“What about your friends, Aurora?” I press further, suddenly as curious as I am disheartened for her.
A long, drawn-out sigh escapes her, joining the gentle wisp of wind that carries snowflakes toward the west. Her voice is soft when she says, “I don’t have friends, Alpha Elias. What would you expect of the lowly omega? I’m barely a werewolf. I’m just a fat pig.”
The way she spits out the last two words with vindictive venom is very telling of her experiences in the pack as the omega. My jaw drops, my heart breaking for the omega who turned out to be my fated mate. A frisson of anger ignites deep within—has she always been treated poorly by the pack?
What’s worse is that I’d never bothered to check up on her, especially after that night out in the mountains. Forced to prioritize my alpha duties, the last thing I needed back then was to be tied down to the pack’s lowest-ranking omega. I had noidea that I was only adding to her suffering, and that’s why she’d been staying away from me these past five years.
The anger that ignites in my chest with a sudden need to lash out at everyone for ever treating her poorly is outweighed by Aurora’s vulnerability and my wolf’s aching desire to protect her now that it’s recognized its mate. I can’t see her suffering anymore, and I long to reach out and fold her into my protective embrace.
Knowing that showing her my anger will only scare her off, I take a deep breath to calm myself. But it only allows a tenderness to wash over me, bringing with it a more intense need to hold her close and assure her that her troubles are a thing of the past.
But she’s a fragile thing, appearing even tinier in my eyes as I watch her through a curtain of falling snow, imagining all her pain and suffering since her grandmother died. I know what it’s like losing your family, but Aurora has only known losses, while I gained the responsibility and respect of the Snehvolk Pack.
Perhaps that’s why she’s always running away, running from the pain and extreme emotions, not wanting to face any of it. Her wolf is running from me, her misery running deeper than I can ever imagine.
I have to make things right and tread carefully around her now that I’ve realized that she’s a fragile creature, even if she has mystical powers that set her apart from any ordinary wolf. She has no idea how powerful she could be. Not only does her wolf exist, despite it being hidden in the recesses of her being, but she has her tribe’s powers that mean she’s stronger than any of us.
She’s yet to discover this.
As her mate, it’s my responsibility not only to protect her but to ensure that she discovers the true extent of those powers. It was no coincidence that she had that psychic premonition—true psychic abilities are a force to be reckoned with. So are the magical powers I witnessed her wielding during her fight against the demon.
With another deep breath, I call out to her again.
“Please, come inside,” I urge gently. “I don’t think it’s safe for you out here when the demon is aware of your powers.”
My statement is what prompts Aurora to turn, facing me with swollen eyes.
“It won’t attack during the day…” she whispers.
I shake my head. “We can’t be sure of that,” I shrug. “So far, we know that the demon dog only attacks lone wolves in isolated places, but we can’t be sure that the same goes for you. You’re the only one who can successfully impair the spirit with your powers, and it knows this. It might come after you if it knows where you are.”
A fleeting frown passes over Aurora’s face, but she shrugs it off. Though I can’t hear her thoughts right now, I can sense them.
Clearing my throat and raising my chin, I solemnly swear, “As your alpha and mate, I will do everything in my power to protect you, Aurora. But you have to come inside. Please.”
A long moment of silence stretches before Aurora finally nods timidly, agreeing to come inside. Leading the way, I hold the door open for her and step aside to let her in.
Without the shield of the snow falling around us, she passes by, and I catch a whiff of her alluring scent, my inner wolf swiftly becoming intoxicated by the sweet floral notes. Acting onimpulse, I grab her arm and spin her toward me. She knocks into me, her palms flattening on my chest as she stares at me through the warm depths of her earthy brown eyes.
“Elias…” she whispers, blinking with luscious flaps of thick lashes.
Gazing down at her, our faces are so close that our breaths mingle between us, becoming a heady cocktail of the contrast of her softness against my hardness. A perfect blend that should be explored by the dance of our tongues, my eyes flicking to her lips as she parts them on a gasp.
Somewhere deep inside, I chastise myself for coming on too strong, my logical mind reminding me that I shouldn’t be obtruding when she has only just opened up to me.
I have to take my time with her, even if my body is racing with hot blood that pools at my core, awakening the most primal need known to a werewolf. I imagine it’s stronger for a pure-blooded alpha, and it takes every ounce of self-control to mentally break away.
Gulping hard, I notice the way Aurora’s eyes follow the movement of my throat, giving me a second of pause in which I can gather my thoughts and senses and redirect this moment of intimacy. I lift a hand to her head and dust off the snowflakes caught in her hair.
“Come on,” I say, carefully stepping away and taking her hand to lead her back to the kitchen. “Your breakfast must have grown cold. I’ll just…” My voice tapers off into a sniff as I gently release her hand and lift her plate from the table. Taking it to the microwave, I watch her through the reflective glass as she takes a seat at the table, appearing even more fragile and nervous as she waits for her food.
Goddess knows that I’m about to lose my mind steadily with every second when I’m close to her, but I can’t rush things with Aurora. Not until her powers are primed enough to allow her inner wolf to recognize me as her fated mate. She probably doesn’t trust what she felt years ago, just as she doesn’t trust me. Yet.
Chapter 12 - Aurora
I’ve been restless these past few days, trying to find a balance between accepting my new living conditions and deciding what I’m supposed to do while I’m cooped up in Elias’s house.
He hasn’t been around that much, and I suspect that he’s been avoiding me ever since the day I dropped my guard and revealed to him that I don’t have any friends in the pack.
