“Aurora, that night that you got into the car accident was the worst and best night of my life. When I saw you lying there on the road bleeding out, you looked so innocent and beautiful. I couldn’t imagine you dying. When I changed you, I feared you wouldn’t survive. When you survived, I feared you would be someone else’s mate. I have felt pulled to you since I first saw you and now I know why. You are my soul mate. I know you haven’t had the best view of men but I will never hurt you. I will always protect you. Your passions will become mine. I will support you in whatever you do. I respect that you want to take things slowly but I will go crazy if you don’t say you will marry me. Marry me now, marry me in ten years, but please tell me you will marry me?”

Tears were streaming down my face. I looked down at his hands which held a large circle cut diamond ring.

“Yes! I will marry you,” I croaked out and then laughed. He picked me up and spun me around. He kissed me then sat me down.

“Not in ten years, right?” he prodded.

I smiled. “How about three months?”

Alpha

I woke up the day of the council meeting and immediately my eyes flew to my left hand. There it was. Oh my God, I was getting married. I heard a light snore next to me. Kai looked so calm when he was asleep, almost submissive.

His eyes opened. “Morning, fiancé.” He smiled.

“How did you sleep?” I queried.

“Better than I have in decades.” He rolled on top of me and we kissed.

After a few minutes I pushed him off. “We have a plane to catch.”

***

“And don’t look the council members in the eyes,” Kai drilled into me.

“Okay.”

“And don’t take your ring off. You are mine,” he lightly chastised.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, okay, okay.” Kai had been drilling me with rules for the council meeting. We were 10,000 feet in the air and I was nervous enough. I hadn’t had any visions since Diya and Trent’s mate vision. Still, the Shaman’s words echoed in my mind. Kai said the council members were made up of the oldest, strongest, most dominant werewolves in the world. Their word was law. Their packs were made up of enforcers that could wipe you out of existence. I shuttered. They better not come for me or my pack. My inner wolf agreed. Most nerve wracking of all, his father was one of the council members.

***

‘NAWAC’ – the sign read. We were standing at the entrance of a fancy four star hotel. Hundreds of werewolves were pushing past us into the revolving doors.

‘North American Werewolf Alpha Council,’ Kai sent to me. We entered the building and I noticed people started staring at me and were breathing in deeply.

“Shit, I forgot,” Kai swore and put a protective hand on my lower back.

“What?” I asked as more and more people began to look my way.

‘You smell like a witch. Werewolves don’t like witches.’

Kai started walking faster until we were at the doors of the large conference room. Two large men flanked each side of the door. One inhaled deeply.

“We don’t allow her kind in here, brother, you know that,” the man told Kai.

Kai’s face took on a menacing look. I shifted part of my face to a werewolf and made a low growl.

“She’s my mate,” Kai said with Alpha infused magic.

The man looked at me confused but shook it off opening the door with his head bowed.

The room was huge. Hundreds of chairs had been set up, all facing a stage where the twelve council members sat. Eleven were male and one was female. They all wore hardened expressions and sat a few feet apart. They radiated power. I could see mist hovering just above their skin like an aura. These were powerful wolves. As if they saw me looking, they glanced my way. I picked out Kai’s father immediately. Was that pride in his eyes? I quickly looked to the ground as I remembered Kai’s advice not to make eye contact but I could feel their eyes on me.

“Hey strangers.” A familiar voice snapped me out of my trance.

Shamus and his second approached Kai and I. When Shamus reached me he stopped.

“Kai, with all due respect, why does Aurora smell like a full-blown witch?” Shamus looked around the room and almost every eye was on us.

Kai started breathing heavy. “This was a bad idea. We’re leaving.” He grabbed my arm to leave when a voice boomed from the stage.

“Kai, you dare bring a witch into one of our sacred council meetings? You know better!”

Kai spun around and faced the council member. I stared at the man’s feet. “She is my mate!”

“She smells like a witch. She has you fooled. She’s done magic on you! Guards!” the man yelled. Kai and I must have been thinking the same thing because we both shifted into our wolf form at the same time. I shook my fur quickly to crawl out of my clothes. This was bad. Why had I talked to Sylvia about unleashing my witch powers? Stupid. Now I looked like some imposter. If these people wanted it done, we would be torn apart right here.

I could hear a gasp as people saw my wolf form.

The female council member stood.

“She’s a werewolf? Why does she smell of witch? She must have done a spell to take on a wolf’s form.”

‘Why isn’t your dad saying anything?’ I asked Kai.

‘Because I made him take the oath! He can’t talk about you without putting his whole pack at risk. We are on our own.’

Shamus approached the council and bowed his head lightly. “She is a werewolf. One of Kai’s wolves, Sadie, recently joined my pack and I have seen her thoughts. Sadie was there when Aurora survived the change. Aurora has the protection of me and my pack. Look for another explanation of why she smells of witch.” There was a subtle threat laced into his voice. His second took up a stance in front of me as Shamus flanked Kai’s right side. The guards had shifted and were surrounding us.