I am seriously losing it but with the call from Roman, my wolf has calmed down. Now to get my mate. Who knew my mate had such good friends? Everyone dropped what they are doing to help search for him. My sister is a mess. Katreena blames herself for the poisoned drink. I know she didn't poison my mate, but I don't have the time to console her. Minerva is also by my side, ready to kill to find her brother. The tide has sure turned.

Salim arrives with the Omegas, his sister and about two dozen werecats warriors in tow. The scent of everyone's agitation is filling the room that I need a break. I walk out and make my way to our suite. I need to smell him, anything of his will calm my wolf. I grab one of his shirts and inhale his scent deep into my soul. I flop down in the chair and let the tears roll. What kind of mate am I that I let him be kidnapped?

"We will find him, I swear it on my soul, Darric" Rafe walks over to me, hugging me from behind.

"I know. Do you really trust that man?"

"With my life. He has never let me down. And Esme should be there now. Time to go."

"I'm ready." I tear Cal's shirt down the middle, tuck one inside my shirt and I give the other half to Rafe.

"That's his favorite shirt, you know. He's going to skin you alive when he gets back," Rafe smiles.

"I look forward to it."

I kiss him and we head on out. Time to bring our mate home.

"A new power?" Esme asks, looking impressed.

"Looks like it. You know after this whole thing; I am learning not to deny anything the Sun god or Ancient One gives me."

"Smart thinking. So, that consequence thing is not working for both of them, is it?"

"Not yet. I don't think they will ever agree on anything."

"Are you okay? I can imagine what you went through here."

"Feeling better. How are my mates?"

"Your mates were going bonkers and they'll be arriving soon."

"My turn, are you okay? Taking a witch's powers and binding them is not a walk in the park."

No matter how much Sierra deserves it, I know Esme hurt. They were friends a long time ago.

"What's done is done. I must report my action to her coven by witch's law. First things first though, we need to get out of here."

"Aaah!!!" My head is suddenly bombarded with two very persistent loud voices. My mates' loud voices.

"What's wrong? Cal?"

"My mates! Their voices suddenly blasted my brain, like brain freeze"

"I guess the Calvary has arrived," she says sitting down beside me. She waves her hand and Sierra's body is violently moved to the other side of the cell.

I link my mates assuring them I am all right and Esme is with me. I inform them of where I think we are. I can't wait to hold and kiss them.

"Cal, you renounced your goddess. No one has ever done that before," Esme whispers.

"I did. What has she done for me? Nothing. Who wants a god who relegates you to the back burner? So, I invoked your god, though he said there will be consequences."

"Did we really see them and hear them?"

"Yes! That was surreal. I heard and saw everything, but I couldn't move or speak. And Sköll has not answered me. Esme, I may have lost my wolf," I cry.

"Shit! Sköll is gone?"

"I don't know, I feel him but he's not answering."

We hear footsteps and we both sit up prepared for whoever is running towards the cells.

"Cal, are you okay?" The man that spoke to me before rushes into the cell.

Esme and I both point at the man instinctively. Esme to hurt him, me to protect him because I recognize his voice. The man who said he is Rafe's friend and promised to save me. The result is that we drench him in water: fire and ice!

"What the fuck?" The man asks, shaking the water off his body.

"So that's what happens when we use our powers together. Well no drought in our future," Esme smiles. "You must be Roman?"

"Yes, I'm Roman, Cal are you okay? Who are you, and how did you get here?" He sniffs the air, and yells, "another witch?" He roars and starts to shift.

"Relax pussy cat, I'm part of the Calvary. Just dropped in to retrieve my root and kill a crazy witch."

"He's your root? Since when do witches have wolves as roots?"

"I swear if I have a dime for every time, I've heard that question..."

"What have you done to me, Esme?" Sierra wakes up screeching.

We land in Nebraska and make our way to the nearest city per Roman's directions. Salim's jet is right on our tail. Raul, Darric, Sarai, Marcus, and Tobias are all in our jet. We coordinated how to attack the compound and now waiting for Esme to remove the veil so we can actually see the compound. We have an idea of its location we cannot see the damn place. That is some heavy witchcraft.

Darric will take the east with Cole, Minerva and his warriors, Tobias the west with his soldiers, Salim the south and Raul and I the north. The plan is to wipe out all the rogue and nightwalkers. Everyone knows about Roman that he's a friend and the only mixed cat in the compound so he is not to be harmed.

Anxiety is creeping in. The witch's veil delays our attack. We can't locate the compound even with Roman's description of the closest city to the compound. It feels like we are running around in circles. We wait in our set positions until Esme does what she can and hopefully remove the veil. My money is on Esme, I don't know who this witch is, but you don't go against the daughter of an Elemental, no you do not!

"Georgiana made me promise to bring you back alive so don't do anything stupid," Raul walks up to me and nudges my arm.

"She made me promise to bring you back alive too."

And that reminds me of my conversation with Georgiana before we left, and I smile. She always knows what to say.

"Why can't I go with you? You said this Roman person told you there are about a hundred nightwalkers and rogues. And throw in some psycho witch too. I can help!"

"I need you here Georgiana. If anything should happen to me, the Clan needs you. Needs a strong leader."

"The clan, the clan, forget about the damn clan and think about your mate, Rafe."

"That's why I'm going to get my mate because my mates come first but I must trust the Clan to someone just as capable as I and that's you, sis."

"Fine just make sure you keep your end of our deal."

"I'm sorry what deal?"

"We made a deal that I die before you!"

"I don't remember making that deal with you."

"Well, we made it when you were a day old. Right after you were born, and mother let me carry you. I said Raphael Petrov Klyne let's make a deal. You opened your eyes and just look straight at me. I told you under no circumstance are you to die before me, and you smiled. That told me you agreed to the deal. So, make sure you keep your end of it."

"I probably opened my eyes because you called me the dreaded name Petrov," I hug her.

"Funny! And do me a favor?" she looks me in the eye.

"What?"

"Bring Raul back with you, I have decided to put that man out of his misery and marry him."

"About time." I just kissed her and walked out the door. She does this every time, makes me believe I can do more than I am capable of.

And here we are waiting to rescue my mate and burn this compound down. I link Darric and he's also as impatient as I.

"My Lord, are you okay?" Jeffery rushes to me.

"I'm fine, what's wrong?" I look at him perplexed. I have never seen Jeffery display any type of emotion in my life. Not one and now he looks scared?

"Nothing sir, I'm just checking on you. I will check on Alpha Darric next." And he vanishes.

"What's up with Jeffery?" Raul asks.

"I don't know. I have never seen him that frazzled." And then I sense my mate.

"He's alive Darric." I link Darric.

"I know I sense him too."

"Callum are you okay? Baby, how are you?" Darric and I yell our questions at the same time through our links.

Cal answers. Thank the Sun god. The veil lifts, I see the compound. I give the okay to all three to attack via our long-range communication devices

There are rogues and nightwalkers lounging about. Our surprise arrival throws them into disarray, and we rush in, Raul by my side, killing every nightwalker and rogue in our way. Now to clean house.

Sierra is screeching like a banshee, muttering chants and nothing is happening. Roman and I move to a far away corner from her because she looks and is acting like a maniac.

"Esme, what have you done? Did you also drive her crazy?" I ask Esme.

"No, worse. I took away her identity. What she lives for. What she betrayed me for. What she stole from other witches and if I know who I'm dealing with probably killed them to get it, right Sierra? I took all her powers. She is not even a mystic. Sierra is simply...human." Esme says looking straight at Sierra.

Sierra charges at Esme and grabs her by the throat, shaking her. Esme twirls her finger and Sierra's hands are removed and she's flung against the wall, hard. She lays on the floor crying, pitifully.

"You are human now Sierra. Nothing you or your mother or anyone in any coven can do will ever bring back your powers. I returned them all to the Sun god himself and we know how he is about witches who abuse their powers or did you forget."

"Esme, please help me; I can't live like this." Sierra kneels on the floor, crying.

"No can't do. If I were you, I will find a way out of here before Cal's mates get here, and they are out for blood. Something tells me yours might be the first spilled."

"Just kill me, kill me I can't live like this. I can't go back to the coven. They'll turn their back on me. Kill me!!!"

"Let me think about that," Esme tilts her head this way and that way, "Nope! This is so much better. Now out!"

Sierra is flung out of the cell and the cell doors close. Esme turns back to us and smiles.

"Who are you?" Roman whispers.

"Esme Wood, sometimes a friend to one or two nice pussy cats, are you a nice pussy cat, Roman?"

Roman nods his head vigorously, Esme and I look at each other and burst out laughing.

The plan is to make our way to the main building and the basement where they are holding Cal. We are all aware Esme is there but whoever gets there first needs to tell her to take Cal back to the manor. Each one of us will move in towards the main building killing the rogues and nightwalker as we approach the main building. The south end of the compound was a mostly dense forest.

I smell rogues and shift into my cat, motion to my warriors to do the same. Cats are the quietest of all 'weres' and we sneak up to the first makeshift camp. My claws sink into the neck of the first rogue I see. I twist in deep and tear out his throat. My soldiers rush the other rogues, killing them as we make our way further up the forest towards the main building.

A few nightwalkers fly at us, I fling one against the tree, slashing him across the neck. Goddess, these motherfuckers are fast. They zoom by us so fast catching them is almost impossible. I link my soldiers to run towards the main building. I hope we run into Tobias and his soldiers from the west and they can take care of these nightwalkers.

I lose a couple of warriors along the way, dammit! We finally run into Tobias and his soldiers and they proceed to slice and dice these nightwalkers. Tobias and his people move twice as fast as these nightwalkers. I link my soldiers to take care of the rogues and leave the nightwalkers to the vamps.

I can see the building and I move fast leaving the annihilation of the nightwalkers to Tobias and his people. We enter the building and not a rouge or nightwalker anywhere. Feels and smells empty. Dumbasses, they probably left to fight, leaving the main building unprotected. Good for us!

I shift back, search the main floor, looking for an entrance to the basement. I find it and I leave half my soldiers there and the rest follow me to the basement. I make my way silently down two floors deep underground. There's a long dark hallway and I hear voices: Cal's and Esme and most importantly, I smell him, the one I have been searching for all my life: my mate!

I run towards their voices and that delicious scent. He smells like lavender and citrus, mouthwatering. I make my way to the last cell, and on the floor is Esme and Cal. A little away from them and standing against the opposite wall is the most handsome man I have ever seen.

His midnight black hair is part right down the middle falling in waves to his neck. His mouth is full and he has a full beard. He stands about six feet and quite muscular. His shirt is open halfway to reveal a hairy beautiful chest. His face has a scowl on it as he also looks towards the cell door in anger. At me?

"Mate," I whisper, afraid to believe that I finally found my mate.

"Oh, hell no! I thought we had a deal goddess, no mate," my mate shouts looking to the heavens.

"Well, well, well. Salim, I did promise you'll find your mate sooner than later, I just never figured he'll diss you. This is going to be fun!" Esme says cackling like a hyena, and I thought I was the werecat!