He was born as the prince of his kind. An ancient species of shifters that were believed to be dead. He knew he would take his father’s place as alfa one day but always regretted it. He knew he would have to take a mate and continue the bloodline, but he has met all the females in his clan and none of them connected with him. He grew up as a soldier, to be hard in everything. After his mother died, it was all he had for his father had grown cold to everyone. He continued his duty as alfa and Drake knew it would be him one day. Other shifters knew about them, but none more than their neighbors. The crescent wolf pack. Their territory borders theirs and the wolves always tried for more. Patrols were necessary due to the wolves trying to hunt over the border. Drake knew he had much to prove, especially since his father was not a born alfa, he fought for it and won. His mother, Sheryl, lived on a tropical island no one knew of except her clan. Samuel, his father, had picked up his mate’s scent passing by. Drake remembers being born in a cove at the base of the volcano. All the residents of that island are now here. The volcano erupted and sank the island beneath the waves. Drake only had two friends he confided it; Will and Jake. They trained with him and knew Drake’s predicament.
Will noticed Drake’s uneasiness during training and finally asked. Jake noticed too but thought it was just Samuel again.
“Alright, spill. What has you so anxious today?”
“Honestly, I’ve been wondering that myself. I just feel like something is about to change.”
“Like what? Please don’t tell me you have found your mate at seventeen. That’s no fun.”
“No, it’s defiantly not that. I just can’t shake it.”
Just then, Samuel’s right hand and best friend, Felix, came to fetch the three of them.
“Drake, your father wants to see you.”
Drake nodded his head and they all followed Felix into the castle. His father was behind his desk and in his great chair. When the boys walked in, he stood and walked to them.
“We are leaving to pay our respects.”
“To where may I ask?”
“The crescents.”
“Markus finally croak.”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“What is the occasion, Samuel?”
“One amongst them has shifted.”
“Okay?”
“She is only thirteen.”
“Haven’t ones shifted younger than sixteen before?”
“She’s a white wolf.”
They all stared in amazement, knowing what it meant. They would leave in a few hours to be there for the feast. A representative from each shifter clan was to attend. It was to be a huge gathering, like in the old days when the last white wolf shifted. The white wolves were very rare and believe to be magical in their abilities. Everyone would not want to be in her bad favor, even though she was a child.
Drake nodded his head and turned to leave, then he saw a reaction on his face.
“Father, what is it?”
“The child, I want to see her for myself.”
“Were you not around for the last white wolf?”
“It’s not that.”
“What are you not saying, father?”
“It’s Joseph’s daughter.”
“The Ascendant?”
His father just nodded his head and put his head down. After Samuel lost Sheryl, Joseph was there for him. Joseph met Joslyn after her mate and the alfa, Alfred, had died from humans. Markus took control and Joseph had gone with them to pay their respects. It was an instant connection between the two and the day they found out they were pregnant, humans came again. Joseph had informed Samuel that he was running. Sam hasn’t heard from Joseph in almost fourteen years. It would nice to see his friend again.
Drake understood and readied for the journey. They would travel on foot and cross the boundary. The traveling party departed, passing other representatives of other shifter clans.
Once they got there, Drake found it very crowded. He followed his father as they waited to greet Markus. Once it was their turn, Markus greeted Samuel like an old friend.“Sam, I am glad you could make it.”“We wouldn’t miss an event such as this. The next one may not be in my lifetime.”“You
Markus introduced Aurora to everyone and sure enough, Rafe was almost glued to her side. Every time Rafe touched her, she winced and Drake saw red. He kept his temper in check. It was unheard of for a dragon and a wolf to mate. She was no ordinary wolf. She was the white wolf and she was half Ascendant. He knew he would do anything to keep her safe. As the meal progressed, Drake got angrier seeing what Rafe was doing. Finally, he had to get up and walk away before he ripped his throat out. When it was time to mingle, all she wanted to do was go home. Rafe eventually left her side and she immediately went looking for Josh or Aveline. Instead, she found Drake. She walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder.
For about two years, Aurora trained with her uncle. The sessions were getting more intense. Rafe was trying to force himself on her. One of the other trainees had to play Rafe and not back down. Able was stronger than her, but so was Rafe. When she was knocked on her ass again, Dominik helped her up.“You cannot fail at this. If Able were really Rafe, he’d be inside you already. Do better.”“I’m trying. It’s not exactly easy.”“It’s not supposed to be. I’m not letting you back u
On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Rafe greeted her at the door to escort her. She accepted but led her away from town. As soon as they were in the clearing, he acted.“You are mine. Do you understand? Mine, not Drake’s.”She fought him off easily thanks to her training which surprised him. She could smell Drake in the distance and decided to go for him. She reached out to him as she shifted and ran for him. Rafe shifted and gave chase. As she crossed the border into the dragon lands, she stopped and spun around to find Rafe would not cross. Drake walked up, seeing the two wolves snarling at each other. He knew Aurora but felt
Everyone was tense to be around Drake, ever since the day she left. Drake was like another person. He trained harder and was fiercer. Before, Rafe would’ve challenged him. Now, you’d have to be an idiot to challenge Drake. He was mean, dark, and ruthless. Rafe was sure if Aurora came home, she’d want him. Every day that passed and he couldn’t feel her, he grew stronger from forcing himself to train harder. Everyone thought it was to keep his mind off her. Little did they know, he was distracting himself. It’s his fault she left. She knew he loved her, but because he didn’t want to try to complete the mating bond, she left. He hoped as time went by, she’d forgive him and come back. Now, a year has passed. She’d be seventeen now and no one has seen her.
Drake went home more confused than ever. Would she come back to him? She has a whole new outlook than just this piece of land. He wanted to write her back but had so many questions. Did he even know her anymore? When he got home, his father asked to see him.“Son, I need to speak with you.”“What is it?”“I assume you went and saw Markus. Did he tell what you wanted to know?”“I do
Aurora began to cry as she knew she would have to tell him what has happened. Michelle came in to check on her and found her a mess on the floor. She read Drake’s letter and hugged her closest friend. “You have to tell him.”“I don’t want to. I don’t want to go through with it.”“It’s the only way Rafe won’t retaliate. He still has your brother and sister.”
Drake had stayed away from home. Especially now that he knew she would never be his. He knew it was happening today and fought to stay away, but he was close enough. He landed and shifted back and walked through the woods, trying to keep his mind off it. He was dozing off a bit when a sudden, sharp pain vibrated through him. It felt like he had been shot. He looked down and saw no blood, nor a wound. He hurt bad enough for one to be there. As he pondered this, he heard her voice. She called out to him and in an instant, knew something happened to her. He wasted no time as he shifted and took flight. Flying as fast as his wings would go. Drake got home in time to see Mage and one of the Ascendants leaving. He grew paler as he got closer to his home. Will and Jake wer