Chapter 63 - Round One

Josephine was waiting outside the White Raven pack grounds with her army of witches. She separated them into three sections based on when they would strike. Josephine would go in last with the last wave of witches; her targets would be Kaleigh and her twins.

She was waiting until midnight when the moon would be high in the night sky so she could absorb its power. Josephine looked around her and smiled. She was hoping that all these witches died in the fight. She didn't need them after today, and it would save her the trouble of killing them herself.

It was almost time. Josephine looked at the first wave of witches to go in and held her hand up, letting them know they would go in five minutes.
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The White Raven Pack knew the witches were gathered on the outskirts of their lands, and they were ready. Kaleigh, Alannah, Celeste, and the twins were waiting inside the packhouse so they could go out when it was time. Kaleigh was terrified for her daughter's safety but knew this was the only way to defeat the black magic.

As everyone in the pack waited, they heard a loud, high-pitched scream and knew that the first group of witches was coming. The warriors were in the front lines surrounding the pack. All the children, elders, and weaker wolves were inside the saferoom of the packhouse basement.

Kaleigh, Alannah, and Celeste had placed spells on the weapons to ensure they would kill the witches they came into contact with. They had also placed spells on the werewolves and werebear warriors to give them a better chance of surviving the black magic.

Veronica and the other pure magic witches were hidden around the pack grounds so they could fight magic with magic. Everyone was prepared and ready to do their part.

As the first round of witches arrived, they were surprised at the sheer number of wolves and bears waiting for them. They'd been warned that the wolfpack had some reinforcements, but they weren't expecting this many.

While the witches tried to decide the best path for an attack, the warriors weren't waiting. They began shooting arrows at the witches, striking several in the heart and immediately killing them. The other witches watched in shock. They stopped waiting and ran towards the pack to attack.

The witches tried to use their magic to take out multiple fighters at once, but it didn't do any good. Whatever spells were on them prevented them from killing more than one at a time. This frustrated them because they weren't t prepared to fight with anything other than magic, and while they tried to use magic, the bears and wolves picked them off one by one.

Dominick stayed near the packhouse, trying to stay as close to Kaleigh and the twins as possible. One of his best warriors, Vince, was with him. They were making sure that no witches made it inside.

Fortunately, just like the Moon Goddess had said, these witches weren't that powerful, and the frontline could take them out without too much difficulty. Dominick and Vince took out the stragglers that made it close to the packhouse.

As they were fighting a couple of witches, someone opened the packhouse door, and Vince froze. He didn't spend much time in the packhouse because he lived in a cabin at the forest's edge. Vince felt like running inside now, though. Dominick saw the strange look on Vince's face.

"Vince, what's wrong?" Dominick looked toward the packhouse with a frown, wondering if someone had gotten past them.

"Dominick, my mate's in there. Don't worry. I've got my priorities straight, and I'll find her once this is over." Vince turned around and ran to the next witch, shooting an arrow in her heart. He didn't know who his mate was, but he knew she was in the packhouse.

Dominick watched as Vince was like a one-man wrecking ball going after one witch and then another. He smiled; he understood that feeling. When you found your mate, you would do anything to protect her.

Kaleigh watched the fighting from the window. She saw men, wolves, bears, and witches. Kaleigh couldn't help thinking that if a human walked onto their grounds right now, they would probably think it was the end of the world.

Luckily it looked like their side was winning. The spells they had placed seemed to be helping. As Kaleigh continued watching, she heard Nikki and Lydia come in behind her. When she turned around, she saw Lydia standing very still with a look of confusion.

"Lydia, are you okay?" Kaleigh looked at her new assistant in concern.

"Yes, Kaleigh, I'm fine. I smelled something, but I don't know where it came from. I momentarily wanted to run outside to find it." Lydia shrugged it off while Kaleigh tried to hide her smile. She had a feeling that Lydia had a mate that was fighting outside. Kaleigh didn't say anything to her, though. She would let them discover each other when it was time.

The first witches were eliminated as the fighting continued, and the fighters took a few minutes to catch their breath. Dominick could tell Vince wanted to go into the packhouse. He figured it was better for Vince to see who his mate was now so he could concentrate on the next wave of witches.

"Vince, go inside and find her, but come back out here after you do." Vince didn't need to be told twice. He nodded at Dominick and ran toward the packhouse.

Vince burst through the packhouse door and smelled the air. The scent was stronger here. His wolf Theo was howling in his head and telling him to go to the dining hall. Vince ran to the dining hall and stopped at the door.

As soon as Vince saw Lydia, the little human he had brought to the packhouse, he knew she was his mate. How had he not been able to pick up her scent before? Vince didn't care, he knew she was his, and he walked over to her as she stared at him with big eyes.

Lydia stared as Vince walked toward her. She remembered him from when he brought her here and had thought about him a lot. She was frozen as the large man came toward her, she could smell the scent she smelled earlier even stronger, and for some reason, it was enticing her.

"Lydia, do you remember me?" Vince asked softly. He didn't want to scare the girl.

"Yes, Vince, I remember you. What's going on? Why do you have a smell that makes me feel funny? I don't understand." Lydia wasn't sure of anything anymore, but she felt like running into his arms.

"Lydia, I know you're human, but you're my mate. After this is over, we will talk about what that means, okay?" Vince had to touch her, even just a little, to make sure she was real. He reached his hand out and placed it on her cheek. Lydia leaned into his touch and looked into his eyes.

They both felt the sparks flying around them, and Lydia suddenly felt bold. She walked the few steps to Vince and wrapped her arms around him. Vince smiled and held the little human tightly.

"I'll be here waiting for you, Vince. Take care of yourself." Lydia looked up into Vince's eyes and felt she had found what she had always needed.

"I will, Lydia. You too." Vince took a chance and leaned down to give her a light kiss on her sweet mouth. Lydia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. When they parted, Lydia looked down with a blush on her cheeks. She'd never been kissed before.

Vince smiled at Lydia's blush. He could tell when he kissed her that she was inexperienced. He hoped that she was inexperienced in other ways as well. Vince gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and ran out of the packhouse. He had a whole new reason to fight now. Nothing was going to hurt his little human mate.

Lydia stood where she was and watched Vince run outside. She was still shocked that he had said she was his mate. Lydia wasn't a werewolf and had no idea what that meant for her. She looked over and realized that the others had witnessed their entire interaction. Lydia blushed a bright red as Kaleigh walked up to her, smiling.

"Lydia, it looks like you were meant to be here all along. Vince is a good guy, and if you accept him as your mate, I believe you'll be very happy." Lydia looked up at Kaleigh with a shy smile. She had a feeling Vince could make her happy too. Her heart was dancing in her chest, thinking about the kiss he gave her.

"Thank you, Kaleigh." Lydia had many questions about what it meant to be someone's mate, but she figured it would be best to ask Vince later. She looked toward the window where the next round of fighting was getting ready to start. Her heart ached at the thought of something happening to Vince.

Kaleigh had watched Lydia and Vince when he declared her his mate. She was happy they were mates and thought they would be good for each other.

Kaleigh looked at the twins, who Celeste and Alannah were holding. It was almost time for them to take their positions. Kaleigh went to the window and saw the next round was about to start. She took a deep breath and thought about what the Moon Goddess had told her. She would know when it was time for them to begin. Kaleigh had to go with her gut.