by Leia Stone
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 fu
ll 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.