A Mate’s Instincts

EVERETT

Something is wrong with Aurora. I can’t explain it, but I’m sure of it. She smells fine, good as ever—better, even, her scent changing as our baby grows. She looks fine. Tired, but that’s normal lately.

There’s no sign of pain and distress from our mating bond, even. Still, I can’t shake the sense that something is wrong. That she’s not herself, somehow.

If she were possessed, it would be obvious, wouldn’t it? It has been so far. She’s not vacant, she’s talking and laughing and responding like normal.

Well, mostly like normal. There was something odd about her responses, almost amused, like she had a secret she was keeping, a joke I wasn’t in on. She’s not normally secretive.

There was something strange about how she was moving, too. Sort of deliberate, graceful even. My little mate has never been graceful in her life. I racked my brain trying to remember.

Had she stumbled, or dropped her fork, spilled her juice or bumped into the door? Bumped into anybody? I couldn’t recall her doing so. But then, I have gotten used to it.

Aurora always has a bruise somewhere from her clumsiness, from knocking her hip into a table or falling flat on her knees. She laughs them off. Still, shouldn’t I be able to think of a time today?

Shouldn’t there be one klutzy moment from this morning? I can think of so many, every day since I met her, but not today. Was I not paying attention, or does it mean something?

And that kiss. It was so possessive, almost claiming. Aurora almost never kisses me like that, certainly not in public. For a moment during it, I was almost afraid.

I should never be afraid while kissing my mate. There’s something off, wrong, but I can’t figure out what it is. She can’t be possessed. But then what? I want to find her, to get some answers.

But an alpha’s duties come first. I can’t just go running off after my mate, especially on what is essentially a hunch. Just my worries playing up, making me jump at shadows.

I need to stay focused on the real problems, the ones right in front of me, the ones with actual solutions. Goddess knows we have enough of them.

My warriors are still out hunting down the portals and guarding them. I don’t think we’ve found them all yet, but at least we’re keeping people from going through the ones we have.

And we’ll know if anything comes out. My warriors are strong and capable, but I’m not taking any chances. There are regular check-ins and orders to send a runner right away if there’s an incident.

I hope it isn’t necessary. I don’t want any of my teams to die out there. They knew the risks when they agreed to be our pack warriors, but still. I want to keep them as safe as I can.

Then there’s finding a solution to this possession problem. My afternoon is booked with calls to other Alphas. We need to find out how far this sickness has spread, if it’s affecting other packs.

It’s possible we’ll need to call a meeting. I hate to be asking for help so soon after the joining of the Shadow Blood and Red Moon Packs. I don’t want the other Alphas to think I’m weak.

But I also can’t allow my pride to get in the way of what’s best for my people. We need answers, to pool our resources. If it will save even one person, it will be worth it.

If it is affecting other packs, maybe they know more about the cause, or a cure. We can drive out the shards, but that does nothing for the comatose children in my orphanage.

I’m flattering myself by saying ‘we’. Aurora can drive out the shards. And it takes a lot out of her to do it. I refuse to just sit back and let my Luna kill herself.

There has to be another way, or at least a way to make it easier on her. I hate how little I can help her with this part of her life. I want to support her so badly. I won’t give up on looking for a way.

All of this, of course, on top of regular pack business. The school needs my approval on a new curriculum. Two couples are planning their mating ceremony. The farms want to start a new corn field.

I love talking with my pack members, knowing what they’re doing, and being involved with their lives. A pack is a family, we care for and about each other.

But it’s hard to focus on that with this shadow hanging over me. Until Nemesis is handled, I can’t properly devote myself to the rest of my job. Not when we could all be killed any moment.

There’s also the teams out looking for Xander’s corpse. Lucius is leading the one today, and they’re due back any minute now. I tap my pen impatiently on the desk, unable to do anything but wait.

I leap up the second Lucius enters my office. There’s something about his manner that makes me sure he’s got news. “Did you find the body?”

“No, Alpha. But we did find this.” He holds out his hand. A necklace rests in his palm, the pendant a disturbing eye that seems to look right through me. The Eye of Darkness. Nemesis’s symbol.

The symbol Xander had on the door in his office, the one that hid the room he used to resurrect Nemesis, to possess Aurora’s friend Eddie. I’ll never forget it. This necklace must be his.

I take it, looking at the thing distastefully. I have half a mind to throw it into a fire and watch it melt into nothing. But it could be a clue, or even magical. “Where did you find it?”

“We found a cave in the cliffs about ten miles out. This was tucked away in the back, wrapped up in some rags. Nothing else there, not even a good scent.” Lucius is frustrated.

I frown, thinking. A rogue’s treasure trove? Xander’s hiding place? Neither quite made sense. “That’s strange. Did someone find it on his body, take it for themselves? But why hide it in a cave?”

“I don’t know. We’re sweeping the area. We’ll interrogate anyone we find.”

“Good. Hopefully, the body—”

A knock on the door interrupts us. “Come in,” I call, hiding my annoyance.

Sam opens the door, dipping her head respectfully to both of us. “Good day, Alpha, Beta. I was hoping to be able to file my business license today?”

“Right, of course.” I do my best to smile at her, finding her forms in the pile of papers on my desk. I sign them and put my seal on them. “How are your plants?”

“Thriving, despite the cold. There’s been a weird cold snap lately. I’m excited to start selling them!” It’s good to see her happy. The pack’s unrest isn’t too bad.

They’re nervous, but stable. I hope I can keep it that way. I want to be worthy of the trust they’ve placed in me, to protect them the way an alpha should.

I hand her the finished forms. “I’m sure you’ll do great. We could use a proper florist around here. I’ll make sure to stop by when Aunt Ophelia or Aurora have a birthday.”

“You’re a good man, Everett. The ladies in your life are lucky! Thanks, see you later!” She leaves, her forms clasped to her chest, a spring in her step.

Lucius and I look at each other and let out a breath at the same time. Keeping this a secret is exhausting, and the mood whiplash doesn’t help.

“Come on, we should go somewhere else. My office isn’t private enough.” People feel comfortable coming to me with anything they need, which is good, but right now I need quiet.

The library should work. I put a sign on my door saying I’ll be back soon. Lucius follows me through the common area. We keep a brisk pace and people glance at us but don’t stop us.

As we enter the library, I almost trip over a book. What is it doing on the ground? I turn on the lights and am shocked to see books scattered all over the floor.

There are still books stacked up around Aurora’s chair, too, and her blanket is pooled on the ground. It’s like she didn’t clean up at all. That isn’t like her.

The nameless worry grows stronger. Something is wrong, something is wrong with my mate. I pick my way through the mess, looking for signs, for clues.

One book is face up, open, different from the others. It’s skidded off against the wall, like it was thrown or dropped. I pick it up and my spine goes rigid.

“What is it, Everett?” Lucius asks, coming to put a hand on my shoulder. When he sees what’s on the pages, he stiffens too. “Wait…isn’t that…?”

The drawing in the book is unmistakably the amulet my Beta just brought to me. And if what it says is true, it’s exactly what we need to defeat Nemesis once and for all.

If Aurora found this, why hasn’t she told anyone? I know she would have come straight to me, had me send out my warriors looking for it. But she didn’t mention it at all this morning.

Lucius grips my shoulder. “This is good news, right? Will this work? Can we stop her with the necklace?”

I shut the book and drop it onto the chair carelessly. Aurora was here just last night. And now… I answer him, distracted. “If we can figure out how to make it work, yes.”

Lucius frowns, searching my face. “So, what’s wrong?”

Fear is mounting in my chest. My mate. My pup. “Aurora left the library a mess. And she didn’t tell me about the amulet. I think Nemesis may have done something to her.”

Lucius looks shocked, then grim. He tries to cover it, but I can tell he’s reached the same conclusion I have. “There might be another explanation. You should call her, ask her,” he says bracingly.

“Good idea.” I take my phone from my pocket and select the picture of Aurora from my contacts, the one where she’s reading and the sun is falling across her, lighting up her gorgeous eyes.

It rings. And rings. And rings. I get the voicemail. I call again with the same result. I put my phone back in my pocket. I feel sick. “She’s not picking up.”

Lucius closes his eyes. Chaos howls from within me. It’s all I can do not to change right here, sprint out the door, track her down. “We have to find her,” I say, wrestling to control myself.

There’s a perfunctory knock and the door flies open. We spin, but it’s only Ace, blinking at us in surprise. “Sorry to interrupt. I’ve been looking for you all over. What are you doing in here?”

Ace looks at the mess in confusion. I gesture him inside. “No, come in. Just close the door. You should be in on this.”

I tell him everything we’ve learned, including my suspicions about Aurora. As I do, I see the blood drain from his face. He swears.

“What is it?” I demand, knowing it’s nothing good, but needing to know anyway.

He takes a shaky breath. “Well, it has to do with why I was looking for you. Mia’s parents called. They can’t find her anywhere.”

“Mia’s missing? Wasn’t she one of the ones who was sick?” It’s not what I was expecting to hear, but it’s definitely not good. I should make sure no one’s missing at the orphanage.

Ace nods. He seems reluctant to tell me the rest. “Yeah, and it gets worse. Freya’s gone, too. And everyone says that the last they knew was that Rory was going to visit them.”

Two missing girls. Missing after a visit from Aurora. There was something wrong, and I was too dense to see it. Now, it might be too late.

“We need to go. Now. Put the warriors on alert, then join me. We have to find them.” Ace and Lucius take off to do as I ask.

I run from the building and shift, nose in the air, heedless of the startled cries of my pack. Nothing matters now but finding Aurora. I will not fail. I can’t.