Matefinder (5 page)

                “No, I’m not,” I told him, breaking his intense
stare. “The only experience I have with men is if they are raising their fist
to me or walking out the door never to return.” My lip quivered at the
admission but I wouldn’t cry. He needed to know but he also needed to know I
was strong. I had been through a lot and it took more than some hot Indian guy
kissing my forehead to make me become whipped. I wouldn’t be beneath him. I was
his equal or there would be nothing.

                His face fell at my thoughts and his eyes
took on a sad look. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Mates means equals in
the wolf world. Dominance aside, you are my other half, my equal.”

                I tucked a blonde lock behind my ear and
grinned. Okay, enough intense talk. I thought to myself. I grabbed his hand and
led him out of the room.

                Jake and Sadie practically leapt on me.  “Are
you okay?” Sadie asked, grabbing my arm as if to inspect me. Jake hugged me,
grinning. “You scared us.”

                I was taken aback by all of the attention,
the affection. Looking beyond Jake and Sadie I saw the rest of the pack in the
living room and trickling out onto the lawn. They were whispering; I heard one
of them say, ‘Matefinder.’

                “I’m fine, thank you,” I told them.

                Jake cleared his throat. “So… I think you
know the location of someone I am very interested in finding.” His eyes flashed
yellow and he was grinning ear to ear. Sadie nodded. “And me as well.”

                A small growl came from Kai. “Give her some
time before you bombard her. She doesn’t even fully know what she is. She just
had her first shift.” Jake and Sadie lowered their heads and backed off a few
steps. I placed an arm on Kai’s shoulder.

                “Actually, we need to get to Jake’s mate
immediately. She’s…” I paused.

                 “She’s what?” Jake stepped forward. He
reeked of fear. I could smell it.

                “She’s dying of cancer in a hospital in
Arizona.” I tried to keep my voice calm but the agony on his face made my eyes
tear up. I could see now how important mates were to these wolves.

                “She’s human?” he stated as if to himself.
“Wolves don’t get cancer.”

     Sadie put a comforting hand in his shoulder. “And my
mate? All we got from your thoughts was that you saw my mate, too?”

                “Your mate is a wolf. I think he is a member
of the Seattle pack,” I told her.

Kai spoke behind me. “Sadie, I’ll
call Shamus in Seattle to schedule a pack meeting to sort things out. Jake,
I’ll book our tickets to Arizona immediately.”

Jake and Sadie nodded. Then Kai spoke
in all of our minds. ‘
We tell no one of Aurora’s ability. The only stories I
have heard about Matefinders are that they have a history of being the most
hunted wolf in history. Protect her with your last breath.’
The last part
came with Alpha infused magic. I could feel it. That was an order. Every single
one of the pack members’ eyes glowed yellow as they nodded. I could feel the
command pressing on everyone as the entire pack bowed to one knee and lowered
their heads.

After the wolves dispersed, Emma came
over to talk to me. She bumped her hip with mine causing me to loose balance
for a second. “Matefinder, huh? First you make second in the pack, then we find
out you’re Kai’s mate, now this.” She smiled genuinely and I realized she was
becoming very dear to me. I could trust her. I knew it. I could sense or smell
it. My wolf could too. Emma was a good person. I didn’t trust easily. I
returned the smile as best I could. “Boyfriend,” I said smirking as Kai caught
my eyes a few feet away where he was talking to Devon. “Kai’s my boyfriend.
We’re taking it slow.”

I heard him growl and then discreetly
cover it into a cough. Emma snorted with laughter. “Playing hard to get?” she
whispered in my ear. I grabbed her hand to lead her away where we could have
some girl talk. Once we were alone, I told her about my vision of Jake’s mating
ceremony.

                “You’re going to be pregnant.” I smiled.

                “When?” She asked and then smiled, grabbing
her belly. Silent tears slid down her cheeks.

                “I don’t know. Time is too hard to tell.
There was snow on the ground.” I smiled.

Kai, Max, and Devon came to find us.

“I still don’t know fully what a Matefinder
is, what they are capable of. But I know someone who does,” Kai told us.

                I looked at him expectantly.

                “Sylvia,” Kai said with resignation.

Devon groaned. “I hate witches.”

I jerked my head back so fast that I
almost fell over.

“Witches! Wait. You’re telling me witches
are real too?”

                Emma smirked. “And vampires.”

                I swallowed hard. Okay, breathe. Just breathe.
“And fairies?” I added. Everyone busted up laughing as Kai placed a hand on my
shoulder. Okay, I guess that’s a no on fairies.

                “Why would a witch know about my ability?” I
prodded.

                Kai let me lean against him. “Because witches
are the keepers of all supernatural knowledge. I only know rumors of the Matefinder,
things I learned on my travels through packs. Children’s stories my mother told
me. But witches know everything.”

                I guess it was time to meet this witch.

                Sylvia was a tall witch with long, thick,
auburn hair and bright green eyes. She appeared to be in her early forties, but
she was a witch, so who knew what her real age was? She was beautiful and had
long, slender fingers which traced the lines of my outstretched palm. Kai stood
to my right and Devon to my left. Max and Emma were outside the door keeping
the pack out of earshot. With their werewolf hearing, I was pretty sure they
could hear every word.

                Sylvia’s voice took on an airy quality. “Yes,
it’s all here. She can find mates, but not at will. Only spirit can guide her
visions, but there is dark magic that could force her abilities. She could be
coerced to find mates for anyone. That is why she will be hunted.”

                Kai growled.

                Sylvia looked up at him. Her eyes, once a
bright green, were silver. “Not by me, wolf. Stand down.”

                She looked back down at my palm and sniffed
long and deep. I fought the urge to pull back. “Yes. She has magic, too, from
her grandmother.” She paused, looking up at me tilting her head to the side. “How
odd. Your grandmother was a Witch.” Her brow crinkled. She took a deep breath
again. “Your blood smells powerful, but there is a block. I can’t see more. I
don’t know what clan you are from. Someone has shrouded you in protection
magic.”

                “How can she be part witch? That isn’t
possible.” Devon stated what I was thinking.

                Sylvia grabbed Kai’s hand and held it next to
mine. “It shouldn’t be possible. Old lore states that Matefinders can take on
their mate’s ability. She can do what Kai can do. Matefinders are always
female, always born in a set of twins.”

                I gasped and pulled my hand away, breaking
the spell. Her eyes became green again. I choked on a sob.

                “Drake.” I couldn’t speak. A rush of images
bombarded my brain. My little twin brother drowned at six years old, pulling me
from the raging creek. My father never forgave me for losing his precious son.
That’s when he began the drinking and abuse.

                Kai picked up on my thoughts. Sylvia grabbed
my hand and looked into my eyes with compassion. “Like I said, Matefinders are
born in a set of twins. The female always inherits the gift and the male is her
protector.”

                My mind was still playing catch up. “Wait, my
grandmother was a witch? That means my mother or father is half witch?”

                “Men are called warlocks, dear.” She smiled,
but a sad look came over her. “The story is written that the last Matefinder,
your mother I presume, was half witch and half wolf. She gave you and your twin
to a guardian for safekeeping, someone she trusted. She gave you to your
mother, as you call her. That’s what the legend says. Your biological mother
was the only other Matefinder on record. You are the second. It’s believed to
be a genetic gift.”

                My mind was reeling. “My… my biological
mother. You said was… she WAS half wolf and half witch. How is that possible?”

Sylvia nodded. “She died. She was
captured and forced with dark magic to use her abilities. She was forced to
find mates before it was time. Wolves started changing humans. Babies. Anything
to grow the werewolf race, but they were changing their mates before it was
their time. Or their mates were already wolves, but it wasn’t yet the right
time to meet. They forced the mating ceremony living out unhappy marriages
because it was not a union guided by Spirit. It was evil, what they were doing,
and so your mother… she killed herself. As far as how she was half witch and
half wolf, we don’t know. The legend stops. There is no information to suggest
interspecies child bearing is even possible. It’s a mystery. The harder I look
into it, the more confusing it becomes. So we call it a legend. Those that
lived through it have only vague memories. Very powerful magic has been put
into covering this up. Then you come along.” The silence was permeable.

                I sat on the floor and stared at a crack in
the baseboard, completely numb.

“I think that will be all for today,”
Kai told Sylvia.

She nodded. “I understand. Then there
is just the matter of my payment.”

                He held out his arm and to my shock she
produced a steel knife and sliced his arm catching some blood in a jar. Once
she was done, the wound healed before my eyes. She looked at me indicating the
jar.

                “Weres’ blood makes for some powerful spell
craft. When you want more stories come and find me. I’ll be expecting an
invitation to the mating ceremony.” She smiled knowingly.

Kai knelt and cupped my face. “Tell
me you’re okay.” His eyes were pulsing from brown to yellow. His wolf was close
to the surface.

“I’m okay,” I croaked, lying. “I just
need to lie down. I’d like to take a nap.”

He scooped me in his arms and carried
me down the hall, ignoring the stares from others.

                Sometime later I awoke to a single yellow
wildflower on my pillow, accompanied by a note. “
You twitch your nose in
your sleep. It’s adorable. –Kai (Your boyfriend)”

I smiled taking a deep inhale of the
flower’s fragrant petals. After showering and changing, I made my way to the
kitchen. Jake and Kai were talking in hushed voices standing over the stove. A
frying pan sizzled and I could smell grilled onions. Kai turned, facing me as
if he sensed me coming. He beamed, his smile reaching his eyes.

“Good Afternoon! Are you vegan or
just vegetarian? According to the internet there is a big difference.”

I laughed. “Vegetarian. I have milk
and eggs. Free range obviously.”

“Obviously,” Jake agreed, covering a
smile.

“Good. Then enjoy this veggie omelet
and Jake and I will be back from Arizona before you know it.” He turned around
tending to the skillet.

I scowled and put a hand on my hip.
“Nice try, Kai. Really, well played. When do we leave? I am NOT staying here!”

                Jake shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

“You’re not going,” Kai said, putting
the power of the Alpha behind his words and turning around to face me. I
stepped forward holding my head high. “I AM going. I was in the vision and you
are not leaving me here. This is MY gift. I need to see this through.”

Kai sighed. “You are safer here. I
have already called and asked permission from the Scottsdale, Arizona Alpha to
temporarily cross into his territory, but he is wary. He will send men to make
sure we don’t out stay our welcome.”

“Do I have a sign on my forehead that
says Matefinder?” I probed him.

Kai looked annoyed. “No.”

“Good, then it’s settled. No one will
know what I am.” I popped a sautéed mushroom in my mouth and kissed him quickly
on the cheek.

He groaned. “Fine. There’s one last
piece of business you need to attend to before we leave. Finish your breakfast
and meet me outside.” He handed me a plate and stalked off with Jake.

“She doesn’t exactly get the Alpha
orders thing yet, huh?” Jake mumbled to Kai.

                I rolled my eyes. He knew I could hear him.

I ate quickly and made my way outside
so I could see what this business involved. Max was standing against a tree
looking down at his feet. Burn marks from the places I tied him up with silver
marked his skin. Oh, crap. I walked slower, treading carefully. Kai stood a few
feet off, talking with Jake and Sadie, but motioned me towards Max.

“Max.” I nodded, not sure what to
say.  In all of the recent drama, I had forgotten about him completely.

He sighed for a second and then
looked up at me. “Kai’s my best friend. I never could have lived with myself if
I had challenged him. Brother wolf was too close and I couldn’t stop him. Thank
you for what you did. You may be inexperienced but you are a worthy second. You
acted on instinct and saved me from doing something horrible.” He extended his
hand as I stood there in shock.

“Friends?” he asked.

A slow grin crept across my face. “So,
I knock you out, tie you up with silver and cage you, and you’re thanking me?”
I didn’t take his hand yet, pretending to look suspicious.

He laughed deeply. “I know, pretty
stupid, right?”

I smiled genuinely and extended my
hand. “Friends.”

We shook. I felt more at home here
than I ever had before in my life. These were my wolves, as much mine as I was
theirs. I felt Kai’s approval at that thought.