"Shh, love. You haven't been a bad mate. Jayce needed a lot more attention than me. I'll always be right here waiting for you." He punctuated his statement by gently kissing my lips. "As much as I want to bury myself deep in you and fuck you until dawn, we need sleep. And to be honest, I'm still feeling off." He made sense, like always.
I look closely at Sebastian. Why didn't I notice how tired he looked? I'm so fucking selfish sometimes. Carefully, I remove myself from Sebastian's lap, then out of the tub. I quickly grab us towels and offer one to Sebastian. I can't help but stare at my sexy mate. Sebastian has a well defined athletic build. His shoulders are thickly muscled and his waistline is tapered in. My eyes roam hungrily over his chest down to his defined abs. You know that “V” everyone talks about? The one at a man's hips that trails down to his groin? Sebastian blows that expectation out of the water.
"Aurora?" I snap out of my inner monologue to look up at Sebastian. "Your wolf is showing," he says. He gives me that cocky grin that infuriates me and, in times like this, turns me on more. Evil, evil mate. If he keeps looking at me like that, we won't be sleeping.
I grumble on my way back to the bedroom. I need to reign in my desire and put Sebastian's health first. My towel falls to the floor before I climb into bed, snuggling myself in and watching Sebastian move about his room. Honestly, I'm starting to get sleepy. I didn't realize how much the day had stressed me out. Sebastian climbs into bed behind me and pulls me flush against his chest. I fell asleep quickly. For once, no dreams disturb my slumber.
Sebastian and I are awakened by Jayce jumping on the bed. Have I mentioned I’m not a morning person? I grumble and growl at Jayce and try to hide under my pillow. Next thing I know, I see Jayce’s face looking at me under my pillow.
“Love? Reinforcements arrived very early this morning. Alex sent us six dire wolves: three enforcers and three with the toxic bite. We need direction from our leader.” He smiles before leaning forward to kiss me. Jayce extracts himself from my hiding place and I toss the pillow to the floor. I turn to find Sebastian and Jayce lip locked. So, I do what any red blooded mate would do: I grab my cell phone and turn off the flash to take several pictures of them kissing.
Ever so carefully, I extracted myself from the bed to get changed in my room. I search through my clothing for something that says “I’m not going to take anyone's shit.” I find my black leather pants and a blood red bodice. It’s kind of a steam punk meets dominatrix look. After searching for what seems like forever, I finally found my knee high boots.
I head down the stairs and into the main hall. The dires stand immediately, then bow before me. I stroll toward my throne and take a seat. My eyes assess the dires before me until, one by one, they slowly look up at me.
“Welcome to my home. Please, make yourselves comfortable. We’ll have breakfast first, then off we go to take back the bear camp.” Dom comes up to my right side and offers me his hand. He guides me to the table and begins introductions for the reinforcements. All six of them are in agreement; the dire compound has become a much better place ever since the alpha was killed. I sit and listen to them telling stories and cracking jokes at each other. Dom remains on my right side as I watch everyone eat.
My beast is a bit on edge and I can’t place what’s setting her off. “Dom, something isn’t right. Colin, the enforcer; watch his body language. He’s nervous. His scent is acidic from fear. An enforcer shouldn't be afraid.” Dom gives me a very terse nod and squeezes my hand. Sebastian and Jayce finally made it downstairs, and Dom gets up quickly to pull Sebastian aside and fill him in. Jayce comes to sit on my left and takes my hand. He knows something is off by how rigid I’m sitting in my chair, and the fact that I haven’t touched my bacon yet.
“Aurora, my love?” Jayce says in such a soft tone. The reverence in his voice warms my black heart. I slowly reach up and brush his cheek with my hand. I know, in that moment, my eyes shift and swirl liquid mercury. He feels the power flow through me and his wolf’s eyes glow in response to my agitation. Dom and Sebastian stand behind me, each placing a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me. I give the signal to my personal guards and they leave the room, locking the doors from the outside.The sound of the locks clicking into place sets the dires on high alert.
“I’m truly blessed to receive help so quickly. But, it's come to my attention that there’s a traitor in our ranks.”
Five out of six dires are calm and looking directly at me. Number six—that fucker—is fidgeting and restless. I feel a little different and I have a very bitter taste in my mouth. My eyes search Jayce’s as I part my lips slightly and run my tongue over my canines. His eyes widen at the sight, thinking it’s sexual in nature. Realization hits him and he stares at my canines closer. My sweet, innocent mate smirks at me, then winks. I stand and walk soundlessly around the table, stalking my prey.
My fingertips lightly run over each of the guys’ shoulders as I pass them. When I reach Colin, both of my hands come to rest on his shoulders. I leaned down and nuzzled his cheek, freezing him in fear. I can hear his heart pounding in his chest, racing a mile a minute. My guys are standing on the opposite side of the table watching with rapt attention. My tongue darts out and licks his throat, tasting the fear and salt in his sweat.
Without warning, I strike. My canines sink deep into this throat. The snaps and crunches of tendons and sinew breaking can be heard clearly. The sharp, metallic tang of his life fluid coats my tongue, spurring my beast on. I can taste the taint of the strigoi in his blood. Through the bond, I share my knowledge with the guys. Their growls filled the air, but it doesn't distract me from my task at hand. Colin starts to thrash and tries to throw me off of him. I sink my talons into his shoulders to strengthen my grip as I start pumping the toxin into his bloodstream. I’ve gained enough knowledge from his blood. The strigoi taint has touched the dire compound far worse than I had initially suspected. I jump off of Colin’s back and watch him stumble before he falls to his knees.
“How many more, Colin? Tell me, and I’ll end it quickly.” I’m on all fours in front of him on the floor, staring him down and trying to will him to answer me. Alpha powers, don't fail me now.
Colin shakes his head several times before spitting blood. Fuck, I wrecked his vocal cords. He uses his blood to draw the number three. His breathing is labored and he’s having a hard time keeping his eyes open. In one final push, he writes the names of the tainted. His green eyes plead with me for mercy. My resting bitch face game must be on point today because he looks panicked right before I slam my taloned hand into his chest and rip out his heart. His body fell to the floor with a wet splat into a pool of his own blood. Within seconds, Sebastian is at my side offering me his hand to help me up. I rise to my feet still holding Colin’s heart. I turn my attention to Dom.
“There are tainted ones within your pack. Call the other enforcers. Have these three dispatched and their heads sent to me.” My voice has a wolven growl to it as I fight to enunciate the words. I’m so close to losing the battle with my beast when Jayce’s hand slips under the back of my bodice. The simple act of him pressing his hand to my skin seemed to soothe my beast. I draw in a slow, deep breath and then kiss his temple. Through the pack bond, I have the guards open the doors to the room again. You know it's pretty bad when they don’t even blink after seeing a dead body or a puddle of blood in the house anymore.
Elena comes running into the room chattering away with a phone stuck to her head. Suddenly, she stops dead in her tracks as she took in the scene before her.
“Yeah, Nico, Aurora killed someone in the house. No no no, she’s ok. She’s got a heart in her hand again.” Sebastian facepalms, listening to the way his mother describes the situation to my dad on the phone. I shake my head and start walking out of the room. I step over Colin’s body and make my way out into the main hall. About another thirty minutes and it's go time. The strigoi won't know what hit them.
It frightens me to think my packmates would turn
against Aurora. The way she decided to handle the traitor was something my father would have done. However, there is one huge difference: he wouldn't have shown mercy and ended it quickly.
I’m not sure how the mate bond thing is supposed to work. Is Aurora supposed to gain a special ability—a gift—from each of us or just each species? Personally, I know I’ve gotten stronger and faster since we’ve mated.
My phone dings and it’s a text from Alex. He’s just as upset as I am over the betrayal. The three in question will get beheaded tonight. Alex also tells me that the prince received Aurora’s gifts, and he asks me to gather the others before he sends the video over to her. It will be the first time she gets to see him. Part of me is scared. I’m not afraid of losing my place in the pack, but I'm afraid of having a pure blooded dragon in the bond. What if he has a bad temper? What if his bad temper makes Aurora’s worse? So many questions bounce around in my head as I enter the main sitting room to find my other bond mates.
“Aurora, love, Alex has forwarded a video for you.” Aurora scrunches her nose and tilts her head to the side as she studies me.
“Please cast it to the smart TV, Jayce.” Aurora says. Sebastian turns the TV on and sets it up to receive. I send the video to the TV, and we watch as it pans from the vast white of the tundra to the mouth of a cavern. There’s a blonde man standing inside. If I didn't know any better, I’d swear he was a viking. He’s easily three hundred to three hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. His hair is a light golden blonde and hangs down past his shoulders. His face is rather rugged, complete with a full beard and mustache. Aurora is so focused on the video that she barely notices Sebastian picking her up to sit on his lap.
Dom and I share a look and watch as Alaric receives Aurora’s box. You can clearly feel the anxiety through the bond when he starts cutting the top open. Alaric slowly removes the popcorn and stops dead, looking at the box’s contents. He reaches in and pulls out the braid of hair she had stuffed in there. Sebastian turns to me and mouths, When did she do that? I shake my head at him. If he had been paying attention to our mate and not his phone, he would know when she did it.
Alaric brings the braid to his nose and sniffs it. His eyes become the gold of his dragon, slit and all. I know the look of recognition and that was it. Aurora has gotten quite antsy in Sebastian’s lap as she waits to see what Alaric thinks of the skull. A black man—I believe his name is Ellis—steps into the frame and reaches into the box. He pulls out the Wendigo skull and holds it out to Alaric. I can tell the moment Aurora starts to hold her breath. Her heart rate picks up and her scales begin to ripple up and down her arms. Alaric’s eyes lock on the skull, then the silver white scale that Aurora placed on top. Alaric rubs the back of his hands across his eyes, wiping away tears. Ever so gently, he takes the scale from the skull and sniffs it. His right hand comes up quickly and he cuts into his own flesh. Ellis freaks out and runs back behind the camera. Alaric pushes the fleshy side of Aurora’s scale into his wound, and Ellis zooms in on how quickly the flesh knits around the scale.
Alaric gasps and whispers, “I can feel her.”
As soon as he says he can feel her, Aurora's hand moves to touch his scale in time with him touching hers. It's times like this I wish Nico was here to explain exactly what the hell is going on. We watch the remainder of the video in silence. Alaric turns to the camera and smiles.
"My princess." He places his hand flat on Aurora’s scale over his heart. "I am yours to command. I have gathered forces beyond my father's reach. We will take back what is rightfully yours. By my blood, I swear this to you." He draws in a deep breath as his eyes flicker between human and dragon. "To the first mates of our princess, we will be brothers in arms. We will fight for her and protect her together." His flattened palm turns into a fist against his chest, signifying the difference in his promises. "Dream of me? Aurora?" Alaric smiles one last time and winks at the camera before the video cut off. All eyes are locked on Aurora, waiting to see her reaction to his video.
"Holy shit, he's hot!" comes from behind us. All of our heads whip around to find Sebastian's mother, Elena, fanning herself in the doorway. "Hot damn, baby girl, that's a mountain of a man that's pledged himself to you. A dragon's word is worth it's weight in gold. Don't forget his mate bond and offered scale. He's yours for life." Elena casually walks into the room and flops into the recliner opposite Aurora and Sebastian. Aurora's cheeks are cherry red and Sebastian looks like he wants to kill something.
"Elena? I have questions. The wolf’s mate bond seems to be much different than the dragon’s.” I figured I'd ask since I believe I'm the only one not threatened by Alaric's arrival on the scene.
"Jayce, to be honest, there's not a lot that’s different between the two species when it comes to choosing a mate. It’s exactly the same by sight and scent. To a dragon, it's mate is it's greatest treasure. A dragon's hoard means nothing to them once they find their mate." Elena draws in a deep breath before beginning again. "Unlike wolves, there is no bite needed to forge the bond. Dragons offer a scale, a piece of themselves to their mate. That and a skull of course." Elena looks down to her phone, briefly types on it, then looks back up. "Unlike wolves, dragons cannot live without their mate, except if there's a hatchling. The remaining mate lives only for that hatchling. Like wolves, dragons only get one shot at a true mate." Elena's phone pings again and we watch her eyes scan the message. Her fingers fly over the screen before she looks up. "Nico needs to explain a bit of history to everyone. We need to cast his video up on the big screen TV."
I take the phone from Elena and pair it with the TV. Carefully, I balance the phone under the TV so Nico can see us. I hit dial and connect the call.
"What do you mean it's on video, you giant furball! All of them won't fit on this tiny screen." Watching how animated Nico can get is quite comical. In the background, you can hear Dimitri tell Nico to look at his phone. "Oh! Hi! Umm ok, so congratulations Aurora on gaining your dragon mate. Sebastian, stop being a grumpy ass! I see the faces you're making behind my daughter!" As soon as the words left Nico's mouth, Elena gets up and slaps Sebastian on the back of his head. The growl that comes from Elena is enough to straighten him out quickly.
"Thanks, love," Nico says before clearing his voice to continue. "You probably have a ton of questions. I've been answering them the best I can by messaging Elena. The past was a dark time—a lot of magic and mystery. The alpha Vladimir was an evil, evil man." Nico looks down as he gathers his thoughts. "He possessed blood mages and kept the strigoi on a leash. He used blood magic to subdue your mother's mates to have us all castrated. If it wasn't for Andre's spy network and Dimitri's quick thinking, you wouldn't be here." Nico reaches up to wipe a stray tear from his eye. "Rumors spread a while back that Vladimir still lived. I'll be honest, I didn't check his body before I set your mother's body on fire. I also didn’t get to watch the whole thing burn to ash." He ponders that thought for a few minutes, then looks back to the phone again. "Elena, use your contacts with the European lycans and see what they can find out. We need to be prepared for everything." Elena nods and leaves the room, heading off to make her phone calls.
"Anything else we need to know, Nico?" I ask as I watch my brother and Sebastian take notes. Only Aurora seems disturbed by the information.
Nico watches Aurora closely before speaking, “My beautiful, powerful daughter. Elena was correct when she said a dragon cannot live without its mate. You die, so will Alaric. Your wolven mates will be left behind to wish for death. You are a special case, and I’m not sure what will happen to you if one of your mates die.” Nico’s sadness is apparent as he speaks to Aurora. All I can do is move to Aurora’s side and run my fingers through her hair. I feel my eyes turn wolven as I stare at Sebastian. He’s not even trying to comfort Aurora.
“What the fuck is your problem, man! Can’t you see our mate is in pain! Can you get over yourself for five fucking minutes?” I reach down to take Aurora from Sebastian and pass her off
to Dom. It’s interesting to see my larger twin shocked by my actions. I’m not a fighter, nor am I even a beta, but our mate needs us and Sebastian is being a self absorbed jerk. Sebastian stands and goes toe to toe with me, looking down at me like I’m nothing.
“What the fuck do you think you’re going to do to me, omega? You’re weak and soft and can’t fight your way out of a paper bag.” Sebastian’s sky blue eyes turn the white blue of his wolf. I know I'm in trouble, but I won't back down. He’s trying to use his power to dominate me. For once, it doesn't feel oppressive like it normally would. I hear Nico in the background start to laugh.
“It’s about bloody time Jayce stood up for himself. Good for you, lad, good for you!” Nico is proud of me? Wow.
While I’m distracted, Sebastian takes this opportunity to strike. He grabs me by my shoulders and attempts to throw me. I squat down like Dimitri taught me and grab a hold of Sebastian’s forearms and use his momentum against him. I pivot and whip my body to the side, sending Sebastian off balance and onto the floor. I shift quickly and grab him by the throat. I hold him there, growling, until I feel Aurora’s fingers threading through my fur.
“Sebastian, love, what have I told you about picking on the other mates?” Aurora’s power is oppressive as she speaks. Sebastian is squirming under me, trying to escape. “Jayce, love, please release Sebastian. I believe you made your point that he cannot pick on you anymore.” I release Sebastian as asked. When I look up, I see Elena in the doorway with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her son’s actions disappoint and hurt her. I let out a huff of a breath and stand next to my twin. I don't bother shifting back. I don't want to talk to anyone at the moment.
“When did he get so fucking strong?” Sebastian is pissed off that I put him down. You know what? I can’t wait for the dragon to get here and beat his bully ass. Aurora slaps Sebastian across the face to get him to stop.
Hunt Little Wolf: The Aurora Marelup Series Page 9