CHAPTER 1

　　Nina kisses my cheek and takes a seat at the desk beside me.

　　'Magnus, is there anything else I can do for you?'

　　'Could you please hand me the Shady Crest status report?' I say as I set aside a pile of paperwork that I had just finished signing on the desk.

　　Rolling up her sleeve, Nina waves her wand 'Lifto Levitatous', she says. The paper rises and swirls in a circular pattern, one page at a time, before settling in a neat stack in front of me.

　　'Nina, it was literally in front of you. You could have just reached for it, you know?'

　　'Well, where's the fun in that?' she gives a warm smile.

　　'Do you suppose you could conjure me up a mug of coffee, by any chance?' I grin.

　　'Magnus, you realise I'm not capable of doing that?'

　　'Honestly, I'm not sure what you are capable of yet. You read that spellbook each night and refuse to tell me what you've learnt.'

　　'Well, you have to admit that seeing me cast the spell rather than listening to me explain it is far more interesting.'

　　'That's true, but it is a shame there is no conjuring a coffee spell in that book.' I chuckle.

　　We hear a disturbance coming from downstairs.

　　'Where is he? Where is Alpha Magnus?' A man demands.

　　Hank storms into the office and slams his fist on my desk before Nina, and I can even get up.

　　He cries, 'You, you liar, you cheat!'

　　I smile as I cross my arms and relax back in my chair.

　　'Hank, it's great to hear from you. How may I assist you?'

　　He steels himself at my words.

　　'How can you assist? I'll explain how you can assist! My sister Addison was supposed to be your Mate and the Luna of Shadow Crest. Instead, you betrayed our agreement and sought your soul mate.'

　　'Are you referring to the contract you blackmailed me into? Where you threatened to reveal Nina's secret to everyone, knowing it would put her in grave danger?'

　　Nina rises to her feet, her hands on her hips.

　　'Hank, are you aware of how ridiculous you sound right now? She growls, 'You're lucky we didn't toss you into werewolf jail for blackmailing an Alpha! You are exiled from Shadow Crest. Now get out and don't return.'

　　'Or what?' Hank squints.

　　Nina casts her spell with a flourish of her wand. She exclaims, 'Repeliate!' Hank is pushed back against the wall with an unseen force. Nina approaches him as he rises from his seat on the floor. 'Or I'll transform you into a frog,' she cautions.

　　Hank shakes and bolts out the door.

　　I walk over to Nina, 'Repeliate, hey?' I say to Nina. I give her a high-five and remark, 'I like that one.'

　　'Me too,'

　　'It must be lunchtime for sure?' my tummy grumbles with hunger.

　　Nina smiles as she says, 'Yep, the last one downstairs is a rotten egg.'

　　'Game on.' I say, and then I hear Nina behind me as I rush out the door. 'Skedaddle Dash,' she says. When I turn around, she's gone.

　　My mouth hangs wide in surprise that she cheated using a spell. I make my way downstairs to see Nina sitting in her seat with the biggest grin.

　　Nina chuckles, 'Oh, look, it's the rotten egg.'

　　Zak, Pipsqueak, Gianna, Flint, May and Josie try to keep their giggles to themselves.

　　'Nina, you can't use your magic and blink to win the race,'

　　She shrugs, picks up her fork, and eats her lunch.

　　'We should have a bonfire tonight?' Flint proposes.

　　'That sounds like it would be a lot of fun,' Nina says.

　　'I'll bring the marshmallows,' Josie squeals.

　　'Well, that settles it, a bonfire it is.' I say.

　　I grasp Nina's hand after we complete our lunch. 'Let's go for a run with our wolves,'

　　'Great!' My wolf has been pleading with me to let her out all morning.'

　　We leave the packhouse and remove our clothes outside the woods. Nina shifts into her black wolf while I shift into my white wolf. When I get close enough, I lick the white star symbol on her forehead. The race begins when she nuzzles me back.

　　As the wind whips through our fur, we leap over logs and fallen branches. We sprint in and out of the trees, trying to outrun each other. We don't stop running for hours until arriving at our favourite area, Shadow Lake. We both dive in and swim back to the surface in human form. My heart is bursting with happiness as I gaze into her eyes. I'm so lucky she is my Mate. I could never be happier than I am right now.

　　Before drying off and returning to the packhouse for the bonfire, I give her a soft kiss.

　　While Flint rolls a few logs closer for everyone to sit on, Zak has gathered logs and branches in a half metal barrel.

　　'I'll go inside and get the marshmallows.' Josie says.

　　May appears with Josie, and the two of them sit together.

　　'Well, I guess I'd better get this fire going.' Flint says.

　　'Inferno Flamo!' exclaims May, igniting the fire.

　　'Or I suppose May will get it started, I guess…,' Flint replies nervously.

　　Nina is cuddled on my lap, staring at the fire with me. I wrap a blanket around her. Her head lies on my chest.

　　The fire crackles and embers hover above it.

　　Nina murmurs, 'Inferno Flamo.' The flames coalesce and develop into a dynamic image of a galloping horse.

　　'Wow,' we all exclaim.

　　May says, 'Inferno Flamo,' embers mix to form the image of a dolphin leaping out of the flaming ocean.

　　'How does using these spells work? 'How do you have such control over the flames and embers?' I enquire.

　　'Well, we say Inferno Flamo for fire spells, then we picture what we want it to do, and it does it.' The Aqua Bedew spell and any other spell related to an element work the same way,' Nina explains.

　　'Ah, I see. What you and May are capable of is truly incredible,'

　　'It certainly is.' She smiles.

　　Suddenly thousands of more embers appear, creating a spectacular light show.

　　'That's amazing, Nina!' Josie expresses herself.

　　Nina responds, 'That's not me doing that.'

　　'I thought that was Nina?' Josie asks May.

　　'It wasn't me,' May says.

　　'If it wasn't either of you, then who is it?'

　　Steps approach from behind us. We all spring to our feet and prepare to shift.

　　Five people in olive green hooded cloaks come to a standstill. The individual in the centre takes a step in front of the others. I can't help but notice a Smokey coloured cat sitting beside one of the hooded people at the back.