Chapter 1 - Kira
Kira Smithson embraced her younger sister tightly, feeling both a mix of pride and anxiety. Chelsey had been chosen by anonymous selection to leave the Nightfall island where they’d grown up for a three-month teaching practicum. She had taken many online courses to bring her to this point, and now that she was leaving, it hardly seemed real.
Neither Kira nor Chelsey had been away from the island for more than one-night trips to the mainland. Kira knew this was good for Chelsey, and part of her wondered if it would be better if Chelsey found a place for herself out there, away from the island and the wolf-shifter pack. She might have a better chance at making something for herself.
Kira cleared her throat and stepped back, smiling to hide her swirling emotions. “You are going to do wonderfully,” she promised her sister. “Call me when you get to the dorm, okay?”
“Of course.” Chelsey pulled back and dug into her pocket. “Here. I wanted to give you this before I left.”
She held her hand out, and Kira cautiously extended her own. If this were a frog, so help her… Chelsey dropped a hand-carved pendant attached to a ribbon into Kira’s hand. It was a frog after all, but one made out of oak. Its eyes were crossed, and its tongue lolled from the corner of its mouth.
“Brat,” Kira said, choking back tears.
Chelsey smiled, flashing her dimples even as her grey-blue eyes filled with tears. The last boarding announcement came from the ferry, and she grabbed her suitcase.
“I’ll call,” she promised.
Beside them, Kira’s best friend, Gwen, laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after Kira.”
Chelsey grinned. She waved over her shoulder as she dashed up the loading dock and onto the ferry. Kira’s heart twisted. She remained standing on the dock until after Chelsey turned and waved at the back of the ferry, lugging her suitcase through the cars to the bus, where the others in the education program had already loaded.
“She’s going to be alright,” Gwen assured Kira.
Kira nodded once. “She will be. Chelsey is the most determined person I’ve ever known.”
What I’m worried about is whether I’m going to be okay,Kira thought. She’d never lived in their house by herself. Their parents—their mother a low-ranking shifter in the pack, their father a human from the mainland—had died in a boating accident when Kira was only eighteen years old. She’d become Kira’s guardian, and she had had that clear purpose ever since. Now Chelsey was gone, carving out her own success, and Kira didn’t know what to do.
What did she even want for her future?
She slipped the carved frog into her pocket and turned away, fighting her tears. Was this what it was like to be an empty-nester? Gwen put an arm around her, rubbing her back gently.
“You’re welcome to come to my place whenever you want. Lianne will always be thrilled to see you,” Gwen said.
Kira managed a smile and nodded. She might not know what she wanted from life, having spent so much of it focused on caring for her sister, but she did know one thing. She lovedkids, and being the fun aunt certainly helped to ease the sting of loneliness.
“I’m just grateful that she’s been given this opportunity,” she said aloud, hoping to hide the lingering tightness in her throat. “Without Rafael’s efforts, she would have been working in the diner for the rest of her life like me.”
Gwen’s brow furrowed. “Do you need help with anything? If you need any money or anything to get a better job—”
Kira shook her head. “No, no. I like waitressing just fine. Since Rafael became Alpha, things have improved significantly. Not that Kelsie ever tolerated people mistreating her staff.”
The truth was, Kira did enjoy the job. She loved the pace, meeting the occasional visitor, and of course, the free food. Kelsie was an amazing cook, and she made sure they were well taken care of. And that was even before everything improved. Rafael Buchanan, his brother Michael, and their friend, Joshua Fucking Asshole Woods, had turned the pack around. It used to be draped in poverty, but now it is thriving. The three of them had created a billion-dollar tech company and had used that money to improve the lives of the pack.
In the past seven years, everything had changed. The town was cleaner, happier, wealthier, and more educated. But that didn’t mean everything was perfect. Far from it. Some wounds were still tender.
Growing up as an outcast wasn’t easy. Not only did Kira have a human father, but her mother was a witch-descendant, like Gwen’s. They were treated with suspicion at best, and the situation only worsened when Kira attempted to shift for the first time. She’d discovered that the process was so painful it was practically impossible, and even when she shifted, her wolfwas thin, scruffy, and weak. Without a strong wolf to defend her, she’d become an even bigger target.
These days, they knew that their weak wolves were because of the demons that were trapped on the island. They had messed with the girls growing up because a shifter witch was more dangerous to them than anything else.
Gwen nudged Kira’s shoulder again. “Did you hear me?”
“Uh, no.” Kira took a deep breath and straightened. “Sorry, what did you ask?”
“Are you going to make it to Lianne’s birthday party?”
Kira grimaced. “Is Joshua going to be there?”
“Well… he is Rafael’s best friend,” Gwen said. “It would be weird not to invite him.”
