“Well it’s time he started.”

Diya went to leave the room and her father stopped her. “The wedding will be in India. That’s not up for discussion. You’re my only daughter and I want a traditional ceremony.”

She nodded and left.

***

I came out of the vision and the pack was standing around me. Kai’s eyes were yellow but he patiently stroked my hair and waited for me to come out of it. I sat up quickly, but then grabbed my head as a wave of dizziness hit me.

‘What happened?’ Kai asked me privately.

I looked into his eyes nervously. ‘I found Trent’s mate,’ I told him.

He smiled looking at Trent.

“It’s your sister,” I said aloud. Kai looked shocked. “My little sister! No, there must be a mistake. She’s too young.”

I stood up slowly. “She’s the same age as me!”

He sighed. Trent looked at both of us, confused. “Are you okay, Aurora? What’s going on?”

I smiled at Trent. “I found your mate.”

Young Love

After two hours of Kai grilling Trent on how he would treat his sister, how many kids they would have, where they would live, when they would have their mating ceremony and 100 other things, Kai called his sister. I could hear excited screaming on the other end of the phone. Kai and I talked before he made the call and agreed to tell his mother, father, and sister about my Matefinder abilities. Although he didn’t have the best relationship with his father, he said he could be trusted. His father took mating and werewolf species growth very seriously. Kai said if something ever happened to him, that his father would protect me. I didn’t even want to think about the prospect of something happening to Kai.

After a few minutes on the phone, Kai’s voice changed. “Hello, Papa.” His voice took on a serious tone and he put the phone on speaker, looking at me and putting a finger to his mouth for me to keep quiet.

“Are you sure this boy is Diya’s true mate? We have had prospects before but nothing worked out.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

A heavy sigh. “How can you be sure? Her markings are unique. His wolf may just look similar but not be a match. Is he even good enough for her?” his father asked.

“He is a good wolf, dominant, loyal, successful and smart. He will be a good match for Diya.”

“Son, I don’t understand how you can be so sure this is Diya’s mate. I don’t have time for tricks. Mating needs to be taken seriously, especially when my only daughter is involved. How exactly are you sure this boy is your sister’s mate?”

Kai chewed at his bottom lip.

“To answer that question, I would like to enact Alpha Secretum. I have information to share with you that is about one of my wolves. If this information is shared with another pack it could threaten the growth of our species.”

My mouth hung open. We hadn’t talked about this. I guess he didn’t fully trust his father. I didn’t know what Alpha Secretum was but the hairs on my arms were standing up.

“You want to enact Alpha Secretum? This must be serious for you not to trust me in open conversation. Fine, I swear on my pack magic that I will not share the following information outside of my pack.”

“Not good enough, Papa. You must not share it outside of telling your mate and Diya.”

I could feel his father’s rage on the other side of the phone.

“You always loved to enact your power, Kai. Just remember that’s a trait you got from me. Fine! I swear on my pack magic that I will not share the following information outside of telling my only daughter, Diya, and my mate, Maya.”

Kai nodded. “Aurora, my new mate, is the Matefinder. She has successfully paired two mate couples already. Sadie transferred to Seattle pack and Jake has found his mate. She had a vision when sparring with Trent. Diya and Trent are mates, she is sure.”

I saw a fine mist creep out of the phone and wrap around the words coming out of Kai’s mouth. Magic. That must be Alpha Secretum, a pack magic that was keeping his words secret. I wonder what would happen if his father broke the oath.

There was silence for a long time. “I’ve heard stories of…but,” he seemed at a loss for words, “this is incredible. Do you know what this could mean for our species, for reproduction?”

Kai gritted his teeth. “Aurora won’t be used as a tool to grow our species. Talk to Diya about what you want to do next and get ahold of me. Goodbye, Papa.” And he hung up.

We sat in silence for a moment. “So, your dad seems like an interesting guy,” I joked.

Kai laughed and then changed the subject. “Let’s go on a date.”

I smiled. “Are you asking or telling me?” I teased.

He pulled me in close and brushed my hair away from my forehead. “Alphas don’t ask.”

I wore a little black dress, red ballet flats, and bright red lipstick. We decided on a small Indian food restaurant that Kai apparently owned. One of the pack members managed it.

Kai was surprised that I knew what to order and that I could handle spicy food. He couldn’t keep his eyes off me all night and I liked how it made me feel.

“Tell me about your family,” I said taking a bite of the lentils and rice.

Kai smiled. “Well, my Dada, which is my father’s father, was a vegetarian like you. He was the nicest man you ever met. He loved animals.”

“Isn’t most of India vegetarian? I thought it was a religious thing?” I had found it so easy to eat vegetarian in India.