Jane stepped forward. “Aurora, Isaw everything. I projected your vision of the mates to the wolves inattendance here today. I withheld any knowledge of the Shaman’s prophecy aboutthe vampire war. That, I have only shared with the council.”
She pulled at the hem of hershirt anxiously.
Kai’s face looked strained. Hisfather wore an angry expression. I tuned into our pack bond and felt something…Rage.
I sat up straighter. “What elsearen’t you telling me?”
Kai held my hand softly. He spokethrough gritted teeth. “While we were away here at the conference, the vampireskidnapped a female from our pack. It happened right after you collapsed.”
“No!” I screamed, and my bloodran cold. “Who is it? Who did they take?”
I knew before the word left hismouth. I could feel her energy through the pack bond.Fear.
“Emma,” he whispered.
I started to sob. How dare they!She was pregnant. She was ours! The lamp on the side table near the bedsuddenly exploded. Everyone flinched except for me. My chest was rising andfalling as I tried to contain my rage. A fine mist leaked out from my pores.The vampires were sending us a message. They were sending ME a message. Howdare they take a pregnant female from MY pack. I felt murderous. A painting flewoff of the wall and crashed to the floor.
“Aurora!” Kai barked. I lookedup. Two of the council members had shifted into their wolf forms and the rest regardedme fearfully. Kai’s father was the only one who looked intrigued. I closed myeyes and took a deep breath.
“Take me home, Kai. We need toget Emma back.”
***
The second we landed at theairport in Portland, Kai was on his phone. The pack had been franticallyfollowing vampire scents all day but it hadn’t led to much. They found a fewwell known vampire bars and covens, but none that had Emma. She was taken fromher home. Max and Devon nearly died trying to protect her. They were stillrecovering.
We pulled our car up to thehouse. The entire pack was there. We had pulled in all of our peripheral wolvesand every wolf from Portland. We had received a call from Shamus that he wouldsend some of his wolves to help us get Emma back. Kai stood on a picnic tablein the backyard and addressed the pack.
“Someone has been taken from ustoday and we will not rest until she is back home. A pregnant female member ofthe pack is the most cherished, the most loved. The vampires have sent amessage. They intend to wipe out our race.”
The wolves shouted out in rage. Afew shifted and howled.
“That isn’t going to happen. Iprotect what ismineand Emma is MINE! She is yours!” Kai roared and hisAlpha magic rippled through the pack bond sending a murderous rage with it. Ihad to fight the urge to shift. My wolf wanted out. I had to find Emma. I couldvaguely feel her through the bond and what I felt wasn’t good. If they hurther, if she lost her baby… I couldn’t even think about it.
An idea crossed my mind. I brokeinto a run as Kai shouted my name. I ran from the backyard and towards Emma’shouse and burst through the door. I went into the bathroom she shared withDevon and found what I was looking for, her hairbrush. The tiny red hairs gaveme hope.
***
Sylvia came the second I called.She didn’t come alone. She brought two other witches with her. Shamus haddriven from Seattle with his wolves and we all gathered around our living room.
I approached Sylvia. “Thevampires have taken a pregnant female member from our pack. We have to findher. I have Emma’s hairbrush. I want you to do a spell to find her location.”
Sylvia looked calm but the othertwo witches seemed nervous.
Sylvia nodded. “This morning wewere sent a message from the vampires as well. They told us they were wagingwar with the wolves and if we interfered, they would burn our coven to theground. Similar messages were given to other covens across the country.”
Kai nodded. “We understand if youneed to protect your coven.”
Sylvia smiled. “Threatening toburn a witch doesn’t exactly make us like you. Vampires have always acted aboveus. They think they are the strongest race. Our coven will help you and anyother wolf packs in need.”
I stared at the two witches shebrought with her. “And do you agree?”
The older of the two nodded. “Iwon’t lie. I sense trouble for our coven if we help you. Witches are supposedto be neutral. But what’s neutral about watching an entire supernatural raceget wiped out? Who will protect the humans if the wolves are gone? We must takea side, even if we don’t live to see the results.”
Sylvia’s eyes flared white. “Wewill live. Everyone always underestimates a witch.” The hairs on my arms stoodat her statement. Kai looked at me thoughtfully.
Sylvia grabbed the brush from me.She spread out a map of the United States and pulled a pendulum from a blackvelvet sack. One of the witches walked around the room pouring a circle ofwhite salt in a ring, encasing the wolves and witches inside. Sylvia pulled afew hairs from the brush and wound them around the pendulum. She turned to Kai.“I need powerful blood for this spell.”
He extended his arm and shesliced him, taking a few small drops onto the point of a sharp, clear crystal.
