The Missing Princess
Chapter 4 - Mates

Kodi

It has been three days since the final day of the surfing competition. I was not surprised when my phone started ringing off the hook. Sponsors were vying for my attention. The Ahi Ilio Hae company was the biggest sponsor to contact me this far. They have several different products that I would love to be their spokeswoman for. Goddammit, even standing here under the hot water I cannot get his hypnotising Larimar blue eyes out of my mind. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the ocean. The outer ring was that beautiful light Larimar blue but the closer you got to his pupil the darker the blue became until they were almost black, just like sinking deeper into the ocean. I could tell he was tall. Even sitting down he was at least half a foot taller than everyone else. He was so damn sexy and it was obvious that at least one of his parents was a native Hawaiian.

“This sucks.” I mumble to myself.

Mauku and Kekipi had tried to talk to me about meeting a few of their friends and fellow pack members, but I told them no or changed the subject. I have no idea if he had said something to them about me being his mate, but I knew I could never step foot onto their pack lands. I wish I could replace Uncle Aaron. I knew he would be able to help me, but the only way I had to communicate with him was the necklace and again once Uncle Randy died it no longer worked. Maybe if I could replace Aunt Nay she could help, but I would not know where to start. The only thing I knew about both of them was that they are wolves and that Uncle Aaron’s mate had passed giving birth to Dani. Shit maybe I could replace Dani. We had been friends when I was younger, but I had lost her number when the fire burnt the house to the ground. The phone I had at the time was left in the house as Uncle Randy shoved me out. I did not think about grabbing it with everything that was going on. I will have to look for her on social media once I get to work, which means walking down the hall into my office and sitting at my desk.

“Fuck.” I scream.

I had been in here working on my book as well as searching for Dani, but with no fucking success. I could not for the life of me remember her fucking last name. Then I remembered someone else. Dani had introduced me to a girl, Ellie, and I do remember her last name. I searched for Ellie Rollingsworth. Hot damn, there she is. Damn, she grew up. She looks the same, just older. I scroll through her page and I smile when I come across a picture of her and Dani. Dani has changed a little, but not much. The ends and about half way up her long white blond hair is a bright pink. That has always been her favourite colour. Do not let that fool you though. Everyone always thought she was a prissy barbie doll, which she sort of was, but she could kick your ass in a heartbeat, even if she was wearing a mini skirt. I sent a message to Ellie. Her last post was two days ago so I knew she was on here somewhat frequently, but I also noticed that they were both attending college on the mainland in Southern California. Good, I knew those two always wanted to go to college there and I am glad they were able to.

I shut down my laptop and rolled up the cord placing the two in my bag. I need some fresh air. I place my backpack on the passenger’s seat of my vehicle as I back out of the driveway. I roll the windows down enjoying the breeze. When I first came here I was going to stay for a few weeks then move on, but something about this place keeps me here. There is this weird pull, but I cannot explain what it is. I pull my keys from the ignition as I climb out of my car. I walk around opening the door on the passenger’s side grabbing my backpack. I push the button locking the car as I walk towards the small cafe.

“Well there she is. My favourite little ginger and the best surfer in all the islands.” Noa announces.

“Seriously, you are making a big deal about nothing.” I giggle.

“Nothing, nothing, you young lady are lolo (crazy). That was one of the largest and most known surfing competitions known and you the only female competitor won, beating all those boys with their inflated egos.” Noa exclaims.

I smile at him as he engulfs me in his arms, lifting me off the ground in one of his famous hugs. I found this little cafe by accident. I was walking around one day and happened upon it. Over the years I have gotten to know Noa and his wife Patyna. They treated me like family. Noa is a hybrid wolf/vampire while Patyna is human. I sat down in my usual spot and pulled out my laptop. I cannot help but laugh when I open the email from Fern. I am surprised that he is half way through my third book. I have already started my fourth book and another book. Well it is more like a novella and not a full length novel. A coffee appears in front of me along with a couple of Malasadas. I smile at Patyna as I look up to see who set these treats from heaven in front of me. I pull one of the Malasadas apart to replace it filled with coconut cream with bits of pineapple in it. These are fucking delicious. I have finished on Malasada when I see my social media account notification pop up.

-Hey, damn it has been a long time since either Dani or I have heard from you. Where the hell did you disappear to? Anyway, we are glad you got in touch with us. We cannot talk right now. We are headed back that way and should be there the day after tomorrow. We could meet you at the restaurant near the airport after we land. I will text you when we land. I just need your number. We are both excited to know you are in Hawaii and cannot wait to see you again. Ellie-

-Yeah sorry about that. A lot has happened in the last eight years. I lost my previous phone and have a new number. This is my new number. It will be good to see you again and I cannot wait to talk to you. See you then. Me-

All I get in response is a happy face emoji so I let it go. Sounds like they are busy and have a lot to get done before they leave to return here. I hang out here until they are ready to close. I tell Noa and Patyna that I will be back soon as I start backing out of my parking spot. As I step out of my car I can hear the wolves howling in the distance. One howl stands out more than the others and it is filled with both sadness and longing. That must be the alpha. Humans wouldn’t hear the howls, but any supernatural in the area will. The witches of long ago that allied with the pack cast some spell over them to conceal them from humans, which means even if a human is to look at a wolf here they would not see it. That howl sounds again and for a reason unknown to me it pulls at my heart. I hope he replaces what or whoever he is looking for.

Reign

Five days, that is how long it has been since I last saw my little copper flame. I have not seen her since the last day of the surfing competition, but I have caught her scent here and there. Yes, it was faint, but yesterday it was strong so she must have been in that store not long before I walked in. I shove myself away from my desk and run my hand down my face. I am not sure why she is avoiding me, but she clearly is. I close my eyes as I lean my head back. I open them when I hear footsteps. Ino, Kekipi, and Mauku walk into my office. Ino works here with me, but the other two don’t.

“I just spoke with Thomas and he let me know that he was able to speak with Kodi before she left the competition on the last day and she will be here in two hours to discuss being a spokeswoman for our company.” Ino told me.

“Fuck, I have a meeting then.” I hissed.

“Why are you so damn interested in her?” Kekipi asked.

“She is my mate.” I state.

“Shit you are not joking.” Mauka comments.

“No, but she is human.” I sigh.

“Um not she is not.” Ino replies.

“Ino is right. She is definitely supernatural, and she definitely has magic and some sort of power, but I cannot tell you what type it is.” Mauku added.

“Mauku is right. I can sense her magic and power but I cannot pinpoint what kind of magic it is. We both agree that at times it feels like a witch, but then I get the feeling that it is fey, but not like any fey that I have sensed before.” Ino explains.

“I can tell you that a few times when we have been surfing that she has pushed out what feels like your alpha aura, but it felt even more powerful than your alpha aura. It felt kind of like the twin’s royal aura.” Mauku told us.

That does not make sense. I had no idea how a supernatural being could have a human’s scent. I do not doubt Ino or Mauku’s abilities but this just makes all this shit more confusing. Kekipi and Mauku tell us they have to get back to the pack while Ino returns to his office. I follow them out and down to where my meeting is. As the elevator opens one the floor below mine I am hit with her delicious scent. I want nothing more than to replace her, but I cannot at this moment. I do not see her, but I know she is there.

I walked into my parents house later that night. I smile when I look at the pictures on the walls. Mom is in most of them and that familiar pain of losing her hits me. It has been years, but it’s still there. Dani looks at the pictures a lot, and I know she feels guilty that Mom dies, even though it is not her fault. Mom had both placenta previa and accreta. Chiron knew about the placenta previa, but not the placenta accreta. She bled out before her wolf or the medical staff could get control of it. It was found after that her uterus had a significant tear in it. The tear was so bad that it was almost torn open. Even if they had known about the placenta accreta there is nothing they could have done to stop the bleeding. We could have lost both mom and Dani that day. Thank God we did not. No one has been able to explain the tear and I know Dani is terrified to get pregnant because she is worried that she could have the same issues.

“Well hello son, to what do I owe this visit?” Dad asked.

I explained everything that has happened since the start of the surfing competition. I can tell he is intrigued. Once I finish telling him everything, even about Kodi being my mate I can tell he is worried.

“So she is human?” Dad asked.

“That is what I thought, but both Ino and Mauku told me that they can sense magic within her.” I replied.

“What kind of magic?” Dad asked.

“That’s the thing, they cannot distinguish what kind. They both explained that sometimes it feels like a witch’s magic, but at other times it feels like fey magic, but not any fey they know of. Mauku did tell me that there has been a few times that an argument has taken place and she has pushed out what feels like my alpha aura, but Mauku said it feels stronger almost like Rory and Vance’s royal fey aura.” I added.

I swear I see a look of familiarity on his face when I tell him that, but it fades quickly. He tells me that he will look into it, but something within me has me believing that he knows more than he is letting on. He almost acted as if he knew who I was talking about, but there is no way that he could know Kodi. Ino had been looking into her and so far he could not replace any type of paper trail. The last thing he could replace was her diploma stating that she graduated high school, but it was an online school. He is still looking to see if he can replace anything else, but so far nothing has popped up. I have no idea how long we sat there in silence, but my mind was veering off in so many different directions. There was something familiar about her presence, but again I cannot pinpoint what that is.

“And this girl is your mate?” Dad asked.

“Yes, both Blade and I confirmed it when we caught her scent, which we have been picking up hints of for the last few years all around the island. I have even picked it up faintly on Kekipi and Maukua, but since her scent is like some sort of spicy dark chocolate I thought that they had hit their favourite candy shop, bakery or something like that. It never occurred to me that it could be my mate.” I admit.

Dad laughs because he knows how those two assholes love sweets. Their sweet tooth's are very well known throughout the pack. They have a few different spots they frequent for their sweets.

“Those two do love their sugary snacks. What is this girl’s name?” Dad asked.

“Her name is Kodi.” I told him.

I swear someone could have dropped a bomb in the room and he would not have moved. He did not say a word as he got up and left the room. I heard the front door of the house open as he shifted into his wolf. I am not sure what to make of this, but I am certain that Dad knows Kodi or knows about her. I have no idea how or when they could have crossed paths, but it is apparent that they did at some point. I try to think of a time when they could have, but nothing pops into my brain. Just what the fuck is going on?