by Leia Stone
‘I’m so sorry, about Devon, about this. It’s all my fault. They want me, not you,’ I told him.
Slowly, the old Kai returned and I saw his eyes soften to their hazelnut brown. His scowl faded and the mate bond burst open. I realized that he had closed it off partially so I wouldn’t feel all of his pain.
‘Of all the people. You brought my ex-girlfriend to help rescue me?’ He pondered.
I laughed and gave him a quick kiss.
“Will they grow back?” I began to throw clothes on him and help him up. I wrapped him into a lab coat and grabbed one for myself.
“I’m not sure. I think that’s the experiment, to find out.” He cradled his hand.
There were ten wolves standing around Sadie. Most of them were dominant, one of them was more dominant; he began to shift.
When he was human, he looked at me. “Thank you for rescuing us. We are from Seaside beach pack. We came to investigate when we smelled a foreign wolf on our land.”
“You’re welcome. We have two others saving the wolves from the incinerator,” I told him. An alarm sounded and we heard a door slam down the hall.
“Showtime!” Sadie shouted and drew her gun. She tossed me her spare. I stepped in front of Kai.
I looked at the Seaside wolves. “They are just humans with silver! We’re stronger than them, faster than them, and smarter than them. Go for the throats.” They all looked injured and tired, but they also looked pissed off.
The wolves growled. The Seaside dominant wolf grabbed a metal saw from the operating table. It would be dark soon. We needed to get back to Mount Hood to protect the pack before the vampires woke up.
I turned to Kai. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind for a honeymoon.”
He managed a chuckle and I burst out of the room screaming. Sadie and the Seaside pack were at my back. Everyone who was involved in Devon’s death and torturing my mate was about to die. I collided with a security guard and gave him quick hard elbow to the temple, he was out. A bullet hit my thigh and I cried out but stayed standing. I shot blindly down the hallway as the wolves came out behind me. Time for some magic.
I opened the palms of my hands and did a simple illusion charm Sylvia had taught me. White clouds poured out of my palms and approached the oncoming guards.
“Holy shit,” Sadie commented. The Seaside wolves looked at me, confused.
“She’s half witch. Don’t ask,” Sadie told them.
But the clouds obscured us from them and gave the Seaside pack the cover they needed to attack. As wolves, our senses of smell and sight were much better than the humans. The small pack went into the thick clouds at the end of the hall and I heard growling and screaming. Shots rang out.
Kai stumbled out of the door and came up behind me. My leg was killing me and I could feel it bleeding, but I kept my hands out before me to control the cloud cover. Kai was breathing shallow. I turned back for a second to look at him. He looked pale and weak. I was beginning to feel tired myself. I strongly suspected the bullet in my leg was silver. Suddenly, the alarm stopped going off and all of the lights went out. Alexa.
“I need to eat,” Kai told me. “Healing these fingers is taking a lot out of me.”
I nodded slowly to Kai, my hearing was going in and out. I was vaguely aware of Nahuel walking down the hallway in human form and catching me just as I passed out.
Home
When I came to, I was inside the car, lying in the back seat draped across Kai’s lap. I felt better, much better. The mate bond was fully open and my leg was healed. Kai must have given me back my silver immunity. I looked up at him. His color was good, but his eye lids were drooping. He looked exhausted. Brett was driving and Sadie sat shotgun. A Burger King bag sat on Kai’s lap. Ten crumbled burger wrappers littered the back seat of the car.
“Where’s Nahuel? Alexa?” I bolted upright, panicked. My stomach grumbled. I was starving.
Kai eased me back down. “Shhh, they’re fine. They stole a van and are right behind us.”
I let out a breath. I sifted through the pack bonds checking on all the wolves. The sun was setting and the vampires would be awake soon. Emma was completely numb; I could feel her shock of Devon’s passing. Everyone else seemed to be alive and okay. Kai handed me three burgers from the bag.
“Did you know Burger King makes veggie burgers?” He quizzed.
I smiled, taking the food. “Yep.”
“How’s the pack?” Kai asked as I tore into the food.
“Emma’s completely depressed which is to be expected, but everyone else is okay,” I said through mouthfuls.
He nodded.
It was killing Kai not to be Alpha, I felt it. I held out my arm. “Take the pack back.”
I could sense Sadie and Brett in the front seat leaning back to listen. Kai’s eyes bore into mine, going yellow. Something passed between our mate bond. He wanted to make sure I really wanted to give the Alpha power back. He longed to be in charge again, but wanted to meet my needs first. He had always sensed an Alpha lurking inside of me and wanted to make sure we sorted it out. Once he felt my true feelings, that it was way too overwhelming having to be in charge of all of these people and their feelings, he smiled.
“Tough job, eh?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m not a fan. I don’t like being told what to do, but I don’t want to feel everyone’s pain and issues and feel responsible for their every move either. I’m not ready.”
He nodded. “Alpha bonds can pass between dominant mates, but you must willingly give it back.”
I transformed my hand into claws. “Kai, I name you pack Alpha. Blood of my blood. Take it.” I swiped his good arm. Pressing mine to his.
Suddenly my chest felt empty. My head was free of the chatter. I sighed. It was lonely and relaxing at the same time. Kai’s face relaxed, he looked at peace. Being an Alpha was his place, not mine. Then, he winced.
“I will have to check on Emma as soon as we get back.” He declared.
I nodded and brought him up to speed on the militia and all that had gone on in the media since he was captured.
“So what’s the plan?” I queried.
“Kill Layla and anyone else who threatens our way of life,” he said.
Sounds like a bloodbath.
Getting back to the mountain was more challenging than we thought. There were police checkpoints, riots, and then militia and werewolf checkpoints. We had to hide Kai in the trunk because he would be recognized as the werewolf on TV. Once we reached the base of the mountain we saw Max and Earl standing behind a barricade blocking the road. We stopped the car and popped the trunk. Kai jumped out. His hand was wound up in a bandage and he was disguising a limp. I could feel he was completely drained of energy and in pain, but he didn’t let it show. He embraced Max.
“Good to see you home, brother,” Max told him.
“Good to be home, brother.” Kai grabbed his shoulder.
“Howdy.” Earl tipped his hat.
Kai extended his good hand. “Nice to meet you, sir. My mate tells me you have been a big help. I’m honored to host you on our mountain.”
Earl smiled. “The honor is ours. We just want to do what’s right for our people when the time comes.”
The last bit of sunlight hid behind a large grey cloud. Kai looked up.
“That time is now. Assemble your people. Pack meeting,” Kai told him.
The barn where we had our wedding reception could hold 300 comfortably. There were about 800 of us packed into and spilling out of that barn.
Kai stood on the stage and addressed the crowd.
“Welcome to our home! The knowledge of our race was supposed to remain a secret. But after seeing the vampires drug and bleed humans to death for pleasure, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer!” Kai roared and the faces of the people in the crowd took on menacing looks. I spotted Sylvia and the rest of the coven. They hadn’t yet wanted to come out to the human race and asked Kai not to mention them. They would help,
but wanted to go undercover as humans.
“Our kind have long been the protectors of humanity. We have always gone against the vampires. Unfortunately we have been dying out, unable to repopulate our numbers to keep up with the fast growing numbers of the vampires.” The humans were whispering, some looked fearful.
“But there is one race that has bigger numbers than all of the supernatural races combined! The humans!” Kai bellowed.
A roar cut into his speech as the militia began chanting and screaming battle cries. I could see a bunch of people with smart phones were recording Kai.
“That’s right! The vampires think that you are weak, and working alone you might be. But if we work together, we can wipe out this threat forever!” He roared the last words in his deep Alpha voice and the crowd went wild. Silver stakes and guns were being tossed around and people were suiting up.
“My mate is special.” Kai pointed to me. “She has the power to bring together mated werewolf couples. The vampires don’t want our numbers to grow, so they would seek to kill her. She must be protected at all costs.”
He wasn’t telling them about my blood being able to give the vampires fertility? Of course not. The humans would probably kill me right where I stood.
I stepped forward to address the crowd.
“But not all vampires are bad. It’s important that you know that. When all of this is over, there will be some left that wish to live in peace with all of us. They feed off of blood bank donations and do not wish to be lumped with the rest.” I felt it needed to be said, for Alek’s sake.
Earl nodded to me and stepped on the stage. “There are two ways to kill these blood suckers, a stake through the chest or take off their heads! Happy hunting!” He took off his hat and raised it up. His people screamed and chanted ‘happy hunting.’ I glanced at Kai who smirked. Well, it was show time. If balance was what the earth needed then the cleansing was about to begin.
Kai quieted everyone. “Fight in teams, with a werewolf leading a pack of humans. We can smell out the vampire dens.” And with that final command the entire mob disbanded running off into clusters.
Kai turned to me and cupped my face. “We’re mated now, your blood is fertile, the vampires have everything to gain from capturing you. Stay with Emma and Diya and be safe, while we go out and fight.” It was an order and request all at the same time. Normally, I would refuse but he was right. One more person out there fighting wasn’t going to matter and if I was captured it would be just what the vampires wanted. I kissed his soft lips.
‘Okay.’
He sighed in relief. “Okay.”
Protect
After walking me to Emma’s house to remain inside under guard with Diya, Kai left.
Emma was napping in the guest room. Diya said Emma couldn’t sleep in the bed she shared with Devon. My heart ached for her. I hated just sitting around doing nothing. I was being lumped with the two useless pregnant women. I pulled out my laptop and went on the computer. Kai’s speech at the barn had ten million views on YouTube already! Wow. That was bigger than anything we expected. I wondered how the rest of the werewolves were fairing in their states, other countries even. A loud crash from the room Emma was sleeping in made me jump up. I leapt across the hall with Diya at my back. Throwing the door open, my stomach sank when I saw her.
Layla had Emma pinned down in the bed and was caressing her baby bump. Prudence, the black witch that had trapped me in my dream, was standing outside the open window. Her hands were up and black mist was floating out of them. She was creating some type of spell to keep the wolves from being alerted. I inhaled. I couldn’t smell Layla. They were blocking her vampire scent somehow.
Layla looked up when I entered, her long silky strawberry blonde hair fell to her waist. Her translucent pale skin was revolting. She peered at me with black eyes. “Congratulations on the wedding, dear.”
I wasted no time in getting to the point. “Get the hell off of my best friend before I tear your head off.”
Layla kept caressing Emma’s belly as Emma stared at her, terrified.
“Isn’t the miracle of life an amazing thing?” She crooned.
I launched myself at her, the fastest I had ever been. I ripped her off of Emma and slammed her against the wall, cracking the plaster.
“Diya, get Emma out!” I screamed behind me. Layla looked at me seductively. I heard commotion outside the window. My hands were on Layla’s shoulders pinning her against the wall. I heard the door slam and was grateful Diya had done as I asked.
“You’re making this too easy, dear.” She purred and sunk her teeth into my neck with lightning speed. No! Pleasure exploded inside me. No! She was strong, really strong, stronger than me. But I was fast. A small part of me didn’t want to turn away. A small part liked the feeling of being bitten. Repulsion broke that trance and I shifted into my wolf form blindly fast. Since I was on all fours, I was level with her stomach. I tore into her abdomen with my strong teeth.
‘Layla’s at Emma’s. She bit me,’ I sent to Kai. If she had my blood coursing through her veins, then she would be able to get pregnant. I couldn’t let that happen. I ripped into her belly like a bear gutting a fish. She shrieked. Suddenly, the room went black with smoke. I felt my lungs burning for air and the smoke somehow forced me to turn back into my human form. Magic. Layla kicked me hard and I flew across the room slamming into the wall.
I shifted to my human form and felt the Devi’s presence stir inside of me. It was scary and foreign.
“Layla!” I screamed. “You’re a dark spirit that’s been alive way too long. It’s time I send you home!” I shouted, the Devi within me had risen up to the surface. Those words only felt half like they were mine. I was ready for her. She would not leave this room unless she was a pile of ash in my trash can.
I concentrated on dispelling the black mist with my own white magic. Mist poured from my palms. Layla was holding her abdomen, injured and losing blood. She looked at me with curiosity. I took one step toward her to finish her off, when I heard Emma’s bloodcurdling scream coming from the front of the house. For a second, I couldn’t move. I instinctively wanted to run to help Emma, but something was keeping me here. The Devi? No! I controlled my life. Emma came first. I forced my body to move and ran down the hall leaving Layla to bleed out. The front door was open. I rushed outside and saw Max and Kai running toward me in wolf form.
“Emma!” I screamed.
‘She’s safe with Diya, on her way to your mom’s,’ Kai told me.
“What?” That witch! She tricked me. No.
I ran around the side of the house to where Emma’s bedroom window was. A trail of blood led away from the window and into the forest. I shifted quickly and took off running, letting the blood trail lead me. I felt Kai at my back. No one else could outrun a vampire. Kai and I were the only ones fast enough.
‘She drank my blood,’ I told him.
‘We’ll find her,’ He pushed ahead of me.
The bushes were left shaking in our wake. This speed was dangerous; I barely had time to see a rock or fallen tree before maneuvering around it. There! I saw Layla and Prudence. There were a few militia members fighting off to the right. Kai jumped high and landed on Layla’s back, taking her head in his jaws. Prudence stopped and turned, throwing her hands out and slamming Kai with a spell that caused him to let go of Layla and howl in pain. I shifted to human form and grabbed a sharpened stick that was on the ground and threw it with all my force. Layla moved to the side quickly but not quick enough. It embedded into her shoulder and she hissed. I smiled in triumph. Distracted, I forgot about Prudence, a black wall of smoke crashed into me, sucking my white magic out. I remembered about the power stone and Prudence having this affinity. She was stealing my power! I fell back as waves of white magic poured from me and into Prudence.
“No!” I shouted and threw my hands out, stopping it and knocking Prudence over.
Prudence’s eyes glowed red like a demon. Layla was panting
on the ground, losing blood. Prudence threw black magic at Kai and me. “Sleep!” and a wall of darkness took me.
I awoke to someone shaking me. It was a militia member. I was still in the woods. I turned next to me, Kai was rubbing his head.
“You okay?” He asked.
But I wasn’t hearing him. My shaky hand went to my neck. “Kai, she bit me. She …”
