Evan could finally proudly call himself a teenager. No one could call him a child anymore, or a wolf cub, as the pack used to. Little Evan had been born thirteen years ago, on the eighteenth of February. He was the first child of his parents—and the last. His mother always called him her little miracle. For wolves, being unable to have children was nearly unthinkable, but his parents were among the unlucky few when it came to starting a family.

And not just them. It must have been in the genes, because his aunt May also had only one child—Evan’s cousin Riley. Or rather, Evan's favourite cousin and family member, even though he was six years older than him. To Evan, he was like an older brother.  So, of course, Riley couldn't miss Evan blowing out the candles on his birthday cake. 

With a huge grin on his face, Evan stood surrounded by his favorite people—Angie to his right, Riley to his left.

"Make a wish!" Riley nudged Evan gently, his smile wide and encouraging. Evan grinned back, his excitement practically bubbling over. Since his last birthday, he’d been counting down the days until he could finally call himself almost an adult. Thirteen was an important age in his mind. From that day on, his life could only change for the better. He could get his first kiss, meet his mate—he had started noticing his peers more, after all—and maybe his parents would finally let him do the things he’d always been told he was too young for. Maybe Riley would even take him on his next school trip, instead of Evan just hearing about it later. He’d always thought Riley’s school trips sounded way cooler than his own.

Evan's face was illuminated by the bright light of the birthday candles as he bent down to blow them out. With a deep breath and a secret wish in his mind, Evan closed his eyes and exhaled. The candles went out, leaving behind a soft cloud of smoke. 

When his eyes opened again, it felt as though the light from the candles had settled in his irises. He was truly happy. 

For a brief moment, he wasn't sure what to wish for, but then something came to him. He wished for this happiness to last forever: being surrounded by Angie and Riley, no more arguments with his parents, new books always waiting to be read, and the chance to become as badass as his favorite demon hunters. But as Evan would learn later, not all wishes come true.

"Who wants some cake?" Evan's mum immediately assumed the role of hostess, and paper plates started circulating around the room. Of course, the birthday boy got the first one.

Evan took a bite of the chocolate cake, savoring the rich taste. Sweets were his weakness, but he couldn’t care less. With a wolf’s metabolism, his appetite was no concern—he could devour chocolate all day, and the calories would go straight to his muscles. Speaking of which, his muscles began to tingle with anticipation. You know that feeling when you sense something’s about to happen, but you can’t quite place what? For a wolf, it could only mean one thing.

His eyes drifted to the carpet beneath him, focused and steady. He knew it wouldn't be long before his eyesight wandered elsewhere, and he didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention—especially from his parents.

He was right. One moment, he was focused on the burgundy threads of the carpet; the next, his eyes were scanning the paper in front of him. It didn't take long to realize it was homework—an essay, to be precise—almost identical to the assignment he had received at school last week. Unfortunately, the author's signature was missing, but it was something. At least it gave Evan a glimpse into his mate’s age. Maybe they were even the same age. Evan liked the thought, though he still wasn’t sure how he felt about mates in general.

"What are you smiling at?" Evan was snapped back to his own reality. He could almost swear this vision ended quicker than the others, even though that was impossible. He had never imagined that the thought of it would make him feel sad. 

"And the smile is gone," Riley observed.

"Sorry," Evan quickly apologized. While he tried to keep his visions a secret, he knew he could talk to Riley about anything.

"What's wrong, kid?" Riley asked, noticing Evan's unusual quietness. Not that little Evan was talkative—he was often shy around people, but with his favorite cousin, his mouth never seemed to stop.

"I've already had three visions of my mate," Evan admitted.

"That's good, isn't it?" Riley's question made him think. It wasn't bad, but he still wasn't sure about the first vision. He knew what he saw, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. At his age, Evan understood that things weren’t always black and white, or even strictly girly or boyish. His mate could have been a girl who liked football. But for some reason, Evan didn’t think that was the case.

"What if my parents don't like who I end up with?" Evan voiced his biggest concern. He loved his parents, but they didn’t always see eye to eye. His mum often thought she knew what was best for him, ignoring his own opinions, and that always annoyed him. Evan was known to have no problem raising his voice, although he often had trouble talking to people.

"They will. Don't worry about it. They know that our mate is the person who loves us the most. They wouldn't let you miss out on something like that, believe me. It's never happened that parents haven’t supported the relationship between mates. Mates are pure. The love is pure. There's nothing to worry about." Little did poor Riley know, he was about to become the first example of his claim not being entirely true.

"You promise?" Evan's eyes turned to him hopefully. Riley never lied to him, so when Riley said that everything would be fine, Evan had no reason not to believe him.

"Promise." Riley smiled warmly at the boy beside him. Just as Evan thought of him as an older brother, Riley thought of him as a younger brother he would always protect. Even though he was nineteen and on the brink of finding his own mate, he knew that no matter what, he would never let anything come between him and his favourite cousin. Evan needed him, and he needed Evan. Who knew what their lives would be like without each other?