Jawra E-Book

Nadja Fischlin

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 543

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Alexandra emigrated from Switzerland to Newfoundland with her parents ten years ago. It was there that she met Fenrir, who is still her best friend today, but with whom she fell in love. Both are about to turn 18 this summer and graduate from high school. A kiss on graduation night turns everything upside down for Lexi and Fen. On her birthday, she finds out who she really is and where she comes from. And as if that wasn't enough, a terrible family secret comes to light. All of a sudden, her life is no longer the same. Because suddenly Fen and she are faced with an ancient prophecy. How is she supposed to go on with all this new knowledge and her abilities? And what will happen to Fen and her now?

Leseprobe

Chapter 1

Lexi

I float through the forest at night. A forest I should know, but it feels somehow strange to see it from this perspective. That's why it takes me a moment to recognize it.

The next thing I hear are noises. Noises that don't quite belong here. As I look around, I discover what's causing it, it's actually a wolf. Not just a wolf, but the most beautiful and imposing one I've ever seen. Not that I've ever seen a real wolf. Its fur is light brown and shimmers in a way that immediately captivates me.

I hover closer to him, only then do I notice that he is traveling at a very high speed and is being pursued by two men. Amazingly, these men seem to have no problem chasing the wolf at a pace that is not human. When I take a closer look at them, I see that they are equipped with a bow and arrow and a sword. Nobody has anything like that anymore ...

It almost seems as if the wolf is having fun being hunted by these men. I follow the action intently and follow them. Suddenly I see that the large ravine comes into view directly in front of the wolf. I want to shout to him and warn him to slow down and change direction, but nothing comes out of my mouth.

The ravine is far too wide to simply jump over, he will inevitably fall to his death if he doesn't finally turn around. But it looks as if the wolf is picking up speed. He is heading straight for this ravine. I automatically hold my breath. I want to close my eyes, but I can't tear myself away from this scene. Just before he plunges into the depths, he pushes himself powerfully off the ground and sails light as a feather over the ravine. When he arrives on the other side, the men rush towards the ravine, but are able to slow down at the last moment without falling into the depths. I breathe out a sigh of relief ...

The wolf slows down and turns towards the men in the shelter of the nearby trees. Even from here, I can see his eyes gleaming mischievously. When he howls triumphantly, I can't suppress a grin. Fascinated by his beauty, I almost can't take my eyes off him and scrutinize him closely. His strong body with his powerful legs and big paws, his strong tail. Also his expressive face with the pointed ears, the long snout with the sharp teeth.

And then those eyes, I know, Irecognize those eyes. But when I want to get even closer to him, the men draw their bows and shoot at him. But before they can reach him, he has already disappeared into the depths of the forest. I follow him immediately ...

Piiiep, Piiiiiep, Piiiiiep, Piiiiep, Piiiiiep ... I am startled out of my dream when I hear the alarm clock. For a moment, I am completely disoriented and sit in my bed, stiff and perplexed. When I realize where I am after a few moments, I get hold of the alarm clock and turn it off with a groan. I put my head back on the pillow and try to remember all the details of the dream. It's funny, I shouldn't be so captivated by what I've seen, as I already have a very vivid imagination. But this wolf was incredibly fascinating and his eyes - I recognize those eyes from somewhere ...

I shake my head, open my eyes sleepily and squint at the alarm clock. I immediately jump out of bed - well, more like fall out of bed as I get tangled up in my blanket. Damn, I've been thinking about this dream for longer than I wanted to. Fen will have to wait for me again today.

Just thinking about him gives me a pleasant shiver. He's been my best friend for almost ten years now and his real name is Fenrir, but everyone calls him Fen. His family moved to Newfoundland the same year we did, so we were both new to the school and quickly became friends.

I pick myself up from the floor and go to the closet, pull out some fresh underwear and dash into the bathroom for a quick shower. Somehow I have to get rid of this dream, as we're writing a history test today and I have to concentrate fully on it. So I hope that the warm water can calm my racing thoughts.

After the shower, I dry my hair with a hairdryer, as I wear most of it short, which is fortunately quick. I apply a little black eyeliner and mascara. Then I run back to my room and finish getting dressed. Since it's Friday and I want to celebrate Fen's birthday with him after school, I decide on a pair of tight, light-colored ripped jeans and a top from one of my favorite rock bands.

I look at myself in the mirror and am pretty happy with the result. I take a closer look at myself. I've always liked my green eyes best. And now my bright red hair and eyeliner really make them stand out. I also like my lips, which are beautifully curved and full, but that's as far as my satisfaction goes. I let my gaze wander further and it lingers on my breasts, which are just too big for my taste. My stomach could also be a little smaller, but I just like eating too much ... Luckily my legs are presentable, which makes up for a lot, I think. Nevertheless, I let out a short sigh. Then my thoughts automatically wander back to my dream and this beautiful wolf and I sigh again.

Suddenly I hear my mom calling from downstairs: "Alexandra, hurry up! Fenrir is here and has to wait for you as usual!" I immediately grab my school bag, my sports bag and my black leather jacket. I throw my cell phone, which is still on my dresser, into my school bag and storm down the stairs. It's a miracle that I always make it down these stairs in one piece, as I have to run down them at breakneck speed every day.

Mam is already waiting for me at the front door, as usual. She shakes her head with a smile, holds out a lunch bag and presses two muesli bars into my hand. "Give one of these to Fenrir and have a nice day and take care of yourself!" She presses a kiss to my temple and winks at me. I stow my lunch in my school bag and grin at her.

"Thanks, Mam and yes, Mam, I wish school was over already, this history exam is worrying me a bit. Oh yes, I'll be at Fen's after school."

As I run outside, Mam follows me and shouts: "Hello, Fenrir, have a great day and take good care of my daughter! Bye!"

My eyes immediately fall on Fen, who is standing casually next to his car, smiling and waving at my mom and calling out "Thank you, Mrs. Foxx". His car is a blue Ford F350 pick-up, 7.5 liter with 245 hp and built in 1986. How do I know all this? Because he loves his car more than anything and when he got it, it was all he talked about. Or rather, about her, because he affectionately calls her Blue.

Every time I see him, the butterflies in my stomach do a loop and my heart skips a beat, only to beat faster than usual afterwards. He looks simply stunning. He is 198 cm tall, has a beautiful symmetrical face with brown wavy short hair that falls a little in his forehead, then his incredible caramel-colored eyes that beam at me and his stunning smile with his beautifully curved lips.

He is just perfect, standing next to his Ford, tall and muscular. I walk up to him with a smile and we hug.

"Hi, Fen!"

"Hi, Lexi, have you been daydreaming again?"

He just knows me too well. I punch him on the arm. "No, this time it was a real dream that made me forget the time. Come on, we have to go, I'll tell you on the way to school."

As we sit in the Ford and drive off, I open a muesli bar and hold it out to him. He takes it with a smile and says: "Your mom is the best." He bites into the bar with relish and sighs with pleasure.

I open the second bar and take a bite. "Well, that dream was really crazy!" When I've told him the whole dream in detail, I'm amazed that I still remember all the details. Somehow it's all burned into my brain so precisely that I could even describe the smell if I had to.

Fen took it all in silently and stared at the road.

"What do you think?" I ask curiously. He looks at me and smiles: "You're starting to dream some really strange things. Above all, what men are still armed with bows and arrows and swords these days? Maybe that's a reaction to today's history test. After all, the Vikings fought with such weapons too."

I look at him from the side and am a little disappointed by his answer. "Yes, maybe you're right," I sigh.

He looks stubbornly straight ahead, but I can see him frowning and staring thoughtfully at the road. "Is everything okay?" I ask him.

He shakes his head slightly, as if he needs to pull himself out of his thoughts, and then looks over at me with a smile and says, "Sure, I'm just a little nervous about the history exam."

I notice that the smile doesn't reach his eyes. I study him.

"You know that the least you have to worry about is a history exam? You're the best in that subject. So again, what's going on, Fen?"

I notice how he makes more of an effort to smile.

"Lexi, everything really is okay. Let's talk about the Vikings again so you're not completely lost on the exam this time."

So we spend the rest of the journey to school talking about the Vikings and, quite honestly, I'm glad we did, because I still need a good grade in history so that my graduation isn't a disaster.

By the time we arrive at the school, my knowledge of the Vikings should be good enough to pass the exam. Fen parks in a free parking space and as we're running a little late, as usual because of me, we have to hurry a little.

As usual, Ella and Ethan are waiting for us outside the school. Ella is on the volleyball team with me, she's my only real friend. She's really great, although she has her eye on Fen.

When she spots him, she beams at him from afar and he smiles back, charming as he is.

Okay, I can't blame him, because she's not only nice, but also really pretty and funny. She's the same height as me, 165 cm, has brown shoulder-length curly hair and beautiful dark eyes, her lips are full and always smiling a little and she has a cute snub nose with very subtle freckles.

Lively as she is, she runs towards us and hugs me first and then Fen, him a little longer than necessary, which immediately gives me a little sting. But I can't think about it for long because Ethan is already standing in front of me and pulls me close.

If it wasn't for Fen, I could easily fall in love with Ethan. He's on the football team with Fen and is therefore very tall and well-trained. He has short brown hair, friendly brown eyes and fine lips. I think Ethan likes me a bit more than I'd like, but as he's very shy, he'd never make any stupid attempts at flirting and I'm really happy about that. Because I really like him as a friend, but I don't want to have to reject him, that would put a real damper on our friendship. When he releases me again, he greets Fen with a handshake and a big grin.

Ella grabs me by the arm.

"You're pretty late again! I hope you've been studying for the exam, Lexi?"

She pulls me into the school building, where most of the students have already disappeared. The boys follow us and I hear them talking about next Sunday's football game. I answer her with an eye roll.

"Of course I studied for it and Fen drilled the most important things into me again during the car journey. I think I should pass the exam."

Fen grabs my shoulder from behind and says to her: "Don't worry, Ella, I've told her everything Mr. Sheppard could ask."

When he says this, he is so close to me that my pulse starts to race and his earthy, masculine scent envelops me. He squeezes my shoulder again and then takes his hand away, which throws me off balance for a moment.

It's hard to believe what such a small touch from him triggers in me. I turn to him and smile gratefully. Ethan stands between us and says, "Good luck in there, Lexi, you'll be fine."

We all enter the classroom and go to our seats.

Mr. Sheppard is a small, roundish man with grey hair and brown, friendly eyes behind glasses. When all the students are in their seats, he closes the door and turns to us.

"Good morning, everyone! I hope you have all prepared well for this very last exam. I hope you, Mrs. Foxx, have also made an effort, because your grade will be decisive for your graduation."

I automatically duck my head and turn red. I don't like getting the attention of the whole class. In general, I don't like being the center of attention. Liam and Medison immediately grin at me with a sneer. They are the dream couple at our school, both very attractive and super good looking. But with their character, they couldn't even win a flower pot... Because they feel like they're better than everyone else, they treat everyone, except their clique, pretty shitty.

Sure, they're pretty, they're good at school and Liam is the quarterback of the football team and Medison is the captain of our volleyball team. But I don't think that entitles them to treat the rest of us badly. Well, that's high school for you.

Mr. Sheppard hands out the exam, wishes everyone good luck and sits down at his desk. I glance briefly over at Fen, who is sitting directly to my left. He smiles encouragingly at me and I smile nervously back.

So, Lexi, now it's time to give it your all! I take a deep breath and turn to the test. To my surprise, it doesn't go too badly. I can answer all the questions, which is largely because Fen explained the most important things to me again in the morning.

I'm so engrossed in the exam that I don't even notice that everyone has already finished and left the classroom.

Mr. Sheppard looks at me expectantly. I pack up my things with a smile and walk to his desk with the exam.

"So, Mrs. Foxx, how did it go?" he wants to know.

"Well, Mr. Sheppard, I actually have a good feeling."

He gives me a searching look, I hold his gaze and smile at him.

"All right, I hope your instincts aren't deceiving you. This grade is really important for you, I hope you're not taking it lightly."

"Don't worry, Mr. Sheppard, I know what's at stake. I hope you have a good day."

"All right, thank you, I wish you the same, Lexi."

I leave the classroom. As I step into the corridor, Fen steps in front of me and looks at me questioningly. I fall around his neck, laughing happily, and he hugs me tightly, lifts me up and nuzzles his face against my neck.

I almost forget to breathe because of all the happiness and butterflies in my stomach. He smells simply amazing, like freedom, wildness and the forest, just masculine. I take the scent deep inside me and would love to never let it go. Right now, time could simply stand still ...

But then I hear a squeak and Ella comes rushing up. He lets me down again with a shy smile. As soon as my feet touch the ground, Ella hugs me.

"Well, Lexi, the way you're beaming, did the exam go well?"

"Yes, I have a very good feeling. I think it should be enough to graduate."

"I'm so happy for you, we should celebrate tonight, what do you think?"

She looks at Fen and me questioningly, and Ethan has also rejoined us. He immediately says: "That sounds good, I'm in."

He looks me straight in the eye and I can see a little hope in it. But I just say: "Well, Fen and I actually wanted to celebrate his birthday tonight."

I look at him and realize that he doesn't seem to be feeling well, because he is stepping from one foot to the other. Then, without looking at me, he says, "Lexi, I wanted to talk to you about that. My brothers want to spend the evening alone with me, woman-free zone, you know how they are. I'm sorry, but we were all supposed to go to the movies together tomorrow night, so we can all celebrate my birthday together."

His words give me a stab in the heart, I just stammer: "Ohh, okay, well then ..."

Ella doesn't notice the mood that has just changed. She just shouts: "Well then, that's fine, Ethan, Lexi and I are going to celebrate her passing the exam today and we'll celebrate Fen's birthday tomorrow. But first we have to get through the rest of the school day."

I can't really concentrate on my lessons for the rest of the morning. Why didn't Fen tell me earlier that he didn't want to spend tonight with me? I'm disappointed and also angry with him, even though I know I have no right to be angry because we're not in a relationship.

When we all meet up again to have lunch together, I'm not particularly talkative as I'm caught up in my own thoughts and feelings. But no one seems to notice. As always, Ella speaks without a dot or a comma. Today she's talking about the prom, which is due to take place next weekend. Which is fine by me ...

We agreed a long time ago that the four of us would go there.Fen, Ethan, Ella and me.I'm actually looking forward to the prom. But my mood is so clouded at the moment that I didn't notice Ella asking me anything because I'm only half listening. Ethan, who is sitting next to me, nudges me slightly and looks me in the face questioningly.

I jump up and quickly say, "Sorry, guys, what did I miss?"

Ella shakes her head and says: "Your daydreaming is really exhausting sometimes, Lexi. I wanted to know if you're going into town with me tomorrow to buy a dress. Or do you already have one?"

"No, Ella, I don't have a dress yet and I'd love to come shopping with you tomorrow. I hope we find something nice." And I mean it, I want to knock Fen's socks off with my outfit.

Since I've decided to confess my feelings for him that evening, I just have to find the perfect dress. Ethan wrinkles his nose.

"I hope you don't need us to buy the clothes?"

Fen looks at us wide-eyed, but Ella just replies: "No, boys, it's a girls-only thing. We'll buy you the ties to match our dresses and then give them to you at school on Monday so that we match in color as a pair. Your job is to buy or rent a nice suit and give us great corsages that night."

She smiles at me with satisfaction and the boys high-five each other with relief. Since Ethan is now discussing the football game with Fen the whole time, I don't get to talk to him alone. Ella is engrossed in her cell phone, occasionally showing me a hairstyle she likes and I make a quick comment on each picture she shows me. But the whole time I'm busy wondering why he hasn't told me about his plans for tonight. Is he really spending the evening with his brothers or has he met a girl? Even I have to shake my head at that thought. We spend so much time together that he doesn't have time to get to know anyone. Or does he?

When the lunch break is over, we split up again. We girls have volleyball training and the boys have to go to football training.

The changing room is already a hive of activity. Everyone is changing and of course Medison is already ready and raving to everyone about her amazing prom dress. I ignore the astonished looks from the others and concentrate on tying my shoes.

When I look up, Medison is standing right in front of me.

"So, Lexi, what are you going to wear to the prom? I hope you know you can't show up in a pair of ripped jeans and a top." She smiles mischievously at me and everyone else starts laughing, except Ella.

She stands up in front of her and says coolly: "You'll be amazed at how great she'll look. Maybe she'll even beat you to the title of prom queen."

But Medison just laughs out loud.

"Well, I certainly don't have to worry about that. Girls, hurry up, we have to train." She gives Ella and me another arrogant smile and disappears into the hall, the others following her.

I heave a sigh and stare after them.

"Don't worry too much about that cow, she's just trying to provoke you," Ella says to me.

"Yes, I know, but I don't understand why she's always picking on me." But actually, I can see why: I'm friends with Fen and that bothers her.

Because whenever she feels ignored, she adores him, even though she's with Liam. She would be a perfect match for Fen, she's pretty, smart and has a great figure. With her long blonde hair and blue eyes, she can wrap any guy around her finger - except him, he seems to be immune to her looks. Which of course makes me very happy.

As we enter the hall, our trainer Grace comes into the hall. Grace is Medison's mom and therefore favors her wherever possible. But I don't care, I just want to play volleyball because I enjoy it and I'm quite good at it.

"Hello, girls, we only have two weeks left together and no more competitions ahead of us. That's why I just want us to have fun together and play volleyball." Grace looks at us all in turn and smiles. "Come on, ladies, get moving! The warm-up is still the same as always. After that, it's time to have fun." Smiling, we get moving and look forward to the training session.

After two hours, we're done, take a shower and put our normal clothes back on. Ella and I are always ready first as we don't spend hours in front of the mirror trying to look perfect.

"Okay, I'll come and pick you up at eight o'clock today, then we'll get Ethan and go into town, then we'll see where we end up. But I think the diner is a good idea." She looks at me with shining eyes. I sigh softly and force myself to smile.

"Yes, that sounds great. See you later."

"See you later, and don't hold it against him that he wants to celebrate with his brothers today. After all, your eighteenth birthday isn't as important as your twenty-first. Bye, Lexi." We hug and I murmur "Bye, Ella" into her hair.

If only she knew ... In Europe, the eighteenth birthday is the most important. Fen is from Ireland and I'm from Switzerland, where you're of age at eighteen and have all the advantages that life brings. Here in Newfoundland, that's not the case until you're twenty-one. Except for driving, which you can do here at sixteen. Something like that would be unimaginable here. Just thinking about the chaos that would reign here if you could drive a car at sixteen makes me grin broadly.

On the way to Fen's car, I bump into Ethan. He hugs me and says, "Bye, Lexi. See you later." I say the same back.

As I turn away and want to walk on, he gently grabs my arm, grins at me and says: "I'm looking forward to tonight."

I look at his hand on my arm and then into his face with the big grin. He's really cute. I smile involuntarily and say, "Yes, I’m sure it's going to be a fun evening." Then he lets go of me and goes his way.

I look after him for a moment, then turn away and walk on to the car. I can see from a distance that Fen is waiting for me. He sits on the back of his truck and smiles shyly at me, looking a little tense.

I actually want to be angry with him, but the sight of him almost makes me lose my mind. His hair is still wet from the shower, falling into his eyes and sticking out wildly on all sides. And I can't help but smile back.

His tension eases a little.

"How was your training?" he asks me.

"It was really good, Grace was totally relaxed today. We had a lot of fun. Maybe that's because we finished the season top of the table and don't have a game left. How was it for you?" I want to know.

He runs his fingers through his wet hair, a gesture he always makes when he is stressed.

"Well, as we have our last game on Sunday and have to win to finish the season as winners, training was very hard and loud." He gives me a pained smile and gets into his car.

Once I've taken a seat in the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt, he drives off.

"You know Jack. You can win the season for the first time, I'm sure he doesn't mean any offense by pushing you so hard," I say to him. He looks at me from the side, nods and says: "Yes, I'm sure you're right."

We cover the rest of the distance in silence. I stare out of the window and let my mind wander, and my dream comes back to me. This wolf was just too good to be true. But I can't explain why I'm dreaming about a wolf. There aren't any here in Newfoundland and I have no other relationship with wolves, apart from the fact that I like them when I see them in a picture, but who doesn't?

It would have been much more logical if these "Vikings" had been hunting a moose, because moose are very common here. I really like moose, they look so innocent and clumsy with their long legs and overly large heads. I automatically have to grin, these animals are really great.

I'm so engrossed in my analysis that I don't even notice that Fen has stopped in front of my house. Neither of us says a word.

When I go to open the car door, he holds me back.

"I'm sorry, Lexi, I've been meaning to tell you all along that I can't celebrate my birthday with you. My brothers told me on Sunday and left me no choice. I've been trying to persuade them all week that you can be there, but they insist that it's just the three of us spending the evening together. Can you forgive me?" He looks at me with his caramel-colored eyes and I can see how sorry he is about the whole thing.

"You know, it just hurt me that you didn't tell me in private, but in front of the others. You had the whole week to tell me, we drive to and from school together every day."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Please let me make it up to you somehow. We could do some hand-to-hand combat training together tomorrow?" he says, looking at me pleadingly.

He knows exactly how much I love training with him. When I drove past his house unannounced three years ago, I watched him and his older brother Kilian training together and afterwards I literally begged him to teach me.

We've been training together for almost three years now and I really enjoy it and I think I've gotten really good at it and learned a lot from him.

But I reply: "You heard today that I'm going dress shopping with Ella tomorrow. I'll see you at the movies in the evening." It's only now that I notice that he's still holding my arm. At the same moment, he notices and lets go of me.

He runs his hand through his hair.

"Sure, I forgot all about that. So I'll see you tomorrow evening?" He looks at me questioningly.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow evening. I won't miss the chance to wish you a happy birthday." I smile at him and he smiles back with relief.

As I reach for the door handle again, he asks: "Am I not getting any more hugs?"

I would love to just get out of the car, because I know that this hug will completely upset me. Today has been an up and down day of emotions and I'd like to just crawl under my covers and forget the day.

But I simply can't refuse this man any wish when he looks at me like that. I lean towards him and we hug. He pulls me as close to him as the fact that we're sitting in a car will allow. His scent envelops me and my heart starts to race. I'm afraid he'll notice and I quickly free myself from his embrace.

I get out of the car and look up at him again. "Bye, Fen, have a nice evening."

And I meant it. He looks me in the eye. "Thanks, Lexi, I hope you have fun with Ethan and Ella, too." When he says Ethan's name, he flinches a little, but maybe I just imagined it.

I close the door and walk up to the house. I stop again at the front door and look at him, he is still standing in front of the house, waves to me again, turns his car around and drives down the driveway. I look after him and go into the house as he disappears from my sight.

Chapter 2

Fen

I'm sitting in the car outside Lexi's house waiting for her, as usual. I can't help but smile. She must be daydreaming again and forgetting the time. The sun is shining from a cloudless sky. So I get out of the car without further ado, lean against it and let my thoughts drift.

I turn eighteen tomorrow. And that's why I urgently need to tell Lexi today that we can't celebrate my birthday together. But I've been thinking all week about how I can do it without her being angry with me afterwards. Maybe I should just jump in at the deep end and tell her what it's like and that my brothers insisted on celebrating with just me. Although, no matter what I say or how I say it, I know she'll be disappointed...shit.

She knows Kilian and Alvar well enough to know that any resistance is futile. I sigh and look at the clock on my cell phone. She really should hurry up so we're not late.

Just then she storms out of the door, a whirl of energy and ferocity. Mrs. Foxx stands behind her at the door and waves to me.

"Hello, Fenrir, have a great day and take good care of my daughter. Bye everyone!" I wave back to her with a smile and look towards Lexi.

My heart starts to race. She doesn't even know how beautiful she is, with her short bright red hair, shaved on the sides and long enough on top to fall silky on one side. Then her beautiful green eyes that shine at me and her full lips that grin at me.

Today she is wearing her beautiful tight light jeans and a black top from her favorite band, which shows off her figure perfectly. I know she feels a little uncomfortable with her breasts, which are too big for her taste. But I think she's just perfect the way she is. And, well, what man would complain about breasts?

She embraces me and I feel like I'm in seventh heaven, as I always do when she's this close to me. I take her scent deep inside me, she smells like a cool summer morning, fresh and flowery. We greet each other and I ask her: "Have you been daydreaming again?"

Lexi punches me in the arm. "No, this time it was a real dream that made me forget the time. Come on, we have to go, I'll tell you on the way to school."

As we sit in the car, she tells me about her dream. I listen to her spellbound, at first I find it quite funny, but when she tells me about the two armed men and describes them in detail, I feel a little queasy.

The way she describes these men, they are warriors from Kai. But how would she know these men? As far as I know, she has never seen them, we'll make sure of that. At least not in their true form. And this wolf too ... the way she describes him, he must be a shapeshifter, one of the most important ones in our world.

I'll worry about all that later, I can't let on now. So I try to smile at her as normal as possible and say: "You're slowly but surely starting to dream really weird things. Above all, what men are still armed with bows and arrows and swords these days? Maybe it's a reaction to today's history test. After all, the Vikings fought with these weapons."

But I notice how she scrutinizes me.

"Is everything okay?" she wants to know. Damn, she knows me too well! I need to be more convincing.

So I lie and say: "Of course, I'm just a bit nervous about the history exam." But I'm an idiot and I should know that she doesn't buy THAT because history is my favorite subject and I'm really good at it.

"You know that the least you have to worry about is a history exam? You're the best in that subject. So again, what's going on, Fen?"

I can tell she's getting impatient, so I try even harder to put on a carefree smile. "Lexi, everything really is okay. Let's talk about the Vikings again so you're not completely lost on the exam this time." I notice her giving in because, knowing her, she'll be happy for us to go over the whole thing again. Because this last grade is crucial for Lexi's final grade. So we spend the rest of the journey to school talking about the Vikings.

When we arrived at the school, we were lucky enough to find a parking space. As we're a little late as usual, it's at the back of the parking lot. Ethan and Ella are already waiting for us in front of the entrance.

I think Ella has a crush on me, because she comes towards us beaming and actually only looks at me. We all hug as a greeting and Ella hugs me a little tighter than is usual for friends, but I try not to react. Because to me, she's just a friend, my heart belongs to Lexi.

As we walk into the school building together, Ella is already talking to Lexi and Ethan is talking to me about Sunday's game. I have to make sure I'm listening to him and not just paying attention to the girls' conversation.

But when Ella asks about the exam, I have to stand by Lexi's side. I touch her shoulder from behind and say, "Don't worry, Ella, I've told her everything Mr. Sheppard could ask."

Lexi smiles at me gratefully and my heart warms immediately, then Ethan comes between us and wishes her good luck.

When we arrive in the classroom, Mr. Sheppard greets us and reminds us, or rather Lexi, how important this exam is. When he addresses her directly, I realize how uncomfortable she is and, of course, Liam and Medison have to sneer at her. So I look over at her and smile encouragingly as she looks over at me.

The exam was very easy, but I thought it would be. That's why I finished it quickly and finally have some time to think about Lexi's dream.

Why does she dream of Kai's men and of us shapeshifters? Kai is evil personified, he has been the unscrupulous and evil ruler of our true home Jawra for several centuries.

Jawra is a parallel world to this normal world and home to shapeshifters, seers and mages. Kai defeated the shapeshifters and seers in a terrible battle, and the mages got to safety early enough on the Magic Lands, which they shielded with a special spell. This means that only people with magic in their blood and pure thoughts can get through this protective spell. Apart from the fact that it is only possible to get there by ship, it is almost impossible for us to reach them.

And yes, I'm a shapeshifter, which means my whole family is made up of shapeshifters, but I'm not actually a real one yet, because the ability to turn into an animal doesn't come until my eighteenth birthday.

So Jawra is my home, and we are only in the normal world because we have accepted a mission. This mission is to protect an escaped family from Kai's people, because it is believed that this family gave birth to one of the two chosen saviors of Jawra.

I was seven when we left home for this mission. We went to Ireland initially, as we knew that this family had to be somewhere in Europe. After about a year, we had to pack our things because we heard from an informant that the family had to flee.

This time the destination was Newfoundland, an island in eastern Canada. For security reasons, my family and I have no idea who the family is. Because if one of Kai's men were to catch us, we wouldn't be able to reveal anything that would endanger them, even under torture, as we don't know who they are. It makes sense, doesn't it?

But Lexi doesn't know any of this from me and she must never find out. My brother Alvar is the least happy about me being so close to her. He keeps telling me not to fall in love with this girl. If he only knew ...

The rest of my family really like Lexi, but they also hope that I have enough sense never to tell her about our secret.

Suddenly someone touches me on the shoulder. I jump, but it's only Ethan, who has gone past to hand in the exam and leave the classroom. I notice how he looks at me questioningly for a moment, as I'm usually the quickest of us, and Ella has already finished and follows him.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice that some people had already left the room. But I wait a few more minutes because I want to wait outside the door for Lexi and don't want to explain to the others why it took me so long to do this really simple exam today.

When I pack up my things and look over at her, she's so engrossed in her exam that she doesn't notice me. So I go to Mr. Sheppard, hand in my exam and wait for her at the door.

After what feels like an eternity, during which I weigh up whether I should tell my family about Lexi's dream or not, she comes out of the classroom with an expressionless face.

I stand in front of her questioningly, then she begins to laugh brightly and throws herself around my neck. I lift her up with joy and press my face against her neck. Everything inside me tingles, I breathe in her scent deeply and I would love to never let her go again. Our bodies just fit together so perfectly that it's almost frightening.

But when I hear a squeak behind Lexi, I know that the togetherness is over and Ella is on her way. I put her on her feet and smile at her, then Ella rushes to her and hugs her. Ethan is also approaching and at the same moment I hear Ella suggesting we celebrate tonight because Lexi has a good feeling about the exam.

Ethan agrees immediately. But she only says: "Well, actually Fen and I wanted to celebrate his birthday tonight."

Shit, that's not how I wanted to tell her the whole thing! Contrite, I reply: "Lexi, I wanted to talk to you about that. My brothers want to spend the evening alone with me, a woman-free zone, you know how they are. I'm sorry, but we all wanted to go to the movies together tomorrow night so we can all celebrate my birthday."

I see her flinch at my words, but she just says, "Ohh, okay, well then..."

Ella doesn't notice the mood that has just changed. She just shouts: "Well, that's fine then. Ethan, Lexi and I are going to celebrate her passing her exams today and we'll celebrate Fen's birthday tomorrow. But first we have to get through the rest of the school day."

I look after the girls as they go to their next lesson. Contrite, I walk with Ethan in the other direction, as we don't have the next subjects together. As I look at Ethan from the side, I see him smiling to himself.

I'm such an idiot, I'm just making it easier for Ethan to get to her. I know he's into her. He came to me a few weeks ago and wanted to know if she and I had something going on, because if not, he'd try his luck with her.

Since I actually know that I can never be with her, because of our different worlds and all that, I told him that there was nothing going on between us. But I would have liked to tell him in no uncertain terms that Lexi belongs to me, only to me, and that he should keep his hands off her. I clench my hands into fists and try to calm myself down. I'm acting like a possessive idiot ... But as far as I know, she doesn't want anything from him. Or am I wrong?

We all sit together again at lunchtime, but Lexi is not very talkative. It's only when Ella asks her if she'll take her shopping for a dress for the prom tomorrow that she wakes up from her stupor and says yes.

After lunch, we boys have football and the girls volleyball, so we say goodbye to each other and go our separate ways.

I'm not focused during training, there's so much going on in my head. Lexi's dream, then that I'm an idiot for not telling her about tonight earlier and then that I've been looking forward to this evening for as long as I can remember. Because for us shapeshifters, this is the most important night of our lives.

At midnight, I will transform for the first time and find out what kind of animal form I will take. I would prefer to be a ...

Suddenly I'm thrown hard to the ground by a fellow player, I was so lost in my thoughts that I wasn't really paying attention to the game. Damn! Of course it was Liam, he sneers at me and runs off. What an idiot.

Coach Jack yells at me, "Are you asleep, O'Conners? What's the matter with you? Start playing!"

I pull myself up and don't need to be told twice. I'm far too ambitious and too good a player to let Liam, our quarterback, take me by surprise like that.

For the rest of training, I'm fully focused and at the end, the coach pats me on the back and asks: "Why didn't it go like that from the start? Good game, Fen, I expect you to give your best on Sunday. After all, it's about winning the season and then everyone has to be on their game." The coach grins at me, I grin back and nod.

Then Liam appears next to me and says mockingly: "Well, O'Conners, you weren't on the ball, were you? I hope you didn't hurt yourself?" I stand in front of him and look him in the eye.

"Don't worry, Smith, you couldn't hurt me even if you wanted to."

I grin sardonically at him, turn away and walk to the changing room to take a shower. On the way to the changing room, Ethan catches up with me.

"What was wrong with you earlier?" he wants to know.

"Oh, I don't know, I was a bit distracted. But it's all okay," I lie to him. Because I'd really like to shake him and forbid him to meet Lexi and Ella tonight. But luckily for me, Ella is there and Ethan is too shy to flirt with Lexi in front of her.

When I've showered, I say goodbye to the boys and go to my car to wait for Lexi. I throw my bag into the car and sit down in the back. As I watch Lexi talk to Ethan and he touches her and smiles at her, I stiffen with jealousy. Pull yourself together, Fen!

When she says goodbye to him and comes towards me, I smile at her. I hope she's not too angry with me anymore.

I am relieved to see that she smiles back. That's a good sign.

"How was your training?" I ask her when she's with me.

"It was really good. Grace was totally relaxed today. We had a lot of fun. Maybe that's because we finished the season in first place and don't have a game left. How was it for you?" she wants to know. I run my hand through my wet hair and say: "Well, as we have our last game on Sunday and have to win to finish the season on top, training was really hard and loud."

I give her a pained smile because I'm not telling the whole truth again, but I don't want to have to explain to her why I wasn't on top of things at training today. It's getting harder and harder to keep my real life a secret from her. That's why I just get into my beloved car.

When she has taken a seat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, I drive off.

"You know Jack, you can win the season for the first time. I'm sure he doesn't mean any offense by pushing you so hard," she says to me. I look at her from the side, nod and say: "Yes, I'm sure you're right."

We cover the rest of the distance in silence. She stares out of the window the whole time, she's still angry with me. And I can't even blame her. I want to talk to her, but I can't think of a good topic of conversation, so I prefer not to say anything.

When I stop in front of Lexi's house, she doesn't even notice at first. When she sees that we're in front of her house, she wants to get out of the car, but I hold her back.

"I'm sorry, Lexi, I've been meaning to tell you all along that I can't celebrate my birthday with you. My brothers told me on Sunday and left me no choice. I've been trying to persuade them all week that you can be there, but they insist that it's just the three of us spending the evening together. Can you forgive me?"

I look pleadingly into her eyes.

"You know, Fen, it just hurt me that you didn't tell me in private, but in front of the others. You've had all week to tell me, we drive to and from school together every day."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Please let me make it up to you somehow. We could do some hand-to-hand combat training together tomorrow?" I say this because I know she loves to train with me.

But she just says: "You heard today that I'm going dress shopping with Ella tomorrow. I'll see you at the movies in the evening." She looks at my hand, which is still holding her arm. I let go of her immediately.

I run my hand through my hair.

"Sure, I forgot all about that. Then I'll see you tomorrow evening?" I look at her questioningly.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow evening. I won't miss the chance to wish you a happy birthday." She smiles at me and I smile back with relief, I don't think she's quite as angry as she was before this conversation.

But she reaches for the door handle again without hugging me, so I quickly ask: "Am I not getting any more hugs?" I notice how she hesitates briefly, but then she scoots closer to me so that I can take her in my arms.

Fortunately, she doesn't feel my heart skip a beat, but all too quickly she pulls away again and gets out of my car. She looks at me again. "Bye, Fen, have a nice evening," she says. I look her in the eye.

"Thanks, Lexi, I hope you have fun with Ethan and Ella too." When I say Ethan's name, I flinch a little, hoping she hasn't noticed.

She lets the car door close and runs up to the entrance. I look after her and she stops again at the front door and waves to me. Relieved, I wave back, turn the car around and drive home.

The whole drive home, I rack my brains about how angry she still is with me. I realize that my heart is getting a little tight. I hope she can forgive me.

I'll have to make a real effort at the movies tomorrow to make it like it was before. I can't tell her why she can't celebrate my birthday with me. "I'm sorry, Lexi, I'm turning into a wild animal that night, so you can't be there," wouldn't go down too well. Although I would love to tell her everything so that I can finally be with her, really together.

But that will probably remain a wish that will never come true. My family has been advising me for some time now to slowly withdraw, as I will have to patrol with them as soon as school is over and won't be able to spend as much time with them as I do now, as I will have serious commitments, as my father always emphasizes.

The only thing Lexi knows is that my whole family, except Grandma Bedelia, works for the FBI and I want to join the FBI too. That's why I've already told her that I'll have less time after graduation.

At the time, I was surprised that she didn't say so much about it. To be honest, I still am, given how she reacted today. She said that her family might want to travel around the world with her and that she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do after school.

We've never really talked about our future, which is actually good for me because I don't have to tell her any more lies.

But I would be interested to know what she plans to do with her life, even though I can't be as big a part of it as I am now. We've been inseparable since I arrived in Newfoundland and started school here, as she moved here from Switzerland in exactly the same year and we were therefore both the "newbies". That automatically bonded us together.

We spend almost all our free time together, we go into the woods a lot and explore everything. Three years ago, when she caught Kilian and me training, she was so enthusiastic about it that she wanted me to teach her all about it. From then on, we've become even closer, which is wonderful on the one hand, but on the other, my family watch and comment on it with suspicion.

Why do we have to come from different worlds? It could all be so simple. But unfortunately we are denied that. So I keep thinking about everything until I get home, even though I know it's no use. Sooner or later I will have to let her go ...

Chapter 3

Fen

I'm just driving up the driveway to our house when I see Kilian and Alvar, my two older brothers, already waiting for me on the porch.

Alvar is the oldest of us, he is 28 years old and a giant of a man. With his size and muscles, long wavy brown hair and icy blue eyes, he looks quite intimidating.

What's more, he rarely smiles, but rather pulls a grumpy face. But he is a good guy and would never hurt anyone without good reason.

Kilian is the complete opposite, he may also be tall and muscular, but he always has a smile on his lips. He is 26 years old, has short dark hair, caramel-colored eyes like me and a beautifully shaped mouth, which captivates all women. What's more, he's really funny and has a lot of charm. So you can have a lot of fun with him. On the other hand, Alvar is great to talk to about serious topics. I love each of them for who they are, after all, they are my brothers.

I sigh, on the one hand I'm really looking forward to this evening and on the other hand it's weighing heavily on me that Lexi is angry with me. I run my hand through my hair, pack my bags, lock my car and walk up the porch.

They both beam at me.

"Well, little brother, are you ready?" Kilian wants to know. I try to put on a cheerful smile, but apparently I don't really succeed, because Alvar immediately asks suspiciously: "What's wrong?" He raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"Nothing," I lie and try to get past them and into the house. But they immediately block my way.

I look down at my feet so I don't have to look them in the eye.

"Little brother, you know that this night is the most important night of your life so far? You should be full of joy and excitement, but you seem like seven days of rainy weather. So again, what's going on? And don't try to lie to us, you know we can smell and feel it immediately when you lie," says Alvar dryly. Oh yes, as soon as I become a shapeshifter, I can sense and smell feelings and emotions, great. I also become faster and even stronger, which is really cool. I should really be looking forward to this transformation, and basically I am.

I sigh.

"Okay, Lexi's mad at me because I stood her up today because of you and this evening."And she's been dreaming about Kai's men and probably the Chosen One in the form of a wolf,I add in my mind.

The two look at each other, Kilian tries to suppress a laugh and Alvar just rolls his eyes. "Oh, brother, you know she can never stay angry with you for long. The next time you see her, just turn on the charm and she'll immediately forget that she was ever angry with you," Kilian says, smiling at me encouragingly.

"I'm not so sure this time ..." I sigh. 'Don't worry, maybe it's for the best. You have to slowly but surely distance yourself from her anyway and you know that. I don't understand why you're putting it off like this anyway," says Alvar with a serious face. Kilian punches him on the arm and says: "Man, Alvar, you know that our little brother is head over heels in love with her. And you should know better than anyone what it's like to leave someone you love just like that."

Alvar looks angrily at Kilian.

"You know very well that this is not the same situation. I had to leave Minerva for our mission. She promised to wait for me, but I don't even know if she's still alive, so, brother, don't compare my love life with his!" he says with a snarl, glares angrily at him again, then turns around and walks into the house with a long stride.

Kilian is well aware that this is a difficult subject for him, but he is known for talking about things he shouldn't talk about.

Minerva was Alvar's great love in Jawra, she is also a shapeshifter and she was the perfect counterpart to him. But when we left our home back then, Kai once again made an example of some shapeshifters, even though no one should have noticed our disappearance thanks to a special protection spell. But he does this every few years to make sure that everyone is afraid of him and therefore easier to keep under control.

We never found out whether Minerva survived, because since then she has disappeared without a trace and with her her whole family. Alvar has crept back to Jawra thousands of times to look for her, but he still hasn't found her and slowly but surely even he is losing hope of ever seeing her again.

I look at Kilian and say: "Kil, you know you shouldn't bring this up. This situation is difficult enough for him without you picking at the wound."

"Yes, I overstepped the mark again, I'll apologize to him later," he says honestly contrite.

He puts an arm around my shoulder.

"Come on, little brother, let's go inside. Mom and Grandma have been in the kitchen since noon cooking for you."

When I enter the kitchen, Mom is at the stove and Grandma is busy setting the large table in the living room opposite the kitchen. My mom, Shaylee, is the most beautiful woman I know. She has long dark curly hair that almost reaches the small of her back, caramel-colored eyes and beautiful full lips that always show a smile. She has a toned, strong and slim body, she is always full of energy and a real mother.

When she can and isn't on patrol with my father Berry, she spoils us from A to Z. I clear my throat so that she notices that someone is in the room. She turns to me and beams at me. "Fen, my darling, you know I can tell when someone enters the room."

I step towards her and hug her. As I'm taller than her, I can rest my head on hers. She hugs me tightly and I let out a sigh.

She moves away from me and eyes me with her critical mum look. "What's wrong? You look unhappy." As she asks me this, she leads me to the kitchen table and pushes me onto a chair.

Then she takes a seat opposite me and looks at me in an inviting way.