Page 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Xochil

“A LINE!” I screamed out for my mate.

I couldn’t see anything with the fog and the burning in my eyes, but I felt a pain in the back of my head, and I knew she was hurt. Now I could barely feel her through the bond, and I knew my mate was unconscious, but I couldn’t run to her because I was standing between her grandmother and these assholes with guns screaming in Portuguese.

I directed my frustrations toward them. The sooner they were dead, the sooner I could find my mate. I was in the process of ripping the throat out of one of them when I felt a bullet dig into my abdomen and another in my shoulder as more bullets began to fly.

‘Find my mate!’ I mind-linked as many people as I could, as I placed my hand on the man in front of me and released my powers.

I was done with this shit. I needed to find Aline, and I needed to keep her grandmother safe. I couldn’t do both things at once. I dropped three guys before the rest began to retreat, and then I got a mind-link from Dad to all of us.

‘They’re leaving. Is everyone okay?’

‘I can’t find Aline!’

‘Look for her!’ Dad roared.

“Air the room out, now!” I told one of our warriors. They opened the windows while I checked the men on the ground before me. Two of them were dead. One of them wasn’t, so I grabbed him and dumped him on the couch. “Watch him for me,” I asked another warrior, then walked to where Mom was healing Aline’s grandmother. “Is she okay?”

“Just some smoke inhalation. Where’s Aline?”

“I don’t know. I felt someone hit her, and I can barely feel her through the bond. I think she’s unconscious,” I answered calmly, though inside, I was panicking.

“Xochil!” Chris ran screaming inside. “Miguel is following them. We saw them put Aline in the trunk of a car and take off, but we couldn’t make it to them in time to stop them. He’s got my phone in his mouth, and he’s running after them. We can follow by tracking my phone.”

“You have the tracking app on?” I asked.

“I do. I turned it on so Violet could keep an eye on what was happening. We found it helps her anxiety levels when I go on missions.”

“I fucking love you both,” I hissed with relief, and ran to my room for the laptop.

By the time I got back into the living room, Dad and some of the warriors were inside.

“I’ve got warriors cleaning up, and we’re ready to go once you know where we’re headed,” he told me.

I turned on the laptop, opened the track my phone app, then I passed it to Chris to log in. It only took him a moment to get in, and then we were heading south in our SUVs toward the moving signal.

It was comforting for me to know we were heading in the right direction, because the bond was telling me my mate was to the south. A few minutes into our drive, it felt like Aline was awake because her fear was flowing through our connection, but then the fear subsided and connection faded somewhat as she calmed down and went back to being unconscious. All I could do to remain calm was to focus on the fact that I couldn’t feel anyone hurting her during that time, and the phone signal never stopped moving.

“She’s going to be alright, mija. They want her alive,” Mom said from the front seat. “They won’t hurt her.”

“I know. I can feel her more since I marked her. She hasn’t been hurt since they took her,” I replied, and my parents’ heads whipped back to look at me so fast, I thought their necks would break. Then, Dad had to look forward again to avoid swerving off the road.

“Shit! Sorry,” he mumbled.

“You marked her?” Mom asked.

“I did,” I answered, trying not to blush at having this conversation with my parents.

It wasn’t the marking itself that was making my face heat up, it was the implied understanding that while they’d been sleeping, I’d been making love to my mate.

“Way to seal the deal in record time,” Mom mumbled, and Dad chuckled.

I opened my mouth to express my mortification at her words, but closed it back down. Over twenty years of knowing my parents taught me that nothing but teasing would come out of their mouths if I kept the conversation going. I looked beside me at Chris, who appeared to be biting his lip to stop from laughing out loud as he continued to give directions to Dad.

It was an agonizing couple hours of driving before we finally reached the outskirts of the city. We stopped where we saw the big reddish-brown wolf sitting in the bushes, holding a cellphone in its muzzle.

‘She was taken into a house nearby. Only a few minutes ago. We should go on foot as there’s security around the property. We should deal with them without the men inside getting wind that we’re here,’ Miguel sent a mind-link to Dad and me.

Dad looked at me, leaving the decision of what to do up to me. I nodded, not willing to risk my mate to make a statement. He pulled out a couple of vials and passed them over to Mom, Chris and me. It was a potion that allowed Chris to mind-link for twenty-four hours with us, even though he wasn’t a pack member. Dad threw back his own potion at the same time we did, while Mom went and poured hers down Miguel’s throat. As the white wolf, she could mind-link with anyone she was connected to, and Chris, being Violet’s mate, made it so that she was close with him, and didn’t require a potion to communicate.

‘Alright, let’s get going. Be quick and silent when disposing of the guards. We don’t want to alert them to our presence yet. I want half of you in wolf form and the rest in human form,’ Dad instructed.

‘Are we aiming to incapacitate?’ Iggy asked.

‘No. Mercy is no longer our goal. They came to us. They took our future luna. They aimed to kill and would have, if we had not been wolves and had Nat with us,’ Dad answered.

The warriors, already shifted, stomped their paws aggressively on the ground instead of howling, while the rest of us in human form beat our chests and nodded. Packs protected each other, and harming or kidnapping a luna was punishable by death. Our pack, in particular, was sensitive on the subject of kidnappings, as many of the older generation were kidnapped and experimented on almost thirty years ago. A brown wolf approached me with Miguel, and I recognized him as Titan, Chris’ wolf.

‘I’ll be with you and Miguel. I can protect Aline with my body if guns go off,’ he assured me.

‘Thank you,’ I answered, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. Having Chris dedicated to protecting my mate was a huge relief to me. His body was bulletproof, and I knew they would both be safe.

It was a short walk to get to the house. The place was quiet, but there were at least half a dozen guards around the front, and I could see flashlights going around the property.

‘Spread out, and make sure you’re not heard. Xochil, come with me. We need to incapacitate the ones at the gates,’ Dad issued the commands.

Our warriors spread out, and on Dad’s go-ahead, they attacked at once while he used another of his powers to jump both of us over the gate. The guards there startled, but were quickly quieted as Dad and I used our lightning abilities to silence them. Once their hearts stopped beating, we opened the gates to let Mom and the rest of our people through.

“Should we go through the front door?” Mom asked.

“No. Let’s figure out where they’re keeping her. We can’t risk her getting hurt. Mom, stay near in case we need you, but stay close to her grandmother,” I told her as Dad and the rest of our warriors took off.

“She can’t,” Aline’s grandmother said before Mom could answer. “She made a promise to me first. I expect her to hold her end of it.”

Mom looked between me and Aline’s grandmother. As much as I wanted Mom near in case Aline got hurt, I knew she would never forgive me if something happened to her grandmother.

“Ma’am—”

“You can call me Renata,”

“Renata, if something happened to you, Aline would never forgive us.”

“Aline is the important one here, child. I promise I’ll stay out of the way, but you need to get to her.”

There was something in her eyes that I didn’t like, but I didn’t really have time to dawdle. I called over three of our warriors and told them to take care of her.

‘Don’t let her get near the fight no matter what she tries to pull. Sit on her if you have to. Gently, of course. One hair harmed on her head, and we will have issues, got me?’ I warned them as I walked away with Mom, with Chris and Miguel in front of us.

‘They’re around back, Xochil. ’

Dad’s mind-link made me speed up. I wanted to see her and reassure myself that she was okay.

We found Dad and another three warriors beside a large set of windows with light spilling from inside. When Dad saw us approaching, he put a finger to his lips to warn us to be quiet.

We approached slowly, and I peeked through a corner of the windows to see what was happening.

My mate was standing on the side of a long table. She looked a little roughed up, which made Erinda and me angry, but she also looked relatively unharmed. She was speaking with a round man sitting at the head of the table, whom I was assuming was Benicio.

I watched on as Dad began translating their conversation via mind-link.

“What do you mean agreed to?” she asked.

“When I realized you had a gift, one bigger than your grandmother’s, I approached your parents about a match,” he answered.

“A match of what?”

“A match to my son. Ah, there he is. Bernardo, meet Aline, your future wife,” he answered, and motioned to a man walking into the room.

He was good looking. A younger version of the man sitting at the table, but like hell he was going to take my mate from me. To my surprise, and the men’s confusion and annoyance, Aline began laughing.

‘Cut the power. We’re going in as soon as it’s dark,’ I ordered Iggy, who had gone around back.

‘Yes, Alpha,’ he responded.

“Why are you laughing?” Benicio asked.

“Because it’s too funny,” she wheezed out a response, wiping a tear from her eyes. “You guys think I’m going to marry him.”

While I admired her bravery and loved her sass, I wasn’t sure this was the time for it.

“You will marry him!” Benicio shouted.

The hell she will! Erinda raged.

“You will marry him and bear him a child. It’s the only way to align our goals to yours. The only way to guarantee your loyalty.”

“I’m a good lover. You will learn to love me,” Bernardo assured her, not looking pleased with being laughed at.

“I won’t,” my mate answered with conviction.

“Why not?” Bernardo wanted to know.

“Because I like women,” Aline answered, chuckling at the look of shock on both men.

“It doesn’t matter. You will bear him a son and tie yourself to our family.”

“We will fucking not!” Aline replied, but the voice wasn’t hers. It was deeper, almost masculine.

To my surprise, Erinda purred at the voice.

What was that? I asked Erinda.

The other half of our mate, she answered.

The oth… The orixa?

Yes. They have broken the barrier keeping him from communicating with her.

How?

No clue, she answered, seemingly unconcerned with how it happened and simply happy that it had.

“What was that?” Bernardo asked.

“Nothing,” Aline answered nervously. “Just me telling you we’re not doing any such thing.”

“Bullshit! You sounded possessed! And you said ‘we’!” Bernardo argued, and I tensed.

‘How are we doing with the lights, Iggy?’ I asked, my hands shifting into claws and back, with impatience.

“Bring her!” Benicio growled, and I was about to back up to crash through the window when one of the guards left and came back again, dragging a woman in chains.

Her skin was darker than mine, her body was covered in rags, and her hair looked like they gave her a bad haircut. She was beautiful, despite the effort they were putting into chopping her appearance, and there was a magic emanating from her that felt familiar.

‘Dad, ’ I asked tentatively through the mind-link.

‘I see her. She’s one of my siblings.’

“Can you see it?” Benicio barked the question at the goddess. “Do we have the right woman?”

The woman turned to look at my mate, cocking her head to the side.

“She’s the one you seek,” she answered, and I tensed again.

“Erase her memories. Remove everyone else from her life so she becomes loyal to my son.”

“I cannot. My powers do not affect other deities, and she has fully connected with the orixa,” she informed him, and I inhaled sharply, waiting to see what Benicio would do.

“She’s even more powerful than I thought,” Benicio said in a voice so low we could barely hear. “You will submit to my son and our family.”

‘I’m in,’ Iggy reached out, and then the lights went out inside the house.

“It’s time,” I said, and backed up to jump through the window.

‘Let me go first,’ Chris mind-linked, and I nodded at him. His gift would prevent him from getting cut by the shards of glass.

“Oh, you’re not going to like what happens next,” Aline said, in the deeper voice of her orixa.

Chris took a running start and crashed through the window, Miguel and I following behind him.

“Aline,” I yelled at Chris when I saw guns raising.

“I’ve got the goddess,” Dad yelled as he jumped inside.

I looked over at where Aline was supposed to be and found her on the ground, Chris poised over her protectively. Satisfied that she was safe for now, I directed my attention to the armed guards who were bursting in through the door at the back of the room.

I pushed the first guy back using Erinda’s strength, making them all tumble back like dominoes. But that was only a temporary distraction, so I got to work right away. I grabbed the first man by the scruff of his shirt and twisted his neck.

Once I dropped him, I pushed up the gun aimed at my chest, shortly before hearing it go off. I placed my hand on the man’s chest and released a stream of lightning. The man’s body went rigid, and once his heart stopped beating, I withdrew my power and allowed his body to drop to the ground.

I felt a bullet go through my shoulder, and I heard Aline scream my name from behind me. I grabbed the gun, before another round shot off above my head, and broke the hand holding it.

“I’m fine. Wolf, remember?” I screamed back.

But the distraction was costly, because I felt another bullet pierce my abdomen painfully. I growled and let Erinda forward to shift.

‘I’ve got Benicio cornered, but can’t find the son,’ Miguel mind-linked.

I growled in response, not wanting anyone to leave here alive, but focused on the three remaining men, who were now frozen in terror before Erinda.

Erinda smiled at them, showing them her sharp teeth. One took off running, while another pissed himself as he watched her tear the throat out of the third. Erinda quickly killed the soiled man, not bothering to run after the third man when she heard him screaming just down the hallway.

‘Alpha, there’s a car trying to escape out the front. I need permission to leave the luna’s grandmother.’

It only took me a moment to make a decision as Erinda strode back into the main room.

‘Do not leave her for any reason whatsoever,’ I replied.

If they ever showed up again, I would deal with them.

We walked back into the dining room, where there were only two men left alive. Benicio and another man cowering in the corner while one of our warriors snarled at him. Erinda’s attention settled on Benicio first, but it was quickly diverted when we heard a quiet gasp from the side.

Erinda turned her head toward our mate, who was looking in our direction from around Chris’ wolf. Erinda’s tail wagged for a moment and took a tentative step toward Aline, but stopped when her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Erinda whined, not liking her mate being afraid of her form.

“Xochil?” Aline asked.

“It’s Xochil. It’s also Erinda, Xochil’s wolf form and the other half of your mate,” Mom explained, as she pushed into the dining room through the broken window.

Chris moved away from Aline to grab the shorts Mom was handing out to warriors needing to shift back. Aline took a step forward, but stopped when Erinda only stared at her with longing.

“Why isn’t she moving? Is she mad at me?” she asked Mom.

“She thinks you’re afraid of her,” Dad was the one to explain, and Aline’s face fell.

She approached us slowly, and when she reached us, she put out her hand, as if expecting Erinda to sniff her. Instead of sniffing our mate, Erinda ducked her head and pushed it under her palm, closing her eyes when Aline started scratching between her ears.

“You’re so big and beautiful,” Aline whispered, prompting Erinda to open her eyes and wag her tail. Once Aline had her attention, she leaned down the few inches required to reach the top of Erinda’s head and kissed between her eyes. “I will always choose you, Wolfie. My beautiful mates.”

Erinda purred, and her tail went crazy. Despite the whisper, every shifter in the room heard her words, and a chorus of “aw”s went through the room, causing Aline to become flustered, and back up.

“There’s plenty of time to talk later. Let’s deal with this guy first,” Dad motioned over to Benicio.

Erinda licked Aline’s hand when Mom came over and handed us a long shirt. Erinda receded, and I stood in place, grabbing the shirt and pulling it over my head.

‘Bring her grandmother,’ I mind-linked the three guards.

‘Right away, Alpha,’ they responded.

Now that Aline was back at my side and the adrenaline was wearing off, I internally flinched at being called alpha. It was something I was more or less used to, especially during fights. It was their way of acknowledging their respect for my orders. But now that I had promised Aline I wouldn’t take over as alpha, it felt like I was deceiving them by allowing them to call me as such. I mentally shook it off. Now was not the time to discuss my future standing in the pack.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Aline asked, sensing my discomfort.

“I’m almost fully healed,” I assured her. I wasn’t even bleeding anymore.

“But you got shot. Twice. You should let your mother heal you.”

“I’m an alpha wolf, love. I’ll be fine. Erinda heals quickly.”

“What the fuck are you people?” Benicio called my attention, and I growled.

“You don’t get to say anything. Who the fuck do you think you are? You kidnapped my soulmate, tried to marry her off, and trying to erase her memories?” I raged, letting Erinda shift our hands. “Tell me why I should let you keep breathing?”

“Because you can’t kill me. My people would hunt you down and kill you,” he answered arrogantly.

“They can try,” I hissed at him. “But I have a feeling once you’re gone, the ones you paid will all scatter like roaches, and the ones you bullied will finally be able to breathe.”

“Aline, are you okay?” Renata’s voice interrupted my speech and shifted everyone’s attention toward the broken windows.

“I’m okay, Avó. Are you?” Aline answered, running to embrace her grandmother when our warriors helped her inside.

I thought I saw the woman pushing something into Aline’s hands, but I couldn’t see from that angle.

“I’m alright, neta. You need to wa—”

In a move that was almost too fast for even my werewolf eyes to follow, Aline turned and stretched her hand out toward Benicio, who had a gun in his hand aimed in my direction. It took a moment to realize why he wasn’t firing, but once I saw it, it was a wonder how I missed it in the first place before he started motioning to his neck area in panic: a large glass shard was protruding from his neck. Blood was pouring out of his mouth as he tried to ask for help, but when he received none, he took the shard in his hand and pulled. If dying quicker was his intent, then he succeeded, because blood gushed out of the wound rapidly until there wasn’t enough liquid left in his body for his heart to pump.

Once he was dead, everyone’s attention turned back to Aline, who was looking down at the man in shock.