Aurora
“Come on, little one, don’t stop for me.”
I blush, Luke leaning against the wall, his body pained but his smile the same warm grin as it’s always been. I move to hug him, stopping a few paces short, the pain of his smell so different to me now. I hadn’t noticed it on my birthday, or in the medical wing when I ran to check on him, but I smell it now.
He smells like his mate, Mary.
It hits me then. I have to let our love go. We wouldn’t be here if things weren’t the way they are meant to be. Me with Jaxson, Luke with Mary. It has to be for a reason, for some unknown cause that I wish I could change, but I’m not powerful enough to make that kind of change, no matter if I want to or not.
He closes the gap between us, pulling me in a tight embrace, holding me off the ground for a moment so he can fully take my arms and my body into his. I smile, then laugh, feeling weightless and carel
JaxsonIt’s impossible to sleep. I don’t even pretend anymore, sitting up in bed, reading one of my father’s old war books on strategy, feeling Aurora shift under the covers and whimper for me to hold her. I let my hand rest on her bare back, watching her settle at my touch and drift back to sleep. I hardly have it in me to look at her now.Not after what she said to Luke.I had my father tell Luke he will leave by sunrise and if he doesn’t, he will die here. I can’t have someone like that around my mate. She was manipulated to kiss him, to be alone in a room with him, knowing damn well that I would have found out and been furious.She is confused, she told me that herself and I believe it, but I will never let her near that asshole again. He saved her life and that’s the only reason he is still breathing in this palace. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him the second he reached for her.
JaxsonThe room is alive with singing voices and a homemade, candlelit cake. Jacki brings it to the table where Aurora sits with her friends, a group of three rag-tag buddies that I have no interest in being closer to than these mingling moments. I invited them to the palace the first time, and they sent her little crush to tell her they can’t be friends and interact anymore because of who her mate is.Because of me.I just wish that we didn’t have to make this trip here. After Xander’s exit, I don’t feel safe without the full protection of my warriors, but I know if it came down to a scrap, I could take him alone. I still retain backup to watch the edge of the property, taking shifts of five during the day, seven at night.I don’t want to ruin this night for Aurora, or the weekend I’ve blocked to be here so she can be with her friends and her parents, because as it looks right now, I don’t think the
AuroraI don’t know where to run, just that I have to get away. I don’t want to be nineteen, I don’t want my birthday to ever come again. Not for my twentieth especially. I can’t be mated to someone like Jaxson, seeing him tear a ruthless bite into my best friend’s throat. He could have easily killed Luke for just wanting to come see me.I know it’s complicated after I kissed him, after what I confessed to him, but I didn’t know what else to say or do at that moment. It was a mistake. I may not feel the mating pull yet but I felt the pain in Jaxson’s heart, in his wolf, when I betrayed him. But that never gave him the right to power play Luke and bite him like he had.I can’t stand to be around him right now.I weave upward through the valley, slowly hearing him and his warriors filter off of my trail as I travel in and out of the crease of the mountains. Luke and I used to travel through
AuroraMy eyes are covered in thick, tightly tied fabric. Something about my senses have been dulled, a dry, toxic taste on my tongue making me cough. I don’t recall drinking anything, but the feeling of a mute potion weighs heavily on all of my senses.I try to wiggle my arms free of the binds that keep them pinned behind my back but like all my attempts before, I’m met with a harsh slap that sends me flailing onto my side, the feeling of warm blood pooling under my nostrils. I can’t even smell the blood, feeling it drip off my cheek while my arms and legs are still wrapped up in metal ties and fabric restraints, my ankles bound, and my wrists kept tied behind my lower back.I drop my face down, trying to protect it, unwilling to prompt another hit from whoever keeps me captive. It’s impossible for me to see a thing, to know the scent of my captor, unsure what else to do so I lay helpless on the cold, wooden floors, waiting
AuroraI don’t sleep. Not even a minute. Every fiber of my existence is focused on staying awake, staying alive, and keeping myself backed into the corner of the closet where I’ve been thrown into and left alone since I arrived. It’s the heavy inclination I have that keeps me awake, watching the doorknob, waiting for Xander to barge in, beat me, humiliate me, and ultimately kill me.At least he removed the blindfolds and handcuffs, replaced only now by a metal collar that squeezes my throat and sports a long, tough chain.I at least want a fighting chance; I need to be awake and alert in case I have to fight. I won’t win, I accepted that long ago, but it would be better than dying in vain without a hint of struggle involved. I may be weak, famished, and ultimately dehydrated, but there isn’t a shred of doubt in my mind that I will at least go out laying a hit or two onto the second prince, to at least prove I am not an
JaxsonIt’s nearing a week without a sign from my mate. My wolf is ready to bite off anyone’s head who tries to tell me to stop looking for her. I have patrols sent out in droves at all hours of the night, every hour during the day, and I refuse to let it stop until she is found. I pace the ballroom, my father talking to his advisers, his beta, and Philip brough his daughter Stella.Stella is Aurora’s age, a year away from feeling the mating pull, but that never stopped her from having feelings for me in the past. I hate to admit that I used to entertain the idea if we never found our mates but now that I have, I’ve kept a purposefully long distance away from her. I don’t have it in me to talk to her now, moving away when she approaches to speak with me.I wave her away and she abides, nervously braiding her long, brown hair. She moves back to her father’s side, beta Phillip speaking to my father in hushed tones
JaxsonI ransack the entire cabin, all but ripping off the floorboards, and I can’t even find a hint of her scent. My anger is bubbling, my wolf barking in my head. I need to shift and kill every single person in here until they tell me where my mate is. Luke grabs my shoulder, turning me around, and pointing at a little scrap of fabric on the floor behind the couch.I kneel over it, pulling it into my fingertips, and I realize soon it’s not fabric, even if it resembles a few strands of string. It’s hair. It’s long and white, cut evenly as if sliced from her head, and I bring it to my nose to double-check, filling my senses with the floral perfume of my mate’s natural aroma.My body trembles.I push the couch clear across the room, throwing the table through a window and continue destroying everything in my sight. I push outside, fuming so much that steam may actually be exuding my skin. I stand in front of the
AuroraI toy with the collar around my throat, trying to connect to my wolf, knowing that if I shift, it will break off. It’s only a dream, though, the wolf’s-bane still heavy on my tongue.Xander barges into the closet and I back up, my body shivering into the corner. He hasn’t let up on his threats, on his beatings, and worst of all I have felt him nearing closer and closer to using my body for his own pleasure.He pulls me out of the corner by my neck collar. I force myself to a weak stand, unable to keep up as he hurries us through the cabin and outside, the weather cold and the wind brisk on my naked body. I try to breathe, try to catch my breath, but it’s no use. He drags me through the snow behind his every lunging step.I finally pull back, trying to make him stop, but it only makes his fist find my scalp and pull me to my feet, tossing me in front of him to walk. I know better than to ask questions, simply ab
AuroraJaxson is off with his training as he does before the pups awake. I take this time to myself to tidy up the hut, pour myself a cup of coffee and watch the sun dare to break the horizon. I watch the waves lap and decide to venture toward them, seeing the sky in the distance a beautiful navy color now. The peace of this pack brings me joy unknown to me before.I wish I had seen just where Jaxson and I would have ended up before I made things so difficult. I only wanted to be free, to love without trouble, but this trouble has brought me a grand future. Thankfully he never gave up on me, and I never fully let myself lose him because otherwise, I would be left in another life, one not as fulfilling as this one.I hear the sounds of feet on sand approach from behind and the scent of my mate’s wolf is nowhere nearby. Instead I smell that of my best friend, his tired eyes coming into focus as he stands beside me in blissful awe, watching the moon expire to the morning.“Good morning,
JaxsonI still fear for my mate. I watch her more than she would ever know. She is calmer now, not as frightened or startled as she used to be. She was never meant to be scared, to be worried that the world we live in would hurt her but I am not the maker of the world. I am not the keeper of knowledge and I am not a king.I’m but a humble Alpha, a father to three pups, a mate to an amazing Luna, and I am finally okay with that. I have let my childhood fantasies run free and I stopped chasing them at last. My life has become simple, not waited on by terrified maids, worried they will be slapped for missing an order or mispronouncing a name of a royal.My Luna has taught me the right way to live, easily, and she does so even now, holding one pup on her hip, stirring a pot for dinner and tending to the other two on the floor at her ankles, playing with large plastic utensils like they’re in a band. I watch her move through her night with a flow, a vine in the wind, easy and pretty.For a
AuroraFinally, free of the pups, I relax on the couch with Jaxson, sipping our hot-coco and humming tunes stuck in our heads. It feels so empty and quiet in our house but at least we have some time to lean back and breathe. I am utterly exhausted right now but that hasn’t stopped my mind from wandering to what I’ve been mulling over all day on.Jaxson gently breathes against my back, both of us snuggled on the couch that is hardly big enough for at least one of us, so I take to sitting on his lap, practically crushing his chest, but I don’t care and neither does he seem to. His arm curls around my shoulder, keeping me close to him without any intention of letting me go.I aim to kiss his neck, his hand diverting me elsewhere, kissing his lips ravishingly. I can’t help but moan as he makes out with me so vigorously that I pant for breathes against his mouth, begging to steal some air from his lungs to have for myself.“Alpha,” I say, practically begging for more with my whimpering ton
AuroraIt couldn’t possibly be more tense in this tiny hut if we tried. We have been lingering on the porch for what feels like hours, Kennedy and Jaxson mulling over conversations that vary from subject to subject. I try not to pry in the talks all that much. I don’t necessarily care firstly but secondly, I fear for my friends, my family, and the other commoners of Dawn pack while the king Alpha’s men all stand on the beach, prepped for trouble.My stomach aches at the mere thought of trouble in our paradise, especially when my three sleeping pups have to woken up soon from their afternoon nap so they can have dinner.Jaxson gives me an all-knowing look, his eyes heavy with concern. I give him the same somber look and the king must notice, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. I watch as he twiddles with his thumbs, sensing our hesitation, and I don’t think any of us are interested in dragging this out longer.“I know you were pregnant,” Kennedy sighs, finally breaking the tension. “My
AuroraWhen the panic subsides, Jaxson and I move slowly, trying to keep the pups quiet enough to inspect the living room first. Snowflake is startled and froze upright, worried as she looks out the front window. I follow her gaze, the morning simple and bright and warm as it pours into our small, quaint hut.Jaxson clings to one pup, while I juggle the other two. He gives me a daring look of caution.Stay close but stay behind me.I give him an approving nod, not stupid enough to face anything when I’ve got a perfectly capable, super strong Alpha with me. He and I both leave the hut and make our way to the beach, turning in every direction to see everything seems rather calm outside, like nothing happened at all. Everything except for a tall stack of black smoke in the distance, trailing into the sky.“Aurora!” My mother finds me first, thankfully taking Dawn from my grasp, clinging to the little pup. My father is next, taking Lily from Jaxson and then taking the young male pup from
Aurora“Please, tell me you’re joking,” I breathe, feeling to stunned to believe it.Jaxson kisses my temple, shaking his head. “It’s true sweetheart.”“Every—Everyone?”He nods once more. I feel tears form in my eyes.“Because of Xander’s death and the treason on me lifted for leaving the Royal pack,” Jaxson says, brushing a stray tear off my jaw, “I just thought it was now safe enough to allow everyone to come live in Dawn pack.”I throw myself to my mate, feeling him grab me, hold me, and never intend to let go of me. I cry gently into his chest. I was worried he would miss the royal pack and crave to be the royal king Alpha more than he would want to create a mating bond with me but I was terribly wrong. He has now proven tenfold that he cares for me so deeply that he would invite my parents, my best friends, into the pack we have chosen to live our lives in.I do worry though, truthfully, that Luke has come for alternative reasons. He hasn’t spoken to me since the beach and I don
AuroraI manage to slip on something to wear, feeling so clouded in my mind that I don’t even notice I have managed to slip into a summery white dress while holding Dawn on my hip throughout it all. I kiss her pale nose, her bright blue eyes a wonder to this world. She is too precious to believe and yet, I know she is special, like her two little siblings.She winks awake and back asleep a few times, attempting to finally fall back asleep but I can’t stand another sleepless night where Jaxson and I have to take turns with cooing these little pups back to sleep.I pace outside to the living room, seeing the beach full of people. I spot Jaxson first of course, his arms full of little Jax and Lily who is busy pulling at his hair in the fistful. He doesn’t seem to mind it as much while he converses with the newcomers.I know them all, of course. I’ve just been too nervous to say anything to them. I cling to Dawn, like a shield, or a distraction, and carefully step off the front porch and
AuroraLily Opal Knight, Dawn Emerald Knight, and Jax Hunter Knight.I hold them all three in my lap, my wolf ready to pounce and lick each of their faces separately, lovingly, so desperate to be their favorite admirer in all forms possible. I lean back in bed, cradling each sleeping child in my tired, limp arms.I haven’t been able to do much since the fight it took to give birth, and I’ve been out of my mind ever since. I have even sworn to hear Luke’s voice outside the hut, especially when Jaxson pounces to go to the kitchen or any other reason he has given when leaving the bedroom. I relish when he returns, aiding me in the smallest of acts that truly make me feel thankful to have a mate like him by my side.He never fails to hold me when I feel the nagging after-ache of what my body has been through, and he helps me rest in the shower, letting the warm water drown over my body when I need a break from my otherwise, perfect angels. I patiently wait for his return now, seeing him b
AuroraI see my parents.They were always so supportive. I never expected them to want to have children. We lived a hard life, the three of us brought up in a world where commoners are mistreated and slaughtered, if not used by royals as nothing but slaves. I always figured it would be hard for me to bring up children, knowing they could see the same fate as so many others I have witnessed fall victim to royals before.Meeting Jaxson changed all of that, but not at first. I still recall the coincidental moment that made him find me, and I recall spending so many days and weeks thinking it was a nightmare, that I had gone crazy and my mind was unsafe for me. I couldn’t come to accept what he claimed to be true. He had to have been mistaken.I see the moments where I asked him to just reject me, to make both of our lives simpler, but my mate never gave into that outcome. I even rejected him and it only pushed him further to be with me. It sent us closer together. It made sense at the ti