I look away and drop to the floor. My hands cover my face as I panic—pain sears through my body. My wolf is fuming at the thought of having a chosen mate. He tries to take over and shift. I cry out as a bone snaps.
‘Magnus!’ Pipsqueak shouts and rushes to my side, trembling hands reaching out in a futile attempt to calm me. But my wolf, seething with anger, growls at her touch. She retreats a few steps with a look of terror on her face.
'I’m going to find someone to help. I’ll be right back, Magnus. Whatever you do, don’t shift,' Pipsqueak instructs, disappearing into the disoriented crowd. The library now echoes with panic.
Everyone in the library starts to panic and flee. Pipsqueak disappears into the crowd. The entire school can probably hear the agony of pain I’m in. There’s no use fighting my wolf anymore. I know I’m going to shift against my will. I’m exhausted and barely conscious.
A few moments pass, and I’ve shifted. My wolf exits the library and enters the school corridor. Anyone in the corridor quickly enters the nearest classroom and locks the door.
Dozens of students stare out the windows. They tremble at the fierce size of my wolf with my large, snarling teeth on show. I have no control over my primal instincts. All I want to do is track what room Moss is in and tear him to pieces.
I can smell Moss’s scent and pursue the trail, following the scent up the corridor. I stop at a locked door and howl. Moss is in this room.
My wolf forces me to ram into the door.
'Magnus?' Nina's voice, a soft melody that manages to reach the deepest corners of my consciousness.
Pipsqueak stands behind her.
‘I know you can hear me,’ Nina says softly to my wolf. ‘But you need to give Magnus back control,’ she says, fearlessly approaching.
Despite the growls emanating from my wolf, Nina approaches with unmatched courage. She kneels before me, a formidable beast, a gesture of trust that no one else would dare attempt, not even Pipsqueak. With a soft touch, Nina's fingers glide through my fur, tracing a path down my back. A low whimper escapes my wolf, and he relents, lowering himself and rolling onto his back.
Nina smiles warmly as she scratches my belly.
No one can believe their eyes. We aren’t mates, yet she can control my wolf. It is unheard of, and it’s nothing anyone has ever seen before. I sit, and she wraps her arms around my neck. My wolf has completely calmed and completely forgotten Moss is only metres away.
My wolf is giving me some control back. I lower myself and whip my head around, gesturing for Nina to hop on my back. I want to take her somewhere, do something special for her.
With no hesitation, she smiles and climbs onto my back. I’m so large it’s like she is on horseback. I run back down the corridor and out of the school grounds with great speed, even faster than Nina could ever run. She squeals excitedly as she holds on tightly to me, enjoying the thrilling ride.
The woods envelop us as we glide through the trees, the wind tousling Nina's hair. The scent of wood and earth in the air. We arrive at the mountaintop, and a vast, dominant howl echoes through Shadow Crest.