I let my inner wolf take over. She sent a calm feeling through my system. Her instinct was to be dominant. To show his family that I was worthy of their approval but that I did not need it. I looked in the mirror and saw my golden yellow wolf eyes looking back at me. I deserved Kai, we deserved each other. I hoped his family liked me but if not, oh well. I took a deep breath and my wolf faded. I turned off the water and left the bathroom.

Kai was in the kitchen making tea. His mother wore a deep red sari and had gold bangles on. His sister wore jeans and an Indian top. She had a jeweled bindi on her forehead. A twenty-year-old-looking young man stood behind Kai looking over his shoulder. This must be his brother Jai.

Jai frowned. “You’re putting too much ginger in.”

Kai groaned. “You haven’t changed a bit. Still trying to boss me around in the kitchen.”

“Well, if you knew how to make proper Indian tea then I wouldn’t have to,” Jai retorted.

I cleared my throat and everyone turned. “Hello, I’m Aurora.”

Kai’s mother, Maya, stood and clasped her hands together. “You are more beautiful in person,” she exclaimed, barely meeting my eyes. She was submissive.

Diya jumped up and ran over to me, giving me a brief hug. “Hello, sister.”

I stood there silently for a moment, unsure of what to say. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome.

“Let her breathe, Diya,” Jai told her with a mild Indian accent.

Kai smiled at me. “Would you like some Chai?” After six months spent in India, I knew better than to turn down an offer of Chai.

“Sure.” I nodded as Diya pulled me over to the table.

“This is so cool. Kai and I finding our mates at the same time,” Diya  exclaimed.

I took a deep breath in through my nostrils. They smelled of foreign wolves but they also smelled familiar, friendly.

“How are you adjusting, dear? It’s a lot to take in,” his mother asked me. The way she looked at me, with such a caring gaze, made me drop my guard a little.

“Oh. Well, I’m just doing my best,” I offered. His mother’s brow pinched together.

“Being changed and then finding out you are second in the pack and then meeting your mate. It’s a lot,” his mother probed further.

I felt my throat tighten. What the hell. I hadn’t planned on this.

“Ma.” Kai growled lightly and brought over a tray with steaming cups of Chai.

His mother broke her gaze and shrugged. “Sorry, dear. I can’t help what I feel. It overwhelms me.”

I looked at him confused. Jai stepped forward. “My mother is a changed wolf, so her gift is that she can feel emotions. She was also a psychologist for a couple of decades in the 60s. It makes for an intrusive combo. You can’t keep anything from her. She will shrink you until every last emotion has been turned to peace.”

Maya swatted Jai. “Oh, stop it! I can’t help it. I was just trying to get to know her. I’m sorry if I intruded, Aurora.”

I smiled lightly. “That’s okay. I know what it’s like to not be able to turn your gift off.” I sipped my Chai slowly.

The entire table was silent for a moment and then Kai cleared his throat. Only Jai looked confused.

“Well, Diya, I’m sure you are dying to meet Trent. Let’s all take a run.” Kai motioned us outside.

‘My family is here. Let’s go for a run,’ Kai sent to the pack.

Trent and Diya shared a nervous hug and a little small talk before joining the pack in the open area in front of the house. Akash ran to his mother and gave her a big hug. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead, which he promptly wiped off. We all kept our eyes at the ground as we undressed and shifted. As usual, Kai and I shifted first. I shook my fur and rolled in the soft grass as Kai nuzzled me. A few moments later, I turned my attention to the pack and saw Trent and Diya rolling on the ground playing. They were mates. Exact opposite markings. The third couple I had brought together. I had a purpose in life, a good purpose. I brought families together; I helped people find love. A huge weight I had been carrying lifted off my chest. This gift was a blessing more than it was a curse.

I turned to find Kai’s mother staring at me as if she sensed my release of emotion. She trotted over and nudged me lightly with her snout. After a small yip, she took off into the forest. Kai and I took off after her, feeling the thrill of the chase. The pack followed. We all ran down our usual path, howling and yipping. I felt so free when I ran, like nothing in the world could bother me. We were making our way down the back side of the mountain when I smelled something…off. It was like a foreign wolf smelled but not. Before I could ask Kai about it, he ran to my side. His mother, who had been leading the pack, stopped dead and howled deep and long.

‘Vampires. Pack formation. Protect Aurora and my family,’ Kai sent out to the pack. With that command, the pack made a circle around me, his mother, Jai, and Diya. Akash didn’t come into the circle but joined in protecting us. Three vampires dropped from the trees above and stood ten feet from us. I bared my teeth and growled. They didn’t smell friendly and I had a bad feeling about this. There were two men and one woman. They were impossibly pale and cruel looking with sunken in cheeks, yet beautiful features.

“Hello, Alpha.” The male vampire moved fifty feet to his right in a matter of seconds as the female moved behind the circle just as fast. Holy shit, they were fast! They were now surrounding us.