The wolf shifter came to us on a Monday, though he didn’t ruin his own life until two days later. He was the first shifter I’d ever seen, and I didn’t recognize him as one right away. In his human form, he looked like an ordinary man in his late twenties—albeit a stunningly good-looking one. All pent-up strength and well-built muscles.
It was his eyes, dark and troubled, that really caught my attention. I’d just turned nineteen. I didn’t really know what I liked yet. He waltzed into the shop like a man on a mission, his determination evident across his handsome features.
I’d seen him pace the street a couple of times before making his grand entrance. With the storm blazing behind his gaze, you’d think he was here to start a fight. “I’m here to see the magician,” he told me in a commanding tone. “I’d like to make a wish.
”
“No shit,” I replied, returning a book to a shelf with carefully crafted detachment. “Aren’t you going to go get him? ” he asked, crossing his arms. “No, thanks.
I choose life. ” When his expression hardened into a displeased scowl, I added, “He’s off today. Hangover. ”
The shifter clenched his jaw, debating whether to force his way to getting what he wanted.
In the end, he slowly nodded. “When should I come back? ”
“Come back tomorrow. ”
He didn’t come back the following day, but the one after that.
I frowned upon seeing him again. He looked almost sheepish as he walked back into the shop. His name was Caleb. I led him to the back room where Adrian was busy building a house of cards as if his life depended on it.
“Client,” I announced, ushering Caleb into the room. Adrian ignored him, adding an ace of hearts to his little project. “He was already here two days ago,” I added, eyeing my boss and caretaker critically. Once again, I wondered why my father had asked Adrian to take care of me in the event of his death—a death that had occurred only three months ago.
“I’ll be with you in a second,” Adrian said, picking up another card with utmost concentration. He was such an odd character, from the way he looked—always disheveled like he’d just gotten out of bed—to his unsociable and reclusive manners. Yet nothing was as odd as his job. A magician who granted people wishes.
Any wish, from raising a cat from the dead to making one become president. Adrian’s powers were practically unlimited, an ability granted to him long ago by a demon who, in return, requested that the wisher paid a hefty price for Adrian’s services. No price, no wish. “What is it you desire?
” Adrian asked, flicking a finger at his construction, which toppled to the ground. “To become alpha of your pack? ”
Caleb blinked at him in surprise, making Adrian smirk. “Don’t act so surprised.
Becoming the alpha is usually what any shifter wants. Sounds like a hassle to me, but what do I know? ”
“Well, it’s not what I want,” Caleb replied with a frown. “Oh?
Then what would you like me to do for you? ”
The shifter briefly hesitated, but squared his shoulders in resolve. “My brother just took a mate. I would like you to break the bond.
”
Caleb was part of an impressively large pack. It had taken years for his pack to make a name for itself and establish its position among the shifter community. When Caleb was young, they had been small and insignificant—vulnerable to other wolves and dependent on other packs for survival. Caleb’s mother had suffered the consequences of this weakness.
They had been attacked by rogues while Caleb’s father had been away from the den, and she had been left alone to protect her children. Cara had perished at the hands of a rogue in front of Caleb and his older brother’s eyes. This tragedy had only strengthened the two brothers’ strong will to help their father rebuild their pack. Which is why Caleb didn’t understand how his brother—their future alpha, on whom the entire pack’s survival rested—could have chosen such a weak, insignificant omega wolf for his mate.
Or rather, he did understand. Rowan was a strong, willful wolf with all the qualities to lead, but he was kind and too magnanimous for his own good. He was always trying to help people, save the unsaveable, make the world a better place. So when he met Annie—the very definition of a damsel in distress—of course he had taken it upon himself to become her protector.
Caleb had nothing against Annie. She was bland and boring and perfectly insignificant. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t have what it took to mate with his brother. But he’d be damned if he’d let the omega ruin all that his family had built.
Annie had to go. “So, you want me to break your brother’s bond? ” Adrian resumed after Caleb finished telling us his life story. By that point, I was feeling much less sympathetic to his plight.
It wasn’t Caleb’s place to choose who his brother loved, but I also knew it was none of my business to comment. “Yes, I want him to forget about Annie and find a better-suited mate. ”
Honestly, what a selfish prick. “She is his mate, but not his fated mate?
” Adrian asked. Caleb nodded solemnly. “I would never request breaking a fated bond. ”
“Then yes, I can do it.
” Adrian gave him a hardened look. “But it will cost you. ”
“How much do you want? ”
“It’s not money I want.
I’ll grant your wish. And in exchange, I’ll take what matters most to you. ”
I shivered, just like I always do when Adrian explains what a wish costs. “I guess that would be my Lamborghini,” Caleb said with a displeased frown, making me roll my eyes.
A car? That’s his big thing? “But I’m happy to give it up for Rowan’s sake. ”
Adrian shrugged.
“Keep in mind, what matters most to people is rarely what they’d expect. I can’t guarantee I’ll be taking your car for payment. I’ll be taking what matters most to you. ”
“It’s definitely the car,” Caleb insisted with a smirk.
“It’s vintage. ”
“If you say so. I’ll let you think about it for a minute. I think my assistant wants a word.
”
He turned to me, who indeed wanted a word—or more accurately, to yell at him for agreeing to grant this stupid shifter’s wish. “Don’t do it,” I implored once we were alone in the adjacent room. “It’s a selfish wish. He’s going to ruin this couple’s chance at happiness.
”
“I don’t make the rules,” Adrian reminded me, sounding perfectly indifferent. “If a client wishes to make a wish, then I’m obligated to accept. ”
“But you could discourage him. Make him understand what he wants is wrong.
”
“How would you know it’s wrong? You’ve met him for all of ten minutes. You don’t know the brother or the mate. She could be a conniving bitch for all you know.
”
I pouted, displeased. “Do what you want then. You always do. ”
And he did.
Minutes later, Adrian granted Caleb his wish. And somewhere, not too far from here, a bond would break. A month later, Caleb came home to the packhouse to find Annie sitting by herself on the porch drinking one of those insipid herbal infusions she liked. “It doesn’t even smell good,” he told her, eyeing her cup.
“Seriously, why do you drink that stuff? ”
“Caleb! ” Annie greeted him warmly, as if she’d only just realized he was there. Some wolf she made.
Most members of the pack would have heard him coming from miles away, but Annie was always daydreaming about one thing or another. Caleb didn’t regret breaking the mating bond for a second. Neither of them were the wiser. They didn’t even remember being bonded to begin with.
Caleb had made sure of that when making the wish. He didn’t want Rowan to renew the bond down the line. Also, he hadn’t wanted Annie to be sad. She may be useless, but Caleb wasn’t a monster.
“Would you like me to make you one? ” she smiled, pointing at her drink. “It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s very good for the body. ”
Caleb had no desire to try her drink whatsoever, but Annie looked so hopeful and eager to please that, for some reason, he replied, “I guess if you add whiskey to it.
”
“I can do that,” she said, looking pleased. “Wait here. ”
They drank their infusion together in silence after that. Annie didn’t attempt to flirt or discuss pressing matters like most women from the pack.
She just sat there, emanating peaceful waves that, while unsettling at first, felt rather nice now that he thought about it. “You know, Caleb,” she told him as he was about to retreat back inside, “I always wanted to thank you. ”
“Thank me? ”
“Yes, I’m very grateful your family agreed to take me in.
”
“That wasn’t my decision,” Caleb confessed, feeling rather uneasy. “Maybe not, but I know your brother and father. They’d never have agreed to let me stay if you’d argued against it. And for that, I thank you.
”
An uncomfortable feeling settled in Caleb’s gut. Sure, he hadn’t argued against Annie staying, but he’d never encouraged it, either. He’d seen her as a lost cause and chosen to overlook her over and over again. And yet, here she was, thanking him as if he’d shown her any kindness.
“I know I’m not very strong,” Annie said, smiling sadly. “So I’m really grateful you’ve given me a chance, Caleb. Thank you. ”
“Why are you telling me this now?
” he asked, curious. Annie turned away. “Because your brother has arranged for me to be mated,” she said in a bright voice that didn’t match her expression at all. “He’s from another pack, so I’ll be leaving soon.
”
Caleb agreed to act as Annie’s chaperone during the courting period. When Rowan requested he take on the role, he couldn’t find it in his heart to say no—partially because his brother and future alpha requested it, but also because he was excited at the idea of Annie finding a mate outside the pack. “Corbin is as good a wolf as any,” he told her, driving her to her meeting in his Lamborghini, which, against all odds, hadn’t been confiscated by the magician. “I’m sure he is,” Annie agreed easily.
“I’m very lucky to have found a match with a strong wolf. ”
She said the words like she’d practiced them, like they weren’t particularly genuine. Annie is always very genuine. It’s practically her defining trait.
“Give him a chance. If you don’t like him, then you won’t have to mate with him. ”
He added the last part without thinking. What was he saying?
Of course she’d have to mate with him. It was Annie’s best chance at a safe future. But she’d been luckier before. She was your Alpha’s mate.
You took that away from her. “Don’t worry, Caleb. ” Annie placed a hand on his arm, misinterpreting his unease. “I’ll make Corbin like me.
I won’t let you down. ”
The unease only grew further. “To be honest,” Corbin said, after Annie had left them alone to discuss pack politics, “I’m not very difficult. I just want a nice mate who can cook and bear my children.
I don’t care that she’s not very strong, and your father promised me a nice dowry for her. ”
He said this reassuringly, as if this was something Caleb would be happy to hear. Strangely, he probably would have been happy to hear it only a month ago. “What did you think of him?
” he asked as they were driving back home. “He’s a strong wolf,” she replied ever so politely. “Yeah, we’ve established that, Annie. But did you like him?
”
“What’s not to like? I’m very lucky to have found a match, Caleb. I know that. I’m grateful.
”
Caleb ground his teeth, feeling an unfamiliar aggravation rise within him. “It’s not just about finding a random match. It’s about finding love and happiness. ”
Annie looked at him as if he’d grown a second head.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. ”
“Do you think you could grow to love him? ”
Annie hesitated a moment, then averted her eyes and replied in the firmest tone he’d ever heard her use. “My heart has always belonged to another.
And it always will. ”
Caleb’s heart sank. “But don’t worry,” Annie added, placing her small hand on his arm. “He’s not someone I stand a chance with.
I’ll mate with Corbin, I promise. I would never let you down, Caleb. ”
The date for Annie and Corbin’s mating ceremony was set. The faster the day approached, the more anxious Caleb became.
He just couldn’t stand the idea of Annie leaving with a wolf she didn’t truly want just because she believed she couldn’t do better. Just because Caleb had ensured she wouldn’t do better. “How about I train Annie personally? ” he offered his brother.
“If she became stronger, we could find her a better match. ”
Rowan didn’t object. He still cared for Annie and would like nothing more than to see her happy. So Caleb started spending time with her—hunting in their wolf forms, practicing her fighting skills, trying to attune her senses.
And he could see how hard Annie tried to improve, how much she was hoping to become stronger. Except he realized it wasn’t for herself or for the chance to find a better mate. Annie was just doing it because she was trying to please him. “Maybe that’s your problem,” he snapped at her in anger—an anger directed at himself, but that he was letting out on her.
“You’re always thinking of other people and what they want. What do you want, Annie? ”
Her kind smile broke and tears pricked her eyes, making Caleb feel like the lowest of the low. “It doesn’t matter what I want,” Annie said with resolve.
“Because I won’t ever have it. I know that and I’ve made peace with that. But if I can bring a smile to someone else’s face, then at least it won’t have been a waste. ”
“You’re not a waste,” Caleb protested, feeling it in his heart to be true.
“Please don’t be angry with me,” Annie said, taking his hand. “I just want you to be happy, Caleb. I always have. ”
Caleb came back to the shop not long after that.
I was upstairs making dinner when he arrived, and only became aware of his presence when I heard yelling from below. I hurried to the entrance to discover our shifter client yelling at Adrian in a tone that made me freeze in fear. He was frankly terrifying, like a beast about to pounce. “I’ll pay whatever you want or do whatever you want.
I don’t care, but you have to cancel my wish. ”
Adrian was perfectly indifferent to his plight. “I couldn’t cancel your wish even if I wanted to. Once it’s done, it cannot be undone until the day I die.
”
Caleb looked like he was seriously considering making that happen. “What if he makes a second wish? ” I jumped in, my heart beating against my ribcage. “Would that work?
”
Adrian’s eyes snapped up to me. “Go back upstairs, Iris. ”
“One wish per person. No refunds,” Adrian declared, giving Caleb a cold, intransigent look.
Caleb’s anger deflated before my eyes, replaced with a sharp, heartbreaking sadness. “Please,” he begged in a defeated tone. “If not for me, then for her. Annie’s a good person, the best, really.
And she’s about to mate with someone who doesn’t even see that. But Rowan did. He would have made her happy. What I did to her was unfair.
”
“Life is unfair,” Adrian interrupted in a bored tone. “Now, leave us, shifter. You’re scaring my assistant. ”
Caleb left looking like his entire world had just ended.
We never saw him again. But a week after Caleb’s departure, another shifter came into the shop. A frail, pale-looking girl with very light blonde curls, freckles, and earnest brown eyes. She greeted us with a warm, hopeful smile.
It was Annie. “I heard that you grant wishes,” she told Adrian with a peaceful resolve. “So I’ve come to make one. ”
I wondered if Caleb had confessed what he’d done to her.
It must be why she was here—to annul the wish and be reunited with Rowan. “All right,” Adrian said, giving her an assessing look. “What is it you desire? ”
Annie’s expression became resolute.
“There’s someone in our pack who’s so worried about us being vulnerable that he focuses his entire life on making sure we’re safe instead of thinking about his own happiness. I don’t think he even knows how to be happy. It’s because when he was little, his mother died protecting him. He feels guilty.
And he’s afraid that if he starts thinking with his heart rather than his head, he’ll lose everything again. But he deserves better than that. He’s a good man. I just want him to be happy.
”
“Is that your wish? ” Adrian asked, not unkindly. “Yes, sir. I wish for the man I love to be happy.
”
I became nervous. Adrian hadn’t even told Annie about the consequences of making a wish. “Very well,” Adrian replied. “Tonight, the man you love will ask something of you.
Agree to it, and you’ll ensure his happiness forever. ”
A bright, relieved expression spread across Annie’s features. “I will! It really will make him happy?
”
“I guarantee it. ”
“Oh, thank you! ” Annie exclaimed. “Thank you, sir, really.
” She got up, eager to get the task done, then turned back around. “What do I owe you for the wish? ” she asked timidly. Adrian shrugged.
“That one’s free of charge. ”
Annie would be mated to Corbin tomorrow, and Caleb had decided that was unacceptable. She had made it very clear she was only agreeing to this union to please their pack, but she needed to understand that everyone needed her here. Caleb needed her here.
He knocked on her bedroom door, feeling more nervous than he thought he would. Annie appeared immediately, looking hopeful and expectant. “Caleb! ” she exclaimed, sounding confusingly relieved.
“I was worried you weren’t going to show, but you’re here. ” She pulled him inside and made him sit on a chair. “Go ahead. Tell me, what can I do for you?
”
Caleb frowned in confusion. “How do you know I have something to ask you? ”
“A hunch,” she replied with a smile. “Well,” he hesitated.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you—” He suddenly felt very foolish. His plan was to ask Annie to mate with him instead of Corbin. If she became his mate, she wouldn’t have to leave the pack. He’d be a good mate to her.
But looking at her so earnestly, holding onto his hand expectantly, with that warm, kind expression he’d grown so fond of, Caleb understood he’d been a selfish fool once more. This wasn’t about offering something better to Annie. If he so earnestly wished for her to mate with him instead, it was because he’d fallen in love with her. And he wanted her all to himself.
“Annie,” he began, bringing her hand to his lips. “You once said to me there was someone you would always love, that you’d prefer to be mated with. ”
Annie searched his gaze, looking confused. “Yes, but—”
“This person does in fact love you.
And he would love nothing more than to have you for his mate. And if you let me, I promise you, Annie, I will make sure you—”
Annie threw her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into his neck. “You love me? You really love me, Caleb?
”
Caleb interrupted himself, confused. “What? ”
Annie immediately recoiled, looking terrified. “I thought you just said the person I loved felt the same.
But I misunderstood, didn’t I? ” She lowered her eyes, twisting her hands nervously. “Of course you don’t feel this way about me. ”
Caleb grabbed her arms and pulled her onto his lap, heart leaping.
“Of course I love you, Annie. ”
“But you said there’s someone you’ve loved since forever,” Caleb continued, “and that you’d always loved, so I assumed you meant Rowan. ”
“Yes,” she said, placing her small hand onto his. “It’s you.
It’s always been you. ”
Forgetting customs, the fact that Annie was currently engaged to another man, and that Caleb hadn’t yet requested permission to court her from their alpha, he took her face in his hands and pulled the woman he loved into a kiss. “Break your engagement, Annie,” he begged, bringing their foreheads together. “Be my mate instead.
”
“Yours? ” Annie asked, tears of joy streaming down her face. “Really? ”
“Yes.
Please, will you accept me as your mate and make me the happiest man in our entire pack? ”
Annie’s eyes widened in surprise, but then a slow, hopeful smile graced her lips. “Yes. Yes, of course I will.
”
Back at the shop, Adrian was staring at our dinner with a disgusted expression. “Do you think Annie’s gotten her wish by now? ” I asked him nervously. “Undoubtedly,” Adrian replied, bringing his fork to his nose to smell my dish.
“I think it’s burnt. ”
Poor Annie. I didn’t think I was going to get any sleep tonight. “How come you agreed to grant her wish for nothing in return?
” I asked. “I thought you said you couldn’t. ”
“Because I didn’t actually grant her anything,” Adrian replied with a shrug. “She got what she wanted, magic free.
”
I frowned in confusion. “Well, Caleb will be relieved to see things end well for her, I guess. Maybe you didn’t ruin anyone’s life today. ”
“I guess not,” Adrian replied, making his way back to the stove.
“Though you still took the thing he loved most,” I observed. “Don’t you think he’ll miss it? ”
“Not really. If anything, it was holding him back.
” Seeing my confused expression, he sighed and added, “It was his fear. His fear of losing the people he loved. He was holding on to it like his most precious possession. So it’s what I took from him as a price for his wish.
”
“His fear? But that sucks. How does it benefit you taking someone’s fear away? If anything, you actually helped him on top of granting his wish.
”
Adrian poured too much pasta into the boiling water. I couldn’t read his expression. “I guess we’ll find out.
“
