Claire’s bottom lip trembles, her eyes well up with disappointment and hurt. ‘Are you saying you don’t think I’ll be your mate?’
‘Well, no one knows but the Moon Goddess. Let’s just wait a few more weeks until we take that step, okay?’ I try to reassure her.
‘But, even if we aren’t mates, we can still… you know, make love to each other,’ she suggests, desperation tinging her voice. ‘No one has to know,’ she adds with a plea.
‘I don’t want to hurt you, Claire. I don’t want to hurt more people than I already have, okay?’ I tell her earnestly.
Claire stares at me in thought. ‘There’s also a chance I could be your mate, so we can still be together in the meantime, right? Like boyfriend and girlfriend? Until we at least know?’ She proposes, seeking a compromise.
‘Sure,’ I agree, and the room becomes silent. ‘We should go back and join the party?’ I suggest attempting to shift the focus away from the intensity of our conversation.
Claire stops at the door, glancing back over her shoulder. ‘Everyone will probably think we have just made love, anyway,’ she smiles mischievously.
Claire is probably right, which means I've probably upset more people now. Great, I mentally admonish myself.
Claire and I descend the staircase in the bustling midst of the party, her playful smile fueling the rumours that had undoubtedly begun swirling about our supposed intimacy. She clings to my arm, settling beside me on the couch, the picture of contentment.
In an abrupt turn of events, fueled by hurt and anger, May storms out from the kitchen, brandishing a bucket filled with ice cubes and water. In an instant, the icy deluge descends upon us. Claire shrieks in shock in outrage. I intervene as Claire readies to strike back, gently seizing her wrist.
‘Claire, she’s upset for obvious reasons. I’ll handle May. Go upstairs and change into something dry,’ I advise her, my eyes noting Moss slipping out the front door alone.
Claire departs reluctantly. Turning my attention to May, I speak with understanding, ‘I know you want to be with me. I know how it feels to not be with the person you want to be with,' I tell her sympathetically.
‘No, you don’t,’ May retorts in a hurt tone.
‘I’m telling you now, May, I do. I know you’re hurting, but I am with Claire now. So be angry at me all you want, but don’t take it out on her,’ I assert protectively, watching May storm away.
Josie rushes up with a small towel. ‘Are you okay?’ She asks in concern.
‘Yeah, I’m fine, Josie. Are you mad at me?’ I ask her solemnly.
‘Yes, but you’re my big brother, and I’m used to you making foolish decisions all the time,’ she teases, a lighthearted smile on her lips.
I smile in appreciation of her. ‘I’ll be outside drying off,’ I reply, walking outside.
I can’t help but sense Moss is up to no good. I look around and see him jogging towards the trees in the distance. There is someone there waiting for him. I can make out the person's silhouette but not who it is. As I approach closer to investigate, I hear Nina’s distressed cry in Claire’s backyard.
‘‘I said no, Sean. Now leave me alone!’ Nina's voice slices through the night, full of fury.
‘Come on, babe. Just a little kiss is all I’m asking for,’ Sean persists, his tone dripping with arrogance.
‘Let me go, you jerk!’ Nina's cry echoes a desperate plea.
I stride forward, witnessing the unfolding scene. Sean has Nina pinned against the wall, her arms trapped. Without hesitation, I step behind Sean, locking him in a hold. I snap his arm instantly, a sharp crack reverberating through the air.
Nina winces at the gruesome sound. ‘If you ever touch what’s mine again, I will kill you,’ I declare, my eyes ablaze with a dangerous intensity.
A primal force surges within me, urging me to unleash lethal fury. It’s overwhelmingly powerful. I have felt nothing like it in my life. Sean screams in agony as I hurl him into the swimming pool. It's either that, or I snap his neck, and the last thing I need right now is to get into more trouble.
I lean against the wall in pain, my muscles stretching and contorting. Sweat drips from my forehead as I struggle to fight off this pain I'm overwhelmed with. Nina stands frozen, her eyes darting between Sean thrashing in the water and me writhing in agony. I collapse to my knees, bones threatening to shatter. I’m still enraged with anger from Sean trying to force Nina to kiss him, and I’m struggling to control it.
The commotion attracts the attention of the partygoers, spilling into the backyard. Their gasps of shock and fear create a crowd around us. My enraged roar pierces the air, hands morphing into menacing claws. Dread washes over me as the realization hits—it’s my wolf, eager to emerge and destroy Sean.
Clutching my hair, I plead, ‘No, stop, not now. It’s too soon.’
The agony intensifies, each snap of a bone causing immense torment. I writhe on the ground, fighting against the premature shift. Panic seizes the onlookers as I struggle to maintain my human form.
Flint cries out, ‘He’s shifting!’
Josie's panicked voice joins in, ‘He isn’t eighteen yet. No one has shifted early before!’
Paul urges immediate action, ‘Someone needs to go to the packhouse and get the Alpha and Luna straight away.’
Zak races toward the packhouse, leaving me on the ground, wrestling against my wolf, trying to break free.
I’m in the most intense pain I’ve ever felt. I toss and turn on the ground. Another bone snaps.
Suddenly, a sweet, soothing voice cuts through the chaos—the voice of Nina. ‘Shh, it’s okay, Magnus, you’re going to be okay,’ she whispers gently, approaching me with cautious steps.
My inner wolf responds to the calming aura she brings. However, as she draws nearer, my wolf attempts another surge for control. I flinch as Nina's warm touch grazes my bicep. ‘It’s going to be okay, Magnus. Try to relax. Fighting your wolf will only make it more painful,’ she reassures me.
With a strained voice, I manage to speak, ‘How do you know that?’
Her eyes lock onto mine, and within them, I sense a battle, a conflict she is waging against something unseen. ‘My father, Leon, told me the pain is far worse at your first shift if you fight it,’ she reveals.
Worry crosses my face. ‘If I shift, my wolf might kill Sean,’ I tell her concerned.
‘I won’t let your wolf kill him,’ she declares confidently, offering a reassuring smile. ‘Besides, some of the others here helped Sean out of the pool, and he immediately ran off screaming down the road, holding his broken arm,’ she adds casually, proceeding to remove my shirt and shoes for an easier shift.