Against the Odds

Good morning

The following morning was like no other Diana experienced. Instead of being alone and lazily gazing out her window that overlooked the river that cascaded through the thick forest, she awoke to find herself wrapped in the muscular arms of her mate. Rather than staring at the view outside her window, Diana opted to greedily gawk at Malakai. His full lips were open just slightly; his hair was disheveled with each caramel colored strand flowing in a different direction than the others. Her 5 am alarm went off, but Diana quickly snoozed it, as to not wake the man so peacefully lying next to her. Normally she would begin her day at this hour by going for her morning run, showering, making breakfast, then setting out for sparring with some of the warriors. Usually by the end of that it was time for the pack leaders' morning meeting (which took place at 8 am Monday-Friday), where each leader would inform the others of new developments and get their assignments from the alpha.

However, this was not a normal morning. After battling herself internally for a few minutes, Diana decided she could skip her morning run...just this once.

So instead of pushing her cardiovascular system to its maximum capacity, she chose to snuggle closer to Kai. She felt her tired eyes close and her breathing even out.

Diana found herself sprinting to the pack house as fast as her werewolf legs could carry her. It was currently 8:07 and she new the other leaders would be questioning her absence while Xavier was planning a punishment for her tardiness. She had slept in with Kai who became very startled when a frantic Diana woke him by screaming "I'm late!" repetitively while managing to dress herself in whatever she could find. She promised to see him after the meeting and bolted out of the house. Still groggy from his restful sleep Kai questioned what exactly just happened but brushed it off as Diana just being Diana.

The she-wolf barged through the door to be met with 5 pairs of curious eyes.

"Beta Ravenwood, glad you finally decided to join us." Xavier announced sarcastically with a frown etched onto his lips.

"Alpha Ronan, my apologies for my tardiness sir." Diana looked straight into her Alpha's eyes then quickly sat into her seat without another word.

The meeting took place just like normal with each leader speaking their peace while receiving orders from the alpha.

"Diana, any new developments on the witch coven?" Xavier asked her. Her heart stopped momentarily, and her stomach dropped. She saw images from her nightmare flash through her mind. Her mate lay dead in her arms while blood continuously spilled from his eyes. She shivered at the memories. Then the picturesque image of Kai snuggled next to her this morning came back to her. His lips, his messy hair, and his arms wrapped securely around her. She smiled just a little bit at the blissful memory.

"Beta Ravenwood!" A booming voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh- Oh- my apologies Alpha Ronan. I've found that the witches used magic to build their coven and speak in another language. I believe it's Latin, but I have not confirmed it yet. From what I saw it looked as if they were casting a spell over their territory."

"Find out what that spell was and do some thorough research into the ways of the witches. I want you to be so well versed in witch culture that you could pass as one. This is so we can build our strategy of defense efficiently. I will also do some research of my own while assisting the rest of you with preparations. For now, it seems as if the witches are not a current threat so the pack will no longer be on partial-lockdown but I do want border patrol to be hypervigilant and I want curfew pushed up to 9pm for pack members under 18. Got it?" Xavier finished.

"Yes Alpha." The leaders said in unison.

"You are dismissed." The Alpha responded. "Diana stay back." He quickly added. Diana saw this coming. She knew her Alpha and closest friend would want to know about her sudden Change in behavior. The Alpha and Beta sat face to face, both ready for confrontation if need be. Their stares were hard and persistent.

Xavier broke the silence, "What happened this morning D?" He questioned, using her nickname which was a good sign.

"Well," She wasn't sure whether or not she should tell Xavier about her nightmare, "I um..." She sighed and covered her face with her hands at the memories. "I had a bad dream last night and called Malakai over to calm me down. I woke up late with him this morning." Diana finished and crossed her arms, unsure of what her friend's reaction would be.

Xavier leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "I see." He looked as if he was contemplating something, "I just find it hard to believe you were that shaken up by a dream." Diana looked at him with narrowed eyed and an expression that said 'drop it or I'll eat you'. Xavier let out a long sigh, "Anyway, I also got word from Annalisa that you didn't take a warrior with you to scout the witched out."

Annalisa? Who is Anna- Ohh the girl from the border patrol who was playing video games. I can't believe she snitched on me!

As if reading her mind Xavier explained, "She didn't snitch. I asked if you were alone and she said yes." The Alpha did not look happy.

"X, I'm sorry. I totally forgot-"

"If this happens again Diana, I won't be sending you on field missions anymore." Alpha planted his pointer finger into the table for emphasis.

Not in the mood for arguing, Diana simply replied, "Okay."

"So...your mate huh?" Xavier said with a sly smile.

&

After successfully escaping Xavier's prodding, Diana rushed home to see Malakai. Since waking up this morning she has felt more attached to him and was more than eager to see him again. She found Kai in the kitchen cooking up a breakfast composed of eggs, wheat toast, and plenty of coffee. The couple ate their breakfast in harmony with one another. Diana explained what happened at the meeting and how she has to know the ins and outs of witchcraft and culture. Kai's fidgeting when the subject of witches did not go unnoticed but Diana chose not to bring it up at the moment and chose to trust him.

"Ya know I would love to help you. I've been reading about all kinds of supernatural species while working in the store and me being a um fairy... I could probably help you, if you want." Malakai offered his assistance because he knew this was important to his mate but he couldn't decide if this would further dig the whole he was buried in or it would be easier for Diana to forgive him for lying, knowing that he tried to help her.

"That would be great. I would love your help." Diana softly smiled and Kai realized that this woman meant more to him than anything in this world and if he had to, he'd even leave behind witchcraft for her. It's a part of who he is, just like Diana's wolf is a part of who she is, but he was willing to sacrifice pieces of himself for her happiness. She was his soulmate, which meant he would walk the ends of the earth for Diana. He just couldn't bring himself to reveal his true identity for fear of losing her.

&

The next few days Diana would go to the bookstore and do research with Kai. Witches have existed longer than any other species, so there was quite a bit of information for them to sort through. They would work together to find new information and connect the dots of witchcraft. Diana found herself falling for Kai. Each research session allowed them to connect even closer. They joked with each other and exchanged stories of their childhood, nothing too serious yet. Diana was still stubborn, but she could definitely see herself opening up to Kai in the near future. She wants to tell him about her parents and the loss she felt, but not yet. Soon. But not yet. With every smile Kai casted her way and with every snarky comment he made that brought bouts of laughter out of her, Diana saw a future with him. She saw the rest of her life with adventures, laughter, working together on new projects for the pack, and even kids with Malakai. Her wolf instincts are urging her to mark and mate him and to her surprise she isn't scared shitless. Maybe a little scared but not completely.

Now, if she could just get these damn witches out of her town then she could finally settle down with her mate.