Chapter Five: Monte Carlo

“I’m begging you! Please let him go! I will go wherever you want me to,” I pleaded in Russian.

“You’ll come willingly?” the man asked me in Russian. I nodded.

After one more blow to the stomach, I watched a bloody Max give into unconsciousness on the floor.

Flashback

I zoomed past Trey and Sam in the kitchen with an Alpha hot on my trail. I was giggling like a maniac as I reached the clearing outside. Deciding to stop and turn around, I watched Mateo stalk towards me with mischief in his eyes. The smirk on his face confirmed that he was definitely up to something.

“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, you probably shouldn’t do,” I giggled.

“Oh yeah? Because what you did was totally fair,” he smirked.

I shrugged. “I don’t play fair.”

“Neither do I, baby doll,” he said before he was in front of me in a flash. My pulse shot through the roof.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear, running his finger across my shoulder blade. “I can hear your blood flowing through your veins, your heartbeat thrumming against your chest.”

If this was revenge, then it was definitely working.

I pouted when he pulled away from me. “Stop being unfair.”

“I’m the unfair one? I believe you started this,” he smirked.

I narrowed my eyes. “You had it coming.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” he scoffed.

“Yeah, well, my opinion means more than yours,” I said before sticking my tongue out at him.

“Real mature,” he replied, amusement dancing across his features.

I winked. “I never said I was.”

“As interesting as this conversation is, Matt, we’re needed in Phoenix,” Orion interrupted, receiving a growl from a certain Alpha.

I smiled, cupping his cheek. “The quicker you leave, the quicker you’ll come back.”

“Okay,” he sighed dramatically.

“Someone is getting better with their theatrics,” I teased, earning myself a glare from Mateo and laughs from the guys.

“Max, you’re in charge of June! If anything happens to her, I will harm you,” Mateo threatened.

I frowned. “No you won’t.”

“Got it Alpha,” Max replied regardless.

After a kiss to the forehead (which I was swooning over, by the way), Mateo left with Orion, Trey, Sam and three other guys.

“So, what do you want to do?” Max asked.

“I don’t know. What is there to do?” I countered.

“We could walk to the mall and back,” he suggested.

I laughed. “Are we that bored?”

“Pretty much! Plus, it’s great exercise, or at least we’re going to pretend it is. Besides, it will give you a chance to see the place,” he smiled.

I nodded. “That is a good point.”

We set off into the house to get our sunglasses and caps. The weather was beautiful outside, which is why I was in shorts and a tank top. We set off on our walk and this time the stares were different. None of them held disgust, but they all held confusion and curiosity. The unmated males also held lust. As much as Mateo and I believe I belong to him, I’m unmarked, which to unmated males means I’m free game.

“I’ve got you,” Max linked me. He must’ve seen my worried expression.

“I’m just worried for the jerk who decides to pull something. Their Alpha will kill them,” I mock sniffed aloud knowing full well that I could be heard.

Thank you enhanced hearing.

“That’s not even something to joke about. He really will kill any guy who touches you,” Max replied.

“Oh well, tough cookies!” I said before noticing that the road we were on was rather deserted.

I frowned. “Where are we?”

“Oh shoot! We missed a turn,” Max laughed as we turned back. Before we could move, we were both shot in the neck with tranquilizer guns.

We woke up chained to a wall in some cellar that smelled like rotten cheese and death. Neither of us knew what was going on. There were actually dead bodies around us, making us shudder in disgust. We were chained with silver cuffs that were surely burning through our skin.

“Where are we Max? What happened?” I groaned.

“I don’t know, June. We can’t even link anyone,” he responded. Before he could say anything, a tranq shot hit him in the chest and he passed out beside me before the door of the cellar opened.

“You’re awake,” some burly guy with greasy hair and a belly so big it could be a trampoline, said with a heavy Russian accent.

“No, I’m just sleep staring,” I deadpanned. He slapped me across the face, hard.

I didn’t even know if anyone else felt that.

“My boss wants to see you,” he told me.

“That’s nice of him,” I said, only to be slapped again.

“Dude! I didn’t say anything wrong,” I shouted.

Guess what?

He slapped me again, twice.

Now both my cheeks were throbbing.

“Shut up and don’t speak unless told to!” he spat. I decided that it would be best to listen to him.

He unchained both Max and I. He threw Max over his shoulder before dragging me with him by my hair. I tried to reach out to Starlet, but I couldn’t. Since I couldn’t reach my own wolf, I figured it would be useless to try and reach out to anyone else.

We were led to a big room with some men in it. One of the men was seated in a very royal looking like chair. I take it he’s the boss, then? He’s actually really good looking but he just didn’t look like he fit in here. Max was thrown onto the ground rather painfully, but he was still knocked out. I’m pretty sure I heard his shoulder dislocate though.

“Ah, Juniper Evigan, the little girl every Alpha is looking for. How is it that Mateo Santiago of all people has you?” the leader spoke. His Russian accent was even deeper and stronger.

It also sounded forced.

I raised an eyebrow. “What? No formal introductions?”

“Oh, excuse my rudeness! My name is Boris Vladislav. I’m a businessman,” he introduced.

“Oh? What kind of business?” I asked.

“Er, illegal?” he offered.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course it’s illegal, since you kidnapped me.”

A gun shot was fired and Max got up screaming. He’d been shot in the thigh.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” I screamed, running to Max’s side.

“See, the thing is, I like to be respected. I believe you’re familiar with the phrase. Your father does love it,” he smirked.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“I want to rattle some cages and keeping you with me will help do just that. You’d be surprised just how many people are looking for you, and not to return you to your lover boy Royce Fallon either,” he chuckled.

What? He thinks Royce is my lover boy?

I raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think no one is going to find me?”

“You mean what makes me think that Mateo Santiago isn’t going to find you? Well, you see, I’ve got him a little, occupied,” he smirked.

“What did you do?” I growled.

“Oh, now where’s the fun in that?” he laughed.

“I still don’t know what you want from me,” I pointed out.

“I want you to give me information about your father’s pack,” he demanded.

“You’re out of luck! I know nothing about my father’s pack,” I replied before another gunshot was fired. They’d shot Max in the stomach.

“Please stop!” I begged, my tears threatening to spill as Max breathed heavily in my arms. By now I was covered in his blood.

“Tell me what I want to know,” Boris demanded.

“I don’t have any information for you! I was never close to my parents,” I screamed. He stared at me for a moment before turning to one of his men.

“She’s still useful, so just kill the boy,” he instructed in Russian.

Luckily I’m multilingual.

“No! Please don’t,” I begged.

“You understand me?” Boris asked. I nodded.

“And why should I let him live?” he asked, still in Russian.

***

And that’s how I ended up boarding a plane to Russia in the hope that not only will Max live, but that Boris keeps his promise and delivers him back to the pack. That, and that Mateo finds me because the Moon Goddess knows I need him.

***

Mateo bit into the jugular of the last man they had to take down before shifting back into his human form. He spat the blood out of his mouth and looked for his clothing before shrugging it on. Something about this ambush didn’t sit well with him.

“This seems like it was planned. Something is off about it,” Domitius commented.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Do we even know who these men are?” Orion asked.

“Nope! Just got a call from Phoenix to say that this place was being ambushed. When we heard there were women and children being kept prisoner here, we called for backup and got moving,” Alpha Combs replied.

“Well, that’s done! We may as well go back home,” Mateo shrugged before taking down the block on his mind-link.

He didn’t like having the link free in the middle of a battle.

“OH MY GOODNESS! MATEO, COME BACK NOW!” his sister’s panicked voice rang through his mind. Orion clutched his head a second later, meaning they’d received a link in the same tone.

Mateo turned to his friend. “Dom, we need to get home stat!”

“Got it!” Domitius said before teleporting the three of them to the pack house.

Upon arrival, they were met by crying females and panicked males. An unwelcomed shiver of fear went down Mateo’s back and he hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was.

“What’s going on?” he asked in Alpha mode.

“We couldn’t reach you for a whole four freaking hours! They’re gone, Mateo!” his sister sniffed. He felt himself go numb.

“Who’s gone?” he asked.

“June and Max! They left this morning for a walk. Max was going to show her around town. I linked her about three hours later, wanting to know if she wanted chicken for lunch, but I couldn’t reach her. I thought that maybe she blocked me out, but then I couldn’t reach Max either. They’re gone,” she explained.

He felt himself shake with rage. Firstly, someone dared to kidnap his mate. Regardless of what anyone says, he’d claimed her and she’d accepted, mark or not. Secondly, someone unwelcome either entered his land, or the worst possibility, he had a mole in his pack. Someone helped to get his mate and his Gamma kidnapped. Thirdly, he had no idea where to start looking.

“Who was the last to see them?” he asked. He figured being angry wouldn’t do any good.

“Mrs Ross! She says she just saw them get shot with tranquilizer guns and then they were dragged to a black van. She says they were talking and laughing and they missed their turn down at Abbely Lane. They were about to turn back when they were ambushed,” Alexa replied.

“Ryan…” he said as he turned to his best friend, but it seems he knew what he was about to ask.

“I have the guys going through the security cameras as is, but Matt, there’s something you need to know,” Orion told him as Domitius returned with Trey and the other guys.

Mateo rolled his eyes. “Well, don’t hold back.”

“Darrell is gone,” Orion proceeded.

Son of a bitch, was all Mateo could think.

Darrell was one of his warriors who was previously his Gamma three years ago. He failed Mateo once and Mateo retaliated by making him a warrior, granting his position to Max. With him missing, it could only mean that he’s the inside man, and that’s why the kidnapping went so smoothly. The question that was bothering Mateo was why June was taken? Darrell had nothing to do with Juniper, unless if he was missing something.

“Have two trackers track his scent,” Mateo ordered.

“They already tried. His scent isn’t there. It just disappeared into thin air. It’s like he was never here. He’s taken everything valuable of his and he burnt down his place. Reece says they’ve just managed to put out the fire and that the fucker knew exactly what he was doing. There’s no trace of anything,” Orion explained. Mateo could feel himself going over the edge as more bad news seemed to reach him.

“Alpha, we have a situation,” Pete linked him.

“What is it?” Mateo snapped.

“Alpha, it’s Max, and he’s not in a good shape,” Pete replied.

“I’m on my way!” Mateo replied.

“It seems Max is down at the hospital, so we need to go and see him. Perhaps he’s got answers,” Mateo informed his team.

Running by foot, they made it to the hospital minutes later, only to find Pete working on an unconscious Max. From what they could see, their Gamma had been shot twice, once in the stomach, and once in the thigh. Pete had already stripped him and was working on getting the bullets out.

“Search his clothes,” Mateo ordered. Pete only noticed his Alpha’s presence then.

“Alpha, even if I save him, he’s going to go into a coma. His wolf is shutting me out. He was shot with silver bullets. If he lives through the operation, he may lose his wolf,” Pete explained.

“Pete, just do what you can for now,” Mateo sighed. The doctor nodded and resumed his task.

“His phone is about to die, but it’s been on the recorder for six hours now,” Sam told him.

“Get a charger and play me that recording,” Mateo instructed. Sam got to the task and soon they were surrounding the device as they waited for it to play.

“See, thing is, I like to be respected. I believe you’re familiar with the phrase. Your father does love it,” a deep Russian accent reached their ears.

“What do you want from me?” they heard Juniper ask.

“I want to rattle some cages and keeping you with me will help do just that. You’d be surprised just how many people are looking for you, and not to return you to your lover boy Royce Fallon either,” the man chuckled.

“What makes you think no one is going to find me?” June asked.

“You mean what makes me think that Mateo Santiago isn’t going to find you? Well, you see, I’ve got him a little, occupied,” the man replied, sounding pretty chuffed. It clicked in Mateo’s head - the bastard was responsible for the attack he’d just come from.

“What did you do?” June growled.

“Oh, now, where’s the fun in that?” he laughed.

“I still don’t know what you want from me,” June pointed out.

“I want you to give me information about your father’s pack,” the man demanded.

“You’re out of luck! I know nothing about my father’s pack,” June replied before another gunshot was fired.

“Please stop!” she begged. Mateo wanted the man’s head for bringing his mate pain.

“Tell me what I want to know,” the man demanded.

“I don’t have any information for you! I was never close to my parents,” June screamed. Mateo’s blood ran cold because even he knew that they would harm her now that they knew the truth.

“June speaks Russian?” Sam asked as the last part of the recording played. It seemed like she was begging the men in their Native language.

“It would seem so. Somebody get me a fucking translator and translate the last bits of this recording!” Mateo ordered as the recording ended.

Valentine shook her head. “I can’t believe Max’s stupid goofiness actually came in handy.”

“What do you mean?” Mateo asked as the realization dawned on his sister.

“At the mall; when we were getting June a new phone, Max got one too. He was saying something about how it has more buttons on the side, which means quicker access to some of his apps. He was explaining to June which button would be for which app. He made a joke that he was setting one of the buttons for a recorder so that he could discreetly record some awkward conversations without having to take his phone out and all. I guess she must’ve remembered,” Valentine explained. Mateo let himself feel pride in her for being so smart, and apparently his Gamma for being stupidly clever.

“I’m surprised she paid attention to him. I zoned out the moment he started describing the features of the phone,” Sam said with a small smile at the memory.

“Okay, so we know that some Russians have her, but now we need to figure out who wants her and why? This guy clearly thinks that she belongs to Royce and he couldn’t be more wrong, so we have the element of surprise. I take it she’s still alive if Max was sent back to us. Knowing June, she must’ve traded his return for compliance, so Goddess knows what they’re doing to her,” Orion pointed out. Only then did his words hit Mateo.

“Knowing June, she must’ve traded his return for compliance...”

Of course that’s what she did! She wouldn’t let a pack member get hurt if there was a chance of saving them. She’d started her Luna duties without even realizing it.

“She’s going to make a bloody fantastic Luna,” Zeus said proudly.

“Once we’ve found her that is,” Mateo replied.

“PACK MEETING AT THE CLEARING IN FIVE MINUTES!” Zeus broadcasted to his pack members.

Everyone moved off to the clearing, save for the medical team that was working on Max. Mateo stepped onto the boulder that had been placed there for the very purpose of making sure that everyone sees him when he calls a pack meeting. As he watched his pack members fill the clearing, anger coursed through him that he’d failed his most important pack member.

“Right! Listen up! One of our own has been taken and I’m going to need your help to get her back,” he announced. He let them have their moment of disbelief before continuing.

“Yesterday, very early in the morning, you all experienced two different feelings. One was exhilarating, and one was painful. Our newest pack member as you would’ve all felt, is Juniper Evigan. She was kicked out of her pack by her parents after they discovered that she was indeed still alive. As you all know, she’s the famous Alpha’s daughter who hadn’t shifted, but that changed two days ago when she had her first shift. As you all also know, your Alphas for the past two hundred and eighty nine years have been cursed with not being granted a mate. My father was the first to settle down with a woman he chose to love as a mate. I know that you’ve all been hoping that I would do the same, and well, I have. I’ve chosen Juniper, so she’s your chosen Luna. We need to find her before it’s too late,” he continued.

There was a lot of excitement and anger. His pack members wanted to be happy for him, but they were also angry that their Luna had been taken. A hand shot up and he indicated for the woman to speak.

“Alpha, did you choose her to spite her parents, or because of genuine interest?” the woman asked nervously. Mateo couldn’t fault her for her curiosity, since even his pack was aware of his hate for the Evigans.

“Believe it or not, Zeus had already claimed her as his before I knew who she was, so it would have to be the latter. I only found out who she was when she had her first shift,” Mateo explained. Another hand shot up.

“So Alpha, we’re connected to her? We can feel her pain and emotions?” a man asked.

“That is the case. We’ve never heard of anything like this before, so we’re still trying to figure out how it’s possible. We spent some time with her this morning trying to find a way to block off her emotions and pain from broadcasting to everyone and we finally got it right. Now, at the moment, none of us feel her pain or emotions, which means she’s either blocking us out because she doesn’t want to worry us, or she’s been drugged,” Mateo replied. More murmurs took off.

“So, what do you need, Alpha?” another man asked.

“Right now I need a hacker who can hack into the nearest airport surveillance cameras for any plane or private jet that has left for Russia in the last twelve hours. We have reason to believe that she was kidnapped by Russians, which means that that’s where they’ll most probably take her,” Mateo ordered.

“Alpha, have you tried getting a witch to track her?” one woman asked.

He hadn’t thought of that.

“I will get right on that. If you guys have any ideas on how to get her back, then please feel free to come and see me. Let’s work together to bring your Luna back,” Mateo said. There was a lot of agreement all around before they all moved off to do just that.

“I just hope we find her on time,” Valentine sighed.

“We will, sis,” Mateo said as he hugged her, hoping that his own words were right.

***

We stepped off of the plane, except we weren’t in Russia. We were in Monte Carlo. How the hell did we board a plane that was going to Russia, only to end up in Monte Carlo? Oh, and did I mention that we traveled here in first class and they didn’t treat me like a prisoner.

In fact, as soon as they sent Max home, they’d been treating me like royalty.

“We’re going to take you to meet someone, okay? I know you’re confused about how we’ve suddenly changed our behavior towards you, but you have to believe us when we say that it was all for a good reason. Sorry about having to shoot your friend too. My guys didn’t shoot him badly enough to injure him, and the silver should’ve worn off by now. Your pack will panic a little and your mate will do everything in his power to find you, but you will return to him as soon as we’re done here,” Boris told me.

“Wait, what?” I frowned.

I was so confused.

“Come! We need to get you a new outfit before you can meet this person,” he replied, leading me to a limo outside.

I got in without any questions. I figured I would get answers soon in any case. We arrived at a lavish five star hotel. Boris booked us all our own rooms. We had five of his men with us. Instead of going up to our rooms, they led me to the clothing store first. People were looking at me in horror, since I had Max’s blood all over me still.

I’m not sure what the currency conversion is, but I didn’t need to know for me to tell that we were in a high class clothing store. Boris told me to choose whichever outfit I wanted, and whichever shoes and jewelry.

He stressed that I needed to look really pretty. I settled for a black floral skirt that ended mid-thigh. It had flowers in different shades of pink, white and peach, so I paired it with a simple peach blouse and gold jewelry. I got heels that matched the blouse.

“Alright dear, do you need anything else?” Boris asked me. He was honestly scaring me a little with his niceness.

“Uh, does my room have a comb and a hairdryer for me to use?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes! It’s been delivered in a package.”

“Okay, then I don’t need anything else,” I replied.

“Is an hour enough for you to be ready?” he asked. I nodded.

Stepping into the shower in my hotel room, I couldn’t help but think about the absurdity of the situation I was in. Just hours ago, Boris was intending on killing Max, and now he was saying that it was for a good reason? And who the hell is this mystery person who needs to meet with me? Why are they being so secretive about everything?

Why kidnap me?

I stepped out of the shower and got ready. Apparently, the package that was delivered had more than what I hoped for. There was make up and everything else I could possibly need. I finished up and packed everything back into the box with three minutes to spare. I stepped out into the hallway at the same time as Boris. He was smartly dressed in a suit and he looked younger now that he’d shaved.

“Aren’t you just a vision,” he smiled.

Wow, he’s really good looking.

I blushed. “Thank you!”

“Let’s get going. He’s waiting for us in the penthouse suite,” he said, giving me his hand to take. I took it and he walked with me to the elevator.

When we reached the penthouse, I was awed by its sheer beauty. You can tell that it must cost an absolute fortune staying here. I scanned the room until my eyes landed on the two people staring at me like I was an angel. One was a really hot and young guy with brown hair and gray eyes, while the other was an older man in a suit.

“Juniper, I’d like to introduce to you Balthazar, and Mark Evigan,” Boris introduced. Balthazar was the older man, so Mark was the hot guy.

Wait, did he just say Evigan?

I frowned, looking up at Boris. “Evigan?”

“Your older brother and the rightful Alpha-to-be of the Litmus Pack,” Boris explained. I felt my head spinning and I was led to the couch.

“Boris, are you really still using the accent?” Balthazar asked him.

“Hey, my father was Russian! Why am I not allowed to use it?” Boris asked before pouting. That had me giggling. He looked so adorable.

Balthazar rubbed his temples. “You weren’t raised as a Russian, Boris. You may have Russian descent, but you were raised in England, so stop it.”

“You’re no fun, by the way,” Boris said, speaking in what I assume is his real voice.

He sounds hotter this way.

“I finally meet my little sister,” Mark said as though he couldn’t believe that I was really here.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” I told them.

“As Boris introduced, my name is Balthazar and I’m a half witch, half sorcerer. Boris here is a full witch and Mark is a werewolf. There are things about your family that have been hidden from you, and we’re here to not only help you figure them out, but to also make things right. There’s a lot of imbalance in the supernatural world as we speak and your mate has been running around in circles without even knowing it. Someone is messing with him and you know that he has a great sense of responsibility, so obviously he’s helping where needed, but he needs to just sit down for a moment and process everything,” Balthazar explained.

I frowned. “I thought a witch and sorcerer are the same thing.”

“Not exactly! There are many minor differences like powers and capabilities. There are things each can do that the other can’t,” Balthazar explained.

“Oh, okay. So why am I here?” I asked.

“Okay, how about we take everything slowly. You want to know about this kidnapping, right?” Boris asked me. I nodded.

“Well, we’ve been waiting for the right time to come and get you, but we didn’t know where you were. On your birthday, we found out that you’d revealed yourself. The plan was to come and get you from there the following day, but obviously your parents got to you before we could. When you landed on Santiago’s territory, it became harder, especially since Deondrameda spelled the territory. We needed to get to you before you joined the pack, but again, we were too late. We caught word of a warrior who had big plans of taking his Alpha down, so we convinced him that kidnapping you would do just that. You don’t have to worry about him because we killed him. Mateo would’ve killed him too in any case. Anyway, you were with your friend Max, and since we’ve kept an eye on you this whole time, we knew that you would remember what he told you about his new phone and the recorder shortcut, which is why we left his phone on him. We figured that you should give your pack something to keep them busy until you come back, especially since they won’t find you,” Balthazar explained. I was stumped.

“You speak perfect Russian, by the way,” Boris said, clearly impressed.

“Thank you! Okay, that’s the kidnapping, but how did you know that Mateo is my mate? Well, by title, but still,” I questioned.

“Nothing gets passed us. We have eyes and ears in your pack,” Balthazar replied. I nodded in understanding.

“Okay! So what about him being made to run around in circles?” I asked.

“Have you noticed that he’s forever running off somewhere or tracking something?” Boris asked me. I nodded once more.

“Well, someone is messing with him to keep his attention away from a bigger scheme. In the past two months, only one of the things he’s been working on is a serious matter, and that’s the massacre that happened at your friend Anastasia’s home. Everything else isn’t even causing real damage, but they have him believing otherwise,” Balthazar explained.

“Why hasn’t anyone told him?” I asked, confused.

“That’s where you come in dear. He’ll listen if you’re the one to explain. Also, he won’t kill us if we’ve got you on board with our plan, because it will be beneficial to all,” Balthazar added.

“And I take it the plan has got to do with Mark here?” I observed.

“Not entirely! It actually has to do with the two of you; the Litmus Pack and the Vistas Moon Pack,” Boris explained.

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, you, my dear, are going to be the one to figure out why your mate’s family was cursed by that bitch,” Balthazar smiled.

I panicked. “What? Me? Mateo’s been searching for answers for so long. What makes you think I’m going to find them?”

“Because, you, my dear, are the third and only other Naturalist witch in the world, and since Odessa is a Naturalist witch, only you can piece everything together,” Balthazar smirked.

“Wait! So I really am a witch?” I asked wide-eyed.

“The definition of a Naturalist witch is a witch that has all the powers and capabilities of a common witch, as well as the powers of the elements. They are the most powerful witches,” Boris explained.

Mark rolled his eyes. “In Boris language, yes, you are a witch.”

“You do have the power of controlling elements, correct?” Balthazar asked.

“Yes I do, but I don’t understand. You said I’m the third Naturalist witch. If Odessa is the one, who’s the other?” I asked.

“I am! Our kind were wiped out by Odessa herself because she wanted to be the only one who was that powerful,” Balthazar replied.

I frowned. “I thought you were only half a witch?”

“I am, which means I’m not as powerful as Odessa and you,” he replied.

“But I’m not a full witch either. I’m a werewolf too,” I pointed out.

“That’s the interesting part about you and me. I was born a sorcerer and a witch, while you were born completely human. Because your elementals kicked in before your wolf, it gave you ten years to become a fully developed Naturalist witch. That is the reason why you shifted so late. While werewolf instincts and abilities and such kick in from the moment you shift, with witchcraft, it isn’t that simple. I told your grandparents everything that they would need to do to help you harness your witch side, and now you have both your witch and your wolf,” Balthazar explained.

So, that’s how my grandparents knew what to do!

I guess it’s also why they didn’t freak out. They’d already known the truth. I can’t fault them for not telling me, or Balthazar for not finding me sooner. I don’t think I would be as accepting of this had they come earlier.

“Okay, I’ve grasped everything that you’ve told me so far, but I don’t understand how I have the witch gene,” I frowned.

“Well, you are a direct descendant of Odessa herself. You are the only one who would be able to take her down, should the need arise,” Balthazar replied.

“Direct descendant?” I whispered. They nodded.

“Okay, what about Mark? How is he my brother?” I asked.

“Well, your parents are not true mates. Mark’s mother was your father’s true mate. She was kidnapped as soon as she’d mated with your father, and after searching for her for months, he gave up and thought she was dead. At the time, she wasn’t dead, but she did die after giving birth to Mark. Dayton then mated your mother three years later, but he doesn’t know about Mark,” Boris replied.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” I turned to Mark.

“I didn’t exactly know her, so it’s okay,” he smiled.

“So, who raised Mark?” I asked.

“We did,” Balthazar and Boris replied.

I frowned. “What? Boris looks just a little older than Mark. How’s that possible?”

“Well, we’re a lot older than we look,” Boris chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes at them. “Well, how old are you exactly?”

“I’m six hundred and four, and Boris is one hundred and ninety-nine,” Balthazar smiled.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Boris didn’t look a day over twenty-four, and Balthazar didn’t look like he was older than fifty-five.

“Hitting the big second century in six months’ time,” Boris said excitedly.

“Wow, this is, wow,” I laughed.

“At least you’re laughing and not fainting or crying,” Mark chuckled.

“It’s because everything sort of makes sense. When you’ve spent your whole life searching for answers, and someone hands them to you on a silver platter, you don’t really question much,” I smiled.

“Ah, that makes sense. You’re a wise young lady,” Balthazar said with a hint of pride.

I blushed. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry about how you had to grow up,” Mark said sadly.

“Hey, it’s okay! I don’t regret the way I grew up and now I have a new home. My life is great right now,” I offered.

“Still! I’m going to kill that old man for what he did to you,” Mark growled.

“He’s still our father, Mark. You’re not doing anything of the sort,” I laughed.

“Okay, fine! Will you at least help us get Mark to take up his rightful place as Alpha of Litmus?” Boris asked.

“Of course! I think once you’ve met my mate, he’d rather have you in power than my father,” I smiled.

“What about Royce?” Balthazar asked.

“The last time I checked, Royce doesn’t even want to be Alpha. In any case, even if he suddenly changed his mind, he’s not the rightful Alpha, so his defiance becomes extraneous,” I replied.

“Vistas is lucky to have you as their Luna,” Mark smiled.

“Now that you mention it, maybe you guys will be able to explain something to me,” I remembered.

“Sure! What do you need explaining?” Boris asked.

“When Mateo swore me into the pack, he said that he and the pack all grew in strength or something of a sort, and then it turned out that I’m bound to them. Whatever I feel, be it physically or emotionally, they feel too. How is that possible?” I asked.

“That actually happened?” Boris and Mark asked wide-eyed. I nodded.

“I have a theory, but I can only explain it to you in a week’s time,” Balthazar said thoughtfully. I shrugged. I would wait that long.

“Alright, I think we’ve covered everything, so now we just need to lock your witch so that we can head back to your pack,” Boris announced.

“Lock my witch?” I questioned.

“It’s basically you accepting your witch side. It’s an amazing bondage. Once it’s complete, Boris and I will start teaching you about witchcraft on the way home,” Balthazar informed.

“Oh okay! Uhm, can I at least link Mateo and tell him that I’m safe? Starlet and I don’t enjoy knowing that he’s stressing over us, especially with his temper,” I pointed out.

“Of course! Tell him you’ll be back by tomorrow,” Balthazar replied.

“Thanks!” I smiled, before clearing my mind. I need to be prepared for this.

***

“Alpha, unfortunately she did board a plane to Russia, but it never made it to Russia. In fact, the flight plan and everything related to that particular aircraft just disappeared off of the systems,” Pauline reported. She had volunteered to do everything related to the flights, since she worked for the airport and it wouldn’t be suspicious.

“She never made it to Russia? Now, how the hell am I supposed todoris chuckld.
han we look,"le older than Mark. How' for months, he gave up and thought she was dead. At the time she wasn' ari find her? That was our only lead,” Mateo growled.

“Thank you, Pauline,” Orion dismissed the woman.

“I swear Ryan, I’m going to kill the fuckers who took her,” Mateo said, throwing yet another item from his desk against the wall.

It had been hours since they’d started searching and everything was leading to a dead end. It was now the early hours of Saturday; the day that the barbeque was meant to take place. They had postponed it until Juniper returned. Anastasia couldn’t trace her, which made them even more worried. It only meant that whoever had kidnapped her was also using witches.

“I don’t doubt you for a second Matt. I’m just as upset about this as you are. June has grown on all of us. You must be going crazy without her though,” Orion sighed.

“Babe?” Mateo heard her voice in his head.

He sighed. “I’m even hearing her voice.”

Orion frowned. “What?”

“MATEO DIEGO SANTIAGO!” she shouted, making him fall out of his chair.

“Dude, what’s going on?” Orion asked his best friend who was now clutching his head.

“June?” Mateo replied as he sat back on his chair.

“No, it’s Martha Stewart,” she said sarcastically.

“WHERE ARE YOU?” he all but shouted, choosing to ignore her statement.

“Excuse me! Please don’t give me an unnecessary headache! I’m in Monte Carlo,” she replied.

“What the fuck are you doing in Monte Carlo?” he asked.

“Oh, you know, shopping and all. It’s not like I was kidnapped or anything,” she replied.

“June!” he growled in frustration.

“Calm down, Mateo. Call off whatever search you have going on for me. I’m safe! Instead, make plans for that barbeque. We’re having it tomorrow when I come back. I should be back early in the morning, so you’d better be ready,” she instructed. Mateo frowned, making Orion wonder what was going on with him.

“Sorry what? Let me get this straight! You were kidnapped, and you’re safe. Now you want me to order the pack members to instead prepare the barbeque we were meant to have today?” Mateo linked his mate.

“Precisely!” she replied.

“What did they do to you?” he asked.

“Nothing! Look babe, just trust me, okay? I’m coming back with guests, so make room for them. There are three of them. Anyway, we’re going to have the barbeque and then we’re going to explain everything to you, okay?” she giggled.

“So, you’re really fine and this isn’t something they’re making you do?” he asked.

“Because they would totally know what I’m saying to you in OUR mind-link,” she scoffed. She had a point.

“Alright, baby doll! I’ll do as you’ve said, but if you’re not here by twelve in the afternoon tomorrow, I resume my search. You’ve already given me a starting point,” he threatened.

“I wouldn’t expect any less, babe. I have to go. I’m doing something important and life-changing. I can’t wait to see you,” she sighed.

“Same here, baby doll! Come back in one piece, please?” he pleaded.

“I promise I will,” she replied before shutting off her mind-link.

“What the hell was that?” Orion asked Mateo once he looked like he was back to reality. Before he could reply, Valentine ran into the office.

“June says I should proceed with the barbeque plans and we’re having it tomorrow,” she informed, looking highly perplexed.

Orion raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“I know, she just told me the same thing. She’s safe and she’ll be back by tomorrow morning. She says everything will be explained to us after the barbeque. I believe she’s also bringing guests, so please make accommodation for them. There are three of them,” Mateo replied.

“What? Where is she?” Alexa asked. She’d come in just after Valentine.

“Monte Carlo! I don’t know any more than that, so I guess we’ll see her when she comes back,” Mateo sighed.

“Only June could order us to do such after we’ve spent hours worrying over her location,” Orion said as he shook his head in amusement.

“How’s Max?” Mateo asked Alexa.

“The operation went well, and Pete can’t find a trace of silver in his blood, but he isn’t waking up,” Alexa replied.

“We should just let him rest and he’ll wake up when he’s ready to,” Valentine suggested. They agreed and went on to plan the barbeque as instructed.

***

“So I just stand in this circle and recite these words, and then what?” I asked.

“Well, if you’ve done it correctly, then the flames will respond,” Boris replied.

“Okay, I see! Now, why are you telling me to say that the chickens taste like steak and my feet look like scrawny rats?” I asked, as I raised an eyebrow at them.

“Ah damn! You speak Latin too?” Boris chuckled.

“Uh huh! I speak Russian, Latin, German, French, Italian and Portuguese,” I smiled.

“Boris was hoping to get a laugh out of it, but here you go. That’s what you have to say,” Balthazar said, handing me a piece of paper. The first line was in Latin, but the rest was in a language I didn’t know.

“What language is this?” I asked.

“Old Naturalist tongue,” Balthazar replied.

“Okay! So I have to say the first line first, so that my eyes can be opened to the Naturalist tongue?” I questioned.

“Precisely! The text will only make sense to you if you’re truly a Naturalist witch,” Balthazar explained.

I nodded and took off my shoes. I went into the circle that they’d set up with the candles and took a deep breath in. This was a big deal, so I needed to be ready for this. The three of them gave me their thumbs up and I knew I could do it. I looked at the paper and read the first line. It was basically saying that I wish to be granted the eyes of the Naturalist tongue. Soon, the words on the page started to glow and rearrange themselves, until I was looking at a phrase that made sense.

“I have been blessed with the gift of the elements. I have been given a gift to use for the greater good. I am of age and now fully accept my witch,” I recited what was on the page.

The page disappeared from my hands before my whole body felt like it was on fire. Unlike the other two times, it wasn’t painful, but it did feel like something was being pulled from me. I closed my eyes as I started to run out of breath. What part of this is amazing?

I’m going to smack Balthazar for this.

“Open your eyes, Juniper,” a familiar voice said to me.

When I did open my eyes, I gasped. A wolf that is an exact replica of Starlet was staring back at me, as well as a replica of myself, just with black hair and blue eyes. Balthazar, Boris and Mark were all as equally shocked as I was.

“Star?” I whispered.

“Hey, June,” she replied, except the wolf’s snout wasn’t moving.

Well then...

I turned to my twin. “Who are you?”

“My name is Marissa! I am your witch,” she smiled.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“June, before you accept Marissa, you need to know that having us both in you will be hard at times. You have a great destiny to fulfill and you’re going to need us both, but, at the same time, it’s your choice to make. If you don’t want the responsibility, then you have the choice now to choose one of us. If you choose me, you will remain just a werewolf, and if you choose Marissa, you’ll be a witch. If you choose us both, well, you’ll be the most powerful being on earth, but it will come with many risks until the danger has been eliminated,” Starlet explained.

“I know it’s not fair of us to spring this on you all at once, but you need to make your decision now. Don’t be mad at Balthazar either. This is something that has never happened, so he couldn’t have known,” Marissa added.

Wow!

I felt like my head was about to explode. I love both Marissa and Starlet. I mean, I may have not known that my witch was actually a person on her own, but the stuff we’ve practiced together was pretty awesome. As for Star, she’s a part of me, so there’s no way I’m letting go of her. Without her, I would’ve never survived my teenage years.

My mind was made up.

“Does having you both with me increase my chances of figuring out the spell on Mateo?” I asked.

Marissa nodded. “It does that and so much more, which you’ll learn soon should you accept.”

That was all I needed to know.

“I accept you both,” I smiled.

“Okay good! Close your eyes,” Starlet instructed.

I did just that and the fire feeling came back, stronger than before. This time it felt like something was going into me. My eyes shot open and all I could see was white. The flames on the candles rose before creating a ring of fire around me. Marissa took over my body and started chanting something. When she was done, everything died down and I faced the awed males in the room.

“I’ve never witnessed anything like that before,” Balthazar commented.

“So, it worked?” I asked.

“Yes,” Starlet and Marissa replied in my head.

“Awesome!” I said excitedly.

Mark frowned. “No one said anything.”

“Oh, Star and Marissa answered the question for me,” I giggled.

“Well then! Let’s get going. I suspect your mate is waiting for you?” Boris asked.

“Yep! He said if I’m not home by twelve, he’s starting the search for me again,” I smiled.

“We’ll be there long before twelve,” Balthazar chuckled.

They collected their stuff while I waited. Boris had set the clothes I had worn on fire since they had Max’s blood on them. When they were done, we headed to the limo outside. These three travel in style. We made it back to the airport and the jet was waiting for us. I finally understood then why it wasn’t odd that we’d taken off to Russia but ended up in Monaco.

“Get comfortable because you have a lot to learn about witchcraft 101,” Boris told me.

“Not really,” I said, frowning when I realized I knew a lot.

“What do you mean ‘not really’?” Balthazar asked.

“Boris, give me your hand,” I said, testing out something.

As soon as his hand was in mine, I was in his mind like with Anastasia. This time, I didn’t go through everything. I sort of searched his mind for all he knew about magic and witchcraft, before taking it all in. When I was done, I let go of his hand.

“That tickled,” he said.

“I know everything you know about magic and witchcraft,” I told him.

“That’s impossible!” Balthazar commented.

“It’s very possible! I went into his mind and retrieved the information. I did it with another witch too, except with her I absorbed everything, which is how I know basic witchcraft. Now I know a whole lot more,” I explained.

“And you got all this from holding their hands?” Mark asked in disbelief.

“Yep!” I responded.

“Wow!” the three of them said.

“It’s not that amazing, guys,” I teased.

Boris scoffed. “Says you! You’re the one with the crazy ability.”

I smiled. “Yeah, yeah!”

We spent the rest of the flight talking and getting to know one another before resting the rest of the way. Since we would be landing in the morning, I figured it would make sense to sleep now so that we would have energy for the day ahead. When we finally landed, it was twenty to seven. I guess Balthazar wasn’t kidding when he said that we would arrive way before twelve. The sun was only still rising.

“Okay pumpkin, we’re going to stay at the hotel until you give us the go ahead. I don’t think your mate would like to be bothered by us right now, so just call us,” Balthazar said, handing me his card.

“Got it! How do I get myself there?” I asked.

“Teleport, dear! It’s the one thing Naturalists can do that makes some of us jealous,” Boris pouted, making me laugh.

I hugged them. “Okay! I’ll see you guys later then.”

Mark smirked. “See you, squirt.”

“Call me squirt one more time and I will castrate you,” I threatened.

“Nah, you wouldn’t! You wove me,” he said in a baby voice.

“Damn you!” I mumbled at the truth. I may only have known him for a few hours, but he’s my brother. That on its own gained him mega love from me, especially since I’ve always wanted a sibling.

I teleported myself straight to our room. It was dark since the lights were off, and our dark curtains were preventing any light from coming through, but thanks to my werewolf sight, I could still see Mateo sleeping peacefully.

He was in his boxers only and his torso was uncovered, making me drool at the sight. My mate is gorgeous, even if he wasn’t exactly fated to be mine. I stood there watching him for a while until I started feeling like a stalker.

Thank goodness this whole room is carpeted.

I made my way to the closet and put on my nightdress. Unfortunately, they’re all the revealing kind (courtesy of Valentine, Alexa and Anastasia of course). I walked out of the closet to find that Mateo was still fast asleep. He’s at his most innocent like this, but damn can the boy sleep.

For an Alpha with a reputation like his, you’d think he would’ve felt me in the room already. I got into the bed, making sure not to touch him. He can be surprised when he wakes up. I was just happy to be back with him.