Matefinder (16 page)

                ‘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.

                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 full 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.

                It felt like a lightning bolt had
struck me. I was knocked forward on the blanket and my eyes began to water. Electricity
ran down my spine. My nerves were on fire. White mist flowed out from my pores;
it was everywhere. It climbed across the grass, up the trees. Sylvia watched in
fascination.

                “My stars. I haven’t seen this
much magic come from any one person in my entire magical life.”

                I was panting, my palms out flat
on the grass.

                ‘What’s wrong? I’m coming
,’ Kai sent.

                I couldn’t let him see me like
this. He would kill Sylvia for hurting me.

                ‘No. I’m fine. Stay where you are
,’ I told him. I could
feel his hurt through the pack bond. He didn’t reply.

                Sylvia bent down to my level.
“Just breathe. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it would be like this. You have been
storing so much magic, it all just… exploded when I released it.”

                I breathed in and out, slowly. I
felt less dizzy now and sat up. “Why do I have so much magic? I’m a half breed.
Shouldn’t I be half as powerful?” I queried between ragged breaths.

                Sylvia chewed on her nail, deep
in thought. “I don’t think you were born this powerful. I don’t remember this
much magic in you when you were a baby. Now that my memories have been given
back to me, I have spent a lot of time thinking.”

                “So what is this?” I gestured to
the mist surrounding us.

                “We have never seen a witch who
is turned into a werewolf. Yes, we are immune to werewolf and vampire bites. We
just die but we don’t
change
. Because your mother had you turned human
before the first full moon of your life and because she had your witch powers
hidden, you were simply a human. Then Kai
changed
you.
Changed
wolves, as you know, have a very different power structure than wolf-born. I
think when Kai
changed
you, it ignited and enhanced your witch powers,
only we couldn’t see it because they were still hidden but never truly went
away.”

                I put my head in my hands. “I’m
such a freak.” I pulled my long hair into a high ponytail just to busy my
shaking hands.

                “You’re not a freak. You’re
special.” Sylvia smiled.

Same thing I thought, but she was trying to be
nice so I returned her smile.

                “The fact that you can see the
mist, which is what magic looks like, tells me you are already a very strong witch.
That day in Kai’s study when you saw the mist, I was a bit in shock, really.
Only very trained witches can
see
magic. Most witches just smell or
sense it half the time. That will give you an advantage in defending yourself
against magic users.”

                “Great,” I said sarcastically. I
had been wanting to ask her something since my conversation with the Shaman.
“Sylvia, why do witches do business with vampires if they are so bad?”

                She smoothed her long auburn hair
over one shoulder. “There are white witches, like me, and dark witches. White witches
do spells to help people, this sometimes requires vampire blood. In return, we
help the vampires with simple spells. Spells to increase their strength, to
heal their human blood slaves, to find a lost object. Dark witches do very bad
things in return for blood payment. But witches are neutral, we serve all. We
do business with humans, vampires and werewolves. That’s our place.”

                “If there came a time to choose
between being on the side of the vampires or the side of the werewolves, do you
think the witches would choose?” I asked her, trying not to let the fear show
in my voice.

                Her eyebrows pinched in concern.
“Is there something I should know, Aurora?”

                I shook my head. “Not yet.” I was
trying to be truthful.

                “Humans have persecuted witches
for hundreds of years. They fear what they do not know. They have always been
the weak race and yet there is something beautiful about their short and
passionate lifespans. They are so helpless. I guess if something ever happened
to where witches had to choose, my clan would side with the humans and whoever
protected them.” She placed her hand over mine and I nodded. That’s what I
needed to hear.

                “Call me if you have questions
about your new abilities. Think about what I said, about joining my clan. We do
a weekly spell casting and meditation that I would love for you to be a part
of. But I understand this is all overwhelming. Just take some time.”

                I wasn’t sure time would help. I
helped her gather her things and made my way back to the house.

                I saw Sylvia off and then I
walked inside. Kai was sitting in a reading chair with an old book. He took a
deep breath. “You smell different.” He quirked his head to the side.

                I smelled my arm. “Should I
shower?”

                Kai smirked. “No, your natural
scent. You smell like a witch.” The way he said it didn’t sound like a good
thing.

                “Oh, yeah, about that.” I sat on
his lap as he played with the texture on my jeans. I told him what happened
with Sylvia and that she invited me to join her clan.

                “You want to be a witch
and
a werewolf?” His voice was deadpan but I knew he wasn’t happy about this.

                “I want to be who I am.”

                His resolve broke. “I love who
you are. If that means you are a witch, then so be it, just don’t do any weird
magic on me.”

                I kissed him, running my fingers
through his thick hair.

                “And don’t steal my hair,” he
added.

                We both laughed at that. There
was a knock at the door.

                “Come in, Max,” Kai bellowed. I
inhaled through my nose. Yep, it was Max. I was still amazed at my new werewolf
abilities.

                Max peeked his head in. “Ready?”

                Kai looked at me. “Yes.” He
stood. “I’m running an errand with Max. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He winked
at me.

                “Okay, I’ll go check on Emma.” I
followed them out and headed over to Emma’s. Even though she wasn’t that far
along yet, the entire pack had been going over to Emma’s to help her cook or
clean so that she didn’t strain herself. She didn’t argue but I could tell she
didn’t want to be babied too much. We couldn’t help it. Our first pup would be
born to one of our most cherished and submissive wolves. The instinct to
protect her was overwhelming.