by Leia Stone
Raj spoke to one of his guys. “Don’t let anyone come down this road for the next hour. Do whatever you have to,” he commanded.
The man nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Raj took a hard right and led us up a small winding road. I had never been to this part of the mountain. We were still on the mountain, but not exactly in the area where the pack lived and roamed freely. There were a lot of cute little mountain cabins and cottages, mostly inhabited by humans.
“Where are we going?” I pondered aloud.
Raj shrugged. “Kai gave me the address yesterday. I drove the route five times this morning just in case.”
Whoa, my wedding was like a finely tuned military operation. It shouldn’t need to be like that! It wasn’t fair. I was beginning to feel depressed at the way things were turning out. Raj turned into the driveway of a blue and white cottage. It was tiny and cute. It had a white picket fence and tons of roses.
Kai was standing in the front drive way in a dark grey suit. His hair was slicked back. His face was clean shaven. I was about to marry the hottest guy I had ever seen.
“He can’t see you yet!” Emma shouted as Raj put the car in park.
“Screw the rules,” I told her and jumped out of the car and ran to him.
He looked me up and down and grinned. “From this day on you are wearing a sari all the time. You look amazing.”
I smiled and fell into his open arms. He smelled so good; cologne, mint, home.
‘Mate,’ my wolf said. Since I had merged more with my wolf, she didn’t talk as much. Our thoughts had become one, but she was right. He was, and always would be, my mate. My soul mate.
Everyone from the car made their way to the backyard and I was left standing alone with Kai.
“What is this place?” I asked him as he held my hand.
“Well, if it’s okay with you, it’s going to be your mother’s new house.” He gave me a side glance.
For the second time in the same day, tears fell from my eyes.
“You bought my mom a house?” My throat cracked. The snow was falling harder and covering the ground. I felt cold as a werewolf, but not freezing. Our bodies ran warmer.
Kai nodded and kissed my nose, wiping away my tears with his hands. “She shouldn’t have to live in a trailer. She should have a bigger garden and be closer to the pack, but not too close. Don’t want her seeing too much.” He winked.
I was speechless. “Kai, I don’t know what to say.”
He smiled. “Say you’re ready to marry me. Even though Layla is after your blood and RAIDOS wants to capture you, say you want to marry me anyway.”
I gave him a serious look. “I want to marry you.”
Kai nodded. “Say that you trust me to protect you, even if it means doing something crazy, something unthinkable.” He looked nervous.
“Kai, What?”
He shook his head. “Nevermind. I’ll meet you around back.” He kissed me and walked away.
He had been acting weird lately, secret meetings with Sylvia and joining the council. I didn’t exactly know what his plan for the vampires was. The Devi spirit had said Kai was on his own path and to follow his lead, so I was, but I was wondering if I should be questioning him more.
Raj walked over to me and made a motion for me to link arms with him. I smiled. I could worry about everything else later. It was time to live out my dreams and do what was right for my life. It was time to marry my mate.
I turned the corner to see twenty white lawn chairs set up. There was a small white lattice altar at the end of an aisle sprinkled with red rose petals. It was simple and perfect. I spotted Jai, Anna, Akash, Max, Tara and a few others.
At the altar, Nahuel stood with Kai. He smiled at me genuinely. Next to Kai, Max and Devon stood smiling. Across from them, Diya and Emma waited for me as my bridesmaids. It was perfect.
Akash was the ring bearer; he winked at me as he walked down the aisle to stand with his brother. A cute little girl from India pack sprinkled petals down the aisle. It was a perfect day. I looked up and held Kai’s gaze and began my walk.
Once Raj and I reached the end of the aisle, he kissed my forehead and handed me over to Kai. “Protect her well, son.”
Kai nodded. “I will Papa.”
I liked that our wedding was a blend of Indian and American. It was beautiful.
I took Kai’s hands and stood with him before Nahuel.
Mist flowed from Nahuel’s hands as he said an opening prayer. He produced different colored ribbons and bound our hands together like he had in Sadie’s wedding. With each binding of our hands, I felt a piece of me merge with Kai. I felt myself open up to him. All of my hurt, the things I was ashamed of or scared to show, he felt them all. My pride, my stubbornness, my strength, and dominance. They were brought to the surface. They were accepted. I was able to sift through Kai’s feelings, how much he hoped I would be his mate from the day he first met me. How much he had to fight to keep himself from being too dominant with me, in fear of scaring me off.
Nahuel spoke in a calm clear voice, “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.”
Then he placed his hand on my head. An electric jolt ran down his hand and zapped my pelvis. I opened my eyes in shock. Kai looked concerned. I smiled.
‘It’s okay,’ I assured him, ‘but I think he literally jump started my ovaries. I felt it.’
Kai had to stifle a laugh.
Nahuel cut my arm and then did the same with Kai’s. “With this final act, you become one. Mates for life. Is this your wish?” he asked me.
“It is,” I replied on instinct.
“Kai, is this your wish?” Nahuel asked.
“Yes,” he answered with a big grin.
Nahuel placed our wrists together and chanted in an ancient language. I saw mist pour down from the trees. I felt Kai’s energy stronger than ever before, his thoughts, feelings, how much he loved me. How scared he was that I would be taken away or hurt, how much he hated RAIDOS and the vampires. How much he hoped to keep a secret from me. I probed at that thought and gasped when I saw what he was trying to hide.
Kai looked into my eyes, seemingly willing me to understand.
“Kai, you can’t,” I said aloud.
The people in the front row mumbled.
‘Shh, my father will kill me,’ he said.
I quieted quickly.
I knew my mate was protective and would protect me at all costs. But never, in a million years, did I think he would expose our kind to the humans in a bid to save my life.
Kai’s eyes flashed yellow. ‘That’s right. Let the vampires try to fight us once I get the humans on our side. They won’t like it if their food fights back.’
Holy shit. Kai was crazy.
The crowd erupted into cheers and Kai’s gaze became a sexy smolder.
Nahuel patted my back. “Congratulations, you’re mated.”
I pushed Kai’s secret to the back of my mind and let this moment settle in. It felt so good to have your person. I would never be alone again on a movie date, no more sad Valentines days, no more abusive boyfriends. Kai was made for me and I for him. We found each other out of all the people in this world and we’ve become one. My eyes glowed yellow and Kai grabbed my neck, gently pulling me in for a kiss. The crowd roared and Kai tipped me back as I giggled.
‘You’re mine,’ Kai told me.
‘Ever since our first kiss in your office, I wanted it to be you,’ I confessed. He stood me upright and held my hand, smiling. The crowd gathered up and down the aisle holding their arms up high creating a tunnel for us to run under.
Kai glanced at me from the side. “After you, my wife.”
I grinned and ran forward. White rice fell from the hands of our friends and loved ones. I laughed and was very touched at the lengths Emma and everyone had gone to give me a wedding close to that of a human.
Kai and I met his father at the end of the aisle. He was on his cell phone shouting orders.
“Papa, give us an update.”
Raj glared at his son, clearly not liking the order.
“Please,” I added, nudging Kai. Kai rolled his eyes.
Raj got off the phone. “The problem has been fixed. RAIDOS came and saw Tristan and Izzy exchange vows. They knew we were up to something, but they can’t prove it. They are gone now. I’ll take you to your reception.”
I looked at Kai. Okay wedding was over, time to talk about Kai’s deep dark secret.
‘Kai, you’re not serious about telling the humans we exist, right? Those were just deep dark thoughts that will never happen, right?’ I had secrets, hell, we all had weird dark thoughts, but this seemed more than a thought. It was more like a plan.
Kai held my hand as we followed his father. ‘Trust me,’ was all he said.
I sighed. If Kai was serious about this, life as humanity knew it would never be the same.
***
The reception was in a huge red barn between Emma and Izzy’s property. There were hundreds of people. It was decorated simple and elegant. As they served the food, Kai leaned into me. “The entire wedding has been catered vegetarian in honor of the bride.” He smiled. I nearly spit out my wine.
“You’re making three hundred werewolves eat vegetarian?”
He nodded. “I am.”
I grinned. Kai slipped his hand under the table and caressed my thigh.
‘What is a polite amount of time to stay at your own wedding reception?’
My belly heated at his meaning. I grinned. ‘When we cut the cake, then we’re out of here.’
He laughed.
The night went smoothly. Kai’s father was gone for most of the reception dealing with security issues at our borders. He didn’t bother us with the details, but he returned to check in on the party and I noticed vampire ash on his clothes. After cutting the cake and dancing, we snuck out. Kai drove us to a secluded cabin high up on the mountain. There were tea lights inside white paper bags leading the way up the driveway.
“We’re not going home?” I questioned.
Kai shrugged. “My father thinks this is a better idea. I agree.”
Whoa. He agrees with his father. That’s rare.
We got out of the car and I inhaled. It smelled like Max, this must be his house.
Kai opened the front door, there were rose petals on the carpet leading to a bedroom door. I laughed.
Kai groaned. “This is Max’s house. He must have told Diya and Emma we were going to be here tonight. They’ve decorated.”
We opened the bedroom door and both started laughing. Condoms, lotions, and sexy lingerie littered the bed, red balloons and roses as well. Kai picked up a black lace bra and a pair of panties and raised his eye brows to me.
I grinned and lifted my arms. “Help unwrap me.” My Sari was wrapped around my body so many times I wasn’t sure I could get out of it myself. Kai helped unwrap me and then began to unsnap my blouse. Once that was gone, he stared at my red bra. He peppered my shoulder with kisses and then hoisted me up on the bed.
“What about the lingerie?” I teased.
“Forget it.” He panted in-between kisses.
I smiled. Guys were so easy.
News
The next morning I awoke with a grin. The night before was mind blowing. Kai was right when he said mating after you were married was different. It was magic. Literally. Mist had crept in through the windows and down the walls. Maybe that was how werewolves got pregnant once they were mated, some kind of magic changed them to be fertile. I reached over and felt the bed, empty. I sat up and noticed a note on the bed. I smiled. As I read the note, my stomach dropped. No!
My dearest wife,
Please forgive me. I do not want you involved with what I feel needs to be done today. My father lost three men in the night. The attacks were relentless, both from RAIDOS and the vampires. We can’t live like this. I must go forward with my plans. Turn on the news.
I love you. Be safe.
Kai
My hands shook. I scrambled out of bed wrapped in a sheet and searched for the remote. Once I found it, I turned on the TV with dread. This would be catastrophic. What was he thinking? If the humans didn’t kill Kai, the council would.
The second the TV came to life, I noticed a picture of Kai, and a frazzled-looking blonde newswoman was explaining the story.
“We have live feed from an interview earlier this morning at Safe Haven domestic violence shelter in Oregon. We have confirmed this is not a computer graphics trick and news is coming in all across social media of reports of werewolves being spotted all over the country.”
Oh shit. He did. Holy, holy shit.
The feed cut to footage of the gym at Safe Haven, Kai looked gorgeous as usual and Max was with him. Damn you, Max! Traitor. The women at Safe Haven were all clustered around them.
“I have dedicated my life to protecting my family, these women, humans,” Kai was saying. The newswoman made a weird face when he said humans. Kai continued.
“So, at this point, I feel that to protect you all the most, I must share with you a secret. This secret may get me killed, but it could save your life.” Kai was turning on the charisma. Not being too stern or scary.
The newswoman was looking nervously at the camera. “We’re here to learn about what you have been doing at Safe Haven,” she reminded him, nervously.
But before she can cut the camera away, Kai shifts into his werewolf form blindly fast. His clothes tear and he stands there in wolf form. His large black fur and yellow eyes are menacing. He lowers his head to try and look timid. The gasps from all the women in the auditorium make the footage seem all the more real. Some of them scream. A few stumble backward. Max looks at the camera. “Werewolves are real and it is our intention to protect humanity from a very real and very scary threat. Vampires. Vampires are real too and they have been injecting your young ones with heroin and drinking them dry in order to get high. They want humanity to be asleep while they continue to use you as food, or worse, change you into drugged up bloodsuckers!” The newswoman was holding the microphone in front of her in a protective gesture. Her hand was shaking.
Max looked at the camera. “Meet at your local parks. Your local werewolf pack will be there to teach you how to protect yourself from the vampires. God help us all in the days ahead. A war is coming and we must unite to protect the human race.” Max finished. The newswoman dropped the microphone and the footage cut off. I was looking back at the woman in the newsroom.
She was speechless. “Uh … well. We will be following this story closely. Let’s … go to commercial.”
I realized I hadn’t taken a breath. I gasped. Oh my God. My mother. She would see. EVERYONE would see. There was no going back.
I picked up my phone and saw breaking news alerts. Videos from werewolves all across the country were being uploaded. I saw one of Shamus. Kai had orchestrated this entire thing.
‘Kai, what have you done!’ He was close. I could feel it.
‘I had a dream,’ he said.
What the hell was he talking about? I heard a car door shut. I inhaled. It was him. I threw on clothes and ran outside.
He was with Max. They stepped out of the car.
“Your Devi spirit visited me in my dream and showed me two versions of the future. In one, humanity and werewolves all but go extinct. They hide in caves and scavenge and kill each other over territory and food. The vampires over populate Earth and live off of drugged up human slaves with their half-breed demonic children.” His jaw is set, veins popping out of his neck.
I grabbed my arms and shivered. I felt sick. “And the other?”
His face relaxed. “
We unite. Not all humans will embrace an alliance with us, but most will. It will be enough. We kill Layla and her clan dries out. The senseless bleeding out of humans stop and we all live together in a new future. A more balanced future.”
I swallowed. “After a shitload of drama, I’m sure.”
Kai shrugged. “There was no other way.”
“The council, your father. They’ll kill you.” My eyes went yellow.
Kai gave me a sly grin. “There is a law that states no council member may be punished with death. That’s why I joined, I’m exempt now.”