Chapter six

Nyte

I shouldn’t have done that. I knew better, but the self-control I had been clinging to evaporated the moment her lips touched mine. The bond took control in that moment, driving me to fulfill its purpose.

“Nyte,” Alexander called out, drawing me out of my mind and into the meeting. “Did you hear what we said?”

The three alphas and their betas all turned to me, waiting for my reply.

“Two packs in one night,” I repeated back, letting them know that I had been listening, even if my mind was elsewhere.

“Yes,” Alpha Markus of the Ocean Side pack continued. “And I have heard from the packs in L.A. and San Franciso. They’ve been experiencing the same phenomenon. Smaller, lesser packs, completely vanishing overnight.”

“Yes, but the two packs taken last night weren’t as small as those taken before,” Alexander added, concern etched into his brows.

“There is little pattern to the packs being taken, aside from them being smaller than us. We still have no scent to go off. No tracks to follow. Nothing.” I added, leaning back in my chair.

“A witch has to be involved,” Markus snarled, his eyes narrowing at me. “I heard you took a witch as your mate. Maybe we should be questioning her about these occurrences.”

“Would you be so boldly questioning Alpha Orion’s Luna? Or perhaps Alpha Rome’s Luna? They are both witches themselves. Or maybe you want to try your luck with the Voland Witches in Montana. After all, their high witch’s son-in-law is a werewolf from a curse their ancestor put on his family.” I sneered back at him. “My mate isn’t aware of the werewolf disappearances or our business. Come near her, and I promise you it will be the last thing you do.”

“You’re threatening an Alpha?” Markus’s beta growled, baring his teeth as his canines began to elongate.

“Thompson,” Markus barked, “stand down.”

Even as he glared at me, he knew his Beta stood little chance against me. There was a reason Alexander chose me as the next Alpha. I wasn’t just more powerful than him. I was the most powerful werewolf in the state of California. I was a rare phenomenon all of my own. If this were in the medieval area, I would have been classified as a King Alpha and given an entire country filled with packs to follow me. But these were modern days, and I had little interest in laying claim to the title of the past.

“We need to come up with some kind of plan to catch whoever is doing this,” Alexander said, redirecting the meeting to the point at hand.

I looked over at the third Alpha, who had remained silent this entire time, frowning at the drink in his hand.

“What is on your mind, Uncle Blake?”

My uncle looked up from his glass, turning his deep grey eyes to me. He was my mother’s brother and the Alpha from the Escondido Pack, the biggest pack within San Diego. He swirled his drink before tossing the contents in his mouth, emptying the glass in a single gulp.

“A witch very well may be involved, but witches couldn’t have cleared out this many packs without leaving a trace. There was barely even a magic touch in the air at each location. Taking out even the weakest of packs would have taken far more magic whether we all want to admit it or not.” He turned his gaze to Markus. “Witches could have wiped us off the face of the planet eons ago, but they are inherently peaceful. The few who use their magic for the wrong reasons are far fewer. That’s why it’s so rare to come across a cursed bloodline today.

“I know there is a trend amongst humans to call the mistakes of their ancestors’ generational curses, but they aren’t the same as true curses found in a witch's magic. If you think witches are our enemy here and now, you are blinded by ignorance.”

Markus huffed, though he remained respectful to my uncle. “Well, what do you suppose we do about protecting our packs then?”

“Be vigilant. One of the few signs left behind as I’ve noticed is that they were taken at night from their beds or during dinner. And they are increasing the closer we come to the full moon. Whoever is taking our fellow werewolves wants to collect us before we reach our monthly peak in power. That’s all I can think to add to this meeting.” Alpha Blake stood, tipping his head to me. “I’ll be sure to tell your mother the news about your mate, Nyte. She will be happy to hear you have found the happiness she has always dreamt for you.”

I only nodded in return, my eyes on my Alpha as my uncle and his Beta left the room. My mother would be ecstatic to hear about my mate. She would want to meet her as soon as possible. My mother had a forbidden romance herself, although hers had been with a wolf from another pack. She wouldn’t care that my mate was a witch. All she would care about was that she was who the fates had chosen to bring me love and happiness. That was all my mother ever wanted for me…and all she ever wanted for herself as well. It was too lousy fate decided to take her mate from her soon after finding him.

He was my greatest love, and although our time was short, our love is infinite.

That was her favorite line to tell me growing up; it took me discovering my bond to understand what she meant entirely. Fated mates were once in a lifetime, and the bond is always there, even in death.

“How does being more vigilant help us?” Markus growled after the sound of my uncle leaving the packhouse could be heard. “How much more vigilant do we need to be?”

“It sounds like we need to warn every pack to increase their watches during the most vulnerable times of the evening,” I said, looking back at Alexander. “Double the watches. Have everyone schedule their meals so not everyone is eating dinner at the same time.”

Alexander nodded. “That’s a good idea.” He looked at Markus. “Scheduled meals and double patrols for the packs. It’s our best shot at being ready. At a minimum, with double the patrols, a warning to the others could get out.”

“Fine,” Markus growled, standing up and stomping to the door. His Beta cast me another glare as he passed, following Markus close.

I paid them both even less attention than I had my uncle, watching Alexander and his Beta look over the map once again. My mind returned to Paige and what we had done last night. The way her lips had parted at the sound of my name—the feel of her body molding around mine. It had only been one time, but I was already addicted. Despite having done something that I had every plan to hold back on until she was truly ready to know the truth, although now, there was no way for her to dissolve our bond.