She pulled at the hem of her shirt anxiously.

Kai’s face looked strained. His father wore an angry expression. I tuned into our pack bond and felt something… Rage.

I sat up straighter. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

Kai held my hand softly. He spoke through gritted teeth. “While we were away here at the conference, the vampires kidnapped a female from our pack. It happened right after you collapsed.”

“No!” I screamed, and my blood ran cold. “Who is it? Who did they take?”

I knew before the word left his mouth. 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 bed suddenly exploded. Everyone flinched except for me. My chest was rising and falling 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. How dare they take a pregnant female from MY pack. I felt murderous. A painting flew off of the wall and crashed to the floor.

“Aurora!” Kai barked. I looked up. Two of the council members had shifted into their wolf forms and the rest regarded me fearfully. Kai’s father was the only one who looked intrigued. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Take me home, Kai. We need to get Emma back.”

***

The second we landed at the airport in Portland, Kai was on his phone. The pack had been frantically following vampire scents all day but it hadn’t led to much. They found a few well known vampire bars and covens, but none that had Emma. She was taken from her home. Max and Devon nearly died trying to protect her. They were still recovering.

We pulled our car up to the house. The entire pack was there. We had pulled in all of our peripheral wolves and every wolf from Portland. We had received a call from Shamus that he would send some of his wolves to help us get Emma back. Kai stood on a picnic table in the backyard and addressed the pack.

“Someone has been taken from us today and we will not rest until she is back home. A pregnant female member of the pack is the most cherished, the most loved. The vampires have sent a message. They intend to wipe out our race.”

The wolves shouted out in rage. A few shifted and howled.

“That isn’t going to happen. I protect what is mine and Emma is MINE! She is yours!” Kai roared and his Alpha magic rippled through the pack bond sending a murderous rage with it. I had to fight the urge to shift. My wolf wanted out. I had to find Emma. I could vaguely feel her through the bond and what I felt wasn’t good. If they hurt her, if she lost her baby… I couldn’t even think about it.

An idea crossed my mind. I broke into a run as Kai shouted my name. I ran from the backyard and towards Emma’s house and burst through the door. I went into the bathroom she shared with Devon and found what I was looking for, her hairbrush. The tiny red hairs gave me hope.

***

Sylvia came the second I called. She didn’t come alone. She brought two other witches with her. Shamus had driven from Seattle with his wolves and we all gathered around our living room.

I approached Sylvia. “The vampires have taken a pregnant female member from our pack. We have to find her. I have Emma’s hairbrush. I want you to do a spell to find her location.”

Sylvia looked calm but the other two witches seemed nervous.

Sylvia nodded. “This morning we were sent a message from the vampires as well. They told us they were waging war with the wolves and if we interfered, they would burn our coven to the ground. Similar messages were given to other covens across the country.”

Kai nodded. “We understand if you need to protect your coven.”

Sylvia smiled. “Threatening to burn a witch doesn’t exactly make us like you. Vampires have always acted above us. They think they are the strongest race. Our coven will help you and any other wolf packs in need.”

I stared at the two witches she brought with her. “And do you agree?”

The older of the two nodded. “I won’t lie. I sense trouble for our coven if we help you. Witches are supposed to be neutral. But what’s neutral about watching an entire supernatural race get wiped out? Who will protect the humans if the wolves are gone? We must take a side, even if we don’t live to see the results.”

Sylvia’s eyes flared white. “We will live. Everyone always underestimates a witch.” The hairs on my arms stood at 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 black velvet sack. One of the witches walked around the room pouring a circle of white salt in a ring, encasing the wolves and witches inside. Sylvia pulled a few 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 she sliced him, taking a few small drops onto the point of a sharp, clear crystal.

The three witches stood in a semi-circle, holding hands around the map.

“This casting is blessed. Protect us from harm or prying eyes. With the power of three, I invoke thee!” Mist poured out of the three witches’ hands and I inched forward. There was a circle of mist hovering above the map.

Sylvia took a deep breath and chanted. “A wrong has been done, help us make it right. Find this girl, on this night. The vampires stole her from her bed, we offer these hairs from her head. Point out her location, show us now. Help us find her, show us how!”