by Leia Stone
“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 i
s 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 ham
mering 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.