Balance

by Leia Stone

  Murphy nodded. “He threatened us if we revealed the truth. Being new to this life, I didn’t want any trouble. He promised me I would be strong and powerful,” Murphy said, stepping forward and staring at the second in command like he was dead meat. “After my power manifested, I knew I could leave anytime, but I stayed to protect my best friend. He was submissive and Harris treated him like shit.” Murphy stalked towards the second. “So did you!”

  Kai backed up and let them go at it. Murphy clocked the second in the jaw and he stumbled backward.

  Kai and I shared an appraising look. It was a good punch.

  The second stood up, hands still bound behind his back and glared at Murphy, fur rippling along his body.

  Kai stepped in between the two then and met Murphy’s eyes. “If you want to rip him to shreds I won’t stop you. That’s your pack politics. But your mate, Kat, is a very good friend of mine. She’s a gorgeous, stubborn woman who drives a Harley and smokes way too many cigarettes, but she will be dying to meet you. I will make sure the council takes care of this matter if you want to leave now.”

  My jealousy flared at his term ‘gorgeous woman.’

  Murphy cleared his throat. “I’m ready to leave.”

  Kai looked at the second. “Let them both go.” Alpha power oozed from his voice. The second was technically Alpha now even though I’m pretty sure Murphy was stronger.

  He looked reluctantly at Kai. “Now it seems like you are collecting all of the gifted wolves,” He shot back.

  That was a threat.

  Kai grabbed his throat. “Murphy’s mate is an Alpha and will not be joining my pack. I am taking Jameson because I would never trust one of my females to your supposed pack. Pack means family. Don’t ever forget that.”

  The second’s face was purple. Could a werewolf die of oxygen deprivation? The curiousness in me was tempted to hold my breath and find out.

  Kai dropped him on the ground as the second gasped for air and held his throat. Then he slowly stood, transforming his hand into a claw and quickly swiped Murphy’s arm. “I cast you out,” he said with a raspy voice. He walked over to Jameson who lowered his head. Alexa growled and gave him a death glare.

  “I cast you out,” he finished.

  I found myself wondering what Murphy’s power was. This guy really didn’t want to let him go.

  Kai addressed the pack. “I will send a council enforcer in the morning to interview you all. Anyone who wants to leave the pack is welcome to. This new Alpha will be under probation until a trial and sentencing.” Kai glared at him.

  Murphy stepped forward. “Where’s my mate?” His eyes glowed yellow. It wasn’t a command, there was a deep desire in his voice.

  Kai looked at him. “Tucson, Arizona. Her name is Kat. I will arrange a flight for you.”

  He grinned. “No need for that.”

  Murphy then turned to Jameson. “Keep in touch, brother. It looks like you will be taken care of in this new pack.”

  Jameson, still in wolf form, nodded.

  Murphy then looked at me. “Thank you.”

  Then he turned around, undressed and within seconds, transformed into a giant eagle and flew off.

  What the eff? My mouth was frozen open, my eyes wide.

  “Holy shit! Is that possible?” Max blurted out, saying what we all were thinking.

  I looked at Kai. His eyes were bugging out of his head as well. “He must have shaman blood in his line. That’s the only explanation I can think of, but it shouldn’t be possible.” Kai shook his head, seemingly to clear his thoughts. Holy crap, what did this mean? Could shamans and werewolves mate? I needed to ask Nahuel next time I saw him.

  Kai then looked at all of us. “Let’s go home.” He walked over to Jameson and brought him into the pack. I felt his energy merge with all of ours. Then I felt Alexa’s excitement, pure bliss. A mated pair.

  Alexa and Jameson nuzzled each other and we walked back to our cars.

  Two mated couples. I sighed. It was starting to feel like I was being pulled into two different directions. I wanted to find these mated couples and be with Kai, but the Devi was restless to find Layla and end her. We both were to be honest. Kai’s eyes met mine and I forced a smile.

  Meeting

  After we got in late last night, I had to set Kai’s jaw so it would heal properly. Now, I awoke to find him gone with no note.

  ‘Where are you?’

  His energy seemed nervous. ‘Just hanging with Max in the barn, be home in a bit.’

  It felt like a lie. Weird. Kai didn’t lie to me. Ever. I chugged a huge cup of coffee, showered quickly and went to find him. As I neared the barn doors I picked up on a bunch of smells. My father in law was here? Opening the barn doors, my eyes fell on Alek, Max, Earl, Kai’s father, Sylvia, and Shamus. Whoa. Big-wig meeting without me? What the hell was going on?

  As I approached, Kai shushed everyone and I gave him a glare that could cut ice.

  “What are you secretly talking about?” I crossed my arms and oozed as much dominance as I could muster. How dare he lie to me! Raj smirked at my defiance, but Kai glared back at me and no one said a word. Oh my God. They were having a secret meeting about me!

  “I thought you were supposed to be helping Emma today?” Kai asked.

  “Aurora, we–” it was Shamus but Kai cut him off.

  “No! If you tell her, she will do it and she may be captured or hurt and then I will kill you all!” Kai roared and the hair on my arms stood.

  Shamus looked at his friend with compassion. “What other choice do we have? Sometimes we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good. Think of Sadie and Tara!”

  Kai scowled at Shamus but then dropped his gaze. I think throwing Sadie and Tara in there finally got to him. My mate looked defeated.

  “Listen up,” I told them all. “Kai is my mate, yes, but he isn’t my keeper. From now on, you don’t talk about me behind my back. You don’t hide shit from me or make plans about me. I make my own choices, and it’s really starting to piss me off when I find out you’re all making choices for me. Either tell me your ideas, or leave!” My eyes were yellow. My wolf didn’t like this situation. All of the dominants here, talking about me, making plans without me knowing. It was my idea to have a meeting in the first place!

  Kai threw his hands up and started talking rapidly in Hindi as his dad chuckled.

  “Come here, dear.” Sylvia motioned me over.

  Sylvia’s long hair was braided like a thick rope. She wore an ankle-length dress and leather cuffs and she looked fit for battle.

  As I approached her, she reached out and held my hand. “As you know, Layla drank your blood, so she could now be pregnant with a child. But now two females have been taken. We are all just talking about different ways to find her and eliminate her in order to get the girls back. The coven and I cannot search her out by magical means. She has the help of very dark magic. So, the idea was brought up–”

  From across the room, Kai growled.

  I looked at him. ‘Babe, please. Stop protecting me.’

  ‘Never,’ he replied.

  I sighed.

  Sylvia cleared her throat. “… to take you away from the safety of the mountain and use you as bait to draw her or some of her people out. She’s greedy, she will want more of your special blood for her people. It’s the only way to find the girls.”

  Now I knew why Kai was so upset. He knew the second I heard this I would do it. Because it was a good idea, the only idea.

  “I’ll do it.” I looked at Kai, pleading forgiveness. His eyes were yellow and nearly caught fire at my acceptance.

  “Over my dead body.” He growled and began stalking towards me. For a second, I felt genuine fear. My husband was menacing when he wanted to be. The second he felt my fear through the mate bond he slowed his pace and his eyes turned brown. He grabbed the sides of my face. “Meri Pyari, I forbid it. Please, for once in your life, listen to me. For your own good.”

  I
gazed at his gorgeous face, so filled with concern for my wellbeing. “I know it’s for my own good, but I need to do what’s good for humanity and for the girls who were taken, not just myself. It’s my life purpose. You need to support that.”

  He could feel the finality through the mate bond, like a steel door shutting. I wasn’t going to budge and he knew it. Letting go of my face, he turned to everyone.

  “Give me a few days to design the mission. I call the shots. If she’s injured or taken, I will never forgive any of you.”

  I placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. “I’m going for a run. Alone.” He crossed the barn in seconds and slammed the door behind him.

  I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. We never fought. He never walked away like that.

  Shamus approached and put an arm around me. “He’s a big Alpha teddy bear who got his pride hurt and his orders shot down. He’ll be okay.”

  I nodded.

  “We need to get Sadie and Tara back. This is the only way to draw Layla out.” Shamus said. He looked like he hadn’t slept. He was right. Two females were taken. I needed to help in any way that I could.

  Raj motioned me over with a flick of his head. Then, Sylvia and the others left and it was just Raj and me.

  “I can’t believe you’re back here. Is your pack okay without you there?” I asked him. He was the Alpha of a huge pack in Delhi and they were the big, bad fighting kind of werewolves. The flight from India was a good twenty hours.

  Raj chuckled. “There have been a few issues in my absence. Nothing my dominant second can’t handle. Nikhil will be a good replacement for me one day. Much less power hungry and more even tempered than I.” He smiled and I returned the gesture.

  Raj and I had a comfortable relationship. He seemed rough on the outside but he was really just a loyal family guy. Kai and Raj had their issues, but I could see that all he did for his son was out of love, and I trusted his opinion.

  “So, this plan—”

  He nodded. “Is a good one, but I want to remind you of the intel I received from the captured vampire in my possession.”

  I shivered. The vision of that creature being starved for information had been a sore spot with me. But I did remember the intel. The vampires had created some sort of bloodletting device. They would drain and bottle my blood to sell to the highest bidding vampire. Drain enough to keep me alive but also enough to impregnate thousands of vampires.

  I blurted out something that I wasn’t sure if I should share with him but I was dying for a second opinion on it. “The witches have found a way to make my blood infertile to the vampires.”

  Raj raised his eyebrows. Rarely did you catch this man off-guard. He opened his hands as if to say, ‘why not do it?’

  “It would mean that Kai and I couldn’t have kids. Ever,” I told him.

  His face fell. “Ahh. I see.”

  “But the whole greater good thing, right? Should I be reconsidering that?” I chewed a fingernail. I had talked with Kai about this. We had already decided two kids and then I would do the spell. Why was I reconsidering it? I guess I wanted someone else to agree with me. I didn’t want to be making a selfish decision.

  Raj placed his hands on my shoulders and stared me right in the eyes, a big dominant Alpha stare. “Listen to me, daughter. There is no greater moment in all my life than when Kai was pulled from Maya’s belly. The second I saw him, my first born, I realized how incredible life was. The fact that two people can create a life, it’s astonishing. Would my son become a doctor? Cure cancer? Would he discover a new planet? Would he fall in love and have children of his own? There is no greater gift to the world than having a child with the potential to do anything. Now, not all people want children and that’s fine. Good for them for having the insight to know themselves and make that decision. But for me, being a father is the greatest life achievement I have ever known. Don’t deny yourself of that, if it’s something you desire.”

  My eyes were swimming with tears. He was right. I shouldn’t let anyone dictate my life. I deserved to be happy and have everything I wanted. I did want to have children and I would. After seeing Avery, something in me had changed and now after getting the last of the doubts out of my system, I was ready.

  I gave him a hug. “I’m going to go find Kai.”

  Leaving the barn, I stripped down to nothing. After shifting, I took off running and followed Kai’s scent as I ran through the thick trees, relishing in the cool breeze against my white fur. A good hard run was just what I needed. Kai’s scent led me to Bagby Hot Springs. The natural spring he had taken me to right before our wedding. He was naked and submerged in the water looking out into the sky. He sensed me approaching and looked in my direction.

  I shifted instantly. “What are you thinking about?” I asked him, trying to gauge whether or not he was supremely pissed at me.

  He turned to look at me with a serious expression. His wet hair was tousled and he looked all kinds of sexy. A deep sigh escaped his lips. “I feel like I’m constantly pulling you in my direction. I had to fight to get you to set a wedding date, I had to fight for you to want to have children with me, and now I’m having to fight to keep you from getting killed by vampires. I’m just wondering what it is you want in life. I’m done fighting. I just want you to have what you want in life. So, what do you want, Aurora?”

  My heart dropped, a numb feeling spread throughout my body. He was right. “Kai.” I climbed over the side of the soaking tub and slipped in beside him.

  “I want you! I want a baby with you. I want a happy ending,” I told him as I slid on top of him and straddled his waist.

  His eyes went yellow.

  “But?” he asked.

  “But I have a conscience and I can’t let the vampires take over the world knowing I am meant to stop it. I have this Devi here inside of me.” I pounded my chest. “She’s full of power and waiting to lash out when the chance strikes. I’m not myself; I’m part her. I can’t get rid of her until I fulfill my purpose. Only then will I be one hundred percent Aurora. I’m doing the best I can to live both lives. You don’t understand what it’s like. The duality is maddening sometimes. Human, werewolf, witch, Devi. I’m on the edge of losing it.” My eyes were wild. I needed him to understand. I was barely holding my shit together lately. He was my rock and I needed him to be solid right now.

  Kai gave me an expression of pity. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was that hard. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to share your body, to feel like your actions are not your own.” He tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and eyed my lips.

  I shivered thinking about it. “I just want this over, Kai. I want to use me as bait. I want Layla to show up and I want to rip her head off and burn the body.”

  His deep rumble of laughter made me grin. He kissed my chin. “Then that’s what you shall have, my love.”

  I was still straddling him … naked. I gave him my best seducing look. “Wouldn’t it be a cool story to tell our child that they were conceived at the hot springs,” I kissed him, “one warm summer night after we had a big fight?”

  He licked his lips in anticipation and kissed me again, his greedy lips parting with hunger. Standing up, he hoisted me out of the hot tub as I continued to straddle his waist and kiss him. Walking us over to a soft bed of grass, he lay me down, kissing my neck, then my chest, my belly button. I moaned. I could do this. I could have everything I wanted in life. I could have it all. I would.

  *

  I awoke the next morning with a grin. The night before was amazing. Mist crept down from the trees, rolled across the grass and saturated our lovemaking.

  After dressing, I went out into the kitchen. Kai was standing over the stove. On the counter was orange juice, a veggie omelet, toast, fresh fruit, and two bottles of vitamins.

  I laughed. “What is all this?” I asked.

  Kai turned around holding a skillet with veggie patties. “Take one of
the prenatal vitamins and then another of the DHA. Then enjoy your breakfast.”

  I laughed. “Kai, this is enough food for the entire pack! Also, I’m pretty sure werewolves don’t get birth defects. We heal, remember? Never heard of a werewolf with cancer or anything.”

  He looked at the pills. “Take them anyway.”

  I shrugged. “Okay.” It was adorable. He was such a protective guy, I wouldn’t deny him this.

  “So … when are we planning on going after Layla?” I said casually as we ate. We had agreed to the plan last night, right?

  He stared at me. “I was hoping to put it off as long as possible.”

  “Kai,” I started, but he put up a hand to stop me.

  “I will start planning the operation and we can go tomorrow.”

  I nodded. “How’s Max with the whole Tara thing?”

  Kai shook his head. “Completely guilt-ridden. This will help take his mind off of it. Brett can’t reach Sadie. They are blocking the mate bond.”

  My mouth opened. “Is that possible?”

  He shrugged. “It shouldn’t be. Witches,” he grumbled.

  I rolled my eyes.

  After eating as much as I possibly could, Sylvia knocked on the door. She was with Gretchen and a few other witches.

  “Hey, guys, are we having a lesson today?” I asked, confused.

  Sylvia shook her head, clutching some glass bottles and a velvet bag. “No, I thought we could try something, a new spell.” She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me.

  Luna purred and rubbed herself up against Gretchen’s legs. “Okay, let’s go outside. Kai doesn’t like witchy stuff in the house.”

  Kai grumbled behind me. “I never said that.”

  I shrugged. He didn’t have to, I felt it.

  Sylvia gestured to Kai. “Actually, the spell experiment will be on him.”

  Kai’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that so?” He leaned casually against the wall as I let the ladies enter our home. Well, this should be interesting.