Kai looked impressed again. “Layla will think Aurora is alone.”

Sylvia smiled. “But you will be right there.”

Kai rubbed his chin. “I like it.”

Wow. He agreed with the witches! The world must be ending because that never happened.

“Good, then step inside the circle,” Sylvia prompted him.

He gazed at me and I grinned. Kai willingly going into an experimental spell was a sight to see. He reluctantly stepped into the circle and I grasped hands with the witches surrounding him. Sylvia and Luna were inside the circle with Kai as we chanted around them. Sylvia reached into a velvet purse and pulled out a small bottle, handing it to Kai.

He uncorked it and took a whiff making a disgusted face. “Jesus.”

“Bottoms up,” Sylvia told him.

He grumbled and took it back in one swig as Sylvia said an incantation. Mist crept down from the ceiling and covered his body as we threw our hands in the air. “So be it!” we all screamed as the mist dissipated.

I broke the circle to walk over to Kai and sniff him. “Oh my God. I can’t smell you! How weird.” My wolf didn’t like that we couldn’t smell our mate.

Kai sniffed his armpit. “I smell me.”

Sylvia shrugged. “It works on others, that’s what matters.”

He nodded to her. “Thank you. Let me know how I can repay you.”

Sylvia pulled a small dagger and a bottle out of her bag. “I can always use Alpha blood.” She winked. Kai chuckled and extended his wrist as she eagerly made a cut and bottled his blood.

“What’s so special about Alpha blood?” I asked her. I still had so much to learn.

Sylvia looked at me as the slow, hypnotic drip of blood fell into the jar. “A werewolf’s blood is good for spells, but the blood of an Alpha has the energy of all of the wolves in his pack. It makes the spell that much stronger.”

Whoa. We had over a hundred wolves in our pack. So she was getting blood that had 100 times the energy. Interesting.

Sylvia then came to me. “Give me the protective necklace Nahuel gave you.” She held out her hand.

Kai looked suspiciously at her as I handed it to her without question. I trusted Sylvia with my life. Sylvia took a piece of her hair and breathed an incantation over it. Then she wound it in a ball and placed it inside my pouch.

“If you are taken, Prudence will make it impossible to find you. But I will always be able to find a piece of myself.”

I recoiled in shock. “Sylvia, that’s brilliant. Thank you.” I hugged her. She had become my family. She was my pack as much as Emma or Max were.

Kai nodded behind her as if he heard that thought.

Sylvia turned to Kai. “I will take the scent from twenty of your best wolves that you want to bring.”

Kai nodded.

‘Alexa, Anna, Max–’ I started telling Kai.

He chuckled. ‘Who is the Alpha? Sometimes I forget. I got this.’

I frowned. Whoops. ‘Sorry.’

Kai walked Sylvia and the rest of the coven outside. “Tomorrow we lure in Layla. In the bright of day,” he declared.

I nodded. It was smart; control how many showed up. Only a few had undergone dark magic to be able to withstand the sun.

“I’m going to take them over to the other wolves’ houses to do the spell,” Kai told me.

Mom

After Kai and the witches left, I started to clean the kitchen. It excited and scared me that I might be pregnant, a smile lit up my face at the thought. My cell phone rang, and I glanced down to see it was my mom. Kai had bought her a house on the mountain. After coming out on the news, I had no choice but to tell her that Kai and I were indeed werewolves. She had a rough first few weeks but now she seemed okay with it.

I answered the call. “Hey mom, I was thinking of stopping by today.” I wanted to tell her Kai and I were trying to have a baby.

“I think that would be a good idea.” Layla’s voice came over the phone and I gasped.

“Don’t alert your mate or anyone else. Calmly come over here and mommy doesn’t get hurt, okay? If I smell any other wolves. Mommy dies,” she told me.

Holy mother eff. That bitch had my mom! Heads were gonna roll.

I spoke calmly, “I want to hear her voice.”

“Honey, don’t come,” my mom said, and then I heard a slapping noise.

“You’re gonna die, Layla. I have dreams about killing you.” I seethed, trying not to think about that slapping noise.

I heard my mom wail in the background. “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.” Layla taunted.

Oh, this bitch was dead! I grabbed a silver stake from Kai’s office and tucked it into the back of my jeans, pulling on my jacket to cover it. After getting into my car, I took a moment to rein in my emotions. I needed to keep calm so I wouldn’t alert Kai while I tried to figure out what to do. I drove out of the driveway and headed over to my mom’s. It was a short five-minute car ride.

I tried to think of all the possibilities. Kai didn’t smell like a wolf now, so if I told him, then he might be able to sneak over without alerting Layla. Did I want to chance it? I had no doubt in my mind that Layla would kill my mother without a second thought. I decided to wait until I got there to tell Kai. Then I could protect my mother if Kai brought wolves and tipped Layla off. I breathed slowly as my hands shook, trying to hold onto the steering wheel. Trying to control my thoughts as I made the turn down my mother’s street. Mist crept out of my skin. If I killed Layla the second I saw her, I might never find Sadie or Tara and my mother could get hurt. I bit my tongue. I didn’t know what to do!