Hunt Little Wolf: The Aurora Marelup Series

by Serenity Rayne

  We arrive at the cabin’s door and I mentally reach out to Aurora. Several seconds later, she opens the door and her jaw drops once she sees at Klaus. She blinks several times before she moves out of the way to allow us to enter. I’ve never seen my daughter speechless before so this is quite impressive. Aurora’s eyes churn liquid mercury and I feel her reaching into my memories.

  Aurora clears her throat and speaks to him in German, “Thank you for making the long journey here. Please forgive my appearance. I haven't been myself lately.” She motions to the couch and waits for both of us to sit before going into the kitchen. She returns with three beers. Aurora sets the beer bottles on the table, then shifts her right hand into her armored gauntlet and uses her talons to open all three bottles. Carefully, Aurora picks up the first beer, and we watch the frost move across the glass before she offers it to Klaus. His eyes go wide, looking between me and Aurora. Apparently, stories of her ability hasn't reached his pack yet.

  Aurora continues to speak in German, “I am sorry if my grasp of your language is lacking. I recently learned it.” She hands me my beer then sits down in Dimitri’s favorite recliner in front of us. Klaus looks completely gobsmacked as he stares at her. Neither of us expected her to conduct business in his native tongue. As if it just dawned on her, she shifts her right arm back and shows her royal brand to Klaus. Klaus immediately drops to his knees before her and rests his forehead on her knees.

  “You are the last true ruler of my people. We serve only you from now until death and beyond.” His German flows like the Rhine River, smooth and sure. Klaus looks up to Aurora, his eyes golden like that of his wolf. I watch him try to stare her down and fail. “Forgive me, princess. I had to make sure you were the one.” Aurora reaches down and threads her fingers through his thick, medium brown hair. She seems very interested in him, which could be a death sentence for Sebastian. Quickly, Aurora pulls her hand away like it touched fire.

  She draws in a shaky breath, still speaking to Klaus in German, “I forgive you. If you wish to call your men inside, I shall shift for you; let you see what exactly you're dealing with. No secrets.” Aurora climbs over the back of the couch and begins to shove furniture out of the way. Klaus goes to the door and shouts for his men to come in. Aurora’s eyes fall on me and, in the back of my mind, she says to stop her if I need to. She’s not sure how her beast will react to strangers in her temporary den.

  I place myself in front of Aurora, who decides to stand in the dining area of the house. She’s wearing a simple robe that will tear easily. I listen to Klaus explain to his people that she’s the true heir. Aurora raises her right arm and shows the guys her mark before she begins her shift. She does it slower than usual, allowing them to watch each bone break and reform as her thick, white fur slowly blankets her muscular lycan form. Frost begins to coat her fur just before her white dragon scales ripple up her finger tips to her elbows. Scales slowly form on her muzzle and around her eyes. Her wolven head is wider and longer than the average lycan’s. I can actually see some of my dragon’s features in her animal. For instance, her eyes are almond shaped and she has a boney ridge up her muzzle like my dragon. Aurora’s beast has grown in size as well. She easily stands nine feet tall. Klaus and his men stand in amazement, looking at Aurora’s impressive beast.

  “Gentlemen? Do we have your allegiance?” I state. All six men fall to their knees before Aurora. I watch her study them for a few moments before she turns and walks to the back of the house.

  “Now that’s settled, I have an announcement to make to the pack. I need you guys to stand with me. The pack hierarchy has been shifted and we must settle the masses. I know you’ve been briefed on what's going on here so let's make haste.” I lead Klaus and his team of men toward the porch of the Alpha House. Sebastian stands there with his arms crossed over his chest like the self-important fool he is. Klaus moves forward, lets out a low growl, and locks eyes with Sebastian. Both are alpha’s sons, but there’s one huge difference though: Sebastian’s title was handed down, while Klaus’ was earned through repeated battles over the centuries. I look between the two males; Sebastian, even though he’s built heavy for the Americans, is considerably smaller than Klaus. Is it bad that I hope they fight? Eventually, Sebastian backs down, and whispers move through the pack because of how quickly he submitted.

  Without warning, the temperature plummets and frost begins to race along the ground. Aurora emerges from the cabin, the unease of the pack bringing her out of her self-imposed isolation. Her alpha power blankets the pack and drives the weak to their knees. The only ones left standing are the dires, the German lycans, Dimitri, and myself. The entire American pack is on their knees, whining from the pressure of her influence. Sebastian is also on the ground. From what I was told, he was once able to withstand Aurora. Now, he’s on the ground like the rest of his birth pack. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. With a flourish of her right hand, she cuts the oppressive power that blankets the compound.

  “Dom, summon your pack to the meeting point I gave you earlier. The North American lycans shall remain here. It will be lambs to the slaughter if we bring them with us.” Aurora’s voice is commanding, leaving no room for questioning her authority. Sebastian moves to approach Aurora. She quickly shifts her hand and points her talons at her once first mate. Her teeth change and she bares her canines at him.

  “You forced a mating by magic. It's going to take a long time to regain my trust. You cost me the chance at a true lycan mate.” Her words are growled out and her body shakes with the effort to restrain her beast. I rest my hand on her shoulder, trying to stay her hand.

  “Baby girl? Daughter? Consider this: he can fight alongside us and earn his place back at your side through battle. Or he can die trying?” I’m trying to appeal to my daughter’s logical dragon side. It must have worked because she lowers her arm and shifts it back to human.

  “You owe Nico your heart, Sebastian. He just saved your life,” Aurora says, devoid of any emotion. Then, her eyes flicker to Klaus and Dimitri. She speaks in German for Klaus and his men, “We leave in an hour; be ready. Klaus, you and the twins are with me. Dimitri, take the other truck with father and Klaus’ men. Dom, give your men the keys to the other four-by-fours so we can fuel up and depart. I’m done waiting.” Aurora finishes with her instructions, flipping back and forth between English and German depending on who she’s speaking to. She shoves past Sebastian into the Alpha House to go pack. Klaus and I look at each other then to Dimitri. The big guy is trying so hard not to laugh his ass off over Aurora’s latest antics. We start heading toward Aurora’s truck.

  “Guys! Wait up!” Sebastian is yelling and trying to catch up to us. Right now, I wish I had both wings. I’d be gone. Then, I’d fly over him and shit right on his head; just cover the bastard in molten dragon shit. I must have what he perceives as a friendly smile on my face.

  “Thanks for waiting up! Where are we going and who do I ride with?” Sebastian says hopefully. I raise an eyebrow at Sebastian. Can this fucker be serious?

  “I suggest you wait for Aurora and ask her. This is, how do you say it? Her rodeo?” I’m not sure if I’m using the phrase right. I glance at Dimitri and he gives me the thumbs up, so I change my expression to a serious one and stare the whelp down. Sebastian double blinks and looks back at the Alpha House. He visibly pales, thinking about dealing with Aurora in her angered state.

  “Um ok? I mean, you are still King Nicodeamus. I’m sure you can tell me where I should be going.” In my mind, I’m screaming “go to hell and rot.” Or, better yet, “go visit your ancestors and not come back.”

  “Yes, I am still king. My daughter out-ranks me by birthright. So, yes, I know where you should go. It’s Aurora’s job to make sure you get there.” I smirk at him. Cocky mother fucker has finally been knocked down a peg. Sebastian heads back to the house and enters. We can hear Aurora clear as day when she yells that he better find his own ride because he wasn't riding with her. Dimitri and I can'
t help but laugh; they sound like an old married couple. Sebastian comes running out and heads toward his Jeep. Once inside, he pulls up to where the other vehicles are waiting.

  Aurora steps out of the Alpha House with a duffle bag over her shoulder. She takes her time heading to her truck where the twins and Klaus are waiting for her. I watch my daughter climb into the bed of her truck and look out over all the gathered vehicles.

  "Roll out!" She yells before jumping down and firing up Black Betty. Plumes of black soot shoot from the diesel stacks as she begins to roll. We fall in line behind Aurora and so on down the line. Sebastian chooses the rear. I start to laugh; this isn't a regular wolf pack where the alpha leads from the back. My daughter is the soon to be mother fucking queen when she takes back the throne. Strigoi, beware. You have one pissed off hybrid coming for you.

  The last forty eight hours has been hell on my nerves. We discovered that Elena and Sebastian manipulated the most sacred of bonds for their own ambitions, and Aurora accepted a Dragon Prince before even meeting him. Now, she seems more powerful than ever. Andre, my best friend, was murdered because he must have found something important. The American pack was deemed unfit to fight once Aurora saw the German lycans. I have to admit, they are huge in comparison to the American pack. Personally, I understand why she left them behind; they can all turn on us in a second. Strategically, it's brilliant and dumb. I mean, we would have had higher numbers for the battle. On the other hand, if they turned on us, our odds would be far worse.

  "Klaus? Can you tell us what you know about the fortress?" I watch Klaus turn his heavily muscled frame so he can face all of us when he speaks.

  "It's heavily fortified, but has developed flaws over the years, which we plan to exploit." He studies Aurora's side profile while she drives. I notice he seems appreciative of what he sees. "The flaws have to deal with the lower levels. They have flooded, which means the strigoi are somewhere on the first level." Klaus looks between the three of us. His English isn't bad, which is a pleasant surprise. Aurora receives word that some of the smaller vehicles need to refuel, so we pull up to the diesel pump to top off the tank. Aurora turns to look at all of us.

  "If your information is correct, that means they are more than likely in the throne room." Aurora's grey eyes slowly examine Klaus. He has medium brown hair that’s longer on the top and his eyes are grey like Aurora's. They seem to stare at each other forever before Sebastian breaks the spell by knocking on Aurora's window. I've never seen her go from zero to demon bitch so fast. She's snapping and growling at Sebastian.

  Gently, I touch Aurora's shoulder in an attempt to calm her. She turns to look at me, and I notice her beast is close to the surface. Dragon scales line her eyes like eyeliner. The silver shimmer makes the grey of her eyes look ethereal. Her head tilts left then right as she studies me. My wolf chooses now to to come to the surface. Through my wolf’s eyes, I see Aurora with a bright light behind her. My vision has never been like this before. The world is in tones of grey and black with lights behind the objects to outline them.

  "Aurora? Is this how you see when you shift?" I look around in wonder; everything is so sharp. If I really concentrate, I can see the blood flowing through my brothers’ veins. Aurora starts laughing.

  "Apparently, both you and Dom got the same gift from me. Yes, I can tell by your eye color you gained my vision. It's most helpful when a species can use glamours. Now, you can see right through them," She says so matter-of-fact, like it's no big deal. To me, it's a total game changer. I smile broadly and start examining the world around me. I hear Aurora lower the driver side window. "Yes Mister Lupi? What can I do for you?" Oh shit, he's really redefining being in the dog house. My vision goes back to normal, and I watch Sebastian cringe at Aurora's tone.

  "Aurora, please, love... can we talk?" Sebastian says in a pathetic tone. Hell has officially frozen over. Sebastian “I don't give a fuck about anyone” Lupi is begging. I start videoing it. I'm positive Dimitri and Nico would love to see this.

  "LOVE? LOVE! You don't even understand the meaning of the word!" Aurora screams at the top of her lungs. We barely made it into Canada and I think she's going to kill him. Out of nowhere, Dimitri's hulking form rises up behind Sebastian.

  "I suggest you leave, boy. She's not interested in talking to you right now." Sebastian doesn’t even attempt to argue with Dimitri; he just turns and leaves. Dimitri faces Aurora and kisses her forehead. "Anything for you, pup. Anything." He gently caresses her cheek then heads back to the truck he was in.

  Aurora shakes her head then fires the truck up again, getting the caravan back on the road. Klaus is pondering talking to Aurora. Part of me wants to warn him, the other part wants to watch the explosion. Klaus gently rests his hand on her arm. I watch Aurora glance at him, but doesn’t swipe his hand away.

  "I was filled in on what happened. On behalf of the German lycans, we are sorry." He furrows his brows and removes his hand from her arm. "We still treasure and honor the idea and dream of finding a true mate." I watch Klaus interlace his fingers as he stares at his hands in his lap. Aurora reaches over and rests her hand on his knee.

  "Thank you, Klaus. It hurts so bad to be betrayed, and to realize my true mate is out there somewhere waiting for me." I watch a single tear roll down her cheek. "He's out there somewhere praying to Morrighan to find me, and I'm here..." Aurora's voice cracks as she’s overcome with emotions. Dom and I both lay a hand on her to soothe her. "I'm here with a false bond; all because Sebastian and his mother are self-serving assholes."

  Through the bond, my brother and I push our love for our mate the best we can. Aurora rests her cheek on Dom's hand and then reaches up to touch mine. She keeps her eyes on the road and sighs softly. My eyes turn to Klaus; so many emotions flicker across his face. I can't tell if he's being empathetic or he knows what she's going through.

  I lean forward and kiss Aurora's hand before I speak, "Love, we are here for you. Your father and Dimitri are here for you. From what I can tell, you have the full power of the German lycans as well as the dire wolves behind you. You do not walk alone." I see Klaus hesitate before resting his hand on Aurora's thigh. I watch her look down briefly then back up to the road ahead.

  I can tell Aurora is deep in thought. She sits up straighter and removes her hand from mine. Aurora hits a button on her steering wheel.

  "Betty, play my playlist."

  A few seconds later, the truck responds by saying, "Playing playlist.” The opening notes to Shinedown's “How Did You Love?” starts filling the truck. Aurora begins singing along with the song. I watch her lips move almost hypnotically until I notice her canines have descended. Klaus gives me a look of concern. Poor man has no clue what the fuck he got himself into. I tap Klaus's shoulder to get his attention.

  "She's like a force of nature unleashed upon the world." Dom nods along with my words. His phone goes off, and it's the prince. Quickly, Dom brings the prince up to speed. I look back over at Klaus. "Right now, we're sitting in the eye of the hurricane. Her rage and pain isn't focused on us. She's battling between her logical side and her beast’s desire to royally fuck up what's hurting her." I lower my eyes briefly before looking back up at Klaus. "Aurora works through her pain with music. We've almost figured out when she's going to explode by the songs she picks."

  Dom decides to cut in at this point, "What Jayce is trying to say is this: if we say run, do it. It's not going to be pretty when she finally loses the battle with her beast’s instincts." Dom rubs the center of his chest, indicating the pain we are both feeling from Aurora. We all watch her; she's so focused on singing it's like we're not even here.

  I turn away from my brother and watch the scenery outside my window. The miles blow by like dust in the wind. Aurora shows no sign of fatigue after driving for the last nine hours, and we pull into a rest stop somewhere in the middle of Canada to refuel. Aurora sits on the tailgate of her truck once it's fueled. Dimitri approaches her cautiously, while Klaus and I watch
them from a safe distance. Dimitri holds out a bag of food and shakes it to break Aurora from her trance. She takes the food and pats the tailgate beside her. Dimitri joins her. I can't decide if that's the bravest or dumbest thing I've ever witnessed.

  Klaus returns to his pack mates and brother to update them. I spot Dom over by Nico, so I decide to join them. As I approach, I notice Sebastian with his head in his mother's lap, looking distraught.

  "What's going on over there?" I motion toward Elena and Sebastian. Nico wins for best resting bitch face today. He looks at Elena and Sebastian then back to me.

  "Old laws dictate death for betraying the ruling family. Forging a false bond is grounds for execution." Nico raises his right hand to rub where his left arm used to be. "Their lives are in Aurora's talons—literally." He turns to watch Klaus with his packmates and motions toward them. "Their pack is the last of the true lycans. I had, and still hope Aurora's mate is there. A true mate can break the false bond." Nico looks almost sad as he turns to Aurora and Dimitri. "I just have to wonder, Was there magic casted to keep those two apart?"

  I watch Aurora and Dimitri interact. They do act like a mated couple; they’re perfectly attuned to each other. Is their level of comfort due to the fact he raised her or is Nico correct in saying she's his? Nico then yells for Dimitri and Aurora to join us. Slowly, they meander over. Aurora hugs and kisses her father then snuggles into me, suppressing a yawn.

  "Something wrong, dad?" Aurora asks before yawning into my side again. Dom moves to my side and kisses Aurora on the top of her head. She looks up and smiles at Dom then snuggles into his side.

  "Nothing is wrong, sweetheart. I just have a few questions." This catches Dimitri's attention, and he looks around to see if anyone is within earshot of us. When he's sure it's clear, he gives Nico the all clear. "The question is actually for you, old friend. Did Elena send you and Andre regular care packages?" Dimitri looks puzzled by the question then looks between Elena and Nico.