Matefinder (14 page)

                “Give him your silver immunity. Imagine it as
a liquid leaving your body and joining his.”

                I did as she asked. I had always been good at
visualization. I thought of a stream of liquid leaving my heart. I envisioned
it as magic liquid that held the power to give the user immunity to silver.
Then I opened my eyes and drenched Kai with the imaginary liquid. The moment I
did this Kai’s eyes snapped open and he threw Dane off of him with a burst of
strength. Kai’s wounds were closing before my eyes. He spared no second in
lunging for Dane’s half torn out throat and clamping his jaws over his neck.
Then Kai pulled his body into a standing position with Dane still dangling from
his mouth and used his claws to grasp Dane’s shoulders. He dug his claws in and
ripped Dane’s head from his body.

                Our pack began to cheer. I sighed in relief. Dane’s
second in command shifted into wolf form and ran away with a few other wolves. They
weren’t going to stick around I guess. Everyone else stood still and stared at Kai
as he shifted and changed into clothes.

                Most of Dane’s pack lowered their heads in
respect. The ones who didn’t were dominant males or submissive females who
looked too terrified to do anything. Kai was still catching his breath, so I
stepped forward.

                “Kai has rightfully won this pack and these
lands. But he won’t make you his wolves by force. We’re more than pack. We’re
family. If anyone else wants to leave, then go. Find another pack to run with.
We run a clean pack. No dominance fights. We treasure and protect our females.
We help them find their mates. We have homes and enough food for everyone. WE
are a family. If you want to be a part of our family, then step forward.”

                I glanced at Kai who had pride in his eyes.

                 “A worthy mate and second in command,” I
heard Kai’s mother whisper to Diya.

                Kai’s shoulder wound wasn’t healing as fast;
you could see bluish iridescent fluid leaking from the wound. Silver. He looked
exhausted.

                Dane’s entire pack stepped forward and got on
one knee, all but two people. One was a hard looking man with dominance in his
eyes and scars on his face. The other was a woman who looked like a survivor.
She looked like she had been through hell and back and didn’t want to take
anymore shit from abusive males. She looked like me the night I killed my
father to save my mother’s life.

                The scar-faced man stepped forward. “How can
I assure a high position in the pack without a fight? I’m third in this pack.”

                Kai acknowledged him with a nod. “If fighting
for dominance is the only way to calm brother wolf then you will have to find
another pack. If you are okay with letting brother wolf out and staring into my
most dominant wolves eyes, then we can establish your place in the pack without
hurting my family members. If that doesn’t settle brother wolf then I will
grant you leave to find another pack.”

                The guy raised his eyebrows. “That works for
me.” Something else crossed his face but it was too quick for me to read.

                Lastly, the woman stepped forward. “My name
is Isabelle and Dane attacked me on my way home from work. He took my money,
ripped my flesh apart, and left me for dead. I have a husband and two small
children. I survived the
change
much to his delight. I have wished every
day since then, that I hadn’t. I don’t know where my family is now. It’s been
two years. Every time I tried to run away Dane beat me and eventually held me
captive in his basement, rarely letting me out. I know I can’t go back to being
human, but I won’t go back to being a slave. I want to see my family.”

                She held her chin raised and her jaw was set,
but I could see her lip quiver. Her wrists, I could see now, were bound with
thin silver chains. I felt sick.

                Kai began to speak when I stepped forward and
quieted him with my eyes. I walked slowly and lowered my gaze so I didn’t spook
her. I could feel her dominance, yet she was fragile.

                “Kai is a good Alpha and a kind man. I got into
a car accident and almost died but he saved me. I survived the
change
too and when I told him I didn’t want to fake my death, that I wanted to
continue to see my family, he allowed it. My mom just came to a pack barbeque
last weekend.”

                Tears were streaming down the woman’s face. I
knew she needed more; she didn’t trust anyone. She needed proof. “If you join
our pack tonight, then first thing tomorrow morning we will take you to find
your family or you can leave. Be a lone wolf.”

                ‘She wouldn’t last a day as a lone wolf
,’ Kai told me.

                ‘Don’t underestimate a victim of abuse
,’ I fired back into his mind.

                She stepped forward and bent on one knee
accepting my words.

                Kai raised his hands high up into the sky. “I
call on my ancestors and invite in the pack magic that bonds us all, makes us a
family. Let me lead you, let me protect you.” All of the new pack members were
lining up.

                “Do you promise to obey me and share all that
you are with this pack?” I could see sweat had broken out on Kai’s forehead.

                “I do, Alpha,” the first person said and
rolled up his sleeve. Kai transformed his fingers to claws and swiped at the
flesh of the young man’s forearm. The man winced and then clawed at Kai’s forearm.
They touched their forearms together.

                “Blood of my blood,” they recited in unison.

                “Welcome to my pack, son,” Kai told the young
man. The pack roared and cheered behind Kai, welcoming the new member. I was
faintly aware of a new string of consciousness added to the pack’s energy.

                ‘
You okay?’
I asked Kai.

                ‘
Yes, just pushing out this liquid silver.
Will be fine with a good night’s sleep and a couple of rare steaks.
’ He
smiled knowing that would gross me out.

                Kai walked to the next person and repeated
the ceremony. When he had finished inviting the last member, Kai’s arm was
dripping blood. He looked exhausted. His shoulder was healing but deep gashes
could still be seen. Fresh blood dotted his stomach. He needed sleep and food. But
he was alive. I smiled.

                Just as I was approaching him to suggest we
get him home, the unthinkable happened.

                The male dominant pack member that was third
in the Portland pack, advanced towards Kai with yellow eyes. “I challenge you
for Alpha status of this pack.”

                The collective intake of breath from the pack
gave me chills. I barely saw a flash of fear flicker across Kai’s vision before
it was gone. Cold hard anger replaced it.

                Suddenly, Kai’s mother was by my side,
whispering. “A pack’s second in command can fight in place of an injured Alpha.”

                I didn’t hesitate. “As second in command, I
accept your challenge on behalf of my injured Alpha.” Oh, shit. Did I just do
that?

                Kai’s nostrils flared and he glared at his
mother, sending ripples of fur down his body. “I forbid it!” he roared.

                The man who had challenged him glared at me.
“Too late. She accepted. If I win, I take this pack and you become my second,” he
told Kai, “…if I let you.”

                “Then when I am healed I will challenge you
again and kill you. Withdraw your request!” Kai roared at the man.

                “No. Challenge accepted.” He started to
shift.

                Okay, this was just another guy who preyed on
weak people. I had prepared my whole life for this moment. All of Safe Haven,
my martial arts training; it was all to keep bastards like this from taking
advantage of the weak. I wasn’t weak though and I was going to prove it. I took
a hint from Kai’s style of fighting and shifted instantly, running at the man
full speed. I slammed into him knocking him back in his half shifted form. I
glanced at Kai. He had shifted into his werewolf form. His mother had a chunk
of his fur in her hand, holding him back. I knew then, that if it looked like I
was losing, Kai would intervene and the council would later kill him.

                I tore at the werewolf’s jugular as his half-clawed
hands raked down my back causing me to let out a high-pitched yelp.

                ‘Don’t drag this out. You want a fast kill.
He is wolf born. I can feel it. No powers,’
Kai told me.

                I backed out of his hold and came from a
different angle. He was fully in wolf form now. I lunged at him but he rolled
to the side. I caught his tail in my mouth and dragged him towards me as he
howled in pain. When he was close enough, I used my front paws to dig into his
hind legs and pull him underneath me. Being underneath your attacker was the
worst and most vulnerable position possible. He was squirming and strong, but I
was fast. I saw an opening and lunged forward taking his neck in my mouth. He
was swiping at my belly with his hind paws but I ignored the pain as I chewed
into his neck. Sister wolf had taken over. Nothing about this grossed me out.
The vegetarian Aurora was nowhere to be found. I wanted him dead. I wanted his
head separated from his body. I wanted to taste his blood, to protect my mate
and my pack. This was a means to an end.

                Once I had a good hold, I shook his neck in
my jaws and his body flopped like a rag doll. With one last burst of effort, I
gave a hard pull to the right and ripped his head clean off. His body crumpled
beneath me and I turned around to see Kai’s wolf two feet from my face. He was ready
to intervene at any moment. Luckily he hadn’t. I gave a loud howl and the pack
began shifting. It was unspoken. We needed a run, together, for the first time
as a new pack in our new territory.

                ‘Don’t ever do that again
.’ Kai told me and ran off to run
beside his brother, Jai. I sat there in silence for a moment and then followed
with my tail between my legs.

                The next morning I sat in Kai’s office with
Isabelle and Kai. She held his phone in her hand and it was shaking. She set it
back down. “I don’t even know if he has the same number. If he has remarried. I
don’t know what to say.” She looked at her hands and picked at her nails.

                Kai had agreed she could reunite with her
family and depending on her wishes, we would figure out a living situation. Kai
barely talked to me last night for fighting in his place. He slept in his room
and I barely slept in mine.

                “Let me call him. I can start the call off
and you can jump in when you are ready. Okay?” I offered.

                Isabelle began to weep. “Is this really
happening? You guys will let me see my family? I can see my kids? Everyday?”

                She had limp brown hair that framed a face
full of scars. This woman had taken many beatings, with silver I don’t doubt.
Only silver would scar a werewolf this bad. She was emaciated and broken. I
don’t think she believed us, that this was really happening. Poor thing. My
throat tightened.

                Kai walked over to her slowly. “Dane wasn’t
an Alpha; he was a power-hungry monster. An Alpha takes care of his pack like
family. I will treat you like you were my own sister. I would NEVER separate a
mother from her children. I can clear it with the council. In rare cases,
humans are permitted knowledge of our kind. Your children can come live here on
the mountain with you and we will protect them as pack. Your husband can too,
if you like. Children are a treasured gift in werewolf society. It doesn’t
matter if they are human or not.”

                Isabelle gave a weak smile. “I can feel your
words are true. Make the call, Aurora. I will give you the number.” She handed
me the phone.

                The phone was ringing. I cleared my throat
thinking of a story.

                “Hello, this is Tristan.” I had the phone on
speaker and Isabelle squeezed my arm hard at the sound of his voice.

                “Hi, my name is Aurora and I live up in Mount
Hood.”

                “What can I do for you?” I could hear
children in the background laughing.

                “I have a woman here who says her name is
Isabelle. She looks pretty shaken up and underfed. She says she escaped capture
and is your wife.”

                There was silence. “You people don’t stop, do
you? You’re sick. Prank calling bastards.”

                “Tristan!” Isabelle shouted.

                “Oh my God!” He started sobbing and I felt my
throat swell. “Izzy! Oh my God! Is that you?”

                “It’s me.” She wept.

                “Are you okay? I’ve never stopped looking for
you. Have you called the police? Where are you? I’m coming. KIDS! Mommy is on
the phone.”

                “It’s been a long time and it hasn’t been
easy but I’m okay now. I thought you might have moved on.” She let that
sentence linger. I suddenly felt like I shouldn’t be in here, witnessing this
very private conversation.

                “Are you crazy? No, no, no. Where are you?
Give me an address right now. The kids are so big. Violet is four and Connor is
six. I show them your picture every night.”

                Isabelle was sobbing and I rattled off the
address, telling Tristan not to involve the police. That we would explain why later.

                Diya helped put make up on Isabelle’s bruises
and scars to make her more presentable for her family. I lent her some clean,
colorful clothes, and Kai and I waited outside with her. I prepped Isabelle to
tell her husband she didn’t want a media circus. That the man who did this to
her was dead and she was safe now. Meanwhile, Kai put in an urgent call to the
council to ask for permission to bring three humans into the pack. He said in
rare cases like this, it was approved.

                He thought the fact that there were children
involved would get it approved. Children in packs was rare, even if they were
human. Also, Dane did a bad thing and brought a person into the pack after
mugging and attacking her. Then he kept her hostage. She could go to the media
and expose our kind. This all made a good case for telling her husband of our
kind. The kids could learn later, when they were older. When I questioned how
pack bonds worked on humans, he said pack magic worked to bring any species
into the pack, if an Alpha allowed it.

                A maroon Ford Explorer made its way up the
hill and Isabelle shrieked. “Tristan! Connor, Violet!” She ran towards the car.
Her husband braked hard, kicking up bits of gravel with the tires, and jumped
out. He ran towards her and picked her up spinning her around. They were both
crying freely as the children got out of the car and ran to their mother,
clinging to her legs.

                Kai reached over and held my hand. All was
forgiven.  

***

                Kai had increased pack training sessions to
once a day ever since the vampire attack. It had been a week since Isabelle had
been reunited with her family. Kai had been given approval from the council to
expose our kind to Isabelle’s husband, Tristan, and to make her family part of
the pack. They only made one condition, a witch needed to put a spell on him so
that if he tried to tell other humans our secret, he wouldn’t be able to. 
Tristan seemed shocked at first, but was turning out to be a great guy and was
taking the news fairly well. He was a firefighter and strongly built. He didn’t
seem too intimidated by us. Kai had a special ceremony to bring him and the
children into the pack. This gave them our scent so that other werewolves would
know they were claimed and not to mess with them. Kai also gave them a house on
the mountain because an unmated female werewolf living in Portland was a
disaster waiting to happen.

                It bothered me that Isabelle was considered
unmated even though she was married. Kai explained that eventually her husband
would grow old and die and Izzy would live hundreds of years. She could search
for her werewolf mate after Tristan was gone. That thought unsettled me. What
if Tristan was her mate but if he never changed into a werewolf then we
wouldn’t know? My mind chewed on this for hours.

                When Sylvia put the spell on Tristan, she
also told me she could open up my magic so that I could better protect myself
from vampires and any other threat. I was tempted but Kai seemed against the
idea. After the spell was put on Tristan, I confronted Kai about something that
was bothering me.

                “So no one knows of our kind? We have been
around hundreds of years and it’s still a secret?”

                Kai looked at me for a long time, weighing
something in his mind.

                “None of the general human population know
about our kind.”

                That was vague. “Okay, but some humans know about
our kind?”

                Kai sighed and leaned in to whisper in my
ear. We were outside and a few wolves were lingering about.

                “Every intelligence agency in almost every
country knows about the three supernatural races. We scare them, and they keep
tabs on us, but they don’t approach us. Many younger wolves don’t know that the
government knows about us. It’s better that way.”

                My mouth dropped open. “So the CIA could be
watching us right now?” I whispered back.

                Kai shrugged. “Possibly. I know a few wolves
who work for the CIA that we could ask.” He winked.

                So we had people on the inside? Interesting.
I wonder if the government ever felt that our kind was a threat, if they would
take us out. I shivered at the thought.

***

                I awoke slowly, Sadie’s wedding was today and
Diya and the rest of Kai’s family were going home tomorrow. It had been a
thought provoking week. Kai had woken early to go meet with pack members living
in Portland and establish a bond. Everyone had found their place in the pack
and I was still second. Emma was no longer the most submissive member. I lay in
bed stretching my back when my door flew open. I jumped up quickly and got into
a fighting stance. Diya flew across the room with her hand out and shoved it in
my face.

                “Trent proposed! Oh my God! Isn’t it
beautiful?”

                There was a modest princess cut ring on her
left hand. I took her hand and brought it closer to my face.

                “It’s beautiful.” I agreed. Wow they moved
fast. Anna and Jake were talking of a mating ceremony too. Was I jealous? I had
asked Kai to go slow. Was I ready for marriage? She dropped her hand and hugged
me.

                “Don’t worry, you will get one too and yours
will be bigger, if I know my brother.” She gestured to my hand. I blushed
unsure of what to say.

                “So, when’s the big day?” I asked, to change
the subject.

                “I have to talk to Papa, but the sooner the
better! I love Trent.” She swooned and dropped on my bed just as Emma burst
into the room holding a small white plastic pregnancy test.

                My mouth dropped open.

                “I’m pregnant!” Emma screeched. Diya and I
starting screaming, then laughed a little at our ridiculousness. If my vision
was correct. Kai and I would be married in the next 4-5 months. Emma was
heavily pregnant in my wedding vision.