Balance (20 page)

                I
was covered in blood, mine and hers. Spinning around in shock, I saw that Kai
and the pack were taking out all of her vampires. I slowly walked forward a few
feet and then fell to my knees.

                “Balance,”
I whispered.

                ‘Layla
is dead. It’s safe.’
I told my all
female pack as the adrenaline rush made my hands shake. I did it. I actually
killed Layla. Something that started so long ago had ended. Kai and I would
never have been able to have true happiness as long as she hunted for my blood,
for my child’s blood.

                The
sound of spinning wheels behind me forced me to turn. Coming from the thick
forest, was a group of black quads driving out of the trees. RAIDOS. The black
army fatigues they wore brought only bad memories.

                When
I saw what was in their hands my stomach dropped. No!

                ‘Get
out! Get out of the building!’
I frantically sifted through the pack bonds to see if anyone else was left
inside. Spinning around, I glancing at the scene before me. Sylvia dead on the
lawn, Kai, Max, and the others locked in battle with the vampires that kept
spilling out the open facility door. Most of my female wolves were fighting
with them.

                I
quickly searched my pack bonds again; Chelsea was still inside. One of the
vampires caught up with her and was fighting her in a small utility room.

                Sadie
was still inside, too, and I couldn’t reach her. She was unconscious inside the
room. NO!! I sensed Karissa was the only one left inside with her. That was three
of my wolves inside the building. Karissa’s wolf nudged Sadie to try to wake
her.

                ‘Shift
and get her out now! They are going to bomb the building,’
I roared at Karissa with Alpha power.

               
‘No,
I’ll wipe her memory if I do!’
Karissa whined.

                Shit.
She was right, she would have to shift to human form to carry an unconscious
Sadie
. ‘It won’t matter if you’re both dead! Pick her up and run!’
I commanded
it. I slammed Alpha power over her body. Forcing her to shift. Her bones
cracked as her human form took shape. She hadn’t been human in so long she
almost forgot what it was like.

                A
clicking noise forced me to turn around as RAIDOS released the RPG launcher at
the building and it felt like time stopped.  It sailed through the air and when
it hit, it exploded, sending glass everywhere and the building burst into
flames. My body hit the ground with the force of the blast and I was stunned
into silence by the ringing in my ears.

                Fumbling,
I stood and ran at the side door. “No! Sadie!” I screamed as tears ran down my
face.

                Kai
was shirtless and bleeding as he ran up behind me, grabbing me by the waist and
stopping me.

                “No,
let me go! My pack!” I wailed as Kai pinned me down.

                Earl
and the militia took off after RAIDOS, pushing them back into the thick trees,
guns snapping out bullets around me. This is what it must be like to be in a
war. So much death and destruction you didn’t even know where to look.

                Suddenly,
I felt all of the fight go out of me. I had used too much power to kill Layla,
Sylvia’s death, forcing Karissa to shift, it all had drained me. I prepared for
that feeling; that awful feeling you get when someone in your pack dies. It’s like
having an organ cut out. I had felt it with Devon and never wanted to feel it
again. The pain hit me, Chelsea; she was dead, her essence ripped from the pack.
Oh God, as an Alpha it hurt so much more. She burned alive, taking the baby
with her and I burned too. My skin, my hair; it tingled with pain as my heart
ached from the sudden loss of her.

                “No!”
I screamed as Kai held me tightly. Even though he held me close, he felt so
far. I needed to be pack with him again, to feel him inside my head. I braced
myself for the loss of Sadie and Karissa. The pain of losing three wolves might
kill me.

                But
it didn’t come. A banging noise drew my attention to the side of the collapsed
building. Karissa was naked, in human form, carrying an unconscious Sadie in
her arms. They were covered in black soot and Karissa’s leg bled freely. She coughed
as she fell to the ground, letting Sadie spill out of her arms.

                I
choked on a sob as I ran over to them and Karissa quickly backed up. “Don’t
touch me!” she shouted as Kai moved to give her a shirt.

                He
froze, arms out. Brett skidded to a halt at Sadie’s feet and picked her head
up, slapping her face gently. She was breathing steadily but out cold.

                Karissa
turned and met my eyes. “Her life is ruined. I’m so sorry.” Tears spilled over
onto her cheeks.

                Brett
looked at me in confusion.

                “You
did as I asked. If you didn’t, she would be dead. I am the Alpha and I gave an
order. You saved her life.”

                Poor
thing, she would never forgive me for this; for the responsibility of taking
Sadie’s memory. There wasn’t any other way. Brett put his hand out to shake
hers. “Thank you for saving her.”

                “Don’t
touch me,” Karissa cried and began shifting to her wolf.

                “What’s
going on?” Kai roared picking up on the unusual situation. It was so weird not
to be able to communicate with Kai in my head, even though he was right beside
me. He felt so far.

                I
cleared my throat and held my head high. I would not let Karissa feel bad for
this. She did the right thing. I would rather be alive with no memories of my
past than dead. “Karissa has a unique gift. When in human form, she wipes a person’s
entire memories if she touches them.”

                I
braced myself for the bitchfest from Brett. He stared off into the woods for a
long moment and then at Karissa’s wolf. “We will make new memories. We can do
that, because of you. Thank you,” he said.

                Karissa
wined and rolled over to show her belly as Brett looked at me.

                “She
can’t use her gift in wolf form,” I told him.

                Brett
smiled and rubbed her belly. Just like that, in a wolf’s way all was forgiven.

                I
turned to survey the damage. RAIDOS had left. The building was completely
engulfed in flames. Vampires’ ashes littered the ground. Sylvia was dead. My
hands were shaking and suddenly Kai got in my line of sight.

                “Layla’s
dead,” he said. “You did it.”

                He
cradled my face in his strong hands and I whimpered. I had so much shame. I
went rogue. I left him, my mate, my husband. How selfish.

                “I’m
sorry,” I said looking down, being submissive.

                Then
he kissed me passionately. “I know, and you’re on house arrest for the rest of
your existence,” he told me.  

                I
laughed as I leaned into him, smelling his unique scent.
Home.
The scent
spell must have broken when Sylvia … No.

                Suddenly,
Sadie’s eyes flew open as she coughed deeply. Brett knelt and grabbed her face
bringing it closer to his. “Thank God!” he shouted.

                She
looked at him confused but smiled. “Hey, you’re cute.”

                We
all laughed. The laugh turned into a sharp pain in my chest. Ahh. I massaged it
as my female wolves crept towards me in wolf form.
Alpha.

                Kai
frowned. “You okay?”

                I
felt the Devi slither inside of me.
‘Goodbye, Aurora. Thank you.’
Her
voice echoed in my head. No!

                I
gasped as a pain shot up from my groin into my head and forced me to my knees,
panting.

                “Aurora!”
Kai knelt with me. My wolves crept closer, whining.

                “It’s
happening. The Devi,” I whispered to him as my head began to throb. Wincing, I
grabbed my temples.

                Kai
went pale. That was hard for an Indian to do.

                “No.
No. No. No,” he said frantically. As if saying it would make it so.

                I
had no more energy to fight, so I collapsed into his open arms as he slowly sat
down with me draped in his lap.

                As
he leaned over me, shock marred his face and I reached up and felt his scruffy
beard. “Do you know how much I love you? You are everything to me. My favorite
part about this life,” I told him, breathlessly. It was getting hard to
breathe, to think.

                Kai
looked defeated. He leaned over and pressed his full lips to my forehead. “I
wish I had met you three hundred years ago. Infinity wouldn’t be enough time
with you.”

                I
smiled as tears rolled down my cheeks and cried out as a sharp pain stabbed my
heart. Kai stroked my face. “But you’re not going anywhere.” Alpha power oozed from
his voice and saturated my body. He stared into my eyes.
Challenge.
My
wolf stirred as he locked on my gaze, growling.

                “Do
you know why I assess pack rank with a staring contest?” Kai asked.

                I
couldn’t see anymore. A bright light had taken over my vision and called to me.
I reached out to touch it. But Kai’s voice held me earthbound.

                “Because
being dominant isn’t always about physical strength. It’s about mental and
spiritual strength as well. You have it! More than Max, more than me! You are
strong and you can fight the Devi! Stay with me and fight!” he screamed,
shaking my shoulders. But the light was warm and so inviting, I felt myself
floating away.

                Suddenly,
a slice on my arm made me falter. I stopped floating and looked back at my body
lying on Kai’s lap. My female wolves lay around me, whining as Kai touched his bleeding
arm to mine. “Blood of my blood, Alpha,” he said and all of a sudden a rush of
energy assaulted my body. I felt them, the entire pack. Portland, Mount Hood,
and my girls. Emma, Trent, Diya, Max, Sadie, Kai, Isabelle, Karissa, little
Avery. Over a hundred of them. All chanting
Alpha, Alpha
, giving me
their strength.

                I
looked down my glowing light body, my soul, hovering just above my earthly
body. Suddenly, the Devi stepped out of my soul body and floated towards the bright
light. Our hands were stuck holding each other’s and as she floated higher, she
took me with her.  She frowned as she looked back at our hands, fingers
interlaced, I tried but couldn’t shake them free. The warm and loving light was
so inviting. I pulled my arm but she winced in pain. We were stuck, she was
trying her best to detach but we were stuck.

                “You’re
having twins.” The Devi let her words float on the wind. That realization
knocked into me. I was pregnant! I had a purpose, an earthly purpose. I needed
to stay. Suddenly, walking out of the bright light, was Nahuel. His glowing
light body radiated orange and yellow. He nodded at the Devi who nodded back
and took his hand. Nahuel pulled the Devi hard and I cried out in pain.

                “I
need you,” Kai whispered to my earthly body. I saw all of the thin wisps of
energy, which was my pack, floating in the air all around me, tying me to them.
Grabbing them until my hand was full of pulsing energy, I pulled them taut. I
felt the pack giving me their strength, calling me back to my body.
Alpha,
Alpha, Alpha
. Grabbing the pack bonds in my right hand, I yanked hard and
all of a sudden, a ripping sensation flared in my left hand and I was free of
the Devi and falling back into my body. My last visual was of Nahuel smiling
down on me.

                My
two halves slammed together as my eyes flew open and I sat up quickly gasping
for air. Holy shit. Kai’s face was inches from mine. Yellow eyes glaring at me.
I looked down at my legs, my belly, my hands. My body. Me. Just me. No Devi.

                “Don’t
ever do that again,” Kai roared.

                I
coughed. “Deal.” That was the most intense experience of my life.

                “You’re
tough as nails, sweetheart,” Max told me as he came into view.

                I
turned to him and saw Tara was in his arms. Then I turned to look at Sadie smiling
shyly with Brett. We were going to be okay, we were all going to be okay.

                Turning
to Kai, his warm chestnut eyes roamed over me.

                “We’re
having twins,” I exclaimed. I should have known that I would give birth to the
next Matefinder and her male protector. His eyes widened and a huge, sexy grin
lit up his face.

                “I
love you,” he said and pulled me in for a deep, passionate kiss. His lips
pressed on mine with a hunger that I matched after being without him for the last
twenty-four hours. I let my hands roam over his biceps and down his back.
Breathing in again, letting his scent wash over me.
Mate.