NIRVANA “Be serious, Nirvana,” the female wolf spirit just said my name. “Wait. How do you know me?” I felt goosebumps erupt all over my body. “You died by a dark magic and brought back to life by magic. Your soul has been saved. You are pure and chosen to have an animal spirit to protect you, guide you, and help you protect the people you care about from the evil that walks on earth, but you must never abuse it.” “Excuse me? I’m far from pure. I think you got the wrong, wolfy girl.” “We had never been wrong. I symbolized power, loyalty, and guardianship.” “Uh-huh. I’m dreaming again, am I? But I say hard pass. I died once, and I can’t do it again.” I cleared my throat. “Look, I died and was brought back to life, and I’m taking this second chance to good use, helping people, enjoying life, and being with my loved ones, but not to be controlled by whatever you are. You look cool, though, like an astral projection in Dr. Strange.” “You need me, Nirvana, to help fight evils that

NIRVANA “I’ll take your grandfather with me and send him home.” I suddenly felt emotional that I wanted to cry. “I’m grateful.” “I’ll see you soon, honey.” Grandpa kissed me on the cheek. “Be safe.” “You, too. Love you, Grandpa.” “Love you, too.” I was still standing even though the portal had disappeared minutes before me. I didn’t know what I would become if I were raised by a different person. I was glad my grandfather was there for me growing up. “Your grandpa is a strong man. He’s going to be okay.” I looked at McKaye. “Yup. After what happened to me, it’s just that I don’t wanna be far from him.” “We can visit him. At least once a month.” “That’s a great idea, Mac.” “Vana, we’re going to the pack house. Are you coming with us?” I turned to Kailin. Knight was standing next to her and smiled at me. “Let’s go?” “Sure.” I climbed on his bike, and he revved it up. It purred and roared off down the road. The trip to the pack house was thrilling as I rode with Knight o

KNIGHT Holy shit! I was advanced. Nirvana was still standing when I sped up. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was ahead of me, standing under the tree at the finish line. “How?” I went to her, inspecting her from head to toe. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Please don’t tell anyone. I want to keep it to myself first. I need to know my strengths and weaknesses. I want to know if there are repercussions. Maybe there are side effects. And I’m terrified.” “Sweetheart, you don’t have to tell me. My priority right now is to keep you safe, and to do that, I shouldn’t tell anybody. Does Zarah know?” “While we were meditating, I think I went to the flowers in the backyard. That’s why I asked you if there were hydrangeas, because I felt like I saw them and touched the red flowers in the pot, but I wasn’t sure. I was sitting before Zarah, and the next thing I knew, I had somehow fallen off my seat. It was like a blow of wind threw me away.” “You didn’t run fast like the Flash.” She chuck

NIRVANA “So, I’m going home with this death trap again?” “You’re safe with me, Nirvana.” He kissed me on the lips before helping me put on my helmet. “I promise.” “You’re lucky I trust you.” “Yes, I know I am the luckiest. I have a beautiful woman riding with me.” He turned on the engine, and his Ducati purred like a kitten. “See you later, guys.” I climbed on his bike and waved at Kailin and her father. “You both take care,” Lennox said. “The boys will follow you behind.” Knight pulled out the gate instead of going towards the road where we came from his home earlier. “Aren’t we supposed to be going to the vineyards?” “I’m taking you on a joyride. It’s a fine night, sweetheart. There’s a good burrito stand not far from here.” “And I’m supposed to be your biker’s girl?” The word biker’s girl made him laugh. “Would you be my girl?” “Whatever, alpha.” I tightened my arms around his abdomen. I knew he would never intentionally put my life in danger. The night was beautif

KNIGHT I could barely breathe. My heart was still filled with so much rage I didn’t know what to do with it, but we managed to get back home safely. That was what mattered. Nirvana went into the house while I stayed outside for a while to calm my nerves because I didn’t want to shift and run, but it didn’t help. I wanted to kill someone. I wanted to feel my fangs as I sunk them into Travis’s neck. I wanted to punch something to let out the rage inside me. “Fuck!” I screamed out, but I got angrier and angrier. “Are you coming inside?” Surprisingly, Nirvana was calmer. Maybe this was why we were perfect. When I was mad, she was calm. We were opposites like Yin and yang, but it worked for us. My nose was still flaring as I snapped my head at her. She knew I was pissed off. She could feel it because she defied my order, putting herself in danger to save both of us. It was stupid and reckless, but it worked. How in the hell did she manage to do what she did? It was still a mystery.