“Candidates!” Theo yells in human form, motioning for them to gather.
After stretching, all the Candidates line up in their proper groups, with enough space to move. Everyone quietly looks to Theo and me for their next set of instructions.
“First, we lap the perimeter as a warmup,” he circles the map on display.
“Then we team up here to capture the flag!” I point to the wooded area just beyond the arena.
“Take down your opponent to stun. The flag is the kill.” He concludes.
“Yes, sir!” Shout the candidates in unison.
“Then let us begin,” Theo blows his whistle again, and everyone disrobes, then goes down on one knee when finished.
“And you may shift!” Theo yells once everyone is ready.
The candidates start to transform with some cries of agony. The sound is almost deafening as bones are breaking and resetting. You can hear the skin pull as their bodies stretch onto all fours. The fur erupts like a wave as the shift ends, with roars of satisfaction.
‘ATTENTION,’ I command over pride link to all the candidates.
Everyone snaps up, sitting to face us. We tied the bandanas around their left foreleg; Group A, orange, B, yellow, and C got bright pink, as that group had all female candidates, and D, Magnus’s group, got red.
‘Ready, Princess?’ Theo links and starts to take his clothes off. I turn and do the same.
Theo shifts first, still standing; he leans forward, hitting the ground. His hands turn into paws already as the rest follows. Once he was done,
‘Your turn, princess.’ Theo links.
I growl through the link at him, taking a step back to face the Candidates and begin my shift standing as well.
Not crying out in pain as my spine extends to form a tail and bones break and set along the way. The ground comes into view as I fall to it with my paws. I feel my skin hot and stretching, followed by the sprouting of my white fur—such a rush of sensation. Shaking myself out, the sun catches my coat, shimmering a beautiful purple, gray hue.
I roar up to the sky loudly, and everyone follows suit. A cacophony of primal sound erupts, and it’s spectacular.
‘LET’S RUN!’ I link everyone, sprinting to the arena exit first.
Theo is hot on my heels as we bound for the perimeter. Getting there quickly, I push faster and harder as my muscles need this release. I can feel the warmth of the sun above, and the air is crisp against my senses. The smell of animals nearby. As I stride along, they scurry away.
This is the best feeling; so savage yet freeing. I’m vigilant, weaving in and out of the tree line. The sound of my paws hitting the ground as I run free.
The run took us minutes, as the Island was only a ten-mile radius, so I doubled it just for fun. Along the route, there are obstacles and jumps to tackle, adding to the challenge of keeping up with me. When finished, we lightly jog back to the wooded area after the second lap to debrief.
‘You may rest for five minutes,’ I link the group.
‘Just five minutes, Princess?’ Theo sounds like an exhausted child, and I roll my eyes.
‘You don’t get a break Theo,’ I say, tackling him in his lion form.
‘Again, really,’ he replies.
‘Pay attention!’ I link everyone and show submission poses and killing blow maneuvers.
The Candidates watch as I take Theo out more than a few times. He finally relents, staying down after putting up a good fight. I won yet again.
‘Now it’s time for the rest of you to try taking out the other groups. Work as a team.’ I remark.
‘Yes, our Queen,’ everyone replies, snarling they are ready.
‘Huddle up,’ I commanded.
The groups disperse for a moment, and you can see they are pride-linking to each other plans and strategies. Only allowing them a few moments to converse, I link them again.
‘Get ready.’ I can see a few in sprinting holds, teeth bared
‘Now kill!’ I roar happily.
Lions, lionesses, along with wolves run about, tackling and snarling. The Yellow team is taken out quickly. The Orange team is in good form with only one Candidate down, and Pink is the same. Of the red, only two remain Magnus and another.
Magnus is now leading to attack a lioness. She tries to fight back, but he gets the upper paw. Overtaking her quickly was very impressive.
The skirmish takes a few more minutes before only Magnus and an orange candidate are left. Magnus leaps off a tree at the orange Candidate before he knows what’s happening. They paw box before Magnus snarls and pushes him into a tree for the win, stomping on his chest.
Claiming his flag, Magnus is now the victor of his group and the game. He stands proud and helps the orange Candidate to rise with his head. No hard feelings, simply good sportsmanship.
‘We’re done with this exercise, everyone,’ Theo says through pride link.
‘Let’s get back to the arena!’ I say as we run in shifted form back to our clothes.
‘Congrats, Reds. Magnus got you the win.’ I praise them through the link, and they roar in triumph.
‘Those of you who went out in less than two minutes will be getting extra training with me now!’ Theo chides through the link.
‘That was a horrid display. You know who you are.’ he concludes.
A few whimper but continue to the field. He channeled my father well, and even I shivered a bit running beside him.
‘It’s your turn not to scare the candidates, Theo.’ I say to him only, and he laughs at me in response. I hope Theo doesn’t channel too much of my father at them. Maybe I am going soft.
‘The rest of you may shift and retire for the day. Good job, everyone.’ I ring through the link to everyone.
Kimarhi is a strong warrior and leads by example. I know I would fight by her side. Theo, I would love most as a friend, not a commander.
Reaching the arena, I am drawn to watch Magnus shift back to human. His lion form is beautiful. Slender golden brown with its flat mane to match, not darkened by age yet. After his stunning display, I’m craving his human body now. Magnus shifts back to human form while I watch. His muscular body flexes while he puts on just his shorts. He throws the shirt over his shoulder. He’s sweaty all over, and I can smell him. Not bad at all, almost like chocolate. Magnus heads to the water coolers, talking to a teammate. Then he goes to the shower room, near the hall from our first meeting. I whimper as he leaves my view, hoping no one heard that. A new burn under my skin forms as my body shifts back. Cracking and popping, I stretch once more as the transformation finishes. On all fours, I lean back on my knees and rise, grabbing my clothes and quickly dressing. Still, in lion form, Theo is working with half the shifted candidates now. ‘Theo, you’re in charge and good practice. I’m done for
“So stunning,” Magnus whispers on my lower lips with a kiss. Staring into my eyes, he takes his hand, cupping my breast. Squeezing it just enough, he leans in for the kiss finally. Soft at first but deepening to lustful, quickly, with a hand in my hair pulling it. I return his kiss, inviting his tongue inside. My hands lightly clawing at his shoulders, I longed for him to do more. Releasing my hair, he moves his hand down my side to pull me closer to him. My core is pulsing with excitement as his body’s throb teases me. This feels good, and like the run, I so much need it. Magnus breaks our kiss abruptly with a growl. Only to plunge his mouth at my neck, sliding down to my chest. His warm tongue, sucking on my free breast with care. I gasped as he lightly sucked on my nipple, nibbling and pinching it. I can feel my core swelling with arousal now. He further moves down with his mouth, releasing both breasts. On his knees in front of me, he hooks his fingers into the elastic of my pa
The Watcher - Lion Island My usual stroll through lion village has me deep in thought about my future chosen mate, Queen Kimarhi. I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to approach her again. It’s been long enough; she doesn’t seem to be grieving her family anymore. It’s the ideal time for me to rekindle our once relationship. ‘I already received your father’s blessings before his passing. All that’s left is for you to come to your senses and accept my offer to be Chosen.’ I think to myself. Of course, I won’t say it like that, but that is how I feel. I must take this one step at a time. The Summit is my way in, as Kimarhi needs an escort. It’s unwise for her to go alone. It might show weakness to her rule. Even negotiating can become arduous if she’s alone. This will be the first time since King Vikram’s passing that the Summit was being held here. Kimarhi needs to show strength as he did. ‘If only you would wise up and take me as your Chosen!’ Anger makes my heart race. ‘We could
Kimarhi - Two days before the Summit ‘The wolf’s clan responded to our request for advanced troops. And arrived early this morning.’ ‘They would like to rest a few hours and will be ready to train alongside our warriors before lunch.’ Tavers links well before dawn. ‘That’s fine.’ I agree and try to sleep again. I have this nagging feeling that there’s going to be another attack. Or it could just be a storm as I smell the rain and heavy earth on my nose; it smells nice. I love the rain. Shadow clan attacks increase around the summit, but we are better prepared now. The last skirmish left us with nine of my warriors wounded and one dead. I hate losing my clan members. I will be paying my respects to the family soon. Joining the pride council in the arena, I note a luxury box is prepared so we can watch the sparring. Sir Tavers, Dorian, and Peters debrief me about today’s itinerary while Theo’s meeting the Wolf Clan leadership before joining. “King Lassiter joined his forward team. W
I know he can sense what I do. As he steps forward to close the distance between us, a look of longing on his handsome face. His eyes are locked on mine and look like they are darkening. “My Fated, My Home,” we voice together, placing my hand on his cheek. This handsome Wolf is My Fated. He growls softly in delight leaning into my touch. Static electric sparks fly up my arm straight to my heart, and my insides flutter. I feel so much devotion; it’s amazing. “Yes, we have found each other,” I say sweetly. “But I’m afraid I have to kick your ass now!” I finish in a harsher tone. I blow him a kiss, and he smiles, leaning in for a real one. As a surprise turn, I took his head, forcing it down, bringing my knee up to connect with his face. Then using him, I jump up, flipping back a few feet away, kicking him in the jaw as I do so. He growls and spits out blood, but there is a deep smile across his face as his eyes are filled with lust. “Oh, you’re mine, now!” Lorcan says in a terrifyi
Lorcan As an Alphas descendant, it is an honor to lead our warriors and answer the call of other clans for help. It’s also my first time at a Summit. I usually stay behind to protect Wolf Island. However, this year, my father insisted I join the forward troops to Lion Island. Being the future General, it was only logical. My mind is on the mission as we march to the arena with distinction. Upon reaching the training grounds, a tantalizing scent invades my nose. A warm floral sensation lights me on fire from head to toe. It’s faint until I get into the arena and smell it so clearly. But suddenly, the wind shifts and the fragrance dulls. My heart pounds looking around for it. I’m trying to focus on practice, but that bouquet of warmth is so prominent and distracting again. My warriors have no clue about the haze I am under, and one lands a hit on me. Back on point with the spar, I laid him out quickly with an uppercut. Again, I feel a pull to that scent but still can’t pinpoint its l
It’s all a blur as I scoop up Kimarhi for all to see. We head to the viewing box, where all welcome and embrace us. I never thought coming here would lead to such an incredible awakening. Being Fated is everything to a Wolf, and now I have mine. I never thought coming here would lead to such an incredible awakening. Kimarhi and her pride council leave after lots of hugs and congratulations. Father suggested to them to take some time and speak with their people. Also, he asks them to give us a few moments before we rejoin them. He’s happy I found My Fated, and I know he’s about to lay on some fatherly advice. “Son, life will move quickly now that you have found her, be prepared,” he says thoughtfully. “Queen Kimarhi and her clan have been without a King for some time and look to her for all they have. You will need to earn their trust and respect. It is important as you will be her King,” he stresses. “I know, Father, I will,” I say, sounding humble. Back home, Lucas, my older brot
Kimarhi and I spend the rest of the day exploring and getting to know each other. I met some of her people and saw the beauty of Lion Island. It is a beautiful place and my new home. My favorite, The White Plains desert. Such pristine natural sand against the blue of the ocean is breathtaking. I can’t wait to run on this sand as my wolf. But more stunning is my love standing before me, basking in the pride of her home. Correction our home. We aimlessly wander and talk to everyone. We ran into Theo and his destined wife, Helena. I am told she is the best of their clan’s doctors. She’s also human, reminding me of my mother. So classy and poised with an accent I can’t place. “Hello, King Lorcan. It’s nice to meet you finally. This is my fate, Theo.” Helena’s eyes spark with pure love when she says his name. “Lovely to meet you, Dr. Helena. Theo and I met in the arena earlier,” I say, and Theo stiffens at the mention, “Though a skilled fighter, he lost graciously to me in a spar.” “Oh