Shani Khoza

"I found them!" Darius's words sink in immediately, and gratitude and relief wash over her. Thank the Goddess, we made it! She runs towards Darius, focused on getting them out of here as fast as they possibly can. They overheard some vampires saying their reinforcements are on their way and they do not want to be here when they arrive. Athena's father and sister already left; they fled the scene the moment they saw their group storm into the building. Cowards.

Shani walks into the room where Darius's voice came from and sees him on his knees before Athena. She can't hide the shocked expression when she sees her friend lying there. She doesn't move at all; her eyes are closed; only the sound of her weak heartbeat tells her she's still alive. Her normally healthy caramel-coloured skin is pale, and a red line of blood drips from the corner of her mouth. What did they do to her?

"Shani, we have to hurry. Untie the rest, they'll be here soon," Darius shouts at her and her feet quickly come to life. She takes the knife she brought with her and sprints towards the two werewolves. They both look terrible, but they're alive. She immediately sees the wounds on Demir's stomach and Leon's thigh and her anger almost takes over. Not now, Shani. Keep it together. "Can you guys stand up?" Demir growls and tries to stand on his feet, but he sinks to his knees back to the ground. "Shit. We haven't moved in days; I'll need time to adjust. Damn it."

"We don't have time; I'll help you," she says before fixating her eyes on Leon. "What about you?" He looks frustrated and Shani immediately understands he won't be able to walk. "I can't feel my leg; the wounds were inflicted with magic so they don't heal as quickly," Leon grunts, raising himself from the ground with his arms, but loses his balance when he pushes too hard. Without thinking, Shani's standing next to him to wrap her arm around him, preventing him from falling.

"Thank you."

"Hinote, where are you? We need help!" She hears Darius shout through the door and a few seconds later the vampire appears. "You take Demir," Shani orders him while she drags Leon out of the horrifying room. It smells like blood and she can only imagine what has happened here these past few days. Seeing the result–Athena unconscious, Demir and Leon terribly both wounded–she wants to get out of here even faster than before. "Come on, let's go," she growls. She leaves the room with Leon in her arms. "Shani," Leon pleads. He repeats her name. Once. Twice. "Not now. We have to get you out of here, okay?" He nods but allows himself one more sentence.

"I'm sorry." She stops her pass for a split second to look at him. There are strings of blood entangled in his greasy blond hair. He feels hot and sweaty, and yet he's still so beautiful to look at. If this hadn't been a life or death situation, I would have kissed him. Instead, she continues dragging him towards the door. "Come on!"

They struggle through the hallway; Leon's weighing on her so heavily, she almost collapses. But she will hold on. It's her fault he ended up here. It will be her who gets him out of this bloody place.

Click.

The sound of a door being opened makes her look up in a split second. Damn it, they're here. Three new vampires are standing by the door; immediately acknowledging her presence only a few meters away from them. Where are Rosetta and Matteo? The last time she saw them, they were fighting vampires in this same hall.

The new vampires run towards her; she sees their red eyes approach her fast. She pushes Leon against the wall and takes out her knife to protect both of them. Vampires are incredibly fast and at the moment she is very grateful to be born a werecat. They attack, but she's able to avoid their canines and their punches. She swings her knife at them to keep a distance between them but realizes quickly that will not hold them off forever. In the blink of an eye, she changes her form and attacks the vampires in her yellow and brown, feline skin. Her sudden change of appearance startles them only a split second, but she still uses their hesitation to bite one attacker in the neck while she claws another vampire's skin. Meanwhile, Leon is holding her knife, trying to keep the third one away from him. She changes back as soon as the three vampires are on the ground and quickly puts on the dress she brought with her.

A sudden noise makes her watch the door again. Her hope sinks like an anchor when she sees four more vampires standing in the doorway, ready to attack. Ready to kill. A growl next to indicates that Darius and Hinote have also joined the fight, but Shani is still doubting their odds with their two wounded friends and an unconscious Athena attached to them. She watches the four, waiting for them to attack. They step forward. One step, two steps. Then they freeze before collapsing on the ground almost simultaneously. What the hell?

Behind the fallen vampires, two bodies appear. Are they on our side? Who are they?

"We are here to help! Let's go! There are more coming," the woman shouts at them, making them all move at once. A quick glance back and forth at their group decides they will follow this duo. They saved them. Why would they attack them later? Darius runs back to get Athena and Shani and Hinote both help the two werewolves depart the house.

When they're on the street again, she sees Kara standing next to the man and woman who just took out the four vampires. One moves towards her; sliding an arm around Leon's waist to support him while the other opens a car door for them. Shani halts before allowing her mate in the car. She needs an answer first before trusting these strangers completely. "Why are you helping us? Who are you?"

"My name is Rieka. We are here to bring you to my pack," the woman answers. Shani glances at Kara, whose eyes are glittering with excitement. "She's the woman in my dreams; the alpha I told you about. It's her!"

"You're an alpha? From which pack?"

Rieka smiles widely. "From the pack, you have been searching for. I am the alpha of the pack in the North."

Oh. What? Is this real? Is she serious?

"Looks like we didn't find the pack in the North. The pack found us" Darius has exited the house to join the conversation. Athena's lying unconscious in his arms.

Rieka's eyes light up when she sees the Athena. "What happened to her?" Her tone is serious and her rank is scarily audible. Shani shivers involuntarily. Darius however–being an alpha himself–only stares at her. "We don't know yet exactly. But they can tell us," Darius says, pointing at Leon and Demir.

The Alpha of the North–Rieka - beckons the man who helped Leon before to approach Athena, causing Darius to step back; shielding her. "Calm down, alpha. He's a warlock, he can help. The hybrid is safe."

Hybrid? How does she know? "How do you know about my mate?" Darius asks her; his voice a mixture of hostility and curiosity. "Let's say we have a mutual acquaintance; I've known about her existence before you had even met her. I don't mean your mate any harm; as I said, we want to bring you to our pack. This is what you wanted, right?"

Silence.

"Yes, that is what we want," Shani answers. She catches Darius's glance and nods to show him she trusts the situation. He looks at Rieka, then Kara, before his eyes meet hers again.

"Yes, that is what we want, Alpha."

Rieka claps her hands in excitement. "Well, great, let's go then! We have booked a room in a hotel not so far from here. We'll stay the night before driving to our pack tomorrow." She looks from Athena to Demir and Leon. "I have a feeling we all need to recharge before taking another trip." Shani nods in agreement when the tiredness hits her at once. She has barely slept these last few days; she can't wait to climb into a bed–or drop herself on the ground for that matter–and sleep until she's satisfied and wakes up again the natural way.

They spread out quickly to divide themselves into three cars. Shani wants to follow Kara to her car but is interrupted when a hand grabs hers out of the blue. She turns around, surprised to see Leon stopping her from leaving. "I-I think I'm going to catch a ride in this car," she says to Kara, not leaving Leon's pleading stare. Kara simply chuckles before making her way to her car. Shani quickly takes a seat next to Leon, who is still clenching her hand. Demir is rubbing his freshly healed stomach; his eyes wide in amazement. Leon's upper leg is also looking a lot better than a few minutes before. Hopefully, the warlock can grant the same improvements for Athena.

The ride is short indeed and before they know it; they park the car before a giant house. Soon, everybody is gathered before the entrance. "This is a hotel especially for supernatural creatures," Rieka explains. "They won't be asking any difficult questions." After that statement, she walks up the stairs and holds the door so that everyone can follow her through it. The hotel is quiet, and the manager assures them there are enough rooms for them and they're quickly divided again. Shani follows Darius and the still unconscious Athena to a room where he places her carefully on the bed; brushing a hair out of her pale face.

He sighs, his tiredness and frustration audible in a single breath.

"She's safe, Darius. They all are. We did it!"

"Then why isn't she awake? She should be awake by now, right?"

"Her body is healing; this is probably the least painful way for her."

"They really did a number on her; those bastards. If I see her father again, I'm not sure what I'll do."

"They can't hurt her anymore. She's safe and she'll feel better in no time, Darius. I'm sure of it."

Darius sighs as he watches Athena. He caresses his finger across her cheek. "I hope you're right," he whispers before averting his eyes from his mate to look at Shani. "You should get some sleep too. You deserve it! You were incredible today." Shani blushes. "We all were. And we all deserve a good night's sleep. Including you," she responds, but Darius shakes his head. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep as long as she's not awake. She lays so still; it's like she's breathing at all. I have to stay with her; it's the least I can do after everything that has happened."

"Darius..." Shani sighs, unsure how to convince him at the moment. "She would want you to get some sleep. I'm sure she wants you to be well-rested when she wakes up. You shouldn't feel guilty you can't help her when you already saved her life." Darius had looked up when she mentioned the guilt, but didn't correct her. He really feels guilty, doesn't he?

"I was the one who told Kara to pull over. We could have saved them right there and then if I hadn't told her to stop. And if it wasn't for me, Brigitte wouldn't even have come with us in the first place. Athena warned me about her; she was reluctant to bring her sister along and I convinced her it would all work out. Because Brigitte is family, and families always work it out."

Oh.

"We all agreed with your decision to pull over, Darius. Just like we agreed Brigitte could come with us. You can't blame yourself for her convincing performance. She tricked us all," she answers in his defence. Did she, Shani? Did she really?

Darius continues. "Perhaps the guilt lessens when she's awake, but until that happens, I won't be able to sleep." He seems determined and Shani's quite sure she won't be able to change his mind.

"I understand."

"Thank you. You should go, though. I have this feeling someone is waiting for you." Shani can't help but smile a little. His words can only be about Leon, and she's more than eager to be with him. She squeezes Athena's shoulder softly. Wake up soon, okay. We need you.

"I'll see you in the morning, Darius," she says, embracing him shortly.

"Good night," he whispers back.

She walks to the door and closes it behind her. The knot in her stomach feels bigger than before. Seeing Darius so worried and full of guilt only increases her own. She knows everyone would tell her exactly what she told Darius; she couldn't have known Brigitte was tricking them; that they all agreed, but that doesn't remove the wonder if she could have prevented it all.

"Shani?" She looks up in surprise when she sees Leon. He's standing right in front of her door. He must have been waiting for her. His arms move impatiently along his body but stiffen when she walks towards him.

"Hey," she answers softly, not to frighten him. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Soon," he simply says.

"Oh, okay. Do you want to come inside?"

"Yes."

Shani opens the door to let Leon and herself inside. The room is quite small, a decent size for one single supernatural creature. There is a small closet opposite the window and a bed that fills half the room. Shani looks around for a place to sit, but for some reason, the bed seems too intimate. It looks like we're staying vertical then. Which is not at all pleasant, considering she hasn't slept in three days. Now all the searching and rescuing is over, the sleep seems to come at once. And yet, there is something keeping her awake. Or rather, someone.

Leon has set a step forward and is now only two metres apart from her. He's quiet, but he has looked at her in a way he never did before. A good way. A loving way. It makes her avert her eyes in timidity.

"I-I want to thank you," Leon suddenly says. Shani jerks up in surprise. He has never spoken a full sentence to her. She likes it. "We couldn't leave you there now, could we," she answers nervously. Breathe, Shani. Breathe. "I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to you. After all, it was my fault you even got taken."

"It wasn't," Leon responds immediately. She smiles grimly. "But it was," she states. "I asked you to sit in that car. I didn't go myself. I asked you. I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know that was going to happen. Nobody did."

"Well, I suspected something, didn't I? Just like Athena, I thought something was off with Brigitte. I should have said something immediately instead of letting you drive off with that vampire."

"Shani," he says. She closes her mouth abruptly. He said my name. He never said my name before. He surprises her even more by taking a step forward. His arm stretches out; his fingers approach hers and when they touch, they quickly collide. "This isn't on you. None of us are to blame. What matters is that we're fine. We are all fine. Because you saved us," he whispers.

"You really scared the shit out of me when you all disappeared and I couldn't feel you." She admits, closing her eyes to hide her tears. There are no words that can describe what she felt in those moments she thought Leon was gone forever. She opens her eyes again when a warm hand is pressed against her cheek. "I thought I had lost you... before I even got the chance to know you," Leon whispers. "And I know that's my fault. It was me who separated us and right now, I feel so stupid I ever did. I was so focused on staying in control, I never realized you were my anchor from the start. Since I met you, I felt so much better. I feel like myself again. And instead of thanking you, I kept my distance and almost lost the chance to be with you all together..."

For a moment, she just stares at him; unable to produce a single syllable.

"I think this is the most I've heard you say since we met..." she snorts eventually, before closing her mouth quickly. She feels her cheeks turn pink instantly, and yet, she's not ashamed, because Leon lets out a chuckle as well.

"I mean it," he whispers. The smile fades away and is now replaced by a frown. "And I'm sorry it took me a kidnapping and a near-death experience to open up. I've been an asshole."

"I don't care."

"You should. Nobody should be treated like this. I'm ashamed of my actions. You're my mate and I should have treated you better."

Shani bites her lip. A part of her wants to contradict him, remind him of the multiple occasions he helped her. Saved her. But another part agrees. If there is one thing she has learned these last couple of weeks, is that she's worth just as much as anyone else. Just because she's a minority doesn't mean she's inferior. Despite his many savings, he did make her feel like she wasn't worth loving with his hostile behaviour towards her. He didn't mean it that way; she knows it, and she's relieved he's acknowledging it too, but it doesn't change the way he acted.

"Thank you for saying that, Leon. That means a lot to me," she murmurs softly. His confession has made her a bit speechless. "I promise you from no one, I'll do better. I know I hurt you and I never want to do that again." Wow, he suddenly knows how to use his words. Unlike her, it seems. She's still lost for them. But, she realizes, it doesn't matter. Some things are better said in actions. So, she wraps her arms around him.

She expects him to stiffen from her touch, but the opposite happens. He responds eagerly, lifting her from the ground for a couple of seconds. They spin and she cannot stop a giggle from exiting her mouth. She doesn't care. There is an enormous weight off her shoulders, replaced by a colossal wave of happiness she has never felt before. Is this how the bond between mates makes you feel? It must be. It is amazing.

"Let's go to sleep," Leon whispers after a few minutes. "Tomorrow will be an exciting day." Shani nods in agreement. Now the adrenaline slowly fades away, her tiredness reaches her again. "Do you want to stay?" she asks before a yawn escapes her mouth. Leon chuckles. "Sure."

They both stay silent while they prepare themselves for bed. Even when Shani slips next to Leon on the small hotel bed, they both seem to have lost their voice. In such a small bed, it's inevitable for them to touch and only a few seconds after Shani lies down, she feels her elbow touch his shoulder. Leon responds by sliding his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer to them. This is what I wanted. Her head in the crack of his neck. His arms around her, his smell intoxicating her, and no space left between them. Yes, this is what I've been dreaming of.

֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎֎

The next morning, they make themselves ready for another car ride. But not before saying their goodbyes to Rosetta and Matteo, who insisted they should return to their coven. "We've been gone far too long," the enchantress says before embracing her tightly. Shani wants to say something, express her gratitude for helping them, but at the same time, she knows nothing she says would come close to how much it truly meant to her; to all of them. Besides, the look in Rosetta's eyes tells her she knows it all. "Good luck, cara."

"Goodbye, madame Rosetta."

She doesn't like it one bit they're being separated again; the memories of the last time they did are still freshly available in her mind. One thing is definitely different though. That thought makes her grin from ear to ear and she looks sideways at where Leon is seated. He looks calm; more relaxed than she has ever seen him. She smiles again. She knows she's partly responsible for his serene state. They are finally yielding; finally giving their bond a fair chance and Shani couldn't be happier about it.

From the moment they stepped into the car, he has been holding her hand tightly as if he's afraid of losing it. Shani simply enjoyed his touch, not bothered to tell him she's not going anywhere if he would let go of her. The ride continues steadily with questions back and forth, cuddling, silence, cuddling. It all feels so natural, Shani almost forgets they're close to their destination. The pack in the North, that had been their goal since day one, even without knowing the task Athena was sent out to do. For her, the moment she stepped into that car, her life truly began and now she's close to finishing the first chapter. It's exciting, but equally terrifying. What am I going to do next?

Suddenly, the phone rings, and the vampire sitting next to the driver picks up. When he hears who's on the other line, he presses the screen, and then they hear the voice too. It's Rieka, calling from the other car. "Guys, we're close to the pack. Now, don't be alarmed if you see the cars disappear; this time it is part of our plan. It's what keeps us hidden for the time being."

We're here; we really are almost in the Pack in the North. Excitement rushes through her body and she squeezes Leon's hand tightly. "I can't believe we're almost there," she whispers. She's excited, there's no denying it, but there's also a sadness beneath it when she thinks about Athena, who's lying unconscious in the car with Rieka, Darius, and the warlock. She can't believe Athena's missing their entry to the Pack in the North. She did it; she succeeded. And she doesn't even know it.

It still looks freaky when the car in front of them, containing Demir, Kara, and Denise, vanishes, but this time they know it's for their protection, instead of a trap to separate them. Hinote and Leon seem to agree with her. They both can't help but stare a little too long. "Still weird," she hears the vampire mumble. They follow an improvised path running parallel to the water until Shani sees the end of it approaching. But instead of slowing down, the driver presses the accelerator, causing the car to speed up. What the bloody hell is he doing? "Erm, you know what you're doing, right?" Hinote asks the driver, sharply following their path with his eyes where the debate to jump out of the car or stay put is clearly visible. She can't blame him.

"Yes, I do," the werewolf behind the wheel answers amused, while he drives the car towards the end of the road. Shani wants to close her eyes but forces herself to keep them open. She thinks she knows what's going to happen, and she's certain her future self would want her to witness it. The end is near, so near. Even closer. And closer. In three, two, one... The road ends, but they don't fall. Instead, a new road is created and before them, a giant island is revealed. "Oh my Goddess," she whispers. Her eyes widen due to the image before her.

"Seriously, did we just casually drive into the pack of the North? After all, we have been through and after the time we have spent searching for the pack, you're telling me, it's accessible by car?" She laughs out loud when she hears Demir's voice coming through the speakerphone. She can't believe it either, but there are other things right now that amaze her even more. This place, this pack, is on an island, well, a peninsula, it's still connected to the mainland with a magical, invisible path. No wonder it's so bloody difficult to find.

Shani quickly glances at Leon, who looks just as excited as she does. Then, Rieka's voice sounds from the speaker. "Without further ado, let me welcome you to my home," she starts, her pride audible in her tone. "Welcome, to the Pack in the North."

End of book 1.