Everyone clapped, and I felt tears in myeyes. It had been weird not to see any children around. It would be nice to seefamilies grow.
The next morning Kai and I were silent overbreakfast with his family. He had called Dane and requested a pack to packmeeting about the territory violation with the vampires.
“Do you think he knows what you areplanning?” I finally asked out loud.
“Yes, he will be ready to fight,” Kaianswered.
I swallowed hard. Kai’s mother put a handover mine. “Do you know why my son didn’t stay in Delhi under my husband’sauthority?”
“A little bit,” I confessed.
Kai cut her a look but she dismissed it. “Kaiis more dominant than my husband. He could have fought him and taken charge ofthe entire New Delhi pack. He would have won, his father knows that. He willwin this fight tomorrow and any other after that.”
I admired her confidence in Kai, but I wastempted to ask her if she knew about Dane’s silver teeth. I thought better ofit. If support was what he needed, I could do that.
“I know,” I told her and looked at Kai with aforced smile. I just hoped she was right.
It took six cars but we all drove out to thePortland pack’s meeting place. Emma and Devon stayed back to keep a presencein our territory.
As we pulled up to meet the Portland pack inthe large open park area, I started feeling nervous. What if Kai was gravelyinjured like the last time? What if someone in our pack tried to fight himinjured for Alpha status. Kai parked the car and leaned across the seat to grabmy face. His mother, sister, and two brothers were in the back of the SUV,watching.
“I love you and I will be fine.” He gave me apassionate but chaste kiss and exited the car. I took a deep breath and got outof the car as well. We all walked in human form to the group of people standingin the meadow. I caught a whiff of cigar and after shave.Foreign Wolf.Dane’spack was quite large. Twice the size of ours. The women were skinny and lookedbroken. They clung the men in fear and it made me sick. Dane stepped forward.“To what do we owe the pleasure of being able to gaze upon your delicious newfemale werewolf?” He licked his silver teeth and gave me a stare that made myblood run cold. I stared back tilting my chin up. If Kai didn’t kill this guymaybe I would!
Kai clenched his jaw but otherwise didn’tshow that the comment bothered him. “I challenge you, Dane Hurst, for Alphastatus to your pack and all of your territory. You sent three vampires after mymate, and you run a dirty pack. If I don’t get rid of you, then the councilwill, eventually.”
Dane began unbuttoning his shirt as if heexpected this. “Challenge accepted.”
His second in command handed him a blue glass bottle and hebegan to chug the contents. “Silver water,” Dane told us all.
Bastard. I put my game face on and walkedover to Kai who was undressing. The two packs made a wide circle.
“Kick his ass. He looked at me like I was apiece of meat, and his females look half-starved and scared,” I told Kai.
Kai grinned. “Gladly.” He shifted lightningfast and threw himself onto Dane’s half shifted back. Dane was curled in a ballprotecting his jugular with his hands until he could fully shift. Kai wasted notime chewing the back of his neck, ripping chunks of flesh. Oh God, this washard to watch, but I couldn’t look away. I backed out of the circle and foundmyself between Diya and Kai’s mother. Dane had fully shifted and now threw Kaioff of his back with a brutal force. Kai landed hard. I heard the cracking ofbones and the breath leave his lungs. I put my hand over my mouth. Kai’s mompulled my hand down from my face and held it tight. She leaned in and whispered.“I’ve seen my husband through many fights. They are only as strong as we letthem be. If you cry out or he risks a glance at you and you are anything butstrong and fierce, he may make a mistake that could cost him his life.”
At her words, I held my head high and maskedmy fear. Sure enough, Kai got up and risked a half a second glance my waybefore charging Dane. He kept going for the throat and tearing chunks away.Each time Dane tried to bite him, Kai would quickly dash the other way. He wasfreaky fast, but I could tell the silver was getting to him. I was pretty surethat when Kai bit Dane and got his blood into his mouth, the liquid silver wasgetting into Kai’s system. You could see that Kai’s pace slowed and hismovements were less coordinated.
Then, Kai made a mistake. He didn’t get awayquick enough and Dane clamped his jaws around Kai’s left shoulder and closeddown. He didn’t let go. Kai tried to shake him off but couldn’t.
Next to Diya I heard Max swear. “He is goingto try to weaken him with silver poisoning. If only he had your immunity,Aurora.”
Kai’s mother whipped her head towards me.“You have silver immunity?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know why.”
“Who cares why? Quickly, open your mate bond,”she instructed me.
“My what?” I couldn’t take my eyes off Kai. Imade up my mind. If he looked like he was going to die, I was going tointervene. Damn the council. Let them come after me. I didn’t want to live in aworld where he didn’t exist.
Kai’s mother grabbed the side of my face andstared at me with glowing yellow eyes. “Open your mind to Kai NOW! Mates canshare powers! It would be stronger if you had gone through the mating ceremony,but even without that your bond will give him enough to strengthen him. He canwin this fight!”
My heart leaped at her words. I immediatelywas reminded of the glowing ball in the woods that I buried. I ran to the spotin my mind that I had buried it and saw a faint glow under the dirt. I dug itup and threw the ball into the air. It burst into a million twinkling stars andcovered my body like a fine mist. Like Magic. Kai’s mother whispered in my earas my eyes stayed closed.
“Give him your silver immunity. Imagine it asa liquid leaving your body and joining his.”
I did as she asked. I had always been good atvisualization. I thought of a stream of liquid leaving my heart. I envisionedit 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 Idid this Kai’s eyes snapped open and he threw Dane off of him with a burst ofstrength. Kai’s wounds were closing before my eyes. He spared no second inlunging 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 fromhis mouth and used his claws to grasp Dane’s shoulders. He dug his claws in andripped Dane’s head from his body.
Our pack began to cheer. I sighed in relief. Dane’ssecond in command shifted into wolf form and ran away with a few other wolves. Theyweren’t going to stick around I guess. Everyone else stood still and stared at Kaias he shifted and changed into clothes.
