Author: Leia Stone
Date: 2014-12-23T18:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Romance; Fantasy; Vampires
Description: Werewolves, facing the threat of extinction, desperately seek their mates to bear young. Aurora, a human far removed from the supernatural world, is nearing her own end after being fatally injured in a car accident. Kai, an Alpha werewolf, lurks in the nearby trees watching her bleed out. He chooses to save her the only way he knows how, by changing her. No one is prepared for what happens next. The tides turn in favor of the werewolves. The Matefinder has been found, and she is more powerful than anybody ever imagined. But is she prepared to be the most hunted werewolf in history?

Matefinder

By: Leia Stone

Copyright © 2014 by Leia Stone. All rights reserved.

Cover Art by Adithya Kaushik, Copyright © 2014 by Leia Stone

Matefinder characters, names and related items are trademarks owned by Leia Stone.

No part of this publication may be reproduced. Stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, live or dead are purely coincidental.

Stone, Leia

Matefinder

Gilbert, Arizona 85297

1. Fantasy Fiction

For information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book go to www.facebook.com/leia.stone
leiastonebooks@gmail.com

ISBN: 978-0982068724

For every woman who has ever had to fight to be who they were destined to be, this book is for you.

Acknowledgments

This book literally wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my mother and father in law. I sat at the dining room table in our kitchen dreaming up Kai and Aurora while they ran after my twins and made sure everyone was clean and fed. Thank you, Amma and Appa. To my husband, my biggest supporter and fan, I love you so much. Thank you for pushing me to follow this dream, and for helping Kai’s fight scenes be a little more badass. To my mother, who allowed me to be free spirited and creative as a child. This is all because of the person you raised me to be. To my editor Patti Geesey, an author herself, thank you for taking on this project and pushing me to finish it! Lastly, I want to thank Earl Chessher and the awesome authors at Fiction Writers Group. I love our 2 A.M discussions over comma usage and the best place to hide a body.

Contents

Changed.. 7

Second.. 19

Challenge. 33

Run.. 44

Sylvia. 57

Anna. 64

Goodbye. 74

Vampires. 84

Mother. 99

Memories. 105

Diwali 117

Young Love. 126

Family. 137

Kill or Be Killed.. 149

Reunited.. 165

United.. 172

Protect 186

Yes. 195

Alpha. 201

Emma. 209

Duff 217

RAIDOS. 226

Life. 234

Alliance. 251

New Family. 261

Secret 272

Dreams. 283

Changed

I never asked for this. To be changed. To be on the brink of death, waiting for release from the pain, only to wake and find out I was a monster, an impossible thing, an animal. The thought was funny, really. As I lay there going in and out of consciousness, I laughed. I was a vegetarian. I couldn’t be a werewolf, I just couldn’t. But there was no denying what I was becoming. I could feel my inner wolf lingering inside me, waiting to break the surface.

That’s when a steely voice broke through my thoughts. His voice, my savior and my maker. ‘You are a werewolf and you’re mine.’  My insides turned over at the mental invasion. Yet, it felt like he was a part of me. ‘Pack.’ Something inside me whispered. The searing pain that burned on my abdomen threatened to make me go unconscious again.

“Stay with me. Please survive,” his voice said aloud this time, and I felt a hand cup my face. The last thing I thought of before losing consciousness again was the memory of my body lying in the winding road that led to Mt. Hood. Of the tall dark man that changed into a werewolf and ripped me to shreds with his teeth.

I awoke sometime later and sat up, fully expecting to be sore or to have stitches all over my body; bandages, a cast, something. I looked down and saw my pale skin. I had a t-shirt on and it smelled like him. I pulled it up and traced my fingers along the white jagged scar that marked my belly. That’s where he bit me first. Other than that bite mark, my skin was flawless. I looked around. I was in a simple room. There were hardwood floors, a small bed and a dresser.

My mind flashed back to the scene, to last night. The dark-skinned man that turned into a… a wolf, and attacked me. Well, that wasn’t quite right. I had been in an accident. Oh god, it was bad. I grabbed my head remembering the pain I had felt. My leg had been twisted at an odd angle. Blood had poured freely from my abdomen. I was waiting to die. If I hadn’t tried to swerve and miss that deer, I wouldn’t have crashed my Jetta. What do they tell you? Swerve into the mountain? Away from the mountain? Don’t swerve? Hit the deer? I couldn’t remember, and I was a vegetarian, so I went on instinct. My instinct said Don’t hit the cute baby deer, and it got me killed. Well… I would have died but then He attacked me. He changed me. I knew it. I could feel it. I was like him. I was….. a shapeshifter?

‘You’re a werewolf.’ The man spoke into my mind, and I jumped startled and looked around. My heart was racing. I looked down at my body once more. No marks other than the bite mark on my stomach. I healed, like in the movies. Like Hollywood werewolves do. A soft knock came at the door and I covered my legs, which were bare.

“Come in?” I said, unsure. It’s not like it was my room. A girl who looked to be about twenty years old poked her head in. She had bright red hair that was cut in a short pixie style and spiked up all over with long bangs in front. She had a heart-shaped face and green eyes. ‘Pack,’ I thought, and shivered at the new feelings. The voice.

“Hi,” she said tentatively as she came in and softly closed the door behind her. In her hand was a bag.

“Hi,” I croaked back, unsure of what to say.

She tossed the bag onto the bed. “We seem to be the same size, so I hope they fit.” She gestured with her hands, as I opened the bag and saw clean clothes and a pair of flip-flops.

“Thanks.”

“Kai sent me to check on you. To help you get accustomed. I can’t believe you survived.” Emma sat at the edge of the bed.

“Kai?” Somehow the name resonated deep inside me.

“The guy who saved your life. Our Alpha.” She seemed unsure of what to say next.

‘Our Alpha.’ My stomach dropped. Everything I had ever heard or read about Alphas was not good.

“Does he own us?” I shuttered at the thought. I worked very hard to get my college degree and become an independent woman. The last thing I needed, on top of becoming a flesh-eating monster, was to have some psycho hopped on steroids bossing me around.

The girl barked out a laugh. “Well, that’s funny. I hadn’t thought of it that way. He protects us, keeps us safe from rival packs and others. Keeps us fed, happy, and takes care of all of our needs. He keeps peace within the pack. He’s a good Alpha; the strongest man in the pack. We’re lucky to have him. My name is Emma.”

She held out her hand to me; I shook it. I noticed she didn’t exactly answer my question. “I’m Aurora.”

“How old are you?” she inquired.

“Twenty-two, how old are you?”

“Nineteen.” She sat there in silence for a few minutes biting her lip. “Look, I’m sorry about your accident. This must be really overwhelming. I can take you out to meet the others but first we should go over some things. Kind of like werewolf 101.”

My accident…so she knew. “Werewolf 101?” I queried.

“Yeah, let’s start with the rules. When you’re around Kai, you don’t look him directly in the eyes for more than a few seconds. You actually wouldn’t be able to hold a staring contest with him; it’s physically impossible for less dominant wolves. You don’t want him to think you are challenging his strength to lead us. How’re you doing, you okay?”

I picked this odd moment to think of my roommate and my mother. How worried they must be that they hadn’t heard from me. “When can I go home?” I asked shakily.

Emma’s face fell. “Aurora, you’re pack now.” She rested her hand on my knee and it felt oddly comforting.

‘Pack,’ a small voice inside me said.

“You can’t leave. Kai wouldn’t let you. If he cut ties with you, then you wouldn’t last a week as a lone wolf before another pack found you. Female werewolves are rare. Most of them don’t survive the change and only a handful are born to werewolf couples. If another pack claimed you, they might not treat you properly. Kai’s pack is respectful of females, they cherish us, protect us. Not all packs are like that.” Something dark crossed her face but before I could figure it out, it was gone.

“I can’t go home. I can’t stare the Alpha in the eye. Okay, keep going.” I took a deep breath. Werewolves existed. I was one of them. I would have been dead if Kai hadn’t changed me. I couldn’t go home. Okay. Just breathe.

Emma nodded. “That small voice you are probably hearing, that’s letting you know that I’m pack, or that you’re in danger. That’s your wolf, your instinct. She will barely speak to you now but as you get to know her better and trust her more, you and her will become one.”

I could only nod.

Emma smiled. “You’re doing great. Now that big booming voice in your head, that’s Kai. He can pick up on your thoughts, emotions, and he can speak directly into your mind. You’ll get used to it. In a moment, I want you to change into the clothes I brought you. Then I’m going to take you out to meet everyone and we can establish your place in the pack. The sooner we do that, the better off everyone will feel.”

“My place?” I could feel something inside me thrumming with excitement. My inner wolf, I recognized.

“Every pack functions smoothly because we all have a place in the pack. There’s no need for me to get into a dominance battle with Sadie because I know she’s ninth in the pack of dominants. I’m twenty-sixth; the last and most submissive wolf. Everyone protects me and that’s my place. That’s where I feel most comfortable. That’s why Kai sent me in here, so that there was no chance that your inner wolf would feel threatened.”

I nodded. Something about what she said felt right. I would go out there, establish my place and then talk to Kai about my old life. I needed to at least call my mother… and my roommate, Lexi.

“And how do I establish my place?” I stared into Emma’s green eyes.

She quickly lowered hers after a few seconds. She swallowed hard. “A staring contest. You will start with me. If I lower my eyes first, then you are more dominant than I am and you move to the next person in the pack and so on and so on. You do this until you lower your eyes. Then we all know your place. No fights. Kai runs a clean pack.”

I nodded. That didn’t seem so hard.

She elbowed me. “I can already tell you are more dominant than me. For a human female to survive the change, you have to at least be in the middle. You might even be higher than Sadie.” She grinned like that would bring her immense joy.

I felt nauseous. “Well, you survived, so you must be pretty strong, too.” I added, trying to make her feel better.

“Oh, Aurora, I wasn’t changed. I was born this way. Both of my parents are wolves.”

“Oh. Well, how many females do you have in the pack that have survived the change?” My heart raced in anticipation.

She fiddled with her hands. “Just you.”

Emma cocked her head to the side. “Kai says everyone is waiting, so go get dressed, okay?” She smiled sweetly.

I picked up my new clothes and went to get dressed. It was time to do a staring contest.

When Emma led me out of the room, I realized we were in a huge house that overlooked Mt. Hood. The ceilings were vaulted with exposed wood beams, and one of the living room’s walls was entirely made of glass. I could see through the glass that a large gathering of people stood outside. They were all lined up in a row and talking. Once I came closer and Emma led me outside, they became silent.

‘Pack. Pack. Pack,’ my inner wolf chanted.

I scanned the faces. Some smiled at me, some scowled. Then my eyes rested on Him. Kai. I quickly looked down towards his full lips remembering Emma’s advice not to meet his eyes. He was East Indian, over 6 feet tall and built from rock hard muscle. He had dark, unruly hair and chestnut eyes. If I wasn’t feeling like I had been abducted by aliens and taken to a new werewolf planet, I might actually say he was hot. His lips quirked up to a smile and I realized the other thing Emma had said. That he could read my emotions, my thoughts. Just kill me. His smirk disappeared and he stepped forward placing a warm, possessive hand on my shoulder. Emma took her place at the end of the line.

“Brothers and sisters, a new pup has joined our ranks!” His voice commanded attention and oozed with power. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “This strong female survived a horrific accident and the change. I feel your anxiety about her. Is she submissive, should I protect her? Is she dominant, more dominant than me? Could she be my mate? I think it’s best to establish her place before we have celebrations to welcome her. This will ease your minds.”

I balked inside when he said mate but kept my face a mask of calm. Werewolves could smell fear, right? Well, I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

Kai walked me towards the end of the line to where Emma stood. She smiled.

“Emma, you have explained how this will go?” Kai spoke to her as if she was a cherished little sister, something to protect.

She nodded. “…and you can start with Sammy. I already know she’s more dom than me.”

Kai let go of my shoulder and Sammy stepped forward. He looked about fourteen years old and had blonde hair and brown eyes. I stared, heart pounding, not out of fear but out of nerves. Where would I fall in the pack? What would it mean? If I was low, did that make me weak? If I was high, did that make me more of a monster than I already thought I was? After about five seconds, Sammy looked down. Sweat beaded on his forehead and I wondered if that was from me. I went to the next person. A tall and lanky man with kind eyes stepped forward. After a few seconds he, too, looked down. Sweat shown on his brow as well. I kept moving up the line. Once I got to the middle, I could hear murmuring.

‘Silence.’ Kai commanded. It was so alien to hear someone speak in my mind.

I looked back at Kai, unsure.

“Keep going, Aurora. You’re doing exactly what Emma and I told you. Don’t worry.”

I turned to face the next person and then the next, until I met who I assumed to be Sadie. She was ninth from the top of the pack and had long, ink black hair and medium dark skin. She looked Native American. Maybe mixed. She was beautiful, exotic. As we stared, I began to feel my pulse pick up the longer we locked eyes. A bit of sweat beaded on my upper lip but Sadie looked down after about ten seconds. She was panting. She cursed under her breath and shot me a death look. She wasn’t happy about my place in the pack being above hers. I swallowed hard and moved on.

It began to get harder to hold their gaze but I was able to. Three pack members from the top, whispers had started. Kai had to quiet everyone multiple times. He kept reassuring me that I was doing fine and needed to continue. I continued on until I was standing in front of the last man. He was tall, broad shouldered and his arms were littered with scars. What would be so bad that it would scar a werewolf? He had sandy blonde hair and ice blue eyes. He stepped forward and puffed up his chest.

“My name is Max and I have been Kai’s second in command for forty-six years.” His voice could cut paper. I swallowed. Forty-six years? He didn’t look a day over twenty-five, neither did Kai. Kai put his hand on Max’s shoulder.

“Yes you have, and a great second you have been. I know this is a bit of a shock to all of us, to have a newly changed female so high up in the pack. As you know, nothing will feel settled with you about Aurora until we know how dominant she is. Your wolf will wonder if you could take her in a fight and I can’t have that. Not in my pack. Max, Aurora. Continue.”

I was already sweating because the last two stare downs had been very difficult. I felt like looking down multiple times but I didn’t. Not before they did. But with Max I was scared. What would this mean? If I was more dominant than him would I become the second in command of some new pack I knew nothing about? Some life I  didn’t ask for? Maybe I should just look down halfway through so I didn’t have to deal with this.

‘If you do that, his wolf will always wonder where you stand, and a fight will break out eventually.’ Kai. In my head. Great. I stepped forward. I had to be brave or at least try to be. I looked Max in the eyes. I didn’t blink. I barely breathed. After about thirty seconds he started panting and I began to feel weak in the knees. I felt the strongest urge to bow my head in submission. I pushed the urge back. I was strong.

I had been through a lot in my short twenty-two years on this planet, enough to give me a thick skin. I’d been through things that still gave me nightmares. Things no person should ever have to endure. I didn’t know what this meant for my future; didn’t know what being a werewolf meant for what I had planned for my life but it was better than being dead, and if Kai hadn’t saved me, I would be. If being this high up in the pack was where I was meant to be, then I would be. I stared. He stared. Sweat broke out on my forehead and his as well. He  bit his lip and with a grunt he dropped his eyes, bowing his head down low.

I took a step back, startled. I wiped my forehead and tried to catch my breath. Max looked at Kai and something unspoken seemed to pass between them. Anger was coming off of Max in waves. Kai nodded slightly and Max scowled at me and then took off running into the woods. He shed his shirt and slowly changed into his wolf form, his body was contorting and cracking. I sucked in a breath at the sight. I turned to see Kai open his arms wide.

“Brothers and sisters, I welcome Aurora into my pack as my second in command.”

There was murmuring among the wolves. ‘Pack,’ they told me, as they looked me up and down. Kai’s warm body pushed up against me as he whispered in my ear. “You have their inner wolves’ respect. Any one of them would die in a fight for you, but now you need to get their human side’s respect. That’s a whole other ballgame as you Americans like to say.” His breath against my neck made my stomach drop, but his words flushed cold water through my veins.

“Let’s eat! Steaks are on the grill out back,” Kai announced and motioned for us to move to the back of the house. My inner wolf was pleased with our new place in the pack. I was scared shitless.

Second

“Wow, second,” Emma squeaked behind me. I turned to her voice and she cast her eyes down slightly towards my nose. I wondered if I would ever get used to having to think before I made eye contact with someone.

Now that I had time to look around, I realized we were in a heavily wooded area on Mt. Hood. There were cabins dotting the property. But Kai’s was by far the biggest. There were no fences, just open space.

“Yeah, who knew?” I shrugged, not sure of what to say. We walked together around to the back of the house towards the smell of cooking food. I was still in shock over making second in the pack.

She smiled and grabbed my hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my mate.”

That word again. Kai had said some of the men here were wondering if I was their mate.

“Your mate…” I left the sentence open.

“Yeah, Devon. We just had our mating ceremony a few months ago. You missed it.”

“So that’s like a wedding?” I inquired. I glanced around. The backyard had a large green space with four large rectangle tables and a few grills that were smoking. I wondered if they had any veggie burgers.  Yeah, right.

“Kind of like a wedding, except mates are extremely rare and once a werewolf mates, they mate for life. And instead of exchanging rings, like I’ve seen humans do on TV, you exchange blood.”

My eyes must have bulged out of my head.

“Not like drinking blood! Just a little nip, a marking.” She pulled up her long shirt sleeve to reveal a teeth bite mark on her wrist. “It’s infused with magic. Devon and I are mated for life and now we can have children.” She smiled.

“Talking about me, I hope?” A tall guy with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes came up behind us.

Emma blushed. “Aurora, this is Devon. My mate and husband.”

Devon grasped my hand and bowed slightly. “A pleasure. Welcome to the pack. We are all really excited to have you. Most of us anyway.” He gestured to Sadie and a few other guys that sat at one of the tables, scowling. Emma smacked him and he kissed her cheek before heading over to tend to one of the grills. I remembered Devon being towards the middle of the pack.

“So it’s not a problem that you’re submissive and Devon’s…”

“Dominant?” Emma threw the word out there. “It’s actually the best combination for mates. Two wolves that are too close within pack rank could either be very powerful together or have underlying tension. If you have two highly dominant wolves and danger comes, who protects who? If the less dominant tries to protect the more dominant, it’s like saying they can’t protect themselves. It could start a fight. With Devon and I, we know our place. If something ever happened and he was hurt, I would protect him with my last breath, but generally, I let him take the lead.” She smiled. “Enough Wolf 101, let’s mingle. We have plenty of time to talk in the coming centuries. Did I forget to tell you? Unless killed, werewolves pretty much live forever.” She walked towards the crowd.

Okay. I was immortal. No big deal. Holy crap!

A young Indian boy that was the spitting image of Kai set a large bloody steak in front of me. “For you, my lady.” He grinned. He looked about sixteen but who knew what his real age was. I covered my nose; the smell of meat made me nauseous.

“Thank you, but actually I’m a vegetarian.”

The boy’s face fell. Werewolves must have good hearing because every voice stopped and you could see all heads turn towards me. The boy began laughing, a deep throaty laugh. “My brother’s new second in command. A vegetarian?”

I smirked back at him. “Yes. Key words, second in command.” Power radiated out of my voice. I hadn’t meant to be like that. The boy immediately stopped laughing, dropped his gaze and everyone went back to talking. Kai came over with a plate of corn on the cob and mashed potatoes and set it in front of me. He ruffled his brother’s hair.

“That will teach you to mess with a dominant vegetarian,” he joked.

His brother sulked, then turned to me. “I’m Akash. Welcome to the pack.”

I smiled at him. “Thank you. I will try to remember all of these names but remind me if I can’t, and thanks for bringing me the steak. It was very sweet of you.”

Akash blushed from head to toe… and was that a low growl I heard from Kai? Akash looked at his brother grinning then ran off to get his food.

“What part of India are you from?” I asked Kai.

“Are you assuming because I have dark skin I’m from India?” His face was blank.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what to say.

He grinned. “I’m joking. I’m from Delhi and so is Akash.”

I wanted to smack him but thought better of it. “I’ve been to Delhi. Amazing food. Wonderful people.”  It was then his turn to look shocked with nothing to say. Five o’clock shadow dotted his strong jaw and I couldn’t help but think again of how attractive he was.

“You have been to Delhi?” he challenged.

“Yep. Six months volunteering. I set up a domestic violence shelter there. God, I miss the food.” My mind wandered to my history with domestic violence. Snippets from my childhood rushed through my mind. I looked up and Kai’s jaw was clenched and his eyes turned from black to golden yellow. I jerked my head back in fear but he recovered and forced a smile.

“That’s nice of you to do that kind of work.” His voice was raw. Had he picked up on my thoughts, my very private thoughts? Anger took hold of me. I grabbed my plate and stood.

“I think I’m going to mingle, then you and I need to talk about my old life and what to do with it.” My voice was clipped and I stalked off. Two words came through our bond and into my head. ‘I’m sorry.’

I shook off the conversation and sat down with Emma and Devon. I spent the next two hours talking and getting to know the other wolves. I found that I could immediately tell which ones were submissive and which ones were more dominant. My inner wolf could sense it. I fell into easy conversations, letting my inner wolf instinctually guide me. This was my pack, my new family. I felt more protective over the more submissive wolves. One thing was for sure; Sadie was shooting me daggers all night. I would have to ask Emma about that later. I was in the middle of telling Luke, a mid pack wolf, about my favorite hiking spot on Mt. Hood, when Kai placed his hand on my shoulder.

“We need to talk,” he whispered. I glanced at him, and nodded.

“Luke.” He nodded.

Luke smiled. “Kai.”

We walked towards the house together and I passed Sadie with her straight black hair and muscular body. She was very pretty. I had fair milky skin and pale blonde hair. I felt plain compared to her exotic beauty. ‘You look like an angel,’ Kai told me inside my head as we reached the door to his home.

I blushed but recovered quickly. “Okay, first thing on the agenda, you need to get out of my head.”

He led me to his office without another word and closed the door. His office was nicely decorated with modern masculine colors, dark blue and grey. I sat on the brown leather couch and Kai sat on the edge of the large wooden desk. He towered over me.

“I will teach you how to keep me from reading your every thought. But I will never fully be out of your head. What’s the next thing on your agenda?” He smiled.

Okay, he was willing to teach me to keep my thoughts to myself.  That was a start.

“I need to call my mother.”

Kai sighed. “It’s best that after a wolf goes through the change, that they fake their death. I took your car off of the road and hid it under some fallen trees. One call to the police saying I found it while jogging would do the trick. Your blood… is all over it. They will think animals took your body.”

My mind was reeling. “I’m not faking my death!” I stood. “I am all my mother has.” I let images of my childhood filter through our bond, of my mother being beaten trying to keep him from hitting me. Then I stopped. “She’s all I have, too.”

Kai closed the distance between us in a second. Kai’s jaw clenched. ‘Who hurt you?’  he asked.

“Don’t,” I told him fiercely and tried to side step him. He moved in front of me.

‘Let me in,’ he pleaded and for once looked vulnerable. He stared into my eyes.

‘No.’ I pushed back into his mind. I stared back, not looking down like I should. Showing him that he couldn’t force me; he didn’t own me. Alpha or not, I had a say and I could take care of myself. He stared back unwavering. ‘Challenge,’ my inner wolf said. Shit, what was I doing? My forehead broke out in sweat. That’s when he kissed me.

He leaned in slowly, keeping his eyes locked on mine. When I felt his breath on my lips I closed my eyes in submission and he grabbed the back of my hair and slowly tilted my neck back. He pressed his lips onto mine, ‘I win,’ he taunted playfully in my mind. A shock went through my system when our lips touched. He kissed me deeply for a few more seconds and then pulled away. I felt like I had been waiting to kiss him since I first saw him.  He looked as stunned as I felt. Before I had time to think of something to say, the hairs on the back of my neck stood. ‘Foreign Wolf,’ my inner wolf said.  I smelled something off, something bad.

“Shit,” he swore and bolted outside.

I ran after him and noticed the other wolves began to perk up and some of them shifted into their wolf forms. Kai stood on one of the picnic tables.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose.

“Portland Pack just crossed our border; seven wolves about twenty miles away.” He growled and looked at me.

“Where were you born?” he barked.

I jerked back at the power in his voice. “Portland,” I answered.

A rumble went through the pack and one of the wolves that had shifted, howled. My body had chills. “What’s wrong?”

“When someone is changed, the Alpha of that pack who changed them becomes that person’s pack. That’s why you’re mine. But there is an old magic law that states that the Alpha from the pack of the changed human’s birthplace can fight to claim him or her if they can reach that person in twenty-four hours. It’s been sixteen hours since I changed you.”

My breath came out in rasps. “So the Alpha from the Portland pack is coming to claim me?”

Kai’s eyes blazed yellow. “No.” There was power behind that one single word. “He’s coming to try. I was hoping you were born in Michigan or some place a bit farther away.”

Emma stood next to me. “If it was a submissive male, he wouldn’t even try.”

Females are rare. She had told me. ‘Foreign Wolf.’ My pack sense was tingling. They were on OUR territory and there was nothing we could do because of the rules. I could feel the irritation coming off of Kai.

As Kai barked orders to the other wolves to take up positions at the perimeter, I leaned into Emma.

“I think it might be a good time for you to tell me about killing a werewolf 101,” I whispered.

Emma swallowed. “Two ways. Extreme blood loss or silver poisoning. Our power to heal is in our blood. If you decapitate or tear into a wolf enough, they will die before they can regenerate.”

I nodded. “Okay, so keep my head on. Don’t touch silver. Got it.”

Emma looked at me, shocked. “YOU don’t fight the Portland Alpha, Kai does.”

“Oh.”

“You’re the prize,” Emma told me.  “And there’s something you should know about changed wolves. The Portland Alpha is a changed Wolf, he wasn’t born that way and so he has a… gift. He is immune to Silver.”

“A gift.” I let that sink in. “So all changed wolves have a gift?”

Emma nodded. “You will, too. Once you shift for the first time it will begin to manifest. The lycanthrope virus binds to the human DNA and then it activates.”

“Okay, so Kai has to fight another Alpha who only has one way of being killed, because of his gift.”

“Yes, he can only be killed by blood loss. But Kai is a changed wolf too.” Emma’s eyes gleamed with pride.

“Aurora!” Kai barked. I ran to his side. He gently took my hand and pulled me to the side yard where we could talk in private.

“I will fight for you because you’re mine. But I pride myself on doing things differently in my pack. I won’t keep you here against your will. I know you haven’t had time to learn what being a werewolf is all about and when I saw you lying in the road on the verge of death, I knew I had to at least try to give you life. Females that survive the change are rare and Dane will try to take you at all costs. If you think you would like the chance to switch packs, tell me now.”

There was a vulnerability in his look that made my heart hurt. He was an Alpha; the most dominant of wolves, and he was asking me to stay, maybe not with his words but his look. The way he said mine was possessive in an endearing way. Did I want to leave Emma, Kai, and the others that I had begun friendships with? Did I want to leave without exploring what was behind that kiss in his office? My inner wolf howled in pain at the thought. “This is my pack. I’m not going anywhere,” I told him.

The corners of his lips curled. “Good. Now if I die, the pack transfers to you as my second. That could be a disaster because you know nothing about being a wolf or leading a pack.”

“Then let’s hope you don’t die, for that reason and others.” I quickly squeezed his hand. Was I flirting with the Alpha before he was about to go into a fight to the death for me? He smirked and turned to leave.

“They’re coming,” he told his wolves. “Emma, don’t shift. I need you to be able to communicate with Aurora.”

I smelled something then. Whisky and cigarettes, rain and wood. ‘Portland pack. Foreign Wolf.’

Three large men came walking through the clearing behind a thicket of trees followed by four wolves. One of the men smiled and his teeth shown in the setting sun. They were capped in silver; all of them. Oh shit. This must be Dane. Silver immunity.

“Excuse the intrusion, Kai, but I believe you have something that belongs to me.” His eyes roamed over my body and Kai let loose a growl.

“She’s mine,” Kai said, barely containing his humanity. I could see patches of fur rippling over his body.

Dane flashed his silver-pointed teeth. “I was hoping you would say that.”

Our pack began circling them and opening up an area for them to fight. My wolf was itching to come out. I felt the need to shift, to fight instead of Kai, to protect him. I didn’t even know how to shift but I wanted to. No one should die for me.

Dane stood in the center of the circle and bowed. “I enact the right to fight the Mount Hood Alpha for my wolf, a human that was born in my territory. A female. According to rules, this fight ends in death or forfeit.” The word female sounded dirty in his mouth.

The words barely left Kai’s mouth before he began shifting. “I accept.”

In a blur of motion, Kai was human one second and wolf the next. He lunged at Dane while he was mid-shift and sank his teeth into the meat of Dane’s thigh, coming away with a chunk of flesh. Something between a howl and a human wail cut through the night. Kai was fast, really fast and he had the most beautiful markings. He was all black with a white star on his forehead and white socks on his paws. My wolf approved. The vegetarian in me wanted to close my eyes. There was blood and flesh flying everywhere, but the wolf in me stared. My hands were clenched, my breath coming out short.

Compared to Dane, Kai was a blur of motion. Dane had just finished fully shifting and Kai has already torn off most of his leg meat.

I leaned into Emma. “So is that Kai’s gift? He’s fast?”

Emma nodded and kept her voice low. “He can shift instantly, and he can move faster than anything anyone’s ever seen.”

I watched as Kai dodged Dane’s silver jaws and ran from left to right in a blur of motion. Then, he swiped a claw at Dane’s belly and Dane used the close proximity to bite Kai in the shoulder. A howl ripped from his throat as Kai darted to the other side of the clearing. He was still fast but slower than before. The silver must be affecting him. Emma let out a low growl. Dane’s wolf grinned and blood glistened on his metallic teeth.

Kai came closer to Dane and lunged, biting right into his neck. He shook Dane like a rag doll until his body stilled. Kai’s wolf relaxed for just a second and Dane jerked violently, loosening himself and grabbing Kai’s left front paw in his mouth. He bit down hard and we all heard the crunch of bone. I made a move to run into the circle, not sure what I was going to do, but someone grabbed my arms from behind.

“Easy there.” It was Devon, Emma’s mate. Kai was limping away, getting slower by the moment when Dane stalked after him. Dane’s leg, I could see, was already healing.

“Why isn’t Kai healing like Dane?” I asked Emma as Devon loosened his grip.

“The silver. One more bite and he will probably be poisoned beyond repair.” Tears shown in her eyes. That’s when I realized I could stop this fight. I just needed to tell Dane I would transfer to his pack and stop this. Kai said he wouldn’t keep me against my will. Two yellow eyes caught my attention and I stared at them. ‘Mine,’ Kai said and lunged at Dane with more speed and strength than he had before. Dane was slow, too slow, and Kai landed on him as they both rolled. Kai had Dane’s head in his jaws and he was chewing. Oh god. I was going to see someone decapitated.

The muzzle of Dane’s wolf began shifting into human lips. “I forfeit!” he croaked in a half human voice that would haunt my dreams forever.  Kai held his jaws over his throat. A man stepped forward from the Portland pack. “The rules say you can forfeit and still walk away with your life,” he reminded Kai firmly. My wolf recognized that this man must be Dane’s second. Kai released Dane’s head from his strong jaw.

My inner wolf pushed me to step forward. “A foreign Alpha who trespasses on our land, picks a fight with my Alpha and then forfeits, is a coward. As second in command, I will tell you this once. Get off our land and don’t come back without permission.” My inner wolf had taken over, I could feel the power radiating off of me. The dominant wolves in my pack howled their agreement. Dane’s wolf took one appraising look at me and began trotting away. I scowled as I watched his pack leave through the trees, taking their foreign smell with them.

Challenge

Dane and his men retreated but Kai lay where he was, his yellow eyes boring into me. He was panting and hadn’t moved. I started towards him but his voice stopped me. ‘Don’t let the pack see me weak.’ He told me in a strained voice. I stopped where I stood.

“Fight’s over. Go home.” I pushed power into my words to the rest of the pack. The submissive wolves whined. Sadie growled and stared at me. I don’t think they liked my giving orders so soon. I didn’t care.

“Go home,” I told her again, harsher than I meant to. I caught Emma’s hand as she was moving to leave, indicating I needed her to stay. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew is that Kai had saved me from my accident. He kissed me like I was the last female on earth and he just fought to keep me in his pack. I was finding that I didn’t know much about being a werewolf but my inner wolf did. He was hurt and I needed to help him. The more I let my wolf bubble to the surface, the more I ran on instinct and the easier it felt to fall into this new role. Somehow I knew that keeping Emma back with me was good because she was submissive and wouldn’t be a threat to my injured Alpha.

Kai stood shifting into human form, favoring his injured hand and gazed around at the retreating pack, looking strong. ‘I protect what’s mine, remember that.’ I could tell by the looks on the other’s faces that he had sent that to everyone. When the last person had left through the trees, Kai shifted back into wolf form and collapsed panting.

Emma looked at me with fearful eyes.

“Help me get him inside,” I told her.

Who knew that two petite girls could lift a 250-pound bleeding and halfway unconscious werewolf into the house. I had strength I couldn’t even dream of before. I was barely winded after getting him to his bedroom. I ran to the adjoining bathroom, ripped the plastic shower curtain down and lay it on the bed to protect the sheets from getting bloody. We placed Kai on the bed and waited.

I stroked his fur, unsure of what to do. ‘When an Alpha is weakened like this, a dominant member could take this chance to challenge me for the pack. I can feel their thoughts. Two of my highest are considering it. Max and Jake. They are torn between being my friend and respecting me, and their wolf’s inner urge to be Alpha.’ Kai’s words sent chills down my spine.

‘What do I do?’ I asked him.

He was fading in and out. It took him a few moments to respond.

‘Don’t let them get a single word out, if they say the word challenge. I’m gone. A fight for Alpha status ends in death; there is no forfeit.’

And with that, he collapsed. Shit, shit, shit! I had to think. I had to think fast. “Emma!” I screamed and she ran in from the living room. “Jake and Max might try to challenge Kai. Who do you trust? Who would Kai trust to guard him and not challenge him?”

Emma paled. “Sadie, and Devon. Akash is too young.”

“Sadie?” I questioned, unsure of that choice.

Emma swallowed. “They dated for a long time. She still loves him. She would do anything for him. I’m sure of it.”

I didn’t even want to process that right now. My inner wolf was going into possessive jealous rage mode and I had to push her down. “Get them for me. Now.”

Emma ran out of the house and I could hear the cracking of bones as she shifted. I bounced my foot nervously, realizing I had one hand still on Kai’s fur. I had to force myself let go. I stood and began tearing apart the room trying to find what I was looking for. If I was an Alpha and I knew silver injured werewolves, I would keep some around. I would keep it somewhere safe, so it wouldn’t hurt me but I would have some in the off chance I needed to subdue my own kind. The room was in shambles and I was no closer to finding what I was looking for when Sadie walked in looking feral at the sight of Kai on the bed bleeding, not healing.

“He’s hurt worse than he led on,” she said softly.

I didn’t waste time crossing the room to meet her head on. “Can I trust you to protect him? Not to challenge him?”

She looked right into my eyes, something passed between us, between our wolves. We both wanted to protect him. This we could do together.

She nodded, lowering her eyes.

“I need silver,” I told her.

“The basement.” The second the words left her lips I bolted down stairs leaving her with Kai. I would have to trust her. I caught sight of Emma and Devon both in wolf form outside. I had a plan. A sloppy, put together, fast plan. I flicked on the basement lights and saw three iron cages. Then I saw a toolbox. I ripped the lid off and smiled. Silver. I grabbed a handful of thin chains and two pillows on my way out of the room.

I ran outside just in time to see Max stalking towards the house in human form with a predatory look on his face. Good. He was in human form. Plan A. Before he could open his mouth I ran towards him and extended my right leg high in the air. Spinning, I delivered a perfect roundhouse kick to his jaw and he was out cold. Maybe I should have mentioned that I ran women’s defense classes on the weekends and I was a black belt in karate.

Emma shifted into human form behind me. She was stark naked.

“You can touch it? Without pain or gloves?” she said shocked, looking down at my hands holding the silver chains. I didn’t have time to process that. I grabbed the chain and began tying Max by the wrists and ankles. Then I ripped the pillow to shreds and stuffed huge gobs of fluff into his mouth. I wound a strip of cloth around his mouth holding the stuffing in. I could smell burning flesh and could see red blisters pop up where the silver touched. He was still unconscious. I sat back panting in relief. If it killed him, then so be it. But I didn’t want to kill him if I didn’t have to. Devon shifted as well. Apparently, modesty was lost in the pack. He stood naked and gestured towards the house. “Let’s get him in a cage,” he told Emma. Max began waking as they hoisted him up. “Rahheng Raahenge,” Max roared, his eyes shown yellow the cotton in his mouth made it hard to understand him. It sounded an awful lot like challenge but I ignored it. He could have been saying revenge. I sat in the front yard for the next three hours while Emma staked out the back and Devon roamed the perimeter. Either Jake was waiting until we weakened or he had thought better of challenging. My eye lids began drooping and before I could stop it, I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of footsteps. I bolted upright, tense.

Sadie walked over to me. “He’s asking for you. It was touch and go throughout the night but he’s healing fine now,” she told me.

I didn’t know what to say.

“Go, I’ll take watch,” she said with bitterness in her voice.

I nodded and looked down at myself. I was covered in dirt and Kai’s blood. I had sleep in my eyes and my back was killing me. As I entered the bedroom I could see that Kai was in human form; he lay in his bed wearing sweatpants and a tight t-shirt. The thought of him shifting in front of Sadie made my inner wolf seethe in jealousy. I quickly tamped it down so he wouldn’t pick up on it. He gestured for me to sit near him.

“You did well. It’s an honor to call you my second,” he told me with a sandpaper voice. I could see his bite marks were oozing pink fluid but they were healing.

“I did the best I could. Max is bound by silver chains and gagged in a cage in your basement,” I told him.

Kai looked sad for a moment. “Max as a human, as a friend, would never challenge me, would never want me dead. Max as a wolf, well, it’s a part of this life.”

He tried to sit up and groaned. I stopped him.

“You’re not moving until you’re fully healed,” I told him. “That’s an order,” I added playfully.

He smiled, flashing his bright white teeth. They were in stark contrast to his olive skin, his canines were pronounced. “Yes, Ma’am. Well, if you won’t let me get up, then I’m going to have to ask my vegetarian second to fix me three rare steaks. I will heal faster with meat in my system.”

I gulped. “Coming right up.” I faked enthusiasm.

After gagging my way through the kitchen getting a meal ready for Kai and silently apologizing to the cute cows that had given their lives for his breakfast, I went to the guest bathroom and showered.

I came out in my towel and made it back to the bedroom I was staying in. I found a stack of clothes on the bed. Emma. I smiled. She was quickly growing on me, a thoughtful and kind friend. After changing into the skinny jeans, teal cotton V-neck, and black ballet flats, I quickly dried my long blonde hair and went to Kai’s room.  I stood outside the door, unsure of whether or not to go in. We still had so much to go over. It was Sunday. I had a job, an important job waiting for me on Monday. My roommate and mother must be beside themselves with worry. Kai and I had something growing between us, more than that kiss. I was confused. He had something with Sadie from the past. Maybe this new werewolf side of me was messing with my hormones. Then a horrifying thought struck me. What if my human side fell in love with him but my wolf was mated to someone else?

The door creaked open and Kai peeked his head out. I blushed. Crap! This stupid bond!

“Want to talk?” He asked graciously not bringing any of my thoughts up.

I nodded and noticed he looked my body up and down before letting me in the room. I looked around and scolded myself for picking his bedroom of all places to have a chat. I sat on the edge of the bed which had been stripped clean and was dressed with new sheets. I straightened my back trying to look strong.

“I own an organization called Safe Haven. It’s a domestic violence shelter and women’s defense class studio. It’s a non-profit, so I don’t exactly have the money to hire a lot of people to take over my job. I can’t leave. I won’t leave. We run on volunteers only and a lot of families depend on Safe Haven for support, for survival.” I couldn’t look him in the eye. I knew he was thinking about the thoughts he had picked up from me earlier, from my own domestic violence situation as a child.

He moved to sit next to me and placed a hand on my leg. It was possessive and gentle at the same time. “Is this Safe Haven located in Portland?”

I nodded and he sighed. “We can’t go to Portland without the Portland Pack’s permission. After last night, I highly doubt that is going to happen anytime soon. I own the territory from east of the 205 near Gresham and all of Mount Hood to the 97. Portland Pack owns west of the 205 all the way until the ocean and down to Corvallis. We can open a second location in Gresham and I can get the pack to volunteer there. We can pay some humans to head up the Portland location and stay in contact with them through video phone. I will fund the entire venture. That’s the best I can do.”

My mouth dropped open. I was in shock. He wasn’t saying no. He was funding a second location for Safe Haven. I couldn’t ask that of him.

‘Let me take care of you,’ he said into my mind.

I didn’t like the idea of having to depend on a man for money. I thought of all the women and children we could help with a second location, with more volunteers. I nodded.

“Thank you.”

He stood. “I need to deal with Max. He won’t challenge me now that I’m fully healed. Thanks to you, I have my life.”

I stood and met his eyes. “Consider us even. You saved my life first.”

He wasn’t leaving. He stood there staring into my eyes. I rested my eyes on his lips. I swallowed hard, remembering our kiss. The best kiss of my life. He grinned from ear to ear and grabbed me in one quick motion, pressing his body against mine. He rubbed small circles on my neck with his thumb as he cupped my face. His lips met mine and I felt electricity flow through me down to my toes. Maybe this was what it was like to kiss a wolf. Maybe Kai wasn’t special and if I kissed one of the other wolves it would feel the same as this. He pulled away with a soft growl.

“I really need to get around to teaching you how to shut me out of your personal thoughts.” His eyes were glowing yellow. His wolf.

“Sorry,” I squeaked. “This is new to me.”

He motioned between the two of us. “This is new to me, too.” Then he tossed me a cell phone. “It’s yours now, call your mom. Tell her you met a guy online and you’re moving in with him. She can visit anytime you like. Just give us notice so we don’t have any abnormally large wolves running around.” Then he left.

This is new to me too, he had said. I took a deep breath and dialed my mother.

"You what!" my mother screamed for the second time.

"I'm moving in with him."

"How long have you known this guy? Honey, this isn't like you. What about Safe Haven? Mount Hood is a long commute.”

"We met online three months ago," I lied. "I actually have more exciting news. I got a really big donation to Safe Haven, too. I'm opening a second location in Gresham. I will have the money to hire someone to run the Portland location."

"Honey, that's great news about Safe Haven. You’ve known him three months? How come you never told me?" There was hurt in her voice. I hated this.

"I wasn't sure it was serious but it is. Say you’re happy for me? That you will visit?"

“Of course I'll visit. You’re my daughter. It's just... You know I didn't get to know your father very well and I jumped in without thinking and look where that got us."

"Mom, he is not like that. He would never hurt me." Okay, the line between making up a story and the truth was getting blurry. I wasn't really moving in with Kai, was I?

"What does he do?"

“He... He comes from a wealthy family and he has a community up here. A… treatment center. For.... recovering alcoholics." What the hell was I saying? I was always a horrible liar but I had a wild imagination, quite the combo.

"Oh, well he sounds a lot like you. A do-gooder. Except for the wealthy family part,” she joked. I thought of her in her bright teal trailer on Ash Lane near downtown Portland. I wish I could give her more. She deserved the best.

"Thanks for understanding. I'll call you tomorrow, okay, mom?"

"Okay, sweetie. The only thing I have ever wanted was to see you happy. You sound happy," she admitted.

Did I? Was I? God, if she only knew. Mom, I got in a horrific accident. My back was broken, my head gushing blood and this new boyfriend of mine. The one, who I said would never hurt me? He bit me. ‘Cause he's a werewolf and now I am one, too. I wanted to tell her.

“Thanks, mom. Love you.”

“Love you too, Aurora.”

So that was it. I was a werewolf and I was moving in with my Alpha that I had kissed twice, and I was lying to my mom. I sighed. Life was officially complicated.

Run

After getting off of the phone with my mom, I sat on the edge of the bed in silence for a moment until my pack sense began to tingle. ‘Alpha. Alpha. Alpha.’ I got up and made my way outside where I could see the pack gathering around Kai.

“Glad to see you fully healed,” Sadie purred at Kai. He nodded and then turned as if sensing me. Again his eyes trailed over my body and I felt exposed.

“I think it’s time we go for a run! To welcome Aurora properly; introduce all of us to her wolf. We leave in five minutes.” He eyed me and beckoned me towards the house.

I followed him wordlessly, trying to contain my fear. I was a werewolf and up until now it hadn’t been real. Shifting into a wolf, that was real. Would it hurt? Would I hate it? What if I liked it? Once inside, he turned to face me tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“Wolves need to live in packs to be fully healthy and feel whole, but as far as lovers go, most of us can only hope to be lucky enough to find our mate; to be blessed with children and a life of love. We prepare for a life of fleeting relationships. We have distractions but the one thing we are really waiting for is our mate.”

My heart was beating in my head. I wasn’t expecting this. He continued. “As you can imagine, with a shortage of female wolves, most males spend their life alone, romantically. Your arrival has every unmated male in the pack in a frenzy. I feel it fair to warn you that no matter what has started between you and I, if your mate is out there among the pack…” He didn’t finish.

“And how will I recognize my mate?” I asked him, pressing my body against his and staring into his eyes, watching them go yellow. His hands found their way to my hips.

“Have you seen my wolf? It’s markings?” I nodded and lowered my eyes to his lips. I didn’t want to be someone else’s mate. I wanted to choose for myself. “Well, my mate’s marking will be the exact opposite of mine. Instead of a black coat with a white star, she will have a white coat with a black star. Mates were made for each other, a union blessed by Spirit. When mates meet for the first time in wolf form, it’s said to be indescribable. Your mate might not even be on this continent, but I wanted to warn you in case he is.”

“Let’s get this over with then.” I pulled out of his grasp, afraid of getting too close. One thing was certain. I wouldn’t be anyone’s mate unless I wanted to be. I don’t care what Spirit thought. I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head.

The entire pack was assembled. I noticed some of the men staring at me with longing.

“The first shift is painful and it takes a while. Since you’re a changed wolf you will have a gift. We may not know what it is right away, just be patient,” Kai told me.

“How do I shift?” I felt stupid for asking.

I heard Akash chuckle behind me. "You let your wolf out. No pun intended. Let her bubble to the surface. Then push with everything you are and it just happens. I threw up my first shift, so don’t feel bad if you do."

I laughed. “Okay, just don’t get too close to me. I might throw up on you.”

He smiled and then ran to be with his friends. The pack began undressing around me, including Kai, but I noticed everyone kept their eyes on the ground. Here goes nothing, I thought, and began peeling off my clothes. When I was about to unclip my bra, I looked up. Kai was staring into my eyes. I blushed. He shifted in seconds while the rest of the pack slowly started. I heard cracking bones all around me and took a deep breath calling to my inner wolf. ‘Pack. Run.’

Once I felt her at the surface, I pushed. It was like screaming with no sound. I felt the blood rush to my face. My blood felt like it was carbonated, and my skin felt like Jell-O. One second I was standing on two legs,  then I felt like someone had taken a knife and filleted me in half, and then I was standing on four paws. The other wolves hadn't finished shifting but all eyes were on me. They went from me, to Kai, and back to me. I thought they must be staring at us because we had the same gift; the gift of shifting instantly, being super-fast… but then I heard it. ‘Mate.’

I looked up at Kai in his wolf form. A thousand images passed between us. Him as a little boy in India hanging clothes on a clothes line with his mother. Me as a little girl being rocked back and forth to sleep by my mother. Him as a young man being attacked by a wolf pack, being changed. Me around 12 years old covering my ears as my father screamed at my mother. Him as a young wolf fighting for dominance. I felt every bite. I felt his pain. Me as a teenager standing over my father in the kitchen; a knife dripping blood in my hand. My father’s dead body on the tile next to my unconscious mother. Kai happy as an Alpha of his first pack. Me happy when my mom and I moved into our first place. It was like a life review of what each other had missed up until now.

He jumped on my wolf, rolling me down the grassy hill nipping at my neck playfully. I breathed him in. Cedar, mint, and home. ‘Mate,’ I heard my wolf say. ‘You're mine,’ Kai said. My inner wolf howled.

‘I wanted it to be true from the first time I saw you. Your markings are beautiful, white with a black star and black socks,’ he told me.

Kai was my mate. I could feel it now, the rightness of it. My wolf was pleased and my human side didn’t have time to process it. I heard a painful howl behind me and turned to see a wolf with glaring black eyes. Sadie. My wolf recognized her. She ran off through the woods without waiting for the pack. I felt sorry for her. Kai nipped my leg and I jumped over him and began to run. ‘Chase,’ my wolf said. Kai took off after me, grinning. The rest of the pack was at our heels. I could feel them. ‘Pack. Run.’ I pushed myself faster, harder. Kai was right next to me.

‘You’re fast like me,’ he said. I pushed faster delighting in the feeling of my body, then I circled around to meet up with the pack.

A small, reddish wolf with two white spots on her back pounced on me playfully, yipping. Emma. My wolf nuzzled her and then I noticed Devon circling Kai. They seemed to be talking. Devon’s markings were the exact opposite of Emma’s. He was stark white with two reddish spots on his back.

‘You found your mate!’ Emma’s voice said. I froze startled. ‘The pack can communicate through the pack bond while in wolf form.’

‘Oh, cool.’ I tried.

A medium-sized tawny wolf with a white paintbrush tail and a thin, white line along his back, came up to me. Akash, my pack sense told me. He nipped my left paw and then took off running. My wolf yipped and ran after him. ‘Chase.’

One second I was chasing him and the next I was slammed with a vision. Like a movie screen playing in my head. I could feel my legs running, but I couldn’t see Akash or the forest in front of me. I saw Sadie in human form, in a grove; the downtown Seattle space needle peeked out of the skyline behind her. She then changed into her wolf. She was a large, female wolf with brown and reddish markings. A wolf pack came out of the clearing and a wolf with the opposite markings to Sadie howled and sprinted towards her. They nipped each other running in circles. Then I was shown Sadie looking at Kai. He nodded. She was saying goodbye.

Then the vision was gone.  Akash and Kai were in front of me whining in anxiety. ‘I said are you okay? Can you hear me, Aurora?’ Kai asked.

‘Maybe she’s having a seizure. I read about staring seizures once,’ Akash added.

I shook my head to clear it. ‘Not a seizure, a vision.’  I walked over to Kai to reassure his wolf I was okay. I licked his muzzle and then replayed my vision for him in my thoughts. His wolf’s eyes glowed and his muzzle opened. He was panting.

‘I know what you are. There are stories about your kind,’ he said.

‘My kind,’ I thought.

‘You’re a Matefinder. The most sought after, the most…hunted.’ At this, his wolf tipped his head back and howled. My fur rose up and my ears were stiff.

The other wolves ran to him to see what was wrong. ‘Alpha, Alpha.’ I could hear their concern. Jake brushed my shoulder as he passed me and it happened again! I no longer saw the pack in front of me. I was pulled into a vision. I saw Jake, then I was shown a hospital sign. ‘Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Scottsdale, AZ.’ Then the room #314 flashed in my mind. It was like I was walking into the room, lying upon the bed was a frail, skinny female. She was sleeping.

A nurse walked in with a doctor and they whispered. “Her white blood cell count is not good. She will be dead in two days. Call the family,” he told the nurse. The nurse frowned. “She doesn’t have family. I’ll call a priest.” She was Jake’s mate. I didn’t know how I knew it; it was just there in my mind, a knowing. Then I flashed to months later. There was snow on the ground. Jake and the girl from the hospital were having a mating ceremony, and Emma was sitting in the front row, her belly swollen with pregnancy.

The pack came into focus in front of me, Kai was in human form now, shaking me.  I tried to send him the images of my vision but then I hit a black wall. I blacked out.

I became aware of breathing on my face. I cracked open my eyes to see a human Kai inches from my face, his eyes glowing yellow.

"Jesus!" I shrieked. "You scared me." My throat felt dry. I felt weak. Kai didn’t move but he sighed in relief, breathing on me. "You scared me, too. I couldn't get brother wolf to calm down." He backed up and I could see his eyes fading back to brown.

"I'm fine. I just… when did I change back to human?" I looked down at my body. Someone had clothed me. I blushed.

"A little while ago. You passed out. After you… discovered your gift."

I sighed. My gift. "Did you tell them? The pack.”

"They picked up on your thoughts. When we are in wolf form we can communicate with the pack. It makes us better hunters. Instead of communicating with just me, you sent it to the whole pack. I have to teach you to close your mind. Sadie and Jake are waiting outside the room. They’re grinning ear to ear. If it’s true, Aurora, if you can find mates…" He cleared his throat, eyes gleaming yellow again.  “…well that makes you very valuable to other wolves, to all wolves. You could be in danger."

I placed my hand on his. The touch seemed to reassure him and to be honest, my body ached to touch him.

He went on. “Our race has been slowly dying out. Not many can survive the change and children can only be born to mates. Finding our mates has become harder and harder. Take you and me, for example. If I hadn't saved you from that accident, you would have died a human and I never would have known. I would have lived out my life alone, with no family." His voice became a whisper just them. He lowered his head, and for one brief second he looked like a small child.  I sat up slowly and wrapped my legs around him.

"About this mate thing," I began. His face went slack; the Mount Hood Alpha looked nervous. He placed his hands possessively around my waist keeping me close to him. I instinctively placed my hands around his large, tan biceps.

"When we're in wolf form, I feel like your mate. But as humans, I need us to start slow," I told him.

"Slow?”

Clearly he didn't understand the concept. I brushed my fingers through his thick hair, unable to keep myself from touching him.

"Slow. Like when we're human. You’re my boyfriend. I'm not ready to jump into some mating ceremony and have kids next month. Okay?"

His laugh was deep and distinctive; it made me want to hear it over and over again. "Boyfriend. Okay. I can do that." He kissed me chastely. "…for now." His eyes scanned my body and my skin heated at his meaning. I let go of my hold on him and detangled my legs, clearing my throat. He grinned, flashing his bright white canines.

“I’m the luckiest man alive,” he said, kissing my forehead and standing up. I sat there frozen, not prepared for the comment he had just made. He held out his hand, pulling me into a standing position. “You’re not used to being treated right, are you?” he asked, looking deep into my eyes. My breath began to come out in ragged gasps. This was intense. Yet, something inside me assured me he could be trusted with anything. He was my mate. Mine. Made for me.

“No, I’m not,” I told him, breaking his intense stare. “The only experience I have with men is if they are raising their fist to me or walking out the door never to return.” My lip quivered at the admission but I wouldn’t cry. He needed to know but he also needed to know I was strong. I had been through a lot and it took more than some hot Indian guy kissing my forehead to make me become whipped. I wouldn’t be beneath him. I was his equal or there would be nothing.

His face fell at my thoughts and his eyes took on a sad look. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Mates means equals in the wolf world. Dominance aside, you are my other half, my equal.”

I tucked a blonde lock behind my ear and grinned. Okay, enough intense talk. I thought to myself. I grabbed his hand and led him out of the room.

Jake and Sadie practically leapt on me.  “Are you okay?” Sadie asked, grabbing my arm as if to inspect me. Jake hugged me, grinning. “You scared us.”

I was taken aback by all of the attention, the affection. Looking beyond Jake and Sadie I saw the rest of the pack in the living room and trickling out onto the lawn. They were whispering; I heard one of them say, ‘Matefinder.’

“I’m fine, thank you,” I told them.

Jake cleared his throat. “So… I think you know the location of someone I am very interested in finding.” His eyes flashed yellow and he was grinning ear to ear. Sadie nodded. “And me as well.”

A small growl came from Kai. “Give her some time before you bombard her. She doesn’t even fully know what she is. She just had her first shift.” Jake and Sadie lowered their heads and backed off a few steps. I placed an arm on Kai’s shoulder.

“Actually, we need to get to Jake’s mate immediately. She’s…” I paused.

“She’s what?” Jake stepped forward. He reeked of fear. I could smell it.

“She’s dying of cancer in a hospital in Arizona.” I tried to keep my voice calm but the agony on his face made my eyes tear up. I could see now how important mates were to these wolves.

“She’s human?” he stated as if to himself. “Wolves don’t get cancer.”

Sadie put a comforting hand in his shoulder. “And my mate? All we got from your thoughts was that you saw my mate, too?”

“Your mate is a wolf. I think he is a member of the Seattle pack,” I told her.

Kai spoke behind me. “Sadie, I’ll call Shamus in Seattle to schedule a pack meeting to sort things out. Jake, I’ll book our tickets to Arizona immediately.”

Jake and Sadie nodded. Then Kai spoke in all of our minds. ‘We tell no one of Aurora’s ability. The only stories I have heard about Matefinders are that they have a history of being the most hunted wolf in history. Protect her with your last breath.’ The last part came with Alpha infused magic. I could feel it. That was an order. Every single one of the pack members’ eyes glowed yellow as they nodded. I could feel the command pressing on everyone as the entire pack bowed to one knee and lowered their heads.

After the wolves dispersed, Emma came over to talk to me. She bumped her hip with mine causing me to loose balance for a second. “Matefinder, huh? First you make second in the pack, then we find out you’re Kai’s mate, now this.” She smiled genuinely and I realized she was becoming very dear to me. I could trust her. I knew it. I could sense or smell it. My wolf could too. Emma was a good person. I didn’t trust easily. I returned the smile as best I could. “Boyfriend,” I said smirking as Kai caught my eyes a few feet away where he was talking to Devon. “Kai’s my boyfriend. We’re taking it slow.”

I heard him growl and then discreetly cover it into a cough. Emma snorted with laughter. “Playing hard to get?” she whispered in my ear. I grabbed her hand to lead her away where we could have some girl talk. Once we were alone, I told her about my vision of Jake’s mating ceremony.

“You’re going to be pregnant.” I smiled.

“When?” She asked and then smiled, grabbing her belly. Silent tears slid down her cheeks.

“I don’t know. Time is too hard to tell. There was snow on the ground.” I smiled.

Kai, Max, and Devon came to find us.

“I still don’t know fully what a Matefinder is, what they are capable of. But I know someone who does,” Kai told us.

I looked at him expectantly.

“Sylvia,” Kai said with resignation.

Devon groaned. “I hate witches.”

I jerked my head back so fast that I almost fell over.

“Witches! Wait. You’re telling me witches are real too?”

Emma smirked. “And vampires.”

I swallowed hard. Okay, breathe. Just breathe. “And fairies?” I added. Everyone busted up laughing as Kai placed a hand on my shoulder. Okay, I guess that’s a no on fairies.

“Why would a witch know about my ability?” I prodded.

Kai let me lean against him. “Because witches are the keepers of all supernatural knowledge. I only know rumors of the Matefinder, things I learned on my travels through packs. Children’s stories my mother told me. But witches know everything.”

I guess it was time to meet this witch.

Sylvia

Sylvia was a tall witch with long, thick, auburn hair and bright green eyes. She appeared to be in her early forties, but she was a witch, so who knew what her real age was? She was beautiful and had long, slender fingers which traced the lines of my outstretched palm. Kai stood to my right and Devon to my left. Max and Emma were outside the door keeping the pack out of earshot. With their werewolf hearing, I was pretty sure they could hear every word.

Sylvia’s voice took on an airy quality. “Yes, it’s all here. She can find mates, but not at will. Only spirit can guide her visions, but there is dark magic that could force her abilities. She could be coerced to find mates for anyone. That is why she will be hunted.”

Kai growled.

Sylvia looked up at him. Her eyes, once a bright green, were silver. “Not by me, wolf. Stand down.”

She looked back down at my palm and sniffed long and deep. I fought the urge to pull back. “Yes. She has magic, too, from her grandmother.” She paused, looking up at me tilting her head to the side. “How odd. Your grandmother was a Witch.” Her brow crinkled. She took a deep breath again. “Your blood smells powerful, but there is a block. I can’t see more. I don’t know what clan you are from. Someone has shrouded you in protection magic.”

“How can she be part witch? That isn’t possible.” Devon stated what I was thinking.

Sylvia grabbed Kai’s hand and held it next to mine. “It shouldn’t be possible. Old lore states that Matefinders can take on their mate’s ability. She can do what Kai can do. Matefinders are always female, always born in a set of twins.”

I gasped and pulled my hand away, breaking the spell. Her eyes became green again. I choked on a sob.

“Drake.” I couldn’t speak. A rush of images bombarded my brain. My little twin brother drowned at six years old, pulling me from the raging creek. My father never forgave me for losing his precious son. That’s when he began the drinking and abuse.

Kai picked up on my thoughts. Sylvia grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes with compassion. “Like I said, Matefinders are born in a set of twins. The female always inherits the gift and the male is her protector.”

My mind was still playing catch up. “Wait, my grandmother was a witch? That means my mother or father is half witch?”

“Men are called warlocks, dear.” She smiled, but a sad look came over her. “The story is written that the last Matefinder, your mother I presume, was half witch and half wolf. She gave you and your twin to a guardian for safekeeping, someone she trusted. She gave you to your mother, as you call her. That’s what the legend says. Your biological mother was the only other Matefinder on record. You are the second. It’s believed to be a genetic gift.”

My mind was reeling. “My… my biological mother. You said was… she WAS half wolf and half witch. How is that possible?”

Sylvia nodded. “She died. She was captured and forced with dark magic to use her abilities. She was forced to find mates before it was time. Wolves started changing humans. Babies. Anything to grow the werewolf race, but they were changing their mates before it was their time. Or their mates were already wolves, but it wasn’t yet the right time to meet. They forced the mating ceremony living out unhappy marriages because it was not a union guided by Spirit. It was evil, what they were doing, and so your mother… she killed herself. As far as how she was half witch and half wolf, we don’t know. The legend stops. There is no information to suggest interspecies child bearing is even possible. It’s a mystery. The harder I look into it, the more confusing it becomes. So we call it a legend. Those that lived through it have only vague memories. Very powerful magic has been put into covering this up. Then you come along.” The silence was permeable.

I sat on the floor and stared at a crack in the baseboard, completely numb.

“I think that will be all for today,” Kai told Sylvia.

She nodded. “I understand. Then there is just the matter of my payment.”

He held out his arm and to my shock she produced a steel knife and sliced his arm catching some blood in a jar. Once she was done, the wound healed before my eyes. She looked at me indicating the jar.

“Weres’ blood makes for some powerful spell craft. When you want more stories come and find me. I’ll be expecting an invitation to the mating ceremony.” She smiled knowingly.

Kai knelt and cupped my face. “Tell me you’re okay.” His eyes were pulsing from brown to yellow. His wolf was close to the surface.

“I’m okay,” I croaked, lying. “I just need to lie down. I’d like to take a nap.”

He scooped me in his arms and carried me down the hall, ignoring the stares from others.

Sometime later I awoke to a single yellow wildflower on my pillow, accompanied by a note. “You twitch your nose in your sleep. It’s adorable. –Kai (Your boyfriend)”

I smiled taking a deep inhale of the flower’s fragrant petals. After showering and changing, I made my way to the kitchen. Jake and Kai were talking in hushed voices standing over the stove. A frying pan sizzled and I could smell grilled onions. Kai turned, facing me as if he sensed me coming. He beamed, his smile reaching his eyes.

“Good Afternoon! Are you vegan or just vegetarian? According to the internet there is a big difference.”

I laughed. “Vegetarian. I have milk and eggs. Free range obviously.”

“Obviously,” Jake agreed, covering a smile.

“Good. Then enjoy this veggie omelet and Jake and I will be back from Arizona before you know it.” He turned around tending to the skillet.

I scowled and put a hand on my hip. “Nice try, Kai. Really, well played. When do we leave? I am NOT staying here!”

Jake shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

“You’re not going,” Kai said, putting the power of the Alpha behind his words and turning around to face me. I stepped forward holding my head high. “I AM going. I was in the vision and you are not leaving me here. This is MY gift. I need to see this through.”

Kai sighed. “You are safer here. I have already called and asked permission from the Scottsdale, Arizona Alpha to temporarily cross into his territory, but he is wary. He will send men to make sure we don’t out stay our welcome.”

“Do I have a sign on my forehead that says Matefinder?” I probed him.

Kai looked annoyed. “No.”

“Good, then it’s settled. No one will know what I am.” I popped a sautéed mushroom in my mouth and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

He groaned. “Fine. There’s one last piece of business you need to attend to before we leave. Finish your breakfast and meet me outside.” He handed me a plate and stalked off with Jake.

“She doesn’t exactly get the Alpha orders thing yet, huh?” Jake mumbled to Kai.

I rolled my eyes. He knew I could hear him.

I ate quickly and made my way outside so I could see what this business involved. Max was standing against a tree looking down at his feet. Burn marks from the places I tied him up with silver marked his skin. Oh, crap. I walked slower, treading carefully. Kai stood a few feet off, talking with Jake and Sadie, but motioned me towards Max.

“Max.” I nodded, not sure what to say.  In all of the recent drama, I had forgotten about him completely.

He sighed for a second and then looked up at me. “Kai’s my best friend. I never could have lived with myself if I had challenged him. Brother wolf was too close and I couldn’t stop him. Thank you for what you did. You may be inexperienced but you are a worthy second. You acted on instinct and saved me from doing something horrible.” He extended his hand as I stood there in shock.

“Friends?” he asked.

A slow grin crept across my face. “So, I knock you out, tie you up with silver and cage you, and you’re thanking me?” I didn’t take his hand yet, pretending to look suspicious.

He laughed deeply. “I know, pretty stupid, right?”

I smiled genuinely and extended my hand. “Friends.”

We shook. I felt more at home here than I ever had before in my life. These were my wolves, as much mine as I was theirs. I felt Kai’s approval at that thought.

Anna

On the flight to Arizona, Jake kept tapping his foot incessantly. He wiped his palms on his jeans for the fifth time as our plane prepared to land.

“Jake, it’s going to be fine.” I squeezed his hand.

He let out a deep breath. “My mate is dying of cancer. That’s not fine. She’s in pain. What if we don’t make it in time?”

“Look at me,” I commanded him.

His eyes locked on mine. “I have seen it. We get there in time. They give her two days left to live and we get there in time.”

He swallowed. “Okay.”

Room number 314. We all stand outside the door. The nurses were more than delighted to let us through after I explained that I was college roommates with the patient in room 314. Jake looked at me expectantly. I shrugged. This is as far as my vision goes. Kai seemed to pick up on my apprehension. He looked at Jake.  “Go introduce yourself to your future mate while Aurora and I figure out a way to get her out of here without alerting the police or the Scottsdale pack.”

Jake swallowed hard and let himself into the room. After the door closed, Kai looked at me. “There are two ways I see this going down. We take her out of here by force and anyone in our way gets wolfed, or we try to create a lie.”

I snorted. “Wolfed?”

He smiled. “Your laugh is cute.”

“Focus,” I reminded him playfully.

He stared at the nurses’ station. “You go tell the nurses you would like to take her home to pass on in peace. I call the Scottsdale Alpha and tell him we will be leaving shortly with a college friend of my new mate. What can go wrong?”

I took in a deep breath. “Let’s find out.”

After getting all of the necessary paperwork in order, the hospital staff was pleased to release Anna into our care. Jake had found out her name was Anna after chatting with her and explaining that he was here to help her with her treatment.

“You what?” I shouted, getting stares from the nurses in the hallway.

Jake rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I told her we were from a private research group and we wanted to try a very risky gene therapy procedure to cure her cancer. Now she is willing to hop on the next flight to Oregon.”

Kai groaned. “Well, it’s not like we can change her here. Poor thing will be in for a scare when we really tell her who we are and what we have to do to save her life.” A look passed over his face. I knew he was thinking of when he bit me to save my life. I could already see he was becoming protective over Anna. He was already accepting her as pack.

After introducing myself to Anna as Vice President of the research company, and Kai as President, we made our way out of the hospital. Jake tenderly pushed Anna in her wheel chair.

“How did you hear of my case? Did Dr. Pasternick call you?” She asked in a frail voice.

“Yes, he called us. Like I said, we have a very high success rate. Once you get to our clinic in Oregon, we can tell you more about our methods,”  Jake offered. We all exchanged a look.

“Well, I am surprised my case passed your approval. I had given up.” The look on Jake’s face was torture. Anna was slumped in her wheelchair and her skin was translucent. Her hair was gone, even her eyebrows, but her eyes were a deep hazel and there was so much life, so much fight left in her. I could see that she would survive the change; she had no fear of death. Maybe that was the key. Even in her sickened state, she was beautiful. She was ready for a new beginning.

The Scottsdale Alpha had sent two wolves to tail us from the airport, and they leaned against our rental car. Jake let out a low growl. Kai motioned for Jake and Anna to hang back. I approached the men with him, ignoring his gesture for me to stay back as well.

Kai stood tall, nodding to the men. “We are just retrieving our friend and we will be on the next plane back to Oregon. Give our thanks and respect to Steven for allowing us to spend the day in your territory.”

One of the men, a tall, broad-shouldered, thirty-something guy with a scruffy beard, nodded his head and locked eyes with me. I inhaled deeply. Second in command, I could tell. He wasn’t looking away and neither was I. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was for meeting other packs, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to look weak in front of a stranger. ‘Threat,’ my wolf told me. Should I look away? I didn’t want to start a fight. ‘Stare for as long as you are able. Don’t look weak,’ Kai told me. With that permission, I stood taller and took a step towards the man lifting my chin. The man grinned and I could see tension creasing his forehead. I flared my nostrils in anger. How dare he challenge me. I came with permission, with my Alpha to retrieve a frail human. Who the hell did he think he was?

‘Stop it. Calm down. You’re shifting,’ Kai told me. Shit! I could feel my fingers turn to claws. The man broke his gaze and I took a cleansing breath.

Kai stepped forward. “Now that we have had a little fun, I think we will be going.”

I stepped forward to get in the car when the second in command took a deep breath. “She smells new and unmated.” He grinned, licking his lips. Kai’s arm flew out faster than my eye could track and grabbed the man by the back of the head. He slammed his head into the hood of the car.

“Did I give you permission to smell my mate? Do you want to start a war? We asked your Alpha for permission and it was granted, safe passage for the day. You were curious about my mate and how dominant she was, so I allowed you to have a little fun. Your fun stops here. If you want to fight, I would be happy to oblige that request.” Kai released him and opened the door for me. I stood there in shock for a second and then sank myself into the seat. Holy crap! This possessive mate thing was real.

A few more words were exchanged outside the car and then the two men walked off. Anna looked shaken but allowed Jake to hoist her into the car. He tenderly buckled her next to me. She leaned into me and whispered, “You’re not cancer researchers, are you?”

I gently held her hand. “You’re going to be okay.” An edited version of the truth was best.

“I’m too tired to care,” she said a little louder and leaned her head on my shoulder, falling asleep. Her hand was clammy. I didn’t let go.

We flew back to Oregon in a private jet. I was going to have to ask Kai what he did for a living. Once we had Anna back at the house and asleep in my bed, Jake, Devon, Emma, Max, Sadie, Kai and I were in the kitchen whispering.

“How do we change her? Who should change her? What if she doesn’t survive?”

Jake stepped forward. “She is my mate. I am changing her!”

Kai nodded. “If you want to be the one, I will grant it.”

“No.” I spoke through the hushed voices. I stared at Jake, holding his gaze. He started to argue, but I spoke first. “Jake, this is the woman you will spend the rest of your life with. Have children with. Do you want her to remember you as a monster or a savior? Take it from me. Being the one to change your mate isn’t always a positive thing. Some images you can never get out of your head.”

I could hear Kai’s breath leave him in a rush. The look of hurt that crossed his face was undeniable. I knew it would hurt him, but I wanted better for Anna. I didn’t want her to see her lover with shreds of flesh in his mouth and yellow murderous eyes.

I placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder, but he brushed it off. “I’ll change her then. I seem to have no problem being a monster.”

Dammit. That didn’t go as planned. Note to self: Talk less. We all agreed that a quick attack was best. We shouldn’t tell her of our kind until after her change. No use in frightening her more. Kai had a few private words with Jake and then took a sleeping Anna, draped in his arms, to the basement.

We all waited anxiously upstairs. Jake was pacing back and forth. Maybe Kai would forget what I said and we could talk about when my mom could visit.

‘Do you think I enjoy this? Enjoy attacking a young, innocent girl? I’m doing this to give her life!’ Kai screamed into my head. Well, there goes that idea. He wasn’t letting this go.

‘No, I don’t think you enjoy it! I’m sorry. It was scary for me and I didn’t want that for Anna… for her to see Jake like that,’ I responded. No reply.

A few moments later, a hair-raising scream ripped through the house. Anna. Jake began changing into wolf form on instinct. I changed instantly into my wolf. If this went wrong and my vision was wrong and Anna didn’t survive the change, then I had to protect Kai from Jake. I was already in full wolf form and in front of the basement door before Jake was halfway changed. Jake bolted for the door with his hackles raised. More screams. I prepared to pounce. Sadie stepped in front of me facing Jake. “Jake, you aren’t thinking clearly. Kai isn’t hurting her. Not in the long run. I know how you feel. I’m going mad sitting around while we get your mate changed, knowing my mate is a three-hour drive away in Seattle. He is so close! But I have to be patient. It has to be like Aurora’s vision. The timing needs to be right. You have to be patient. Trust her vision. Anna will survive the change, and she will be your mate. You wouldn’t know that if Aurora hadn’t told you. She’s on our side.” Jake whined and rolled over exposing his belly. My inner wolf was pleased. I relaxed and approached Jake, giving his muzzle a nudge. He stood and we both began to change back.

We all decided it was best to wait outside. Once I had put on some clothes, I met everyone out back. After a couple of hours of idol chatting, Kai spoke into my mind. ‘She will survive the change. Bring Jake and Emma.’ A huge sense of relief washed over me. I still wasn’t even sure about being a werewolf, or if I felt confident being a Matefinder and having visions. This was confirmation that my vision was correct. It gave me chills.

“Jake, Emma, we are needed,” I told them. Akash and a few others had joined our backyard party and now everyone looked at me expectantly. “She will survive the change,” I said, grinning. Jake picked Sadie up and swung her around as she laughed.

Kai had just showered and greeted us at the door to my bedroom. His hair was still dripping wet and he wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Her wounds are already closing and her hair is growing. Her blood tasted like poison. The chemotherapy, I assume.” He scraped his tongue against his teeth.

“Jake and Emma, would you keep watch by her side and get me when she is coherent?”

They nodded and went into the room quietly.

Kai met my eyes. I paled and stared at his chin. “Anna will be using your room for the night, so you can either sleep on the couch or with me. Let me be clear that sleeping is all I intend. And maybe some kissing.” He grinned. All was forgotten from our earlier argument. I stepped closer. “Well, I will only share your bed if there is a promise of kissing AND snuggling.”

Kai put his finger to my lips. “Shhhh! I have a reputation to uphold. Alphas don’t snuggle.”

I tilted my chin up and crossed my arms defiantly. “Then I’m not coming.”

He scooped me up in his arms. I screamed in delight as he walked me into his room, setting me down at the foot of his bed. Looking at his soft blue sheets, I felt my stomach drop. I didn’t want to go too fast.

“Just a kiss or two and then to bed, my darling. I’m tired, and I wouldn’t do THAT until our wedding night anyway,” he stated.

“Ugh! Get out of my head.” I smiled while kicking off my shoes and jumping into his bed, wondering if he was serious about waiting until marriage. True to his word, three toe-curling kisses later he was snoring beside me with his arm tightly around my waist.

I took a moment to just reflect on all that had happened. I couldn’t believe the transformation that had taken place within me. I couldn’t believe I was lying in bed with a man I just barely met. He was my Alpha and my Mate. Normally, I wouldn’t rush into things so fast with a guy. I wouldn’t trust so easily. I would have my guard up. Maybe that was my problem. Being a werewolf gave me new senses and instincts I never had before. I could sense a deep connection to Kai, like I had been waiting my whole life for him, that we had been created for each other. Oh man, I had it bad. I was falling in love for sure. With a sigh, I drifted off to sleep.

“Meri Pyari,” a husky voice whispered in my ear before kissing my neck. I opened my eyes to see a sexy Kai with dark, tussled hair inches from my face.

“Is that Hindi?” I inquired.

“Yes, now get showered so we can take Sadie to Seattle before she bugs me to death.” He sat up rubbing his head.

“You know she is going to leave our pack and join his, right?” I saw it in my vision. The look Kai and her share as she walks towards her mate, it was a look of goodbye. “Will you miss her?” I add delicately.

“I’m happy for Sadie, and if she wants to join Seattle pack I will grant it.”  He shut the door. Okay, didn’t exactly answer my question. I needed to find out more about Sadie from Emma. I was starting to recognize something else about my newly changed self, something I never had before. Jealousy.

Goodbye

God, being a werewolf was so political! Because we pissed off the Portland pack recently, we were denied access to travel through Portland to Seattle, which just meant we had to take some different freeways. Sadie was rubbing her hands on her legs nervously.  I was staring out the window at the beautiful green scenery when I felt a tingling sensation in my head. I tried to ignore it, but Kai could sense something.

“Aurora?” he asked from the driver seat next to me.

Before I could answer, a vision slammed into me. Sylvia was standing over a large oak table littered with small bottles and crushed powders, a tall and very pale man in a grey silk suit stood beside her. The man’s eyes began to glow violet.

“Tell me what you know of a person called the Matefinder. Where is she?” His voice was trancelike. Sylvia shook her head and frowned. A fine mist leaked from her skin like a protective bubble.

“How dare you try to use compulsion on me! I’m a High Priestess!” She clutched a medallion on her chest. “You are here to pay a blood debt. Pay and then be on your way!”

Anger flared in the man’s face, but he extended his wrist to pay the debt.

I was suddenly aware of Kai growling in front of my face. The car had been pulled over and Sadie was peeking from the back seat at me, while Kai hovered over my face.

“Aurora!” He shook me.

“I’m here, I’m fine,” I shouted.

He sat back. “I’ll never get used to this. You go all zombie on me and I can’t reach your mind. I don’t like this. What happened?”

I chewed a nail. “Do vampires have purple eyes when they are using compulsion?” I queried.

Kai’s eyes went yellow. “Yes, they do. Please tell me you are not having visions of vampires doing compulsion on you!” he roared.

“Wow, so vampires are real.” I pondered with a mixture of excitement and fear.

“Aurora, what happened?” Kai pushed again.

I quickly explained, but didn’t give him details, and had to talk him out of driving over to Sylvia’s.

“This day is about Sadie. She is going to meet her mate. Meeting with Sylvia can wait.”

***

Apparently the Seattle Alpha and Kai went way back. They used to be in the same pack together in New Mexico. When we entered a large grassy park, I could see the space needle peeking out in the background, just like my vision. A man and a woman stood near a picnic table with a large group of people further back in the grassy area playing soccer.

“Shamus!” Kai embraced the large man with a red, shaggy beard.

“Kai! My brother.” Shamus returned the hug.  “You didn’t say much over the phone, just that this visit involved a possible mate for one of my wolves. All of my guys are in a frenzy with excitement.”

“Well, it’s a long story, but my newly changed mate, Aurora, had to see a witch about something. Sadie was there, and the witch did a palm reading for Sadie and said her mate might be in the Seattle pack.”

He doesn’t trust him? I thought.

‘I trust Shamus with my life, but not his mate,’ Kai told me.

Interesting.

Shamus stepped towards me and extended his hand. “You must be Aurora. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He smiled genuinely and I was careful to make only the briefest of eye contact. I took his hand. “A friend of Kai’s is a friend of mine.”

Shamus’ mate stepped forward and shook my hand. “I’m Petra.” She had an air of snobbery and wore expensive jewelry and too much make up. I had my guard up after what Kai had told me.

‘She’s power hungry and money hungry, but she’s not a horrible person,’ Kai said in my mind.

“Nice to meet you, Petra.” I held her gaze a little longer than polite and turned to Sadie.

“It’s good to see you both again,” Sadie greeted them.

Shamus smiled warmly at Sadie. “I would be one proud Alpha if one of my boys was your mate, Sadie. This is exciting. Should I have my boys shift and we can see what happens?”

That’s how it was in my dream.

“Yes,” Kai said, and nodded to Sadie who began to undress and shift. All of the men on the soccer field began to undress and I cleared my throat, looking at my shoes.

“You will get used to it,” Petra told me, winking. After a minute of hearing snapping bones and growls, Sadie stood a few feet ahead of us, facing the approaching wolves. She was a beautiful reddish wolf with small black spots and sleek fur. We stood in human form, as well as the women and their mated partners on the field. I noticed there were only three mated couples and one child, to the twenty or so single males trotting towards Sadie. My eyes were scanning the wolves one by one, but before I could get halfway through the approaching pack, I heard Shamus shout out in joy.

“It’s Brett!”

He looked at me and Kai. “He joined my pack two summers ago. Was a lone wolf, broke away from an aggressive pack in Texas. He is such a good guy. They will make a great pair.”

I turned to Kai and saw him swallow hard. I had forgotten for a minute that this was his ex-girlfriend. Sadie approached Brett’s wolf and he jogged up to her and put his front paws flat with his rear up in the air and yipped. He reminded me of a dog asking to play with his owner. Sadie pounced on him and they rolled a few times before running off into the park. I knew what they felt. Total trust.

Shamus sighed. “Young love.”

Petra spoke next. “Will you want Brett to transfer to your pack or–”

Kai shook off his thoughts. “No. Sadie and I have spoken, and in the event she found her mate today, she told me she wishes to transfer to Seattle pack. She has my blessing.”

Shamus put his hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Trusting me with Sadie, with a mated female were and her future pups is an honor. I will make sure she is well protected and provided for.”

Kai nodded. “I knew you would friend. That’s why I was happy to oblige her request. I just hope you have a spot for a dominant female who thinks she should be your next second in command.”

We all shared a laugh at that.

A while later, Sadie and Brett changed into human form and got dressed. Brett was told that Sadie would be joining his pack.

He approached Kai and extended his hand. “Thank you for allowing Sadie to join my pack. I will take care of her.”

Kai shook his hand briskly and nodded.

Shamus, Petra and Brett started walking away. I moved to go to the car and give him and Sadie privacy to say goodbye. Kai grabbed my hand to stop me.

“Breaking pack bonds needs a witness from the pack, as my second, it’s your job to witness,” Kai told me.

“Oh, okay.” I stood there frozen. My vision didn’t play this part.

Sadie lifted her shirt to expose her belly. Her eyes ran up and down Kai’s body. It was as if she was taking one last look of what she would never have. I had to suppress a growl.

“I’m sorry, but this will hurt,” Kai told her and she nodded.

Kai undressed quickly and changed into wolf form. He paused for a second and then lunged at Sadie’s abdomen, digging his teeth into her side. She whimpered a little, but didn’t scream. Now I know why Brett walked away. He wouldn’t have been able to see this. Kai pulled his jaws out of her stomach, and with her blood in his mouth he howled. It was the longest and most haunting howl I had ever heard. ‘Sadie, you are no longer a member of Mt. Hood pack. I cast you out.’ Somehow I knew that he had sent this mental message to all of Mt. Hood pack. ‘I cast you out. I cast you out. I cast you out.’ I felt something tug at my chest and then it was gone. Sadie was gone. She smelled like a foreign wolf to me now. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Kai changed into human shape and Sadie began to walk away. When she looked back at Kai, it was the look from my vision. It was goodbye.

It was done. Kai let Sadie go and Sadie found her mate. My second vision had come true.

The drive home was silent, introspective, at least for twenty minutes.

“So tell me more about your vision with the vampire,” Kai queried with one hand on my hand and the other on the wheel.

“Tell me how to keep you out of my thoughts,” I countered.

“Aurora.” He growled.

“I’m serious! I feel invaded. I get in a horrible accident and you save my life. I wake up to find out I’m a mons—a werewolf and I have a mate. But my mate is also my Alpha, so he is inside my head all the time! I’m also a Matefinder and so I’m hunted and I have visions. Please Kai, I need a break.” I whimpered, not planning on breaking down and exploding on him like that.

Kai pulled the car over and took my face in his hands. I stared into his yellow eyes.

“Why is your wolf out?” I asked him trying to change the subject.

“Because you aren’t happy and he is upset about it.” Kai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, his warm chocolate eyes stared back at me. He kissed my forehead. “You are right. You deserve a break. Close your eyes and think of a safe place within nature.”

“What? I don’t need calming techniques. I feel fine,” I assured him.

He growled softly. “I’m teaching you how to close me out of your every thought.”

“Oh.” I closed my eyes quickly and thought of the creek my twin brother and I used to play at, but that was no good because he drowned there and that was no longer a safe place. I thought of the woods that backed up to Kai’s house. I thought of my first run as a wolf, the bits of bark that crunched underneath my paws, the smell of cedar and Kai. That was peace now. That was my home.

“Stay there,” Kai whispered. “Now imagine my energy as a bright ball of light sitting next to you.”

With my eyes still closed, I was looking around the forest in my mind’s eye and a glowing orb appeared next to my wolf.

“Good. Now bury the glowing ball, bury my essence. Not too deep, just under the surface. We will still be able to communicate through pack bonds and eventually through our mate bond. But this will make it so I won’t get your every thought unless you intend it. I will just pick up moods and emotions or sense when you are in danger.”

I imagined my wolf digging a hole and nudged the orb into the hole with my nose, burying it loosely with dirt. I opened my eyes slowly, seeing Kai staring at me from across the car. God, he was so sexy.

“Did you get that thought?” I tried.

He shook his head.

‘You are sexy.’ I sent to him. A huge grin broke out onto his face.

“Whoa, it worked!” I said excitedly.

Kai grabbed my face and gave me a passionate kiss that warmed my belly.

“Now tell me more about that vision.” He prodded.

“Ugh!” I growled and told him about the vampire who met with Sylvia and how he seemed interested in finding me.

“So a vampire tried to use compulsion on Sylvia to give up your location?”

I chewed a fingernail. “Yes.”

Kai’s eyes went yellow and his nails grew to points. I could see patches of fur rippling along his arms as he tried to fight the change.

“Kai?” I was scared.

“If the bloodsuckers think they can have you, they have another thing coming. You’re mine. Mine to protect.” He was breathing rapidly. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel making the car horn honk.

I placed a hand on his arm. “Calm down, you’re scaring me.”

His fingernails immediately went human short, the fur turned to skin and his eyes went brown. “Aurora, I’m so sorry. I would never hurt you. I was mad at the bloodsuckers. Not you. Never you.” He reached out for my face and I flinched. I don’t know why I did; too many years of getting hit when my dad was pissed off. The remote ran out of batteries, smack Aurora. My mother burnt dinner, punch Aurora. He was drunk and bored, put a cigarette out on Aurora’s neck. I rubbed the scar at the back of my neck.

I shivered thinking of the memories while Kai shrank back, hurt. I grabbed his hand. “I have issues, okay?” was all I could offer at the moment.

He stroked my hand with his thumb. “Okay.”

He started the car and we drove the rest of the trip in silence.

Vampires

We got a call from the pack about halfway home, telling us that Sylvia was waiting for us at Kai’s house.

As we drove up the long tree-lined driveway to Kai’s, I still couldn’t fathom how much money this land had cost him. He must own half the mountain. The pack lived in twenty separate houses all within a few miles of each other. He owned every single one of them. “So, my mother will be coming by tomorrow to meet you. I think I should know a little bit more about how you became so… financially comfortable,” I added politely.

He smiled. “I am a very, very old wolf, Aurora. I have had hundreds of years to amass this wealth. I have a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a  master’s degree in Finance, and I even went to medical school. I’ve tried my hand at day trading on the stock market. I dabbled in real estate and I own some franchises.”

My mind was trying to fathom all of this information when I smelled something weird. I inhaled deeply.

“Witches have a distinct smell, as do vampires. As you learn more about your wolf, your sense of smell will improve,” Kai offered, parking the car.

“Do you trust Sylvia?” I probed. She seemed nice enough to me.

“I don’t trust witches. That being said, I have known Sylvia for a long time and she has never given me cause not to trust her. When it comes to your safety, I trust no one outside this pack.” He got out of the car and gestured for me to do the same.

I unlocked my seatbelt and scrambled to catch up with him.

“That smell; that witch smell. Do I smell like that? She said I was part witch.”

Kai stared into my eyes. “You smell amazing, but yes, you have smelled faintly of witch since I found you at the accident. I knew you weren’t full blooded because your blood didn’t taste like witch, but there was something about your blood that had me puzzled. You weren’t completely human. It’s not possible though, so I put it to the back of my mind. Now I’m not so sure.”

I recoiled at the thought. My whole life I thought I was human but then Kai turned me into a werewolf. Maybe I was destined to be supernatural all along. “What puzzled you about my blood?” I was curious.

We had entered the house and were outside his office. “You know when you go to take a sip of water and you realize you have grabbed your friend’s glass of Sprite instead? The fizz shocks your tongue and you weren’t prepared for it. That is your blood.”

With that, he opened his office door where Sylvia was waiting. My blood tasted like Sprite? Gross.

Sylvia sat across from Kai. Her neck was adorned with necklaces of blue stones with gold flecks. I leaned against the wall as Kai waited for her to speak.

She quirked a smile. “We are meeting all too often for your liking I’m sure, but there is a matter to discuss.”

I stepped forward. “The vampires are after me.”

Sylvia’s face showed genuine surprise. So she must not have been aware that I had a vision of her. That told me two things. One, that her powers weren’t limitless and two, that she could be trusted. She didn’t have to come warn me.

“You have the gift of a seer?” She asked me puzzled.

I shrugged.

Kai cleared his throat. “What do the blood suckers want with a werewolf Matefinder?”

Sylvia leaned forward staring Kai directly in the eyes. “What do the vampires always want?”

“Blood?” I offered.

Kai nodded his head to her. “Money.”

She smiled. “Someone is paying big bucks to get the info on your mate, and I’m guessing I’m not the only witch that has been asked.”

Kai muttered a curse word. “But I’ll bet you are the only one refusing to give her location.”

“Hold on,” I intervened. “Only Sylvia and the pack know what I am. Who cares if some other witch asked about me?”

Kai rubbed his palms on his jeans in a nervous gesture I had come to recognize, and nodded to Sylvia.

Sylvia stood and crossed the room, resting a hand on my arm. “Witches can do spells to reveal an object or person’s whereabouts. Finder spells are the easiest ones to learn. I did my first finder spell when I was six years old.”

My stomach dropped. The room was silent and I began to feel claustrophobic.

“So, anyone who pays a witch to do a finder spell, can get to me?” I swallowed hard.

“They are probably searching for you right now, dear.”

Kai stood up. “Don’t scare her!” he roared at Sylvia, and she backed away from me. My heart started hammering in my chest.

Sylvia put her hands up and faced down Kai. “Calm down, Alpha. I haven’t come all this way to deliver bad news! I have a vested interest in protecting Aurora. I have placed a protection bubble over Mt. Hood. Anyone scrying this way won’t pinpoint her location. It won’t last forever, but it will confuse lower witches. Only a High Priest or Priestess could break my protection spell and only after many tries. They won’t be looking for a werewolf under the protection of a witch. It won’t make sense to them at first.”

Kai adjusted his posture. “You have a vested interest in my mate? Why?”

Sylvia sighed. “Because she is a Whiteraven. She’s a descendant of my coven. She smelled part witch and I was curious. I stole a piece of her hair last time I was here and did a descendent spell. She is a witch of my coven. Therefore, I offer her my protection.”

Kai looked at me. “And that’s why I don’t like witches!”

Could my life get any more complicated? Before I could comment, Kai walked to the door and opened it.

“Aurora WAS part witch. Now she’s a werewolf and she’s mine to protect, not yours. Thank you for the protection spell, but we won’t need your help any longer. You may leave.”

“Wait.” I stood quickly. “I found out a few days ago that my mom isn’t my real mom and my real mother is dead. Now I find out I’m related to Sylvia’s coven and you want to throw her out?”

Kai’s eyes went yellow but I stood my ground. “No, I get to say what happens to my life. I want to get to know Sylvia. I want to know more about witches and I want her to come to the barbeque tomorrow to meet my mom.”

Sylvia smiled. “I’d love to.” Then she looked to Kai asking permission with her eyes.

Kai threw his hands in the air. “See you tomorrow, then.”

Sylvia smiled and nodded her head to me. She was getting ready to leave when Kai’s voice sounded from behind me. “Sylvia?”

She turned looking slightly afraid. “Hmmm?”

“If you ever steal one of Aurora’s hairs again, you and I will have a serious problem.”

Sylvia pursed her lips, turned away and left.

Kai turned to me. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re not very good at taking orders.”

I backed him into his chair and straddled him. “Yes, every man that has ever tried to order me around has told me that.” I leaned in tentatively and kissed him. I really loved kissing him. He never went too far and I felt in control. I felt safe with him.

“Do you want to know the secret to getting me to follow orders?” I pulled at his bottom lip.

He groaned. “Yes.”

“Stop giving them.” I lifted myself off of him and walked to the door giving a flirty look over my shoulder before leaving.

His eyes were yellow but there was a smile on his face.

***

I knocked lightly on Anna’s door. It was my door really, but it was her room for the time being. I wasn’t exactly complaining about sharing a room with Kai.

“Come in,” a bright voice answered on the other side.

I opened the door and tried to mask my shock. Her face had filled in and she looked like she gained at least fifteen pounds. She looked healthy. Her cheeks were rosy and her hair was already a couple of inches long. She had a cute red clip pulling some hair away from her face. She looked beautiful. Jake sat at her bedside and they were both leaning over a photo album and smiling.

Jake looked up when he saw me. “Hi, Aurora. She is taking things pretty well, considering. I’ll give you two a moment to talk.”

After Jake left the room I sat down and nervously picked at my jeans. I didn’t have a formal plan of what I wanted to say to her, I just wanted to make sure she was okay. Let her know that I knew how she felt. She started the conversation for me.

“Jake tells me you were hit by a car. That Kai, who is our Alpha, changed you and then you found out you were mates. How romantic.” She smiled.

“Romantic is one word for it. Scary, intimidating, horrifying, shocking AND romantic is more like it.” I smiled and we both shared a laugh.

“Jake tells me that we’re mates, too. I’m not sure what that really means but I think he’s a good guy and he is pretty hot, too,” she offered with a smile.

I wanted to set her mind at ease. “Well, you haven’t done your first shift yet, so once you fully let your wolf out, you will feel what it’s like to find your mate. It’s pretty incredible and I’m sure if you ask Jake to take it slow, he will.”

“I just escaped death. The last thing I want to do is take things slow. I’m ready to live my life.” She reached out, grabbed my hand and squeezed. A tear rolled down her cheek. “Thank you for finding me and for letting Kai change me.  I was in so much pain, so defeated. I wanted to fight for my life but the doctors kept telling me to give up. I feel so strong now. I have so much hope for the future.”

My throat swelled up and I was overcome with sudden emotion. I never attributed my Matefinding gift as a good thing but maybe it was. In this case it was. I thought of Sadie and how happy she must be to have moved on to another pack and settled with her mate. I made up my mind to be a Matefinder, to fully embrace this gift no matter what. Bringing soul mates together and starting families is something I could do for the rest of my life with no regrets.

“You’re welcome.” I returned the squeeze to her hand.

That afternoon, Anna ran with the pack for the first time. You could see the instant bond her wolf had with Jake’s wolf. They nuzzled and nipped and ran around like total love crazy goofballs. Because Anna was a changed wolf, she was told she would have a special power when she shifted. She hadn’t discovered her power yet. Kai said it might take a few shifts or a certain situation to bring it about.

Right before the run, Anna’s place in the pack was tested. She was fifth from the top; a very dominant female. Kai was pleased because she was a good replacement for Sadie. Kai was worried that someone might come to claim her but no one from her home state of Montana had even tried.

I was becoming more aware of the pack bonds when I was in wolf form. Kai told me that as his second and eventually when we were mated, I would have access to power through the pack bonds. I began to open myself to each member and the energy that they brought to the pack. I sifted through the bonds and felt for Emma. She was such a sweet and naïve energy. She served the pack well with her submissive peaceful energy. I felt for Akash. He was such a young and bubbly spirit. I sensed future dominance in him. He may become an Alpha of his own one day. I silently sifted through the pack members, getting to know each of their energy signatures.

That night we had a huge bonfire in the backyard. Emma, Anna, and I sat together and talked while Kai handed out food. He was an amazing cook. His Indian heritage showed in his food. He made me a chickpea masala burger that left me drooling for a second helping.

“I have something to discuss,” Kai shouted over everyone. The pack quieted.

“Aurora has chosen to stay in contact with her family and friends.”

There was a murmur amongst the wolves. I felt my cheeks redden. “And I support it,” he shouted, and everyone quieted again.

“Tomorrow, Aurora’s mother will be visiting her under the pretense that Aurora has come to live with me as her boyfriend. To explain the presence of all of you, Aurora has told her mother I run an alcoholic rehabilitation facility.”

The collective laughing was hard to ignore. Max stopped chugging his beer mid swallow.

“Also, Aurora is the owner of a non-profit company called Safe Haven. It’s a domestic violence shelter for women and children. They teach self-defense classes as well.”

The pack was now looking at me with respect. Some of the more submissive members tilted their heads to me.

“Her main office is in Portland which will now be staffed by humans so we don’t start a territory war. We will purchase a second location in Gresham on the border of our territory. From now on, I ask that the pack members volunteer at the Gresham location on a rotation schedule. This is important to Aurora and to me.”

The pack raised their glasses. “Cheers!” called Devon.

I stared across the lawn at Kai. He met my eyes. The walls deep inside of me, that I had built to keep me safe, crumbled. In that moment, the look he gave me, I could see my future with him. I could see what it truly meant to find your mate. He would never hurt me, more than that, he would protect me, support me. I had spent so many years learning to protect myself, teaching others to protect themselves. I didn’t realize that I had been searching for someone to protect me, to make me feel safe.

We held our gaze with each other. I slowly crossed the yard towards him as his lips curled into a smile. He licked his lips to wet them and I took stock of his tall muscular physique. His teeth were perfectly straight and bright white; his canines were just a little larger than a human. The dark brown stubble looked so sexy on his medium brown skin. I reached him and he lifted me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him in for a kiss. We could hear whistling from the pack as we spun around kissing. I laughed as he sat me down.

“Meri Pyari.” He pulled my long blonde hair away from my face.

“What does it mean?” I queried.

“If I told you, then I would have no secrets.” He gave a devilish smile.

Anna and Jake approached us. “Aurora, I’m going to move in with Jake now, so you can have your room back.” She paused looking at Kai and I wrapped in each other’s arms. “If you want.” She smiled and they left holding hands.

After the bonfire, Kai and I were cleaning up. “So, I told my parents about you too,” he said with a hint of nervousness to his voice.

I dropped the plate I was scrubbing in the sink. It landed it a loud thunk but didn’t shatter.

“Your parents are alive?!” I asked in shock. “Oh my God, I feel so selfish. I haven’t asked you anything about your family. I figured they were long gone. Are they werewolves? What did you tell them about me? Where do they live?”

He laughed. “Slow down. It’s okay. My mother, father, sister and I were all changed in a werewolf attack in Delhi.” He paused thinking. “My sister didn’t survive the change.” A look of sadness crossed his face and it was gone. “My mother and father turned out to be mates. They have since given birth to my twelve siblings including Akash. They still live in India and I told them you were my mate.” He smiled.

My mouth dropped open. “You have twelve brothers and sisters?”

He smiled. “Eleven rowdy brothers split between six packs and one sister. She is the princess of the family and is still a member of my father’s pack in Delhi. He’s the Alpha of the New Delhi pack.”

“Whoa.” I let that information sink in. “Isn’t the population of New Delhi like ten million people?”

Kai took a deep breath. “Yes, and my father’s pack is about three hundred strong.”

“Three hundred wolves in one pack? It must be hard to be an Alpha of a pack that large.” I pondered.

A look crossed Kai’s face as if he contemplated telling me something. “Fights break out daily and my father spends his time keeping the peace. There are constant battles for territory as my father’s pack grows and they fight other packs to open their land. My father is a traditional wolf and a traditional Indian. My sister won’t leave the pack until she is mated, and even then my father will fight to have her mate transferred so he can keep an eye on her.”

I nodded. “So you left then? Transferred packs?”

Kai ran a hand through his hair. “You’re a dominant wolf, you know that feeling you get when someone tries to hold you down or order you around and you just want to jump out of your skin?”

“Like earlier in your office when you told me I couldn’t see Sylvia anymore?” I reminded him.

He laughed. “Yeah, like that. Well, I battled with more dominate wolves in my father’s pack daily. As I grew older, my dominance grew stronger. Brother wolf didn’t like being told what to do. I eventually fought my way to becoming my father’s second. That wasn’t high enough for brother wolf. We wanted to be Alpha. I knew I could be Alpha. My mother could sense my feelings and asked me to leave before it sparked a challenge fight with my father. I agreed. I transferred to a pack in Australia for a while and then to a pack with Shamus and eventually took over Mount Hood. I didn’t want a huge pack that couldn’t be controlled. I wanted to do things differently.”

“That must have been hard leaving your family like that.” I finished the dishes and came to sit on his lap.

“I’m more at peace with the decision than my father is. I think he struggles between his human side wanting me to have my own pack, and his wolf wanting to challenge me to prove he could have won a fight. He wants to prove I would always be his second in command and never above him. Eventually, Akash transferred here and my mother visits twice a year. So I guess it has worked out.”

He rubbed small circles in my back.

“When is the last time you saw your father?” My heart hurt for Kai. I could see that a part of him was just a boy who wanted his father, but another stronger part of him was a werewolf that needed to make his own place in the world.

“I see him once a year at the annual Alpha conference. Every year most of the Alphas and their second in commands meet for a conference to discuss pack issues and make laws. My father is on the council. It’s pretty intense and I’m glad every year when it is over.”

I jumped up from his lap. “So you are telling me that every year you put a bunch of dominant Alphas in one room and expect them to sit around politically and talk about issues?”

He laughed as he picked me up and walked me down the hallway. “For the most part, only a few fights break out. There are rules to keep things from getting out of control.”

He stopped at his bedroom door. “So, are you continuing to stay in my room?”

The fact that he asked and gave me the choice brought a smile to my lips. “Of course, as long as you behave,” I reminded him playfully.

“I make no promises.” His eyes roamed up and down my body.

Mother

In the morning, Kai and I ate breakfast hunched over his laptop looking at commercial properties in Gresham for Safe Haven. When he entered a price point of 1.5-2 million dollars my eyes bugged out of my head. “Kai, you can’t.”

He glared at me playfully. “I’m an Alpha. I can do whatever I want.”

We called a realtor on three of our favorite properties, and a few pack members went to take video of them. Kai and I reclined on the sofa. He was playing with my hair when I started thinking about Sylvia. She was a high priestess witch and I was related to her coven. My biological mother was a Matefinder wolf but I was born a human witch mix. How did that make sense? I relayed this question to Kai.

His face looked concerned. “I wondered the same but figured we shouldn’t prod into something we might not like the answer to.”

I chewed on that. “No, I want the answer. I always want the answers.”

He sat up and took a deep breath. “Well then we can ask Sylvia later today when she comes for the barbeque. I’m sure she has a spell for everything.”

I jumped up and began taking off my shirt. Kai grinned. “Now that’s my kind of morning surprise.”

I shook my finger at him. “Turn around! I want to go for a run.”

Kai let his eyes rest on my pink lace bra, and then lowered his eyes and undressed himself. We shifted incredibly fast and leapt out an open window in the living room.

We ran through the forest all the way to the edge of the mountain and back. I loved running with Kai. We were both fast, really fast, and running next to him made me feel free. After getting home, I took a shower and then we got the backyard ready for the barbeque. A light sprinkle of rain fell as we set the tables and it created a foggy mist.

I sighed. “I love this mountain.”

Kai smiled. “Now you see why werewolves can be territorial.”

I laughed. I was excited to see my mom but even more excited for her to bring me all of my stuff. I had called and explained the entire ordeal (or at least the moving in with the boyfriend version) to Lexi, my roommate, and apologized profusely for having to move out. I told her that I would pay her rent until she could find a new roommate.

A few minutes later, Sylvia drove up the driveway. I had also called her and explained the alcoholic treatment center cover up and she was happy to play along as a therapist or patient.

I greeted Sylvia and asked her if she wouldn’t mind staying after so we could talk, that I had questions for her. She agreed. While Sylvia and Emma were chatting, I saw the huge moving truck pull up with my mom at the wheel.

Kai grabbed my hand and we walked out to greet my mom.  She parked and jumped down from the truck and rubbed her hands on her pants. Now that I knew she wasn’t my biological mother I could see that we looked nothing alike. She had dark brown hair to my light blonde. She was shorter and I was tall. I didn’t care. She was my mother. I chose her as my mother now, even knowing she didn’t give birth to me. She was the one who held me when I was sick or pushed me to follow my dreams of opening Safe Haven. We had been through so much together, the death of my twin brother, the abuse of my father, and so much more.

Oh my god. My father wasn’t my real father. I had always hoped as a child, when the abuse started, that my mother would one day tell me that he wasn’t my real father. My mother and I had crawled through a disaster and made it out alive together, because we had each other.

“Mom!” I ran to her and hugged her.

She smiled and grabbed me in a tight hug.

I stepped back. “This is Kai.”

Kai shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.”

My mom looked at me. “Ma’am? Do I look that old?” We shared a laugh and Kai looked nervous.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Kai. You have a beautiful home. You can call me Beth,” my mom told him, looking at the large modern house that stood before us.

Kai smiled. “Thank you.”

“So you live on the grounds of the rehab center?” She mused.

Kai cleared his throat. “Yes Ma’am, umm Beth. I own over twenty homes on the mountain that have been converted to sober homes for the patients that come to stay at the facility.”

My mom smiled genuinely. “You and Aurora are one and the same, always trying to help others. You’re a good boy.” She patted his shoulder and shared a look with me.

She liked him. I laughed to myself at the fact that she was treating the Alpha of the Mount Hood wolves like a little boy.

We walked towards the backyard and introduced my mother to the pack. We made sure to tell everyone not to bring beer to the event and blow the cover of an alcoholic rehab center. My mom talked with everyone thinking they were struggling alcoholics. It was pretty comical to watch.

When we got to where Sylvia was sitting with Emma, I could see her looking at my mother with pinched eyebrows. I could see alarm register on her face. She masked the expression and shook my mother’s hand. “I’m Dr. Sylvia, the resident psychologist.” Sylvia held my mother’s hand longer than appropriate. My mom pulled her hand away looking confused. “Have we met before?”

Sylvia looked at me as she answered. “Not that I remember.”

Okay, something weird was going on and I would have to ask Sylvia about it later. As we ate and Kai and my mom got to know each other, the pack unloaded the moving truck and I “officially” moved in with Kai. My mom asked Kai one-hundred questions about India and he seemed to enjoy talking to her and teaching her things.

After a few hours, Kai and everyone said goodbye to my mom. I walked her to the truck and pulled out a wad of money I had borrowed from Kai.

“Here ya go, mom, to cover the cost of gas and the moving truck.” She took the money but after seeing how much it was her eyes widened.

“Aurora, this would cover ten moving trucks. It’s too much.” She made a move to give it back to me. I wanted better for her. I tried to help her when I could but owning a nonprofit didn’t exactly make me rich. Now that I was staying with Kai, I could afford to help her. I closed my hand around hers. “I want to help you more, mom. Let me.” I held her gaze. She looked behind me at Kai’s large house. It must cost at least half a million dollars, not to mention his other properties on the mountain.

“Okay,” she said and stuck the money in her pocket.

I hugged her tight. “Love you.”

“You too, sweetie. I’m glad you’re happy. I like him. He looks at you as if you were the only woman in the world.”

I was shocked at her appraisal of him. She never liked guys I dated; no one was good enough. I looked nervously at my shoes. “Good, because I think this one will be around for a long time,” I admitted.

I waited until she got to the end of the driveway and then went in search of Sylvia.

Memories

Sylvia, Kai, and I were gathered around the desk in his office.

“What do you mean my mother has a memory blocking spell on her?” I shouted. I felt like shifting. My wolf was close to the surface and I knew my eyes were yellow.

Sylvia patiently continued. “That’s not all. I am the one that put it there. I don’t remember it but when I touched her hand, I could smell the spell. It was my work. I’m at a loss. I don’t understand how I could memory spell someone and not remember it myself!”

Kai looked pissed. But before he or I could say anything Sylvia put her hand to her lips. “Oh God.”

“What?” I stumbled forward.

Sylvia tucked her hair nervously behind her ear. “I have a very good memory. I’m not that old. The only way I wouldn’t remember a spell or a client, is if I also did a memory erasing spell on myself. I would only do that, if the knowledge I was hiding was life or death.”

I felt my breath leave me. “So is my mom in danger?”

Sylvia shrugged. “I don’t think so, but I obviously can’t remember.”

I stepped forward. “Undo it. Make yourself remember. If my mom is in danger then I have to protect her!” I wanted to shift so bad. I could feel sister wolf and her growing impatience.

“Aurora, calm down. Your wolf is too close to the surface.” Kai put a light hand on my shoulder and I took a deep breath.

Sylvia cocked her head to the side as she looked at me.

“It might not be your mother who is in danger. I could have hidden the memory to keep myself safe, or you. Do you really want to know what was hidden?” She asked me, chewing her lip.

I thought about it. Yes, I did want to know. I needed to know.

“Yes.”

Sylvia sighed and looked at Kai. “I will need powerful blood for the spell.”

He looked at me and held out his wrist to her. She pulled her bag onto his desk and lay out a white silk cloth. Then she removed a small ornate golden dagger with a matching bowl. She placed a large clear crystal on the cloth and another purple crystal next to it.

“Kai, do I have your permission to do the spell here in your home?”

He looked at me. “I hate magic.” He then looked to Sylvia. “Yes, you have my permission.”

I cringed. Kai was doing this for me. I was subtly picking up on clues that werewolves, witches and vampires kept to themselves.

She nodded and took the dagger to Kai’s wrist and dropped a few drops of blood into her bowl.

“I call on my ancestors and spirit guardians who come in the white light. I provide the powerful blood of an Alpha as an offering. Help me to find what was once lost. Open my mind to the memories no matter the cost.”

I could see a white mist coming down from the ceiling and into Sylvia’s head. I gasped and she looked at me with silver-coated irises. Her expression became blank. The mist intensified and I stumbled back to avoid it. Kai looked at me oddly as if he weren’t seeing the mist. Sylvia looked horrified and then she smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek. I watched her face play out a dozen expressions as if she were watching a movie.  The mist retreated and Sylvia’s eyes returned to their normal color.

“What happened? The mist…” I stuttered.

“You saw the mist?” Sylvia looked shocked. Then she reached out her hand. “Aurora, I think you have the gift of a powerful seer witch. I think I can show you everything I just saw. Take my hand.”

I reached for her outstretched hand but Kai stepped in front of me. “I don’t trust witch magic.”

I looked at Kai and chewed my lip. “I need to see.”

Then I grabbed her hand. I was pulled into a vision and it felt much like the visions I had when I saw a pair of mates.

A younger woman with long blonde hair sat on a bed of green grass stroking a large muscular man’s arm. He looked at her and smiled before taking her in for a passionate kiss. “Genevieve,” he whispered. Then the scene changed and it showed the man who was with Genevieve turning into a werewolf and running with a pack. It flashed to Genevieve standing over a spell book and her eyes glazing over white. She was a witch. Then Genevieve was at home and holding her swollen belly. She was pregnant. The man stroked her belly. “How can it be? You’re a witch and I’m a werewolf. How can you be pregnant with our child?”

Genevieve had been crying; tears streaked her face. “You don’t believe me? I haven’t been with anyone else, Vincent!” she screamed.

“I want to believe you! But it’s not possible. Werewolves can take witches and humans for lovers but not as mates. We can only have children with our mate!”

Genevieve stood boldly. “Maybe I am your mate! I just happen to be a witch, but I am your soul mate, Vincent Briar! I’m carrying your child and when the baby is born you will see. If only werewolf mates can produce a child, then how am I pregnant with yours?”

She ran from the house crying.

The next scene showed Genevieve having just given birth to twins, holding a small baby girl and a boy. The babies were wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Vincent was there, he held them and stroked Genevieve’s hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. They are mine. I can see it. They smell like me, too.”

She gazed at Vincent and smiled. “I want to name her Ruby, after my grandmother, and I want to name him Cole, after your father.”

“I love you, I love them,” Vincent said as the scene faded.

The next scene showed Ruby growing up at varying ages, five and then twelve, and then when she met her mate. It seemed that when she shifted with her mate for the first time is when her Matefinder abilities manifested. Then it showed her wedding day. It showed her changing from wolf to human but also casting spells with Genevieve, her mother. She was some sort of Hybrid. It showed Genevieve arguing with a vampire and being killed. Vincent tried to defend her honor and was torn apart by the vampire coven.

Ruby explored her new abilities finding mated pairs but was sad not to have her mother’s guidance.  Then it showed her pregnant and also having twins. She held the babies wrapped in her arms while her mate caressed her face; tears shown on her cheeks. “I want to name her Aurora, and his name will be Drake, after you.”

Her husband looked at her “Are you sure it has to be this way? I’m an Alpha, I can protect them. I will keep them safe.”

Ruby’s eyes glowed yellow. “I’ve seen her future and mine. We must have them turned human before the first full moon. Then they will go live with Beth. She is my best friend and she is human. We will have a high priestess wipe Beth’s memory. She and her husband have been trying to conceive. They will think the babies are their natural children. The priestess will fix her own memory so that no one ever finds out. I’ve seen it and it’s the only way to keep them safe.” Ruby cried openly as her husband held her.

The next scene showed Sylvia performing a ceremony on the twin babies. Sylvia looked at Ruby. “You know the price of turning wolf pups into humans?”

Ruby nodded boldly. “The children’s mother must take her life before the first full moon after their birth.” Ruby’s mate wasn’t present.

Then they were brought to Beth and her husband’s house and a spell was cast to wipe their memory of the fact that the twins were not theirs.

Ruby was captured by a werewolf pack and a dark warlock on the way back from the ceremony. They did horrible things to her. Tortured her, starved her, and forced her with magic to tell them who their mates were. The wolves started changing innocent children. Ruby’s mate and his pack showed up to free her and her mate’s head was torn off. He died protecting her. When her pack freed her of the magic chains binding her, she ran outside and looked at the moon. Not yet full. The pack that had taken her was still fighting. She walked over to the Alpha of the pack that captured her and sealed her death. “I challenge you as Alpha of Wide Rim pack.”

I knew what was next. I didn’t want to see her beheaded. I ripped my hand away from Sylvia, crying, and broke away from the vision. Kai caught me as I fell back. Sylvia ran over to me and held me for a long time. Kai seemed to understand I was okay and that Sylvia and I shared something intimate. It was a long time before I could speak.

“Ruby, she was my mother,” I croaked out.

Sylvia nodded and stroked my hair. “Genevieve was my best friend. I would do anything for her and Ruby. That explains why I would wipe my memory. Now I remember it all. We were trying to protect you and Drake. Your mother, Ruby, she was a powerful seer. She could see the future. She showed me the future she saw for you and Drake. You wouldn’t make it to your fifth birthday without being captured and drained for your blood if she hadn’t done what she’d done.”

I breathed out shakily. “She sacrificed herself. My mom, Beth. She was her best friend?”

Sylvia nodded. “Beth and Ruby met in high school and then went off to college together. Became instant friends; they were inseparable.” Sylvia was touching her temple and stared off, lost in her thoughts.

“So Ruby was a powerful future seer, but she couldn’t see that if she stuck me with Beth and Tom for parents, that I would be beaten. That my mother would be abused and called fat and lazy by my no good father?” I stood up, angry.

Sylvia’s face softened. “There is a heavy price to pay for changing the future. Maybe she thought that fate was better than being captured, tortured, and killed at five years old before you could even learn to protect yourself.”

“Drake drowned! My childhood was taken from me! I should get to choose my fate. It’s my life.” I turned to Kai. “I’m going for a run. Don’t follow me.” I felt magic infuse my words as a command. Kai looked hurt. I fled the house. I burst out of the front door crying, and collided with Emma.

“Oh, Aurora, I’m sorry.” She laughed and then saw my face. “What’s wrong?”

I stripped down in front of her and changed into my wolf. Without asking, she stripped down too and followed me. I could hear her bones slowly cracking as her change took longer. If Kai had followed me I would have been mad, but something about Emma’s energy soothed me. I didn’t mind. She stayed a good distance behind me as I ran. I didn’t go my fastest, but I was running hard. I could hear Emma panting behind me. She didn’t try to talk to me through the pack bonds and I loved her for it. She seemed to know I needed space, but didn’t want me to be alone.

I ran and thought of my mother, Beth, and all we had been through. Did she just love me and treat me like a daughter because Sylvia messed with her memories? No, I couldn’t believe that. I thought of the sacrifice Ruby made and I got angry. Part of me was grateful Drake and I were placed with my mother because otherwise I wouldn’t know her. Another part of me wondered if Ruby’s seer abilities were that good. What if the future changed and she did all of that and there had been another way. I never bonded with my father Tom. It’s like a piece of me knew he wasn’t my real father. When Drake died and my father blamed me, he began drinking. That’s when the abuse started.

If Ruby hadn’t put Drake and me with my mother, then my father never would have started drinking and abusing us. I could have saved my mother from all of her heartache. I stopped at the top of the mountain and howled long and deep. Then I curled up next to a large pine tree. A moment later Emma trotted over to me. She nuzzled me with her nose and curled up next to me.

‘Are you okay?’ Kai sent to me.

‘I’m with Emma,’ I replied not sure if I was okay or if I would ever be okay. If this Matefinder gene was passed down to future generations then I didn’t want children. I didn’t want to curse them to a life of being hunted. If I didn’t want kids, then Kai might not want me. Emma’s soft and submissive presence put me at ease. We lay there a long time, curled up together.

After a while, I stood up and shook off the dried leaves stuck to my fur.

‘Ready to head back?’ Emma asked me. It was the first thing she had said to me since she followed me on my run.

‘Yes,’ I told her. ‘Thank you,’ I added. She gave me a nod and we slowly trotted back to Kai’s house.

It was late and everyone looked asleep. Emma and I shifted and got dressed. She gave me a quick hug and my vision changed. I was looking at a movie screen in my mind. Emma’s belly was swollen with pregnancy and I was walking down an aisle littered with red rose petals. I looked at my feet. They were barefoot with Henna designs and adorned with a silver anklet on each foot. I was wearing a red and gold silk Sari. I looked up knowing what I would see. That I would see Kai at the end of an aisle but then the picture dissolved. Emma was shaking me. My head was on her lap and she was stroking my hair.

“Aurora, come back to me,” she whispered.  “What is it? Have you found another mate? So soon.”

I shook my head. “I think I just saw the future; my future, our future.” I turned to Emma.

“My wedding.”

“Your wedding!” She screamed, then smiled.

“Yeah… Don’t tell Kai. I saw you pregnant again so it must be soon,” I told her. She motioned to zip her lips, but smiled.

I hugged Emma and she headed home. I thought I would sneak in the house and just glide into bed without having to talk to Kai about my running off after the drama with Sylvia. I was halfway through the living room when Kai stood up from the couch and scared me.

I jumped back. “Jesus!”

“Nope, just me,” he said putting his hands up.

“Very funny,” I muttered.

He crossed the room quickly and wrapped me in his arms. “I held Sylvia hostage until she told me everything. I’m so sorry, Aurora. For the first time in my life I feel powerless. I wish I could take the pain away for you.”

My throat tightened. Kai was a good man. Despite his huge and dominating appearance, he was so soft inside, so lovable. If we were going to have any future together he deserved the truth. “If I didn’t want children would you still want to be my mate?”

His eyebrows pinched before he smiled slightly. “First of all, I am your mate whether you want kids or eat meat or like the same music as I do. We ARE mates. There is no changing that. Secondly, I have always wanted children. I want to be a father, but if you don’t want children then what can I do? I want you and I won’t force you.” He pulled me back and looked into my eyes. In that moment I blurted out the stupidest thing. I didn’t even think.

“I love you,” I admitted then slapped my hand over my mouth. Wasn’t the guy supposed to say that first? I had never said I love you before. I’d had boyfriends, but I never let them get close enough for love. Being in love meant you could get hurt.

A huge grin broke out onto his face.

“God, I’ve been waiting to hear that from you my whole life.” He scooped me up and started walking me to the bedroom, kissing my neck. I smiled. Okay, maybe saying I love you wasn’t that bad.

Diwali

I was being nudged awake. I opened my eyes groggily to see Kai. He was freshly showered and was wearing a red silk Indian t-shirt with a smudge of ash on his forehead. I looked at him confused.

“What’s up?” I asked groggily.

Kai looked nervous. “Well, remember how I told you that I told my parents about you? My mom and sister have been bugging me to talk to you and today is Diwali. It’s a special holiday in India. We always video chat on Diwali so…”

I knew what Diwali was from my six months in India. I sat up so fast I almost smacked his head. “How long do I have to get ready?”

He grinned. “Twenty minutes.”

I leapt off the bed and flew into the shower. After quickly applying light make-up and blow drying my long blonde hair, I went into my room. It was stacked full of the moving boxes my mom had brought. Where was my box of stuff I brought back from India? I tore open the tops of the boxes. Books, no. My boxing gloves, no. Regular clothes, no. A knock at the door.

“Aurora? It’s time to call them,” Kai told me.

“Be right there!” I screamed as I tore open another box. The sight of my red silk Indian top and bangles made me smile. I threw the top on over skinny jeans and put a stack of red and gold bangles on each wrist. The top was adorned with gold thread and was a gift from the host family I had stayed with. I threw open the door and took in Kai’s shocked expression.

“Too much? Trying too hard to impress them? I’ll go change.” I went to turn around and he caught my elbow.

“Don’t you dare! You look amazing.” He spun me around and kissed me deeply.

We sat in front of Kai’s computer and I nervously played with my bangles. The video chat icon started ringing and I swallowed hard. Kai smiled at me and clicked the green accept button.

The screen came alive with an image of a beautiful woman,  Kai’s mother, and a younger version of her sitting beside her. They both wore Indian clothing and jeweled bindis on their foreheads.

His mother scanned my outfit and smiled warmly. “Hello, Aurora, I’m Maya. It’s so nice to meet you. We have heard so much about you,” his mother said. His sister who looked to be in her early twenties waved. “Hi, I’m Diya.”

“Hello,” I croaked nervously. What had he told them about me?

“Namaste Ma, Happy Diwali.” Kai put his hands together in prayer and nodded.

“Happy Diwali Bete,” she replied.

“So,” Diya smiled. “When’s the mating ceremony?”

Maya elbowed Diya in the side as Kai groaned. “We are taking it slow, Diya.”

Diya put her hands up. “Okay, okay. I’m just saying my big brother is the first out of thirteen siblings to find his mate. Mom is dying to plan a wedding here.”

Maya lightly smacked the back of Diya’s head and she frowned.

“You are the first of your siblings to find your mate?” I turned to Kai, shocked. He smiled nervously. “I told you it was rare. Don’t mind my sister. She is bored and likes to interfere.”

Diya stuck her tongue out.

Maya cleared her throat. “So, Aurora, how do you like Mount Hood?”

I smiled at the graceful change in topic. “I love it. It’s so beautiful here. How is the weather in Delhi? If I remember correctly it’s quite pleasant this time of year.”

His mother raised her eyebrows. “You’ve been to Delhi?”

“Yes, Ma’am. For six months last year.”

His mother and Diya both shared a smile. We all talked easily for the next hour. Diya kept taking jabs at Kai and teasing him. I could tell he adored her. She was the princess in the family. I noticed his father didn’t join the call. We signed off and I gave a huge sigh of relief.

Kai laughed. “Were they that bad?”

I smiled easily. “No, I’m just nervous. I want them to like me.”

He leaned forward. “They will love you, like I do.”

My heart started beating fast and Kai kissed me gently.

“All right, are you ready for your first pack training session? I can’t have an out of shape second,” he teased.

I stood up and glared at him. “Out of shape. Oh, really?”

The pack walked a short distance to another member’s house. We went down into the basement that had been converted into a large gym. A boxing ring stood at the far corner and the rest of the floor was covered in padded mats and free weights. The walls were lined with mirrors.

I had changed into tight yoga pants and a sports bra. I pulled my hair up into a high bun. I was tempted to wear my black belt but thought better of it. Better to surprise them. I had been studying mixed martial arts since I was twelve.

Kai shouted to the group. “Pair up with your partners and start defense techniques. Aurora, you partner with Emma.”

Oh my God, he seriously didn’t understand what I meant when I said I ran self-defense classes on the weekend. He thought I was weak. No offense to Emma but I was stronger than her. “No,” I told the room loudly, “I want to partner with you.”

I pulled myself into South Paw fighting position and saw Kai’s eyebrows rise. The pack started whistling and clapping. “Fight, fight, fight.”

Kai shrugged and stepped forward in a relaxed position as the pack made a circle around us. Kai nodded and I nodded back. I delivered a front kick to the chest, pushing him back and knocking some wind out of him. He stumbled backward and everyone started hollering. Kai rubbed his chest. “Aurora, I get it. You have some fighting skill but I don’t want to hurt you.”

I ran at him and launched a flying side kick aimed square at his chin. He did a quick shuffle to the left, ducking and avoiding my move. He immediately started to sway to his right and left.

“Okay,” he said and I recognized the moves as Capoeira. It was a Brazilian from of fighting I was less familiar with. In one swift move he did a front flip and delivered a kick inches from my head. I jumped back as fast as I could to get out of the way but stumbled and landed on my back. Someone in the pack started to chuckle, but immediately quieted when I shot right back up with a perfectly executed kick-up.

Kai was grinning. The pack had abandoned any idea of pairing off. They were cheering us on. Kai charged me again and tried sweeping my feet, but I was quick enough to jump over his leg. We traded several shots for the next couple of minutes. I managed to dodge a few of his barrage of kicks and checked the rest. There was undeniable beauty in the perfection of his technique and fluid motion, but that didn't distract from the pain in my shins and arms that I was trying hard to conceal.

I circled to the left to buy some time. Kai approached the cupboard in the wall. Just when I thought he was going to call an end to the sparring session, he grabbed a Bo, a traditional ninja staff from the cabinet and threw it at me. He grabbed one for himself and charged at me. He ran as fast in human form as he did in wolf form. I would have to try that some time. I ran at him and attacked first with a precise swing at his head that he blocked with his Bo. We faced off and I spun my stick in my left dominant hand. I had many hours of practice with weapons. I charged him giving my loudest battle cry. I brought my stick up and then he blocked it on the way down. We exchanged blows and you could hear the clack, clack of the sticks hitting. He tried a jab at my abdomen, that I read early enough, and I was able to rotate away catching his staff between mine and my body.

Sweat shown on both of our skin. I hated to admit it, but I got the feeling Kai was going easy on me. This enraged me more. I feigned right and Kai took the bait. I quickly changed course and struck my stick out while pulling his stick up high into the air and out of his hands. I smiled and relaxed a little just as his leg shot out lightening quick and kicked my legs out from under me. I fell backwards as he pushed his way on top of me and held my stick lightly against my throat.

“I win,” he said softly as some of the pack cheered and some booed. Then he kissed me gently and rolled off me.

“How long have you been training?” I asked him loudly, panting.

A sly grin crept over his face. “Over a century.”

I tried to mask my shock at his age. “Well, I have only been training ten years. Give me more time and I will beat you.” I stated with a grin. Over 100 years? How old was he? Note to self: learn more about werewolf aging.

He smiled, appraising me, and tipped his head to one of the more dominant wolves. Trent was his name. I remembered him talking to my mother at the barbeque. He was a nice guy originally from California. “Trent, you spar with Aurora. Don’t go easy. Emma, you are with Anna.”

I nodded, thinking Trent was a worthy sparring partner. He was packed full of muscle and had a long reach. Max and Kai partnered up and everyone began sparring with the Bo staff. After a few minutes of sparring, I swept my stick out and Trent tripped backwards and slammed onto the padded ground. I stuck my hand out to help him up. “Nice move,” he told me as he grabbed my hand. The second our skin touched, I was pulled into a vision.

Kai’s sister Diya was crying, her mother was rubbing her back.

“Please, Papa! Let me go. I don’t want to stay in Delhi. I love him. I want to join Kai’s pack and live with Trent in the States.”

An older man with salt and pepper hair, who was the spitting image of Kai, approached Diya with a stern face. “You are my only daughter. I am happy you have found your mate but I will not permit you to leave. Kai is a strong Alpha but he is not strict enough to do what needs to be done for the good of the pack. His pack is emotional and weak. They cannot protect you like I can. They are not big enough.”

Diya stood defiantly and stared into her father’s eyes, and her mother looked at the floor in a submissive gesture. “Don’t make me go rouge. I want this, daddy. I’m asking for your blessing, but I will go without it.” She held her chin high and her father gritted his teeth.

He looked to his mate. “Why couldn’t you bare me a submissive daughter instead of this dominant princess I see before me?” His tone was light; he sounded defeated.

Diya softened. “You will allow it? A pack transfer?”

He sighed. “I will talk to Kai about transferring your brother, Jai, along with you. Kai’s pack is small. If a war broke out he wouldn’t have enough numbers to fight larger packs. I’ll transfer you both. Trent needs to start video conferencing us. I need to get to know this guy better.” He growled.

Diya flew across the room and hugged her father as her mother smiled.

“Kai has never been concerned with being Alpha of a big pack,” Diya stated.

“Well it’s time he started.”

Diya went to leave the room and her father stopped her. “The wedding will be in India. That’s not up for discussion. You’re my only daughter and I want a traditional ceremony.”

She nodded and left.

***

I came out of the vision and the pack was standing around me. Kai’s eyes were yellow but he patiently stroked my hair and waited for me to come out of it. I sat up quickly, but then grabbed my head as a wave of dizziness hit me.

‘What happened?’ Kai asked me privately.

I looked into his eyes nervously. ‘I found Trent’s mate,’ I told him.

He smiled looking at Trent.

“It’s your sister,” I said aloud. Kai looked shocked. “My little sister! No, there must be a mistake. She’s too young.”

I stood up slowly. “She’s the same age as me!”

He sighed. Trent looked at both of us, confused. “Are you okay, Aurora? What’s going on?”

I smiled at Trent. “I found your mate.”

Young Love

After two hours of Kai grilling Trent on how he would treat his sister, how many kids they would have, where they would live, when they would have their mating ceremony and 100 other things, Kai called his sister. I could hear excited screaming on the other end of the phone. Kai and I talked before he made the call and agreed to tell his mother, father, and sister about my Matefinder abilities. Although he didn’t have the best relationship with his father, he said he could be trusted. His father took mating and werewolf species growth very seriously. Kai said if something ever happened to him, that his father would protect me. I didn’t even want to think about the prospect of something happening to Kai.

After a few minutes on the phone, Kai’s voice changed. “Hello, Papa.” His voice took on a serious tone and he put the phone on speaker, looking at me and putting a finger to his mouth for me to keep quiet.

“Are you sure this boy is Diya’s true mate? We have had prospects before but nothing worked out.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

A heavy sigh. “How can you be sure? Her markings are unique. His wolf may just look similar but not be a match. Is he even good enough for her?” his father asked.

“He is a good wolf, dominant, loyal, successful and smart. He will be a good match for Diya.”

“Son, I don’t understand how you can be so sure this is Diya’s mate. I don’t have time for tricks. Mating needs to be taken seriously, especially when my only daughter is involved. How exactly are you sure this boy is your sister’s mate?”

Kai chewed at his bottom lip.

“To answer that question, I would like to enact Alpha Secretum. I have information to share with you that is about one of my wolves. If this information is shared with another pack it could threaten the growth of our species.”

My mouth hung open. We hadn’t talked about this. I guess he didn’t fully trust his father. I didn’t know what Alpha Secretum was but the hairs on my arms were standing up.

“You want to enact Alpha Secretum? This must be serious for you not to trust me in open conversation. Fine, I swear on my pack magic that I will not share the following information outside of my pack.”

“Not good enough, Papa. You must not share it outside of telling your mate and Diya.”

I could feel his father’s rage on the other side of the phone.

“You always loved to enact your power, Kai. Just remember that’s a trait you got from me. Fine! I swear on my pack magic that I will not share the following information outside of telling my only daughter, Diya, and my mate, Maya.”

Kai nodded. “Aurora, my new mate, is the Matefinder. She has successfully paired two mate couples already. Sadie transferred to Seattle pack and Jake has found his mate. She had a vision when sparring with Trent. Diya and Trent are mates, she is sure.”

I saw a fine mist creep out of the phone and wrap around the words coming out of Kai’s mouth. Magic. That must be Alpha Secretum, a pack magic that was keeping his words secret. I wonder what would happen if his father broke the oath.

There was silence for a long time. “I’ve heard stories of…but,” he seemed at a loss for words, “this is incredible. Do you know what this could mean for our species, for reproduction?”

Kai gritted his teeth. “Aurora won’t be used as a tool to grow our species. Talk to Diya about what you want to do next and get ahold of me. Goodbye, Papa.” And he hung up.

We sat in silence for a moment. “So, your dad seems like an interesting guy,” I joked.

Kai laughed and then changed the subject. “Let’s go on a date.”

I smiled. “Are you asking or telling me?” I teased.

He pulled me in close and brushed my hair away from my forehead. “Alphas don’t ask.”

I wore a little black dress, red ballet flats, and bright red lipstick. We decided on a small Indian food restaurant that Kai apparently owned. One of the pack members managed it.

Kai was surprised that I knew what to order and that I could handle spicy food. He couldn’t keep his eyes off me all night and I liked how it made me feel.

“Tell me about your family,” I said taking a bite of the lentils and rice.

Kai smiled. “Well, my Dada, which is my father’s father, was a vegetarian like you. He was the nicest man you ever met. He loved animals.”

“Isn’t most of India vegetarian? I thought it was a religious thing?” I had found it so easy to eat vegetarian in India.

“They are. The humans, at least,” Kai offered.

“So tell me a story about your Dada.”

Kai pondered for a moment and then started laughing. “Well, when I was a young human boy, I was walking with my grandfather to another village. We were with a group of cows we owned, to sell them as milking cows. A man ahead of us had a small metal cage stuffed full with chickens. There was not one inch of space for the chickens to breathe. Some were bent at such an odd angle their feet and wings were broken.”

“Oh, God.”

“The second my Dada saw the man dragging the cage along the road with the chickens scraping along the ground, he screamed, “Stop!’”

Kai went on. “My grandfather stormed the man and ripped the string from his hand, taking the cage. The guy was furious with my grandfather and asked him what he thought he was doing. My grandfather told him that it was cruel to carry the chickens like this, to cause them pain. The guy actually laughed. He told my grandfather they were going to the slaughter house to be sold for meat anyway, so what did it matter. My grandfather told the man that one day he too would die, but he wouldn’t want to be tortured beforehand.”

I smiled. After a moment of silence, I poked him. “So, what happened to the chickens?”

Kai seemed to be off in his head, but he focused on me. “He traded them for all of the money in his pocket, and the watch my grandmother had gotten him. We weren’t a wealthy family. It was every luxury we had.”

“Whoa.” I sat back. Would I have done the same?

“We took them out of the cage and brought them home. We splinted their legs and wings and gave them all names. They squawked around the yard for years.” Kai smiled. I smiled, too. I liked stories with happy endings.

After dinner we went home to watch a movie. I changed into yoga pants and a loose long-sleeved t-shirt. Right before Kai was about to play the movie, he looked at me with the remote in his hand. “I don’t want to keep secrets from you.”

My heart started beating fast. That’s not exactly a sentence I like to hear.

“Okay, so don’t.”

“After you ran off with Emma and I questioned Sylvia, she told me that now that she has her memories back she remembered something else. Something she didn’t show you.”

I paused, waiting.

“After you were turned human as a baby, Sylvia also put a blanket over your natural witch magic. That blanket is still there and she will remove it and teach you magic if you want.” He toyed with the remote, chewing his cheek.

“Oh. More powers, more weird stuff happening to me without my control? Not now, maybe later, but not now,” I assured him. I think we all needed a break from my issues. No way was I adding anymore to my plate.

He sighed in relief. I guess Kai wasn’t a huge fan of me being part witch.

The next day we toured the top two properties we had picked out for Safe Haven. Kai told me price wasn’t an issue and so I picked the old high school property. The gymnasium would be perfect for training sessions and the cafeteria could feed a lot of families. We could stock the classrooms with bunk beds and turn them into apartments for families in crisis.

Next we met with a contractor to plan out what construction needed to be done to the property and how many beds to order. Then Kai had us meet with a marketing firm and had promotional materials printed up for Safe Haven. He also purchased a billboard and hired one of the pack members to oversee the daily tasks of running the facility. We were going to be able to help so many families. After calling local businesses for Safe Haven donations, we collapsed onto the couch.

Kai stared at me seemingly in deep thought. “What?” I prodded.

“You are the ultimate package: beautiful, smart, strong AND a good person. How did I get so lucky?”

I grinned. “Good karma I guess.”

Before he could respond his cell phone rang. Kai looked at the caller ID. “My father.” He groaned.

“Hello, Papa.” Kai was very formal with his father. I also noticed that he didn’t tone down his dominance with his father like he did with me. He didn’t treat his father as an equal. His father pushed and he pushed back.

“I will keep them safe, you know that,” he said through gritted teeth.

His father said something else and Kai’s nostrils flared. “Fine.” He hung up.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“My mother and Diya will be flying out here to meet Trent. My father will be sending my eldest brother, Jai, along for protection because apparently my pack isn’t big enough to protect anyone.” He groaned.

My mouth hung open. “So I’m going to meet your family?”

“Yes, they will be here tomorrow,” he stated calmly like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Tomorrow!” I sat up. “I need to unpack my room. It’s a mess.”

Kai laughed. “It’s fine. No one will go in there. You sleep in my room anyway. They can stay in one of the other four bedrooms.”

I started walking to my room. “If you think I’m staying in your room with your mother here, you are crazy. Help me unpack,” I added.

He groaned getting up. “Aurora, we’re mates. They expect some hanky panky to be going on.”

I grinned at the words ‘hanky panky’ but then let my face grow serious. “No, you only get to make a first impression once. Help me unpack and move all of my stuff out of your room.”

He frowned but followed me into my room.

After unpacking, I spent the night snuggled with Kai in his bed but swore I wouldn’t do so with his family here. The next morning we were making breakfast when Emma knocked at the door.

“Hey.” I answered the door and saw an ornate gold-lined paper in her hand.

“Special delivery,” Emma said and came inside handing the paper to Kai.

He glanced at the paper and nodded.

“So?” I offered.

“It’s from Shamus. Sadie has set a date for her mating ceremony. Our pack is invited but we don’t have to go.” He was trying not to show any emotion, but I gathered that wouldn’t be the greatest political decision.

“Don’t both packs usually go to a mating ceremony when two wolves from separate packs marry?” I queried.

“They do,” Kai said after a long pause.

“But it’s understandable if they don’t attend when the old pack’s Alpha dated the bride for six years and has a new mate,” Emma threw out there.

“Six years!” I shouted louder than I intended.

“Emma.” Kai growled. Emma looked down at her feet mumbling an apology.

“Jesus,” I continued, “that’s a mini marriage.”

“Six years to a werewolf isn’t a long time,” Kai offered.

“Which reminds me,” I pointed my finger at Kai, “how old are you? How does this aging thing work in the werewolf world?” A six-year relationship was a big deal. No wonder Sadie left the pack. Her wolf had found her mate but did her human side still love Kai? I brushed off the thought.

Kai grinned, seeming to enjoy the change in topic. “I’m quite old in werewolf standards, over two hundred years old. My mother, father, and I are some of the oldest werewolves around today. We have survived because my father quickly became Alpha after his change and built a strong pack in Delhi. Then my mother was able to bear children. Having thirteen protective children in a large pack will keep you from getting killed in a fight.”

Two hundred years! Two centuries. Whoa. I was dating an old guy who looked like he was in his late twenties.

Emma stepped forward. “We don’t know much of werewolf aging, but it seems that you age normally until about twenty or twenty-five years old. Then your aging stops until you meet your mate. Once you are mated, you age together, but very, very slowly. It might take fifty years for you to look ten years older.

My mind was reeling. “You stop aging until you are mated?”

Emma nodded. “We think it has something to do with fertility. Some of us never find our mates, but if we are lucky enough then it can take a very long time. A werewolf can only have so many children before becoming sterile. We go through menopause just like humans.”

“But we don’t die of old age?” I queried.

Kai shared a look with Emma. “The few wolves old enough for us to test that theory on have asked their pack to kill them. It seems that after so many hundreds of years alive they just crave an end,” Kai told me.

“That’s horrible,” I said. I was unsettled by the whole idea.

“My parents were in their forties when they were changed, so they look about fifty today. Since they mated, they have aged only about ten years in the two hundred they have been wolves. Some seem to age faster. We just don’t know.”

I shook my head. Wow. I looked again at the pretty wedding invite.

“We will go to the wedding and support Sadie.” I hadn’t meant to say it so final, like a command.

Kai tilted his head to the side at my words and raised his eyebrows. “As you wish.”

Maybe being mates really did make us equal.

Family

I paced the house wearing foot marks into the carpet. Kai went to pick up his family from the airport and I stayed back. Kai didn’t think it was wise for me to be in such a public place since I was being hunted by vampires and witches.  I had unpacked my room and cleaned the kitchen. All of the things I hadn’t unpacked yet or that I wanted to sell, were in the garage. It felt weird to be living with my boyfriend. That’s a huge step in a relationship that you usually make after a year or more of dating. I had known Kai a few weeks. I face palmed my forehead. What was I doing? I was so in love. Common sense flew out the window!

Just thinking of Kai made my stomach flutter. I told him I loved him already? Oh my God, and he said it back. It was like I hadn’t just gotten the Lycan virus and turned into a werewolf. I got some lovesick mating virus and all of my logic and normal tendency to push guys away went out the window!

I heard a car door shut. They’re here! I felt sick. Trent was probably as nervous as I was. He had Skyped with Diya the night before, but they still didn’t know each other very well. We told Trent we would let Diya settle in and then we would call him over.

I could hear voices at the door and Kai’s key was in the lock. Oh God, I was going to be sick. Why was I so nervous? I was only meeting my 200-year-old mate’s mother and only sister. Didn’t he say something about a brother coming, too? The door began to open and I panicked. I ran down the hall and into the bathroom.

I shut the bathroom door and ran the water. I looked into the mirror and smoothed my blonde hair. I was wearing light make up and had my pearl earrings on. I decided on dark blue skinny jeans and a bright teal, long sleeve sweater. Why was I so nervous? I had met my other boyfriends’ parents before. ‘Because he is your mate. You love him,’ my inner wolf whispered to me. She was right. I did love him. I was nervous because I cared. This was a serious relationship and I wanted his family to like me. I wanted them to love me. I didn’t have a big family.

I let my inner wolf take over. She sent a calm feeling through my system. Her instinct was to be dominant. To show his family that I was worthy of their approval but that I did not need it. I looked in the mirror and saw my golden yellow wolf eyes looking back at me. I deserved Kai, we deserved each other. I hoped his family liked me but if not, oh well. I took a deep breath and my wolf faded. I turned off the water and left the bathroom.

Kai was in the kitchen making tea. His mother wore a deep red sari and had gold bangles on. His sister wore jeans and an Indian top. She had a jeweled bindi on her forehead. A twenty-year-old-looking young man stood behind Kai looking over his shoulder. This must be his brother Jai.

Jai frowned. “You’re putting too much ginger in.”

Kai groaned. “You haven’t changed a bit. Still trying to boss me around in the kitchen.”

“Well, if you knew how to make proper Indian tea then I wouldn’t have to,” Jai retorted.

I cleared my throat and everyone turned. “Hello, I’m Aurora.”

Kai’s mother, Maya, stood and clasped her hands together. “You are more beautiful in person,” she exclaimed, barely meeting my eyes. She was submissive.

Diya jumped up and ran over to me, giving me a brief hug. “Hello, sister.”

I stood there silently for a moment, unsure of what to say. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome.

“Let her breathe, Diya,” Jai told her with a mild Indian accent.

Kai smiled at me. “Would you like some Chai?” After six months spent in India, I knew better than to turn down an offer of Chai.

“Sure.” I nodded as Diya pulled me over to the table.

“This is so cool. Kai and I finding our mates at the same time,” Diya  exclaimed.

I took a deep breath in through my nostrils. They smelled of foreign wolves but they also smelled familiar, friendly.

“How are you adjusting, dear? It’s a lot to take in,” his mother asked me. The way she looked at me, with such a caring gaze, made me drop my guard a little.

“Oh. Well, I’m just doing my best,” I offered. His mother’s brow pinched together.

“Being changed and then finding out you are second in the pack and then meeting your mate. It’s a lot,” his mother probed further.

I felt my throat tighten. What the hell. I hadn’t planned on this.

“Ma.” Kai growled lightly and brought over a tray with steaming cups of Chai.

His mother broke her gaze and shrugged. “Sorry, dear. I can’t help what I feel. It overwhelms me.”

I looked at him confused. Jai stepped forward. “My mother is a changed wolf, so her gift is that she can feel emotions. She was also a psychologist for a couple of decades in the 60s. It makes for an intrusive combo. You can’t keep anything from her. She will shrink you until every last emotion has been turned to peace.”

Maya swatted Jai. “Oh, stop it! I can’t help it. I was just trying to get to know her. I’m sorry if I intruded, Aurora.”

I smiled lightly. “That’s okay. I know what it’s like to not be able to turn your gift off.” I sipped my Chai slowly.

The entire table was silent for a moment and then Kai cleared his throat. Only Jai looked confused.

“Well, Diya, I’m sure you are dying to meet Trent. Let’s all take a run.” Kai motioned us outside.

‘My family is here. Let’s go for a run,’ Kai sent to the pack.

Trent and Diya shared a nervous hug and a little small talk before joining the pack in the open area in front of the house. Akash ran to his mother and gave her a big hug. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead, which he promptly wiped off. We all kept our eyes at the ground as we undressed and shifted. As usual, Kai and I shifted first. I shook my fur and rolled in the soft grass as Kai nuzzled me. A few moments later, I turned my attention to the pack and saw Trent and Diya rolling on the ground playing. They were mates. Exact opposite markings. The third couple I had brought together. I had a purpose in life, a good purpose. I brought families together; I helped people find love. A huge weight I had been carrying lifted off my chest. This gift was a blessing more than it was a curse.

I turned to find Kai’s mother staring at me as if she sensed my release of emotion. She trotted over and nudged me lightly with her snout. After a small yip, she took off into the forest. Kai and I took off after her, feeling the thrill of the chase. The pack followed. We all ran down our usual path, howling and yipping. I felt so free when I ran, like nothing in the world could bother me. We were making our way down the back side of the mountain when I smelled something…off. It was like a foreign wolf smelled but not. Before I could ask Kai about it, he ran to my side. His mother, who had been leading the pack, stopped dead and howled deep and long.

‘Vampires. Pack formation. Protect Aurora and my family,’ Kai sent out to the pack. With that command, the pack made a circle around me, his mother, Jai, and Diya. Akash didn’t come into the circle but joined in protecting us. Three vampires dropped from the trees above and stood ten feet from us. I bared my teeth and growled. They didn’t smell friendly and I had a bad feeling about this. There were two men and one woman. They were impossibly pale and cruel looking with sunken in cheeks, yet beautiful features.

“Hello, Alpha.” The male vampire moved fifty feet to his right in a matter of seconds as the female moved behind the circle just as fast. Holy shit, they were fast! They were now surrounding us.

“We are here on an investigative mission into your newly changed female. The Portland Alpha says she smells quite unique. Let us meet with her and no one gets hurt.”

I thought I had seen Kai at his fastest before, but I hadn’t. The speed at which he moved, was akin to the vampires. He lunged forward and clamped his jaws down on the vampire’s neck tearing out his throat. Before I had time to express my shock, the second vampire was gliding up into the air and landed inside the circle right in front of Jai, Diya, Maya, and me.

The third vampire was fighting Devon and a few other wolves. The vampire Kai had injured was still alive and had his arms around Kai, squeezing so hard I could hear ribs breaking. Anna darted towards the vampire and ripped Kai away from him with the force of The Hulk. She jumped up on her hind legs and pushed the vampire back with her front paws sending him flying backward. I guess we knew what Anna’s new power was, extreme strength. Kai looked at Anna with surprise and they went after the vampire.

The vampire in the middle of the circle lunged for Kai’s mom. She was a submissive. Diya and Jai were both less dominant than me. I could feel it. I had an overwhelming urge to protect them all. Being dominant didn’t mean you were physically the strongest. I knew that. But it did mean I had to try to protect them. This must be what Kai feels like all the time for the entire pack. I threw myself on the vampires back and knocked her to the ground. She whipped out a thin silver chain and had my paws bound before I could think to deflect her. I gave her a wolfish grin. I was immune to silver for whatever reason. When the silver didn’t burn me or begin to make me weak, I saw fear flash in her eyes. Jai lunged for her and had one of her wrists in his mouth as Diya went for her other hand pinning her down. I yanked my paws and tore the silver chain apart.

‘Decapitation or a stake through the heart.’ I heard Emma say into my mind. Jai and Diya were pinning her down for me to finish her off. The vampire tried to fling them off but two full grown werewolves were too much for her. Could I kill a vampire? Could I decapitate someone? The answer came from deep within me. The new me. If it meant I was protecting my pack, my family, then yes. I crouched on my hind legs but just before I was about to pounce, the vampire jumped high up in the air with Jai and Diya still hanging from her hands and came down hard, slamming them both on the ground. They let go of her and whimpered. Then the vampire reached out and took a handful of Kai’s mother’s fur in her hand and started pulling. Kai’s mom whimpered and growled trying to bite the vampire.

That was it. That was all I needed to see, to know what I was capable of. I was a vegetarian, I was a do-gooder but I was also a werewolf and in that moment I knew, I was a murderer. I sprung back and leapt at the vampire, baring my teeth, and came down on her chest knocking her back. Before she could push me off, I lunged for her neck and bit down hard while thrusting my body into a roll and using the momentum to pull her head clean off. Her body turned to ash before my eyes. The head in my mouth disintegrated leaving behind a black chalky ash that tasted of death. My heart was hammering in my chest. It all happened so fast I wasn’t sure it was over.

I ran to Kai’s mother and she stared at me with wide eyes. Then she lowered her head in thanks and nuzzled me. I felt like I was being watched. I turned to see Kai and the pack staring at me. All the vampires were dead. Three distinct piles of ash lay on the ground. Kai was the first one to tilt his head back and howl. We all followed. Someone had tried to take one of ours, to harm us. This was our land, our family, our pack. We would protect what was ours. We ran back to the house slowly, reflecting on what happened. Twice Kai had asked me if I was okay and both times I assured him I was. I didn’t really have a choice. I had to be okay. This was my life now. I was hunted. I was a hunter. I just didn’t want those I loved to get hurt. I was starting to see the rationale in my birth mother’s choices for my life.

When we got back, I shifted quickly and ran inside before any of the rest of the pack was done shifting. Kai tried to follow me but I shook my head. I needed a break. I needed a shower. I could still taste the ash on my tongue. I let the water beat on my back. So the Portland Alpha was behind this attack? He smelled something different about me. That I was part witch? That I was the Matefinder? How would he even know that? Unless legend said the Matefinder was part witch. Was this the last time vampires or anyone would come for me? Not likely. I could run away. The second the thought was out, my heart protested. I couldn’t leave Kai. I loved him. But I also wanted to protect those I loved.

‘Don’t worry. I can feel your struggle raging inside my head. Anyone who comes for you will meet the same fate as those vampires. You are safe,’ Kai told me.

‘I don’t care about my safety, I care about yours,’ I replied to him.

‘As long as you are with me, I will be fine. The only way I can get hurt, is if something happens to you,’ he stated.

I sighed and turned off the tap. I dried off, brushed my teeth, and changed my clothes. When I came out into the kitchen I expected some big awkward talk about the vampire fight. Instead, some Indian dance music was on and Diya was dancing with her mother. They were laughing. Trent and Jai were talking quietly while watching them, and Kai was cooking. I stood there unsure of what to do. Kai’s mom spotted me. “Aurora! Come dance with us.”

I smiled, and shouted over the music. “You will have to teach me. I’m not much of a dancer.”

Maya pulled me into the living room and motioned her hands in a pattern while shaking her hip and dropping her shoulder. I tried to follow what she did and Diya busted up laughing. “Oh my God, you’re horrible!” she teased.

This made me laugh, and Jai smacked his forehead. “Watch out, Gori Girl trying to Bollywood dance.”

“Hey!” I shouted at him, chucking a couch pillow his way and joining him and Trent on the couch. “What’s a Gori Girl?” I asked Jai.

He nudged me with his elbow. “White girl.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. I had another question. “What does Meri Pyari mean?”

Jai grinned and looked towards Kai in the kitchen. “Did he call you that?”

I nodded.

“It means, My Beloved.”

My heart picked up and I glanced at Kai. As if he sensed me watching, he looked up from chopping veggies and held my gaze. I blew him an air kiss and he smiled then motioned his head to my room. I rolled my eyes. Such a guy!

Dinner was amazing; the food had so much flavor. I think I impressed his family by eating the Indian food with my hands and talking about my time in Delhi.

“I miss India, mostly for its shopping.”

Diya smiled nodding with approval. “Ahhh… so you like to shop? My kind of girl.”

Jai put his hand out stopping Diya from talking further.

“Can we please just take one second to talk about how amazing it was when Aurora ripped that vamps head off to save mom?” Jai stated.

I froze. Kai’s mom kicked Jai under the table. Jai looked at me. “What? Was that her first kill?”

I sat there frozen. Flashes of my father lying on the kitchen floor, blood dripping out of his stomach.

“My first kill as a werewolf, yes.”

Kai met my eyes and seemed sad.

“Oh,” Jai said.

Kai spoke gruffly. “She has been a werewolf for a week. You think she’s racked up a bunch of kills?”

“Sorry, bro.” Jai looked at his plate. I felt bad for him. He was just trying to be nice.

“I was kind of a badass, wasn’t I?” I asked the table.

Jai smiled and Diya nodded. “You were.”  Jai exclaimed.

“What are you going to do about the Portland Alpha sending three vampires to capture your mate?” his mother asked casually. There was no hint of submissiveness in her voice. This woman could be deadly if she wanted to be.

Kai lightly dabbed his mouth with a cloth. “I’m going to kill him.” Kai stared right at me as I involuntarily spat water out of my mouth.

Kill or Be Killed

“What!” I shouted and stood.

Kai stood and his nostrils flared. We locked eyes. Challenge.

“No! You almost died when you fought him last.” I held his gaze.

“No?” He shouted, staring back. I could feel the hair rising on my arms. Sweat broke out on my upper lip.

“How long do you think she can hold his gaze?” Jai asked as his mother swatted his head and shushed him.

“Aurora, you are MINE. If someone thinks they can take you from me, there is only one response they deserve. Death.”

My breath was ragged now and even Kai looked strained. What was I doing?

I broke his gaze and stared at my feet. “I don’t want you hurt like that. Not ever again.” I sounded defeated, like a little girl.

Everyone at the table was deadly silent. I collapsed back into my chair dreading the thought of ever seeing him hurt like that again. Kai walked over and picked me up, carrying me to my room. He struggled to open the door as I laid my head on his chest. Tears fell down my cheek. When we got inside, he dropped me on the bed. He curled up next me and kissed my forehead.

“Believe it or not, I am a good fighter. I have been around so long because I have survived many, many fights. Fights of dominance, fights for territory, fights for Alpha status and whatever else. I can and will fight for my mate. If he sent vampires once, he will do it again. He is known for running a dirty pack. I have heard recent rumors that his unmated women are treated like sex toys and his men fight to the death over dominance. They all live in poverty and steal from humans. I would be doing the world a favor.”

I sighed. He was right.

“So you’re just going to barge in there and kill him? Won’t they smell you coming?” I ask.

“They will smell me coming. If I were to barge in there in a rage, I would be torn apart by his pack. I’m going to request a meeting and then I’m going to challenge him for Alpha status of his pack. It’s the only way to insure a clean fight. It’s a fight to the death and no one can intervene.”

“So, if you are tearing their Alpha apart, no one can jump in?” I queried.

“Correct. Pack law will make sure. My pack would report it and a werewolf from the council would come dispose of the person who intervened.”

Dispose of? Geez.

“What if he is about to kill you? You expect me to stand there and watch you die?”

I twirled my hair around my finger in a nervous gesture. He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m not going to die. I have too much to live for now.”

I left the room and said goodnight to his family. They all acted like we hadn’t just gotten in a big dominance fight. Maybe it was common in werewolf culture. I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I was coming out of the bathroom when I noticed Kai in my bed.

“What are you doing in here?” I whispered.

He pouted. “Come on, we’re mates. My mother doesn’t care.”

I put my hand out. “We are mates but we are not yet mated. So no. You need to leave. I don’t want them thinking bad of me.”

Kai looked hurt but brushed it off. “I forgot, I’m just your boyfriend,” he said before shutting the door.

I sighed. Great. I lay down and tried to sleep but it was hard. I tossed and turned thinking of the vampires, of being hunted, of my argument with Kai. I thought of Sylvia saying I had witch powers that she could activate. Finally I turned to look at the clock, 1 am. God, I really needed sleep. I chewed on my bottom lip, making a decision. I opened my door slowly and peeked out. All clear. I crept down the hall to Kai’s room. The second I turned the handle, he sat up quickly and stared at the door. His hair was ruffled and he looked adorable. He smiled. “What took you so long?”

I grinned, shut the door, and climbed into bed with him. The second his arms closed around me, my mind shut off and I slept.

The next morning was a mandatory weekly pack barbeque. Even the wolves that lived on the edge of our territory drove in for the event. I took time to get to know each wolf. Sammy was fifteen and our youngest wolf; he was best friends with Akash. Besides Emma, Anna, and I, there was only one other female and she was unmated. Her name was Oksana and she was Ukrainian. She lived on the edge of our territory with her boyfriend Dominic who was also in our pack but they weren’t mates.

Diya and Trent were really getting along well. You could see the romance budding between them and she looked genuinely happy. Trent looked head over heels in love with her already. He looked at her a certain way; his look said he adored her. It reminded me of the way Kai looked at me.

After we had eaten, Kai cleared his throat. “As you all know we had some vampires trespass on our territory and try to take one of our pack members. This deed cannot go unpunished!” He roared the last sentence letting some of his Alpha power leak through. The pack roared their approval.

“We know the Portland pack is behind this and so I have decided to challenge Dane for Alpha status of his pack and take over his territory.”

You could hear a pin drop. No one said anything but the more submissive wolves looked scared and the dominant wolves looked proud.

“I know merging our pack with new members will be hard at first. If you are currently fourth in the pack, you might be eighth after we merge. I have never been a wolf seeking out a big pack or a large territory. Dane runs a dirty pack as you all have heard. When I kill him and take over, some of his pack mates won’t want to stay under my command. Some will be relieved. I will run this new pack the same way I always have. Minimal fights, respect, and you will all still be family to me.”

I could see the packs facial expressions change. They trusted Kai. They would do anything for him.

“Aurora is special,” Kai finished. “A bigger pack and more territory also means we can better protect her against future enemies. The three vampires who came for her will not be the last. She has a beautiful gift that has already seen three of our pack members mated. Soon we will have small pups running around this mountain. There will be weddings. This pack will grow, but not because we are after numbers, because we want to grow as a family.”

Everyone clapped, and I felt tears in my eyes. It had been weird not to see any children around. It would be nice to see families grow.

The next morning Kai and I were silent over breakfast with his family. He had called Dane and requested a pack to pack meeting about the territory violation with the vampires.

“Do you think he knows what you are planning?” I finally asked out loud.

“Yes, he will be ready to fight,” Kai answered.

I swallowed hard. Kai’s mother put a hand over mine. “Do you know why my son didn’t stay in Delhi under my husband’s authority?”

“A little bit,” I confessed.

Kai cut her a look but she dismissed it. “Kai is more dominant than my husband. He could have fought him and taken charge of the entire New Delhi pack. He would have won, his father knows that. He will win this fight tomorrow and any other after that.”

I admired her confidence in Kai, but I was tempted to ask her if she knew about Dane’s silver teeth. I thought better of it. If support was what he needed, I could do that.

“I know,” I told her and looked at Kai with a forced smile. I just hoped she was right.

It took six cars but we all drove out to the Portland pack’s meeting place.  Emma and Devon stayed back to keep a presence in our territory.

As we pulled up to meet the Portland pack in the large open park area, I started feeling nervous. What if Kai was gravely injured like the last time? What if someone in our pack tried to fight him injured for Alpha status. Kai parked the car and leaned across the seat to grab my face. His mother, sister, and two brothers were in the back of the SUV, watching.

“I love you and I will be fine.” He gave me a passionate but chaste kiss and exited the car. I took a deep breath and got out of the car as well. We all walked in human form to the group of people standing in the meadow. I caught a whiff of cigar and after shave. Foreign Wolf. Dane’s pack was quite large. Twice the size of ours. The women were skinny and looked broken. They clung the men in fear and it made me sick. Dane stepped forward. “To what do we owe the pleasure of being able to gaze upon your delicious new female werewolf?” He licked his silver teeth and gave me a stare that made my blood run cold. I stared back tilting my chin up. If Kai didn’t kill this guy maybe I would!

Kai clenched his jaw but otherwise didn’t show that the comment bothered him. “I challenge you, Dane Hurst, for Alpha status to your pack and all of your territory. You sent three vampires after my mate, and you run a dirty pack. If I don’t get rid of you, then the council will, eventually.”

Dane began unbuttoning his shirt as if he expected this. “Challenge accepted.”

His second in command handed him a blue glass bottle and he began to chug the contents. “Silver water,” Dane told us all.

Bastard. I put my game face on and walked over to Kai who was undressing. The two packs made a wide circle.

“Kick his ass. He looked at me like I was a piece of meat, and his females look half-starved and scared,” I told Kai.

Kai grinned. “Gladly.” He shifted lightning fast and threw himself onto Dane’s half shifted back. Dane was curled in a ball protecting his jugular with his hands until he could fully shift. Kai wasted no time chewing the back of his neck, ripping chunks of flesh. Oh God, this was hard to watch, but I couldn’t look away. I backed out of the circle and found myself between Diya and Kai’s mother. Dane had fully shifted and now threw Kai off of his back with a brutal force. Kai landed hard. I heard the cracking of bones and the breath leave his lungs. I put my hand over my mouth. Kai’s mom pulled my hand down from my face and held it tight. She leaned in and whispered. “I’ve seen my husband through many fights. They are only as strong as we let them be. If you cry out or he risks a glance at you and you are anything but strong and fierce, he may make a mistake that could cost him his life.”

At her words, I held my head high and masked my fear. Sure enough, Kai got up and risked a half a second glance my way before charging Dane. He kept going for the throat and tearing chunks away. Each time Dane tried to bite him, Kai would quickly dash the other way. He was freaky fast, but I could tell the silver was getting to him. I was pretty sure that when Kai bit Dane and got his blood into his mouth, the liquid silver was getting into Kai’s system. You could see that Kai’s pace slowed and his movements were less coordinated.

Then, Kai made a mistake. He didn’t get away quick enough and Dane clamped his jaws around Kai’s left shoulder and closed down. He didn’t let go. Kai tried to shake him off but couldn’t.

Next to Diya I heard Max swear. “He is going to try to weaken him with silver poisoning. If only he had your immunity, Aurora.”

Kai’s mother whipped her head towards me. “You have silver immunity?”

I nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know why.”

“Who cares why? Quickly, open your mate bond,” she instructed me.

“My what?” I couldn’t take my eyes off Kai. I made up my mind. If he looked like he was going to die, I was going to intervene. Damn the council. Let them come after me. I didn’t want to live in a world where he didn’t exist.

Kai’s mother grabbed the side of my face and stared at me with glowing yellow eyes. “Open your mind to Kai NOW! Mates can share powers! It would be stronger if you had gone through the mating ceremony, but even without that your bond will give him enough to strengthen him. He can win this fight!”

My heart leaped at her words. I immediately was reminded of the glowing ball in the woods that I buried. I ran to the spot in my mind that I had buried it and saw a faint glow under the dirt. I dug it up and threw the ball into the air. It burst into a million twinkling stars and covered my body like a fine mist. Like Magic. Kai’s mother whispered in my ear as my eyes stayed closed.

“Give him your silver immunity. Imagine it as a liquid leaving your body and joining his.”

I did as she asked. I had always been good at visualization. I thought of a stream of liquid leaving my heart. I envisioned it as magic liquid that held the power to give the user immunity to silver. Then I opened my eyes and drenched Kai with the imaginary liquid. The moment I did this Kai’s eyes snapped open and he threw Dane off of him with a burst of strength. Kai’s wounds were closing before my eyes. He spared no second in lunging for Dane’s half torn out throat and clamping his jaws over his neck. Then Kai pulled his body into a standing position with Dane still dangling from his mouth and used his claws to grasp Dane’s shoulders. He dug his claws in and ripped Dane’s head from his body.

Our pack began to cheer. I sighed in relief. Dane’s second in command shifted into wolf form and ran away with a few other wolves. They weren’t going to stick around I guess. Everyone else stood still and stared at Kai as he shifted and changed into clothes.

Most of Dane’s pack lowered their heads in respect. The ones who didn’t were dominant males or submissive females who looked too terrified to do anything. Kai was still catching his breath, so I stepped forward.

“Kai has rightfully won this pack and these lands. But he won’t make you his wolves by force. We’re more than pack. We’re family. If anyone else wants to leave, then go. Find another pack to run with. We run a clean pack. No dominance fights. We treasure and protect our females. We help them find their mates. We have homes and enough food for everyone. WE are a family. If you want to be a part of our family, then step forward.”

I glanced at Kai who had pride in his eyes.

“A worthy mate and second in command,” I heard Kai’s mother whisper to Diya.

Kai’s shoulder wound wasn’t healing as fast; you could see bluish iridescent fluid leaking from the wound. Silver. He looked exhausted.

Dane’s entire pack stepped forward and got on one knee, all but two people. One was a hard looking man with dominance in his eyes and scars on his face. The other was a woman who looked like a survivor. She looked like she had been through hell and back and didn’t want to take anymore shit from abusive males. She looked like me the night I killed my father to save my mother’s life.

The scar-faced man stepped forward. “How can I assure a high position in the pack without a fight? I’m third in this pack.”

Kai acknowledged him with a nod. “If fighting for dominance is the only way to calm brother wolf then you will have to find another pack. If you are okay with letting brother wolf out and staring into my most dominant wolves eyes, then we can establish your place in the pack without hurting my family members. If that doesn’t settle brother wolf then I will grant you leave to find another pack.”

The guy raised his eyebrows. “That works for me.” Something else crossed his face but it was too quick for me to read.

Lastly, the woman stepped forward. “My name is Isabelle and Dane attacked me on my way home from work. He took my money, ripped my flesh apart, and left me for dead. I have a husband and two small children. I survived the change much to his delight. I have wished every day since then, that I hadn’t. I don’t know where my family is now. It’s been two years. Every time I tried to run away Dane beat me and eventually held me captive in his basement, rarely letting me out. I know I can’t go back to being human, but I won’t go back to being a slave. I want to see my family.”

She held her chin raised and her jaw was set, but I could see her lip quiver. Her wrists, I could see now, were bound with thin silver chains. I felt sick.

Kai began to speak when I stepped forward and quieted him with my eyes. I walked slowly and lowered my gaze so I didn’t spook her. I could feel her dominance, yet she was fragile.

“Kai is a good Alpha and a kind man. I got into a car accident and almost died but he saved me. I survived the change too and when I told him I didn’t want to fake my death, that I wanted to continue to see my family, he allowed it. My mom just came to a pack barbeque last weekend.”

Tears were streaming down the woman’s face. I knew she needed more; she didn’t trust anyone. She needed proof. “If you join our pack tonight, then first thing tomorrow morning we will take you to find your family or you can leave. Be a lone wolf.”

‘She wouldn’t last a day as a lone wolf,’ Kai told me.

‘Don’t underestimate a victim of abuse,’ I fired back into his mind.

She stepped forward and bent on one knee accepting my words.

Kai raised his hands high up into the sky. “I call on my ancestors and invite in the pack magic that bonds us all, makes us a family. Let me lead you, let me protect you.” All of the new pack members were lining up.

“Do you promise to obey me and share all that you are with this pack?” I could see sweat had broken out on Kai’s forehead.

“I do, Alpha,” the first person said and rolled up his sleeve. Kai transformed his fingers to claws and swiped at the flesh of the young man’s forearm. The man winced and then clawed at Kai’s forearm. They touched their forearms together.

“Blood of my blood,” they recited in unison.

“Welcome to my pack, son,” Kai told the young man. The pack roared and cheered behind Kai, welcoming the new member. I was faintly aware of a new string of consciousness added to the pack’s energy.

‘You okay?’ I asked Kai.

‘Yes, just pushing out this liquid silver. Will be fine with a good night’s sleep and a couple of rare steaks.’ He smiled knowing that would gross me out.

Kai walked to the next person and repeated the ceremony. When he had finished inviting the last member, Kai’s arm was dripping blood. He looked exhausted. His shoulder was healing but deep gashes could still be seen. Fresh blood dotted his stomach. He needed sleep and food. But he was alive. I smiled.

Just as I was approaching him to suggest we get him home, the unthinkable happened.

The male dominant pack member that was third in the Portland pack, advanced towards Kai with yellow eyes. “I challenge you for Alpha status of this pack.”

The collective intake of breath from the pack gave me chills. I barely saw a flash of fear flicker across Kai’s vision before it was gone. Cold hard anger replaced it.

Suddenly, Kai’s mother was by my side, whispering. “A pack’s second in command can fight in place of an injured Alpha.”

I didn’t hesitate. “As second in command, I accept your challenge on behalf of my injured Alpha.” Oh, shit. Did I just do that?

Kai’s nostrils flared and he glared at his mother, sending ripples of fur down his body. “I forbid it!” he roared.

The man who had challenged him glared at me. “Too late. She accepted. If I win, I take this pack and you become my second,” he told Kai, “…if I let you.”

“Then when I am healed I will challenge you again and kill you. Withdraw your request!” Kai roared at the man.

“No. Challenge accepted.” He started to shift.

Okay, this was just another guy who preyed on weak people. I had prepared my whole life for this moment. All of Safe Haven, my martial arts training; it was all to keep bastards like this from taking advantage of the weak. I wasn’t weak though and I was going to prove it. I took a hint from Kai’s style of fighting and shifted instantly, running at the man full speed. I slammed into him knocking him back in his half shifted form. I glanced at Kai. He had shifted into his werewolf form. His mother had a chunk of his fur in her hand, holding him back. I knew then, that if it looked like I was losing, Kai would intervene and the council would later kill him.

I tore at the werewolf’s jugular as his half-clawed hands raked down my back causing me to let out a high-pitched yelp.

‘Don’t drag this out. You want a fast kill. He is wolf born. I can feel it. No powers,’ Kai told me.

I backed out of his hold and came from a different angle. He was fully in wolf form now. I lunged at him but he rolled to the side. I caught his tail in my mouth and dragged him towards me as he howled in pain. When he was close enough, I used my front paws to dig into his hind legs and pull him underneath me. Being underneath your attacker was the worst and most vulnerable position possible. He was squirming and strong, but I was fast. I saw an opening and lunged forward taking his neck in my mouth. He was swiping at my belly with his hind paws but I ignored the pain as I chewed into his neck. Sister wolf had taken over. Nothing about this grossed me out. The vegetarian Aurora was nowhere to be found. I wanted him dead. I wanted his head separated from his body. I wanted to taste his blood, to protect my mate and my pack. This was a means to an end.

Once I had a good hold, I shook his neck in my jaws and his body flopped like a rag doll. With one last burst of effort, I gave a hard pull to the right and ripped his head clean off. His body crumpled beneath me and I turned around to see Kai’s wolf two feet from my face. He was ready to intervene at any moment. Luckily he hadn’t. I gave a loud howl and the pack began shifting. It was unspoken. We needed a run, together, for the first time as a new pack in our new territory.

‘Don’t ever do that again.’ Kai told me and ran off to run beside his brother, Jai. I sat there in silence for a moment and then followed with my tail between my legs.

Reunited

The next morning I sat in Kai’s office with Isabelle and Kai. She held his phone in her hand and it was shaking. She set it back down. “I don’t even know if he has the same number. If he has remarried. I don’t know what to say.” She looked at her hands and picked at her nails.

Kai had agreed she could reunite with her family and depending on her wishes, we would figure out a living situation. Kai barely talked to me last night for fighting in his place. He slept in his room and I barely slept in mine.

“Let me call him. I can start the call off and you can jump in when you are ready. Okay?” I offered.

Isabelle began to weep. “Is this really happening? You guys will let me see my family? I can see my kids? Everyday?”

She had limp brown hair that framed a face full of scars. This woman had taken many beatings, with silver I don’t doubt. Only silver would scar a werewolf this bad. She was emaciated and broken. I don’t think she believed us, that this was really happening. Poor thing. My throat tightened.

Kai walked over to her slowly. “Dane wasn’t an Alpha; he was a power-hungry monster. An Alpha takes care of his pack like family. I will treat you like you were my own sister. I would NEVER separate a mother from her children. I can clear it with the council. In rare cases, humans are permitted knowledge of our kind. Your children can come live here on the mountain with you and we will protect them as pack. Your husband can too, if you like. Children are a treasured gift in werewolf society. It doesn’t matter if they are human or not.”

Isabelle gave a weak smile. “I can feel your words are true. Make the call, Aurora. I will give you the number.” She handed me the phone.

The phone was ringing. I cleared my throat thinking of a story.

“Hello, this is Tristan.” I had the phone on speaker and Isabelle squeezed my arm hard at the sound of his voice.

“Hi, my name is Aurora and I live up in Mount Hood.”

“What can I do for you?” I could hear children in the background laughing.

“I have a woman here who says her name is Isabelle. She looks pretty shaken up and underfed. She says she escaped capture and is your wife.”

There was silence. “You people don’t stop, do you? You’re sick. Prank calling bastards.”

“Tristan!” Isabelle shouted.

“Oh my God!” He started sobbing and I felt my throat swell. “Izzy! Oh my God! Is that you?”

“It’s me.” She wept.

“Are you okay? I’ve never stopped looking for you. Have you called the police? Where are you? I’m coming. KIDS! Mommy is on the phone.”

“It’s been a long time and it hasn’t been easy but I’m okay now. I thought you might have moved on.” She let that sentence linger. I suddenly felt like I shouldn’t be in here, witnessing this very private conversation.

“Are you crazy? No, no, no. Where are you? Give me an address right now. The kids are so big. Violet is four and Connor is six. I show them your picture every night.”

Isabelle was sobbing and I rattled off the address, telling Tristan not to involve the police. That we would explain why later.

Diya helped put make up on Isabelle’s bruises and scars to make her more presentable for her family. I lent her some clean, colorful clothes, and Kai and I waited outside with her. I prepped Isabelle to tell her husband she didn’t want a media circus. That the man who did this to her was dead and she was safe now. Meanwhile, Kai put in an urgent call to the council to ask for permission to bring three humans into the pack. He said in rare cases like this, it was approved.

He thought the fact that there were children involved would get it approved. Children in packs was rare, even if they were human. Also, Dane did a bad thing and brought a person into the pack after mugging and attacking her. Then he kept her hostage. She could go to the media and expose our kind. This all made a good case for telling her husband of our kind. The kids could learn later, when they were older. When I questioned how pack bonds worked on humans, he said pack magic worked to bring any species into the pack, if an Alpha allowed it.

A maroon Ford Explorer made its way up the hill and Isabelle shrieked. “Tristan! Connor, Violet!” She ran towards the car. Her husband braked hard, kicking up bits of gravel with the tires, and jumped out. He ran towards her and picked her up spinning her around. They were both crying freely as the children got out of the car and ran to their mother, clinging to her legs.

Kai reached over and held my hand. All was forgiven.

***

Kai had increased pack training sessions to once a day ever since the vampire attack. It had been a week since Isabelle had been reunited with her family. Kai had been given approval from the council to expose our kind to Isabelle’s husband, Tristan, and to make her family part of the pack. They only made one condition, a witch needed to put a spell on him so that if he tried to tell other humans our secret, he wouldn’t be able to.  Tristan seemed shocked at first, but was turning out to be a great guy and was taking the news fairly well. He was a firefighter and strongly built. He didn’t seem too intimidated by us. Kai had a special ceremony to bring him and the children into the pack. This gave them our scent so that other werewolves would know they were claimed and not to mess with them. Kai also gave them a house on the mountain because an unmated female werewolf living in Portland was a disaster waiting to happen.

It bothered me that Isabelle was considered unmated even though she was married. Kai explained that eventually her husband would grow old and die and Izzy would live hundreds of years. She could search for her werewolf mate after Tristan was gone. That thought unsettled me. What if Tristan was her mate but if he never changed into a werewolf then we wouldn’t know? My mind chewed on this for hours.

When Sylvia put the spell on Tristan, she also told me she could open up my magic so that I could better protect myself from vampires and any other threat. I was tempted but Kai seemed against the idea. After the spell was put on Tristan, I confronted Kai about something that was bothering me.

“So no one knows of our kind? We have been around hundreds of years and it’s still a secret?”

Kai looked at me for a long time, weighing something in his mind.

“None of the general human population know about our kind.”

That was vague. “Okay, but some humans know about our kind?”

Kai sighed and leaned in to whisper in my ear. We were outside and a few wolves were lingering about.

“Every intelligence agency in almost every country knows about the three supernatural races. We scare them, and they keep tabs on us, but they don’t approach us. Many younger wolves don’t know that the government knows about us. It’s better that way.”

My mouth dropped open. “So the CIA could be watching us right now?” I whispered back.

Kai shrugged. “Possibly. I know a few wolves who work for the CIA that we could ask.” He winked.

So we had people on the inside? Interesting. I wonder if the government ever felt that our kind was a threat, if they would take us out. I shivered at the thought.

***

I awoke slowly, Sadie’s wedding was today and Diya and the rest of Kai’s family were going home tomorrow. It had been a thought provoking week. Kai had woken early to go meet with pack members living in Portland and establish a bond. Everyone had found their place in the pack and I was still second. Emma was no longer the most submissive member. I lay in bed stretching my back when my door flew open. I jumped up quickly and got into a fighting stance. Diya flew across the room with her hand out and shoved it in my face.

“Trent proposed! Oh my God! Isn’t it beautiful?”

There was a modest princess cut ring on her left hand. I took her hand and brought it closer to my face.

“It’s beautiful.” I agreed. Wow they moved fast. Anna and Jake were talking of a mating ceremony too. Was I jealous? I had asked Kai to go slow. Was I ready for marriage? She dropped her hand and hugged me.

“Don’t worry, you will get one too and yours will be bigger, if I know my brother.” She gestured to my hand. I blushed unsure of what to say.

“So, when’s the big day?” I asked, to change the subject.

“I have to talk to Papa, but the sooner the better! I love Trent.” She swooned and dropped on my bed just as Emma burst into the room holding a small white plastic pregnancy test.

My mouth dropped open.

“I’m pregnant!” Emma screeched. Diya and I starting screaming, then laughed a little at our ridiculousness. If my vision was correct. Kai and I would be married in the next 4-5 months. Emma was heavily pregnant in my wedding vision.

United

I looked down at the deep blue silk dress that clung to my petite figure. My hair was a spill of curls that were expertly pinned all over my head and cascaded over my left shoulder. My lips were stained red with lipstick and I wore heavy eye makeup. Diya had made me over and I liked what she had done. Most of the old Mount Hood pack was in route to Sadie’s wedding, while the new Portland members stayed back to defend our territory. Kai was driving his family and me to Seattle. He kept giving me side glances in the car. I smiled. He cleaned up well. His wild hair was slicked back and he wore a grey silk suit with a bright blue shirt.

‘You look amazing,’ I sent to him.

He gave a soft growl. ‘Amazing doesn’t begin to cover how you look, my dear. That red lipstick is driving me crazy.’

I smiled and puckered my lips.

Sadie’s wedding was in a rose garden at one of the pack members’ house. It was a full moon and the sun had just set. The aisle was lined with white flower petals and tea lights. It felt magical. A man stood at the altar with a large Native American headdress and he was holding a dagger encrusted with rubies.

I took a deep breath and took in his scent. He wasn’t a werewolf or a witch but he didn’t smell human. Kai chuckled beside me.

“Trying to figure out what he is?”

I nodded.

“Shamans are their own species. They are closest to spirit and some of them are shape shifters, so they know of our kind. They have been performing our mating ceremonies since I can remember.”

I looked closer at the man. He could have been forty or seventy it was hard to tell. He had a tattoo of a jaguar on his arm, and a sharpened bone hung from a thread on his neck. His wrists were wrapped in leather cuffs and adorned with turquoise.

Kai leaned in and whispered. “Legend says that the Shamans hold the power of our fertility. Long ago, any female werewolf could give birth to pups. It didn’t matter if she was mated or not. But then the werewolves did something to anger the Natives and the Natives made all of the female werewolves infertile. Unless they were mated and blessed by the Great Spirit in a ceremony, they couldn’t reproduce.”

Chills ran up and down my arms. Just then, the Shaman looked at me. I locked eyes with him and everything around me froze. Kai was stuck leaning into my ear and all of the seated wolves were frozen. It was like time had stopped. What the hell was going on? I felt my heart rate pick up. The Shaman came walking towards me. I put myself in a fighting stance, unsure of what was happening. I didn’t like that my pack was helpless if someone were to attack. I was about to change into my wolf when the Shaman spoke.

“I come in peace, little sister,” the Shaman said to me with his hand raised.

“Did you do this?” I gestured around.

He nodded. “I have a message for you, sister. My name is Nahuel. Spirit has blessed you with a great purpose. My ancestors have cursed the werewolves for a long time. Werewolves were greedy hunters and didn’t share their meat. They became territorial and didn’t share their land. They reproduced quickly and were wasteful like the humans. We did not foresee that our curse would reduce the population of the werewolves so quickly. We only wanted to teach them a lesson, to respect Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants. Now, the werewolves are on the brink of extinction and the balance is being threatened.”

My mouth hung open at his admission to cursing our kind and reducing our population. He went on.

“Vampires are a threat to humans and werewolves protect humans. Witches are neutral to all species. If everyone serves their purpose, then there is balance. But there is an alarming amount of vampires in relation to the amount of werewolves. If the vampires chose to attack, they could wipe out the werewolves and eventually the human race. This cannot happen. I perform mating ceremonies to pay a debt to the werewolves because the curse my people laid on them cannot be undone. But I perform them all too little, your presence here will change that. As the Matefinder you will bring together many mated pairings, with Spirits help.”

He knows what I am? I was breathing deeply now. I think I’m having a panic attack, I thought. I don’t know what made me think of Isabelle and Tristan but I blurted out, “Our pack member Isabelle is married to a human and they are in love. They have human children and are happy. How can she have a mate waiting out there for her? It doesn’t seem right. I don’t understand how mated pairs are brought together, so how can I be a Matefinder?”

The man nodded kindly, seeming unperturbed by my random thoughts. “Nothing seems right on this side of the veil. In the spirit world, it makes more sense. You have many loves in your lifetime whether you are human, vampire, witch or werewolf. People you have chosen to share your energy with, people who lift your spirit. But then, there are soul mates. Soul mates choose to spend the most time together in a lifetime. They challenge each other, support one another, and grow together. It’s the hardest and most rewarding pairing.” He glanced at Kai and smiled. “Your pack mate Isabelle will share a good life with Tristan but if Spirit allows, she will also share her life with her mate. As a werewolf, you are divided, your human half and your wolf half. Isabelle’s human half loves Tristan and her wolf half respects him. But when you meet your mate, both halves love that person. You become one.”

That made sense to me. I felt settled thinking of it that way. I nodded.

“So that’s the message you have for me? My race is dying and vampires could take over, so I was sent here to find mates? Well, I have only found three mates in about two weeks, so it might take a couple of decades to find enough to grow my race.” It felt a little ridiculous saying it like that. I hadn’t meant for it to sound so sarcastic but it did.

“No, little sister. My message for you is that, in the near future, Spirit is going to download you with hundreds of mate couplings at once. It will be scary and somewhat debilitating. After this information gets out, everyone will know who you are and all of the packs will have benefitted from your gift, so they will vow to protect you. You are to come out to your kind. It’s the only way to ensure you are safe. Your mother hid from her people and died a young woman. If you expose yourself at the right time, to as many of your kind as you can, then you will ensure your safety. You will unite your people with one common goal. As pups start being born and children’s laughter is heard among the packs, they will know it is so because of you. So when the vampires come for you, let every wolf fight in your honor.” His face took on a menacing look. The hairs on my arms were standing.

I swallowed hard. “Why would the vampires come for me?” Hundreds of mate pairings at once? Download? Like I was a computer? My head was spinning.

He looked down at his dagger and then up at the moon. “Because of the balance. You have the gift of finding mates for your kind. But you also have the gift of giving fertility to female vampires. It’s in your blood. Literally. If a female vampire drinks your blood, she could mate with a male vampire and have a vampire child.” He sighed, resigned.

I stumbled over Kai’s frozen body and began panting on the grass.

“And they know this? The vampires?” I shuddered. The thought of small children acting like those deadly vampires in the woods made me sick. The Shaman helped me stand.

“Their queen knows and she will stop at nothing to make you her blood slave. Good luck, Aurora. Spirit has equipped you with all that you need to fight for the Light but there is also Darkness inside of you. You must embrace all of your powers to become who you truly are.”

I stared into his seemingly endless eyes and saw something flicker and an image take shape. I saw a flash of an image of Sylvia putting her hands on my head and mist pouring out of my body. I also saw the image of my father putting a cigarette out on the palm of my hand when I was 9. I shuttered. Maybe there was Darkness inside of me. Thinking of the abuse I endured ignited a ball of rage inside of me.

“I can’t hold time much longer,” he told me. He pulled a black apache tear from his satchel. “If you need my council, just bury this in the earth. I am here as your guide and I owe a debt to your people.” He nodded and walked up to the front.

I sat down in shock just as the people started moving and talking again. They all looked around confused and took in a deep breath. Kai grabbed my arm. “You smell like magic.”

I sighed. “I will tell you later. This is Sadie’s day.”

Kai and some of the more dominant wolves looked at the Shaman with suspicion but didn’t confront him. Something told me they knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. If he could stop time, who knew what else he was capable of?

I zoned out as the music played and people began walking the aisle. The balance. Werewolves were here to protect humans? It seemed right. The thought of the human race or the werewolf race going extinct sent chills down my spine. A world run by vampire and human blood slaves was a horrible thought. Vampire children was an even more horrible thought. So I was sent here to restore the balance between the different species? I looked at Kai. Life just got way more complicated.

The music changed and I turned my head. Sadie had begun her walk down the aisle and looked breathtaking. Her hair was pulled back to show her strong face. She had light make up on to showcase her natural beauty. A thin white silk dress clung to her muscular body. She held Kai’s gaze for a few seconds as she walked by and my heart spiked with jealousy. Kai pulled my hand on top of his and stroked my palm with his thumb. I took a deep breath. ‘You’re Mine,’ Kai told me, ‘And I am yours.’

I relaxed into the chair. Sadie met Brett at the end of the altar. Nahuel began fanning smoke around the pair as they held hands facing each other. Nahuel then tied a blue silk ribbon to Sadie’s left wrist. “This represents your human half.” He did the same on Brett’s wrist. Then he tied a white silk ribbon to both of their right wrists. “This represents your wolf.” Just then, both of their eyes shown yellow.

“Werewolves are courageous, strong, loyal, and successful at hunting. Werewolves are in fact so loyal that they mate for life. If lucky enough to find their mate, it will be the only one they ever have.” Nahuel projected his voice to the crowd.

Kai laced his fingers through mine.

“You come to me as two parts in one body, human and wolf. You come as two souls with one purpose. To be mated for life. To start a family if you choose.”

Nahuel’s face took on a relaxed expression as his eyes clouded over turning white. “This pairing is blessed by Spirit.” As Sadie and Brett held hands, Nahuel began to braid the four strings together. “I join your souls as one. May you have no secrets from one another. I join your souls as one. May you protect one another until death. I join your souls as one. May you respect each other as equals, regardless of pack rank. I join your souls as one. May fertility be bestowed upon your family. I join your souls as one. May you love each other for the rest of your long, long lives. It is done, so be it.” The braid was complete and the entire altar was coated in fine mist. Sadie and Brett stared into each other’s eyes and silent tears began to fall on their cheeks.

It was a beautiful moment to witness.

Kai leaned in to whisper in my ear. “They say during the mating ceremony that Spirit shows you everything about your mate, so there are no secrets. Your past, your faults, your strengths. It is said to bring the couple even closer together and is what bonds them for life. It’s ten times what you felt when you first looked at me as a wolf.”

A tear sprung up in my eye. It was beautiful. I remembered what I was shown when I first realized Kai was my mate. To see more, I couldn’t imagine. What Nahuel had said and the tears falling down Sadie’s cheeks. It was all so beautiful. I turned and looked into Kai’s eyes. ‘I love you.’ Something else passed between us in that look and he smiled so big that all of his teeth showed.

The entire ride home consisted of Kai and me arguing in my head. I think his mother knew what was going on because I could see her staring at us in the rear view mirror.

Kai was pestering me to tell him more about why he smelled magic on me and suspected the Shaman of something. I kept telling him we would talk about it when we got home and I didn’t want to give him details in front of his family.

‘Did he put magic on me? Did he threaten you? If so, then I don’t want to drive home without having a talk with him,’ Kai roared.

I sighed.

“Fine! He stopped time and told me that Spirit had crazy plans for me because a war with the vampires is coming! He was warning me, okay?  Happy?” I screamed in the car, making Diya jump.

Kai’s knuckles went white while his mother leaned forward. “Tell us what he said about the vampires, dear,” she coaxed me.

Kai shook his head.  ‘No.’

“I’m sorry, mother, but you are not pack. I need to protect my pack and my mate. I will learn of what was said and decide if I want to share it with other packs.” There was a finality in his voice. The Alpha had spoken. His mother sat back and lowered her head in a submissive gesture. I chewed on my lip, feeling bad.

‘See? I told you!’ I shouted into Kai’s mind. ‘Why did you push me?’

‘When we get home, I want you to replay every single word that the Shaman spoke to you.’

I sighed. It was already past midnight. This was going to be a long night.

***

I woke up groggy and unrested. Kai and I had been up until dawn arguing about what the Shaman had told me. He wanted to take the apache tear from me thinking it was spelled and he didn’t want me having it. I kept it anyway. He was unsettled with what had been said. He didn’t want me coming out to the werewolves; he didn’t like the idea of me being downloaded with hundreds of mate pairings. He said for the first time in his life he felt helpless to protect someone.

I rolled over, his half of my bed was empty. I sighed. After showering and getting dressed, I made my way into the kitchen.  A bunch of the pack members had come over to say goodbye to Diya, Jai, and Maya.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked Kai.

He kissed the top of my head. “I was just about to. I figured you needed the rest. Pack barbeque before my family leaves. It will be the first barbeque with the entire pack. Everyone is coming in from Portland.”

I smiled and turned around quickly when I felt a small tug on my finger. It was Violet. We had all become enamored with Isabelle’s children.

“Is it true you are a veterinarian? I want to be a veterinarian, too!” she shouted. I smiled picking her up and placing her on my hip.

“I’m a veg-e-tarian but I’m sure you will make a wonderful vet-er-i-narian.” I said the two different words slowly.

The girl giggled and touched my nose. “You’re pretty,” she told me. I could feel Kai’s eyes on me.

“You’re prettier,” I told her back, nudging her nose with mine.

“You will make a wonderful mother,” Kai’s mother said as she sat next to me and Violet. I met Kai’s eyes and blushed. I wanted children. I always had but not if they would be born into an unsafe world. I wouldn’t have children selfishly. I didn’t want my daughter to be hunted by vampires as I was. I sighed. I don’t know. But the thought of having a child with my nose and Kai’s eyes, with both of our strong spirits. It made my belly flutter.

Isabelle, who we now affectionately called Izzy, came and grabbed Violet from me. “Is she bothering you? She has been asking me all morning to come and see you.”

I smiled. “It would be impossible for her or Connor to bother me,” I told her.

She laughed. “Okay, then I will send them both your way the next time they have a tantrum about eating their vegetables.”

We all laughed. Izzy seemed to have come out of her shell. I knew all too well what that kind of trauma did to dampen your spirit. She had bounced back with her family by her side. Tristan was working a 24-hour shift at the local fire station. Her whole family had settled well into the move from Portland to Mount Hood.

We made our way outside. The rest of the pack had arrived. 107 members in all, including Tristan and the children.

Kai jumped up onto a picnic table and addressed the crowd. “Weekly pack barbecues are mandatory, as well as daily training sessions. We can train apart in smaller groups, but once a week we train together as a family. I have some exciting news to share with you.” Kai nodded to Emma who tipped her head back at him.

“Emma is pregnant.”

The pack roared with excitement, clapping and cheering. Emma blushed and held her stomach.

“We have been blessed with more members. Soon Violet and Connor won’t be the only children running around the mountain. Our family is growing and I am honored to welcome two new family members. My blood sister and brother, Diya and Jai, will be joining our pack after Trent and Diya wed.” More clapping as Trent gave Diya a kiss.

“This coming weekend, Aurora and I will have to travel to the Annual Alpha Council meeting. I will be leaving the rest of you to protect Emma and the young. When we get back, there will be much to discuss.”

He looked at me.

‘Council meeting?’ I asked him. ‘When were you going to tell me?’

‘I don’t want to bring you. It’s not safe. But every Alpha and their second must be in attendance. I think this is where Spirit will give you the pairings. I think you will expose yourself at this conference and I am helpless to stop it.’

My blood ran cold. Hundreds of Alphas and their seconds all in one place? That’s why Kai was so mad last night when I told him what the Shaman said. If that’s when I had this massive downloading vision, I would have no other choice but to expose myself. It was scary but it also might be brilliant. It might be the only way to keep the werewolves from turning against me. I could tell from the look on Kai’s face that he would do everything in his power to keep me from going.

Protect

The next week was spent training hard. I pressured Kai and he told me more about this council meeting. Once a year, Alphas and their seconds got together to talk about werewolf law, territory, hand down judgments and most importantly talk about mating and the issues with our dwindling race. This year, it was held in Canada. Hundreds of our kind would converge on a four-star werewolf-owned hotel and carryout the weekend like a business conference.

An Alpha and his second were mandated to attend. Kai pleaded with the council to allow him to bring Max instead of me since I wasn’t exactly caught up on werewolf politics but it was forbidden. I must attend. I wasn’t sure whether to be scared or excited.

Something had been bugging me all week. I hadn’t talked to Sylvia since I last saw her and she had offered to open me up to my powers as a witch. I approached Kai in our small training room downstairs, he was lifting weights. Sweat gleaned on his muscles. He was alone.

“I want to see Sylvia about opening myself up to my witch powers,” I blurted out. I never was good with keeping secrets.

Kai finished his rep and placed the weights slowly on the ground. He wiped his face clean and looked at me.

“Why?” he asked.

“I know you want me to be one hundred percent werewolf, but I’m not. I want to explore this part of myself. It might help me one day if I get into trouble. I could protect myself better.” I chewed my lip. I also had a super curious personality and the thought of doing a spell excited me.

“Okay.” He sighed, sounding defeated. “I agree it might help you if you were to have more tools in your arsenal.”

Really, no big fight? “Thank you for understanding.”  I gave him a kiss and left to call Sylvia.

***

Sylvia had requested privacy, much to Kai’s dissatisfaction. We were in a dense part of the woods a few miles from the house. Sylvia had a large blanket spread out with a bunch of crystals, herbs and a large, worn book.

I sat there nervously while she set up. “So, I heard you had a run in with the vampires?” she asked coyly.

“We did. There were three. I killed one.” I tried not to react to the look of shock that quickly passed over her face. She didn’t think I was capable of killing a vampire? Or she thought it was dangerous for me?

Sylvia nodded. “And are you okay with that? I mean, it must have been scary.”

I nodded. “It was, but it was them or me, so I’m fine with defending my life and protecting my family.”

Sylvia smiled. That seemed to be the right thing to say. “Good. Now, when I remove this spell that has been encasing your energy, you will have full use of your witch powers. You will need to train with me in order to learn how to use them. Your lineage is strong and with proper practice, you could become a High Priestess like me. I have spoken to the rest of my coven. Even though this is unusual, we would like to invite you to join our coven, when you are ready and if you want to. We understand you will be a part of Kai’s pack and consider yourself a werewolf but if you would also consider, we would like you to inherit your place as a witch in our coven.”

I wanted to, badly, but I knew Kai wasn’t exactly comfortable with my witch blood. I had always been an avid fantasy reader. One book series I liked was about a witch clan. They had different colored candles for different spells. I ached to know if this was true now that I knew witches were real.

“I will talk to Kai and think about it,” I told her honestly.

She nodded. “You know me simply as Sylvia. You can do me little harm without knowing my full Given name.”

“Given name?” I inquired.

Sylvia nodded. “When I release your powers I will name you. Your full magical Given name must be kept between the two of us. It’s a name given by Spirit through me and will enhance your powers. If someone were to know this full name, they could also hold great power over you.”

I swallowed hard. I guess I had to trust that Sylvia wouldn’t try to hold great power over me. As if she knew what I was thinking, she smiled.

“The person who names you can never use your full name for bad intentions. Are you ready?”

I nodded.

Sylvia threw her hands up to the sky. “I call on my great ancestors, my coven, the Great Spirit. Gods and Goddesses and all those who come in the white Light. I claim Aurora Maiden Whitefeather as a magic wielder. With intent to protect her, Aurora’s witch powers were hidden.” A wind picked up and tossed Sylvia’s hair in the breeze. Her eyes turned white. “I release her powers now!  Break down all barriers, Great Spirit, and let her fully walk in her life path. I claim her powers for the Light!”  She placed her hands on my head.

It felt like a lightning bolt had struck me. I was knocked forward on the blanket and my eyes began to water. Electricity ran down my spine. My nerves were on fire. White mist flowed out from my pores; it was everywhere. It climbed across the grass, up the trees. Sylvia watched in fascination.

“My stars. I haven’t seen this much magic come from any one person in my entire magical life.”

I was panting, my palms out flat on the grass.

‘What’s wrong? I’m coming,’ Kai sent.

I couldn’t let him see me like this. He would kill Sylvia for hurting me.

‘No. I’m fine. Stay where you are,’ I told him. I could feel his hurt through the pack bond. He didn’t reply.

Sylvia bent down to my level. “Just breathe. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it would be like this. You have been storing so much magic, it all just… exploded when I released it.”

I breathed in and out, slowly. I felt less dizzy now and sat up. “Why do I have so much magic? I’m a half breed. Shouldn’t I be half as powerful?” I queried between ragged breaths.

Sylvia chewed on her nail, deep in thought. “I don’t think you were born this powerful. I don’t remember this much magic in you when you were a baby. Now that my memories have been given back to me, I have spent a lot of time thinking.”

“So what is this?” I gestured to the mist surrounding us.

“We have never seen a witch who is turned into a werewolf. Yes, we are immune to werewolf and vampire bites. We just die but we don’t change. Because your mother had you turned human before the first full moon of your life and because she had your witch powers hidden, you were simply a human. Then Kai changed you. Changed wolves, as you know, have a very different power structure than wolf-born. I think when Kai changed you, it ignited and enhanced your witch powers, only we couldn’t see it because they were still hidden but never truly went away.”

I put my head in my hands. “I’m such a freak.” I pulled my long hair into a high ponytail just to busy my shaking hands.

“You’re not a freak. You’re special.” Sylvia smiled.

Same thing I thought, but she was trying to be nice so I returned her smile.

“The fact that you can see the mist, which is what magic looks like, tells me you are already a very strong witch. That day in Kai’s study when you saw the mist, I was a bit in shock, really. Only very trained witches can see magic. Most witches just smell or sense it half the time. That will give you an advantage in defending yourself against magic users.”

“Great,” I said sarcastically. I had been wanting to ask her something since my conversation with the Shaman. “Sylvia, why do witches do business with vampires if they are so bad?”

She smoothed her long auburn hair over one shoulder. “There are white witches, like me, and dark witches. White witches do spells to help people, this sometimes requires vampire blood. In return, we help the vampires with simple spells. Spells to increase their strength, to heal their human blood slaves, to find a lost object. Dark witches do very bad things in return for blood payment. But witches are neutral, we serve all. We do business with humans, vampires and werewolves. That’s our place.”

“If there came a time to choose between being on the side of the vampires or the side of the werewolves, do you think the witches would choose?” I asked her, trying not to let the fear show in my voice.

Her eyebrows pinched in concern. “Is there something I should know, Aurora?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.” I was trying to be truthful.

“Humans have persecuted witches for hundreds of years. They fear what they do not know. They have always been the weak race and yet there is something beautiful about their short and passionate lifespans. They are so helpless. I guess if something ever happened to where witches had to choose, my clan would side with the humans and whoever protected them.” She placed her hand over mine and I nodded. That’s what I needed to hear.

“Call me if you have questions about your new abilities. Think about what I said, about joining my clan. We do a weekly spell casting and meditation that I would love for you to be a part of. But I understand this is all overwhelming. Just take some time.”

I wasn’t sure time would help. I helped her gather her things and made my way back to the house.

I saw Sylvia off and then I walked inside. Kai was sitting in a reading chair with an old book. He took a deep breath. “You smell different.” He quirked his head to the side.

I smelled my arm. “Should I shower?”

Kai smirked. “No, your natural scent. You smell like a witch.” The way he said it didn’t sound like a good thing.

“Oh, yeah, about that.” I sat on his lap as he played with the texture on my jeans. I told him what happened with Sylvia and that she invited me to join her clan.

“You want to be a witch and a werewolf?” His voice was deadpan but I knew he wasn’t happy about this.

“I want to be who I am.”

His resolve broke. “I love who you are. If that means you are a witch, then so be it, just don’t do any weird magic on me.”

I kissed him, running my fingers through his thick hair.

“And don’t steal my hair,” he added.

We both laughed at that. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in, Max,” Kai bellowed. I inhaled through my nose. Yep, it was Max. I was still amazed at my new werewolf abilities.

Max peeked his head in. “Ready?”

Kai looked at me. “Yes.” He stood. “I’m running an errand with Max. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He winked at me.

“Okay, I’ll go check on Emma.” I followed them out and headed over to Emma’s. Even though she wasn’t that far along yet, the entire pack had been going over to Emma’s to help her cook or clean so that she didn’t strain herself. She didn’t argue but I could tell she didn’t want to be babied too much. We couldn’t help it. Our first pup would be born to one of our most cherished and submissive wolves. The instinct to protect her was overwhelming.

Yes

Today was the grand opening for the new Gresham location of Safe Haven. Now that we had the Portland territory, it didn’t seem necessary, but Kai assured me he still wanted to invest the money in the cause. I had hired my mother to manage the Portland location and offered her a nice salary. This should get her out of that crappy trailer. Kai was a genius when it came to running a business. He had paid for billboards to attract donations and now we had blankets, clothing and water bottles flooding our two sites. We also had large businesses donating money and volunteers. The center was practically running itself on donations.

As Kai exited the freeway to the new Safe Haven location, I could see a line around the block. Woman and children clutched pillow cases and teddy bears.

“My God.” Kai breathed.

My heart hammered in my chest. There must be thirty families waiting on the street. A few were peering in the glass doors. A large sign above the converted high school read, ‘Grand opening, Safe Haven.’ There were news vans and reporters. Seeing the little girl with her teddy bear brought back too many haunting memories. I shook them off. These women and children needed us.

A few cars full of pack members followed us. I didn’t expect such a big turn out the first day. Before Kai had put the car in park, I jumped out of the car and headed towards the door. Kai was right behind me and some of the woman backed away and looked down, fearful of his large stature.

“Welcome to Safe Haven, everyone!” I shouted to the crowd as a news camera was shoved in my face.

“You are safe now. You may stay here as long as you need to and there is no charge. Please come in.” Kai began to open the doors.

The camera went to capture a shot of the crowd entering when Kai plucked the camera out of the man’s hand and pointed it towards the floor.

“Some of these women have left abusive situations and that abusive person will be looking for them. You are not to film the women and children’s faces, only the volunteers and the facility. Do you understand me?”

The reporter had caught up to the camera man and they both nodded nervously to Kai.

The pack helped the women and children get settled into their rooms and began handing out water bottles, hygiene kits and welcome packets. This was so much bigger than I had ever imagined. I was overwhelmed with joy. This was good work.

Kai had warned me that the upcoming elder’s conference would be hard. There would be a lot of dominant males and very few women. Also, I was technically unmated so that would play a part. But today I didn’t care, in this moment, as I saw the little children jumping on the bunk beds in their new rooms, the mothers trying to cover their bruises with their hair, I knew I was doing good. If I died now, I would have left my positive mark on the world.

Logistics were set. The pack would take shifts guarding Safe Haven from any abusive persons looking for their family. We would all rotate teaching self-defense classes, to whoever wanted them, in the multipurpose gym. Kai had also set up a job fair for once a month for the jobless women to try to get back on their feet. It was more than my mother and I had when we tried to leave my dad dozens of times. In the end, it was death that parted us from my father. Luckily, not mine or my mother’s. I shivered thinking of that night.

“You okay?” Kai asked me. We had been driving home in silence. I was reflecting on the day. I reached over to grab his hand.

“I’m more than okay. I’m happy,” I assured him, smiling.

He grinned. “Good.”

He cleared his throat. “I knew opening Safe Haven would bring in women and children that came from abuse but… I don’t think I was prepared for what I saw today. I wanted to make them all a part of our pack so that I could take care of them and protect them. That one little girl had a bruise in the mark of a hand on her arm. Did you see that? I could kill whoever did that to her!”

I nodded. “That’s why I opened Safe Haven in the first place. So many women are dreaming up the day they can walk out of their abusive situations but they don’t have the money or the guts. At least we can give them a place to stay and some food on their tables.” I shrugged.

“We will give them more than that.” Kai turned to look at me. I held his gaze. “We will give them futures.” That’s when I knew, without a doubt, this man was made for me and I for him.

By the time we pulled up to the house it was dark out. I jumped out of the car and was halfway to the door when Kai spoke behind me.

“Wanna go for a run?” he asked.

I spun around grinning. “Yes.”

Kai looked nervous. He was fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He brushed me off and shifted quickly, dashing into the forest. Okay. Weirdo. I stripped down and shifted, taking off after him. He had confided to me earlier that he was nervous to take me to the council meeting. Hell, I was nervous myself! If my suspicion was correct, I was going to have a pretty crazy time there having visions of hundreds of mates and revealing my gift to the werewolf community. But Kai had become my rock, not just my Alpha but my mate. I needed him not to be weird. I needed him normal. To think of it, he had been weird all day.

I couldn’t see him anywhere. I picked up his scent near a cluster of pine trees and darted between them. I went around the back side of our property near Emma and Devon’s house. None of the pack members had backyard fences. We all roamed each other’s property freely. I was about to call out for Kai when I came out into a clearing and saw hundreds of tea lights. A soft blue blanket covered the ground and a picnic dinner had been set up. Kai had shifted to human form and changed into clothes. I gave him a wolfish grin. Music played softly from a cd player.

“Shift and then change. I brought you some clothes.” He had turned his back to give me privacy. This was super romantic. I thought he was acting weird and he was trying to surprise me with a picnic date. I shifted and slipped into the short red dress he had picked out from my closet. I walked barefoot over to him and wrapped my arms around him from behind. He spun around and I saw a small navy blue velvet box in his hands. My heart started pulsing wildly. My breath hitched.

“Aurora, that night that you got into the car accident was the worst and best night of my life. When I saw you lying there on the road bleeding out, you looked so innocent and beautiful. I couldn’t imagine you dying. When I changed you, I feared you wouldn’t survive. When you survived, I feared you would be someone else’s mate. I have felt pulled to you since I first saw you and now I know why. You are my soul mate. I know you haven’t had the best view of men but I will never hurt you. I will always protect you. Your passions will become mine. I will support you in whatever you do. I respect that you want to take things slowly but I will go crazy if you don’t say you will marry me. Marry me now, marry me in ten years, but please tell me you will marry me?”

Tears were streaming down my face. I looked down at his hands which held a large circle cut diamond ring.

“Yes! I will marry you,” I croaked out and then laughed. He picked me up and spun me around. He kissed me then sat me down.

“Not in ten years, right?” he prodded.

I smiled. “How about three months?”

Alpha

I woke up the day of the council meeting and immediately my eyes flew to my left hand. There it was. Oh my God, I was getting married. I heard a light snore next to me. Kai looked so calm when he was asleep, almost submissive.

His eyes opened. “Morning, fiancé.” He smiled.

“How did you sleep?” I queried.

“Better than I have in decades.” He rolled on top of me and we kissed.

After a few minutes I pushed him off. “We have a plane to catch.”

***

“And don’t look the council members in the eyes,” Kai drilled into me.

“Okay.”

“And don’t take your ring off. You are mine,” he lightly chastised.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, okay, okay.” Kai had been drilling me with rules for the council meeting. We were 10,000 feet in the air and I was nervous enough. I hadn’t had any visions since Diya and Trent’s mate vision. Still, the Shaman’s words echoed in my mind. Kai said the council members were made up of the oldest, strongest, most dominant werewolves in the world. Their word was law. Their packs were made up of enforcers that could wipe you out of existence. I shuttered. They better not come for me or my pack. My inner wolf agreed. Most nerve wracking of all, his father was one of the council members.

***

‘NAWAC’ – the sign read. We were standing at the entrance of a fancy four star hotel. Hundreds of werewolves were pushing past us into the revolving doors.

‘North American Werewolf Alpha Council,’ Kai sent to me. We entered the building and I noticed people started staring at me and were breathing in deeply.

“Shit, I forgot,” Kai swore and put a protective hand on my lower back.

“What?” I asked as more and more people began to look my way.

‘You smell like a witch. Werewolves don’t like witches.’

Kai started walking faster until we were at the doors of the large conference room. Two large men flanked each side of the door. One inhaled deeply.

“We don’t allow her kind in here, brother, you know that,” the man told Kai.

Kai’s face took on a menacing look. I shifted part of my face to a werewolf and made a low growl.

“She’s my mate,” Kai said with Alpha infused magic.

The man looked at me confused but shook it off opening the door with his head bowed.

The room was huge. Hundreds of chairs had been set up, all facing a stage where the twelve council members sat. Eleven were male and one was female. They all wore hardened expressions and sat a few feet apart. They radiated power. I could see mist hovering just above their skin like an aura. These were powerful wolves. As if they saw me looking, they glanced my way. I picked out Kai’s father immediately. Was that pride in his eyes? I quickly looked to the ground as I remembered Kai’s advice not to make eye contact but I could feel their eyes on me.

“Hey strangers.” A familiar voice snapped me out of my trance.

Shamus and his second approached Kai and I. When Shamus reached me he stopped.

“Kai, with all due respect, why does Aurora smell like a full-blown witch?” Shamus looked around the room and almost every eye was on us.

Kai started breathing heavy. “This was a bad idea. We’re leaving.” He grabbed my arm to leave when a voice boomed from the stage.

“Kai, you dare bring a witch into one of our sacred council meetings? You know better!”

Kai spun around and faced the council member. I stared at the man’s feet. “She is my mate!”

“She smells like a witch. She has you fooled. She’s done magic on you! Guards!” the man yelled. Kai and I must have been thinking the same thing because we both shifted into our wolf form at the same time. I shook my fur quickly to crawl out of my clothes. This was bad. Why had I talked to Sylvia about unleashing my witch powers? Stupid. Now I looked like some imposter. If these people wanted it done, we would be torn apart right here.

I could hear a gasp as people saw my wolf form.

The female council member stood.

“She’s a werewolf? Why does she smell of witch? She must have done a spell to take on a wolf’s form.”

‘Why isn’t your dad saying anything?’ I asked Kai.

‘Because I made him take the oath! He can’t talk about you without putting his whole pack at risk. We are on our own.’

Shamus approached the council and bowed his head lightly. “She is a werewolf. One of Kai’s wolves, Sadie, recently joined my pack and I have seen her thoughts. Sadie was there when Aurora survived the change. Aurora has the protection of me and my pack. Look for another explanation of why she smells of witch.” There was a subtle threat laced into his voice. His second took up a stance in front of me as Shamus flanked Kai’s right side. The guards had shifted and were surrounding us.

“You think if we wanted her dead that you four could stop it?” roared the female council woman.

She began to walk towards me. Kai growled and stood in front of me.

‘If anyone makes a move against us, I want you to run. You are fast, you can get out. They won’t expect it,’ he told me.

‘If anyone makes a move against us, I’m going to rip their head off. I’m not leaving you,’ I sent back to him.

The council member stood a few feet from Kai.

“Kai, I thought better of you. You are such a wise and powerful wolf. We have asked you thrice to join the council and thrice you have denied us. It would be a shame to dispose of you.”

I growled deeply and prepared to pounce. No one was disposing of my mate.

Kai’s father stepped forward. “She’s a werewolf!” he roared. I could feel power radiating off of him. Would he fight for us?

The council woman looked back over her shoulder at him. “Don’t protect your son. Has she bewitched you, too? I know what I smell! My nose does not lie.”

I looked the council woman in the eyes. I didn’t care if it was against the rules. This bitch needed to know she wasn’t hurting my family; no one was. The second I locked eyes with her, her face fell. She stumbled back in shock. That’s when the vision hit me.

‘Oh shit, bad timing,’ I muttered before collapsing in weakness. The council woman’s name was Jane and she was lonely. A lifetime of loneliness had made her bitter. When she rose to a position of council woman, it had satisfied her to a certain degree but she yearned for more. She yearned for a mate and children. She had many lovers but nothing compared to the bond you had with a mate. She knew something was missing and I knew where her mate was. And every other persons mate in this room. It was painful. My visions had never hurt before. This one crippled me. My head threatened to explode. I heard Kai whine.

I was vaguely aware of Jane approaching me and Kai growling.

“At ease, wolf. She is one of us. I see that now. What is happening to her?” she asked Kai. Was that concern in her voice?

Kai took a deep breath. “She’s a Matefinder,” There was a collective gasp of the surrounding wolves, “And with all due respect, if you touch her, I will kill you.”

In my vision I could see the councilwoman’s mate playing cards with his fellow pack members in a small pack in Utah. He was a mid-level pack member with a nice smile. Then I saw her wedding and later, her laughing children running through the snow. I became aware of energy signatures. Each wolf in this building had different energy. I was out of my body now. I could see my wolf lying on the floor shaking as Kai whined. My soul walked around to each wolf and touched their face or looked into their eyes. With each contact I was given the exact location of their mate. If they were already mated, I moved on. Sometimes, I was given multiple people in their pack’s mate location. An hour must have gone by. I made my way back to my body. Kai was human and half dressed. My wolf form lay in his lap and he stroked my fur. There was a crowd now. Jane sat patiently in human form a few feet from my body. Just as I was going to fall back into my body, I heard a wind chime behind me and I turned towards the noise.

The Shaman Nahuel was standing a few feet from me.

“Trust your people with the truth. It’s all you have to protect you. The war has begun. The future you see in your visions can change. The future is always changing. Emma may not survive long enough to see her pup born. You may not survive long enough to wed Kai. Now more than ever, the wolves are on the brink of extinction. The vampires have waged war.” He raised his hand and bowed his head and then he was gone.

“Aurora! You come back to me this instant!” Kai was screaming now. I fell into my body all at once and woke up. I immediately began to shift into human form. Jane threw a tablecloth over me.

I looked at Jane. “I know who your mate is,” I told her and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

“Is this a sick joke? The Matefinder is dead. She’s a witch.” A council member screamed on the stage.

Jane extended her hand and looked at Kai. “Let me use my power on her. To make them see.”

I looked at Kai confused.

“She’s a Projector,” he told me. “She can project your vision to anyone’s mind. She will be able to see inside your head. You won’t be able to keep anything from her. Makes for a useful gift when interrogating people.” Kai mumbled the last part.

She would know I was part witch. She would know there was a war starting with the vampires. She would know everything about my past. I looked in her eyes and saw a kindness there. She wanted to believe me, she wanted to find her mate. I had to trust her.

I reached for her hand. The second my skin touched hers, I felt her presence in my mind and that’s when it became too much. My body became heavy and a blackness hit me as I crumbled into Kai’s waiting arms.

Emma

I came to and was aware of whispering. I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying on a bed in a hotel room. The council members surrounded me, and Kai was inches from my face as usual. I had a splitting headache.

“Ten hours.” Kai breathed, and his eyes turned yellow.

I grabbed my head. “Huh?”

“You were unconscious for ten hours. Don’t ever do that again,” he scolded.

“I don’t plan on it. Talk softly. My head is killing me.”

Jane stepped forward. “Aurora, I saw everything. I projected your vision of the mates to the wolves in attendance here today. I withheld any knowledge of the Shaman’s prophecy about the vampire war. That, I have only shared with the council.”

She pulled at the hem of her shirt anxiously.

Kai’s face looked strained. His father wore an angry expression. I tuned into our pack bond and felt something… Rage.

I sat up straighter. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

Kai held my hand softly. He spoke through gritted teeth. “While we were away here at the conference, the vampires kidnapped a female from our pack. It happened right after you collapsed.”

“No!” I screamed, and my blood ran cold. “Who is it? Who did they take?”

I knew before the word left his mouth. I could feel her energy through the pack bond. Fear.

“Emma,” he whispered.

I started to sob. How dare they! She was pregnant. She was ours! The lamp on the side table near the bed suddenly exploded. Everyone flinched except for me. My chest was rising and falling as I tried to contain my rage. A fine mist leaked out from my pores. The vampires were sending us a message. They were sending ME a message. How dare they take a pregnant female from MY pack. I felt murderous. A painting flew off of the wall and crashed to the floor.

“Aurora!” Kai barked. I looked up. Two of the council members had shifted into their wolf forms and the rest regarded me fearfully. Kai’s father was the only one who looked intrigued. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Take me home, Kai. We need to get Emma back.”

***

The second we landed at the airport in Portland, Kai was on his phone. The pack had been frantically following vampire scents all day but it hadn’t led to much. They found a few well known vampire bars and covens, but none that had Emma. She was taken from her home. Max and Devon nearly died trying to protect her. They were still recovering.

We pulled our car up to the house. The entire pack was there. We had pulled in all of our peripheral wolves and every wolf from Portland. We had received a call from Shamus that he would send some of his wolves to help us get Emma back. Kai stood on a picnic table in the backyard and addressed the pack.

“Someone has been taken from us today and we will not rest until she is back home. A pregnant female member of the pack is the most cherished, the most loved. The vampires have sent a message. They intend to wipe out our race.”

The wolves shouted out in rage. A few shifted and howled.

“That isn’t going to happen. I protect what is mine and Emma is MINE! She is yours!” Kai roared and his Alpha magic rippled through the pack bond sending a murderous rage with it. I had to fight the urge to shift. My wolf wanted out. I had to find Emma. I could vaguely feel her through the bond and what I felt wasn’t good. If they hurt her, if she lost her baby… I couldn’t even think about it.

An idea crossed my mind. I broke into a run as Kai shouted my name. I ran from the backyard and towards Emma’s house and burst through the door. I went into the bathroom she shared with Devon and found what I was looking for, her hairbrush. The tiny red hairs gave me hope.

***

Sylvia came the second I called. She didn’t come alone. She brought two other witches with her. Shamus had driven from Seattle with his wolves and we all gathered around our living room.

I approached Sylvia. “The vampires have taken a pregnant female member from our pack. We have to find her. I have Emma’s hairbrush. I want you to do a spell to find her location.”

Sylvia looked calm but the other two witches seemed nervous.

Sylvia nodded. “This morning we were sent a message from the vampires as well. They told us they were waging war with the wolves and if we interfered, they would burn our coven to the ground. Similar messages were given to other covens across the country.”

Kai nodded. “We understand if you need to protect your coven.”

Sylvia smiled. “Threatening to burn a witch doesn’t exactly make us like you. Vampires have always acted above us. They think they are the strongest race. Our coven will help you and any other wolf packs in need.”

I stared at the two witches she brought with her. “And do you agree?”

The older of the two nodded. “I won’t lie. I sense trouble for our coven if we help you. Witches are supposed to be neutral. But what’s neutral about watching an entire supernatural race get wiped out? Who will protect the humans if the wolves are gone? We must take a side, even if we don’t live to see the results.”

Sylvia’s eyes flared white. “We will live. Everyone always underestimates a witch.” The hairs on my arms stood at her statement. Kai looked at me thoughtfully.

Sylvia grabbed the brush from me. She spread out a map of the United States and pulled a pendulum from a black velvet sack. One of the witches walked around the room pouring a circle of white salt in a ring, encasing the wolves and witches inside. Sylvia pulled a few hairs from the brush and wound them around the pendulum. She turned to Kai. “I need powerful blood for this spell.”

He extended his arm and she sliced him, taking a few small drops onto the point of a sharp, clear crystal.

The three witches stood in a semi-circle, holding hands around the map.

“This casting is blessed. Protect us from harm or prying eyes. With the power of three, I invoke thee!” Mist poured out of the three witches’ hands and I inched forward. There was a circle of mist hovering above the map.

Sylvia took a deep breath and chanted. “A wrong has been done, help us make it right. Find this girl, on this night. The vampires stole her from her bed, we offer these hairs from her head. Point out her location, show us now. Help us find her, show us how!”

She hovered the pendulum over the map and it spun wildly. The witches were holding hands in a circle above the map. The last witch had a hand resting on Sylvia’s shoulder to complete the circle while she held the pendulum. Mist was starting to move in a funnel above the witches’ heads.

“We’re being blocked,” Sylvia grumbled.

“Dark witches aid these vampires. Black magic keeps their location secret,” another witch said.

“No!” I shouted and the mist started seeping out of my skin. This wasn’t happening. Emma would be the first werewolf in our pack to have a child. She brought so much hope and happiness to this pack. She was such a sweet person. She had become my best friend. We weren’t giving up that easy.

Sylvia’s eyes met mine and something unspoken passed between us. I walked towards the circle and placed my hand inside Sylvia’s and held the pendulum with my other. I felt another hand clasp over my shoulder. The new circle was complete.

“Emma is ours. We’re not giving up on her. She’s a good person and no amount of dark magic can conceal her from me!” I shouted.  A blast of mist shot out of my hand and the spinning pendulum stilled. I heard the wolves suck in a breath and I glanced over to Kai.

He looked disappointed.

‘I’m still a werewolf. I’m just a witch, too,’ I told him. He pursed his lips and nodded.

I looked down to where the pendulum was pointing: Los Angeles, California. “Gotcha,” I said. If she was hurt, heads would roll. Who was I kidding? Heads would roll either way.

Just then, I saw the face of a dark-haired witch in my mind’s eye. I grabbed my head and shrieked. Sylvia broke the circle and tossed the pendulum into a pile of white salt. “Be gone!” she shouted and the pressure in my head eased. The dark-haired witch was gone from my mind.

***

Kai and Shamus stood together addressing their packs. Everyone had come together in an effort to go after Emma. Kai had ordered forty-five wolves to stay back and protect the territory. If this was a trap, we didn’t want any more wolves getting taken while we were gone. Sadie was out of town on her honeymoon. Kai tried to get me to stay back but I insisted on going. Devon was healing nicely and Kai allowed him to go. Kai went into the basement and returned with two large duffle bags. He unzipped them and pulled out a crossbow, silver stakes, and various other weapons.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed. “You’ve had these this entire time?”

Kai nodded. “We have never needed them before. Vampires and werewolves generally leave each other alone. Guess we will be carrying them more often.”

He began tossing them out to select wolves in the pack. He gave a bag to Shamus. “I want half the rescue party to be human with weapons and half on all fours. These bloodsuckers will pay for taking Emma.”

Duff

We were on the way to the airport, seventy-six wolves in all. Kai had his hand protectively on my thigh. I played with my engagement ring that I had strung on a silver chain around my neck. When I had shifted at the council meeting, it had fallen to the ground, later retrieved by Kai. I didn’t want that to happen again. Most of the mated wolves had rings around their necks and tattooed rings on their fingers. Since I was immune to silver, I thought it might make a nice secondary weapon.

“If I could lock you up in the closet and leave you behind, I would. But then you wouldn’t trust me and I couldn’t live with that,” Kai told me.

I glanced at him and took a deep breath. He smelled so good.

“We’re getting Emma back, together,” was all I said. Truth was, I had a horrible feeling. There was a pit in my stomach and something told me we should turn back.

“With all of the flying we have been doing, I might invest in a plane. Luke has his pilot’s license.”

We had pulled around to a private entrance of the airport, where the private planes were kept. One of Shamus pack members was going to sneak all of our weapons on our private chartered jet. We dropped the bags off with him and made our way to the main entrance. It was late and this part of the airport was all but deserted. A man in a nice suit approached us asking for our names and the name of our private pilot. There were about fifteen SUVs in our party. I glanced in the rearview mirror at the line of cars behind me. As Kai rolled the window down, I got a whiff of something. Vampire. Kai must have smelled it too because instead of talking to the man, he gassed the car and charged the gate. The metal doors scraped against the car and I heard a thump on our roof. I glanced behind us to see dozens of vampires raining down on the cars from the roof of the airports small side building.

“What the hell! Can they fly?” I asked Kai as he swerved hard to the right and the vampire holding onto the roof of our car tumbled off. Kai, myself, Devon, Max, and Isabelle were all in our car.

“They can jump really high, kinda the same thing.” Kai got on his phone. He started speeding towards a long plane on the tarmac. The cars behind us made a barricade by parking themselves sideways to block the vampires from coming near the plane.

I looked at Kai. He nodded. We were going to have to save Emma alone. Just the five of us. “Go! Start down the runway!” he screamed to the pilot over his phone. Luckily Kai had told me the pilot for hire was a wolf or this might be hard to explain. The plane started rolling and Kai slammed on the breaks. We opened the doors and got out of the car and started running. The door to the plane opened and a stewardess put her arm out and lifted Izzy up into the plane. Next was Max and then Devon. Max reached his arm out for me and I was about to take it when I heard Kai scream. I turned around to see a vampire on Kai’s back; he was biting Kai’s neck. I shifted instantly and changed direction. Max was screaming my name as I lunged through the air and pulled the vampire off of Kai as he shifted into his wolf form. The vampire took one look at me and smiled. Then he glided into the air away from us and back into the bigger fight. What the hell? Since when do they run?

I could hear Max screaming now and looked to see the planes wheels just barely leave the tarmac about 100 feet away from us. The door was open. Kai and I shared a look. We took off running. I had never run so fast in my life. I almost tripped over my own paws, I was running so fast. I reached the plane first. With one giant leap, I lunged in through the small opening and scraped my back. I rolled and tumbled, smacking my shoulder into an interior seat.

I quickly moved out of the way as Kai soared through the air and landed hard. He whimpered but seemed okay. The vampire bite on his shoulder was bleeding. It oozed a blackish fluid. I began shifting back into my human form when I noticed that the female stewardess smelled like a human. She pulled a first aid kit from an upper cabinet and laid it in front of Kai. Once we had both shifted I looked at Max. “Get us some clothes. Did the weapons make it on the plane?”

Max nodded. “Weapons are here,” he told me and threw us some clothes.

I looked at Kai. “You got bit by a vampire. What does that mean?” I was hoping it didn’t mean what I thought it did.

He smiled. “Very painful. Will take a few days to heal. But I will be fine.”

I let out a relieved sigh.

I looked again at the stewardess. She didn’t seem fazed. She was making cups of ice for drinks.

“It’s okay, I’m a Duff,” the woman told me.

“A Duff?” I began to clean Kai’s wound.

The girl spoke up. “My parents are witches but I was born without magic, a lower class citizen in the witch world. I make my living by serving the supernatural community but I have no power.”

Oh.

Kai spoke to my mind. ‘Some dark witches put curses on other witches’ unborn children. These children are born without magic but are given the knowledge of the supernatural community.’

‘That’s horrible.’

He nodded.

Izzy spoke up. “So what the hell was that? Why didn’t we see them coming? Do you think the pack we left back at home are okay?”

Kai seemed to consider this. “I can sense the feelings of the wolves we left behind on the mountain. They are worried for Emma but not under attack. We left enough members back that they should be okay if the vampires do attack on the mountain. We know that territory better than anyone. Everyone will protect Tristan and the kids. Don’t worry.”

Izzy seemed assured at his words. Just then, we all felt it. One of our peripheral wolves, Joey, who had come to the airport with us, was killed. It was like a string was being pulled through my body and out of my heart. His pack essence was gone. Kai screamed and the stewardess dropped a glass which shattered everywhere.

The vampires were picking off our already small numbers one by one. We flew the rest of the way to Los Angeles in silence.

The stewardess handed Kai a satellite phone. “It’s the Los Angeles Alpha,” she told him.

Kai groaned. He hadn’t had time to stop and ask our permission for coming into his territory. Someone from the pack we left back must have called him. If he was calling us, it wasn’t good. Maybe he was denying us permission. Anger flared up inside me. I growled lightly. Kai silenced me with one look.

“Hello, Kristoff,” Kai grumbled into the phone. By his tone of voice it didn’t seem he thought this would be a good call, either. After a few seconds Kai sat up straighter. “Excuse me?”

I leaned in trying to listen but the noise from the plane was too loud.

“Well, we would appreciate that. Thank you. We should be landing shortly.” With that, he hung up.

We all stared at him, waiting.

“The Los Angeles Alpha will be sending a few cars and ten of his strongest men. They have sniffed out the vampire hide out and want to help us get Emma.”

Max made a low whistle.

Kai looked at me. “Werewolves usually keep to themselves and fight to death over protecting their territory. It seems now that they will do anything if it helps you, Aurora. Kristoff sends his thanks for finding his mate.”

I swallowed. “Whatever helps Emma.” I searched the pack bonds. She was still there but the connection was weak. If they drugged her or hurt her. I couldn’t even think about it!

‘I’ve tried to contact Emma multiple times. I’m being blocked,’ Kai told me, ‘so is Devon.’

It was that witch! The one who saw me looking for them. If I had trained with Sylvia maybe I could break through and reach Emma, give her hope. I tried to send her a message but felt nothing. I glanced over at Devon. He looked so lost.

“We are beginning our descent,” the pilot said over the speaker.

No witch, no vampire, no supernatural could hide Emma from us now. I could feel a blood-thirsty craze start to hum just under my skin. Emma was an innocent and she would be saved.

***

Sixteen was a good number. It was the year I got my freedom from my drunken father because I had gotten my license and an old beat up car. It was the amount of money I had in my bank account before I started Safe Haven. It was also the number of wolves we were about to barge into the vampire den with and save Emma. We had surrounded the old house on Melrose Ave and I could smell Emma inside. I also smelled witches and vampires. A lot of them. It was dusk out. I had been told on the ride over that dark witches did spells on powerful vampires to give them sunlight immunity, so attacking in the daytime didn’t increase our chances.

Kai turned to me now and placed a silver stake in my hand, it had a rubber grip to protect werewolf skin. “You’re a good fighter; you will be a bigger help to Emma in human form. You go in last.” It was a command but his eyes held a vulnerability. He was trying to protect me. As long as I helped get Emma out, I didn’t care. I nodded and gripped the cold stake in my hand. He began to shift and I took a deep breath. I had never been religious, what kind of God lets kids get abused? But I sent up a silent prayer now. Please let Emma be okay. Let her baby live.

Just then, the most haunting howl cut through the night and I saw Devon smashing through a side window in his wolf form. Kai followed right behind him. The fight had begun. I crept around the side of the house where one of the Los Angeles pack wolves had smashed in the front door. I heard hissing and screaming. Two vampires fled the front door on fire. Before I could take a step towards the front door, a cold hand clamped around my neck.

“Aurora, dear, thank you for coming. I am Layla, queen of the North American vampire clan. You should be honored to be in my presence,” a female voice said behind me. I wasted no time in acting. I grabbed her palm while throwing myself forward and flipping her over my back. But just as quickly, two heaving hands held my arms down and shoved my face into the dirt. The female I had thrown was crouched now and peering at me with her head tilted to the side. Her hair was strawberry blonde and fell to her waist in waves. She was pale and her eyes were black. Her fangs stuck out pressing on her bottom lip. She inhaled deeply and smiled. “You know, people that fight back always taste better.”

My heart was hammering inside my chest. I wanted to call for help but I didn’t want to take any help away from Emma.

“This was always a trap, wasn’t it?” I asked her. She knew my name. She seemed ready for me.

She smiled as I was jerked to my feet and made to stand.

“You were always the prize, yes. Your blood can give all of the vampire women in my command the power of fertility.”

My stomach dropped. No. ‘Kai!’

The dark witch that I had seen in my mind’s eye walked around from behind me. She smelled like witch and smoke, like clove cigarettes. She ran a bony hand through her long black hair and cackled. “I have blocked you from communicating with your pack. It’s just us.” A fine mist covered the both of us and I knew she was right. Layla, the vampire queen, smiled at the dark witch.

A black van turned the corner just then and came to a screeching halt behind us. Men dressed in all black military gear suspended from nearby trees and repelled down to street level. The vampires hissed. I took in a deep breath. Humans?

The humans advanced with silver pointed cross bows. I swallowed hard. They wore all black with a white symbol embroidered on their chest. They looked like hunters. Seasoned supernatural hunters.

‘Kai, run! Human hunters.’ I pushed the thought out with a little bit of what I hoped was magic. I saw mist leaving my body. I hoped the message went through.

A few of the humans raised their crossbows, just as the witch threw her hands in the air and black smoke exploded into my vision. I took in a huge breath and started coughing. I couldn’t see two feet in front of me. There was black smoke everywhere and it was burning my eyes. Someone grabbed me from behind and started pulling me backwards. I rammed my heel into what I thought might be a groin and was rewarded with a moan. Then I was hit with a hard object at the base of my skull and blackness took me.

RAIDOS

I came to with a raging headache. My mouth was dry and I was starving. I squinted at the bright lights and took in my surroundings. I was chained to a chair with silver chains. I was in a large room with rows and rows of bench-type seating. About ten people were sitting on benches but they stood now and aimed their crossbows at me. I was in the center of the room on a dais. It took me a second to realize I was in a church. A crazy thought struck me then. Would I burn alive? I looked down at my body. I guess not.

A man stepped forward. “Aurora?”

I swallowed, trying to figure out how I wanted to play this. They looked scared but they also look like they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.

“Yes, my name is Aurora. Who are you?”

He looked to a woman on his right and she nodded, seemingly giving him permission.

“We are from a special branch of the International Intelligence Community. Those who know of us, call us RAIDOS. Research And Intelligence Division On Supernaturals. Our mission has always been to gather intelligence on your kind. How much information you give us will determine if we let you live.”

I nodded and tried to keep my wolf from coming out. I could tell by the fact that they stepped back a few feet that I hadn’t succeeded. I knew my eyes were yellow. I took a deep breath. “Well, I have only been a supernatural for a few weeks. I was human for the first twenty-two years of my life.”

The woman placed a tape recorder in front of me. “If you answer all of our questions and we determine you are not a threat to the human race. We will let you go.”

I looked at her. I could tell from the way she was communicating with the other man that they were in a romantic relationship. “I feel it fair to warn you that the longer you keep me here, the more chance you have of encountering my mate. He will bring our entire werewolf pack and they will rip your fragile human bodies apart.”

She raised her crossbow and pointed it at me. “Don’t make threats.”

I leaned forward. “It was a warning. I cannot communicate with my mate because the witch did something to my pack bonds. But he WILL find me and he won’t ask questions. This church won’t keep them out.”

A few of the RAIDOS agents exchanged looks. A petite woman with short blonde hair stepped forward. “So you will answer our questions?”

My mother was human. I was human a month ago. Of course I wanted the human race to survive. But I also needed to protect my pack. I needed to give them information but not too much.

“Yes, unless I feel you shouldn’t be given certain information for the safety of my kind.”

The blonde woman nodded seeming to be okay with that answer. “My name is Dr. Tavern. I am the communications psychologist for RAIDOS. We have been tracking the three supernatural communities for about twenty-five years now. We have intercepted your phones, email, and anything we could, without getting too close to your homes for fear you could smell us. We know you are a werewolf and after listening in on the vampires’ conversations, that you may be able to help them have children. They wish to kill off your kind and take humanity under their ownership as blood slaves with their newly created spawn. So I guess the biggest question we have is, whose side are you on? The vampires or the humans?”

I decided a little humor was in order here. “Couldn’t you tell how much we werewolves love vampires by the way we stormed that house and started killing them?”

Her lips curled into the slightest smile.

“Werewolves protect humans. It’s always been this way. They kidnapped one of our pregnant females. We are here to get her back,” I told her.

She nodded as if she knew this.

“Why aren’t the silver chains hurting you? We have heard other wolves talk about silver incapacitating them.”

“Most wolves cannot handle silver. I am immune to its effects,” was all I said.

The psychologist nodded. “She is cooperating. Untie her. Give her water.”

The man who had approached me earlier seemed unsure but did as she asked. The second he unlocked my chains I could have shifted and jumped out of a nearby stained glass window. I didn’t. If a vampire war was coming then we needed allies. I only hoped it was possible to become allies with these people.

I rubbed my wrist and grabbed the water bottle.

“Thank you.”

Dr. Tavern nodded.

“You said you were human a few weeks ago. What happened? Do werewolves turn humans just to increase their numbers?”

“No, that is against werewolf law. I was in a bad car accident on Mount Hood. I was dying and my mate found me. He is an Alpha and he changed me, hoping I could survive.”

“Kai?” the psychologist asked.

Shit, they knew a lot. I suddenly felt very protective. I opened my pack bond but I couldn’t sense Kai. Did it not work if we were too far away?

The psychologist seemed to register my apprehension. “We have a drone that flies above Mount Hood. We have been watching Kai and his pack for a while. He does things differently. There are no fights in his pack. They don’t do anything illegal. He even pays his taxes.”

I breathed a little easier. “Yes, once Kai changed me, I found out he was my mate.”

The psychologist seemed to mull something over. “I like you, Aurora. You seem very caring, protective, and intelligent. Many of the same qualities we find in humans. I want you to answer this next question very, very honestly. Your life depends on it.”

I sat up straighter.

“Are you the Matefinder and what does that mean?”

Well, shit. So much for not revealing too much. My wolf came to the surface. I felt the need to run. Surly if they knew I could help grow the werewolf race exponentially, they would kill me. I decided to downplay it.

“Yes, I am the Matefinder. There is always one Matefinder in existence to help wolves from faraway packs find their mate. No big deal.”

Dr. Tavern chewed her lip. “And is it true without finding your mate that you cannot conceive children?”

There was no way around this question. I knew where she was going. I stood up suddenly, angry. “Yes! I find mates so we can marry and have a family just like you! YES! If you kill me right now then the werewolf population will significantly decrease over time. But if you kill me, then there will also be less wolves to help you fight the vampires in the future.”

All ten RAIDOS agents had their crossbows pointed at me. All except the psychologist. She regarded me thoughtfully.

“I guess we have a decision to make. Either we as humans work alone to ensure the human race survives or we form an alliance,” Dr. Tavern suggested.

We stared at each other. Challenge, my wolf said. If they made a move to kill me I would fight. I would probably die but I would fight.

‘Aurora? We’re coming! I can smell you. We are close. Hold on!’

Dr. Tavern’s phone beeped. She broke eye contact to look at it. Relief seemed to flood through her. She extended her hand to me.

“We can start small. I would like to start an alliance from the West coast branch of RAIDOS to the Mount Hood pack.”

Would Kai be okay with this? He wouldn’t like that they were watching us but what could we do? We both had a common enemy and a common goal.

I shook her hand.

“My mate and our pack are close. You should all leave. This isn’t the best way for you to meet him.”

She nodded and handed me a thin phone. “We will be in touch.”

‘I’m safe. We have a lot to talk about. Is Emma with you?’  I held my breath.

‘We have her. She’s fine.’

My throat tightened with emotion. Emma was okay. I began to walk outside as the black van pulled away. I could see Kai running down the street in wolf form, a pack of wolves ran further behind him. I ran towards him and noticed he was hurt. A trail of blood trickled behind him.

He nearly knocked me over when he saw me. I dug my fingers into his fur and let him smell me.

“You’re hurt,” I said out loud.

‘I nearly tore the head off of every vampire when I realized you had been taken.’

Izzy was limping and Max had a huge gash in his shoulder. Oh God, where was Devon.

“Devon?” I asked.

‘He’s with Emma. They are waiting for us.’

I sagged with relief. The Los Angeles Alpha approached me in human form. “I have a hotel you can stay at until you are healed for travel.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

Kai nipped my hand. ‘What the hell happened, Aurora? You said human hunters had come. Then I couldn’t find you.’

‘We have a lot to talk about. Not here.’ I rubbed the sore spot on my head where I had been knocked out, and followed the Los Angeles Alpha.

Life

As soon as we reached the hotel lobby I smelled Emma. I broke into a run and followed my nose. I ran down the long hallway and stopped at door 137.

“Emma!” I pounded the door. Devon opened it. His arm was in a sling and he had a black eye. He stepped aside to let me in. I ran to the bed where Emma sat eating room service. I could sense Kai behind me. He had shifted to human form before we entered the hotel.

“Did they hurt you?” I hugged her hard and she squeezed me back.

“Not really.” She had a few bruises but nothing bad.

“Once I stopped fighting back, they were okay.”

Kai approached her. “Emma, I will never let that happen again. I promise, you and your baby will be safe with me from now on. But I understand if you want to switch to a bigger pack.”

My mouth opened in shock. Of course Kai would feel guilty. He was supposed to keep her safe. A pregnant female needs the most protection but to switch packs over this? Maybe Emma would be safer in a bigger pack.

Emma held out her hands and Kai took them. “I will never leave this pack. You are my family. You were out of town and no one thought the bloodsuckers were a problem to us. If I left the pack based on the grounds that you couldn’t protect me, I would have to leave my husband, too. He was there and almost died trying to fight them. No one is switching packs.”

They shared a look. There was love there. It gave me goose bumps. Kai would protect anyone of his pack members but Emma was special to him. Like a true sister.

A man entered the room with the Los Angeles Alpha. “Kai, this is the pack doctor you requested.”

Kai shook his hand. The doctor smelled of the Los Angeles pack and was a submissive. I would imagine a werewolf doctor would have to be a submissive. You wouldn’t want a dominant male tending to you when you were injured.

“Emma is pregnant. Can you check on the baby? Make sure it’s okay?” Kai asked him. Devon placed a hand on her belly.

The doctor nodded and left. He returned a few minutes later with a handheld ultrasound machine.

Kai, Devon, and I all hovered around the bed. The doctor placed some gel on Emma’s belly.

“How far along are you?”

“I don’t know. I just took a home pregnancy test and found out. We had arranged for a doctor’s visit but then I was taken.”

He nodded.

He placed a wand against her belly and a black blob appeared. When he moved it a little to the right you could see a flicker inside the blob.

“The baby’s heartbeat. Perfectly healthy. You are about nine weeks along,” the doctor said and then smiled.

I looked up then and noticed that all of us had tears in our eyes. Even Kai. Creating life was an amazing thing.

The second we got inside our own hotel room Kai collapsed onto the bed out of exhaustion and closed his eyes. I approached him slowly.

“The government has been watching the supernatural community for over twenty years. They kidnapped me tonight, tied me with silver chains and threatened to kill me if I didn’t answer their questions. In the end, we created an Alliance. Our common goal is to kill vampires and keep humanity safe.”

Kai’s eyes flew open and flared yellow. “What the hell did you just say?”

Forty-five minutes later Kai and I were eating room service and he was still probing me about my encounter with RAIDOS.

“They have a drone flying over Mount Hood!” He was screaming as he chewed his rare steak.

“Kai, they are the government! What they lack in magical abilities, they make up for in intelligence and money.”

“They knew my name? They knew to tie you up with silver? I don’t like it.”

“Think about it from their angle. They know you exist but they have sat back quietly and watched. Then they overheard the vampires say, ‘Hmmm let’s wipe out the werewolves and make a huge vampire nation with tons of human blood slaves.’”

I shook my hands for emphasis. “Oh and while we are at it, let’s have vampire blood-sucking babies because this Matefinder girl can help us!”

Kai groaned. “I see your point.”

I pulled out the phone that had been setting in my pocket. “They gave me this, said we would be in touch.”

Kai snatched it from me. “We need to tell the council right away. And I want to meet them. And I want that damn drone off my mountain!”

I stroked my finger across his chest. “First we need a shower.”

He raised his eyebrow. “We? As in together?”

I laughed and stood, stripping my shirt and walking into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

After our shower, Kai called his father and told him that when we went to get Emma, some government agents had detained me. That’s all he said over the phone. We didn’t know who was listening. His father said the council would be visiting us soon. No time or place was given. Maybe that was better. I was sure that RAIDOS could be trusted not to kill us as long as they didn’t have reason. But there were a lot of reasons. As soon as we weren’t a good use for them, or if they felt threatened, they could annihilate our kind. I shivered.

***

It had been a few weeks since we had gotten Emma back. Diya was busy planning her wedding back in Delhi but we would video chat often. I wasn’t even sure where to begin with wedding planning so Diya and Emma said they would take care of everything. Every few days they would ask me simple things like what my favorite flower was or my favorite color. Kai’s mother asked me if I wanted to wear a Sari on our wedding day and I told her yes. I loved the Indian culture and the thought of wearing a red sari just like in my vision made me happy.

I had called my mother to share the news of our engagement and she was actually happy, a little apprehensive that it was all happening so fast, but happy.

Kai had stepped up security on the mountain and at all of the pack houses in Portland. Each home had state of the art security and was equipped with a large arsenal of vampire killing weapons. Our daily training sessions now included staking a vampire and how best to fight them. We all knew we were preparing for something, we just weren’t sure what exactly.

I had just reached home after teaching a self-defense class with Izzy at Safe Haven. We were exiting the car when I smelled something. Foreign wolves. I looked around and noticed a few black cars that weren’t pack. Izzy looked at me but I sent her home.

‘Who’s here?’ I asked Kai.

‘My father and the rest of the council. Come in quietly and don’t speak.’

What the hell. Don’t speak.

I tried to smooth my hair down. I was sweaty and wearing a tank top with yoga pants. Not exactly how I wanted to greet the council. I hadn’t even been properly introduced to Kai’s father last time. I used my key and opened the door.

The twelve council members sat on the couches and some had pulled chairs up. Kai was sitting in the middle of the room with a dry eraser board. He looked at me and put a finger to his lips. I heard a car door slam and smelled a witch. Sylvia. I creased my eyebrows in confusion.

‘What’s going on?’

‘We need to talk about RAIDOS but they are listening. Just now, we found out that one of the trees out back is bugged. Sylvia is going to magically keep our conversation safe.’

Sylvia gave a light knock and let herself in. She glanced around briefly and nodded at me. She seemed to know what was going on. She pulled some white salt from her bag and began sprinkling it around. Then she placed a purple crystal in the center of the room and began walking around to each council member and held out her hand.

“I need a piece of your hair,” she whispered. They reluctantly gave it to her. When she came to me I happily gave her a piece. I watched, fascinated, as she wound each person’s hair around the purple crystal in the center of the room. Then she whispered, “Let their words make no sound. Let none hear it for all around.” A fine mist crept out of the crystal and created a dome above our heads.

She spoke loudly now. “You may speak freely. I will wait outside. Come get me when you are finished.”

“Thank you, Sylvia,” Kai told her. I noticed he was trusting her more and more. That was good because I really wanted to learn more about witches and spell craft.

Kai’s father stepped towards me. “First let me properly introduce myself. I am Raj, Kai’s father.  I’m sorry we have to keep meeting under these dire circumstances.” I shook his outstretched hand and didn’t make eye contact.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I told him as Kai placed a hand on my shoulder.

Jane smiled at me. “Aurora, thank you for helping me find my mate.”

I nodded.

A large Native American wolf placed both of his palms up. “Enough pleasantries, tell us everything you know about this government group that’s tracking supernaturals. We haven’t been told anything!”

I took a deep breath and told them everything.

“You offered an alliance!” Raj shouted. I tried not to let my wolf out.

“Yes, I offered an alliance between RAIDOS and MY pack. I am second in command, I did what I felt is best for our pack.” I met Kai’s father’s eyes briefly and then glanced at Kai. He looked proud.

“You are not a council member. You cannot offer an alliance with humans. That’s the council’s decision,” Raj challenged.

Okay, now I was getting pissed off.

“I was knocked unconscious, tied up with silver chains and my life was threatened! I can do whatever the hell I want!” I shouted and immediately recoiled. Raj and I weren’t getting off to the best start. He looked like he wanted to take my head off. Kai stepped forward and placed himself in between his father and I.

“What would you have her do, Papa? Reject an alliance so they have reason to kill her? There is a war coming. We need allies. The witches have agreed to side with us. Now we have allied with humans. Together we may be able to save our race. Together we can live long enough to live out the new relationships and pregnancies that my mate has helped start!”

His father looked to the other council members and nodded. They seemed to be having a conversation in their heads. How can they do that?

“Then there are two more things left to discuss,” Jane told us.

“Should we publically reveal our species to the humans and would you both like a seat on the council?”

What the hell?

“NO and NO,” Kai answered. “Aurora and I aren’t interested in politics and the humans aren’t ready for the knowledge of our kind.”

Okay, I would have liked to answer for myself but I agreed. I didn’t want to be on some stuffy council. But I wasn’t sure I agreed with Kai about the humans not being ready for knowledge of our kind. If a vampire war was coming and the humans were going to be enslaved, then maybe they deserved to know who was fighting for them.

“Do we all agree that if there comes a time to fight for the humans, we protect them?” I asked. Somehow this had become my task. To make sure we would be there to protect the humans. Protect our pack, yes, but protect them as well.

The Native American wolf stepped forward. “I know you are new to this lifestyle, Aurora. Kai may not have had time to tell you all of the stories. It has, and always will be, a werewolf’s duty to protect the humans from vampires. Without that, the balance will tilt and we would be thrust into a future none of us want to see.” He held my gaze and in his eyes I was reminded of Nahuel. As I continued to stare, I suddenly became very sleepy. I began to fall backward and was caught by Nahuel. I was having another vision. We were standing in a deserted field with a huge water treatment plant in front of us. I looked at him. He looked sad. “It’s beginning,” he told me. I looked at the doors of the treatment plant and three vampires came out.

“What’s beginning? What are they doing?” I asked him.

Nahuel rubbed his hands together. “I’m not supposed to show you this. But the balance has been tipped towards the dark. I might as well try to tip it back to the light. If it’s going to go one way, I want it to go our way.”

“I don’t understand! Explain it. Help me.” I felt desperate. I could feel his anxiety.

“The vampires have poured liquid silver into every major water supply plant in all of the big cities. They want to weaken the wolves and then attack.”

I grabbed my neck and swallowed hard. “No!” I ran towards the three men coming out of the building. They had huge oil drums full of silver.

Nahuel caught my arm. “They can’t see us. We are in the future.”

“So we can stop it. What day does it happen?” I suddenly felt hope burst in my chest.

“I can only see a few hours into the future. It will happen today.” He looked sad.

I grabbed his face and turned it towards me. “Wipe that look off of your face. This hasn’t happened yet! You don’t know me very well yet, but I don’t give up! I’ve been through a lot of shit in my life and I didn’t make it out by giving up.”

His lips curled into a smile. He placed his forehead against mine. “Little sister, I have not given up. I wear this face because I’ve seen too much.”

“Why do you keep calling me little sister?” I asked.

He pulled his face back and wore a blank expression. “That is not my story to tell.”

All of the sudden I was spinning. I came to my body in a series of jerks.

Kai was in wolf form in front of me. The council was backed up against the wall of our living room. My head lay in Sylvia’s lap.

“I feel sick.” I grabbed my stomach.

Kai shifted into his human form, covering himself with a blanket from the couch. His eyes were yellow. The council leaned forward peering at me.

“Maybe everyone should wait outside until Kai calms down,” Raj told the council.

“No!” I stood quickly sending a wave of dizziness through me.

“Get on the phone, email, use your pack bond, do whatever you have to, to warn as many wolves as you can.” I was breathless. I wouldn’t have been shown the future if I couldn’t change it.

The council stood eerily still. “Warn them of what?” Kai asked me.

“The vampires are trying to wipe out our race. They are spilling liquid silver into the waterways. It’s going to happen any minute!”

Raj’s eyes widened in shock. “Do you mean to tell us that you have seen the future?”

“Yes! Hurry.” Why did they look so unsure? God I was sick of being questioned. I advanced on Jane quickly and the muscles in her arms flexed. I held out my hand.

“Make them see. We have no time,” I told her.

She took my outstretched hand and I could feel her sifting through my mind. I wanted to push her out but held still. I could hear Sylvia gasp behind me. Jane broke away with her mouth open. Then she closed her eyes and tipped her head down. All of the council members wore shocked expressions. Kai stumbled backward. She had sent my vision to them.

‘The vampires are trying to kill off our kind. We need to protect the water supply. Portland wolves split up. Half of you go to the wholesale market and buy as many water bottles as they have. The other half, bring your weapons and protect the Portland water supply. Mount Hood wolves, same thing. I don’t care who does what. Figure it out and move NOW!’ My head was still ringing with Kai’s command. He whipped out his cellphone and called Shamus telling him to spread the word.

“We won’t reach everyone in time!” I screamed desperately.

Sylvia approached Kai’s father. All of the council members were warning their packs.

“I’ve seen your bond with the other people here. You’re all connected.” Sylvia put her hand out waving it in the air. Raj’s eyes glowed yellow.

“Calm down, Alpha. I think I can help.” Sylvia nodded me over. I stumbled forward.

“What is it? What can we do?” I asked her.

“It’s a very powerful spell. It’s a communication spell between an entire species. It’s been done once before to warn the witches of the burnings in the Salem Witch trials. It would take all of these Alphas’ blood and your power as a witch to help me.”

“Let’s do it,” I told her.

“Hang on a second. I’m not giving this witch my blood,” Raj told us.

My eyes flashed yellow. “Then you will be responsible for the death of our kind!” I shouted. Kai walked forward and faced off with his father.

“You will do this. We don’t have time to argue. I don’t trust witches but I trust Sylvia.” Kai was barely holding onto his wolf form, I could see it.

Kai’s father let loose a growl. “You don’t tell me what to do!” They locked eyes. Oh God. I could see where this was going. I looked at Sylvia. ‘Help,’ I mouthed.

She chewed her lip. She reached into her purse and withdrew a fistful of powder. She threw it in Kai’s and Raj’s faces and whispered. “Sleep.” They both crumpled to the ground.

My eyes were wide. The council seemed in shock. Kai lay at an awkward angle near his father. I straightened his body and looked at Sylvia.

She pursed her lips. “Hopefully they don’t kill me,” she commented.

“They won’t, I’ll protect you.” I looked at the council members. “Extend your arm and we may be able to save our kind.”

Something seemed to pass between them. They extended their arms. Sylvia gave me the task of collecting the blood. Just a prick from each person there, including myself. I pricked Kai and Raj and winced in fear they would wake up.

Once I had the droplets of blood inside an ornate glass vessel I approached Sylvia.

“We must do this outside, in nature.” We all followed her outside.

“This spell is powered very differently from any other.” Sylvia looked at the council. “This spell is fueled by love. Love for each other, love for your kind, love for your mate, your children. Any love you can conjure in your mind you must do it now!”

Everyone closed their eyes and began to concentrate. I thought of my mother, of Drake, of Kai. My first kiss with Kai flashed through my mind. My belly warmed. I felt Sylvia’s hand slip into mine.

“Give me all the mist you got,” she whispered.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I imagined the mist inside of me. Magic. I let it leak out of my pores. It was never ending. I could feel that. It was everywhere, in the trees, the stars, the rain. This earth was magic! A huge cloud of mist leapt out of my body and slammed into the council members. They rocked on their heels but stayed standing.

Sylvia raised our hands to the sky. “Let every member of the four-legged race hear my call! Your survival is threatened. The vampires will attack your water supply with silver. Protect it now!”

Rain began to fall from the sky. It felt miraculous. The message was received, I knew it. The RAIDOS cell phone began ringing in my pocket. We had given it a batman ringtone.

Sylvia let go of my hand. “So be it,” she said and looked at me.

“So be it,” I repeated not sure why.

Then I answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“This is Dr. Tavern, our ETA to the Sandy water treatment facility is thirty minutes.”

“Uh.” I didn’t know what to say. I looked up at the sky searching for a drone.

“Well, we are allies now, aren’t we? We’re coming to help.”

I smiled. Maybe this ally thing was going to turn out okay. “Meet you there.”

The council had received word that the message had been heard. People were calling and asking what to do. Some were panicked and some were prepared. Sylvia awoke Kai and Raj with more spell powder and quickly left.

Kai sat up quickly and grabbed his head. Raj looked at Kai murderously. “I’m going to kill that witch.”

I stepped forward. “No, you’re not. She has my protection and since I found your daughter’s mate. I figure you owe me.” I smiled a little for good measure. I was sure deep down past the Alpha bullshit, that he was a nice guy.

His father looked pissed for a second and then appraised me with pride. “She is your perfect match.” Then he met my eyes. “Welcome to the family, Aurora.”

He stood and left with the rest of the council.

I ran to the door just in time to see a few pack members driving a truck full of water bottles up the driveway. Kai followed after me.

“What happened?”

I shifted. ‘I’ll tell you on the way.’

Alliance

Kai didn’t question. He shifted instantly and followed my fast pace down the mountain towards the small town of Sandy. After explaining to Kai that we had sent a message to all wolves about the water, I also explained about the call from RAIDOS.

‘So we are meeting the humans at the Sandy water plant to fight vampires together?’  he mocked.

‘Yep.’

‘Well they better not get in my way.’ He sped past me, dashing through the trees. We could get there faster in our wolf form. People would mistake us for a blur of an animal. Sandy was a 20 mile run as the crow flies. If we had taken a car it would have been a 50 mile winding road drive. After about twenty minutes of relentless running, we made it down the mountain and out into the heavily populated area. We slowed near a gas station. A black helicopter could be seen landing in the distance, in the general area of the water facility. We weaved in and out of a few cars and back onto a side street void of people.

There we sprinted to the water facility gates. It was dark out but my werewolf eyes could see a commotion just inside. The black helicopter had landed near a side entrance and the RAIDOS team had trickled in a gate that had been blasted open. A few of RAIDOS agents were perched on the roof and were using crossbows to shoot at the vampires. There must have been fifty of them. They were protecting six large drums of liquid silver. A few pack members had already arrived and were fighting alongside the RAIDOS team. A female vampire rose into the air and flew on top of my back. I rolled quickly hearing the satisfying crunch of her bones beneath my big wolf body. I twisted out of her grasp and turned to face her. It was  the vampire queen from that night in LA, Layla. Kai was preparing to pounce on her. She looked right at him and whispered, “Freeze.” He didn’t move. He barely breathed. It was like he was made of cement.

‘Compulsion,’ he said into my mind.

Then she looked at me. “You will change into your human form and offer me your blood.” I could hear strange sounds in her voice. Were those hummingbird wings? However, I felt no desire to do as she asked. Her compulsion didn’t work on me. I lunged for her throat with my teeth bared. I got in one good bite before she ripped my body away with a gripping force. I felt a few ribs crack, and I howled. A flaming arrow cut through the sky and landed in her shoulder. She hissed and her face took on a predatory look. Her strawberry blonde hair singed with the flame. All of a sudden Kai was broken free of his compulsion and lunged at her abdomen. Layla yanked the silver-tipped flaming arrow out of her shoulder and in one quick movement rammed it into Kai’s hind leg.

“No!” I screamed and involuntarily shifted into my human form. Mist began to pour out of my hands. I couldn’t stop it. I could hear fighting behind me. The mist was swirling around my body like a funnel. It was like it was waiting for me to tell it what to do. Kai had retreated a few steps.

“Attack!” I screamed and put all of my intention into the mist. Like it was a living guard dog. Like I could command it. The mist suddenly turned into thousands of bees. They covered Layla’s body like a coat of black fur. The buzzing was deafening. The sky shuddered and lightning crackled. Layla began to fumble backwards but the bees moved with her. I turned to Kai who was dragging his hind leg, the arrow still in it. I yanked the arrow out and we both turned to the entrance. There were five barrels of silver untouched. RAIDOS and our pack had taken care of most of the vampires but a dozen or so remained. Seeing their queen covered in a blanket of magic bees, they began to advance on us.

“Shit.” I breathed and shifted into my wolf. Kai stood in front of me and growled. His back leg was quivering with the weight of him standing on it. The bees began to dissipate, as I realized one of the people I mistook for a vampire, was in fact the dark witch from LA. She raised her hands and black smoke began to leak from her palms.

‘Don’t breathe it in!’ I told Kai.

Just as the wave of black smoke came towards us, I felt a cool mist at my back. I turned to see Sylvia and her coven. Their arms outstretched, white mist rolling on the ground making the black mist retreat. Layla was nowhere to be seen.

“All alone, Prudence?” Sylvia screamed at the dark witch.

Prudence laughed and it raised the fur on my back.

“I don’t need a coven. I am more powerful alone!” She roared and sent a blast of hot air at us. Kai and I retreated to the side parking lot, while Sylvia and her coven threw spell after spell at Prudence. I could see Kai was hurt badly from the silver arrow. We were snaking our way along the trees towards the front door, when Layla and two vampires jumped out. Two of the vampires distracted Kai, while Layla grabbed my back fur and yanked. I yelped out in pain. I couldn’t do anything. I was hanging midair from her arm by my back skin, yapping with my teeth at nothing. I shifting quickly to my human form and grabbed Layla’s arm and snapped it in half. She screamed but quickly smiled.

“Atta a girl.” Then she pounced on me, taking a hold of my hair in her hand and exposing my neck. I tried to wiggle out of her gasp but she was fast and strong. I felt her teeth sink into my neck before I could even try to get free. Pleasure and disgust exploded inside my belly. It felt like I was eating the most delicious meal in the world. My mouth salivated. On the other hand I was being bitten by a vampire! I shuttered. These two feelings warred inside of me. Finally, I felt myself being torn away from her. Dr. Tavern held a long sharp samurai sword. Layla’s mouth was dripping with my blood. Oh God.

Dr. Tavern advanced on Layla. But Layla smiled. It was the creepiest, blood-coated, sharp-toothed smile. Then she ran. She fled fast into the woods and my stomach dropped.

I looked at Dr. Tavern. “She drank my blood! That means she is fertile for the next few days! She can have a child.”

I shifted into wolf form and began to go after her. Dr. Tavern said something over an ear piece and I heard helicopter blades above me. Two RAIDOS members hung from ropes that dangled from the helicopter.

I heard foot steps behind me. It was Kai. I glanced back, happy that he was helping me pursue Layla. Together we could take her down. Just as I glanced back, his back leg gave out with a snap and I saw him roll. Twigs and leaves scattered in the air. I skidded to a halt.

‘Kai!’

‘I can’t run that fast with a silver injury.’

I crouched over him now, assessing his leg. It was bad. The wound wasn’t healing. It was open and leaking clearish fluid. Let RAIDOS handle Layla. My mate needed me. I shifted to human form.

“I want to try something,” I told him. I held my hands over his leg. The muscle was twitching. The mist began to pour from my hands and Kai’s nostrils flared.

‘Magic,’ he commented. I nodded. HEAL. I told the mist. I closed my eyes and I imagined all of the skin stitching together and becoming pink and then pale. I imagined his fur, fluffy and thick. I heard him panting. If I had this magic inside of me then maybe I could do something good with it. I opened my eyes. Kai was standing and staring at me in fear. I looked at my hands and shook them, stopping the mist. His leg…. It was healed. No gash, no blood, no pain. I could hear his heart beating fast.

‘I’m a witch,’ I said half to myself. I could hear the whine of helicopter blades off in the distance.

‘You’re a witch,’ he agreed. His yellow eyes appraised me. ‘A pretty sexy, amazing witch.’

I smiled. “Let’s follow that helicopter.” I grabbed my neck. The two pinprick bite marks were pulsing. I shook off the thought of what it felt like when she bit me, the pleasure and disgust. I shifted to my wolf form and took off after Kai. He ran easily now with no sign of a limp. The multiple shifts were starting to drain my energy. I was getting hungry.

‘Max is at the water treatment plant. He said the rest of the vampires have fled. One drum of silver made it into the water supply,’ Kai told her.

We were approaching the sound of the helicopter now. It hovered above us. The two ropes dangled from above and snaked across the ground. One of the RAIDOS agents was knelt over another agent.

“He’s dead, and the vampires got away,” the agent told us without looking up. I inhaled deeply. I couldn’t pick up Layla’s scent. I felt bad that one of their people had died for our cause. I heard footsteps behind me and Dr. Tavern and another agent stopped when they saw the body.

“Brent,” Dr. Tavern whispered, a tear fell from her cheek. It was then that I realized, the RAIDOS humans were a pack. This was their family, united with one cause, to protect their kind. We weren’t so different. I tipped my head back and howled in grief. Kai joined me. Dr. Tavern composed herself and spoke over her ear piece. Two men repelled from the helicopter with a rescue basket and a bundle of clothes. They loaded Brent into the basket and Dr. Tavern nodded at Kai and me. “Can you become human? We need to talk.” They turned their backs as we shifted to our human forms. I shrugged on the black sweatpants and t-shirt. Kai put the pants on but left the shirt crumpled on the ground.

‘They smell like someone else,’ he told me. Typical Alpha. Didn’t want to smell like anyone else.

‘I’m not complaining.’  I winked.

Dr. Tavern extended her hand to Kai and looked at his forehead, not quite meeting his eyes. Smart girl.

“I’m Dr. Tavern. I have been authorized to be the communications expert between our two parties.”

Kai shook her hand. “Do you do everything you are authorized to do?”

She smiled devilishly. “Not always. You don’t exactly get chosen to join RAIDOS because you followed the rules all your life.”

Kai’s deep laughter cut the tension that had been mounting and her two partners relaxed.

‘I like her,’ he told me.

‘Me too,’ I agreed.

“I am Kai, the Alpha of the Mount Hood and Portland, Oregon territories. I have been authorized by the werewolf council to tell you what I deem necessary.” There was no mistaking his subtle threat. Kai was in control of this conversation. Dr. Tavern nodded.

“The deputy director of the intelligence division has briefed the President on this situation tonight. I have received word that it is now our mission to gather intelligence on Queen Layla and any vampire spawn she may birth after having fed on Aurora.”

My hand went to the bite marks on my neck. Kai glared at Dr. Tavern. “Do as you please in regards to the vampires.”

Dr. Tavern leaned in and produced a small silver disc from her pocket. She clicked a button and it glowed red. Her two agents began to walk away. Kai grabbed my hand and creased his eyebrows. Then she lowered her voice. “It has also been brought to my attention that if the vampire does in fact prove to have a successful birth, Aurora is too much of a threat to be allowed to roam freely. We are to take her into custody to run tests at that point.”

Kai opened his mouth to shout something but she placed a finger over her lips, then she clicked the disc and the red light went away.

“We will be in contact with you. If the vampires move to harm any humans, we may ask that you return the favor we gave you today.”

Kai was grinding his teeth. I stared into Dr. Tavern’s eyes, there was something there…. kindness and fascination. She was intrigued with our species. If Layla gave birth, they would capture me. Run tests?

‘You’re mine. No one is taking you anywhere.’

“Any final words Mr. Krishna?”

I saw Kai’s face fall at the knowledge that they knew his last name.

“Yeah, tell your boss to keep his drones off my mountain.” He shifted tearing the sweatpants in two and Dr. Tavern’s eyes widened. She didn’t look away. I was right, she was fascinated. She looked at me.

“I’m a person, I have a family. I’m sure you know about my non-profit that helps hundreds of women and children every year?” I questioned her.

She grimaced. “Yes, we are aware of your philanthropic efforts.”

“What does Layla do?”

Dr. Tavern chewed her lip. “She owns a few night clubs and an anti-aging skin crème line.”

“Ahh, well thank God for her.” I laid the sarcasm on thick and shifted. I took off after Kai. It was important to me that the high ups at RAIDOS didn’t lump vampires and werewolves together. We were nothing alike. If they thought they could just wipe me out because my blood could grow the vampire race, they had another thing coming. Did I have two enemies now? The vampires and the humans?

I ran alongside Kai as we met Max and the others at the front of the water treatment plant. None of our wolves had died.

‘If RAIDOS hadn’t helped us this would have been a lot worse,’ I told Kai.

‘I know.’

‘Dr. Tavern didn’t have to warn us about them taking me if Layla has a child.’

‘I know,’ he said again.

I sighed. I didn’t know why I was sticking up for them. Then I laughed out loud. Sylvia and her clan had joined our group.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“We thought humans were a weak race.” I gestured to the pile of ashes that symbolized dead vampires.

Max chuckled. “Guess we gotta up our game and buy a helicopter.” He nodded to Kai.

“Consider it done.” Now Kai smiled.

New Family

A month had passed already. It was a rough two weeks with no shower. We had been bathing in freezing cold creek water and only drank bottled water. When the running water tested negative for the silver particles, we were finally given the all clear. Kai had ordered a device on every water tap on every pack members’ house that glowed blue if silver was present. This would prevent future attempts. So today I packed my bags to accompany Kai to his sister’s wedding in India.

We drove with Akash, Max and Trent to the airport. I hadn’t heard anything from RAIDOS. I didn’t know how long it took for a vampire pregnancy to show. I knew Kai was working on something. He had a plan A, B and C in case certain things came about. I didn’t want to be involved. I focused on my Circle nights with Sylvia and her coven. I was learning about my witch powers. Diya had been video chatting me and Emma nonstop lately to show us last minute things for her wedding and to get our opinion. I was excited to have her and Jai join our pack; we had grown close.

Kai told Emma she couldn’t travel pregnant and left most of the pack behind to protect her. Only the five of us were going. We boarded the private plane and took our seats. The same stewardess that we had on our LA flight was there to help us. Max appraised her body and then caught me looking and blushed. Kai poked him with an elbow.

“Why not ask her on a date?” Kai challenged when she was out of earshot.

Max’s face looked pained for a second and then it was gone. “I was just looking. I’ve had my great love. Anything else would taste like orange juice after brushing your teeth.”

“I’ll ask her on a date,” Akash said, grinning. One stern look from Kai had him staring at his shoes.

I laughed.

‘What does Max mean?’ I asked Kai.

Kai looked at Max sadly. ‘He was mated for four years and she died about twenty years ago during labor with their first child. Neither of them survived.’

I tried to control my breathing and my face. I didn’t want Max to know we were talking about him. I swallowed hard. ‘That’s horrible. What happened?’

‘The baby shifted into wolf form during labor, while inside her belly. The placenta tore. They both bled out. She couldn’t heal fast enough.’

My hand went to my mouth. ‘Could that happen to Emma?’

‘I won’t let it.’

Oh my God. Why hadn’t I thought about this before? Of course werewolf pregnancies would be hard. You were carrying a shape shifting baby! Emma would be okay. I told myself. I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep. I awoke as the plane landed.

We were greeted at the airport by Jai, Diya, and the buffest man I had ever seen. He was seriously like a Vin Diesel, with hair. Kai embraced the large man lifting him off of his feet. The man ruffled Kai’s hair and then turned to me. He placed his hands in prayer pose and bowed lightly. “Namaste, Aurora.”

I grinned. “Namaste.”

“I’m Nikhil, welcome to India.”

Kai punched him in the shoulder. “He is my middle brother and my father’s second. He has a weak right hook and makes horrible chai.”

Jai leaned into my ear. “I’m his favorite brother though.”

I laughed as Nikhil retorted something about working on his boxing.

I looked over Kai’s shoulder to see Diya kissing Trent. I smiled. Weddings were fun. Kai cleared his throat loudly and they broke apart.

“You aren’t mated yet. Get over here,” he scolded Trent. We all laughed.

I took in a deep breath. India. It had a distinct smell. Your clothes smell of spices for weeks after you’ve left. I had missed it. After grabbing our bags, we made our way outside. The road was packed with cars, rickshaws and motorbikes. We all piled into two waiting taxis, I sat in back with Kai and Nikhil.

Nikhil turned to Kai. “We lost a few wolves protecting the water supply from the vampires, but thanks for warning us.” He tipped his head to me and smiled. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. If I hadn’t had that vision and warned everyone… I shuttered. I smiled back.

“We didn’t lose any wolves but we had our own complications.” Kai was leaning into me. I felt safe.

Nikhil placed a hand on Kai’s knee. “I’ve missed you, brother. The pack isn’t the same without you.”

Kai placed his hand over his brother’s and gave a deep rumbling laugh. God I loved that laugh. “I’m sure father is glad I’m gone and you made second, so it all worked out.”

Nikhil stared out the window. “Papa is becoming obsessed with the vampires attacking us. He doesn’t want to sit idle and wait for another attack. I feel it fair to warn you, this trip isn’t just about Diya’s wedding. He will want to talk about the next step.”

Kai sighed. “I figured. That’s Papa. Can’t sit still for a single moment. Always moving, never sleeping, always planning. In some ways it’s good.”

“Sounds exhausting,” I commented.

“It is,” they said in tandem and laughed.

We only booked a two-day trip to India, with two days eaten up for travel. That was being away from the pack and Emma for four days total. After settling into our hotel, I was quickly wrapped into a sari and taken to Diya’s henna party. It was girls only. I made small talk with some of the other girls, surprised to see a few white girls in the pack. I had assumed they would all be Indian. I was careful not to make eye contact. I felt that my dominating and foreign wolf presence made a few of the more dominant wolves edgy. I stuck to conversing with the submissives. I found Diya who had an artist working on her feet and another on her hands. An intricate elephant design was being drawn onto her palm.

I sat down next to her holding my hand still, careful not to smudge the small design I had gotten.

“Tomorrow we become sisters,” she told me. I smiled.

“I always wanted a sister,” I shared with her.

“Me too! Instead I got eleven brothers!”

I laughed. I remembered Diya telling me over our video chat once, that she was a midwife in India. Now that Kai had told me about Max and losing his mate and child, I was interested in werewolf birthing.

“Hey Diya, is the werewolf birthing process more dangerous than human birthing?”

Diya’s face became serious. “Yes and No. Human births can have all sorts of defects. Heart defects, lung defects, limb abnormalities. A werewolf pup is immune to these defects. They learn to shift at about 35 weeks gestation. When they shift, they set off the uterus and most mothers go into early labor. Werewolf pups are bigger than normal babies but the mothers aren’t. If they shift during labor the chord can become compressed or the placenta can tear. There are a lot of complications.”

“Why don’t you just do a cesarean section and cut them all out?” I didn’t know much about birth but I knew that a c-section would be better that placenta tearing or chord compression due to a lengthy labor.

“We tried it back in the 18th century. The women kept healing too fast. The babies were stuck halfway out of their mothers’ stomach and the women’s abdomens were starting to heal closed. The babies suffocated. Also, pain medication doesn’t work on werewolves. We metabolize it too fast.”

Jesus Christ. My head was spinning. “Emma.” I breathed.

“Will be fine,” she told me. “I’m taking over her care when I get home with you guys. I have delivered thirty-six healthy pups and Emma’s baby will be my thirty-seventh.”

I swallowed. I wanted to ask her how many she had lost but this was a wedding. So I smiled.

***

I was trying to battle my jet lag. I lay in the hotel room bed as Kai entered the bathroom to get ready for the wedding. I heard the shower turn on and my eye lids began to droop. He poked his head out. “I feel like we should be good to the environment and shower together, ya know, to save water.”

A genuine laugh left my lips and I was suddenly awake. I gave him a smoldering look. “Well, if it’s for the environment.” I jumped off the bed and began undressing. I loved that I felt no pressure to go all the way with him. We hadn’t talked about it but I think we had decided to wait until our mating ceremony night before we did it.

I wore a bright teal sari and Kai stared me down in the elevator. The hotel lobby was decked out in red and white flowers. A large sign read, ‘Diya weds Trent’ in gold lettering. I whistled.

“This is fancy,” I told Kai.

“My father has been waiting his entire life to marry off his only daughter. There will be no expense spared tonight.”

Wow, I knew from Indian culture that the woman’s family was expected to pay for the wedding. I couldn’t afford a fancy wedding like this.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked me, reading my mental anxiety.

“Our wedding won’t be this fancy. I can’t afford much,” I told him tugging at a wrinkle in the sari.

“I wouldn’t want a wedding this big but we can afford this because my money is your money. We will have whatever wedding you want.”

“No, I know the culture expects the woman to pay for the wedding and I can assure you from my bank account, we cannot have this fancy of a wedding. I feel bad taking your money.”

“It’s OUR money, not mine. I will add you to all of the accounts when we get home. Don’t bother arguing this.” He gave me a kiss then and shut me up. We took our seats. How did I feel about him sharing his money with me?

‘Don’t analyze this money thing. Pay attention. Our wedding will be similar.’ He patted my thigh and stood. “I need to enter with my family to show support for my sister.”

I looked up then and saw Trent in the doorway. He looked handsome. He wore a bright orange Indian top that went to his knees. Max stood next to him.

“Hang on.” I caught Kai’s arm. “Trent has no living family? Who will walk in with him?”

Kai shrugged. “Max.”

I shook my head. That wouldn’t do. I walked over to two of the nicer girls from Diya’s henna party. “Hey girls, Trent doesn’t have any family to walk in with him. Would you like to join me and stand with him?”

One of the girls, a submissive wolf, Tara was her name, had a short black bob and almond-colored eyes. A big teal jeweled bindi stuck between her eyes. Her skin was light brown and she glanced at Max who stood with Trent.

“Sure.” She stood and followed me with one other girl.

We approached Trent who looked nervous.

“Hey, Aurora, I think I’m going to faint. They say the groom is supposed to come in first and with a big song and dance and lots of cheering.”

I looked at the girls. “I think we can manage that. We’re here for you.” We moved to step behind him, near Max.

“Thank you,” Trent whispered, as I passed. I smiled. I put my arm on Max’s shoulder to tell him how nice he cleaned up, when my other hand brushed Tara’s finger. My knees buckled and a vision took me.

It showed Max holding a beautiful woman with long red hair. Her body was limp in his arms and he was sobbing into her chest. Blood soaked the bed sheets he held her over. Kai stood frozen in the doorway. ‘Oh God. Why am I being shown this? This was Max’s wife. Their poor baby.’

Then the vision changed. Tara was smiling up at Max. She had a crown of flowers on her head. It was in Kai’s backyard on Mount Hood, their wedding day. Then the scene changed and Max was screaming at Tara in the lobby of the hotel we were at today. He was telling her to go! To get out of his life. Then it changed and they were kissing in a hotel room later. Then it changed again and I saw myself waking from the vision and not telling Max anything. I was so confused.

I felt someone’s arms around me. I opened my eyes. Max held me in his arms and Kai was running across the wedding hall towards me. Oh Great. What the hell do I do?

‘I saw Max’s mate die and you were there. Then I saw him marry Tara, the girl standing next to me. Then they were fighting on this very night. Do I tell them?’

Kai’s eyes opened hugely. ‘No, that isn’t possible. We mate for life. I’ll handle it.’

‘Right, we mate for life and his mate died, so that’s over. Tara isn’t dead and neither is Max.’

‘Drop this for now.’

“Aurora? Are you okay?” Max helped me straighten myself. He looked nervous. Did he sense it? That I had a vision about him?

“I’m okay, Max, thanks for catching me.”

Trent let out a long breath of air. “Okay good, because it’s our turn.”

The music changed just as Kai reached me. He gave me a quick kiss and a stern look, then walked away. Max looked at me accusingly. I looked into Max’s face now, seeing him weep over his late wife made my throat tighten. I looked ahead.

“What did you see?” he whispered.

Just then we were ushered out by the crowd. A loud upbeat Bollywood song played over the loud speaker. People shouted and clapped as we spun and danced around Trent. I tried to smile and follow what Tara and her friend were doing. I couldn’t stop thinking about Max. Once we had escorted Trent to the stage where Diya was waiting, I sat down.

The next three hours passed in a mix of fascination of the beautiful wedding and arguing with Kai in my head. I felt I needed to at least tell Max what I had seen and let him decide. Kai knew Max better and said I needed to let it be. In the end, I promised not to tell Max. For now. The most horrible part was that once dinner started, Max sat next to Tara and they seemed to be having a nice conversation. They were smiling and laughing and it was killing me.  The night ended well past 3am. We were beyond exhausted. I passed out the second my head reached the pillow. My thoughts a mix of werewolf labor, losing your mate, and what I would wear to my own wedding.

Secret

We woke up to the blaring of a phone call. Why are hotel phones so loud?

“Yes?” Kai answered. “You can have thirty minutes, Papa.” Then he hung up.

Why did I feel like something was about to go down? We dressed quickly and waited for the car to pick us up. Kai’s father stayed in a small compound in the nicer part of Delhi. We drove through a guarded gate and into an open gravel parking. His father and mother stood outside.

We exited the car. I wasn’t sure if there would be hugs or small talk. We didn’t have a chance to talk much since we arrived because of Diya’s wedding.

“Hello, thank you for coming. I want you to see something. Follow me.”

And his father turned and walked inside. So much for small talk. Kai’s mother approached me and gave me a hug and a smile, then walked in after us. As we followed his father, his mother turned into a different room. She wasn’t coming? We followed a winding hallway. I could hear muffled hissing. Oh no. This was not going to be good. We reached a dark door. His father put his hand on the handle and turned to us.

“It’s them or us. Choose a side.” Then he opened it.

What I saw stole my breath. A sickly, skinny-looking vampire was shackled to a medical bed. Thick iron sheet cuffs bound his legs and hands, another at his neck. His bed was tilted up so we could look right at his face. A large rag was stuffed in his mouth. He looked dehydrated, he was laboring for air. This was wrong. Vampires wanted our kind dead, yes, but this was so, so wrong.

“You’re torturing him?” I spat out.

Raj looked up at me. “It. I am gaining information from It.”

Kai looked only mildly uncomfortable. “How can you make it talk?”

Raj smiled. “One of my brightest wolves has designed a serum. If consumed in large quantities, it acts on the neuroreceptors. It’s somewhat of a truth serum.”

“So you starve him and he drinks it and gives you information?”

His father nodded.

“How long has he been here?” My eyes glanced to the desk in the corner which held a silver stake.

“Since the water incident,” his father said proudly.

A MONTH!

“We’re better than this. Our kind. We’re better.” I walked out. I couldn’t take it. For just a second I had seen something human in the vampire’s eyes. Some emotion. I shook it off. I felt Kai follow me out.

‘This is why my father is a council member, an Alpha of hundreds of wolves. He’s ruthless. But if there is one thing I know about my father, it’s that he acts with honor. This vampire must be telling him things that are important to our kind. The second it stops talking or they don’t need it, my father will cleanly kill it.’

‘After a month of torturing him!’

“Aurora, may we talk in private for a moment?” Raj had followed us into an open drawing room.

Kai stared his father in the eyes. “No.”

I sighed. “Yes. It’s fine.” I placed a hand on Kai’s arm. The veins were popping out of his neck. Not a good sign.

“Your mother has made your favorite dish. Why don’t you go meet her in the kitchen and we will be right there.”

Kai stared into his father’s eyes for a good long while. “Don’t scare my mate.”

His father stared back, not answering. Kai walked out closing the doors behind him.

“He is my favorite son. Always has been. He’s a leader and a lover and a fighter. He is respectful and kind and takes care of his pack.”

The admission caught me off guard. “Why don’t you tell him that?”

“Because to tell him would make me feel weak. I’m anything but weak, Aurora.” His face looked stern.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

His father rubbed the spot between his thumb and pointer finger and creased his brow. Did werewolves get headaches?

“There is no way to put this lightly.”

Oh God. I backed up slowly and found a couch that I half fell into.

“What is it?”

“Don’t marry my son. For the sake of yourself, of our entire race. Don’t you dare go through with the mating ceremony with my son.”

My hand immediately went to the engagement ring around my neck.

“Why would you say something like that to me? I thought you wanted this?”

His father looked pained. “I did. The council and I have been working on an intel project. We have a double agent inside of RAIDOS. We also have been questioning the vampires, like you saw today. All of this has led to some pretty startling intel.”

A double agent inside RAIDOS? They KNEW about RAIDOS. Who was it? I hadn’t smelled a werewolf when I met them. Maybe I hadn’t met that agent yet.

His father stood over me. “The vampire, Layla, has not become pregnant, nor will she. As long as you stay infertile, so does your blood. If you take the mating ceremony with my son and Spirit blesses you with fertility, then any vampire that drinks your blood will have the ability to become pregnant.”

“NO! You can’t know this for sure.”

His hand rested on my shoulder. “I admit it’s a theory but a strong one. The vampires have created a device. A bloodletting device just for you. It will drain just enough blood to keep you alive. Then the blood is bottled and SOLD to the highest female vampire bidder. RAIDOS has the intel about your blood. They took a sample from the fight at the water treatment plant when you were injured. They tested it and they say you’re infertile.”

He walked to a desk in the corner and retrieved a paper, and handed it to me.

TOP SECRET

Aurora

Class: Werewolf, Second in Command.

Age: Unknown (Early twenties)

Pack: Portland, Mount Hood, Oregon. (United States)

Mate: Kai, Alpha (Indian Origin). Mating ceremony has not taken place yet.

Known Abilities: Matefinder. Magic user. Silver Immunity. Extremely Fast Shifter.

Blood tested: FSH, Prolactin, Luteinizing, Estradiol, Serum Progesterone.

Results: Infertile.

I set the paper down. My hands were shaking. The only thing they didn’t know about me was my age. I wanted to be strong. I was sitting in front of the Alpha of one of the biggest packs in the world. A tear slid down my cheek.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

I nodded slowly. I couldn’t have a mating ceremony. I couldn’t have children. Oh God. Now that I knew I might not be able to have children, it was the only thing I wanted. A son or a daughter, with Kai’s dark eyes and laugh, with my smile and my hands.

“So if I marry Kai–”

“The ceremony will activate your fertility and your blood will change. We suspect that will then be the change needed to give female vampires fertility.”

“You suspect. But you don’t know.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “We are ninety-nine percent certain.”

I stood up and folded the paper placing it inside my pocket. “I’m keeping this.” I started towards the door.

“So what are you going to do?” He trailed behind me.

“If there’s one thing I won’t do, it’s live in fear. I’ve spent too much of my life doing that already.”

“Then RAIDOS will kill you. That’s their backup plan. You get married. They kill you.”

My hand stilled on the doorknob. I leaned my head against the cool wood. What the hell was I supposed to do?

I could feel his father come up behind me. His voice was soft, understanding. “When the rogue werewolf burst into my house and attacked my family, I felt helpless. I watched my wife wreathe on the floor screaming in pain. Kai fought the werewolf hard, he nearly died of blood loss. My daughter didn’t make it. I vowed that day to never feel helpless again. So I put myself in a place of power. I created a life for my family to ensure we would never be hurt like that again. You are my son’s mate whether you have a mating ceremony or not. You are my daughter-in-law.”

I turned to face him, tears swam in my eyes. I never had a father I respected but I respected him. He was hard around the edges; he was stubborn and he was controlling, but he was a good man.

He placed both hands on my shoulders. “As a council member I am telling you not to marry my son. You will bring danger to yourself, your pack, and our kind. As your father-in-law, I want you and my son to be happy. I want you to have children and experience every beautiful thing that life has to offer. Whatever you chose, you will have my blessing.” The kiss he placed on my forehead was so quick I couldn’t be sure it happened. The door opened behind me and Raj ushered me out.

I decided to hold off on telling Kai what happened until we got home. I needed to think. He wasn’t exactly easy to persuade. Asking for time to think before telling him something bought me about five minutes before he pestered me again. I finally had to snap at him.

“It’s bad, okay! It’s so goddamn bad I can’t bear to tell you! Just give me time to figure it out. I will tell you when we get home,” I screamed at him in the hotel while we packed our things.

He looked at me with an unreadable expression. “Are you in immediate danger?”

I lowered my head. “No.”

“All right.”

I zipped my bag up.

“I’m going to wait in the lobby for you.” I rolled my bag down the hall and was smashing buttons on the elevator when Tara spoke behind me.

“Hey, Aurora?” The elevator opened. She followed me in with a duffle bag over one shoulder.

Of all the people to see. “Hey.” I forced a smile.

“I wanted to ask you about your pack mate, Max. He’s cute. What’s his story?” She smiled shyly. I promised Kai I wouldn’t tell Max I had found his mate. I said nothing about not telling Tara. I might regret this later.

I pulled the stop button on the elevator.

“I’m going to tell you something and you cannot act on it. You cannot repeat it. Do you understand me?”

She swallowed and backed up a little.

“Do you know what my gift is? That I find mates?”

She nodded.

“Max was mated to a woman who died during childbirth about twenty years ago. They lost the baby, too.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I mean, I thought he was nice and we had this intense connection, but I won’t pursue him now, don’t worry.”

I placed a hand on hers. “Max is your mate, Tara.” I stared into her eyes.

I could hear her heart pick up in speed. “What? You just said he lost his mate.”

“He did. Werewolves mate for life, I know. But I’m telling you, I have visions of people’s mates and you are Max’s mate now.”

Then I released the stop button and the elevator dropped one floor and dinged open.

“I’m sorry,” I told her and walked to the lobby.

***

The plane flight home was long and I was stuck in my thoughts. Trent had stayed behind to help Diya say goodbye and to tour more of India. They would be flying home in a week. I was excited and nervous to see Emma. I wasn’t sure I could look at her the same now that I knew werewolf pregnancy was so dangerous.

The second the plane landed on the tarmac in Portland, I powered up my phone. It beeped with a bunch of missed calls and texts. I scrolled through. Lexi, my mom, Dr. Tavern. I looked closer. I didn’t even have Dr. Tavern’s number in this phone. This was my personal phone. She must have plugged it in when I wasn’t looking. I opened the text.

-No bun in the oven- it read. I slipped the phone in my backpack. So everything Kai’s father had told me was right.

We had just reached home. I was exhausted and I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

Kai grabbed my arm lightly. “Are you going to tell me about what happened with my father?”

I sighed. “I’m so tired from the flight. Let me sleep and we will talk tomorrow. Okay?”

Kai looked into my eyes. He bent forward and kissed my nose. “Okay.”

Dreams

That night I tossed and turned. I was dreaming and a cold sweat broke out on my skin. This wasn’t like a normal dream. I was half awake and aware of Kai’s breathing next to me. I also knew that I was dreaming but I couldn’t fully wake up. I felt trapped. Suddenly I was standing in my dream in front of my childhood home. The door was open. Chills ran up my spine. Something felt wrong. I did NOT want to go inside. I tried to back up but my traitorous legs began walking in.

“No!” I screamed.

I heard a whimper leave my throat as Kai woke up next to me. I felt like my soul was splitting in two. Part of me was now standing at the foot of the bed staring at my sleeping body. Kai was awake now and looking curiously at my sleeping self. Then, in my dream, I was walking into the house and heading right for the kitchen.

“No, no, no! Wake up!” I told myself. A soft whimper left my throat again.

Kai nudged me this time. “Aurora, wake up. You’re dreaming.”

***

In my dream, I knew what I was going to see, somehow I knew. My father’s body was crumpled on the floor, a pool of blood rapidly growing around him. I looked down at my shaking hands; they were covered in blood. The knife lay at my feet. He wasn’t dead yet. I could hear his sputtering cough. I didn’t want to be here! Why was I here? I tried to close my eyes but they wouldn’t. I was trapped. I began to tear up. I knew what came next and I didn’t want to hear it. His words would haunt me for the rest of my life.

“It should have been you.” My dying drunken father wheezed. “Not my Drake.” Then the blood became too much and the life left his eyes. The refrigerator was open, and my mother’s unconscious body lay on the floor. An open jug of orange juice pooled around her. To this day I can’t eat two things: ketchup and orange juice.

***

“Aurora! Wake up this instant!” Kai’s eyes had gone yellow. Fur was rippling down his arms.

I looked again at my bloody hands and felt a presence at my back. I spun quickly to see the dark witch that was working with Layla. Prudence.

“I always knew you had a dark side to you, Aurora. But imagine my surprise when I find out you’re not just a murderer, but that you killed your own father!” She laughed and clapped her hands together in glee. My stomach rolled.

“Kai! Sylvia!” I screamed.

Prudence flung her hand out quickly dousing me with mist. I felt like cement had been poured down my veins; I couldn’t move.

***

Kai was shaking my body now. I watched, helpless. Emma ran into the room. Kai must have summoned her.

“Get Max and Sylvia!” Kai roared.

Emma paled when she saw my limp frame in Kai’s hands.

***

I felt so heavy. Prudence walked back to my parents’ old room and reappeared with a little girl. She looked scared. She must have been four years old and had long inky black hair. She clung to the witch.

“Auntie, why am I here?” she asked Prudence.

The witch looked at me. “Because your mommy owes me a favor, little one.”

I lifted my right leg up a few inches and stepped forward.

Prudence pulled a small knife out and pointed it at the little girl. “Don’t push me!” she yelled at me. I stood still, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. “Do you have any idea what I am capable of?” she asked me.

“I can bring people back from the dead! I can make a poor fat man rich with women and gold. I can even bleed a child to make a woman fertile.” She smiled wickedly.

“No!” I screamed. I tried to use my magic but it was no use. I had a blanket over my powers.

***

Back with my body I sensed Sylvia. She entered the room and grabbed her chest. “No! I should have taught her more. She should be learning protections spells. This is what happens when someone with her power doesn’t know how to be a witch!” Sylvia was beside herself. I have never seen her this flustered.

Kai was barely holding onto his human form. “Fix it! What’s happening?” he roared.

Sylvia pulled her shaking hand from her purse and began lining the room with salt. “Dark dark magic. Old magic. I can’t fix this. Her soul has been split. And I haven’t taught her enough to fix it herself.”

***

Back in my dream, I stared at Prudence. “Let the child go!” I roared.

She smiled and put her dagger down. “Okay, would you rather I used Emma’s baby?” The glean in her eye made me sick. There wasn’t a scrap of humanity left in this woman. I couldn’t reason with her.

“If you touch Emma, I will kill you.” I glared. “Well, I’m going to kill you anyway.” I looked at the little girl. Her lip was quivering, her head down. Could you kill someone in the dream world? I didn’t want to find out. A thought struck me. I closed my eyes and concentrated. ‘Nahuel, help! I need you.’

***

Kai breathed in deep through his nostrils just as there was a knock at the door. Max had gathered in the doorway to the room. He left to see who was at the door and returned with Nahuel. Kai growled and hugged my body protectively. Nahuel creased his brow and looked at Sylvia then again at Kai. “You’re not doing a very good job at protecting her are you?” he mused aloud.

Kai growled again. “Why are you here?”

Nahuel pulled a feather and a dried sage bundle from his satchel. “Your mate invited me. She woke me from a nice dream.”

Kai didn’t trust him. I could see that but I could also see his desperation. Nahuel put the tip of the sage bundle to his bare palm and it ignited with flames.

“Show off,” Sylvia murmured.

He blew out the flame and a long stream of smoke rose up to the ceiling. He began fanning the smoke with the feather.

“Listen to my words, Kai. You are Aurora’s one true mate, her Alpha, her pack leader, her soul mate. Like two drops in the ocean, I cannot tell where one begins and the other ends. You must use your link with Aurora to go into her mind. Take her mind into your power. Flood her with your presence. Saturate her every being with your love. Free her from the binds that hold her. Remind her that nothing can hold power over her without her permission. Tell her that she is the creator of her destiny.” Nahuel came closer to Kai and grabbed his ankle with a firm grip.

Kai flinched.

“Let yourself go. I will keep your spirit grounded to this world. I will keep your soul together. I will protect you,” Nahuel said.

Kai swallowed hard. I could see his pride flaring up. He didn’t think he needed the protection. He didn’t want to seem weak. He didn’t want to trust an outsider. He also didn’t want to lose me.

Max stepped into the room. “Kai, do as he says. If he makes a move to harm you, I will kill him.”

Nahuel tried to stifle a laugh. I wanted to tell Max that I had seen Nahuel stop time and so I was pretty sure he would be hard to kill.

Kai nodded and rested his forehead on mine. My skin was grey and sweat beaded my forehead.

“Meri Pyari, let me in,” he whispered.

***

In the dream world, Prudence was preparing an altar of some kind. She lit candles and began chanting. The little girl seemed frozen now. She was unable to run. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the woods behind our house. A large ball of light was floating towards me. I tried to run to it but I couldn’t. The light became brighter. “Kai!” I looked down at my body. This was a dream. I didn’t need a body, right? I shed my body and I too became a ball of light. My ball of light raced towards Kai’s light and the two balls crashed together sending out sparks like fireworks. I opened my eyes in the dream. Prudence was grabbing her dagger now. I looked down at my body, except it wasn’t my body, it was my wolf’s and it wasn’t just me; Kai was with me, inside me. We were one.

‘It’s a dream,’ Kai told my wolf.

‘I know.’

I tried to move my paw. Nothing happened. The witch was walking the little girl over to her altar. She hadn’t noticed me yet.

‘Aurora, do you know why I love you so much?’

‘Because you’re my mate, you have to,’ I joked.

‘No, because you don’t let anyone tell you what to do. I have never shared this with you, but I fear that you too may be an Alpha. You may be more dominant than me. I sense that. I knew from that first day that you may actually have the power and strength to lead this pack, to be stronger than me. It terrifies me and excites me all at once. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do. You’re a free spirit.’

His confession knocked into me like a ton of bricks. I felt his Alpha power merge with mine and a growl ripped from my throat. Prudence turned to look at me and stumbled backward. I leapt from where I had been cemented with fear and landed on her chest, knocking her into her altar. A candle fell onto her hair and lit it on fire. She began to scream. The little girl fell over, broken free from her spell.

“Wake up! Wake up! Go back to your body! Tell your mother what happened here and run away,” I screamed at the girl. The little girl ran for the front door. The second she crossed the threshold outside, she disappeared. Prudence was chanting now as her body lit on fire. I ran for the door but a blast hit me from the back and I fell forward shifting back into my human form. The door slammed shut and smoke began building in the house.

I stood up and faced her. “One day I’m going to learn to fully use my magic. I’m going to find you and I’m going to incinerate you out of existence.”

I leapt to the right and slammed my body through the living room window. I felt Kai’s power pushing me through the glass. I was about to reach the ground when I slammed back into my body and out of my dream.

***

I opened my eyes. Max, Emma, Sylvia, Nahuel, and Kai all stared at me.

“Well, I might have a hard time sleeping from now on,” I told them.

Kai let out a sigh and grabbed me, holding me close.

After promising Sylvia I would attend weekly witch circles and spell castings, she left. After promising Nahuel I would wear a special protection amulet he made me, he left as well. I glanced at Kai.

Kai had been patient. He had given me time to think things through. I owed him an explanation. I slowly pulled the paper I had taken from his father. I unfolded it and handed it to him. I watched his features change as he read the paper.

“Okay, what the hell is this?”

“RAIDOS has figured out that I can’t impregnate vampires so long as I stay unmated. I’m infertile. I love you, Kai, but we can’t marry. If we do, I become fertile and so does my blood.”

I told him everything. About the device the vampires had to drain and sell my blood, about my fear and desire to have children. When I was done, he took my face in his hands.

“This doesn’t mean we can’t marry.”

Hope sprang up inside my chest. “It doesn’t?”

“It only means we have to take out the vampires that want to hurt you.” The tone of his voice gave me chills.

Sometimes I wondered just how dangerous the man I shared my bed with could be. I swallowed hard. “You have that look in your eye. The crazy creepy look that says you want to go on a killing spree.” I tried to make a joke. His face remained sinister.

“Vampires are like bees,” he told me, as I saw a plan hatching in his mind.

“Bees?”

“Bees. They spend their whole life obsessed with their hive and honey. Money and blood for vampires.”

“Okay.” I could kind of see where he was going. Sure vampires and bees had some similarities. “And this helps us how?”

“They are also obsessed with their queen. Their pathetic little lives revolve around one bitch. Take out the queen, take out the hive.”

Oh, shit. Kai was going to go after Layla.

“What are you going to do?” My heart was pounding.

Kai smiled. “Don’t worry. You just plan our wedding. We will be mated, Aurora. No one is taking that from me.”

And in that moment I didn’t care. About any of it. I was loved. I smiled and folded myself into his arms as he kissed me long and deep. After everything that had happened in my life, with my broken childhood, to my car accident and my newfound abilities. It was all a part of a greater outcome. This was where I was meant to wind up. I belonged in Kai’s arms. I was some crazy witch werewolf hybrid who was hunted by vampires and had the ability to give them evil bloodsucking children, but it didn’t matter. Kai and I were made for each other and no one was taking from us what we deserved. We deserved it all. We would have everything we wanted in life and God have mercy on whoever got in our way. A growl left my throat and Kai nodded.

“Yes, Meri Pyari. We will fight for what we want in life. Let no creature stand in our way.”

Mist began to rise off of my skin and I felt patches of fur break out on my arms. If the vampires wanted a war, then that’s what they would get.

Stay tuned for the next series in this installment.

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Table of Contents

- Changed
- Second
- Challenge
- Run
- Sylvia
- Anna
- Goodbye
- Vampires
- Mother
- Memories
- Diwali
- Young Love
- Family
- Kill or Be Killed
- Reunited
- United
- Protect
- Yes
- Alpha
- Emma
- Duff
- RAIDOS
- Life
- Alliance
- New Family
- Secret
- Dreams