We sit by the fire and keep warm. I lay on my back and looked up at the stars. Nina lies on her back next to me.'I miss my mum and dad.' Nina says.'I miss my family, too.''Would you believe I'm even missing May?''You, miss May? Never.' I smile.'What if it's months or years until we ever see them again?''We have each other. You and me now against the world until I find my mate.' I sigh.'Yeah.' Nina frowns and stands up. 'I'm going to go for a walk.''I'll come.''No, please stay. Some time to myself is what I need. I won't go far. I promise.' She says with sadness.'Oh, okay.'I watch as she wanders further into the darkness of the woods. Why did she become so sad suddenly? She is going through a lot, having no wolf, a curse, and a witch hunt after her. I wish I could hold her, smell her mint and lavender hair, and tell her everything will be okay. If I could choose my fated mate, I would select Nina in a heartbeat.Nina returns with red puffy eyes. She has been crying.'Are you
More thunder and lightning flash through the sky above us and turns into a wild storm raining down on us. As I hold Nina in my lap, I feel the electric static where ever our skin touches. It feels amazing. Our eyes turn black. ‘Mate.’ We say in unison. Nina lets out another scream. ‘Try not to fight it, Nina. It will hurt less if you let your wolf take over.’ I say, stroking my fingers through her hair. ‘It hurts,’ ‘I know, babe. I’m here, and I will help you through this.’ She nods and tries her best to relax. Black fur covers her as she shifts into her wolf. My breath is taken away. Her wolf is pure black with a white-shaped star on her forehead. ‘Nina, your wolf is so beautiful. You even have a white star on your forehead. I’ve never seen anything like this.’ I say, stroking her fur. She steps back, prances happily in wolf form, and then nudges into my shoulder. ‘You want me to shift too?’ She shakes her head. ‘Well, if the curse is broken, I should no longer feel any pain
I push myself up from the floor and wipe the blood from my split lip in pain. My bruised eye, swelling.'Please, no more, Dad. Mum wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want you hurting me like this,' I plead.'You should have thought about that before you killed your mother!' He shouts.'Please, Dad! You know it was an accident. I didn't mean for her to die!' I plead. We stare at each other with cold consternation. 'Please, Dad! Please forgive me,' I beg.He looks at me with hatred in his eyes before his expression changes. He smirks.'Oh Astrid, you're no daughter of mine! You never were: your mother told me your birth father died when she was pregnant with you. However, I loved your mother so much I was willing to pretend to be your father!' 'No! That's not true! Mum would never keep something like that from me!' I yell.'Your mother didn't want you to find out the truth until you were eighteen. She wanted you to live a normal life. She had said that you would find out your true identi
Quietly preparing the platter, I hear a loud thump. Someone is angry. I'm just glad I'm in here and not out there with all that commotion. I pull my hood up to hide my bruised eye. Unfortunately, I can't cover my split lip, so I figure I'll bite over my lip to hide it when needed.After approaching the counter, I ask the first man for his order. I avoid eye contact and keep my head down as I write them down. All these guys sound very grumpy and annoyed. Then, finally, Jim comes over to me. 'Alpha, I mean Ryker, would like a vanilla milkshake with some cookies.' I nod and write the order. I have served everyone except for Ryker.Lifting an enormous platter of biscuits and dips, I wince with the weight in one hand. My broken rib is under strain. Ryker stares at me.Pausing for a moment, I inhale a deep breath and hold it, brace myself for the pain, lift the platter again, and put it on the table where most men sit. In the kitchen, I exhale while keeping my hand pressed against my ribs.
Chasing after me, I hear Ryker's footsteps crunching on the gravel. I run faster, but he matches my pace effortlessly. Eventually, when I am out of breath and my broken ribs cannot take any more, I am left with no choice but to stop and face him. 'Why are you following me?' I demand to know. 'You're my mate, whether or not we like it. I have to follow you. It's my business to know who did that to your face,' he says, firmly but calmly.'You didn't care about me when you slammed your fist into the wall above my head!' I yell. 'Astrid, please, I'm sorry. I would never have done that had I known you were telling the truth about not knowing you're not human. I would have been more civil.' He looks at the ground guiltily.'You have lost it now! Not being human? What is that supposed to mean?' 'How old are you?' His tone has changed again.'I'll be eighteen in two weeks.' I try to avoid his eyes. 'You won't meet your wolf till then. I've had my wolf for four years. But I want to show
A few of the same men I served the other night are standing outside the diner. They're staring intently at me. One man nods, and another enters the diner. I quicken my pace, knowing Ryker might be with them. I am left unbothered for a while, and I think this will be a non-event before Ryker is suddenly standing in front of me. You've got to be kidding me. How did he get here so quick? I step around him. 'Astrid,' he says. I keep walking, and Ryker keeps pace with me. 'Astrid.' he repeats himself. I keep my head down and keep walking. He grabs my wrist, and I feel a subtle sensation from his touch.'Ryker! Let me go!' I yell. 'No. I looked for you all night when you ran off and all day yesterday and today. So, we are going to the diner to talk,' he says. 'There is nothing to talk about!' I say, trying to pull away.Ryker grabs me by the waist and lifts me over his shoulder. I cry out in pain from the injuries I sustained. Ryker quickly puts me back down. 'What's wrong?' He asks. '
I look up to see Ryker staring down into my eyes with sadness. 'There's more I need to explain to you, but it can wait till tomorrow,' he whispers. I nod and look at the clock. It's late! My father will kill me. I should have been home ages ago!Pushing myself out of Ryker's arms, I bolt for the door to leave, impatiently turning the handle clockwise and counter-clockwise to no avail. 'Where's the key?' I ask. 'Astrid! You're not going anywhere yet, and you sure as hell aren't going back to that house!' Ryker argues.'Ryker, you said you would unlock the door when I'm ready to leave! Please, you have to let me go. He will kill me if I'm late home,' I explain, trying to force the door open. 'Astrid, I won't let him lay a finger on you again. Do you hear me?' Ryker says sternly.'He will hunt me down, Ryker. If I don't go home, he will kill me. He will look for me here,' I argue. 'Good. Let your Dad come. Because it's the last time he will ever see you,' Ryker says.'What are you g
As we run back to the diner, I fear what is about to unfold, holding hands. My Dad is sitting on the bonnet of his car with his shotgun pointed at some of the pack members outside. He watches me step out from the concealment of the woods, holding Ryker's hand. 'How many men are here waiting to have their turn with you, Astrid? Fourteen? Fifteen?' He spits. Ryker lets out a growl. 'Astrid, you need to train your pet dog to behave. Otherwise, I'll have to put him down, like the dangerous dog he is for touching my daughter.' A warning shot fires toward Ryker's feet, purposely missing them but warning him. I jump at the gunshot. Ryker doesn't flinch. Instead, he maintains a steady resolve and holds my hand tighter. He glares at my father.'The only one around here who needs to keep their hands off Astrid is you! I'm going to rip you to pieces,' Ryker yells, letting go of my hand and tackling my father to the ground. I try to grab his arms, but I'm useless. The scuffling is too unpredict