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, with his dark, troubled eyes and restless energy, he just looked like an ordinary man in his late twenties—stunningly good-looking, all pent-up strength and muscle. The kind most women’s eyes would linger on.
I was nineteen, fresh into a world I didn’t understand, working—if you could call it that—at a magic shop owned by a man named Adrien, who had been tasked with taking care of me after my father’s death. Adrien granted wishes. Any wish. From raising a cat from the dead to making someone president.
But every wish came with a price, and the price was always paid. The shifter waltzed in like a man on a mission. “I’m here to see the magician,” he said in a commanding tone. “I’d like to make a wish.
”
“No,” I replied, returning a book to a shelf with carefully crafted detachment. “He’s off today. Hangover. ”
The shifter clenched his jaw, debating whether to force the issue.
In the end, he backed down. “When should I come back? ”
“Come back tomorrow,” I said, though I silently hoped he wouldn’t. His name was Caleb.
He came back two days later, looking almost sheepish. I led him to the back room where Adrien was busy building a house of cards, utterly indifferent to the proceedings. “What is it you desire? ” Adrien asked, flicking a finger at his construction, which toppled to the ground.
“To become the Alpha of your pack? ” Caleb blinked in surprise, but Adrien smirked. “No. My brother just took a mate.
I want you to break the bond. ”
Caleb told us his story: his pack had been small and weak once, vulnerable to rogues. His mother had been killed by rogues in front of him and his brother while their father was away. The tragedy had hardened them, driven them to rebuild their pack into something formidable.
Now his brother Rowan, the future Alpha, their entire pack’s survival hope, had mated an Omega wolf. A weak, insignificant, useless wolf named Annie. Caleb had nothing against Annie. She was bland and boring and perfectly insignificant, but she wasn’t fit to lead, and he’d be damned if he let her ruin everything his family had built.
Annie had to go. “So you want me to break your brother’s bond to his mate,” Adrien resumed. “Yes. I want him to forget about Annie and find someone better suited for the job.
”
“Can you make that happen? ” Caleb asked, looking intrigued. “Of course,” Adrien replied. “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. ”
Caleb thought about it.
“I guess that would be my Lamborghini,” he said with a displeased frown. “A car? ” I rolled my eyes. “It’s vintage,” Caleb insisted.
Adrien shrugged. “If you say so. I’ll take what matters most to you—I can’t guarantee it’ll be your car. ”
I pulled Adrien aside, desperate to stop him.
The wish was selfish, cruel. It would ruin two people’s chance at happiness. “I don’t make the rules,” Adrien reminded me, perfectly indifferent. “If a client wishes to make a wish, I’m obligated to accept.
”
“But you could discourage him. ”
“How would you know it’s wrong? You’ve met him for all of ten minutes. She could be a conniving something for all you know.
”
I pouted, displeased. “Do what you want then. You always do. ”
He did.
Minutes later, Adrien granted Caleb’s wish, and somewhere not too far away, a bond broke. A month later, Caleb came home to the den to find Annie sitting on the porch, drinking one of those insipid herbal infusions she liked. “It doesn’t even smell good,” he told her. Annie greeted him warmly, as if she’d only just realized he was there.
She offered to make him one, said it was good for the body. Caleb had no desire to try it, but she looked so hopeful he agreed—with whiskey. They drank together in silence. Annie didn’t try to flirt or discuss pack politics like other women did.
She just sat there, emanating peaceful waves that were unsettling at first but felt rather nice now. “You know, Caleb,” she said as he was about to leave, “I always wanted to thank you. ”
“For what? ”
“I’m very grateful your family agreed to take me in.
Your brother and father would never have let me stay if you’d argued against it. ”
An uncomfortable feeling settled in Caleb’s gut. He hadn’t argued for her, hadn’t encouraged her staying, had never made any effort to help her settle in or train. He’d seen her as a lost cause and ignored her.
And yet here she was, thanking him as if he’d shown her any kindness. “Why are you telling me this now? ” he asked. 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. “He’s from another pack. So I’ll be leaving soon. ”
Caleb agreed to act as Annie’s chaperon during the courting period.
Partly because Rowan requested it, but partly because he was excited at the idea of Annie finding a mate outside the pack. She’d be assured a future and protection, but away from him and his family. Best of both worlds, so to speak. Now if only Annie were a little more enthusiastic about it.
“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. “Give him a chance. If you don’t like him, then you won’t have to mate with him. ”
What was he saying?
Of course she’d have to mate with him. It was Annie’s best chance at a safe future, one they were very lucky to secure for her given her low status and weak disposition. But she’d been luckier before, a little voice whispered. She was your Alpha’s mate, your own brother’s mate.
There is no better wolf than Rowan. But 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. After Annie left them alone, Corbin spoke frankly. “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. Your father promised me a nice dowry for her. ”
Caleb had to hold back a grimace.
A month ago, he’d have been happy to hear that. But now Annie wasn’t some stock that could be cheaply bargained and exchanged. She was a person with thoughts and feelings. It was like everyone had forgotten that, even Annie herself.
“What did you think of him? ” he asked as they drove 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 ground his teeth.
“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, assessing his expression as if trying to guess what he wanted to hear. It broke his heart because he realized she’d always done so.
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” she confessed in a small, fragile voice. “Do you think you could grow to love him? ”
Annie hesitated, then averted her eyes. “My heart has always belonged to another,” she said in the firmest tone he’d ever heard her use, “and it always will.
”
“But don’t worry,” she 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 the mating ceremony was set, and everything was as Caleb should have hoped. Yet the faster the day approached, the more anxious he became. He 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. Annie was happy with Rowan. And Caleb had ruined that for her. “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 wanted nothing more than to see her happy.
So Caleb started spending time with her, hunting in their wolf forms, practicing fighting skills, attuning her senses. He could see how hard she tried, how much she hoped to become stronger. Except he realized it wasn’t for herself, or for a chance at a better mate. Annie was just trying to please him.
“That’s your problem,” he snapped at her in a fit of anger. “You’re always thinking of other people and what they want. What do you want, Annie? Do you even want to be stronger?
”
Her kind smile broke, and tears pricked her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I want,” she said with resolve, “because I won’t ever have it. I know that. 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 the truth of it in his heart. She was calm, collected, understanding. She read people easily and always found a way to help them, even to her own detriment.
That wasn’t nothing. He couldn’t believe he ever thought it was nothing. “Please don’t be angry with me,” Annie said, taking his hand. “I just want you to be happy, Caleb.
I always have. ”
Not long after, Caleb was back at our shop, and this time I heard the yelling from upstairs. He was backing Adrien into a corner, terrifying, like a beast about to pounce. “I’ll pay whatever you want or do whatever you want!
I don’t care! ” he shouted. “But you have to cancel my wish! ”
“I couldn’t cancel your wish even if I wanted to,” Adrien explained as one would discuss the weather.
“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 rib cage.
“Would that work? ”
Adrien’s eyes snapped to me, displeased. “Go back upstairs, Iris. ” Then to Caleb: “One wish per person.
No refunds. ”
Caleb’s anger deflated before my eyes, replaced with a sharp, heartbreaking sadness. “Please,” he begged. “If not for me, then for her.
Annie’s a good person. The best. 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,” Adrien 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 later, another shifter came into the shop.
A frail, pale-looking girl with very light blonde curls, freckles, and earnest brown eyes. She wouldn’t look powerful or impressive even if she tried, but she didn’t try. She greeted us with a warm, hopeful smile. “It’s Annie,” I realized.
“I heard that you grant wishes,” she told Adrien with peaceful resolve. “So I’ve come to make one. ”
I wondered if this was about undoing what Caleb had done, about being reunited with Rowan, her Alpha mate. “All right,” Adrien 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.
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, and he deserves to be happy.
I just want him to be happy. ”
“Is that your wish? ” Adrien asked, not unkindly. “Yes, sir.
I wish for the man I love to be happy. ”
Adrien hadn’t even told her about the consequences. She’d already lost everything once because of his magic. It didn’t seem fair that she should face consequences again for wanting someone else to be happy.
I opened my mouth to tell her so, but Adrien snapped me a warning look. “Very well,” he said. “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,” she immediately agreed. “Thank you, sir. Really.
”
She got up from her chair, eager to get the task done, then turned back around. “What do I owe you for the wish? ”
Adrien shrugged. “That one’s free of charge.
”
Annie would be mated to Corbin tomorrow, and Caleb had decided it was unacceptable. She’d made it clear she was only agreeing to please their pack, but she needed to understand that everyone needed her. Caleb needed her. He knocked on her bedroom door, feeling more nervous than he should have.
Annie appeared almost 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,” she encouraged, squeezing his hands. “Tell me.
What can I do for you? ”
“How do you know I have something to ask you? ”
“A hunch,” she replied with a smile. Caleb had come with a plan: to ask Annie to mate with him instead of Corbin.
She wouldn’t have to leave the pack. She’d remain with her family, mated and protected. He’d be a good mate to her, do his utmost to make her happy. He may not be Rowan, but perhaps he could be the next best thing.
But as she looked at him so earnestly, holding his hand, with that warm, kind expression he’d grown so fond of, he understood he’d been a selfish fool once more. This wasn’t about offering Annie something better. If he so earnestly wished for her to mate with him instead, it was because he’d fallen in love with her and wanted her all to himself. He felt sick.
But he was determined to fix things. He would make Annie happy, even if it meant giving her up. “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, confused. “Yes, but–”
“Well, I came here tonight to tell you that this person does, in fact, love you. And that 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? ” she asked, her voice full of hope and tears. “You really love me, Caleb? ”
“I–” Caleb interrupted himself, confused.
“What? ”
Annie immediately recoiled, looking terrified. “I thought you just said the person I loved felt the same,” she said, her voice trembling. “But I misunderstood, didn’t I?
Of course you don’t feel this way about me. ”
She lowered her eyes, twisting her hands nervously, and looked like she was about to move away. Caleb didn’t think he’d survive it. He grabbed her arms and pulled her onto his lap.
“Of course I love you, Annie,” he told her, awed by how ridiculously happy she seemed at the news. “But you said there’s someone you’ve loved forever,” he continued. “I assumed you meant Rowan. ”
“Yes,” she said, placing her small hand on his cheek.
“It’s you. It’s always been you. ”
Forgetting customs, forgetting that Annie was engaged to another man, that he hadn’t requested permission to court her, Caleb took her face in his hands and pulled the woman he loved into a kiss. He hadn’t known what real happiness felt like until this very moment.
“Break your engagement, Annie,” he begged, bringing their foreheads together. “Be my mate instead. ”
“Yours? ” Annie asked, tears of joy streaming down her face.
“Yes. Please. Will you accept me as your mate and make me the happiest man in our entire pack? ”
Annie’s eyes widened, then a slow, hopeful smile graced her lips.
“Yes. Yes, of course I will. ”
Back at the shop, Adrien stared at our dinner with a disgusted expression. “And what is this supposed to be?
”
I ignored him. “Do you think Annie’s got her wish by now? ” I asked nervously. “Undoubtedly,” Adrien replied, bringing his fork to his nose to smell my dish.
“I think it’s burnt. ”
“Poor Annie. I don’t think I’m going to get any sleep tonight. Why did my father leave me with a maniac who ruins people’s lives?
Even your own rules don’t make sense. You always claimed you couldn’t grant wishes for free, yet how come you agreed to grant her wish for nothing in return? ”
“Because I didn’t grant her anything,” Adrien replied with a shrug. “She got what she wanted.
Magic free. ”
I frowned. “Well, Caleb will be relieved to see things end well for her, I guess. Maybe you didn’t ruin anyone’s life today, then.
”
“I guess not,” Adrien replied, making his way to the stove to prepare some pasta. “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. ”
It took me a minute to process that. “His fear? But that sucks!
How does that benefit you? Taking someone’s fear away helps them, on top of granting their wish. That’s not how this is supposed to work. ”
Adrien poured too much pasta into the boiling water.
I couldn’t read his expression, left staring at his back. “I guess we’ll find out,” he eventually replied before getting started on a sauce.
