The blonde woman nodded seeming to be okay with that answer. “My name is Dr. Tavern. I am the communications psychologist for RAIDOS. We have been tracking the three supernatural communities for about twenty-five years now. We have intercepted your phones, email, and anything we could, without getting too close to your homes for fear you could smell us. We know you are a werewolf and after listening in on the vampires’ conversations, that you may be able to help them have children. They wish to kill off your kind and take humanity under their ownership as blood slaves with their newly created spawn. So I guess the biggest question we have is, whose side are you on? The vampires or the humans?”

I decided a little humor was in order here. “Couldn’t you tell how much we werewolves love vampires by the way we stormed that house and started killing them?”

Her lips curled into the slightest smile.

“Werewolves protect humans. It’s always been this way. They kidnapped one of our pregnant females. We are here to get her back,” I told her.

She nodded as if she knew this.

“Why aren’t the silver chains hurting you? We have heard other wolves talk about silver incapacitating them.”

“Most wolves cannot handle silver. I am immune to its effects,” was all I said.

The psychologist nodded. “She is cooperating. Untie her. Give her water.”

The man who had approached me earlier seemed unsure but did as she asked. The second he unlocked my chains I could have shifted and jumped out of a nearby stained glass window. I didn’t. If a vampire war was coming then we needed allies. I only hoped it was possible to become allies with these people.

I rubbed my wrist and grabbed the water bottle.

“Thank you.”

Dr. Tavern nodded.

“You said you were human a few weeks ago. What happened? Do werewolves turn humans just to increase their numbers?”

“No, that is against werewolf law. I was in a bad car accident on Mount Hood. I was dying and my mate found me. He is an Alpha and he changed me, hoping I could survive.”

“Kai?” the psychologist asked.

Shit, they knew a lot. I suddenly felt very protective. I opened my pack bond but I couldn’t sense Kai. Did it not work if we were too far away?

The psychologist seemed to register my apprehension. “We have a drone that flies above Mount Hood. We have been watching Kai and his pack for a while. He does things differently. There are no fights in his pack. They don’t do anything illegal. He even pays his taxes.”

I breathed a little easier. “Yes, once Kai changed me, I found out he was my mate.”

The psychologist seemed to mull something over. “I like you, Aurora. You seem very caring, protective, and intelligent. Many of the same qualities we find in humans. I want you to answer this next question very, very honestly. Your life depends on it.”

I sat up straighter.

“Are you the Matefinder and what does that mean?”

Well, shit. So much for not revealing too much. My wolf came to the surface. I felt the need to run. Surly if they knew I could help grow the werewolf race exponentially, they would kill me. I decided to downplay it.

“Yes, I am the Matefinder. There is always one Matefinder in existence to help wolves from faraway packs find their mate. No big deal.”

Dr. Tavern chewed her lip. “And is it true without finding your mate that you cannot conceive children?”

There was no way around this question. I knew where she was going. I stood up suddenly, angry. “Yes! I find mates so we can marry and have a family just like you! YES! If you kill me right now then the werewolf population will significantly decrease over time. But if you kill me, then there will also be less wolves to help you fight the vampires in the future.”

All ten RAIDOS agents had their crossbows pointed at me. All except the psychologist. She regarded me thoughtfully.

“I guess we have a decision to make. Either we as humans work alone to ensure the human race survives or we form an alliance,” Dr. Tavern suggested.

We stared at each other. Challenge, my wolf said. If they made a move to kill me I would fight. I would probably die but I would fight.

‘Aurora? We’re coming! I can smell you. We are close. Hold on!’

Dr. Tavern’s phone beeped. She broke eye contact to look at it. Relief seemed to flood through her. She extended her hand to me.

“We can start small. I would like to start an alliance from the West coast branch of RAIDOS to the Mount Hood pack.”

Would Kai be okay with this? He wouldn’t like that they were watching us but what could we do? We both had a common enemy and a common goal.

I shook her hand.

“My mate and our pack are close. You should all leave. This isn’t the best way for you to meet him.”

She nodded and handed me a thin phone. “We will be in touch.”

‘I’m safe. We have a lot to talk about. Is Emma with you?’  I held my breath.

‘We have her. She’s fine.’

My throat tightened with emotion. Emma was okay. I began to walk outside as the black van pulled away. I could see Kai running down the street in wolf form, a pack of wolves ran further behind him. I ran towards him and noticed he was hurt. A trail of blood trickled behind him.

He nearly knocked me over when he saw me. I dug my fingers into his fur and let him smell me.

“You’re hurt,” I said out loud.

‘I nearly tore the head off of every vampire when I realized you had been taken.’