The Ghost Mate

The Tides Turn

Present Time

Sara

In just two days, I will be taking my annual memorial trip to honor my parents. For the last six years, I had been living with Amara and her coven, in a hidden world I liked to call the "Veil Dimension." Although her and the rest of the coven could pass through easily, and never be captured, a portal had to be opened for me, in order to maintain my own safety. We had lived in the same place for nearly six years, and so far, no one had found us. Amara promised that as soon as the tides turned, I would be allowed to resume normal life, but I was not safe, until the war was over, or until I was powerful enough to take the Blood Creek Pack down. Skylar and I spent this time training as a warrior, and learning to defend ourselves against magic as well. Even though werewolves and witches were at peace with each other, there were still some witches who had a bone to pick with the werewolves who thought it was still better to have a witch as a slave, over an aly. Thankfully for us, Alpha Baron was never able to catch a witch and enslave her because of the Veil Dimension. They knew of his horrifying ways, thanks to Amara, and she had quite a hold over the rest of the witches. She was considered one of the leaders of their coven.

I was checking my packed items to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything for my trip when I suddenly heard what I could best describe as the wind, whispering in my ear.

The tides will turn...The tides will turn...

I turned around to see if anyone was there but I was alone. Suddenly, a picture of my parents and I at the beach fell to the ground. I remember this trip. It was my favorite. My parents used to say my connection to the earth was so beautiful, they wanted to watch my connection flourish when we went to the ocean. I never understood why, but the ocean made me feel peace like no other the very first time we went, which was in this picture. I was just 4 years old, but I remembered the sound of the waves, and the smell of the sea salt air. My hair immediately curled into ringlets when we stepped onto the beach, and I giggled as my parents showed me how the curls sprung right back up when they pulled them down. We built sand castles and jumped in the waves all day, and spent a week repeating the process over and over again.

"Are you busy Sara?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Amara came into my room to talk. I had been so deep in thought over the vacation, I hadn't seen her enter.

"Nope. I just finished up packing my things for the trip. I know we were supposed to go to Paris this year in honor of Mom and Dad, but would it be possible to go to this beach first?"

I walked over and showed Amara the picture. She had a far away look on her face and her blue eyes turned purple. This happened when she got some sort of vision, so I just waited for her to come back to earth.

"Ahh, it all makes sense now. I came in here to ask if you wanted to go to Charleston for a few days before going overseas. You see, I have been receiving messages about the tides turning, but I didn't get a clear answer until you showed me this picture. Sara, honey, the time is approaching. You may be able to return and save what's left of the Blood Creek Pack."

Feeling the blood drain from my face, I just nodded. I knew this day would come, and yet, I still felt unprepared. Was I ready to face the evil that was, Alpha Baron? Could I truly save my pack from the devil's blood? Could I still convince Blake to change the way our pack was run? I didn't want to be his mate, but I did want to help him and be a beta, if he would listen. Our pack didn't live in Charleston though. That was considered a shared land for us. Why would going back there have any significance in saving my pack? I wasn't sure, but I guess in two days, I would find out.

"Amara, I am a bit worried, but I feel like visiting my parents before we go to Charleston will help. Can we still go with the protective veil on?"

Every year, Amara and I would go visit my parents at their grave, well, from a distance, with a protective veil, so I could go undetected. After spending just a short hour telling my parents about my life, we would visit one of the many places my parents had intended to travel to once I was mated and on my own, for a week, in their honor. This year was supposed to be Paris, but it seems The Goddess has other plans in store for me and who am I to tempt fate? After all, I'm pretty sure it's the Goddess who's kept me safe thus far.

"Yes, of course, Sara. We will go in two days, and then head straight for Charleston. Make sure you pack your swimsuits. We have to have some fun while we are there."

With that, Amara walked out and I started going over everything in my luggage again, while thinking about what was ahead.

"Skylar, what do you think of this?" I spoke to my wolf in my mind.

I have this feeling in my stomach, Sara. We have to go. The ocean is beckoning us, and no I don't mean like it did with Moana, so don't even go there.

I rolled my eyes at Sky's ability to know my ridiculous humor all too well. Sometimes she really ruined my stupid jokes, but I loved her. She had helped me through the last six years of uncertainty and assured me that we were on the right path even though it was a very lonely one.

I went to sleep that night with anxiety about what was to come, but excitement at smelling the sea salt air in just two more days.

Salem

Just two more days. The war was ending, and I was going to start looking for my mate in just two more days. Six years ago, that brief smell of roses had haunted Stavros and I in our dreams. We were often walking along the beach enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, and the smell of the sea salt air, which mixed with roses and vanilla. Every time that scent hit us, we would look up to see a tall, perfectly tanned woman with long, dark blonde, curly hair, but we could never see her face. She was always walking in the other direction. Every time we would try to walk up to her, we would go to tap her shoulder, and someone would stab me in the chest as her curls slid through my fingertips and I fell to the ground gasping for breath. Every time I would wake up sweating profusely and screaming for help. It always felt so real, and I would wake up still smelling the sea salt air. Tonight will be no different. I had no doubt about that, but more recently, I got a strong urge to find this beach, so I decided I would.

Blake had actually come to his senses not long ago. He had met his fated mate, but amidst the war and crazed ideals of his father, she would come to her doom. Alpha Baron had started to give up on finding the girl. Madness had claimed him and he was at the point where he wanted Blake to find ANY alpha-blooded female to mate with. Unfortunately, a month ago, Blake found his love, and she was not of alpha blood. No, she was of the lowest ranking, in another pack. Blake tried to keep her safe and a secret, in order to buy some time to convince his father of how insane this war had become. There were many packs that no longer agreed with his ways, and saw who the man truly was, but it wasn't enough.

Last week, Alpha Baron, killed Blake's mate as soon as he caught them together. They thought they had been careful, but Blake wasn't as good at hiding his changes in mood as he thought. Baron had a warrior follow him in secret and that was when the truth came out. The warrior mind-linked Baron and upon sight of the two kissing, Baron ran over and stabbed Blake's mate with a silver knife, right in the heart. She dropped to the floor and Blake howled in anger and sadness. After a brief scuffle, according to my sources, Blake caved and gave in to Baron's demands yet again. This was all a facade, however, to get him to have breakfast this morning. It's just been confirmed that Blake has poisoned and killed his father out of revenge for Blake's beloved mate.

With Baron dead, and Blake accepting the role as Alpha, with reform, of course, the war is over. We will all be meeting back with the board of elders in a week's time to discuss how we will be moving forward. In the meantime, all members who have been fighting this war for six years have been granted a week of recuperation. There were plenty of us who still had mates to find, and others who had families missing us. We had rotated out many people, but I refused to return home until this was over. My father died last year when he got deathly sick. Because my mother had died during childbirth, my father was no longer as strong as he could have been to fight off the illness. So on his death bed, and the only time I was not at war with my soldiers, I made a promise, to see this through, and to make all of the werewolves in existence have freedom and love that is fair and equal moving forward.

My stomach fluttered with excitement over what was to come in the next few days. I lay in bed looking at my ceiling, thinking of which beach I would be finding my mate. I just hoped it wasn't too late.

It's not too late. I promise I will make it easier to find her. The tides will turn.

That was the last thing I heard from Stavros before I drifted off to sleep and faced a large set of beautiful hazel eyes dancing in the darkness of my dreams. Once I looked into those eyes, my heart jumped as I heard the sweetest laughter I'd ever heard in my life. As the eyes disappeared, a beach once again appeared, and I heard laughter in the distance. I started following it, and soon we were walking through a set of woods. Long gone was the sound of the beach, but instead the melodious laughter and birds chirping. Then there was silence. I kept listening, waiting for the laughter again, but it wouldn't come. Instead, I heard a horrifying scream which made me run directly towards a clearing. There sat the curly-haired woman, covered in blood, over a faceless man, gasping for air. Shocked at the sight, I started to slowly walk towards her as she cried, her hazel eyes turning more green with every tear that fell.

"I didn't do it! I swear! I just wanted to help him!"

She was screaming and looked terrified, but I didn't understand why. I knew she hadn't done anything and I just wanted to hold her. I wanted to make sure she was safe. As I got closer, her beautiful eyes widened in horror, and she got up, starting to run while screaming.

"Amara! Amara quick!"

I tried to stop her, walking towards her more quickly now, when she started to run.

"It's okay! Everything will be okay! Don't go!"

I started to chase after her, but she was fast. Suddenly, she looked back with the most gut wrenching look I have ever seen, and just before disappearing in thin air, I heard her whisper.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I gasped for air as I was startled awake. Was this really my mate? I had to find her. Something is not right about this at all. Who was Amara, and whose body was the curly-haired girl standing over?

"Stavros, what the hell was that?"

I asked my wolf in my mind. I mean, I had dreams about her many times, but never any like this, and I had never seen her face.

I don't know Salem. All I know is, the Moon Goddess wants us to know, the tides will turn. You have to protect her, Salem. No matter what, you must always believe her, and protect her, even if it means we die.