UnMasked (MSW book 2) [SAMPLE]

Prologue - Daniel

This is a SAMPLE only.

MAY 2022 UPDATE: Go read "Lucy", a spinoff of the Masked SheWolf trilogy, now updating on Wattpad, and its "Behind the Scenes" companion book that includes character profiles and a complete recap of the trilogy, as told by the characters in interview format.

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One of my proudest moments as a child was when I was ten and I learned to spin a basketball on only one of my fingers for fourteen whole seconds. It was childish, I know, but that was when I knew I wanted to have a career in sports. Before I knew it, I was looking up everything I could find on basketball and practicing with my dad and my brothers to be able to make it on the team.

There's no such thing as 'going easy on someone' in my family, which is a good thing, because it toughened up my game to the point where I could hold my own against any of them by the time I was fourteen.

I've been on the team since then, and we've been going on an undefeated streak this whole time. I'm not going to lie, the popularity is a perk I've enjoyed during all those years. But I love the thrill of the game a whole lot more than what it brings me socially. Playing releases any tension I might be feeling, and replaces it with a glow of freshness, albeit a sweaty one. It helps me clear my head when I have too much thoughts jumping around in there, and it's almost an escape for me now, when life at home or at school becomes too hectic and I need a breather.

Michael spent all afternoon with me the day I learned to spin the ball, and cheered me on to keep me going. I don't think I would have been able to do that by myself without the encouragement. I've always taken it for granted that I have a twin brother who is different, but I never paid attention to the importance of Mickey's existence before.

It's hard to say when I started seeing my twin for who she really is; my sister. My entire life, she was just another one of my brothers, even though, theoretically, I always knew she was anything but. She's the only female werewolf to be born in centuries. This puts her in a vulnerable position, because if someone found out she exists, they would try to use her to create stronger children. That's why it's been so important for her to pass off as a boy her entire life.

Mickey has never said a word of complaint about that until about a couple weeks ago, when she almost had an emotional attack. It's what happens when we're overwhelmed, and we just burst into wolf form. It was a little before that that I was starting to see her differently. I can't say precisely when that change started, but I am aware of why.

My instincts towards her are still the same, only a bit amplified. Beneath our mocking and pranking each other, I've always felt a bit protective of her, although I made a good effort to hide it. I think we all did, in a way that's different from Mom and Dad's protectiveness. Her true gender was becoming more and more evident to me, and it's been changing my perception of her, although not in a bad way. But I know it's not just because of her; I've changed too.

My sister's depression is not the only thing keeping me up so late. A few days ago, something happened that I still can't wrap my head around. For the past few weeks, I've been secretly dating Zoey. She's part of the pack who just moved into town a while back. In fact, though she's human, she's a very important member, because the pack's second in command –or beta– is her future brother-in-law.

Keeping our relationship secret worries me, but it's not really the reason I can't get any sleep. I'm not ashamed of her; I love her. She's the one insisting we find the right time to tell our parents, and with everything that's going on with Mickey that we still can't figure out, it's not a good time.

The reason I'm still up is something else altogether. Zoey and I bonded over a delicate issue she was going through. Her biological father had been unfaithful to her mother, and had a son a few months older than Zoey's older sister Sadie, with another woman. His name is John. Helping Zoey accept his existence was what got us together.