'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 even have more subjects with you than with Nina,' I point out.
Claire perks up a bit. 'Well, when you put it that way,' she smiles.
My wolf is restless and yearning for a run. The desire to shift and race through the woods is strong, but I push it to the back of my mind, remembering the witch's advice to avoid shifting.
The school day finally ends, and after bidding goodbye to Claire, I catch up with Zak, Flint, Josie, May, and Nina.
'Wanna climb some trees?' I suggest.
'All of us?' Nina asks.
I nod. 'Last one, there's a rotten egg,' Josie shouts.
We race each other through the woods to our favourite tree-climbing spot near the lake. Nina is the first to arrive, then me, Flint, Josie, May, and Zak.
'Zak's the rotten egg,' Josie laughs.
We climb the trees, burning my excess energy, which helps keep my wolf at bay. Reaching the top, we sit together, silently watching the village of Shadow Crest for a while.
The restlessness is returning. We climb halfway down the tree, and I take off my shirt and pants, jumping from the branch into the deep lake. Droplets of water from the splash reach the others.
'Magnus!' They all laugh.
Once they climb down, Josie faces me, Zak, and Flint. 'You boys have to turn around so you don't see us in our bras and knickers,' Josie orders.
Zak, Flint, and I roll our eyes and face the other way in the water.
May, Josie, and Nina strip off their clothes. Josie shouts once they are shoulder-deep in the water. 'You can look now,' she says.
We turn 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 meters deep. We come closer to each other, trying not to laugh to preserve our air.
Our eyes connect, and we relax in the water. I suddenly find my hand slowly reaching out to touch Nina's face. My thumb caresses her skin, and she turns her face closer to my hand, closing her eyes.
Nina opens her eyes, and I'm closer. I want to taste her lips. We inch closer and closer until our lips almost brush against each other's. Then, a sudden force pulls Nina out of the water before our lips fully meet. 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!' May shouts.
Flint and Zak pull May away from Nina, who is now crying and swimming back to the lake’s grassy edge.
‘Nothing happened, May,’ Nina sobs as she pulls herself out of the water.
‘That’s because I stopped you!’ May says angrily, getting out of the lake and grabbing her clothes, storming off further into the woods.
I swim to where Nina is, get out of the water, and quickly pull Nina towards me. She flinches, her eyes filled with tears.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask her, worried.
‘No, I’m not okay,’ she cries and pushes me away, putting distance between us.
‘We will find May and bring her home,’ Zak says, and Flint chases after May with him.
Nina locks eyes with me, giving me a serious look. ‘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,’ she says.
‘I know, but… it feels right,’ I tell her with a longing look.
Nina shakes her head, fighting her own inner turmoil. ‘No, Magnus. You will be eighteen next week, and 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 with me. I also assume Claire isn’t your mate because you would have felt the pull and the sparks with her,’ she points out.
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.
Nina stares at me with sadness, and I notice her fists are clenched. ‘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,’ she says.
Again, Nina is right. I look down into her eyes, countering her sadness. I want to remember this moment. I don’t ever want to forget how beautiful her doe-like eyes are again. My heart races just at her sheer beauty.
Nina looks away, breaking eye contact. ‘Magnus, I’m sorry. We can remain 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 also be able to know who is and isn’t my mate. Then I will have to end my relationship with Moss if he isn’t my mate and pursue my fated mate, just like you have to do,’ she sobs and hastily storms away, leaving no chance for me to respond.
As she disappears into the woods, I'm left standing by the lake.